# What is the most you would spend on headphones?



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Just curious...

What is the most you would be willing to spend on headphones?

What would you main use be?

Are you primarily a Home Theater or 2-channel listener?

Aaaaannnddd..... Have you heard any cool new models recently?:sn:


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

For Christmas i got Sennheiser HD 600 headphones and they are terrific.
I use them quite a bit in the evenings for TV and music, my wife is a very light sleeper and I try to keep the noise down.
They are fairly expensive, but since I have them I would not want anything less.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I spent $80 on my AKG K142s back in 1990 and still use them today so it was s good investment. I also got a set of non working K240s in around 1997 and fixed them (the really thin wires connecting to the actual speakers had broken) still have them as well.
I dont think I could ever spend more then about $150


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

AudiocRaver said:


> Aaaaannnddd..... Have you heard any cool new models recently?:sn:


Maybe you are already aware, but I just came across these. 

KEF M500


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

Way back when (the 80's), I got a pair of Sony MDR-V6 headphones and have had them ever since. They were close to $90 at that time and I believe they're still available today at about the same price point (don't know if any of the design specs have changed).

I've taken these headphones a lot of places and used them with CD players, mp3 players, and some home theater where I want to understand the dialog. I had to replace the fabric one time (it rotted out and I got spare fabric replacements just in case it happens again), but otherwise, they've been great headphones with an excellent bottom end. They fold conveniently into a compact lump, and are lightweight when being worn.

I guess that being stated, $90 is about the most I would pay for a good set of headphones. It's pretty hard to top what I got in these for that price or anything higher, and I don't think headphones need to be a new model to be good. I would buy these again if my old set ever gave up.


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## cavchameleon (Jan 7, 2008)

I've use a LOT of different headphones in the past (and still use them). One thing I've found over the years is that with headphones, I wanted:

1) comfort first (completely around the ear with no pressure on the ear itself)
2) fairly light
3) self adjusting
4) full frequency response with no enhancements (i.e. no boosted bass or treble)
5) non-fatiging (can wear for long periods of time without a headache)

With that in mind, I've stuck with AKG's and Sennheiser. The ones I use the most are AKG 240M's which for me fit what I'm looking for. Thare are many other models in their line, but cost much more. I think I just paid over $100, but cannot remember. I always look for sales.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

tesseract said:


> Maybe you are already aware, but I just came across these.


KEF making headphones! Would love to hear some.

Focal is another speaker maker turned to headphones that I would like to try.


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## cavchameleon (Jan 7, 2008)

AudiocRaver said:


> KEF making headphones! Would love to hear some.
> 
> Focal is another speaker maker turned to headphones that I would like to try.


I think many of the speaker companies are turning to headphones. It's a HUGE market now, especially with the younger crowd wanting higher quality tranducers with their portable devices (iphone, ipod, MP3 players and smart phones). This market is only going to get larger IMO and companies want a piece of the pie.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

cavchameleon said:


> I think many of the speaker companies are turning to headphones. It's a HUGE market now, especially with the younger crowd wanting higher quality tranducers with their portable devices (iphone, ipod, MP3 players and smart phones). This market is only going to get larger IMO and companies want a piece of the pie.


Is there much hope of getting younger listeners to appreciate higher quality phones, i.e. other qualities than huge bass response?


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

AudiocRaver said:


> Is there much hope of getting younger listeners to appreciate higher quality phones, i.e. other qualities than huge bass response?


From my observations about the same chance as getting them to pull up their pants.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

I spent about $200 on the Logitech UE6000 last year but returned them because they didn't sound balanced at all. Great quality and very cool looking, but I couldn't live with the sound. I don't think I'd spend any more than that in the future. The main use for me would be music. A friend of mine scored some deals at an Audio Technica warehouse sale last Christmas, I may have him look for me this year.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

chashint said:


> From my observations about the same chance as getting them to pull up their pants.


