Grado - SR60x

because difference of "generally" accepted good performance is right at the $200-300 level. The exceptions are known... The pair of FIIO FT1 and FT1 Pro, Philips SHP9600, Koss's 4 on ear "headphones", Grado SR60x, Sennheiser x Drop HD6xx (sale price) or even the HD58x...🤷🏻‍♂️ There's a reason why IEM is competitive with headphones at that under $300 price point. Price to performance...IEM usually perform better than headphones

actually I've found koss KSC75 to be pretty great for this, I personally have two pairs, one for steamdeck/on the go and another pair for VR because they are immersive with their "sound stage", lightweight, and the ear clips keep them comfortably and securely on my ears when moving about. They are also really cheap and i'd honestly recommend just getting some anyway for use as backups or portability regardless of what you end up picking. Also one that is kinda surprising is actually grado SR60x, will definitely need EQ to fix the ridiculous tuning they have from factory but afterwards they are great for positional audio queues. In fact they used to be my main headphones for games before getting HD600. Have to be really careful with them though, the build is just not durable, they will not survive abuse. Also you have to stretch the headband out until there is just barely any clamping force on your ears, at which point I found them to be very comfortable. Otherwise they are extremely painful out of the box with too much pressure on the ears. But you know, once you fix their biggest problems they are great headphones for gaming. If gaming on windows then use "equalizer APO" and grab an automatically generated parametric EQ to harmon target from "autoeq.app". Both of the above are friendly to your budget. But my absolute favorite about them is they are way more open than HD600. What I mean by that is with either the koss or grado I can speak like normal and hear myself through my ears not just through my bones almost exactly the same as if I weren't wearing headphones at all. Whereas with the HD600 I find myself speaking louder subconsciously and I hear myself kinda like if I had a few layers of a fluffy blanket over my ears. Only really matters if I'm in a voice chat and even then it's more of a "huh that's kinda interesting"

First of all, i don't think that your experience will be any better with a headphone that has a usb-c connector, since they will have the same exact type of DAC as the external ones. But you should try out the usb-C adapter by Apple. It's only 10 dollars and i have heard that it sounds just as good as audiophile adapters that cost 10 times as much. There are open back over ear headphones. I mainly use them indoors, since, i want to have as little noise as possible creeping in. When they are not playing any music, it almost feels like you are not wearing any headphones. But if you are hell bent on ear headphones, here are a few recommendations: My first pick would be Grado. They make on ear headphones that look super cool and have a very unique sound that is loved by many people. Their entry level 60x apparently sound almost identical to the more expensive 80x and 125x, so that would be a great option for the money (around 99 dollars). Then there are the Koss Porta Pro. They are one of the most legendary headphones and have received high praise for decades. They are pretty affordable at around 50 dollars (you can find them cheaper) and apparently sound pretty great for the money. The styling is a bit polarizing though, even if it is iconic.

I’d be willing to be at least half of those who dog on Grados in here have never listened to a pair. Grado sr60xs are $100. Less if on sale (which they often are). The only reason these people don’t touch Grado is a stranger on the internet made fun of them. I’m actually not a fan of Grado—they sound great but I hate the way they fit—but I at least own a pair and am speaking from experience. Buy what you want. This sub tends to be very meme-y in its suggestions.

Ahh my two favourites are definitely grado sr60x and hifiman sundaras. Idk why but that treble in the grados is just so nice for so much of my music, and I really enjoy the super light on-ear feel. Then the sundaras are absolutely my most used headphones, by far. They are always at my desk and these days even next to my bed. If I’m being honest my sundaras don’t do anything that is particularly mind-blowing but I just love the sound so much. The build quality is terrible and the cable they came with got swapped out immediately alongside the pads, but the sound is just right. Honorable mentions go to kph40s which are the single comfiest headphones ever, I usually forget in even wearing them and they sound so ridiculously good for 30$ headphones. Then to hd660s which I keep at my desk as well, and since they are so easy to drive compared to hd600 and to my sundaras, I even used them out of my phone for years.

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

Get a pair of Grado SR-60s. It will be like seeing colors for the first time. BTW it's easy to find adapters to swap 1/8" and 1/4" plugs if you're ever stuck with the wrong one. It's also easy to lose them so buy a spare.

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/

if you like metal and jazz, give the grado sr-60 a shot. some think they are polarizing; i think they are fun. they were my first "serious" headphone that got me into headphones.

I have a bunch of headphones ranging from 500php to 100k. Grado SR60 should be around 3k. Sounds amazing for the price.