Good and Cheap · Marcus Mar 13, 06:55 AM

We thought that every couple of months we’d have a look at one particular section of our stock and write up a short guide to products that we really like. Today we’re going through the cheaper end of things, with everything listed coming in at under $100. This list is just a guide, often products suit one purpose or another quite well but we can’t just list every single model. The models listed here are stand-out models in their respective price range.

Sub $100 Recommendations

Earbuds:
Sennheiser MX450 – The only difference between the MX450 and 550 (or 400 and 500) is the inline volume control. The specs say otherwise, but listening tests confirm that there’s no audible difference between the two models. The inline volume control on the x50 series is pretty crappy and will just cause them to break earlier.

Audio Technica ATH-C705 – Definitely an upgrade from those horrible iPod buds you think sound good. Great sounding buds for the price.

Isolating:

Sennheiser CX300 – if you need some isolation and want to spend less than $100 these are a great choice. If you don’t need the isolation the KSC75 might be a better choice, but the CX300 has the advantage of being very portable. Comfy too!

Portables:

Koss KSC-75 – Hands down these are the best portables for the price, in fact for under $100 they’re one of the best sounding headphones around – everyone should have a pair of these at least as a benchmark. We don’t recommend the KSC-55 generally as you can’t adjust them at all and they can get uncomfortable, but if you need something more secure the 55 may be a good option (skating/snowboarding etc).

The Koss KSC-50 has been discontinued and is no longer available, however we found the KSC75 to be a better product in terms of comfort.

If you don’t like the idea of clip-ons:

AKG K24P – Cheap, good sound for the price. Not as good as the Koss, but they’re an over-the-head design which some people prefer. The downside with these (along with any others that share a similar design) is that they aren’t that comfortable.

If you need isolation and portability:

AKG K26P – Doesn’t sound as good as the K24, but won’t leak that much.

For the price both AKG models are better than the equivalent Sennheisers (PX100/200) in our opinion.

Closed:

Sennheiser HD201 – Cheap, closed, well built, comfy. Not amazing, just a decent headphone for a low price.

Posted in: Headphones at Mar 13, 06:55 AM

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Headphonic was established in 2002 and is responsible for bringing brands like Etymotic, Alessandro, Talisman and Meier Audio to the Australian market. Not only do we have the largest range of headphones and related accessories in Australia, we are TRUE experts and know just about all the products we sell inside out!

This blog is a means of bringing you latest reviews, rants and thoughts about the headphone world.

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