Seeking the aid of an audiophile.

[TheNumberOneShmuck]

Maaaaaaan, I can't decide, maaaaan.

Sony MDR-XD300s, or Sennheiser DJ-Style HD202s?

I mean, the Sennheisers are cheaper, but I noticed this in the review section for the Sonys:

Can block about 25Db of noise even though they are not "noise canceling."

That sounds pretty handy-dandy, especially since I mostly use headphones in the car.

Then there's the part where I've never used a Sennheiser product before. Are they any good?

I DUNNO!

Anybody gotz tha info?(or something like that) Help, yo!

[Petrie.]

Even though I'm a tad biased to one headphone brand (see Dale in my sig ), I'll be as objective as possible.

On the Sony's

Input Impedance   70 ohms at 1kHz
Cord Length   8.2 Feet

It sounds like you want to use these on road trips or with a portable player.  That 70 ohms is going to mean you're going have to turn that player very loud to get some real volume out of these headphones at a human hearing "sweet spot".  You'll probably lose a bit of battery life (less than 5%, but it can make a difference on long trips).  That 8 ft of cord you're going to want a twist tie or rubber band for because it will get in the way.  By the sound of it, they weren't designed with portables in mind.  Also, I noticed these have the larger 40mm drivers and are circumaural so just be aware that you're going to have some pretty bass-heavy headphones (if that's what you like in music).

On the Senn's

Input Impedance   32 ohms at 1khz
Cord Length   8-10 feet

While the cord is still very long (and something I would certainly not want in portable headphones IMO), that lower impedance rating is much much better for portable equipment.  You won't have to turn these quite as loud to get the same volume out of them.  I didn't see driver sizes listed, but these are more of a closed style headphone and will naturally block out more noise due to their design.  Senns usually are recommended by those who listen to classical or accoustic music and are not made for strong bass music (or rather disappoint those types of users).


Personally, that's all I can say without actually testing both in a quiet environment with the player I'd use on the road.  Numbers and math only tell so much.  If you can, test them both in a quiet environment with the player and music you'll be listening to, and return the pair you like less.  Good luck!

[action9000]

Petrie has covered a lot of the bases, including the one where the numbers only say so much.  I will try to bring some other thoughts to the table.

Part of the question is, how important is the difference in price?  These are going to be primarily for use in the car on trips, right?  As Petrie, said, lower resistance is always good for saving batteries, especially if your music player isn't all that great on batteries.  If it is, this may be less of a factor.  
Anyway, my point is that we don't know which set of headphones will sound "better" (a highly subjective term in the case of sound quality).  

Based on the designs, I assume that the Sonys will have more sound isolation than the Senns but this isn't 100% guaranteed.

I have experience with the Sony MDR series.  I own a set of MDR-V600s which I use for a lot of audio work.  They are Excellent for sound isolation.  If they're playing at any decent volume, I can't hear a thing outside the headphones.  I've never used Senn headphones but I have heard nothing but good things from them.
My MDRs tend to be a bit bass-heavy, despite the "studio monitor" slogan used on that product line. <_<  Not enough to worry about though unless you're trying to mix with these things.  I suspect the MDRs you're looking at will have a similar trend.  According to the reviews, they do.

I generally find the Sonys quite nice to listen to.  They do give a very full sound IF you wear them properly.  With mine, it is vital that you have them sitting slightly forward or you lose some of the treble.  Again, probably not a huge concern for casual listening but from a mixing perspective, that's very bad. :

For casual listening, honestly either one will probably do the trick just fine.  I would also consider factors like reliability, style and ruggedness.  The Senns, it seems, win hands-down for style.  The Sonys will be Big suckers which may look a little silly if you walk around with them outside at all.  The Senns will look a bit more "normal".  Of course, this is entirely personal style/preference.

Let's break this down.

Larger frequency range: Sony (8Hz to 25kHz) versus Senn (18Hz to 18khz).
Winner: Sony.  
Does it matter?  Not at all.  Why?  The extra range provided by sony will
1) take so much juice to generate those super-low frequencies that you'll never hear/feel them anyway.
2) not be audible by any normal human.
3) Mp3 tracks DO NOT contain any data in those extreme Sony ranges.

Battery Life:
Winner: Senns.
Does it matter?  Quite possibly, if you're going on long trips.

