Recommend around the ear headphones for me.

char[] rager · Oct 6, 2010, 12:30 AM

I am looking for around the ear head phones, I am getting tired of the ones that you stick inside of your ear

Criteria

Less than 100 USD
Have decent sound quality, bass is a MUST
Does NOT have to be noise cancelling
NO microphone built in
Needs to last at least more than two months before breaking
Have a decent sized cord
Be standard sized, like for iPods (3.5mm I think)
Does not need a battery to operate

Kantastic · Oct 6, 2010, 12:56 AM

Sennheiser HD 555.

Only downside is that they sound rather poor through an MP3 player. Otherwise, they meet all of your requirements.

Oh and they can be had for $75 shipped at Electronics-Expo after the coupon code: LSDA0915

You can also do a 100% reversible mod to turn them into HD 595's.

Read: Do at your own risk.

Frick · Oct 6, 2010, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kantastic

Sennheiser HD 555.

Only downside is that they sound rather poor through an MP3 player. Otherwise, they meet all of your requirements.

That totally depends on what music player you use.

erocker · Oct 6, 2010, 12:58 AM

I prefer these and they've been around forever: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665089914

cadaveca · Oct 6, 2010, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erocker

I prefer these and they've been around forever: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665089914

Yeah, like 20+ years, that I can think of without hitting up google. Gotta be a good product to stay around for that long...

I actually can't think of any other electronic product out there that has remained unmodified for so long. Truly a rare breed of product.

EDIT: 20+ years, not 30+ years...

, I'm too young for that!

CJCerny · Oct 6, 2010, 01:21 AM

Grado sr80i are probably the best phones under $100, but they sit on your ears, not around them. The Sony MDRV6 that were recommended are very nice and have been around forever.

NinkobEi · Oct 6, 2010, 01:42 AM

If you're feeling ballsy grab some Grado SR60i's and visit
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod
the guy does some impressive things with those phones ;D

Denon D1000s are supposedly good. Also Shure 440s and 750djs are worth a look. As well as the ever-popular Audiotechnica M50s. Lots to choose from good sir! Typically its a toss up between the M50s and 750djs as to which is the best lower-priced hip-hop phones. Both are bass heavy. But they may not fall into your $100 budget.. better add $10.

driver66 · Oct 6, 2010, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erocker

I prefer these and they've been around forever: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665089914

^^^^^

TIGR · Oct 6, 2010, 02:12 AM

555s are decent for the price. If you want more sound isolation, try finding a deal on Audio Technica ATH-A700s. 555s are open cans with better sound. The A700s are closed cans with better isolation.

Edit to add: the Sony model erocker mentioned would be a good choice.

PVTCaboose1337 · Oct 6, 2010, 03:41 AM

I own some of the suggestions above.

I have the Grado SR-60i's, the Sony MDR-7506's, and the Sennheiser 595's. Of all of them, the best sounding for me are the 595's, but those are out of the price range, and not super bassy. In fact any Senn's lack base.

The Sony's are high pitched and not my favorite, however they isolate a lot.

If you want base and good sound, the Grado's sound amazing. GREAT base, but they will leak noise like a bitch. For the price, the Grado's are great. My Grados are also fun to mod (custom grates, quarter mod, driver mods, etc, extremely moddable!). Get the Grados, you will love them. They perform great in a quite enviorment, in a noisy one, meh ok.

From left to right:

595s, Grados, and Sonys.

PS: The 555 to 595 is a total hoax. Drivers are different. This will come out at higher volumes, not at lower ones, it is easy to tell.

NinkobEi · Oct 6, 2010, 03:52 AM

you need to get some of that glue off those grados. it looks terrible! lol. did removing that middle button give any audio benefits? im about to open mine and add some dampening material and punch holes. should be good fun!