...sounds about right...:rolleyesno:


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Peter Loeser said:


> I spent about $200 on the Logitech UE6000 last year but returned them because they didn't sound balanced at all. Great quality and very cool looking, but I couldn't live with the sound. I don't think I'd spend any more than that in the future. The main use for me would be music. A friend of mine scored some deals at an Audio Technica warehouse sale last Christmas, I may have him look for me this year.


Prices are a bit strange on some models. AT's ATH-M50 was $150 for years, last summer dropped to $100 for several months, since then is back up to $160. Go figure.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

AudiocRaver said:


> Prices are a bit strange on some models. AT's ATH-M50 was $150 for years, last summer dropped to $100 for several months, since then is back up to $160. Go figure.


I have considered the ATH-M50 for its price/popularity but have read it tends to favor bass. That was my main gripe about the Logitechs, and I wonder if the M50's would lean too far toward that end of the spectrum for my tastes. Otherwise I'd be happy to spend $100-$150 for a nice set of OTE headphones.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

http://headphones.onkyousa.com/


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Peter Loeser said:


> http://headphones.onkyousa.com/


Interesting, first I have heard of Onkyo headphones. Guess we will have to eval a pair.


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## cavchameleon (Jan 7, 2008)

^^^ Sharp 'looking' headphones. I'd be curious how they sound also. It really does look like pretty much everyone is getting into the headphone business.


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## eclipse911t (Jan 8, 2013)

I use some older Shure E3c's which retailed for $180 ten years ago when I purchased them. I would like an inline mic and interchangeable cables of the new ones, but haven't shelled out the $300 for an upgrade big enough to make it worthy while. I'd say my limit is two hundred, but that is barring whether I am happy with my next speaker upgrade. My headphone budget could be raised to $500 to get the clarity I desire. 

I'm a big fan of in-ear stage monitors for their inherent isolation properties. Be sure to use the black Shure foams.

They are extremely lightweight and are far superior to traditional noise canceling headphones when mowing or on a plane in addition to being great at home in a quiet environment. 

The down side is that my wife hates when I wear them as they are SO isolating. They also take some effort to put them in and take them out.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

My son has a pair of IEMs and absolutely loves them. I have not tried any serious models out yet, but aim to get to it before too long.


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## C. jejuni (Aug 4, 2013)

AudiocRaver said:


> Is there much hope of getting younger listeners to appreciate higher quality phones, i.e. other qualities than huge bass response?


It'll evolve over time for most but the cheapest people. My first "better" audio gear was a squeaky cubes Teufelu5.1 system and I thought the bass was great, eventually I felt ashamed about that waste of money when I listened to my equally-expensive headphones with magnitudes higher sound quality off the go, and now I also own a pair of high quality near field monitors.

Currently a whole load of people are running around with Monster Beats around here because they were bundled with some smartphone. Looks positively awful, especially on hipsters, but maybe it'll be a stepping stone for many.

To get on-topic, I spent ~150€ on the headphones, ~100€ on the amp. I may be willing to pay twice as much for a headphone if it would be perfectly suited to my HRTF, but that's about it. For now I am more than happy with EQ-ing my K 601.


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## macmovieman (Dec 7, 2010)

I would not spend a dime over $1500 for a nice pair.


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## gorb (Sep 5, 2010)

I don't think I'd spend more than $300 on a pair. I'd much rather spend more on speakers and subwoofers, and share the music i'm listening to or movies I'm watching with other people. I normally only use headphones for certain games (like counterstrike) and I use cheap IEMs at work while listening to podcasts.


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## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

Zero point zero. Headphones are not for me.


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

gorb said:


> I don't think I'd spend more than $300 on a pair. I'd much rather spend more on speakers and subwoofers, and share the music i'm listening to or movies I'm watching with other people. I normally only use headphones for certain games (like counterstrike) and I use cheap IEMs at work while listening to podcasts.


