[Siegfried262]

Budget - 300 is the top end of my budget, I'm open to buying used or refurbished if the deal is good.

Source/Amp - Oldac paired with an Audioengine N22. (Before I was using an old receiver for my speakers and headphones and this saved a ton of space)

How the gear will be used - Desktop use for the most part. It'd be nice if they could be used bedside with some isolation but that is not required. I don't have a particular preference in this case between open/closed.

Preferred tonal balance - I've typically leaned brighter/neutral but I do enjoy a good bass that has some authority without being overpowered. But I think I'd like to try something on the warmer/fun side without losing detail or sounding muddled.

Preferred music genre(s) - Folk music, synthwave, power metal, classic rock.

Past gear experience -

Out of all the headphones I've used over the years three have really stood out for particular qualities.
AD700s: Absolutely wonderful outside your head soundstage. Easily the best I've ever used for gaming. However they had zero bass and were a little plasticy/grainy.

DT 770 Pro 80-ohm: I loved the bass on these. It was powerful and authoritative when called for without overwhelming the rest of the mix. They sounded a bit metallic (doesn't really bother me though) and the mids were a bit recessed (though not as bad for me as some people say). Good soundstage to for a closed can.

HD-600: Absolutely the most natural, smooth sounding headphones I've ever heard. Sweet sounding for lack of a better term. Bass was decent but the soundstage was really intimate for an open pair and definitely had that "three-blob" vibe to it. Serviceable for gaming but not ideal.

So I'm looking to sell my current headphones DT-880 (I like these but there's not enough oomph in the bass for what I'm looking for) and HD560s (a good balanced can but I find them a bit on the boring side personally) and get something more on the fun side.

I'm tempted to just get a pair of DT-770s or a used HD600 and call it a day. Is there anything in my budget that works as a reasonable compromise?

Good bass without being overwhelming, sweet sounding mids, and highs that are reasonably detailed with a decent soundstage?

Appreciate the read and any suggestions.

 

[tomb]

Drop HD6XX - same thing as the HD650, but lower price.

DT-770s are great bass cannons, but being closed, you will not like the tonality compared to the HD6XX/HD650.

Just an FYI, but I've owned the HD580 and HD600 since they were new on the market. Both exhibit less refinement than the 6XX/650. The HD600 has a bit of a treble peak that some like. However, both the HD580 and HD600 have audible distortion in certain music passages compared to the 6XX/650. It takes listening to all three for a while to notice, but there's a slight edge or crunch in high-midrange vocal harmonies with the 580/600. The HD580 is worse at this than the 600 (probably due to the plastic grilles), but it's definitely there in the 600, too. So, when you see references to the 6XX/650 being "more refined," that's why.

 

[Siegfried262]

I'll do some more digging on the 6XX, thanks for the write-up/suggestion!

 

[anjaudiofile]

Budget - 300 is the top end of my budget, I'm open to buying used or refurbished if the deal is good.

Source/Amp - Oldac paired with an Audioengine N22. (Before I was using an old receiver for my speakers and headphones and this saved a ton of space)

How the gear will be used - Desktop use for the most part. It'd be nice if they could be used bedside with some isolation but that is not required. I don't have a particular preference in this case between open/closed.

Preferred tonal balance - I've typically leaned brighter/neutral but I do enjoy a good bass that has some authority without being overpowered. But I think I'd like to try something on the warmer/fun side without losing detail or sounding muddled.

Preferred music genre(s) - Folk music, synthwave, power metal, classic rock.

Past gear experience -

Out of all the headphones I've used over the years three have really stood out for particular qualities.
AD700s: Absolutely wonderful outside your head soundstage. Easily the best I've ever used for gaming. However they had zero bass and were a little plasticy/grainy.

DT 770 Pro 80-ohm: I loved the bass on these. It was powerful and authoritative when called for without overwhelming the rest of the mix. They sounded a bit metallic (doesn't really bother me though) and the mids were a bit recessed (though not as bad for me as some people say). Good soundstage to for a closed can.

HD-600: Absolutely the most natural, smooth sounding headphones I've ever heard. Sweet sounding for lack of a better term. Bass was decent but the soundstage was really intimate for an open pair and definitely had that "three-blob" vibe to it. Serviceable for gaming but not ideal.

So I'm looking to sell my current headphones DT-880 (I like these but there's not enough oomph in the bass for what I'm looking for) and HD560s (a good balanced can but I find them a bit on the boring side personally) and get something more on the fun side.

