
Sennheiser
HD 560S
Budget gaming king with clear sound, but tight fit.

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I've wondered how many are too much and decided if it makes me happy, it can't be that bad. I've been collecting over 30 years. Some years are droughts and others are more try and be curious. Listing in order purchase: Sennheiser HD 580 precision Beyerdynamic Dt831 AKG K271s AKG K702 Beyerdynamic DT880 Sennheiser HD650 Sennheiser HD58x Beyerdynamic DT17x go Sennheiser HD620 Sennheiser HD600 I'm keeping my trusty 1st purchase off the list as it was 69 bucks back in 1996. First Grado SR60. IEM: Etys ER4XR and ER2XR
Sealed back headphones are going to be bad because they will have bass resonances, and are usually designed to do so in a way which exaggerates the low end. It's desireable for consumers but not great if you are trying to get a relatively flat mix. I find the AKG K240 open back headphones are very neutral. I'd also put the Grado SR60 in the same general category of neutral open back cans. The Beyer DT770 are really good for tracking, but they have a notch around 4k or so and another in the low mids that will trick you. Stuff I mixed on the road sounded pokey and harsh on good monitors. BTW K240s are about $80 most places. Much cheaper than most of the suggestions on here.
If you’re looking for quality v price, I would be investigating wired headphones. - Grado SR60 (open back) - Sennheiser HD280 (closed back) Those are gonna be your best bet for sound quality and price. If you are looking for wireless and ANC, your choices under $100 are gonna be notably worse, audio quality-wise. Thats just the nature of that price point. The Anker headphones are fine for the price. A couple other good options: - JBL tune 670nc - Sony WH-CH270n
New? Ft1 pro, the regular Ft1 is good but not "big ass easy to drive planar magnetic that come with both 3.5 and 4.4 cables. For about 200 But year on year, used grado sr60, 80, 125, and 225's. Used pristine 125e's are like 50 bucks everywhere and they're just a fabulous set of cans, and durable as hell.. But new, its the Ft1 pro, no contest. Or iems. Moondrop kadenz are just astonishing for 200 bucks. But the simgot em6l are also amazing for 100.
I love my Grados. Had SR60s in high school and finally upgraded to the 325x last summer. I work in music production so I just use my UAD Apollo as headphone amp.
I just went shopping for a pair of wired closed back cans and stumbled on the Meze 99 Classics V2 and was super impressed with the gorgeous sound and build quality, especially for ~$350 and played with and without a separate DAC/AMP. My first serious headphones were Grado SR60 more than 20 years ago and Sennheiser HD-25 a few years later. I have no doubt the Meze will still be functional and repairable for a couple of decades, which adds a lot of bang in the long run. https://www.headfonia.com/meze-99-classics-v2-review/

Sennheiser
HD 560S
Budget gaming king with clear sound, but tight fit.

Sony
WH-1000XM4
ANC king, durable, but unreliable mic and touch controls.

Sennheiser
HD 6XX
Legendary mids, durable, but narrow soundstage and weak bass.

Sennheiser
HD 490 PRO
Super comfortable, wide soundstage for gaming, versatile pads.

Sennheiser
HD 599
Super comfortable, easy to drive, wide soundstage, open-back.

Ranked #1
Sennheiser - HD 6XX

Ranked #1
FiiO - FT1 Closed-back Headphones

Ranked #1
Sennheiser - HD 560S

Ranked #1
Sony - MDR-7506

Ranked #1
Sony - WH-1000XM4

Ranked #1
Sennheiser - HD 560S