I didn't know people who were into mechanical keyboards cared about their hearing

here's a headphone ranking list from a dude who's even more into IEMs

the popular budget headphones around here tend to be the Koss KSC75

If you have windows or macos, you can really get into how folks evaluate headphones with this app

the thing we do differently here is share frequency response graphs and make jokes about them. a lump in one place means boomy, move it and it's shouty, etc.

We regularly have keyboard people here for some reason. I watched one episode of headphone podcast and like one third of it was about keyboards. Have you got your Koss headphones yet?

We recommed EQ Apo with AutoEQ for everyone so that they can try Harman target, which sounds like good pair of speakers.

We recommend gamers to ditch their gaming headphones and get audiophile headphones with a V-moda microphone.

We get our expensive audiophile headphones from bin stores for $8 thanks to our wives.

Right now IEMs (in-ear monitors) are really popular at the budget level. They've come a long way in recent years and a lot of Chinese manufacturers are delivering them at a low price point.

There's no consensus of which the "best budget headphone" is. IMO it's the Koss KSC75 for $20, but that's just one opinion and you could argue that the sound quality is put on the backburner because the build quality is bad.

I have one pair for my desk which I use for "critical listening" and gaming. That's my Sennheiser HD8XX. For mobile use, I use airpod pros. The convenience is just so good. For my steam deck I use the Koss KSC75.

if you told us what your budget is, people can recommend what they would buy.

thanks! turns outa lot of keeb enthusiasts are audiophiles too!

I currently have a Sennheiser HD450SE, is that considered worse than the Koss?

I don't know, but it doesn't matter that much. You get a Koss anyway and then you swap parts in it until it's a different headphone. It's like Lego. The parts are interchangeable. If you go to r/headphonemods and scroll a little, you'll see people's builds.

i just want to know the popular beginner/cheaper pucks

for me the beginner headphones were the hd6xx (200$) the beginner iem was the moondrop starfield(110$). a lot of people would not think of these as budget/beginner.

Welcome to the subreddit. I guess that makes at least 2 of us that are into mechanical keebs. Its actually kinda funny that I just happen to be running Moondrop Tennence switches (yes, the audio company) on today's keyboard :)

As for what we do differently, I'm not sure I know what you mean but maybe running our headphones with balanced cables through an amp, EQed for neutrality?

As for budget picks, I'm personally a massive fan of the Porta Pros with Yaxi pads (I believe they're $39 on drop.com at this time)... They're just awesome fun straight out of the box although I do mostly run them EQed for neutrality on a Qudelix 5K. The Koss K75's are even cheaper at around $20 and more neutral, although I personally don't find them as much fun.

Another budget option might include the Phillips SHP9500 but it always comes down to personal preference and what you want to listen to...

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The first time I ever saw Crinacle was on a mechanical keyboard channel on YouTube lol

And fountain pens... hence r/mechanicalheadpens

What a majestic crossover episode it must have been! Is there a Harman target for thock already?

So, much like mech keyboards, the joy of headphones is in finding what hits your subjectives. Are you a basshead? Treble junkie? Audiophile flat neutral killjoy? Do you prefer intimate sound or the widest soundscape you can find? Something that you can wear about town or only when you're sitting at your climate-controlled listening station?

Koss Portapros are an easy recommendation, provided you find them on sale. For $30 they're amazing. For $50, I'd pass. They get even better with some aftermarket pads on them (Yaxi pads are like $12).

If you're more into IEMs, you're flat spoiled by choice, and there's a new hotness cheap IEM about every four months. Most recently that's the Salnotes Zero and Truthear Hola, previously it was the Moondrop Chu. The BLON BL-03 used to be a big rec, and they're great provided you can get the bastards to seal (you pretty much need aftermarket tips). I've been eyeballing the Truthear Zero, though the last thing I need is yet another pair of cheap IEMs. The Moondrop Aria are a solid recommendation that stays under $100.

The great thing about IEMs is you don't have to think about amplification. Just get an apple dongle (or equivalent) and go.

I think we can all agree that Vido is cheap.

