Headphone Brands Ranked from Worst to First

They should really list headphones by models instead of brands. Pretty much every brand there has both entry level headphones and top of the line headphones.

Still to this day, I recommend Sennheiser HD 25-II's. These things are indestructible. Plus they sound pretty good as well. When you watch any sporting event on TV or any big DJ, the majority of the time they will be using these bad boys.

I've had mine for well over 4 years now, not really looked after them very well, but they are still going strong. Every part is replaceable too.

Best of all, they are still cheaper than a pair of Beats by Dre.

So much of the online head-fi like chatter on this subject is near voodoo. I bought some Alessandro MS-1's which are tweaked Grado's after delving deep into online opinions, and they're peaky inferiors, an opinion objectively shown by an obscure online debunking I later found.

Beware popular opinion. Grado SR-80i's are good value for money, detailed but they have flaws.

I could live with Stax all day long.

Or rather it's a consumer-oriented list. BDs aren't much of a consumer brand (though they do have a consumer line) and don't market as such. Most of their stuff is marketed for industry, so this makes them a bit "underground."

Further, most of their line is designed for industry or hardcore audiophiles: a lot of it is high-impedance (200 Ohm+), which means you need a real amplifier to drive them (otherwise they'll be pretty quiet), making them not a great portable solution. For comparison, consumer-type stuff is typically standardized 8/16/32 Ohms.

Even further still, their headphones are designed for accuracy, which consumers don't always want either (... subconsciously). For consumers, listener-enjoyment is more important: accenting bass or adding color (distortions) can make music more pleasurable to listen to, etc.

That said, I own a pair of BD DT-990 Pros, and they're the most excellent pair of headphones I've ever owned.

For the brands mentioned, I broadly agree with them this time round in my limited experience, but I can't really judge more broadly than a few brands there and as others have mentioned, they notably miss any Beyerdynamic offerings.

It really depends what you want. I have a pair of the Koss KSC-75 for my portable use and they're fantastic. They cost about $50 and are clip-over-the-ear sort of things but have some of the best sound below $100.

For home use, I use a good ol' pair of the Alessandro MS-1 (which are essentially the Grado SR80i, albeit with some slight differences that make them more preferable to most). They're also an open headphone but are fantastic and come in at about $125-$150. They excel more at the rock end of the spectrum and aren't heavy on bass, so if you like thumping dance music then maybe avoid them but that's not to say the bass isn't there. They're a good, balanced offering for all types of music listening.

Note that both of the above are open headphones, so they will not block external noise. Depending on your use case (e.g.: isolation for coding) this may be a major downfall. Open headphones are invariably better audio quality for the equivalent price however, so you're hard pressed to get a good set of cheap closed headphones.

I'm happy to recommend both, depending on what you want to do with them. Alternatively, there's a fantastic website run by some knowledgable people who can give you some input even if you don't end up ordering from them, at www.headphones.com.au . Obviously an AU retail store, but their forum is good for discussion and they have a mostly-sensible set of recommendations.

Here's my favorite headphone model: the Bose QC20. The noise cancelation is unreal – when friends try them on for the first time the consistent reaction has to be to smile and laugh. The earbud that just rests in your ear instead of drilling into the center of your head only makes the experience better.

No I'm not a shill I'm just in love with these headphones.