Pls Suggest Headphones for 2.5K

isaac12345

Journeyman
Hi all!

I would like to buy some headphones for a maximum budget of Rs2500. I have tried the following on my iPod shuffle -

1) Sony MDR - ZX750 ap - Too much bass

2) Philips SHL3210 - Sounded too cheap

3) Sennheiser PX 80 - Blown away by the absolutely unexpected form factor's performance but sounds muffled

4) Sennheiser HD201 - Very very impressed considering the price point and my choice at the moment. Loved the focus on clarity than bass. It sounded much richer but seemed to lack just that tiiinyy bit of bass to really balance it out.

To give you a sense of the music I listen to, my test songs were the following -

Muse - Newborn
Muse - House of The Rising Sun
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
John Mayer - Gravity( live in Nokia theatre)
A Perfect Circle - The Outsider
Bhaag DK Bose
Porcupine Tree - Trains (Live)
Porcupine Tree - Halo (Live)
The Doors - LA Woman
The Doors - Riders on the Storm
A Perfect Circle - When the Levee Breaks
Nine Inch Nails - Ghost 2
Nine Inch Nails - Hurt
Pearl Jam - Black (Live)
The Doors - Five to One
Korn - Narcissitic Cannibal
Jeff Buckley - Kick Out The Jams(Live at Olympia)

I'll mostly be using these headphones for music, movies and gaming.

Thanks! :)
 

The Incinerator

Human Spambot
Philips SHL 3300. Its warm sounding but not muffled.The best bet till $100. IEMs are good with Shuffle not 40mm cans. Get an amp or a high powered port like a PC or PMP like Fiio X1/X3/X5 but not shuffle to drive big headphones,shuffle is a joke for large cans. All the complaints about bass and resolution will dissapear once you move on to better source and amplification.
 
Last edited:
OP
I

isaac12345

Journeyman
Philips SHL 3300. Its warm sounding but not muffled.The best bet till $100. IEMs are good with Shuffle not 40mm cans. Get an amp or a high powered port like a PC or PMP like Fiio X1/X3/X5 but not shuffle to drive big headphones,shuffle is a joke for large cans. All the complaints about bass and resolution will dissapear once you move on to better source and amplification.

Ideally, I would go for IEMs but I have tried creative ep 630s in the past and have found them to be quite uncomfortable after an hour's use. I think its partly to do with an old injury.

As for source and amplication, right now all I have is a shuffle and my old sony walkman phone W810i for listening to music on the go. As far as I know the former produces better sound quality and I dont have the budget to splash out on a new portable music player. As for non-portable music listening, I have a PC(with onboard Realtek ALC662) that i'll be plugging it into often for music, movies and gaming.

Have you tried the Sennheiser HD 201? If so, can you please describe how their sound compares against the Philips SHL 3300?

- - - Updated - - -

sorry i couldnt help about the headphones,but this guy is a killer !!

TRUE THAT! :D

I would highly suggest you try out his 'live at sine' album. You'll be AMAZED at how talented he was!
 

sandynator

Cyborg Agent
Philips SHL 3300 is leagues ahead if used proper source & amplified.
If source is mobile better get IEMs. Most mobiles cannot take the juice out of headphones
 
OP
I

isaac12345

Journeyman
Philips SHL 3300 is leagues ahead if used proper source & amplified.
If source is mobile better get IEMs. Most mobiles cannot take the juice out of headphones

Dont want to use IEMs as they hurt my ear.
I have never used an amplifier with headphones so dont really know the difference. However, I will make sure that my audio files are FLAC or mp3 320kbps.
Are there any shops in Delhi that you know of where I can try out the Philips,preferably with my iPod?
 

dude1

Journeyman
In your budget you can get Sennheiser HD 203 locally.Better sounding than HD 201. Costs around 2.7k online.
 

The Incinerator

Human Spambot
There's no Headphone that can surpass the Philips SHL 3300 (Rs 1850 or less) barring the Denon 510 (Rs 4000) or cans till Rs 6K or beyond.

I have heard pretty lotta cans. Trust me when I say that. Even if you dont want to buy amplifier buy em later the Philips are pretty easy to drive.

Coming to Sennheiser, skip the HD 2XX series they are not full range cans, Senn just want a presence in the sub Rs 5000 market but generally dont have substance.If you want good Senns look at Momentums and HD 6 and 8 series but even at those prices there's the Philips Fidelio X , the nemesis of all hiend cans!!!
 

sandynator

Cyborg Agent
Also check few Samson headphones.
I have sr850 & I thoroughly enjoy it but takes hell lot of time for burn in. Quite easy to drive. [MENTION=146621]The Incinerator[/MENTION] bro can shed more light.
 
OP
I

isaac12345

Journeyman
Thanks! Do you know anywhere in Delhi where I can try the Philips SHL 3300? I would really like to try them before I buy them. I tried the SHL 3210 at Chroma Store in C.P. and didnt quite like them. I dont remember what it was but am willing to try the SHL 3300 . My main complaint with most of the headphones (apart from the Senn) was that they focused too much on bass. The Senn HD 201 ( tried at a different smaller shop) sounded much better to me because they sounded 'clearer' and less focused on bass. All I want is just a tinnny bit more bass or something better and different that would wow me. I wanted to try the HD 202 but the packaging didnt allow the shop keeper to demo it for me.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, can you please explain or point to a beginners guide to amps and terms like 'driving'. Would much appreciate it :)
 

The Incinerator

Human Spambot
SR 850s are excellent, I again missed to include them.

- - - Updated - - -

If you have liked Senns sound signature you will in no way like the likes of Denons Philips HiFi man Samson etc etc......better get the Sennheiser HD202ii they are good at what they do and for the price.
 

$hadow

Geek in making
I don't think you can find these products i open box. you can see the product as in box in plenty of places but specially in NP.
 
OP
I

isaac12345

Journeyman
I don't think you can find these products i open box. you can see the product as in box in plenty of places but specially in NP.

That's a bummer :/ So annoying that all these companies expect you to buy it without trying it first.

I got to try out the Senn HD 202 on a passer by's mobile phone. I forgot to ask him if he had the bass up on his equaliser but it seemed like there was quite a lot of it there. He played me an eminem song and pink floyd's mother (some live version) and the focus on bass was just too much. But I could also recognise that he had got the music from youtube. I think I'll ask just go with the HD 201s and compromise till I get a player with an equaliser.

But more suggestions for ones that I can try are still welcome :)
 

$hadow

Geek in making
That's a bummer :/ So annoying that all these companies expect you to buy it without trying it first.

I got to try out the Senn HD 202 on a passer by's mobile phone. I forgot to ask him if he had the bass up on his equaliser but it seemed like there was quite a lot of it there. He played me an eminem song and pink floyd's mother (some live version) and the focus on bass was just too much. But I could also recognise that he had got the music from youtube. I think I'll ask just go with the HD 201s and compromise till I get a player with an equaliser.

But more suggestions for ones that I can try are still welcome :)

Well HD202ii is a great buy if you looking for a great headphone.
 
Top Bottom