I'm tempted to just get a pair of DT-770s or a used HD600 and call it a day. Is there anything in my budget that works as a reasonable compromise?

Good bass without being overwhelming, sweet sounding mids, and highs that are reasonably detailed with a decent soundstage?

Appreciate the read and any suggestions.

Have you played around with EQ at all? I find that is a pretty easy way to introduce warmth into headphones I already love. Further, a used iFi Zen Dac with its xBass feature does a wonderful job at this with the push of a button; it really transforms all headphones. I would note however, that the 6XX/650's do not respond to well to the xBass, but you can bring up some warmth in them with EQ or the right amp pairing.

 

[Siegfried262]

I haven't messed around much with EQ. Is there any software in particular you might recommend?

 

[anjaudiofile]

I haven't messed around much with EQ. Is there any software in particular you might recommend?

Equalizer APO + Peace Equalizer is the go to for most people. If you just google Peace Equalizer you'll see a bunch of tutorials. Takes a couple minutes to setup, and the interface is very user friendly. Also, take a look at the AutoEQ project on GitHub. They have EQ presets tuned to the Harmon Target that you can just copy and paste into Peace Equalizer. It is a good starting point for someone, like me, who is pretty new to EQ. Also, take a look at metal571's EQ tutorial here .

 

[Siegfried262]

Very cool, I'll give that a shot. Thank you!

 

[anjaudiofile]

Very cool, I'll give that a shot. Thank you!

Np!! Let me know how what you think of the headphones after the EQ - worth it or not.

 

[Monsterzero]

I'd like to try something on the warmer/fun side without losing detail or sounding muddled.

Sennheiser HD250 - if you can find one.
Meze 99 classics

 

[anjaudiofile]

Sennheiser HD250 - if you can find one.
Meze 99 classics

To add on, the Meze 99 Neo's appear to have a bit more bass from the 99 classics based on reviews.

 

[Monsterzero]

To add on, the Meze 99 Neo's appear to have a bit more bass from the 99 classics based on reviews.

I have not heard the Neo. If it indeed has more bass than the classics, that would be extreme bass overkill. The classics have absurd amounts of bass already.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Fostex T60rp

 

[plmon]

Budget - 300 is the top end of my budget, I'm open to buying used or refurbished if the deal is good.

Source/Amp - Oldac paired with an Audioengine N22. (Before I was using an old receiver for my speakers and headphones and this saved a ton of space)

How the gear will be used - Desktop use for the most part. It'd be nice if they could be used bedside with some isolation but that is not required. I don't have a particular preference in this case between open/closed.

Preferred tonal balance - I've typically leaned brighter/neutral but I do enjoy a good bass that has some authority without being overpowered. But I think I'd like to try something on the warmer/fun side without losing detail or sounding muddled.

Preferred music genre(s) - Folk music, synthwave, power metal, classic rock.

Past gear experience -

Out of all the headphones I've used over the years three have really stood out for particular qualities.
AD700s: Absolutely wonderful outside your head soundstage. Easily the best I've ever used for gaming. However they had zero bass and were a little plasticy/grainy.

DT 770 Pro 80-ohm: I loved the bass on these. It was powerful and authoritative when called for without overwhelming the rest of the mix. They sounded a bit metallic (doesn't really bother me though) and the mids were a bit recessed (though not as bad for me as some people say). Good soundstage to for a closed can.

HD-600: Absolutely the most natural, smooth sounding headphones I've ever heard. Sweet sounding for lack of a better term. Bass was decent but the soundstage was really intimate for an open pair and definitely had that "three-blob" vibe to it. Serviceable for gaming but not ideal.

So I'm looking to sell my current headphones DT-880 (I like these but there's not enough oomph in the bass for what I'm looking for) and HD560s (a good balanced can but I find them a bit on the boring side personally) and get something more on the fun side.

I'm tempted to just get a pair of DT-770s or a used HD600 and call it a day. Is there anything in my budget that works as a reasonable compromise?

Good bass without being overwhelming, sweet sounding mids, and highs that are reasonably detailed with a decent soundstage?

Appreciate the read and any suggestions.

Used Harmonicdyne Zeus. The bass bleeds into the mids a bit, but it surprisingly still does a good job at retaining detail and separation. The soundstage is above average as well. Makes for a very weighty and warm sound without being overly muddy or thick.

 

[.Sup]

HD600 are definitely a good “warmish” headphone but the most warm headphone I used was Hifiman He-300 which is within your budget. Now discontinued - I am sure Hifiman has something similar in their arsenal now but better.