Best headphones under $500

[EL Jeffe 5]

I have V-Moda crossfade M100

[Cloud9blue]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

After breaking pretty much every pair of headphones while DJing, I reluctantly pony'd up for Beats Pros. Their aluminum construction is robust enough to finally get more than a few months out of my "work cans."

I have a pair of BOSE QC25 I use for only while traveling. They are very comfortable, and the active noise cancellation definitely reduces the fatigue of flying.

My most-used headphones are BOSE's SoundLink Bluetooth headphones. I use them every time I wash my car, or just want to listen privately around my home. Having no cord, AppleTalk, and dual-iPhone integration are pluses I really value.

I would definitely recommend Grado as the best bang for the buck but their open back and relatively delicate diaphragms just don't fit my usage pattern.

For the record I did a little shootout between my BOSE QC25 ($300) and Beats Pro ($400). The BEATS Pro played louder and is more substantial sounding. BOSE wins in comfort and accuracy between these two.

I can't stand my prescription Ultimate Ears in-ear monitors. Feels like what I imagine an anal plug feels like. They might sound good but are way too uncomfortable.

Just my $0.02.

Seriously, Beats Pro has nice construction??? This is like saying you bought a BMW for reliability... If you want bulletproof construction and high impact bass without fucking up the mid range like what Beats do on all of their headphones, you should have gotten a V-moda M-100...

Lol at comparing Bose QC25 and Beats Pro for sound quality, it is like comparing a Lexus RX and Acura MDX for driving pleasure...

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

Seriously, Beats Pro has nice construction??? This is like saying you bought a BMW for reliability... If you want bulletproof construction and high impact bass without fucking up the mid range like what Beats do on all of their headphones, you should have gotten a V-moda M-100...

Lol at comparing Bose QC25 and Beats Pro for sound quality, it is like comparing a Lexus RX and Acura MDX for driving pleasure...

Accurate reproduction is not at all important in DJ headphones. Most of the time I only have one earcup on! Beats Pro headphones are super robust... Much more durable than the V-Modas you seem to be such a fan of.

As for the shootout... I already own both sets for different occasions. Why wouldn't I do a little A/B comparison? :

[Cloud9blue]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Accurate reproduction is not at all important in DJ headphones. Most of the time I only have one earcup on! Beats Pro headphones are super robust... Much more durable than the V-Modas you seem to be such a fan of.

As for the shootout... I already own both sets for different occasions. Why wouldn't I do a little A/B comparison? :

A/B comparison of what??? Which is louder and sounds more badass??? Your statement so far sound a lot like that couple in the Toyota Camry commercial, claiming their car drives like a sports car and how awesome it is "grounded to the ground". Just like average joes is not gonna know what an actual sports car chassis really feels like, it takes some trained ears to accurately tell the difference between a good headphone and a sub-par one.

I get it most event DJ doesn't care about sound reproduction at all, which is fine, you just blasting pop or EDM musics through some crappy speakers anyway. But seriously, there are better constructed headphones out there. As I said before to the OP, listen to some good headphones first at some local stores to have an idea what kind of sound you are looking for. If you can't tell the difference after that, don't bother, just get Beats or Bose or whatever you think is cool.

If you want the ultimate bass response, get a Audeze LCD headphones. They are definitely not portable and costs +$1000 and needs proper amp/DAC, but from my personal experience, they are about as good as they can get for someone who wants a punchy low-end.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

A/B comparison of what??? Which is louder and sounds more badass??? Your statement so far sound a lot like that couple in the Toyota Camry commercial, claiming their car drives like a sports car and how awesome it is "grounded to the ground". Just like average joes is not gonna know what an actual sports car chassis really feels like, it takes some trained ears to accurately tell the difference between a good headphone and a sub-par one.

I get it most event DJ doesn't care about sound reproduction at all, which is fine, you just blasting pop or EDM musics through some crappy speakers anyway. But seriously, there are better constructed headphones out there. As I said before to the OP, listen to some good headphones first at some local stores to have an idea what kind of sound you are looking for. If you can't tell the difference after that, don't bother, just get Beats or Bose or whatever you think is cool.

