• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Helping a friend find a new pair of headphones (+- 200€)

Lucaxr

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2022
Messages
8
Likes
0
Hi, I'm posting this request for a friend who isn't on the forum, and he would like to ask for your advice on the following matter:

I am looking for a pair of headphones that have an accurate response without breaking the budget to use at work, so I would be wearing them while sitting down and using them for 6-8h straight, so for me, comfort and lightweight are the most important features. I have big-ish ears.

My budget is around $200, preferably lower, but could go a bit higher for extra features such as noise-cancelling (not a priority).

I would prefer them to be closed back to isolate myself from the office noise and also to not bother my peers.

I don’t care if they are wireless or wired as long as they have a 3.5 mm jack and have a low enough impedance to be used with a smartphone.

I am currently using a pair of Sennheiser HD569 and I like them a lot because my ears don’t touch the padding and they sound well enough. Furthermore, I would prioritize an improvement in comfort over sound.

In the past, I had a pair of Shure SRH-440 which I had to mod because the headband was destroying my head, but they sounded well, however, I would rank them lower in every department in comparison to my HD569.

The plan is to use at work the new ones you guys recommend me because that’s where I am going to be using them the most by far, and take the HD569 back home.

TDLR:

$200
Comfortable for someone with big ears
Lightweight
Closed back or noise-cancelling (+$50 budget)
Wireless or 3.5 mm jack and low impedance
 
The DT 700 Pro X would fit the budget, can be used from a smartphone, but the ear pads are rather small.

The DT 150 would fit the budget, has huge ear pads, but would require a dongle like this to play loud:
eefc2bffa3b515d05281ad62576c2574025e4ba4.jpg
Also has a big bass boost with the stock ear pads:
Beyerdynamic DT150 Measurements Relative Frequency Response Closed Back Headphone.png
Which can be fixed by replacing them with the EDT 100T pads (green):
dt150-l-vs-dt150-dt100-pads-l.png

The Austrian Audio Hi-X60 can be used from a smartphone, has huge ear pads, great tuning out of the box, but it's definitely over budget.
 
The Austrian Audio Hi-X60 can be used from a smartphone, has huge ear pads, great tuning out of the box, but it's definitely over budget.
I recently purchased a slightly used one (almost new) for 240 €. It is worth every cent.
 
The AKG K371Pro is my favorite for what your looking for. Easy to drive, no eq required, and 3 different cables. Just don't get the standard or Bluetooth, they don't sound as good as the Pro version.
 
The AKG K371Pro is my favorite for what your looking for. Easy to drive, no eq required, and 3 different cables. Just don't get the standard or Bluetooth, they don't sound as good as the Pro version.
There is no K371 Pro. Only the regular K371 and K371-BT.
 
Back
Top Bottom