Cord length:
8-10ft.
Winner: Senns.  Why?   "Convenient belt clip for adjusting the cable length when listening on the go."  That's why. B)
Does it matter?  Maybe.  How big are your pockets? :

Style:
Sony: Big, bulky, intimidating
Senns: Sleeker, smoother.
Winner: Your call.  I'd say the Senns are more typical for being seen by the public while wearing.
Does it matter?  Again, your call.  If you will wear them exclusively in the car/in private, it probably doesn't matter.

Weight:
Sony: 9oz
Senns: 4.6oz.
Winner: Senns, for comfort.
Does it matter?  After a long enough ride, it might.

Comfort:
Sony: Comfortable fit with parallel link free adjustable headband and urethane leather ear pads
Senns: Extremely comfortable to wear due to ultra-lightweight design, even for extended listening

What does this mean? Who won?
Who knows?

Sound quality:
Sony: "Dynamic, cinema-quality" *shrugs*
Senns: "High levels and crisp bass for modern rhythm-driven music"  *shrugs*
Very subjective.  Chances are, those descriptions aren't even very accurate.  You don't get "cinema-quality" from $35 headphones.

Cost:
Senns: $21.49
Sony: $34.99
Does it matter?  It's up to you.

I'd say the winner for the casual in-car listener is the Sennheiser set.  They're cheaper and they appear to be a more practical (and more compact) portable headphone.  Again, a lot of this is open to interpretation.

[TheNumberOneShmuck]

Hmm…

Metallica
System of a Down
Beastie Boys
Video Game Music (Old-School)
VG Music (New-School Rock soundtracks, like Sonic Adventure)


That should give you a general I idea what I'm gonna be usin' these things for. Will the Senns be able to pump out enough of the phat bass to do the Beasties justice?

[Petrie.]

Being a Senn user (how ironic you got a Sony user and a Senn user in your midst) I'd say no, Senns are not made for rock/metal bassheads, or at least anyone who reviews them, and gives them lower than average ratings is because the bass is not what they expected.  Classical, accoustic, vocal, and instrumental pieces generally work the best on Sennheisers in terms of musical accuracy (again, that's subjective).

Tim did a better job on the similarities differences than I did.  Style is personal preference, price is personal preference, frequency range is BS, sound quality claims are largely BS too....shopping takes some time.

Try both...let your ears be the judge in the end.  We can only say so much being end users of both company's products, but let YOUR ears tell you what you like.  What I look for in headphones is probably not what you're after, and likewise, not what Tim is after either.

[landbeforetimelover]

Honestly, I'd save my money and buy a better set than those described above.  I would personally never spend less than $100 on a pair of headphones.  Trust me, you'll be glad you got the better ones.  Until then, get a $5 pair from walmart and save your money for a better pair.

[action9000]

Metallica
System of a Down
Beastie Boys
Video Game Music (Old-School)
VG Music (New-School Rock soundtracks, like Sonic Adventure)

Well I can generally say that my Sony headphones are great for rock music.  I have found them really quite precise and the bass, while present, isn't distracting or overbearing.  I keep my Equalizer on Flat.
Bear in mind too, that while my Sony headphones are of the same product line as those you mentioned, they are very different.  Here's a link to my Sony headphones.

Style is personal preference, price is personal preference, frequency range is BS, sound quality claims are largely BS too....shopping takes some time.

I agree with every word of this.
Shopping does take time, and how much time you're willing to spend depends on how important the overall quality is to you.  Obviously since you posted here, you are looking for quality headphones at a reasonable price.  
One of my real-life friends also owns a Sony MDR-series set, though not nearly as expensive as mine.  I don't recall the model of his but I do know they were quite nice, though a little overpriced for the quality.  He paid somewhere in the $50 range.  I wouldn't trust them enough for audio work, and they really aren't that comfortable for very long.

I have mixed feelings about the Sony headphones.  On the high-end, they're alright (though mine take a little getting used to).  In the low-to-mid price range, I haven't been especially impressed with Sony over, say, JVC.  I've never heard Senns before so I can't comment.  I really think Sony is overpriced in the lower price range.  That being said though, I've never heard their high-end headphones.  Mine are of the entry-level semi-pro level.  Their real pro headphones are closer to the $300+ mark. :

We can only say so much being end users of both company's products, but let YOUR ears tell you what you like.

