Best headphones under €400

[Gregorywalters]

Thanks for the information.

[LKBorg]

It's not the most professional monitor cans out there but I like my Audiotechnica M50x. They're a bit tuned towards the high end (as many reviews also suggest) but that's ok and it's a sub 200€ class one.

[mattmauler]

Consider getting Sennheiser HD-600, beyerdynamic DT-1990

I own Beyerdynamic DT-1990 and they have a really clean sound. I use them for mixing, but I also really like to listen to music with them. You can hear all the artifacts, and mixing/mastering mistakes, and they don't wear out easily.

I can highly recommend them.

[rafa1981]

I use the Neumann NDH20, closed because I preferred some isolation when kids are around and because they are easily driven. They have bass and low mids with few resonances. Then I verify at later stages with some old AKG701 and monitors.

I could be using something else to be honest. The most important thing is to settle for one good enough set of cans and knowing how things should sound by listening to hours and hours of music through them. That's why I settled for closed-back easy to drive cans (against all recomendations), if you have an office job you can use them continuosly.

[pierb]

I own:

- HD600
- DT990 Pro
- HD280 Pro (new version)
- M50
- Fostex T50RP

I would not get the ATH M50s. Compared to some Beats headphones they are nice, but they're overpriced for what you get. The low end is quite muddy. The planar Fostex T50RP are in another sonic league and are cheaper (although you will need some EQ to get them to their full potential).

The T50RP are by far my favorite headphones of this bunch. They were my first planar headphones and if I had €400 to invest I'd get the Hifiman Sundara which supposedly are even better.

The HD280 Pro are also way better that the M50s and pretty cheap for what you get. They only lack a bit of low end for my taste. Again a bit of EQ solves this. The isolation is a bit extreme though if you're coming from open headphones. You can even hear your heart beating if you pay attention. Of course soundstage is not amazing, as is typical of closed headphgones.

The HD600 are very nice and a used as reference by many engineers. Personally I don't love the Sennheiser veil but it's a matter of taste and otherwise they are excellent and extremely comfortable.

[cmd-r]

+1 for the Beyers 1990
Otherwise I can highly recommend Ultrasone

[AGIGA]

Austrian Audio Hi-X60
https://austrian.audio/headphones/hi-x60/
https://www.thomann.de/de/austrian_audi ... 9&reload=1
Austrian Audio Hi-X65
https://austrian.audio/hi-x65/
https://www.thomann.de/de/austrian_audio_hi_x65.htm

[roringtonsmithe]

I own:

- HD600
- DT990 Pro
- HD280 Pro (new version)
- M50
- Fostex T50RP

I would not get the ATH M50s. Compared to some Beats headphones they are nice, but they're overpriced for what you get. The low end is quite muddy. The planar Fostex T50RP are in another sonic league and are cheaper (although you will need some EQ to get them to their full potential).

The T50RP are by far my favorite headphones of this bunch. They were my first planar headphones and if I had €400 to invest I'd get the Hifiman Sundara which supposedly are even better.

The HD280 Pro are also way better that the M50s and pretty cheap for what you get. They only lack a bit of low end for my taste. Again a bit of EQ solves this. The isolation is a bit extreme though if you're coming from open headphones. You can even hear your heart beating if you pay attention. Of course soundstage is not amazing, as is typical of closed headphgones.

The HD600 are very nice and a used as reference by many engineers. Personally I don't love the Sennheiser veil but it's a matter of taste and otherwise they are excellent and extremely comfortable.

Recently got my first planars – hifiman 400se. Absolutely loving them. Do need a bit of eq in the low end but the detail and dynamic response (coming from 990s) is night and day. Also a bargain at <$200! Super open back though so if isolation is an issue they are a no-go.

[roman.i]

I had various headphones in the last decade. Can fully recommend the SH 600 series.
I have the Drop 6xx version, got them on black Friday for around $190, totally worth the price.
They're light on bass and clarity is not high-end, but overall they're excellent all-arounder.

[zerocrossing]

Thx for the advices guys, went up to a local music store and tested some phonies out. Ended up buying a Beyer 900 Pro-X. Was very surprised by the sound.

I’ve been using the budget Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80s now for years and I find them to be great, but they do have a bit of a bump on the low end that I have to keep in mind. That’s like any monitor situation, though. I think getting to know your monitors is almost more important.

[Atlatnesiti]

These are hot of the press, 2 weeks old:
https://rode.com/en/headphones
I’ve been sceptical about these, but they are Absolutely brilliant

[cel4145]

I had various headphones in the last decade. Can fully recommend the SH 600 series.
I have the Drop 6xx version, got them on black Friday for around $190, totally worth the price.
They're light on bass and clarity is not high-end, but overall they're excellent all-arounder.

Yeah. No doubt. The HD6XX don't really do deep sub bass.

But one thing I like about them is just how absolutely non-fatiguing they are to listen to. Sure, if you're mixing and you want to hear more clarity and detail, you might want to put on another pair of headphones for a bit.

But for day-to-day production use, they are such an easy listen. And their lightweight makes them just as comfortable to wear.

[CrystalWizard]

For deep bass i can't see any headphones really doing the job. You gotta move some air. As in subwoofer and even then you get what you pay for, cheap subs are usually crap.
Finding a set of cans that go low, low and are flat seems like an expensive proposition, but i'd be happy to be wrong.
Most importantly, i couldn't agree more with previous posters about getting used to the sound of your headphones. I've been using the same set since 2007, they're not ideal but i know the sound intimately and how it translates. Still doesn't compare to my old room with proper loudspeakers, a sub, and treatment.

[Ghost_Train]

Ive been enjoying the ATH-M50x headphones WITH SoundID Reference to accompany them.

[joemusician]

Haven't tried the 900s, but the 880s sound good and are super comfortable compared to an HD600 (which sound better but clamp the ears too much for extended sessions IMO). I also like that they're semi-open, giving you both an open soundstage and decent sound isolation.