I agree. When I was in my 20s and salivated over all the fancy audiophile equipment money could buy (and I definitely couldn't afford), I might have _looked_ at a $1k set of headphones, but in retrospect, I'm _really_ happy with the <$100 Sonys I ended up with. Likewise, in all that time, I've used my headphones relatively little compared to speaker listening. They're great for traveling and personal listening while doing so, but most of my listening enjoyment is of the speaker variety and that just doesn't justify spending megabucks on phones (unless it's an ego thing and you want bragging rights).


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## moparz10 (Sep 21, 2010)

akg k-44's i think they were 39.95 really couldnt see spending more on something i don't really use that often.


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## cavchameleon (Jan 7, 2008)

gorb said:


> I don't think I'd spend more than $300 on a pair. I'd much rather spend more on speakers and subwoofers, and share the music i'm listening to or movies I'm watching with other people. I normally only use headphones for certain games (like counterstrike) and I use cheap IEMs at work while listening to podcasts.


I agree also! I actually set my price at $150 (although, when you find good sales, you can get a $300 pair for $150).


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## bamabum (Dec 7, 2012)

I think some on this thread do not travel much.

I spend many days on the road and on planes.

I like ones that fold up, block noise, don't constrict the ears, and sound nice. 

Bose makes a nice set. I'm sure this thread wont like the overpriced name. I looked up many on this thread. The Onkyo do not fold and the KEF are not sold anywhere around me or on retail.

The Harmon AKG k490 look great. 

Anyone have this pair?


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## gorb (Sep 5, 2010)

Yeah, I don't fly much...but when whenever I do, I would much rather have a decent pair of comfortable IEMs rather than a set of headphones.


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## cavchameleon (Jan 7, 2008)

bamabum said:


> I think some on this thread do not travel much.
> 
> I spend many days on the road and on planes.
> 
> ...


I actually do have a pair that I have used for traveling. The only issue I have with them is the size - pretty small (nice for traveling) and does not go around the ear (I prefer the likes of the AKG 240M - large around the ear design so they don't even touch the ear - most of my headphones are like this). But, they do sound decent and have good active noise rejection.


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## Nachmanowicz (Feb 15, 2013)

On my take-out headphones I wouldnt go over $150, cause theyre supposed to get a beating. With my home headphones, as much as I can afford is the limit! teehee


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## hyghwayman (Jan 15, 2008)

I've been looking for a nice set of OTE headphones to use with my Pioneer receiver (1/4" - 6.3mm jack) for watching movies late at night when the house is sleeping and all i can find are ones w/ 1/8" - 3.5mm jacks. Looking to spend as little as possible for good full range over the ear headphones - HELP!


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## Bjski (Jun 23, 2012)

I just got a new pair of Sennhieser HD800. With the balanced headphone cable the price was over $1200. Headphones are like speakers, each one does something well. It could be imaging ,treble or bass. To get the most out of good headphone's you need an amp to power them. I also have Sennhieser HD650, HiFiman 500 and Shure 535 earbuds. I use an iqube or Nuforce amp for the Shure 535 earbuds.


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

hyghwayman said:


> I've been looking for a nice set of OTE headphones to use with my Pioneer receiver (1/4" - 6.3mm jack) for watching movies late at night when the house is sleeping and all i can find are ones w/ 1/8" - 3.5mm jacks. Looking to spend as little as possible for good full range over the ear headphones - HELP!


I don't want to repeat myself but my Sony MDR-V6 phones are OTE, fold nicely, and come with a 1/4" adapter over the 1/8" plug at under $100. Check Amazon. They are certainly full range with a good extension on the bass end. Read over some of the other recommendations made in this thread.


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## hyghwayman (Jan 15, 2008)

RBTO said:


> I don't want to repeat myself but my Sony MDR-V6 phones are OTE, fold nicely, and come with a 1/4" adapter over the 1/8" plug at under $100. Check Amazon. They are certainly full range with a good extension on the bass end. Read over some of the other recommendations made in this thread.