That's the bottom line.  The problem is, because headphones always come in pretty packages that are impossible to seal up again, trying them before you buy them is always troublesome.  If you want something of high quality that will last, and you want to put forth the effort to order them both, try them both, and send back the one you don't want, go right ahead.  Just make sure the company you're buying from will let you do this.  I will agree that it's a good idea if you want to do so.

Honestly, I'd save my money and buy a better set than those described above. I would personally never spend less than $100 on a pair of headphones.

Generally, I almost agree with this actually.  Maybe I don't have a $100 minimum but I probably wouldn't spend between $25 and $50 for a set of headphones.  For mobile use, cheap is fine with me.  For audio work, I need something better than the $50 units.  I'd only buy something around the $25 to $50 mark if I needed more headphones for recording sessions or something.  Of course, that's just me. B)

[TheNumberOneShmuck]

Okay, I should'a done this earlier, but

Style: Don't give a crap, unless "style" refers to the type of headphone, in which case I'm positive I want an around-ear set.

Price: Big factor. I can't see myself ever spending more than $50 on a pair (mostly on Newegg, so I'm buying a little better than the price suggests) unless I somehow become obscenely rich.

Sound: I'm not an overly casual listnener, so I would like some quality (I simply can't use earbuds), but I'm also not an audiophile, so I don't need anywhere NEAR top-of-the-line.

Bass: Not an expert (or even really an amatuer) on the subject, but if this helps my Metal sound heavier, I'd like it good.


If it helps, my current set is an MDR-V150, and I like them, (except the part where I stepped on the bridge, requiring a quick-fix with tape) but I want a set that I'll like enough not to replace for a long, long time (remember, not a super-listener).

[Petrie.]

For portable use (i.e. car rides where there is a lot of ambient noise) your MDR-150s will be fine...buy another if you already like the sound they give you.  You're not going to hear every detail so don't buy the world for something you're going to use and not discern over every little thing.  That's my opinion.  I use Sennheiser MX-400s for portable...they're earbuds, but they do the job just fine.

For home use, those portable phones may not be what you want.  I don't know....personal preference once again.  Unlike Austin, I haven't $100 to blow on headphones....so I did the next best thing for home listening.  Looking for a deal under $100 and that's where I ended up with the PX-100s.  But I listened to them before coming to that conclusion.  That's what you need to do.

[Manny Cav]

I have a pair of Sony MDR-V150s. I just had them given to me, so I don't know how much they cost (or how they compare to others). I began to use them after my ear buds broke (for the best; I hate ear buds). They're the best headphones I've had to date.

EDIT: I just realized that they are the same thang as the ones that TheNumberOneShmuck has.

[Petrie.]

Schmucker:

Here's what I would do.  If you have a retailer near you (Best Buy, Circuit City, Frye's) see what they have for a selection.  The only reason I suggest this is because of returns should you really discover that you purchased the wrong thing...its a lot easier to drive them back then to ship something back to an online store in some cases.  Check the policy before you buy.  I'd hate after all this to discover you bought something that wasn't for you and now you're stuck with it.

[landbeforetimelover]

The only cheap pair I've ever bought was the shinnester (or however you spell the thing.  Petire knows what I'm talking about.)  It was $50 and it had half decent sound.  Every other cheap pair I've ever bought were just plain bad.  They sounded like my cell phones speaker. <_<

[Manny Cav]

If you think that $50 is a cheap pair of headphones, you have too much money to really know what "cheap" is.

[landbeforetimelover]

It depends on the item.  I don't think $50 is cheap for something like a flash drive, but headphones are expensive!  It's like toilet paper.  Sure, you think the one that's $.20 a roll is great, but that's just cuz you've never had Charmine Ultra.

[action9000]

but headphones are expensive! It's like toilet paper. Sure, you think the one that's $.20 a roll is great, but that's just cuz you've never had Charmine Ultra.

Great analogy.  

That is certainly true.  The question is, how much does the buyer (in this case, Schmuck) care?  
My thoughts are that a $30 set is fine sound quality for the most part, and the durability will be fine, so long as they don't get vacuumed up or stomped on.  If you're careful with the headphones, anything over $10 or so should last you indefinitely.