PVTCaboose1337 · Oct 6, 2010, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninkobwi

you need to get some of that glue off those grados. it looks terrible! lol. did removing that middle button give any audio benefits? im about to open mine and add some dampening material and punch holes. should be good fun!

What glue? There is no glue. I think you are mistaking seeing the drivers behind the grate. Have you seen Grados in real life? Those silver disks are the DRIVERS. Removing the middle button is worth it 100%. Improves airflow and bass with it. The grate made a great improvement and changed air flow from 30% to 80%. I am greatly impressed with them after the mods.

char[] rager · Oct 6, 2010, 01:31 PM

Well, I REALLY do appreciate the coupon code offer you gave me Kantastic, but I asked some audiophiles here at my school (MIT, don't know why I didn't go them first) and for around 100 USD, the sony ones erocker offered me are the better choice.

Really though, I do appreciate the offer Kantastic

inferKNOX · Oct 6, 2010, 01:49 PM

Also, you might want to check *TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread* for greater insight.

NinkobEi · Oct 6, 2010, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVTCaboose1337

What glue? There is no glue. I think you are mistaking seeing the drivers behind the grate. Have you seen Grados in real life? Those silver disks are the DRIVERS. Removing the middle button is worth it 100%. Improves airflow and bass with it. The grate made a great improvement and changed air flow from 30% to 80%. I am greatly impressed with them after the mods.

Okay the drivers look like the leftover glue from removing the button. Guess its just the angle of the picture.. Did you punch all 10 holes in the grados or just 4?

PVTCaboose1337 · Oct 6, 2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninkobwi

Okay the drivers look like the leftover glue from removing the button. Guess its just the angle of the picture.. Did you punch all 10 holes in the grados or just 4?

http://assets.head-fi.org/5/59/1000x...4afb_rings.jpg

It should be obvious I made custom grills for the headphones, and thus, no glue would be there in the first place. It is the angle. If I get a better camera (lol iPhone) then I can take some better shots. Also, I never punched the holes. I don't see a point. I get good sound as is. I heard a friend's who punched the holes, and I don't like it.

Picture here:

You can easily tell I did the quarter mod, and right way too! The cuts are SUPER circular. I got an knife and cut around a quarter. Sounds great!

PVTCaboose1337 · Oct 6, 2010, 07:17 PM

Also, here are the grills. No glue, see? I let the grills rust a bit on the outside and then I coated them to give the headphones a nice old look. Trust me, they looked too shiny when I put them in.

If you do decide on Grados, the mods are easy to do and easily make the headphones equivalent to $200+ phones IMO.

NinkobEi · Oct 6, 2010, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVTCaboose1337

It should be obvious I made custom grills for the headphones, and thus, no glue would be there in the first place. It is the angle. If I get a better camera (lol iPhone) then I can take some better shots. Also, I never punched the holes. I don't see a point. I get good sound as is. I heard a friend's who punched the holes, and I don't like it.

Nice stuff

Supposedly the holes increase bass by a good amount. The Grado-guru Bilavideo swears by it, but of course all ears are subjective. I'll be able to give another opinion if I ever get around to it. Have you tried bowl cushions or just the quarter cushs?

PVTCaboose1337 · Oct 6, 2010, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninkobwi

Nice stuff

Supposedly the holes increase bass by a good amount. The Grado-guru Bilavideo swears by it, but of course all ears are subjective. I'll be able to give another opinion if I ever get around to it. Have you tried bowl cushions or just the quarter cushs?

Yeah I have a set of bowls for the headphones. I like the cushies alot more. The bowls kinda hit my ears are strange angle. The cushies feel so nice. In addition, my ears are closer with the cushies, increasing the sound enjoyability.

I thought about wanting to increase the bass, but really, it was too much. I feel like I am on stage already. In addition, since I have made the Senn's my primary headphones, I have gotten accustomed to lighter sounds. I really love bass, but I now recognize subtleties in music. Anyone who wants too much base is missing alot. I was one of those people, but Senn's changed me.

