Recommendation for Headphones under $250

There’s a pair of Hifiman Sundaras on Amazon being sold in “Like New” condition from a very reputable seller for $240 (retail $299) and you can have them by this Tuesday with free shipping. Great headphones.  Check out this video review.  He also reviewed my Hifiman Arya Stealth ‘phones, my Singxer SA-1 headphone amp, and my Musician Pegasus DAC and in all cases his opinions closely mirror my own so I trust his ears and he knows his stuff.

https://soundnews.net/headphones/full-size/hifiman-sundara-rev.2021-review-my-favorite-headphone-under-400/

calgarian5355

Mass, or Massdrop, is an outfit that makes deals with manufacturers to make a lower-priced version of their product, iirc. So, the Mass6xx is identical to the Sennheiser-branded phones and I see they are branded Senn and Mass. I think I have that right.

This is the one I would get, their Senn 650 equivalent (I have Senn 600s and 650s):

"If you know audio gear, you know the Sennheiser HD 650. The company’s flagship from 2003 to 2009, this open-back headphone has shown serious staying power. Praised for its richly detailed, effortlessly enjoyable sound, it remains one of the most talked-about products on Head-Fi today—and is still widely considered among the best headphones under $1,000. So when we teamed up with Sennheiser on its first-ever community-driven design partnership, the HD 650 was a natural place to start. A new revision of the popular all-rounder, the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX has that same great sound plus a few updates, and a price that makes it even easier to love.

It's drop.com.  Get the HD6XX.  I have a dozen sets of headphones including some top of the line ones and the HD6XX are what I grab most often.  No, they don't sound better than the TOTL headphones, but they are super comfortable, easy to drive, and do a lot of things right in terms of sound quality.

Apos has Hifiman Sundara for $299 now on sale. 

I've owned a lot of these, so I'll give my personal opinions. I happen to love several.

The Grado sound is in-your-face, fun, detailed, and punchy. I think sound stage is small until you move into the 325's, which are my favorite (I have not heard the X version). They have a very focused and forward sound, in general, though, so it's a flavor that is divisive. It's easy to hear them and immediately think, "Yep, this is what I was looking for." I think my preference for music that is recorded poorly kept me from committing to the Grado brand. 

The Sennheiser 580 or 600 headphones have a much more laid back presentation. Great detail, but with less airiness. They're comfortable and easy to listen to for a long time. I used 580's for over 10 years and upgraded to the 600's and had them for another 5. They were my choice for a long time. They take a little of the intensity and energy away, but the trade off is warmth and listenability. Very forgiving of poor recordings or amplification, IMO. In fact, they never sound bad. Haha. I have never wanted to turn them down. 

I moved those along for the HiFiMan Sundara headphones. As my stereo got better and better, I wanted that kind of space, air, and detail in my headphones. Sundaras are, without question, the most like a pair of high fidelity speakers strapped to your head, but not without excellent room-like atmosphere. The soundstage is very articulate and instruments are easy to pinpoint. I have been living with these since the Sennheisers. They're a lot of fun, but I'm considering a change back to Sennheiser because I cannot help but feel like I spend more time listening to the headphones than the music. I have never been able to engage with my music like I did when I had either the 580's or the 600's. Having said that, I think if you're looking for the lowest price point that can bring you the highest fidelity and get a really good taste of what's up the stream, get Sundaras. I see them for $200 often, which is the best deal on hifi cans I've ever seen.