Best Headphones Under 80£

[Christo4]

Hello everyone, i have run in quite a little problem lately. I just can't decide on a pair of headphones ). At first i was thinking about phones at about 100£, but after watching review, info and other stuff i realized that that would have been a waste of money.
The reason is that they need an amp or at least a good soundcard so that they would work at max capacity. The problem is that i mostly listen to music on my laptop, which has a decent soundcard, but it's not one of the best.
Since i can't buy an amp (my budget doesn't allow it ) and since some phones under 100£ don't need an amp, i decided that the max budget would be 80£ and keep some spare money for a usb soundcard to use later.
So now i am here, posting after many hours of research and almost a month of deciding that i'm very undecided about headphones. I was thinking about Senn HD 515, but from the reviews they aren't so good... I have looked at other phones, like the audio-technica ad500 (they just look kinda flimsy to me), akg K530 (from the reviews i have heard that they are mediocre) and other phones and just can't make up my mind, everything has it's pros and cons...

Please help me decide already .

[RobinHiFi]

Hi Christo4

There are headphones of all prices which will drive from your laptop unless it is really quiet, that would be unusual though.

I would say forget about an amp and let me know what the maximum budget you have is and I will do you a list of the most suitable headphones.

By the way are you after closed backs and or open and what sort of music do you like?

[Christo4]

Well my max budget is 80£ and i usually listen to rock and classic music (i know, weird combo...). I would like open-back headphones, because of what i've read and heard they are the best sounding and have a better soundstage.

[RobinHiFi]

It would be very hard to beat either of these two - Grado are an open box (they have been demoed here but are brand new)

Grado SR60i Open Back Headphones (Grado SR 60i) - B GRADE
£79.96

Audio-Technica ATH-AD500 Open Back Hi-Fi Headphones
£79.96

Great for Rock and Classical - The Grado SR60i might be on ear but for my money this is as good as it gets for under £100

[Christo4]

Thank you for your help, i'll keep looking at phones for a little while because now i am torn between Senn HD 380 PRO and Grado SR60i. The reason is that even though i don't work in a studio, i still need some isolation because i don't want to disturb people around me (and also don't want to be disturbed by people around me) which i see happens a lot in my house. Either way, i will post a review of the Headphones when i get them, regardless of which i choose.

[RobinHiFi]

HD380 are excellent.

Here are some similar closed backs -


Ultrasone HFI-450 Closed-Back Foldable Headphones (HFI 450)
£79.96

Denon AH-D1100 Closed Back Stereo Headphones (AHD1100)
£99.95

Ultrasone HFI-580 Closed-Back Foldable Headphones (HFI 580)
£119.95

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Closed Monitor Headphones Coiled Cable
£119.95

[Christo4]

Thank you for the answer, but i think i will stay with the Sennheiser because they have many replaceable parts, which will help in the long run, if you ever run into any problems.

[ShaunG]

The Audio Technica ATH-M50 is a product backed up by service here in the UK and is designed for studio use (so built to handle a rough time).

Audio-Technica have service centre at their head office in Leeds and spares are available (we'll be stocking them soon).

The M50 is well worth considering.

[Christo4]

Well maybe they are worth a shot, but i don't live in the UK . I just approximated the price to match the ones that i have in my country . Unfortunately i found that the M50 are almost double the Senns here... . So i think i will surely be heading the Sennheiser HD 380 way .

[RobinHiFi]

Wow, that is a big price difference! The HD380 are great anyway!