Best open headphone for rock and metal? - Page 6

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniel521 

My wallet can't handle the SR-009's unfortunately :P

Neither can mine. I can barely afford used Lambda setups...but the one I've got now? Totally worth every cent. (Damn Head-Fi for making me feel even more financially inadequate...)

As for the HE-6, people actually like to power those with speaker amps, not headphone amps. I don't know what speaker amps they prefer, but if you've got an integrated receiver lying around, that might be a good start...and as for both "driving it well" and "sounding good", wouldn't the latter imply that the amps that do that while driving it well might actually color the sound somewhat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxDobermanxX 

Beats by dre rock edition 

Raised the frequency range from 20Hz - 200Hz to 20Hz - 500Hz ? sounds really exciting

I've had the Sennheiser HD 800 for around a year now and for a while didn't really get on with it and found it fatiguingly bright. But since upgrading the stock cable to a decent aftermarket copper cable (I use a Moon Audio Black Dragon) and feeding the HD 800 with a lossless source and a decent DAC/Amp, I know I have found a rig that is of sublime quality for any music.

With this configuration I truly am in audio nirvana as I merge with the music and just enjoy it!

I've tried many of the headphones listed in this thread and what I have suggested is what I would personally recommend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magick Man 


I think they're worth it, they're a much more rounded and detailed headphone, but value is very relative. If you have the cash, and it won't hurt you financially to spend it, it's a very special headphone that does a great job with everything (but absolutely excels with hard rock and metal). A cheaper option with almost as much potential, is the Koss ESP/950 electrostat. It's also very fast, great with metal, and includes its own amp, all for less than $700.

Where do your T1's fall into this comparative equation? I personally use LCD's and AD2000 for most rock, but again the variety of rock/metal is extremely important and sub genres can be so diverse that we may each be talking of very different flavors of sound. I haven't experimented with my HE6 and rock enough to provide any insights of value, but for something like Bon Iver, Mark Hollis (of Talking Heads), Fleet Foxes and Elliot Smith they are phenomenal. I'm waiting for delivery of T1's and so will see where they fall. Most rock that I listen to is of the indie/folk/post-rock/shoegaze variety - so likely very different from the traditional hard rock/metal that are of interest in this thread. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericfarrell85 

Where do your T1's fall into this comparative equation? I personally use LCD's and AD2000 for most rock, but again the variety of rock/metal is extremely important and sub genres can be so diverse that we may each be talking of very different flavors of sound. I haven't experimented with my HE6 and rock enough to provide any insights of value, but for something like Bon Iver, Mark Hollis (of Talking Heads), Fleet Foxes and Elliot Smith they are phenomenal. I'm waiting for delivery of T1's and so will see where they fall. Most rock that I listen to is of the indie/folk/post-rock/shoegaze variety - so likely very different from the traditional hard rock/metal that are of interest in this thread. 

Probably a fair point about varying flavours within rock and metal.

In terms of metal I'm talking about stuff like Slayer and pre-Black Album Metallica, Pantera, Down, Mushroomhead, Beastwars, Korn, Mudvayne, Tool, Rage Against the Machine. For that stuff I just can't live with how guitars sound on the LCD-2. Lacks the attack and presence I want to hear. Prefer a wider soundstage too, in order to better hear the minutiae of drummers like Danny Carey and Vinnie Paul, who do a lot of delicate stuff with splash cymbals and so forth. Will shortly be tracking down from HE-6, sounds like I would enjoy them a lot for metal - fast and detailed with a wide soundstage while retaining impeccably tight bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZtechfreak 
In terms of metal I'm talking about stuff like Slayer and pre-Black Album Metallica, Pantera, Down, Mushroomhead, Beastwars, Korn, Mudvayne, Tool, Rage Against the Machine. For that stuff I just can't live with how guitars sound on the LCD-2. Lacks the attack and presence I want to hear. Prefer a wider soundstage too, in order to better hear the minutiae of drummers like Danny Carey and Vinnie Paul, who do a lot of delicate stuff with splash cymbals and so forth. Will shortly be tracking down from HE-6, sounds like I would enjoy them a lot for metal - fast and detailed with a wide soundstage while retaining impeccably tight bass.

You should seriously consider the Audio-Technica AD2000. Percussion is one of its strengths.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZtechfreak 

 

Probably a fair point about varying flavours within rock and metal.

 

In terms of metal I'm talking about stuff like Slayer and pre-Black Album Metallica, Pantera, Down, Mushroomhead, Beastwars, Korn, Mudvayne, Tool, Rage Against the Machine. For that stuff I just can't live with how guitars sound on the LCD-2. Lacks the attack and presence I want to hear. Prefer a wider soundstage too, in order to better hear the minutiae of drummers like Danny Carey and Vinnie Paul, who do a lot of delicate stuff with splash cymbals and so forth. Will shortly be tracking down from HE-6, sounds like I would enjoy them a lot for metal - fast and detailed with a wide soundstage while retaining impeccably tight bass.

I listened to Justice for All on my HE-400's last week, still as amazing as I remember it being only a lot more intimate. I've heard the album at least 100 times on tape over the years and it's not a terrific recording, but I think it's very raw and real. Even with the 400's being laid back and the production on that album being "unique" it was still very enjoyable.

I don't know if the thread starter has made any purchases since starting tis thread, but for less than the initial budget stated, I'd highly recommend considering the Sennheiser HD 600 as a superb headphone, for rock, metal, and everything else, IMO. My HD 800, as precise as it is, can get fatiguing after a while, but I can listen to my HD 600 for hours with perfect aural health and maximum enjoyment. I'm sure that the HD 600 and a decent quality DAC and amp would serve you well for the rest of your days and nights.