[Tehtoril]

Hi there!

For quite some time, I've been very pleased with the sound, that came from my LG V10 with over-ear-type Sony MDR-1A. This combo sounded very good, but mostly outdoor, because indoor it was definitely too dark.

But that was until.. I bought phenomenal Yamaha EPH-100 IEMs and I just fell in love.
So much space, separation, subbass, fast attack, great mids, perfect treble! I can talk like that for hours!
Before I even had Audeo PFE 232, but hated the metallic sound of treble.
From that moment on, I can't bear my old Sony's and even while at home I use only EPH-100.

Can You please save my hearing and help me find some over-ears, that will sound similar to Yamaha EPH-100 and can be properly driven by my LG V10? I plan to spend 400-500$ max for that purpose.

Of course, I plan to buy myself some dac/amplifier combo like Ifi Micro DSD Black Label to get the best out of music, but for now I have to start with new phones.

Any ideas?

I like almost all kinds of music, but at home I love to relax with movie OST (Hanz Zimmer etc), opera (Andrea Bocelli, Sara Brightman), but also Katie Melua, Florence & the Machine and many others.

I thought mostly about Hifiman HE-400i, Shure SRH1540 and Sennheiser HD600, but I don't know how well will my phone drive it. So, I'm open to any suggestions :]

 

[AbstractVoid]

If you are open to closed headphones, the Oppo PM-3 is a fairly neutral headphone that your phone could drive.

I think the 400i and HD6xx series will be fine with the LG V10 as well, it has a decent DAC and Amp.

Meze 99 Classic/Neo is also a fairly easy headphone to drive, your LG V10 would be overkill but it has a balanced sound as well.

Basically I wouldn't worry too much about the V10 limiting you, just get the headphones you want and you can always update dac/amp later.

 

[Tehtoril]

Thanks for the answer!
I've heard many good thing about Oppo PM-3, but I'm afraid, that I will miss the highs as well as soundstage in many songs.
So... Maybe open-back ones will be better after all?

 

[bixby]

why spend that kind of money when your source is a phone? I would never think of spending that with my v-10.

Neutral is a relative word and one could argue none of the suggestions are really neutral. But if you want opinions, then hifi man 500, used audeze or maybe even Elear if you have cash to burn.

 

[Makiah S]

Thanks for the answer!
I've heard many good thing about Oppo PM-3, but I'm afraid, that I will miss the highs as well as soundstage in many songs.
So... Maybe open-back ones will be better after all?

A used PM 3 is around $350 or so, I actually enjoyed it with my V20. Though it needs a little more power to really shine. Honestly though I'd look at getting an entry level dac/amp for your phone to use in conjunction with a good set of headphones. Another option is to grab something like a Cayin N3 to use via BluTooth, blutooth to your V10 control you volume on your V10 but let the N3 perform the dac/amp function or use it alone, I just finished my review of the N3 and I really liked it as a Bluetooh dac/amp to my phone, super convenient

A HE 400i used runs around $250, and it's not a bad sounding headphone at all! With something like the N3 you'd be right at $400!

The PM3 opens up with a little more power, an may also pair nice with the N3. As honestly I found the N3 to have more power output then my V20, though I didn't have a TRRS to TRS adapter, only a auxiliary cable, still the ESS implementation in the v20 or v10 was never very impressive imo

 

[Tehtoril]

It's not that I have cash to burn. Like i wrote in my first post, I want to upgrade my whole set, but begin with headphones. What use would I have of good DAC, without equally good headphones?
I know, that LG V10 is no high-end, but I'm also sure, that it can sound much better with better headphones.
I just don't have the money to spend on good DAC and headphones at once and also don't want to settle for half-measures to sell them over time and waste money.