kid vic said:

  OP specifically said open-backed so I guess options are:
Sennheiser 5-series and 6-series (used)
AKG 7-series (K7XX from massdrop or all the 7's used here)
Sony MA9000 (used)
Audio Technica AD5000/7000

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I heard that the AKG 7-series sound like they have a "hole" in the center of the soundstage and that it sounds more like a left to right artificial sound. Which of those headphones would give me a more cohesive, realistic soundstage with depth?

epkrnftblluva said:

  I heard that the AKG 7-series sound like they have a "hole" in the center of the soundstage and that it sounds more like a left to right artificial sound.

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False.

I've found AKG's higher end open headphones to always have an airy and nicely separated soundstage, but you don't really hear the depth (as with most headphones) until you have an amp and DAC of similarly high quality.

For example, plugging my former Q701 directly into my Creative Recon3D USB, the soundstage had an "oval" shape with less depth than width, but the soundstage became much more circular when I used a tube hybrid amp of nice quality, and the soundstage has become even more natural since getting Creative's new X7 (though I want to try using the X7 + tube hybrid combo!).

epkrnftblluva said:

  I heard that the AKG 7-series sound like they have a "hole" in the center of the soundstage and that it sounds more like a left to right artificial sound. Which of those headphones would give me a more cohesive, realistic soundstage with depth?

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I can't speak for every 7-series headphone but what I hear on my K7XX is more akin to 3-blobs, a center sound in the middle and then a wide left and right with no center-left and center-right. I think this is more a product of the way it projects sound than anything else, but you WILL NOT only hear the sides if thats what your afraid of. 

kid vic said:

  I can't speak for every 7-series headphone but what I hear on my K7XX is more akin to 3-blobs, a center sound in the middle and then a wide left and right with no center-left and center-right. I think this is more a product of the way it projects sound than anything else, but you WILL NOT only hear the sides if thats what your afraid of. 

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Yeah I knew there was a center, but I'm also looking for a good large circular sound stage headphone as opposed to a cramped circular soundstage or a wide oval sound stage (as you have described). It IS a lot to ask, I do realize that. Maybe it's just purely out of the $300-$400 price point. 

epkrnftblluva said:

  Yeah I knew there was a center, but I'm also looking for a good large circular sound stage headphone as opposed to a cramped circular soundstage or a wide oval sound stage (as you have described). It IS a lot to ask, I do realize that. Maybe it's just purely out of the $300-$400 price point. 

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From my point of view, this is not about money, It's about technology limitations.
The expensive state of the art is not that far from K70x in terms of soundstage, most knowledgeable people who have owned and enjoyed K701/2 and now own HD800 (the best headphone for soundstage out there) can confirm that there are some subtle differences, but that's all you'll hear for now, something a little bit better and just that.
 
Soundstage is also extremely recording dependant, and with headphones, going binaural is very important in order to go a step closer to real life. For sure there aren't many binaural recordings, and we haven't talked yet about the fact that there are some very good binaural recordings and some that are just ok.
 
For a soundstage lover, big bookshelf speakers or floorstanders in a treated room are the best way to go, much easier for our brains!
 
The perception of soundstage with headphones is really personal and complex.
You can drive your car using a very nice headphone and don't perceive a coherent soundstage, then you pick the same headphone and play the same album sitting comfortable in a silent room at home, close your eyes and after 2 songs you can tell exactly where everyone is on the recording.
 
I don't think we can say that a certanin headphone has a 3-blobs soundstage (or a 2-blobs soundstage), neither boxy soundstage, or any other variant. I'm sure that's a way to describe how some people, listening to some recordings, under certain conditions perceive soundstage, nothing more.

epkrnftblluva said:

  Yeah I knew there was a center, but I'm also looking for a good large circular sound stage headphone as opposed to a cramped circular soundstage or a wide oval sound stage (as you have described). It IS a lot to ask, I do realize that. Maybe it's just purely out of the $300-$400 price point. 

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you might not enjoy the entire sound, but akg k550 and ultrasone dj one pro, and unltrasone dj one are what you should be looking at. the soundstage is great with these. it will also depend on the source, music, and what DAC and amp you are using.

For me, soundstaging is an overrated attribute with headphones because often a deep soundstage often produces smaller images.
I kind of like up-close-and-personal sound, even if it is not natural like sitting in an audience.

rgs9200m said:

  For me, soundstaging is an overrated attribute with headphones because often a deep soundstage often produces smaller images.
I kind of like up-close-and-personal sound, even if it is not natural like sitting in an audience.

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discussing ideeas is much less helpfull than discussing headphones. i fiind it hard to express how i understand soundstage after getting my ie8 to work again. my ultrasone dj one pro, and ie8 are both regarded to have some of the best soundstages, but they sound extremely different, in all aspects. it is rather hard for me to fiind a similarity. even the soundstage is extremely different. i mean, both have amazing soundstages, but they are so different, like my dj one pro projects the music around me everywhere, but ie8 does the same, while ie8 seems to have like another circle that stops the spreading at some point, while dj one pro seems to continue the projection ad infinitum, until the soundstage looks like a soundscape, more than a soundstage. in the meanwhile ie8 are amazing, but portray the thing in another fashion, while still expressing instruments, they seem to force the distance a bit, i mean, the instruments seem to be syntethic separated or something, i cannot put my finger on it.
 
anyways, if you say two or three headphones that you enjoy, you can get a recommandation of something that will be similar.

In regards to soundstage if epkrnftblluva is asking because he wants to play fps games with the headphones.
Try the ath-ad700x. in my opinion they are the best for fps gaming without buying the hd800's.
 
also kid vic I think you might have meant to type that the open models are the ad500x/ad700x/ad900x not the ad5000/ad7000

domoaligato said:

 
also kid vic I think you might have meant to type that the open models are the ad500x/ad700x/ad900x not the ad5000/ad7000

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Thanks for the correction!

MDR-PFRV1... Just got them, Long overdue.  I've wanted these for 7-8 years.  Poor mans K1000, IMHO.
 

 

Can someone recommend me a warm forward sounding headphones with wide soundstage??? THANKS!!!!

ryoumakoto said:

  Can someone recommend me a warm forward sounding headphones with wide soundstage??? THANKS!!!!

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Oppo PM1 is the closest to what you want I would say. 2nd suggestion would be the Hifiman HE500.

ryoumakoto said:

  Can someone recommend me a warm forward sounding headphones with wide soundstage??? THANKS!!!!

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+1 for HE500