Thanks...
I am more specifically looking for OTE headphones with a 1/4" - 6.3mm end that will plug into the 1/4" jack on my Pioneer receiver w/o having to use an adapter. Everything I've seen recently comes with what you're describing a 1/8 - 3.5mm end w/ a 1/4" adapter, is this the norm now?


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

hyghwayman said:


> Thanks...
> I am more specifically looking for OTE headphones with a 1/4" - 6.3mm end that will plug into the 1/4" jack on my Pioneer receiver w/o having to use an adapter. Everything I've seen recently comes with what you're describing a 1/8 - 3.5mm end w/ a 1/4" adapter, is this the norm now?


I can't address that since it's been a while since I shopped for phones, but given what you said, I think that would be the case. You realize you can get a small adapter that plugs into your Pioneer, and presents the 1/8" jack to a phone set? No sonic loss unless you get a poor quality adapter. You also have the option of replacing the plug on a given set of phones with a 1/4" variety. They are available through any electronics distributor.

I apologize about getting a bit off-topic here.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

My son just bought a pair of Grado RS1i phones at $600, is tickled beyond belief. My previous personal limit of $400 to $500 might have just gone up to $600.


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## goatfarm (Mar 31, 2007)

RBTO said:


> Way back when (the 80's), I got a pair of Sony MDR-V6 headphones and have had them ever since. They were close to $90 at that time and I believe they're still available today at about the same price point (don't know if any of the design specs have changed).
> 
> I guess that being stated, $90 is about the most I would pay for a good set of headphones. It's pretty hard to top what I got in these for that price or anything higher, and I don't think headphones need to be a new model to be good. I would buy these again if my old set ever gave up.


Pretty much my thoughts although my set of MDR-V6 is only a year old. Seemed to be the absolute best value in head gear. I like the sound so much that I haven't bothered listening around, so to speak, to find something better at the same price. And most of my headphone listening is either w/ a portable MP3 player or to FLAC on my PC through a Creative SB1290 external sound card. So $80-$90 is it for me.


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## wd3 (Feb 23, 2014)

$700 is about my limit. I have a HiFiMan HE-500 for that price. Although, you can get them now for $600. They are quite the bargain for the music fidelity you can get out of these, but you will need a decent amp to drive them. If you want an American planar magnetic, you could go with the Audeze but they are pricey. For sennheiser, I woudn't go above a HD-600 at around $400. Although, I have had great luck with Audio Technica's AD700 and AD900x which are much less expensive and have a great sound.


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## Bjski (Jun 23, 2012)

Bjski said:


> I just got a new pair of Sennhieser HD800. With the balanced headphone cable the price was over $1200. Headphones are like speakers, each one does something well. It could be imaging ,treble or bass. To get the most out of good headphone's you need an amp to power them. I also have Sennhieser HD650, HiFiman 500 and Shure 535 earbuds. I use an iqube or Nuforce amp for the Shure 535 earbuds.


I purchased the Audese LCD-3. Ouch, but they are my go to headphone almost all the time. The LCD-3 replaced my HiFiman HE-500 as my everyday headphone. I still listen to all my headphones except my Sennhieser HD 650 which I gave them to my son.

The Hifiman HE-500 is a great bargain at $600. The only problem I found with the HiFiman is that it requires a bit of power to make it sing.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

I've only had 5 headphones in my life. My current ones are Sony Pulse Elite that I really think are pretty good, if you get past the gamer stigma. Don't really use headphones a lot so I'd probably be at about $300 or so for my limit, unless I was really, really impressed by something.


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## ttn333 (Mar 28, 2014)

I've spent thousands on headphone systems (headphone and amp) in the past. At the moment, I wouldn't spend more than a thousand including an amp. The only headphones I have left is a Sennheiser HD650 and Grado 325 for two different sound and a quality amp.


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