If you want the ultimate bass response, get a Audeze LCD headphones. They are definitely not portable and costs +$1000 and needs proper amp/DAC, but from my personal experience, they are about as good as they can get for someone who wants a punchy low-end.

I guess now might be an opportune time to mention I have a degree in Audio Engineering and have decades of experience working as a mixing & recording engineer. My knowledge of sound is quite advanced.

Not that it matters, but your assumption that I am an event DJ missed its mark too.

[TopQuark]

Wrong question to ask in the wrong forum.

Since Bose and Beats are in the discussion, I'm outta here.

Go to head-fi.org to get your answer.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by TopQuark

Wrong question to ask in the wrong forum.

Since Bose and Beats are in the discussion, I'm outta here.

Go to head-fi.org to get your answer.

Just because this is primarily a BMW forum, doesn't mean there are members who don't have expertise in this area. Just as someone had stated an OP wasted his/her time asking a computer related question on here without realizing the expertise of various members.

Pretty short sighted.

PS: I'm a member of at Head-Fi.org too.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by TopQuark

Wrong question to ask in the wrong forum.

Since Bose and Beats are in the discussion, I'm outta here.

Go to head-fi.org to get your answer.

Hard to dispute BOSE's position as the defacto-leader in noise cancelling headphones. I believe they also do well in the Bluetooth headphone category.

Consider that some people, some of the time, might prioritize something other than accurate sound reproduction. I totally appreciate zen-ing out with great audio; and I can talk Hi-FI with the best of them. I'm just bringing up some reasons why I personally find reason to use the headphones I posted about. There probably aren't a whole-lot of people that own Beats Pro and BOSE QC25, so I thought I'd share what I thought about the two. :

Maybe I should have posted a "trigger warning" when I dared to offend with talk of BOSE and Beats?

[Banana Hammock]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Hard to dispute BOSE's position as the defacto-leader in noise cancelling headphones. I believe they also do well in the Bluetooth headphone category.

Consider that some people, some of the time, might prioritize something other than accurate sound reproduction. I totally appreciate zen-ing out with great audio; and I can talk Hi-FI with the best of them. I'm just bringing up some reasons why I personally find reason to use the headphones I posted about. There probably aren't a whole-lot of people that own Beats Pro and BOSE QC25, so I thought I'd share what I thought about the two. :

Maybe I should have posted a "trigger warning" when I dared to offend with talk of BOSE and Beats?

Lets just take a moment and look back at Bose as a company and realize that none of their products has ever been THX certified. The best what, I'm sorry?

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by duck fat

Lets just take a moment and look back at Bose as a company and realize that none of their products has ever been THX certified. The best what, I'm sorry?

The THX comment is so silly it doesn't deserve more than this response to it.

No one said anything about "the best." But I have no problem pointing out again that BOSE is the industry leader in noise cancelling headsets. This is simply a fact.

[Cloud9blue]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

I guess now might be an opportune time to mention I have a degree in Audio Engineering and have decades of experience working as a mixing & recording engineer. My knowledge of sound is quite advanced.

Not that it matters, but your assumption that I am an event DJ missed its mark too.

And yet with all your claimed expertise in the area, you prefer Beats's sound signature... What kind of DJ do you do anyway? Hard to believe any studios would use Beats headphone as their reference...

If you prefer Beats, that's fine, they are more of a fashion accessory than quality headphones, which itself is a brilliant marketing moves. If you buys into that, well good for you. But the fact that you are trying to justify its sound and build quality is simply absurd. Care to enlighten us why you think Beats sounds better than other alternative. We don't even have to go into more obscure brands, just compare it to some run of the mill Sennheiser HD25 or Sony MDR-V6 which I am sure you have come across in your profession. Please enlighten us...lol

[Cloud9blue]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Hard to dispute BOSE's position as the defacto-leader in noise cancelling headphones. I believe they also do well in the Bluetooth headphone category.