>Beyerdynamic DT990 or Hifiman HE400SE (or HE 4XX) or Sennheiser HD560 They should all be like $100-150 or so.

I think this is a great starting point, because this is the first price bracket where headphones feel special. They check boxes and give you some extra. For many people this is all the sound quality they'll ever need or want and if they are curious, they can still upgrade to more accurate cans.

can i use apple dongle with lightning to micro usb adapter? would making this affect the performance?

I regularly delve into both communities and here's some interesting stuff I found:

1. Unlike mechanical keyboards, Headphones transducer and their pads account for more than 95% of the sound you'll be hearing. Difference from anything else in the chain (cables, DACs, amps, etc.) is miniscule and when present, will be nowhere as exciting as simply buying another pair of headphones. You'll also need a music source of decent quality, of course.
2. EQing your cans to a single FR target is comparable to putting foam into your keyboards. It might improve the sound, but you'll be making all your different headphones sounds very similar, if not exactly the same. When EQing, try to just tinker with what you feel the headphone is most lacking and leave the rest stock.
3. Keyboard mounting styles (gasket, top mount,) is comparable to transducers type (Dynamic, planar, electrostats). Different flavors for different people, and tuning one type to sounds like another is not easy.
4. Sennheiser HD6x lineup is the Cherry MX of the headphones, Old but gold. Whereas you'll only find vintage cherry mx users in the deep end, old mate senny is often recommended here. Also they last forever.
5. open-back headphones are perfect for listening to both your music and your keyboard. The classic argument "you won't hear them (the keyboard sounds) because you'll be using headphones anyway" doesn't apply with open backs.

You probably could, but if you've got micro-usb, then the apple dongle probably isn't your huckleberry. If you have a headphone jack, I'd just rock that for now, and if you don't, I'd see what the Android folk suggest.

Hey bud, let me be the guy who told you up front just to buy the Koss KPH30i for $30 and save yourself thousands of dollars chasing the perfect headphone. It doesn't exist, but one listen to the KPH30i and you'll have an experience that is 90% just as good as any $200+ headphones. They look cheap, but they come with a lifetime warranty so don't let that stop you from trying them. I only wish someone had spoken up at the beginning before I started this hobby and told me about them! I enjoy trying different headphones, but these would have been just fine.

Getting a mechanical keyboard after having opened back headphones was such a mistake...

Can't listen to music and type at all. Gaming is so clacky. I'm not a fan. It definitely a switch thing, but I don't see myself getting into this domain.

Are there phones with micro USB without an audio jack? I thought USB-C was standard by the time everyone started copying (the worst) parts of apple.

thanksan! what's EQ?

heya, thanks for lettibg me know, though I dont know what EQ'ing or an FR target means. I actually do use cherry switches so thats funny!

huh, i had someone reccomend open backs for this exact reason, listen to you keeb and music at the same time lol

No problem. You will eventually learn about them as you stay longer in the hobby

I could definitely see that being a benefit for keyboard enthusiasts, but as someone who was much more into my music than keyboards it wasn't a positive for me!

fair enough!

Equalizing... You adjust the "presence" or volume of each frequency range to come up with your desired sound profile.

So, imagine for example that you have some headphones that have too much harshness in the highs for your taste oraybe there's a peak in a certain frequency range that you want to get rid of or maybe you switched to sheepskin earpads and now you get too much bass... Well, essentially you can compensate by adjusting those frequencies with an equalizer to get the sound profile that you prefer...

wait i was just thinking that apple dongle is a DAC, and if i use apple dongle instead of my embedded one, it would improve the sound quality.

It's actually a full-on DAC/amp in an itty-bitty dongle package. It almost certainly will send a cleaner signal, which you'll hear as a lower noise floor.

Just getting into the hobby, though? It's not a place I'd put money. I think if you had a $100 budget, you'd be better off with a set of $80 Arias plugged straight into your phone's headphone jack than a set of $20 Holas plugged into a $80 portable dac/amp. Where hardware is concerned, the closer to your ears the more important it is.

thanks.