Free Standard Shipping in the US on orders over $99

Need starter headphone suggestions - rough budget=$300

Jul 4, 2019191 VIEWS

For now, will be using my LG V30 for DAC as I need portability. Willing to spend more, if needed, but feel my comfort level is around $300 for a pair of headphones. In the past, have used IEM's, partially because of looks (well hidden) but mostly because of sound deadening (SE215's currently, with Comply tips). Have not upgraded as I take my 215's and not worried if something happens to them. Using Spotify strictly out of convenience, as I do not have equipment that would truly benefit from the extra monies spent. I did venture to Tidal some time last year but could not find some of the artists I was listening to at the time. Examples: Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Bjork, Phil Collins, Arman van Buuren/Dash Berlin, Metallica (older stuff), Disturbed, Lea Michele, Katy Perry (don't laugh), Queen, Above and Beyond, etc. Too new to tell you the balance I prefer, or tightness of the soundstage, but in layman's terms: I enjoy vocals, not a TON of bass, though i appreciate it, and do not want something overly bright. Would prefer closed back just because I will possibly be listening to this in public areas, at times (Starbucks, for instance). Currently using Spotify and the 215's haven't sounded HORRIBLE horrible enough to justify spending extra money. Before moving back to Florida, I had B&W 6 series...no room, so sold on location. Have an appreciation for quality sound...pocket book just does not always agree with the decision to open up! So, DAC, for now - V30. Need new headphones, figuring around $300. If am amp is needed, let me know as well, but need this to be portable, as in my pants/shorts pockets. Thanks in advance!!!

(Edited)

100% upvoted

191

mpicasso

Sort by: Newest

AloofMagician

Jul 29, 2019

If you are a fan of Pink Floyd, think about Sennheiser HD1 Pink Floyd edition - 299$. (HD1 now became Momentum Wireless.) https://en-us.sennheiser.com/hd-1-edition-pink-floyd

Vote

rastus

1391

Jul 17, 2019

A V30 was made to power IEM's, or the equal in terms of 'power'. I once tried a pair of cans powered off my phone,, really?? folks do this?? Tidal has most everything nowadays. MEMS are coming, but for now I would go with current tech, and CIEM if you can, for sq, comfort and 'true portable' : https://www.audiophileon.com/news/custom-in-ear-monitor-ciem

(Edited)

Vote

ElectronicVices

2937

Aug 1, 2019

rastus2 Vrms on the LG V series in high gain aka high impedance mode. Does the HD650 surprising justice my friend. Sucks with planars or other high current demand headphones.

(Edited)

Vote

rastus

1391

Aug 1, 2019

ElectronicVicesYou kinda got me, I was using a 5s and my Phonon cans, never tried an LG; still never plan on doing it again with cans, did try iem’s, that plays.

Vote

Royaume

Jul 11, 2019

Hi mpicasso, I would like to help. You mention that the headphones need to be portable. Do you mean that you will wear them outside or that you need to be able to transport them? For outdoor use isolation is key. The lower the ambient noise level, the higher the effective dynamic range and the less damage you will do to your ears. Absolute silence is preferable, and very rewarding. Your phone is a beast. My source is G6 > MCTH > HD800, and it'll last me until I can drop the big bucks. Just let me know what you need and then I'll offer further advice.

(Edited)

Vote

mpicasso

Jul 27, 2019

RoyaumeThanks for the ideas but that is a little more than what I am wanting to spend right now. The more I look, the more I realize I probably need to upgrade my IEM's.

Vote

VRacer111

491

Jul 9, 2019

Porta Pro + Yaxi pads.... more upfront Vocals than an HD6XX and nice, full bodied sound...and MASSIVE bass if the song has it and you do a little EQ. For $50 total it's one of the best portable on ear cans, more comfortable than Sennheiser HD 6 series, and my main daily/work headphone: https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Audio/n-6fh3fz/i-rDGvhjV/0/b250e6a6/X4/i-rDGvhjV-X4.jpg Best thing for public listening in a noisy place though is IEMs... specifically Etymotics. The ER3XR will run you less than $180 and get you incredible sound fidelity. They also take EQ rediculously well... can bring the bass if you want them to. Leaps and bounds better than SE215 in everything related to sound quality (I own both...and whenever need an IEM it's always the Etymotic that gets chosen - absolutely rediculous in clarity and detail...and nothing has better isolation besides possibly a custom.)

(Edited)

Vote

mpicasso

Jul 27, 2019

VRacer111Why the ER3's and not the 4's? Have had Shures for a while and had been leaning towards the 425 or 535's but frustrated that I cannot return I'd I am not fond of the sound, yet I also cannot try them first.

(Edited)

Vote

VRacer111

491

Jul 28, 2019

mpicassoER3s are tested drivers that are not quite up to ER4 spec for half the price...

Vote

GuitarStruck

Jul 8, 2019

I just realized, even if the HD 6XX works with your V30 phone, it doesn't fold for portability and it doesn't come with a carrying case. So it wouldn't be practical as a mobile headset. And even if the V30 has the power to handle the headphones, that doesn't mean they'll sound great on it. So I wouldn't get the HD 6XX unless you're planning to use it exclusively at home *and* you're planning to buy a pretty beefy amp that will bring out its potential. Sorry, no shortcuts on this one.

