Full-size closed headphones recommendations? (under $300) | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

mrmonday · Apr 26, 2016 at 4:48 PM

Last time I was on Head Fi I couldn't decide between the Soundmagic HP150 and the Yamaha HPH-MT220 so I settled for earphones. I am back on here again searching for more full-size closed back headphones recommendations.

Tight punchy bass is extremely important to me as well as crisp forward vocals and mids. I primarily listen to House, Trance, Classic Rock, Jazz, and some Pop. I would like a headphone that can scale up with a decent solid state amp.

Beencredible · Apr 27, 2016 at 1:58 PM

Audio Technica W1000X for "Tight punchy bass is extremely important to me as well as crisp forward vocals and mids"

mrmonday · Apr 27, 2016 at 4:32 PM

A bit above my price point but thanks for the suggestion. I am currently leaning toward the Fostex TH-X00.

serman005 · Apr 27, 2016 at 8:06 PM

You could also look at a used alpha dog potentially. It's an incredible can.

k4rstar · Apr 27, 2016 at 8:10 PM

The owner of Inner Sanctum Audio told me he has a mint pair of Alpha Dogs in black for $450, not sure if you would like to stretch your budget but they certainly scale and may match the sound you're after.

mrmonday · Apr 30, 2016 at 10:34 PM

serman005 said:
You could also look at a used alpha dog potentially. It's an incredible can.

k4rstar said:
The owner of Inner Sanctum Audio told me he has a mint pair of Alpha Dogs in black for $450, not sure if you would like to stretch your budget but they certainly scale and may match the sound you're after.

That is a solid recommendation! How would the TH-X00 compare to the Alpha Dogs sound wise?

k4rstar · Apr 30, 2016 at 10:40 PM

mrmonday said:
That is a solid recommendation! How would the TH-X00 compare to the Alpha Dogs sound wise?

I have had my Alpha Dogs for a day now, needless to say I'm extremely biased but they are the best headphones I have heard. The X00s from what I gather are supposed to be more fun sounding with amazing bass, I was considering them but mids are supposedly the weakest part of their FR which is an instant no-no for my preference.

The Dogs on the other hand have no coloration that I can detect one way or the other. Some may find them bass light but they really don't portray or exaggerate the low end at all apart from what's actually in the track. I don't listen to bass heavy genres but I could immediately pick up the increased bass speed on trance tracks from the Mad Dogs as well as the better portrayal of sub-bass in rock.

The mids themselves are not forward (or recessed) but since the rest of the response is linear the mids don't need to be unnaturally elevated to have vocals sound great. If the track itself was mastered to have vocals brought to the forefront then you will get that euphoric experience. If it was recorded with the singer in the back of the mix then it will be played back that way.

mrmonday · Apr 30, 2016 at 11:21 PM

k4rstar said:
I have had my Alpha Dogs for a day now, needless to say I'm extremely biased but they are the best headphones I have heard. The X00s from what I gather are supposed to be more fun sounding with amazing bass, I was considering them but mids are supposedly the weakest part of their FR which is an instant no-no for my preference.

The Dogs on the other hand have no coloration that I can detect one way or the other. Some may find them bass light but they really don't portray or exaggerate the low end at all apart from what's actually in the track. I don't listen to bass heavy genres but I could immediately pick up the increased bass speed on trance tracks from the Mad Dogs as well as the better portrayal of sub-bass in rock.

The mids themselves are not forward (or recessed) but since the rest of the response is linear the mids don't need to be unnaturally elevated to have vocals sound great. If the track itself was mastered to have vocals brought to the forefront then you will get that euphoric experience. If it was recorded with the singer in the back of the mix then it will be played back that way.

Wow, I am so conflicted now. I put in an order for the purpleheart TH-X00 but I am considering canceling it even though I do listen to bass heavy genres. Do you get much sibilance from the Alphas? I have read that can be an issue with them.

k4rstar · Apr 30, 2016 at 11:24 PM

mrmonday said:
Wow, I am so conflicted now. I put in an order for the purpleheart TH-X00 but I am considering canceling it even though I do listen to bass heavy genres. Do you get much sibilance from the Alphas? I have read that can be an issue with them.

Zero sibilance. Most of the complaints regarding sibilance or sharp highs must have been before MrSpeakers started putting tuning dots on new units to smooth out the treble. Mine came with two dots pre-installed per side which basically cover up the middle of the planar driver and "tame" the treble to even out the peaks. I am considering removing the dots to test the difference but that requires removing the pads which I haven't gotten around to doing.

There are also extra dots that come in a plastic bag so you can try out different combinations to see what works best for you, but whatever is default for your pair is tuned to be as flat as possible.

mrmonday · Apr 30, 2016 at 11:34 PM

k4rstar said:
Zero sibilance. Most of the complaints regarding sibilance or sharp highs must have been before MrSpeakers started putting tuning dots on new units to smooth out the treble. Mine came with two dots pre-installed per side which basically cover up the middle of the planar driver and "tame" the treble to even out the peaks. I am considering removing the dots to test the difference but that requires removing the pads which I haven't gotten around to doing.

There are also extra dots that come in a plastic bag so you can try out different combinations to see what works best for you, but whatever is default for your pair is tuned to be as flat as possible.

Good to know. It sort of bothers me that Mr. Speakers still uses mk2 drivers when the mk3 is getting such rave reviews. I am tempted to invest in T40rp mk3 because they are so cheap.

k4rstar · Apr 30, 2016 at 11:39 PM

Well he doesn't really use the mk2 drivers any more, the entire Dog line-up is discontinued now. I believe the reason he isn't interested in the mk3's is a) since they are so good on their own there isn't as much need for modding and b) his company as a whole has moved on to the higher end Ether models.

cel4145 · May 1, 2016 at 5:53 PM

k4rstar said:
The Dogs on the other hand have no coloration that I can detect one way or the other.

I have not heard them, but Innerfidelity's measurements suggest that they might sound a bit dark or warm to some people:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersAlphaDog2014.pdf

k4rstar · May 1, 2016 at 6:01 PM

cel4145 said:
I have not heard them, but Innerfidelity's measurements suggest that they might sound a bit dark or warm to some people:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersAlphaDog2014.pdf

Yeah, I can see why one would find them ever so slightly dark. That's why I said "I can detect" and prefaced that by saying "I'm extremely biased"

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