Recommendation for Headphones under $250

Another vote for the HiFiMAN Sundara.

If you’re sensitive to timing anomalies you really need to give them a listen.

I don’t like overpriced, overhyped, so-called ’High End’ products that are simply masquerading as the Emperor’s New Clothes.

The Sundara’s are nothing like that. They must be the best ever headphones at that price.

If you can’t stretch to them you could try their more affordable brethren the HiFiMAN HE400se.

These might just be the best value for money product in all of audio.

They are that good.

Focal Elegia discontinued. I snagged an open box pair from Adorama at $279. They were brand new. Easy to drive. Sound a little harsh at first but break in fairly quickly. They were $1k headphones originally.

I have a pair of 1More Triple-Driver Over-Ears Headphones and listen to them in addition to far more expensive jobs like Kennerton Rognir Planar, JM Audio Editions XTC-Closed, and RAAL SR-1b phones.  No the 1Mores don't do speed, space, and detail like the TOTL phones but their bass is fun and they sound pretty good for the money.  I don't think they are produced anymore but are available online on eBay and other used equipment sites for less than their original $250 retail price.  There are numerous positive reviews as well including one reviewer who pronounced them the world's best phones.  Well, maybe not, but gives you an idea of how much they punch above their weight.  If you get a pair make sure you get the silver colored US version that uses a graphene-laminated mylar driver and not the champagne colored overseas version that uses a metal (beryllium?) driver.

BTW, forgot to mention above that the 1More Triple-Driver Over-Ears phones are easy to drive with their 32 ohm impedance and 106 dB/1MW sensitivity.  I can easily drive them from my laptop and phone.