Vote

mpicasso

Jul 8, 2019

GuitarStruckFrom what I have read, people have found the V30 powers the HD600 and HD650's with no problem, as it will do 2V RMS and up to 500 ohms. As far as carrying case/folding...would never do that, regardless. I have IEM's which sound decent. Will order these and see what I think. If I find I need an amp, or can only use it at home, nothing really wasted... Do appreciate the suggestion, though!!!

Vote

Royaume

Jul 11, 2019

GuitarStruckMpicasso is correct. The LG V30 is a monster. Just pretend its an audioquest dragonfly red! You arent gonna find a better dac and amp without spending significantly more than the price of the phone, which is crazy. LG phones are completely underrateded

(Edited)

Vote

GuitarStruck

Jul 5, 2019

You just described the Sennheiser HD 6XXs, except they're open backed. If I could make a suggestion, if you're listening in a public area, the noise will cancel out a lot of the benefit of high fidelity headphones, even with a closed back. So I'd either get IEMs that passively block out external sounds, or take your pick of any overpriced, mediocre-sounding noise cancelling headphones. I'm not rich, but I've had to get different headphones for different environments and purposes because it's impossible to find it all in one.

(Edited)

Vote

View 4 More Replies

ElectronicVices

2937

Jul 9, 2019

Own the MDR-1000x (first iteration of the Sony) and the 6xx/650 sounds much better. The Sony's are great for noise cancelling but if you don't need that then I would go 6xx. Also the first gen Sony's sound better with LDAC BT than they do wired. They were already bassy and the wired with ANC is more so, wired without ANC is almost unlistenable.

Vote

GuitarStruck

Jul 9, 2019

ElectronicVicesYes, the two headphones are completely in unrelated sound categories -- it's like comparing a Porsche to a golf cart. As you increase the amplification quality, the difference becomes more obvious.

PRODUCTS YOU MAY LIKE

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones

$199

Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee Headphones

$169

Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X Gaming Headset

$99

Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones

$149

Massdrop x Koss Porta Pro X Headphones

$29

Drop + EPOS PC38X Gaming Headset

$169

Massdrop x Koss KSC75X On-Ear Headphones

$20

Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir Closed-Back Headphones

$179

Drop + EPOS PC38X Yellow Gaming Headset

$139

Drop BMR1 Nearfield Monitors

$79

Trending Posts in Audiophile

itsamepe

Sennheiser PC37X randomly goes bad after disconnecting the cable ?

Greetings, Yesterday I was using my headset like normal with my macbook, just listening to music and on a call with people like usual, and the headset was perfectly fine. The stock wire that came with the headset is extremely long and yesterday it annoyed me very much that it kept getting tangled with itself, so I decided to see if the cable is replaceable. I pulled out the cable from the headset and saw the adapter, and looked online for a replacement. Upon plugging it back in, the audio sounded extremely muffled and washed out. Im not sure what I did wrong to make it mess up like that as I've always taken good care of it, ive had it for about 2 years and its always just been chilling on my desk, but anywho I thought the cable just went bad and ordered a replacement. The replacement came, and the issue is still persistant, so I am not sure what the issue is I've tried multiple different headsets and the issue is not with the port, and I also tried it with my windows laptop and...

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

MrChiSox

Big changes coming to my tiny little music room, I've recently purchased a new stack. Currently figuring out where to locate it all and ordering up the necessary cables, it won't be too long before I'm up and running. I am now the proud owner of a brand new stack. It's a European brand called Earmen. Amp, DAC, Streamer & Linear Power Supply. It won't be long!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB15yM4UptQ

Apr 23, 2024

Audiophile

General

Vote

Briankan

Recommendation for my next headphone set? I have Koss 95x

Hey all, What would you recommend I get next and why? I have Koss ESP-95x electrostatic massdrop headphones. These are my first and only audiophile set. I love them. I think my only real requirements is $500 or less for the headphones and that they have a little more low end. I don’t need thump but these are really light on lows…but the experience is still awesome. Also any recommendations on an amp? I only have my electrostatic thingy. I am using the Topping D50 DAC. thx!!

Apr 22, 2024

Audiophile

Questions

Vote

Simthaniel

Rigs

Modded headphones with qudelix at the core

When I received the Qudelix 5K, I had already modified a pair of Superlux HD-681 headphones. I previously soldered my own balanced connections to the drivers, providing multiple ways to connect and...

Apr 14, 2024

Audiophile

Rigs

brothamike

A decent set of IEMs

I am in the midst of a 300 hour burn-in but, I will say I am enjoying how this set sounds so far. Before I received these which was btw late by a few weeks, I purchased a Sony/Kimber Kable MMCX...

Apr 12, 2024

Audiophile

Photos

merrick97

Should I exchange the PC38X for better headphones?

I bought the PC38X headphones FOR GAMING and they are great, but I have NO use for a Microphone since I don't do competitive gaming and I was wondering if there were better headphone options at a similar price without a headphone, where (presumably) more of the cost was put into making it sound better. I also find that my PC38X don't get quite as loud as I would like and I was wondering if a cheap amp like the iFi Go link would draw a little more volume out of my phones. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN6MM822?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I went with the PC38X since it was considered the best bang for buck headphones. I care most about using spatial apps like DOlby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X. Suggestions are welcome.

Apr 11, 2024

Audiophile

General