What's a good, medium-expensive set of headphones in 2024?

October 6, 2024 9:50 AM

I'm interested in buying a pair of nice, moderately expensive headphones, but maybe not "audiophile nice" or "audiophile expensive." So, like, not more than $200-400 inclusive unless there's a really compelling argument for doing so. Less than this is fine if they sound great. Can you make a recommendation?

When I was in my early 20s I wound up with a pair of Grado headphones that were miles better than anything I'd heard up to that point, and I spent a huge amount of time rediscovering and enjoying music I'd only ever listened to on cassette car stereo or cheap, bad speakers and headphones. There was a lot I didn't like about the Grados: they were uncomfortable, shoddily assembled, and if I put pressure on them in the wrong way they'd sometimes made a physical (unrelated to the driver/wiring) shifting-plasting creak or crack sound that seemed like it was being beamed directly into my brain. And the foam pads constantly needed replacement. But I loved them and wore them out.

In the intervening decades I've returned to listening to music on laptop speakers, cheap Bluetooth devices, and crummy earbuds. I'd like to get headphones that will make stuff sound good in the same way the Grados did, and the general opinion on the internet seems to be that we're living in a golden age of headphones and have lots of options.

Part of the problem, I think, is I've been asking this question in audiophile or audiophile-adjacent spaces. I don't consider myself an audiophile or speak the argot fluently, so I may not be asking in the right way or using descriptive terms properly, and I've found the advice conflicting, confusing, frustrating, or non-applicable. For example, a request for "good, moderately priced, uncomplicated alternatives to Grado" resulted in recommendations for the Sennheiser HD800S and Audeze LCD-2, which are $1600 and $1000 respectively, apparently a moderate price point for some (and, when I asked for lower-cost recommendations, there was a lot of "then just buy whatever costs $X dollars if that's your budget, you probably wouldn't appreciate the difference anyway").

It's also possible some of the things I want are paradoxical, as in "it makes no sense to spend $$$ on headphones without an amp," defintely feel free to point this out if you think it's the case. Generally, assume I am not a nerd about this and do not know the lay of the land, so to speak.

A few additional objective preferences:

3.5mm or 1/4" connector
No microphone
Not wireless, Bluetooth, or USB
Does not expect a headphone amp or aggressive eq adjustments when connected to a laptop, phone, or other non-component amplifier source
Traditional over-ear headphone cans (no earbuds, ear clips, behind-the-neck, or in-ear anything)
No bone conduction
No noise cancellation
Open-ear/open-back design
Moderately durable and comfortable (or better)

posted by pullayup to Shopping (17 answers total)

I think your best bang for the buck is going to be a pair of Sennheiser HD6XX's. I was in the same boat as you--falling in love with the sound of Grados but being bummed by their rickety build quality. When I bought a pair of HD600s, I was so happy. Amazing sound, and finally a comfortable, solid listening experience. They're also easily driven by my laptop and even my phone. I've now owned my Sennheisers for more than a decade, with no upkeep costs other than replacement earpads, and I have never felt the need to further upgrade.
posted by flod at 10:15 AM on October 6

I'm in a similar boat to you; years and years ago I had a pair of Sennheiser HD-280s which were quite nice, but they broke fairly quickly and I found myself with pretty terrible headphones for years.

A few months ago, on a friend's recommendation, I got a pair of MDR-CD900ST studio monitors. They've practically changed my relationship with music; I can put on songs I've always loved and find whole layers of beauty in them I never even knew were there, to the point where I find it actively hard to do anything else while listening to music on them because they provide such a fantastically beautiful "listening space".

They're also very high build quality and feel like they'll last years or decades -- not to mention apparently every single part of them can be replaced with off-the-shelf parts. Their design is also basically unchanged for 40 years, which feels like a rather good sign.

They were about $100 off ebay for a new pair, plus $30 for a pair of replacement microfiber earpads off Amazon (I don't like the stock ones) and a few bucks for a 1/4" to 3.5mm converter. They fit most of your requirements; no mic, no wireless, no fancy "smart" features, no amp required (they're driven fine by my phone or laptop), and (at least with the replacement earpads) quite comfortable; unlike other headphones, they've never given me a headache.

My only caveat would be that, being studio monitors, they have a rather "flat" response curve; they do not have big, overdriven bass that a lot of popular mainstream headphones have these days (though you could certainly EQ them). Expect accurate replication of the original sound, nothing more.
posted by etealuear_crushue at 10:30 AM on October 6

Exactly what flod said! I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD650s to replace my Grado SR60s in 2007, and I've been very happy with them. Availability of spares is good - I replaced the cable and headband pad in 2020, and I've just ordered replacement earpads.

