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What are the best closed ORTHOdynamic headphones? Price no limit.

post #1 of 21
2/3/11 at 7:45pm
Thread Starter 

I'm interested in closed headphones with the best possible mids. Extremely detailed and lush mids, in addition to excellent soundstage. My search has led me to orthodynamics lately. I'll entertain recommendations for even dynamic or electrostatic headphones, though I've tried many closed dynamic headphones to end up with the conclusion that the ATH W11R has the best mids of dynamic headphones short of the Sony R10 which I have not yet heard.

 

The question in my mind is "What are the best headphones for vocals?"

 

Make as many recommendations as possible please. There is no price limit because I'm even considering the Sony R10s. Also, I have no plans to purchase anything soon. I just want to get an overall idea of where to start looking and make the purchase when the time comes.

 

My gear includes the Woo Audio 6SE w/ EML 5U4G (in order) and Anedio D1 DAC (will arrive in a few days).

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post #2 of 21
2/3/11 at 8:31pm

the answer here is very straightforward..  Thunderpants... they are made by a head-fier named smeggy, and there is a thread called... thunderpants... also read other threads, including the ortho thread and youll see... they are practicaly the holy grail of closed cans.. and their mids are unreal..

 

they are considered by many ortho lovers as the best closed cans... period

 

they have been compared to the LCD-2.

 

I owned them with a $350 Cavalli CTH (compact tube hybrid) and a $750 eastern electric minimax tube hybrid dac, and they were nothing short of incredible. 

 

The final element is a decent eq . .such as electri-q with foobar....

 

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post #3 of 21
2/3/11 at 8:44pm
Thread Starter 

Looks very promising and the price is definitely not high. How would I go about ordering a pair when I do? Sorry about my laziness, but also what do you think is required for the amplification of orthos? Any special needs compared to dynamics?
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Br777 View Post

the answer here is very straightforward..  Thunderpants... they are made by a head-fier named smeggy, and there is a thread called... thunderpants... also read other threads, including the ortho thread and youll see... they are practicaly the holy grail of closed cans.. and their mids are unreal..

 

they are considered by many ortho lovers as the best closed cans... period

 

they have been compared to the LCD-2.

 

I owned them with a $350 Cavalli CTH (compact tube hybrid) and a $750 eastern electric minimax tube hybrid dac, and they were nothing short of incredible. 

 

The final element is a decent eq . .such as electri-q with foobar....

 

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post #4 of 21
2/3/11 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 

I just realized that this question may be better in the High-end section.

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post #5 of 21
2/3/11 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wind016 View Post

I just realized that this question may be better in the High-end section.



Nah! This is the right place. The Orthodynamic Roundup is in this section anyway. :D

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post #6 of 21
2/3/11 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks smashing. Holy crap. 1088 pages!
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by smashing View Post



Quote:
Originally Posted by wind016 View Post

I just realized that this question may be better in the High-end section.



Nah! This is the right place. The Orthodynamic Roundup is in this section anyway. :D

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post #7 of 21
2/3/11 at 9:17pm

orthos need power.  the schiit lyr would be a good candidate, so is thifiman ef-5  the cavalli CTH amp i mentioned is cheap, however, it is considered a perfect match for these cans and also way above its price range for quality of sound. and i would agree.   it outperformed the schiit asgard and the  hifiman ef5 when  compared them.  

 

PM smeggy .. hell tell you whats available, or you could order a custom pair... all depends on what he offers.

 

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post #8 of 21
2/3/11 at 9:23pm

None of the high end, modern orthos, are closed.  I'm not sure if any of the current Fostex are closed, but I imagine the T40 is since the previous generation T40 was.  You're better off buying a T50 and either making a Thunderpants or paying someone to make one for you.

 

Edit:  The new high end orthos are hard to drive, but the vintage ones aren't to bad.  Some of them sound fine just out of my EMU 0404 USB.  I've also driven them from a couple of vintage receivers and integrated amps.  I just bought a Shiit Asgard and it does a fine job on the vintage cans and should be fine for Thunderpants as well.  I look at the gain of the Shiit Lyr and it scares me away.  I think just about every headphone I own would be too loud and minimum volume.

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post #9 of 21
2/3/11 at 9:24pm
Thread Starter 

Hmm... seems like all hybrid amps. I guess I'd have to try them on my Woo to know I guess. Thanks for the advice. I'll look into it for sure.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Br777 View Post

orthos need power.  the schiit lyr would be a good candidate, so is thifiman ef-5  the cavalli CTH amp i mentioned is cheap, however, it is considered a perfect match for these cans and also way above its price range for quality of sound. and i would agree.   it outperformed the schiit asgard and the  hifiman ef5 when  compared them.  

 

PM smeggy .. hell tell you whats available, or you could order a custom pair... all depends on what he offers.

 

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post #10 of 21
2/3/11 at 9:26pm
Thread Starter 

Ic...  small market...
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by scompton View Post

None of the high end, modern orthos, are closed.  I'm not sure if any of the current Fostex are closed, but I imagine the T40 is since the previous generation T40 was.  You're better off buying a T50 and either making a Thunderpants or paying someone to make one for you.

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post #11 of 21
2/3/11 at 9:47pm

Yeah, very small market.  Most of the vintage Fostex phones are at least semi closed.  They don't leak since they were designed for studios.  They don't really isolate either.  All of the vintage phones, except the T40 are also supra aural.   Thunderpants isolate as well as any IEM I've tried.  Those big blocks of wood and thick leather pads are great.  You can even do critical listening at a meet. 

 

Eventually, I'll probably get one, but for now, I'm satisfied with my vintage orthos.

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post #12 of 21
2/3/11 at 11:22pm

yes, thunderpants isolate VERY well.  and thusly they dont leak sound either

 

they are also very comfy, if not a tad bit heavy.. but so comfy that it doesnt matter.  i used to wear mine for hours.

 

if you get them.  you must spring for the stax pads.  they really really make a big difference, in both sound quality and comfort.

 

and definately be sure to go through smeggy.  there are other t50rp modders, but Smeggy is king. 

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post #13 of 21
2/3/11 at 11:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scompton View Post

Yeah, very small market.  Most of the vintage Fostex phones are at least semi closed.  They don't leak since they were designed for studios.  They don't really isolate either.  All of the vintage phones, except the T40 are also supra aural.   Thunderpants isolate as well as any IEM I've tried.  Those big blocks of wood and thick leather pads are great.  You can even do critical listening at a meet. 

 

Eventually, I'll probably get one, but for now, I'm satisfied with my vintage orthos.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Br777 View Post

yes, thunderpants isolate VERY well.  and thusly they dont leak sound either

 

they are also very comfy, if not a tad bit heavy.. but so comfy that it doesnt matter.  i used to wear mine for hours.

 

if you get them.  you must spring for the stax pads.  they really really make a big difference, in both sound quality and comfort.

 

and definately be sure to go through smeggy.  there are other t50rp modders, but Smeggy is king. 


The isolation seems great though not the most important factor. I just crave the intimacy involved in isolating headphones. A worrisome opinion to me is that I've read the Fostex T50RP is said to be a bit rolled off around the extreme sound frequencies. I guess I should try a Fostex T50RP to see what I think first.

 

I wish there were more closed flagships though.

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post #14 of 21
2/4/11 at 12:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wind016 View Post


The isolation seems great though not the most important factor. I just crave the intimacy involved in isolating headphones. A worrisome opinion to me is that I've read the Fostex T50RP is said to be a bit rolled off around the extreme sound frequencies. I guess I should try a Fostex T50RP to see what I think first.

 

I wish there were more closed flagships though.



stock t50 is rolled off thats a well known fact, however thunderpants - not a chance.. they sing to high and low heaven...

 

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post #15 of 21
2/4/11 at 6:35pm
Thread Starter 

I see. You just heightened my expections. I have one more question. I always read how great the mids and bass is, but how are the highs? That's one of the most important aspects for me in a headphone. Anyways, Smeggy can expect to hear from me soon biggrin.gif   Most likely after tax season.  Busy as heck.

 

For the time being, I'm still interested in whatever options there are but the Thunderpants seem very interesting.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Br777 View Post



Quote:
Originally Posted by wind016 View Post


The isolation seems great though not the most important factor. I just crave the intimacy involved in isolating headphones. A worrisome opinion to me is that I've read the Fostex T50RP is said to be a bit rolled off around the extreme sound frequencies. I guess I should try a Fostex T50RP to see what I think first.

 

I wish there were more closed flagships though.



stock t50 is rolled off thats a well known fact, however thunderpants - not a chance.. they sing to high and low heaven...

 

Reply
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