Best Headphones between $100 - $200

Give Sennhiser hd 280's a listen. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sennheis...&skuId=6421561

What will the intended use be?

Sealed headphones are better if you are not looking for noise isolation. Open if it doesnt matter.

I have a set of the HD-280's and they are great for the money. They can be had for around $65 online.

I just got a pair of Nox headphones for xmas and I must say they exceeded all my expectations (just because it was a company I had never heard of before.) I got the in ear buds and the sound is crystal clear and so comfy that I often forget they are there. Let me know if this helps!

Grado Labs SR80i or SR125i

These will give you better sound quality than the BOSE over ear for a fraction of the cost.

They are NOT noise canceling. They are meant for a quiet room. Don't expect to drown out the world. But that company makes some of the best headphones world.

not sure...but I think the sr125i's might have only the 1/4inch. Check before you buy. I know the sr80i's come with the miniplug and a 1/4 inch adapter...so you're good there.

Well, Grado iGrado is good.
Without doubt the best pair of street style headphones currently on the market are the incredible sounding Grado iGrado neckband headphones (with a reasonably RRP of £49.95). The drivers used in the iGrado are the same as those used in the Grado SR60, so you can expect a lively delivery of your music across the entire frequency range. The iGrado's sound every bit as good as their home listening cousins. The styling of the iGrado's is not too everyone's taste, but who cares what you look like when the music sounds this good!
The only downside for commuters is that the iGrado's have open backs, so sound leaks out and in. This is fine for walking on the street (as long as the traffic isn't too loud), but is no good for travelling on underground trains or while sitting next to someone on a bus.

Interesting how that forum poster uses "hiss" as a criteria to compare headphones.
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My vote is Sony MDRV6, which are functionally equivalent to MDR7506. Most places have them for less than $100 though.

i just bought the Grado SR80i and i demoed both SR60i and SR80i. SR80 has more bass and im loving them. highly recommend them. im retiring the monster beats solo hd's.

If you like bass, check out Beyerdynamic DT770-80. It's what I use and I love them

^I believe at least one of those (770 ?) is known for very good sound isolation both escaping to the outside world and outside world sound getting in. As a user of them what are your impressions in that regard? Have you ever used them say on an airplane?

Thanks in advance.

As a gift for someone, I bought the (closed) 32-Ohm DT-770s and took them to the office for a few days. It isn't too loud there but when the suits are getting ready to leave for the weekend and the programmers are excited at the same time, the noise is quite irritating. The DT-770's isolation was very good.

I definitely preferred the sound of my (open) 32-Ohm DT-990s which has essentially no isolation. I hear everything that's happening around me.

The semi-open DT-880s seem to be the headphone lovers' choice. I haven't heard that one.

I vote for the grados. They're made in the u.s., if that matters to you, and most of your money goes toward the drivers. That is to say the fit and finish is a little cheap looking until you get over the $100 point, but they sound better than headphones costing much more. They're not as comfortable after multiple hours of listening as the sennheisers, for example, but the quality of sound is phenomenal for the price.
Also, you should try to find a local dealer that specializes in headphone audio. For example, there's a great shop here in Portland called 32 ohm audio that carries just about every brand and model you'd want to hear, and shops like this are usually owned and manned by enthusiasts who love to let you hear it all, and who know what they're talking about.

Audio Technica ATH M50, Sony XB 700s, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 as stated elsewhere,
Sony XB 1000s. SennHs are good. Dr. Dre Beats are overpriced, generally speaking

There's tons of headphone phreaks over at head-fi.org. With lots of opinions and a TON of knowledge. Personally I prefer Sennheiser. In your range the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II are pretty sweet. It really depends on how you're going to use them.

+1, I really like mine.

I've got some sennheiser HD555's that are a few years old, they're wonderful for the price (around $100).

I've recently picked up some Sol Republic HDs, and while they have INCREDIBLE bass, the lack in mids and highs, and are a bit muddy. Still, they are insanely durable.

I like Sennheiser headphones as well; I'm a bit partial to the hd650s for their comfort, soundstage and overall sound quality. I also like the 600s but they don't seem to have the warmth that the 650s portray. I haven't tried the 700s but did try the 800s on several occasions and personally I didn't like their sound signature because they lack in warmth and lows, not to mention the price tag is insane

Another vote for Sennheiser, but you should test drive in order to see what sound good to you.

Look, if your going to buy headphones you need to look at how many people are actually having problems. I read a research article on what are the top 10 best and top 10 worst head phone brands on the market. FYI, Triton and SMS Audio had the least number of complaints. Sennheiser was actually in the top 10 worst headphones brands to buy. You can check it out here. It is pretty interesting. Top 10 Worst VS Top 10 Best

^That link above leads to nowhere. Assuming you are still here and that wasn't simply a flyby, "hit and run" post, leading us to a retail site (that sells among other things, headphones), please provide a functioning link to this "research article" you speak of, thanks.
Edited by m. zillch - 3/8/13 at 6:49pm

Everything Sennheiser makes sounds good. The Beats and Skullcandy just sound junky to me ...

I agree they are well made and sound closer to my speakers than other brands i have tried especially the the bass on the HD 580/600 did not have the budget at the time for the 650's.

In that price range you may want to consider used.

Goto the classifieds at head-fi. I just saw a couple of used sets of BeyerDynamic DT990's for under $200. I have the DT880's and am very pleased with them.

I bought my dad the Sennheismer 280's a few years back for christmas. Well they are a nice headphone, I think you could do better by looking at some used mid level headphonse such as the Hifiman 400, Sennhesimer 580 or 600, BeyerDynamic 880 or 990, Grado 325si for instance.