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Just because you don’t want to spend thousands of pounds on audio equipment (and as many hours configuring it) doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy quality audio. In the case of headphones, a single c-note can reap rewards.
For our budget headphone Battlemodo, we tested five pairs of headphones with a street price of between £40 and £95. Sound quality was obviously the number one priority here, but it wasn’t about hooking these up to elaborate rigs to see which headphones could most accurately reproduce wind instruments from an uncompressed FLAC file.
Remember, we’re talking about good sound on the cheap here. In pursuit of that goal, we used these cans like regular people: With our computers, smartphones and stereo systems. We used MP3s (albeit ones ripped at 320 kbps), and we tested from a variety of genres ranging from classical to jazz to classic rock to modern pop and hip-hop and electronic. Different genres require different attributes from a headphone and we wanted to find the one which could best accomodate as many as possible. And then we looked at comfort, portability, durability and aesthetics.
But enough of that, let’s talk results. To the gallery above, we gooooo!
I dislike headphones. I wear glasses so they hurt my ears, and if I take my glasses off I can’t see shit.
However! back on topic, I have a pair of skullcandy headphones that have served me well and only cost about £30 when I got them. Plus they fold away nicely.
I have a pair of earlier SC’s in ear ones, for 10 quid, and they are lovely, deep rich sound, also a glasses wearer, so comfort is a big issue for me.
I also usually use in-ear phones, Skull candy ofcourse. They are the best that I have found that have good sound quality and dont break after 2 weeks. I only really wear my headphones if its especially cold. In which case il be wearing a hat under them to minimise ‘burning red ear syndrome of immense pain and doom’.
No one ever talks about AKG
They make great headphones
The K450s are a bargain
I got mine for £50 from super-fi. best money I ever spent on headphones.
I listen to a lot of heavier stuff. Prog rock and metal. Thus do my Marshall Minors serve me very well. £80 yes, but the extra goes to a ridiculous amount of treble that makes Metallica actually sound GOOD again.
Nice to see the Grado’s but, the Koss PortaPro has to be one of the best truly budget headphones out there. I know the retro look isn’t for everyone, but hard to match the quality especially when you can easily get them for under £20.
I will probably get flamed for saying this but from all my headphones and earphones, my favourite ones are my Bang & Olufsen Form2. Most find them “boring” and such but I like them for their neutral sound. Had them for years now and bought a couple more since (Bose and Etymotic) but I always go back to the Form2.
The wife swears by her B&O A8.
Having auditioned a number of cans in the last year I have to say that the Sony MDR-V6 is just astonishingly good. For £60 (Amazon) you get unmatchable sound quality across the entire spectrum – singing trebles, well rounded mids and extensive bass, all with a superb soundstage – and all this from a pair of cans in production since 1985!!
And no, if you listen to chart ‘music’ you will not be disappointed. Except for in 20 years time when you realise your entire audio experience has been built on throwaway, barely-memorable, mass-produced ‘songs’ devoid of both personality and talent.
Call me when the empty sinking feeling kicks in. I’ll send you some Quantic.
Second this, the MDR-7506 is also more or less the same headphone (and might be easier to find). They are used professionally in mastering studios amongst other places.