Recommend me some decent stereo headphones please (£50-70)

Phatjayunoi · 15 Aug 2011 at 21:45

So the left earcup of my Goldring DR150 has gone kaput and now I am in need of a new pair of headphones.

Though I could just get another replacement, could anyone recommend me any other decent models out there that are as good or better around the £50-70 mark. May even increase the budget if it calls for it.

I listen to music and game a lot, and use a Asus Xonar DG soundcard for the Dolby Heaphone features.

Thanks.

sHo0sH · 15 Aug 2011 at 22:00

Creative aurvana live

/thread

snafu · 16 Aug 2011 at 10:42

I'm absolutely in love with the Audio-Technica ATH-M30s (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Technica-ATH-M30-Headphones-ear-cup/dp/B00007E7C8/) I use for monitoring my mixes and recordings. Plenty of bass, but not overpowering, and although they could do with a bit more treble, they're among the best you're going to find at that price point.

I could also be a good idea to check some review aggregator sites such as this one, since they make it easy to have a quick overview of average scores and prices: http://www.otest.co.uk/audio-hi-fi-accessories/269/headphones.html . Unfortunately I can't see the M30s there, but the Creative Aurvana Live recommended by the previous poster do show up and they have a B, which is not bad at all!

Uriel · 16 Aug 2011 at 19:30

sHo0sH said:
Creative aurvana live

/thread

Gotta chuckle... I owned CAL!s at the same time as DR150s. I think you'd be disappointed if you bought them.

C64 · 18 Aug 2011 at 07:16

You sure it's the driver ? I presume you have tried another cable ? So the CAL aren't as good then uriel ? just worse in every department ?
I am tempted to buy another pair of dr150 at £40 even though I know they will crack in 2 years or so am even considering ns1000 why did goldrings have to exist and be cheaper.

Uriel · 18 Aug 2011 at 22:28

The CAL! are very different. They're closed but not very tight so don't block a lot of noise.

The sound is smooth, pleasant, punchy and fun. Very forgiving headphones - a lot more comfortable than the DR150s with no real clamping force. I like them a lot as a portable-come full size headphone.

However - they lack sparkle on the high end and detail. As a result they fail to capture positional info well and are not a great choice for Dolby Headphone as the OP wanted. Not great for gaming.

I've been told they're the same OEM model as the Denon AH-D1001. If so that makes the Denon very over priced (unless it turns up again discounted to just over £30 as it was last year in purpleshirtsville).

Wish Goldring would put out some higher end headphones with better materials and build quality. Having said that, my DR150s and NS1000s are both still fine.

Marsman · 18 Aug 2011 at 23:31

I've looked at other headphones quite a few times, and as much as I'd love some Beyerdynamic's or other headphones around the £100+ mark, I just can't justify spending that much, on something that will not get that much use.

I think if my DR150's broke tomorrow, at £40, I'd just get another pair. TBH, at £40, it's a no brainer really.

When you consider Senn HD555's are £90, and they also have an issue with cracking plastics, the DR150's are a steal.

titaniumx3 · 19 Aug 2011 at 02:16

Uriel said:
However - they lack sparkle on the high end and detail.

From my experience of the CAL! they have plenty of sparkle and detail. The problem is that the treble doesn't have much range and depth, it sounds a little thin compared to my HD650, which gives treble a very 'meaty' quality (if that even makes any sense).

Apart from that and the slightly flabby bass, they are brilliant headphones and have better midrange than most headphones I've heard in this price range, very lush and engaging.

That said, I only use them for music and prefer to have simple stereo sound for gaming, rather than dolby headphone.

Uriel · 19 Aug 2011 at 08:51

For some music, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the CAL!s at the right price.
I'd happily walk around listening to some music on a portable for hours with them.

However, I think your description of the treble is similar to what I meant regarding sparkle and detail.

The bass does lack control, hence your term flabby. I would say the bass lacks detail (when it comes to Dolby Headphone bass isn't rendered remotely from the listener as it should be). Another example might be hearing just the note when a double bass is plucked on a jazz record. More detail would allow you to hear the plucking better. I think I'd describe the both treble and bass as 'smooth'. Detail is lost at both frequency ends but none of it sounds offensive. You might not realise that anything is missing if you don't know to listen for it.

Part of this is my taste in headphones and music. I'm quite an analytical listener and like to hear detail. I'm a sucker for soundstage too (either physically modelled or simulated as long as it's done well) and the CAL! have little of their own and don't synergise well with speaker-simulator HRTF effects like Dolby Headphone either. I tend to listen to a lot of acoustic music and the CAL!s aren't so great for harmonics etc.