It's the principle that you spend 20% of the money for 80% of the quality.  To get that last 20% quality, you're getting into much higher price tags and the gain from one level of quality to the next becomes gradually smaller.  Trust me.  This applies to headphones and sound equipment in general.  Can you vouch for this, Petrie?

[TheNumberOneShmuck]

Yeah… just because you can buy a $500 pair doesn't make a $50 set cheap IMO.

[action9000]

Yeah… just because you can buy a $500 pair doesn't make a $50 set cheap IMO.

Exactly.  I have seen headphones advertised up to and over $1,000.  Never heard em though  :unsure: .

Basically, $50 headphones are fine.  $100 are that much better.  $500 are even that much better.  Each person needs to decide where on the price/quality scale they want to settle, based on their needs/wants.  If $50 headphones were absolute crap, they wouldn't still exist.  The sound good; they really do!  The headphones I'm working on is the first set I've spent more than $60 on, ever.  I lived with probably a half a dozen sets of full-sized headphones in my lifetime (not counting the open-ear type and earbuds), most of which were very acceptable quality.  Recently I decided to take a step up and I'm fairly happy for the most part....though I wouldn't buy Sony again unless I had a very good reason...The differences between my headphones and a $40 set which I used in grade 9 are Only significant if you need to *work* using the headphones.  For listening purposes, they both sound great

Please don't think of me as a rich snob for posting this.  I'm actually not a wealthy guy at all.  When I talk about my "expensive" sound stuff, consider this: Audio is my passion, and I really don't own Anything except my sound stuff, my computer, my LBT collection and my car, which was given to me and is basically falling apart. Most of my spare money goes to upgrading my audio stuff.

[TheNumberOneShmuck]

Okay, I went onto Sennheiser's website to check the HD202 page, and this is what I saw:

Closed,dynamic, semi-circumaural stereo headphones

What the *naughty language* is that supposed to mean?! Is it circumaural or is it not circumaural?!

[Petrie.]

Okay, I went onto Sennheiser's website to check the HD202 page, and this is what I saw:

Closed,dynamic, semi-circumaural stereo headphones

What the *naughty language* is that supposed to mean?! Is it circumaural or is it not circumaural?!

That means it may or may not sit on your ears, or that it might possibly cover your ears like a closed headphone (hence very little sound gets in or out).  I suspect this term generally applies to fit...if you have big or ears that stick out, they may not resemble a closed fit on your ears, and that will change how they sound for sure.

Its hard to explain.

It's the principle that you spend 20% of the money for 80% of the quality. To get that last 20% quality, you're getting into much higher price tags and the gain from one level of quality to the next becomes gradually smaller. Trust me. This applies to headphones and sound equipment in general. Can you vouch for this, Petrie?

Yes Tim, I will vouch for this.  Lets compare what I use for example.  My Sennheiser MX-400's (which are earbuds) cost about $14 and these are what I use in the car and on road trips.  My Sennheiser PX-100's go for $60, are not earbuds, but are also not the big things Schmucky is looking at.  That $40 gives me an entirely different style of earphone and a very noticable increase in quality.  Can I go and top my PX-100's if I wanted to?  Sure, but those are plenty good enough and the balance of bass, midrange, and treble is right where I want it for my orchestral and accoustic music tastes.  What more would I need?


Schmucky, if you're still searching, think about not only for the present but for the future...do you plan to use these headphones at home as well as on the road or will they be entirely for portable use?  If your answer is for both, you're in a bit of a pickle if you don't have much to spend because you really do not want to be using stuff that goes for less than $25 at home when you can actually make out a difference in audible accuracy and quality.  (If you can), I'd recommend some type of earbud for portable use because they're easy to power and drive so you won't have to turn the volume up so loud, and the roar of car engines and tires on pavement will drown out any bass you could hear in music, and some type of open-style headphone for home use.  Open-style headphones tend to be more natural sounding due to the construction (the driver is exposed to air).  Expect to spend over $60 to go this route, but it will pay off in the end.  Good luck.

[Petrie.]

More info: went to Amazon and I'd say every 1 out of 3 reviews for the Sennheiser HD202 mention issues with comfort and how the headphones are too tight on their heads and the pads crush their earlobes (that's the semi-circumaural part I was going on about earlier).  Like I mentioned earlier with the price $25 is borderline not-acceptable in my book for home use.  My honest opinion - you might want to look around some more.