Consider that some people, some of the time, might prioritize something other than accurate sound reproduction. I totally appreciate zen-ing out with great audio; and I can talk Hi-FI with the best of them. I'm just bringing up some reasons why I personally find reason to use the headphones I posted about. There probably aren't a whole-lot of people that own Beats Pro and BOSE QC25, so I thought I'd share what I thought about the two. :

Maybe I should have posted a "trigger warning" when I dared to offend with talk of BOSE and Beats?

Why try to switch the topic from sound quality to noise cancelling all of the sudden?

Both brands is more about marketing than actual quality. And yes, I came across Bose QC25 a few times, since they are provided in business class for some international flights. Sure they cancels out the noise fairly well, but you can get the same thing with a pair of IEMs with proper tips, without sacrificing the sound quality or deal with the battery life issue...

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

And yet with all your claimed expertise in the area, you prefer Beats's sound signature...

If you prefer Beats, that's fine, they are more of a fashion accessory than quality headphones, which itself is a brilliant marketing moves. If you buys into that, well good for you. But the fact that you are trying to justify its sound and build quality is simply absurd. Care to enlighten us why you think Beats sounds better than other alternative. We don't even have to go into more obscure brands, just compare it to some run of the mill Sennheiser HD25 or Sony MDR-V6 which I am sure you have come across in your profession. Please enlighten us...lol

All of a sudden I'm Beats' brand champion! LOL :

My comments were that Beats Pro were more "substantial" sounding, and that BOSE's QC25 were more "accurate." How do you read that as preferring Beats' sonic signature? :

I'll try this again... I reluctantly bought Beats Pro headphones after everything else would repeatedly fail. Usually the hinge that lets the ear cup rotate breaks. I tried models without a hinge and either they are too uncomfortable when DJing, or they just broke in a different area. I wouldn't get more than a couple of months from a pair. It was so bad I started carrying a backup set. This had to stop. Understand- I COULDN'T CARE LESS WHAT MY DJ HEADPHONES SOUND LIKE. That isn't the primary objective for me with this set. BTW... My Beats Pros are about 20 months old and so far, so good.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

Why try to switch the topic from sound quality to noise cancelling all of the sudden?

Both brands is more about marketing than actual quality. And yes, I came across Bose QC25 a few times, since they are provided in business class for some international flights. Sure they cancels out the noise fairly well, but you can get the same thing with a pair of IEMs with proper tips, without sacrificing the sound quality or deal with the battery life issue...

All of a sudden? Go back to my first post. The only time I use my QC25s is while traveling. Active noise cancelation is the entire reason I own that particular pair of headphones! I also already addressed IEM too. Geez.

[Banana Hammock]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

The THX comment is so silly it doesn't deserve more than this response to it.

No one said anything about "the best." But I have no problem pointing out again that BOSE is the industry leader in noise cancelling headsets. This is simply a fact.

You gonna back up that claim or are you gonna sit there and hope that I'll just take your word for it?

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by duck fat

You gonna back up that claim or are you gonna sit there and hope that I'll just take your word for it?

c: None of the above.

[Banana Hammock]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

c: None of the above.

So...Brand loyal sheep that can't support his claim as to why his choices make sense so he avoids the topic all together.

[Cloud9blue]

Originally Posted by duck fat

So...Brand loyal sheep that can't support his claim as to why his choices make sense so he avoids the topic all together.

That sums it up pretty much...

[Cloud9blue]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

All of a sudden I'm Beats' brand champion! LOL :

My comments were that Beats Pro were more "substantial" sounding, and that BOSE's QC25 were more "accurate." How do you read that as preferring Beats' sonic signature? :

I'll try this again... I reluctantly bought Beats Pro headphones after everything else would repeatedly fail. Usually the hinge that lets the ear cup rotate breaks. I tried models without a hinge and either they are too uncomfortable when DJing, or they just broke in a different area. I wouldn't get more than a couple of months from a pair. It was so bad I started carrying a backup set. This had to stop. Understand- I COULDN'T CARE LESS WHAT MY DJ HEADPHONES SOUND LIKE. That isn't the primary objective for me with this set. BTW... My Beats Pros are about 20 months old and so far, so good.

No one called you a Beats champion, but none of your posts make any sense especially with your claimed background...

