best headphones

Hi Zoe,

I just went through this exercise. I settled on a pair of Sennheiser Momentum over-ear phones.

Cost was $40 over your budget acquired used from Amazon Warehouse Deals.

There is a smaller on-ear model that can be had in your budget range.

Grados are fine phones, but designed mainly for in-home use.

Phones designed for portability these days have very good sound quality and other features that make them more amenable for someone on the go.

The other line with more portable models I liked a lot in your price range besides Sennheiser was Audio Technica.

Philips also had some interesting models, but did not get to try those.

High quality ear buds (not like the ones that come with most portable devices) are another option. I have a pair of Klipsch S4 buds also that I think represent a very good value for very good sound quality and are also most portable, if teh more "in your head" presentation of in-ear buds is not an issue for you.

ALso, my son has a pair of these <$80 Sennheisers, which are also very good, especially for the size and cost.

BTW, I find more than most anything else in audio, preference in headphones is a very personal thing. Lots of different ones get lots of love from many, including AKG and V-Moda. Differences in sound quality can be large or small, and often not the only deciding factor.

HArd to say which is the "best" at $200 price point. Most would agree that the very best tend to cost a whole lot more and require some specialized amplification to bring out their true nature. Portable phones tend to be easy to drive by most common portable devices these days, smartphones, tablets,etc. The "best" phones on an absolute scale may not shine as needed in portable applications.

I would say that the best portables I have heard these days do most of the things that most people (even audiophiles) would care about well enough to make the owner very happy. $200 gets you pretty far.

Were portability and easy to drive not a consideration for me, the AKG K701s are the ones I was eyeballing in the $200-$300 range. If I did not already own a nice pair of Stax headphones for primary home use, I might have gone that way,

Second the vote for Sennheiser PX 200II phones for the purpose you indicated. I also have much more expensive Sennheisers for stationary listening, but for walking, trains, etc., you cannot beat the PX's for anything near their price. Sturdy, compact and neutral. A real revelation.

If you want in-ear (which I favor), Etymotic is the way to go. On my 4th pair as I move up the ladder to the top.

Neal

Zoeblake,

Since you're looking, consider a pair of B&W P3 over ear phones. I know they are available at Magnolia Audio/Visual.

Sony 7506. New berylium earbuds by Pilot.