Finding decent headphones for <= £50

ugnius40

ugnius40

ugnius40

Associate
Joined
22 Oct 2010
Posts
10
Location
London, UK
Hi,

I'm looking to buy headphones/headset for PC I've got less than £50.01 to spend, and I'd like some input what could I possibly get. I've had JVC HA-RX 700 and liked them very much. I'm considering buying them again, but it was few years ago when I bought the first pair and maybe something changed in the market, may be there is something new and much better to be had for the same price.

Now boring stuff whats and what's nots:
Basicly headphones would be used for watching movies, playing (not FPS but I like hearing details in games, 3d positioning and sound stage is not in the last place) and ocasionally music (I prefer instrumental music, mostly jazz, blues, I like to be able to separate instruments, I love visceral drums). My current source is on board sound card, but I plan to get at least Xonar DG some time later, and I know I'll use Dolby Headphone for watching movies and in games.
As to form factor I'd prefer full size circum aural, closed or open does not matter much but I'd prefer ones with bigger soundstage and punch.

I've read a few threads here and there. I saw Goldring NS1000 recommended on this forum, are they better than HARX700. I've had opportunity to listen to Goldring DR50, they sounded to me pretty much the same as my Koss KSC75 I use as portables, just with narrower soundstage and maybe little more detail. And I would take HARX700 over DR50 any time of a day.

Thanks for reading through my mumbo jumbo, I'd appreciate your input.
 
can't tell ya much about the ns1000's as i dont actually have a pair, nearly got them tho but already had a pair of bose so didn't see the point. have a look at the review below, might help you decide-they come in just slightly behind a pair of bose quiet comfort 15's-which are awesome btw. and the ns1000's can be had for 49.99, if ya do a google for them. excellent value for money IMHO


http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Review/168766,mini-roundup-4-noise-cancelling-headphones.aspx

meant to say that at that price i'm very very tempted to get a pair and punt my bose on.
 
Goldring DR150

£49.90 delivered at Peter Tyson :)

Although as you mention, as with the DR50, the soundstage is not huge but the detail is great.

The NS1000's can be had for £49.99 from Play.com
 
Last edited:
Gimpymoo said:
Goldring DR150

£49.90 delivered at Peter Tyson :)

Although as you mention, as with the DR50, the soundstage is not huge but the detail is great.

The NS1000's can be had for £49.99 from Play.com
Click to expand...

Play.com has excellent deals on headphones!
I bought some monster turbines for £49.99 (RRP 119) from play 2 months a go.
 
sldsmkd said:
Sennheiser 485 if you can track a pair down are great.
Click to expand...
I have a pair which I've used for a few years and whilst I find them to be very good for the price I paid for them, they're a tad too bassy (and I'm not the only one that thinks this). Whilst that's good for films, I don't think it is so much for instrumental music.
 
Overstock currently have Grado SR60s for £65 ...I know this is a bit more money but they are in a different league compared to the usual suspects at £50, failing that the Goldring DR150 is probably the best you can do at that price if you buy new.
 
valkia said:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-033-SL&groupid=702&catid=1058&subcat=

These are good, had two of these myself before - but Sennheisers are very good for music quality.
Click to expand...

idd, for music I wouldn't touch anything other than Sennheisers really, unless I could muster the courage to fork out for a decent set of Bose gear.

Still using my old Senn HD201s for everything - they're quiter than a lot of cans, and the bass really is lacking, but they're super comfortable and the details actually pretty decent, I can't argue for the £12 I paid for them ;)

The NS1000s do come highly regarded on the Sound forums, so it may be worthwhile digging through all the old threads on them and getting other input ;)
 
Bose are pretty naff for the price you pay tbh, they trade on their brand name and the fact that your average consumer has heard of them and 'thinks' they are great. There are plenty of other good headphones other than Sennheiser out there though, if you really like the Sennheiser house sound then I'd stick with them, but there are other options, such as Grado, Denon, Beyer Dyanamics, Shure, Sony, Ultrasone, Audio-Technica, Allesandro (based on Grados), Stax, Magna and more.
 
crackerbear said:
I have a pair which I've used for a few years and whilst I find them to be very good for the price I paid for them, they're a tad too bassy (and I'm not the only one that thinks this). Whilst that's good for films, I don't think it is so much for instrumental music.
Click to expand...

I didn't find them too bassy, they are pretty good at the mid and upper ranges - but hell I like bassy music and used them a lot for watching movies and gaming. The sound did take a while to break in, a week or so to loosen up. Very comfortable. Very good headphones for the price.
 
sldsmkd said:
I didn't find them too bassy, they are pretty good at the mid and upper ranges - but hell I like bassy music and used them a lot for watching movies and gaming. The sound did take a while to break in, a week or so to loosen up. Very comfortable. Very good headphones for the price.
Click to expand...
Yeah, like you, I listen to a lot of bassy music and watch a lot of movies so for my usage it's great. I was just pointing out that the OP listens to instrumentals which means the 485 may not be particularly suitable.
 
Wow, haven't watched my own thread for a while, it seems there are lot's of recommendations, thanks everyone will have a look at Senn 485 and DR150 (been considering those, same price as NS1000 delivered).

By the way JVC's I had were not bass shy to say the least, but I found them reproducing acoustic guitars very convincingly. So I may actually like 485's, need to do more reserch. Only if there'd be some way to listen before I buy, some audio shop in London.

As I'm thinking now, one of intended uses for phones would be Skype (I have Zalman Clip On microphone) so open ones like DR150 would be bit better, I do not really need all Noise Cancellation stuff.

Thanks again everyone for suggestions, I really listen to what you guys have to say.
 
Last edited:
I bought the DR150's recently, and the sound quality is excellent. Positional audio via CMSS isn't bad, but as has been said the soundstage is quite narrow, so the depth of the positional effect isn't that great.

They do however have a fantastic presence. I'm playing Fallout New Vegas at the moment and whenever you complete a mission or task you get this deep bass music sting which through the phones has an enormous impact. It's really adding to my enjoyment of the game.
 
You may not be able to buy the Sennheiser HD485 new any more. From a quick Google search, I can't see any reputable retailers who have it in stock and are selling it for a reasonable price. For reference, I paid £40.94 for mine from Amazon and that was almost 2.5 years ago.

The DR150/NS1000 look to be a viable alternatives though so not much is lost :)
 
crackerbear said:
You may not be able to buy the Sennheiser HD485 new any more. From a quick Google search, I can't see any reputable retailers who have it in stock and are selling it for a reasonable price. For reference, I paid £40.94 for mine from Amazon and that was almost 2.5 years ago.
Click to expand...

Yep, they're not on google.
But I thought do any of you have experiance with Sennheiser HD428, I've stumbled on them while browsing head-fi.org. I'm wondering how they fare with DR150, their price seems ok.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom