Closed can for classical and jazz

As a committed HD600 fan, I am looking for a good closed headphone for classical and jazz, preferably with an open and "airy" treble and a good soundstage (for those occasions when an open can is not practical to use), plus good isolation. It should not cost more than GBP 100 secondhand. Motive power will come from either an Opera Consonance Cyber 20 or a Little Dot Mk. III.

Would a good vintage DT48 fit the bill?

Any recommendations?

Only as an option for those times when I want to listen to music in the living room whilst my wife is watching television.

The HD600s will still be my principal cans for critical listening (in a silent environment).

Sorry that this is in the wrong thread. I obviously wasn't paying attention....

It should, of course, be in "Heaphones (full-size)".

I might actually try something a bit unusual - my OTG GR07s off the Cyber 20. I presume it will work. I bit like dropping a V8 in a Polo, though .

If the results are satisfactory, I guess I'm going to need a high quality extension cable!

This should give good sound + good isolation. Need to get those Black Olives on them, though (the only tips I can tolerate for more than 10 minutes).

If it doesn't work, would Sennheiser HD25SPs with a better cable (e.g. the ZY 005 which I am using to good effect with the HD600s) make sense? At least they have good treble resolution and detail retrieval (even if they are not as subtle as the HD600s).

A good Wagner can, perhaps (bass extension and quality are VERY important here)?

I currently have a pair of Denon AH-D1001s, which I use as a secondary can. There are closed cans with better isolation, but it's sufficient.

However, I find the treble subdued and muddy, and the overall balance too bass-forward - it just lacks clarity and bite. Would re-cabling help here (I'd use the same ZY cable I use for the HD600s, which is basically two twisted pairs of Furukawa 6N solid core copper wires in a textile sheath, terminated with Chinese copies of the Cardas connectors, in the case of the Sennheiser version), or is there really a significant improvement in clarity in going up to the 2000s?

Re. the IEMs - I managed to get the Black Olives on them, and tried them out, but it's no good. The hum, which is barely perceptible on the HD600s, was troublesome, and the bass sounded extremely unnatural. Well, it was worth a try.

Have just ordered the Fischer FA-003s, as they are apparently the nearest thing to a closed HD600 at a sensible price.

Will post again when they have arrived.

Will be after Christmas, I'm afraid, as I've ordered them to my UK address.

Well, I've finally got the FA-003s over to China, and have had a chance to listen to them in depth after about 50 or so hours' burn-in. Systems used were (i) Opera Consonance Ref. 2.3 Mk. III CD player + Opera Consonance Cyber 20 (NOS Philips EL84s, NOS Mullard CV4003), (ii) Lenovo T400 + WAV files + Foobar 2000 + ASIO4ALL + Little Dot DAC_1 + Little Dot Mk. III (NOS Mullard CV4010) and (iii) QLS QA350 + iBasso P4 (various op-amp configurations). Main comparison were my trusty HD600s.

First off - I have to say that the FA-003s are NOT as good as the HD600s. At the price, I wouldn't expect them to be, but they do offer good value for money, and stack up well against other closed cans at or indeed somewhat above their price point - they trounce my Denon AH-D1001s, for instance, and sound remarkably better than any AH-D2000s I have heard (although I have not heard these in my systems, so the comparability here is limited).

What I can say at this stage, is that they sound very clear and detailed, with a "punchy", forceful (but not exaggerated) bass. In terms of detail protrayal and projection, they are sometimes ahead of the HD600s, but are also somewhat more aggressive (this may change with further burn-in and / or cable changes). Where I have to disagree with some reviewers is the issue of sounding "very much like an open can". They don't - they sound like a good, fairly neutral closed can. Lots of detail and dynamics, but not much in the way of a soundstage. To use an analogy, if the HD600s sound like good panel speakers, the FA-003s are more like GOOD horns (that is, direct and detailed, but not coloured).

So far, they do what I want them to, and are a good complement to the Sennheisers (if they sounded the same, there wouldn't be much point in buying them, would there?). I will post further reports as the burn-in and experimentation processes progress. First project will be to solder up some ZY cables similar to the ones I am using on the HD600s. Does anyone know where I can find the correct slim, locking 3.5mm connectors to attach the cables to the cups? Does anyone have experience of the wooden cups from the FA-002Ws? I have heard that they can be fitted to the 003s.

One final word - the Fischers are remarkably easy to drive, making them suitable for (trans)portable systems....