EDIT: Not trying to tell OP he is wrong, we all have tastes. Mine has since changed / evolved.

PS: You will get addicted to music / audio / headphones / amps when you get a good pair. I never enjoyed music till I got Grados.

Oct 6, 2010, 12:30 AM	#1
char[] rager Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science Student Posts: 270 (0.25/day) Thanks: 133 Thanked 26 Times in 24 Posts System Specs	Recommend around the ear headphones for me. I am looking for around the ear head phones, I am getting tired of the ones that you stick inside of your ear Criteria Less than 100 USD Have decent sound quality, bass is a MUST Does NOT have to be noise cancelling NO microphone built in Needs to last at least more than two months before breaking Have a decent sized cord Be standard sized, like for iPods (3.5mm I think) Does not need a battery to operate __________________ Code: unsigned whatYouAreThinking = getch(); cout << "Did I Help You?" << endl; if(whatYouAreThinking == 'y') cout << "Press Thanks" << endl; else if(whatYouAreThinking == 'n') cout << "Thanks For Reading My Post" << endl; else cout << "Think Again ;)" << endl;

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Oct 6, 2010, 12:56 AM	#2
Kantastic Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Big Apple Posts: 4,976 (3.38/day) Thanks: 1,252 Thanked 930 Times in 739 Posts System Specs	Sennheiser HD 555. Only downside is that they sound rather poor through an MP3 player. Otherwise, they meet all of your requirements. Oh and they can be had for $75 shipped at Electronics-Expo after the coupon code: LSDA0915 You can also do a 100% reversible mod to turn them into HD 595's. Read: Do at your own risk. __________________ Heatware

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Oct 6, 2010, 12:58 AM	#4
erocker Senior Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Milwaukee, WI. Posts: 31,911 (12.77/day) Thanks: 2,783 Thanked 12,275 Times in 7,814 Posts System Specs	I prefer these and they've been around forever: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665089914

Processor:	Intel i7 3770K @ 4.6ghz 1.256v
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus V Formula
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Video Card:	Sapphire HD 7970 1125/1575 1.14v
Hard Disk:	Crucial M4 128Gb / Corsair Force 3 120Gb / Samsung 240Gb / 2Tb Seagate
Optical Drive:	None
CRT/LCD Model:	Acheiva Shimian 27" IPS 2560x1440
Case:	Corsair 500R White
Sound Card:	Onboard
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System Name:	Eyefinity Gamer
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Benchmarks:	Benchmarking is for suckers. ;)

Oct 6, 2010, 01:21 AM	#6
CJCerny Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 756 (0.46/day) Thanks: 2 Thanked 213 Times in 178 Posts	Grado sr80i are probably the best phones under $100, but they sit on your ears, not around them. The Sony MDRV6 that were recommended are very nice and have been around forever.

Processor:	Intel 3570k
Motherboard:	AsRock Pro4M
Memory:	8gb
Video Card:	Zotac Nvidia 650Ti
Hard Disk:	60gb OCZ Agility 3
Optical Drive:	DVD Burner

Oct 6, 2010, 01:42 AM	#7
NinkobEi Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,624 (0.69/day) Thanks: 225 Thanked 292 Times in 211 Posts System Specs	If you're feeling ballsy grab some Grado SR60i's and visit http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/508459/sr60-mod the guy does some impressive things with those phones ;D Denon D1000s are supposedly good. Also Shure 440s and 750djs are worth a look. As well as the ever-popular Audiotechnica M50s. Lots to choose from good sir! Typically its a toss up between the M50s and 750djs as to which is the best lower-priced hip-hop phones. Both are bass heavy. But they may not fall into your $100 budget.. better add $10. __________________

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CRT/LCD Model:	22" samsung T220 20,000:1
Sound Card:	Auzentech Prelude > Audiotechnica AD700 and Grado SR225i cans
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Oct 6, 2010, 02:12 AM	#9
TIGR Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 2,098 (1.21/day) Thanks: 739 Thanked 1,030 Times in 598 Posts System Specs	555s are decent for the price. If you want more sound isolation, try finding a deal on Audio Technica ATH-A700s. 555s are open cans with better sound. The A700s are closed cans with better isolation. Edit to add: the Sony model erocker mentioned would be a good choice. Last edited by TIGR; Oct 6, 2010 at 02:28 AM.