If closed-back headphones would suit you better, I also like the Røde NTH-100 (Sound on Sound review) - the mechanical design is excellent, and they sound very close to the HD650.
posted by offog at 10:35 AM on October 6

The Takstar Pro 82 is the comfiest thing I know of. Technically they are closed back, but I can still hear enough to know if anyone is calling me. They are about 70 dollars online. Whatever Amazon says, they do not have noise cancelling. Ridiculously comfortable things!
posted by Calvin and the Duplicators at 10:35 AM on October 6

I had a similar set of search criteria a few years ago (except the semi- or open back) and ended up with the Beyerdynamic DT 770s. The sound is very, very good IMO, and they are very comfortable to wear for extended periods. There are variations on this model that are semi-open (880) and open (990). There are also a variety of impedances to accommodate different sound sources with and without a headphone amp. For phone and laptop, choose the lower impedance, which I think is 80ohms for these models. The only possible downside to these from my perspective is that they are on the large side.
posted by alb at 10:37 AM on October 6

I have a pair of Sony MDR s that are easily 25 years old and for which I am replacing the cable. I don’t fault that - I ran all over with them plugged into ye olde timeyiPod. It’s what we used at the college radio station and they have been great.
posted by zenon at 11:06 AM on October 6

I'm a fan of Audio-Technica, but all of the recs here are solid choices. Whatever you decide, try to get a model with a replaceable cable, as I've found that the cable craps out way before the headphones do.
posted by indexy at 11:15 AM on October 6

Seconding the DT770s from personal experience. Super comfy, excellent sound quality, good isolation, built like a tank. I can happily run an 80 ohm pair from the headphone jack of my laptop, no need for an amp. They also do a 250 ohm and a 32 ohm version, but tbh any modern device should run the 80s plenty hot enough. Mine are usually sat at 3 or 4 blocks out of 16 on the laptop volume indicator thingy. They are studio cans so the innate sound profile is pretty flat, but you can always EQ to taste in most situations, and they reproduce well right down into the sub bass range and up way past where my middle-aged ears can hear. The open back alternatives will be similarly excellent.
posted by tomsk at 11:18 AM on October 6

Most of the classic recommendations in this category have come up already (I like the Sennheiser HD600s for home listening and Sony MDR-7506 for on-the-go), so here are a couple newer models that might also appeal:

Dekoni Audio Blue
Hifiman Sundara
Meze Audio 99 Neo
Monolith M1060
posted by box at 1:19 PM on October 6

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros (https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-280-Pro-Headphone-Black/dp/B00IT0IHOY) They retail for under $100 and they have lasted me for a very long time.

They are a closed setup (vs the open setup of the HD 600's), so your neighbors won't hear them as much. They also do a very good job of also blocking out ambient noise when I'm on a plane or in a datacenter. I find the sound quality to be very good, and it is no surprise that these are what you will see laying around the typical recording studio. See https://www.worldbolding.com/home/2018/8/7/headphone-review-sennheiser-hd-280-pro-new-version for a full review.
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 1:21 PM on October 6

Thirding the beyerdynamic DT770, they last a very long time, those I use at work are easily over 15 year old and still going strong. They sound fantastic and are really comfortable. For something smaller I'd go with sennheiser HD 25 which are also really good sounding but less comfortable and more fragile.
posted by SageLeVoid at 5:07 PM on October 6

All good recommendations so far! I'd also add the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x and Drop + Dan Clark Aeon Closed X (the latter is probably in your price range used). I've owned every option in this thread, my budget is always under $500, and these are where I ended up after a few years of trial and error. Good luck!
posted by jmfitch at 8:45 PM on October 6

HiFiman He4XX planar magnetic

https://drop.com/buy/drop-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones

Massdrop X Sennheiser HD 58x or HD6xx

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro and DT990 Pro

https://drop.com/buy/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro

https://drop.com/buy/beyerdynamic-dt990-pro-headphones

ALL are under $200 on Drop.com
posted by kschang at 9:03 PM on October 6

Since you say you prefer open backs, DT-770s probably won't work for you. I found them super sweaty even though they sounded nice. I have a pair of DT-880s that I love (they're my most comfortable headphones), but I bought the 250 ohm version and they really do sound better with an amp. When I bought mine the 250 ohm version was $100 cheaper than the others, I had access to an amp, and I only planned to use them at the office where I needed to be able to hear a phone ring but didn't want too much sound bleed, and the semi-open DT-880s were perfect for this. I've never tried the DT-990, but it's the most open of all of them. Fully open headphones wouldn't have been great in the office where I was working at the time.

I also have a couple pairs of AKG headphones and while I like them both I wouldn't say either is better than the DT-880s. One thing I appreciate about Beyerdynamic over AKG is that Beyerdynamic makes it much easier to buy replacement pads. When I needed new pads for my DT-880s, there were Beyerdynamic brand pads I could easily order. OTOH I had vinyl peeling off the pads on the AKG folding headphones I use for travel, and there were no official pads available for love or money. I ended up ordering some from a random seller on AliExpress (and inadvertently ordered four PAIRS instead of four PADS, but that's because I didn't read the listing well enough).

I didn't love any of the Sennheiser or Sony cans I tried, but I haven't tried that many.
posted by fedward at 9:29 PM on October 6

Another vote for the Sennheiser HD6XX / HD650. They are comfortable, made to last and sound so good. There's a reason they are still around after 20 years. I think they can't be beaten for the price, but price aside I think they will in fact give you true audiophile sound.

However, I do recommend getting a dedicated DAC and headphone amp to get the most out of them. It doesn't need to be anything crazy. I like the Schiit Magni with add-in DAC for under $200.
posted by riddley at 9:37 PM on October 6

I’ll throw in a recommendation for the Phillips X2HR. They are the most comfortable headphones I’ve used (most over ear headphones give me a headache at some point—these never have), and they fit your other requirements (open back, non-wireless, don’t need an amp). Rtings also rates them very highly.
posted by boisterousBluebird at 6:31 AM on October 7

@jmfitch I'm curious, do you consider those two headphones complementary in use cases? Could you report your overall impressions of each of them?
posted by flod at 9:30 PM on October 7