• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

The Headphone FAQ

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.
Best headphones ~$15: Koss KSC75
Best headphones ~$30: Panasonic HTF600
Best headphones ~$50: Superlux HD668B
Best headphones ~$100: Creative Aurvana Live!

This is my current "Best for the budget" list of cans. I just received my set of JVC HA-S500s, which have received incredible reviews at Head-Fi. HOWEVER, take note of my post, quoted from Head-Fi.

After purchasing a pair of CAL!s for my desktop PC, I wanted to obtain a portable set of cans as well (CAL!s are way too delicate). After some searching I discovered the JVC HA-S500, which has received many positive reviews from fellow Head-Fiers; I liked what I read in their multi-thousand post appreciation thread, so I decided to pull the trigger. Honestly, I'm not hearing what all of the forum hype is about.

Compared to the CAL!s, the JVC's bass overshadows its mids, and the upper mid-range / lower treble is almost nonexistent. Sure, the bass hits harder and has a bit more texture than the CAL!s, but the mids are just so veiled...I hope that the burn-in process will bring the mids a few steps forward, else I will use the 5-band equalizer on my Sansa.

I will note that the JVCs are VERY easy to drive...to get to my listening levels, they require roughly half the power that the CAL!s do.

I am no professional audiophile, so the S500s may actually have the more neutral sound signature...but not to my ears, not by far. That said, I look forward to reading Joker's opinion of the set. :)

And Joker, thank you for the time and effort you have put into this shootout / guide...I refer to it almost daily, and link it to anyone who is looking for headphone-purchasing guidance.

The Aurvanas simply blow the S500s away when it comes to clarity and detail. On the S500s, it literally sounds as if you are hearing the music through a thick quilt (maybe even 2 or 3)...hideous. They respond well to EQs though, and sound quite a bit better when fed by a lower-quality source, like my Sansa MP3 player.
 
Last edited:
For about $25, the Xiaomi Piston 3 is hard to beat. In fact, they hold their own all the way up to the $100 range. And they do reasonably well with onboard, but will still take good advantage of a good DAC/amp.
 
Back