Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Headphones sugg.

I'm looking for a good pair of headphones
30-50 bucks
Best sound in that price range
Good bass
preferably in-ear

I know some of you guys will spend way more for a worthy pair, but I don't need them to be that good. I just noticed how much better my friends forty dollar headphones sounded than all the ten dollar pairs I use.

the only headphones ive ever owned and actually LIKED were Koss, i think KSC22. Theyre the only lightweight ones that both stayed on my ears while exercising and looked good, i mean like not pertruding 2 inches from my head. They are only like $15, and only pair i wear.

Model KSC 22 on here

I swear by the Sony MDR-V300 for that price range. I'm on my second pair, actually (first got destroyed by alcohol when left at my friends' apartment during a party), since I couldn't find anything of the price that was similar.

The difference in both bass and treble between the neodymium magnet in the V300 and the more common ferrite magnet in the V150 (which I also own) is astounding, and the cushions are a lot softer than the V150. However, they rest on your ear rather than around it since the headphones are on the small side, which some people may find uncomfortable. The cord is something like 6 or 10 feet, longer than enough for me

Something I can't STAND but must tolerate here anyway: the cords come out of both phones (rather than just one cord coming out of one). I have a old cheapie pair of Sony MDR-201's (open-air style) and even they had the single cord, which doesn't tangle nearly as easily.

They sound terrible if you put on bass boost from your audio device (say there's a boost switch on your CD player, or bass control on you iPod), which I think is a common mistake people complain about on review sites.

I bought mine two weeks ago for $39 sale at FYE. They typically retail ~$49-59. The V150 typically goes for half that (~$19-29) and is more commonly found in retail stores, but I recommend you do the search for the V300 if you can find it.

I don't consider myself a headphone connoisseur exactly, but this is my opinion


edit x10:
They're available wicked cheap on amazon.com right now. ref

For TONS of suggestions about headphones at any price range, check out head-ri.org, its a forum dedicated to headphones, sources and headphone amps.

-ivan c.

I have the Bose triports..pretty cool, I like them

Sony MDR-EX51LP. I was suprised when I got these ($40 seemed stiff for a pair of earbuds) but they are real nice. Bass response is almost as good as my $100 open ear headphones.

guess it depends what ur using them for. I only use mine while at the gym, so the behind the ear clips are perfect. If you're using them at home or want some crazy sound quality, go for the ones above.

Thanks guys,
You are right about ear buds not sounding good, except for Sony's fontopia line. Thats what my friend had, the MDR-EX71's. Similar to Pete's MDR-EX51LP. I ended up going with the MDR-EX81's. The difference is these go into your ear, comfortably, so they seal and produce amazing clarity and bass.

Edit: BTW, head-ri.org can't be found..


Oh it's head-fi.org


100 posts

whoops, its head-fi.org, sorry about that.