Recommend me a good set of headphones

[The_Lost_King]

I am looking for new headphones, and I want to ask the escapist rather than picking out on from amazon and finding out it is crap.

My price range is $40 max, I would prefer around $20 - $25. It needs to be durable, and it needs to have a decent mike. It really needs to be durble though. I don't have a desk, I just sit in my chair and have my laptop on my lap, so they end up everywhere.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I don't know what to say. You can't buy a good set for $40, I paid $80 (on an auction website) for my balanced, studio quality Sennhiesers (RRP $220) Look on eBay and places like that, first look at reviews though.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

I'm with Evil Smurf, my headphones are Sennheiser too and I've never experienced better sound from another set of headphones. Sadly you're looking at a fair sum of money.

I'm not too sure what $40 equates to (I'm in the UK) but I'm pretty certain the change in quality between individual headsets within that sort of price range won't be that noticeable.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

so you want a durable headset with a mic for that cheap? erm... I mean they're far from the best sound wise, but for that budget I'd actually recommend turtle beaches. They don't sound terrible but with sound quality you pretty much get what you pay for and they're cheap-ish. I have a pair of earforce x-11s since the crappy cheap xbox headsets were breaking so fast I figured it would be worth the investment. They are extremely durable, and they're honestly probably the most comfortable pair of headphones ive ever worn. I think they were like 50, but I bought them from a store years ago. You could probably find them cheaper online.

I'm only recommending those for the price though. If you're willing to break that budget you can get a much better set.

 

[vrbtny]

Plantronics Gamescom are pretty cheap and work for me
Just go for the cheap ones, the more expensive ones have fake surround sound which sucks.

 

[Frozengale]

I just got some Turtle Beach Earforce Z2 and they are pretty good. Had to mess around with the Audio Manager on my computer but I finally found a good setting for them. Of course they were 60 bucks, not to much out of your price range though.

 

[Echo136]

I recommend Steelseries. These have lasted me way longer than any other headphones, but they were a black friday $100 deal. Not likely to find anything REAL quality at $40

 

[chukrum47]

I'd recommend the Tek'n'motion Intruder headphones. They're over the ear, have 2 removable microphones (one for gaming, one for talking on the phone), and extension cord with volume control and mic power switcher, and one or two other do-dads I think. They're also nicely padded, and can fold up to a somewhat small size to fit in their included leather tote bag. Only problem I've had so far is that the stiching on the ear-cuffs have started to come undone a bit after a year-ish of use. They still work fine and the padding is soft enough it's not uncomfortable either. And they're only $50 on <a href=http://www.amazon.com/TekNmotion-Intruder-Headset-Tablets-Smartphones/dp/B005MOPW98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378050643&sr=8-1&keywords=teknmotion+intruder> Amazon !

 

[Pinkamena]

Won't find quality for 40 bucks. Might as well just go to some electronics store and get something there.

 

[Whispering Cynic]

I recently replaced my busted Steelseries Siberia V2 with Sennheiser HD 419s and must say that I'm pretty happy with them. They could be a good choice, if you're on budget.

 

[RanD00M]

Spoiler: A good guide

That list of headphones aught to help you find a pair you can be satisfied with.

 

[Waffle_Man]

These [http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11938793] are the only decent headphones I've found for under $100 that haven't broken after a couple of months. I guess I haven't stomped all over them or otherwise deliberately tried to break them, but they've fallen a good four or five feet off of my desk a good number of times and I can shove them in my backpack without worrying too much. I wouldn't recommend extending them at all, but I have a fairly large head and haven't really needed to. They don't come with a mic, but you can get one separate for a few bucks. I'm not enough of an audiophile to be able to say that the sound quality is good on some objective level, but it sounds good enough to me and the positional audio is good enough to play pick up games in counter strike. Lastly, while the the stuff covering the foam of the ear cups is starting to come off, but I still find them comfortable.

You're not going to get good headphones in the $40, but I don't think you're getting better than these unless you plan on spending a lot more.

 

[yamy]

What do you need in a headphone? What do you normally use it to do? Will it be mainly for games, music, films or a mixture of some or all of them? If it needs to have a microphone then none of the music orientated ones (such as in <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.827041-Recommend-me-a-good-set-of-headphones#20099100> RanDoom's post) above are going to suit you. You'll be more looking for a headset.

For that price I think Sennheiser HD202 is fairly decent but it doesn't have a mic.

Alternatively try this website:

Spoiler

http://headphonemecca.com

Or this guide:

Spoiler

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-8-17-2013-cal-nuforce-hp-800-fiio-e12-reviewed

 

[KaosuHamoni]

Headphones, or headset?

Any pair of headphones you spend that much money on are going to be Shit with a capital S. Hell, my current headset is worth £90 (Idk what that is in dollars) and it's subpar.

If you want a good pair of cans, the Grado SR80i will go a long way. Possibly the best sounding cans for the money

If it's a headset you're after, I've heard good things from the Steelseries Siberia V2 and the Corsair Vengeance 1500

Also, stay the fuck away from Sennheiser, Plantronics, Turtle Beach and all that shit. Sennheisers break, I haven't had a pair last me more than a year, and I've had 4 fucking pairs. Plantronics and Turtle Beaches are like the bloody Beats of the gaming world. They look the part, people who don't know good headphones think they sound the part, but actually you're getting godawful headphones for the price of decent headphones.

Good brands are, off the top of my head, Grado, Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic, Denon, Brainwavs, AKG, Meelectronic, some Shures, and some Koss'.

You're welcome.