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Oct 6, 2010, 03:41 AM	#10
PVTCaboose1337 Graphical Hacker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 7,478 (2.81/day) Thanks: 798 Thanked 1,174 Times in 834 Posts System Specs	I own some of the suggestions above. I have the Grado SR-60i's, the Sony MDR-7506's, and the Sennheiser 595's. Of all of them, the best sounding for me are the 595's, but those are out of the price range, and not super bassy. In fact any Senn's lack base. The Sony's are high pitched and not my favorite, however they isolate a lot. If you want base and good sound, the Grado's sound amazing. GREAT base, but they will leak noise like a bitch. For the price, the Grado's are great. My Grados are also fun to mod (custom grates, quarter mod, driver mods, etc, extremely moddable!). Get the Grados, you will love them. They perform great in a quite enviorment, in a noisy one, meh ok. From left to right: 595s, Grados, and Sonys. PS: The 555 to 595 is a total hoax. Drivers are different. This will come out at higher volumes, not at lower ones, it is easy to tell. Attached Thumbnails __________________ CPU-Z validation sig pics temporarily blocked

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Hard Disk:	WD 640gb Black (Main), WD 2tb Black (Secondary)
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW Drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Asus VE228 and Samsung 2053BW
Case:	Cooler Master 430 Elite
Sound Card:	Onboard > PA2V2 Amp > Senn 595's
PSU:	Seasonic 650w
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate (Tweaked)

Oct 6, 2010, 03:52 AM	#11
NinkobEi Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,624 (0.69/day) Thanks: 225 Thanked 292 Times in 211 Posts System Specs	you need to get some of that glue off those grados. it looks terrible! lol. did removing that middle button give any audio benefits? im about to open mine and add some dampening material and punch holes. should be good fun! __________________

Oct 6, 2010, 01:31 PM	#13
char[] rager Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computer Science Student Posts: 270 (0.25/day) Thanks: 133 Thanked 26 Times in 24 Posts System Specs	Well, I REALLY do appreciate the coupon code offer you gave me Kantastic, but I asked some audiophiles here at my school (MIT, don't know why I didn't go them first) and for around 100 USD, the sony ones erocker offered me are the better choice. Really though, I do appreciate the offer Kantastic __________________ Code: unsigned whatYouAreThinking = getch(); cout << "Did I Help You?" << endl; if(whatYouAreThinking == 'y') cout << "Press Thanks" << endl; else if(whatYouAreThinking == 'n') cout << "Thanks For Reading My Post" << endl; else cout << "Think Again ;)" << endl;

Oct 6, 2010, 01:49 PM	#14
inferKNOX Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: SouthERN Africa Posts: 880 (0.63/day) Thanks: 77 Thanked 118 Times in 93 Posts System Specs	Also, you might want to check TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread for greater insight. __________________ CPU-Z validation sig pics temporarily blocked

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Oct 6, 2010, 07:17 PM	#17
PVTCaboose1337 Graphical Hacker Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 7,478 (2.81/day) Thanks: 798 Thanked 1,174 Times in 834 Posts System Specs	Also, here are the grills. No glue, see? I let the grills rust a bit on the outside and then I coated them to give the headphones a nice old look. Trust me, they looked too shiny when I put them in. If you do decide on Grados, the mods are easy to do and easily make the headphones equivalent to $200+ phones IMO. Attached Thumbnails __________________ CPU-Z validation sig pics temporarily blocked

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