Please explain what do you actually mean by more "substantial" and "accurate"? If you can't, then please refrain from commenting... I can pull up a frequency response chart and walk you through step by step why those are awful headphones for sound quality and sound stage.

Also, what kind of DJ are you to break headphones left and right if you aren't a event "DJ", i.e. people who plays mixtapes from laptop for weddings and shit, all the while surrounded by drunk people...

Stage musicians wears custom fitted IEMs (btw, your issue with IEMs it because of poor fitting by your audiologist, has nothing to do with IEMs themselves. I can wear my old Westone 3 and UE, which are just off the shelves ones, for 16 hour straights on airplanes with no problems...). Studio techs wear headphones, but they don't trash them like you.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by Cloud9blue

No one called you a Beats champion, but none of your posts make any sense especially with your claimed background...

Please explain what do you actually mean by more "substantial" and "accurate"? If you can't, then please refrain from commenting... I can pull up a frequency response chart and walk you through step by step why those are awful headphones for sound quality and sound stage.

Also, what kind of DJ are you to break headphones left and right if you aren't a event "DJ", i.e. people who plays mixtapes from laptop for weddings and shit, all the while surrounded by drunk people...

Stage musicians wears custom fitted IEMs (btw, your issue with IEMs it because of poor fitting by your audiologist, has nothing to do with IEMs themselves. I can wear my old Westone 3 and UE, which are just off the shelves ones, for 16 hour straights on airplanes with no problems...). Studio techs wear headphones, but they don't trash them like you.

Damn. You having a bad day or something?

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by duck fat

Lets just take a moment and look back at Bose as a company and realize that none of their products has ever been THX certified. The best what, I'm sorry?

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

The THX comment is so silly it doesn't deserve more than this response to it.

No one said anything about "the best." But I have no problem pointing out again that BOSE is the industry leader in noise cancelling headsets. This is simply a fact.

I agree with glenn on the THX part. I wouldn't base my assessment of a product's worth by it having THX certification. A vendor has to pay THX to get it certified by them. Sort of like the whole BBB thing but that's another discussion. While looking for THX certification is nice for the masses that don't want to waste time learning and researching what makes a component good.

Companies like Classe Audio don't submit their equipment for THX certification. In my own home equipment, while my Meridian 568.2MM and Velodyne HGS15II are both THX certified, my B&W Nautilus and the other Velodyne DD18 are not; nor are my Bryston 6B-ST and Emotiva XPA-2 amps. I seem to recall there being a THX processing mode in my Meridian 568.2MM which I don't use. I think I tried it once and didn't like what the algorithm did to the sound.

[Dog Face Pony Soldier]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I agree with glenn on the THX part. I wouldn't base my assessment of a product's worth by it having THX certification. A vendor has to pay THX to get it certified by them. Sort of like the whole BBB thing but that's another discussion. While looking for THX certification is nice for the masses that don't want to waste time learning and researching what makes a component good.

Companies like Classe Audio don't submit their equipment for THX certification. In my own home equipment, while my Meridian 568.2MM and Velodyne HGS15II are both THX certified, my B&W Nautilus and the other Velodyne DD18 are not; nor are my Bryston 6B-ST and Emotiva XPA-2 amps. I seem to recall there being a THX processing mode in my Meridian 568.2MM which I don't use. I think I tried it once and didn't like what the algorithm did to the sound.

Thanks.
Since we are going off topic... THX also dictates a different dispersion pattern for speakers that may/may not be preferred in a particular application. A great example of this can be easily seen in one of the best THX-certified speaker brands ever made, M&K Sound. Note the foam blocks that control vertical dispersion in the attached pic. I worked with M&K (the original owners, not the guys that own the rights now) for a couple years so I am very familiar with the THX certification process. While their THX-approved speakers were ideal for surround sound formats at the time, it isn't like the THX-mandated dispersion was ideal for every application. I'd actually argue that today's "object based" surround formats might not work all that well with how THX wants speakers to project sound. That probably part of the reason why you see modern professional surround setups forgoing THX speakers and choosing stuff like B&W instead.