[drummerben04]

*****POLL MISTAKE: MEANT LCD-2 NOT LCD-3!!*****

I have a $1000 and my choices at this point are huge. Basically I have 6 headphones that I'm considering buying. The Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime, Beyerdynamic T5p, Beyerdynamic T1, Hifiman HE-560, Fostex TH-900, Audeze lcd-2. I would prefer open headphones but my concern is any noise in the background would just render the headphone useless. I also understand that with open headphones anyone around you can also hear you music. Is it that bad though? Want a headphone I can take with me. I am currently researching an adequte portable amp that would power all these. Thanks, let the battle begin!

 

[Hoff123]

Audeze LCD-3 for $1000? Don't they cost like twice that much? The LCD-2 should be around your budget though.
 
And have you considered the Sennheiser HD800? They are a little over $1000 but still cheaper than the LCD-3.
 
 
Also I would assume amps are pretty much required when you go this high.

 

[JackarlTwo]

I would never recommend the Fostex TH900 if you want to go portable. They're easy to drive, but they don't seal or isolate that well, and with those earcups you wouldn't want to carry them around. Have you considered the TH600?
 
Yes, with open headphones anyone around will hear what you listen to as well. All of them sound very different. What's your preferred sound signature?

 

[Ratio]

I'd say for portability stick with the closed design, it's a lot better to actually hear the music and not the 12 liter diesel engine on the bus or the baby crying on the other side of the train. Closed design also protects your 1000 dollar investment from breaking because of a drizzle. 

 

[drummerben04]

Oh, haha, meant the LCD-2. My preferred sound signature is slightly warm, slightly recessed bass. I do not like the HD800's. From what I heard their colder headphones. A little to accurate for my cup of tea. One headphone that I've heard a lot of hype about though is the Alpha Prime's. Supposedly the "best" closed headphones that we'll have in a long time. Really love planar magnetic drivers.

As far as the types of music I listen to it would be rock, folk. Some of my favorite artists that would be listened to on these headphones would be The Who, Guess Who, Byrds, Moody Blues, Beatles, Stones,

 

[Edric Li]

THE portable amp you can buy to drive all of these is the iFi Micro iDSD

 

[Boffy]

Correct me if I am wrong, I am by no means trying to offend anyone here, but is there even a such thing as portable open back headphone? What do you mean when you say you want a headphone that you can take with you? Are you trying to use them on a bus or a plane? My experience with open back headphones is that they act more as a small speaker than a headphone. My two favorite open back headphones are AKG K701 and Sennheiser HD650. When I listen to them on a moderate volume in the same room as my family members for example, they can hear everything just as much as I can. In fact, if I take them off my head, I don't feel that there is much of a volume difference. The difference I can hear when I have them on are details, small nuances, etc.
 
Anyway, if you enjoy a warm sound signature and like planar magnetic, then both Audeze LCD 2 and LCD 3 will work for you fine. My experience with Foestex TH900 and Beyerdynamic T1 is that they are both wonderful sounding headphones, but they sounded a little bit cold and bright for my taste. But, that might just be me, because I am really sensitive to high frequency details. On the other hand, Audeze headphones have smooth, relaxing bass response that is never overpowering, nor bleeds into the mid. With most planar magnetic headphones, the mids are where the Audezes are at. Both male and female vocals sound seductive and celestial. Beatles sound phenomenal. The only downside though, is the fact that I can't imagine these being portable. They are open back, heavy, and take up quite a bit of space. If you are willing to wait, however, Audeze recently announced new EL-8, which is cheaper, lighter, smaller, and comes in both closed back and open back version. Good luck!

 

[drummerben04]

Thanks for replying Boffy! Wow, people can really hear open phones. It makes much more sense now that I think about it to get a closed back headphone. A lot of my music enjoyment is on the go, traveling. Ratio makes a good point that it's a lot better to hear the music than the 12 liter diesel truck passing .

I'm really anxious about the closed back EL-8 and how it compares to the closed back LCD-XC which a little over my budget.

Seeing that the Fostex TH900 and Beyerdynamic T5p (probably even colder than the T1) are on the colder side I have dwindled my choices down to two headphones

Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime

Audeze EL-8 Closed Back

Hifiman have any future plans of making a closed headphone?

 

[JackarlTwo]

I wouldn't call the TH900 cold at all. They're to the warmer side, but with extended and detailed treble which for some that are sensitive to treble might find it "bright", (and of course source/ amp matters a lot).
 
Audeze EL-8 might be a great choice. I'm curious to see how it performs as a portable can.

 

[Barra]

Oh, haha, meant the LCD-2. My preferred sound signature is slightly warm, slightly recessed bass. I do not like the HD800's. From what I heard their colder headphones. A little to accurate for my cup of tea. One headphone that I've heard a lot of hype about though is the Alpha Prime's. Supposedly the "best" closed headphones that we'll have in a long time. Really love planar magnetic drivers.

As far as the types of music I listen to it would be rock, folk. Some of my favorite artists that would be listened to on these headphones would be The Who, Guess Who, Byrds, Moody Blues, Beatles, Stones,

 
Portable:
Having heard all of these headphones, the first thing I would say is that none of them are truly portable if that is really your goal. They are transportable around the house as they sound great with portable devices, but would be too clumsy to wear around town without taking a lot of care. Second, you can forget all the open headphones in public. If you truly want portable high fidelity sound at that price range there are a lot of fantastic CIEMs that would work better. My favorite portable setup is my NT6pro using my AK100 II with a balanced silver litz cable. It is great at all your genres and more and is absolutely at or above the SQ of all the headphones listed. Besides, a CIEM with a good seal is the only way to block out the majority of the public noise so that you can actually take advantage of the high quality sound. Otherwise, the beats will sound as good as the LCD2 on a loud bus.
 
Warm and Fun, Rock Friendly:
Again having heard all these headphones and some compared directly here, I would say that the only fun warmer signature of the bunch was the Audeze. The rest of your lineup - although each outstanding on its own - I found to be boring or to have a brightness that was fatiguing when compared directly. The Audeze signature is outstanding for the groups you listed above. My around the house portable HP setup is my LCD2.2 with the Moon Audio Black Dragon OCC copper cable for more warmth to my BH2 amp for more dynamics, punch, and emotion, to my AK100 II for an outstanding instrument separation and detail. However, this setup never leaves the house being too unwieldy. I also play the LCD2 balanced through my Mjolnir when I can be tied to my desk for the highest quality, although less fun sound.
 
Suggestions:
The closed back EL-8 may be a game changer, but so far the reviews are not stacking up in its favor. Overall, my NT6pro CIEM is my most versatile, best sounding piece of equipment that gets the most head time. I would recommend looking at CIEMs if you truly require portable use. But they are not just for portable use comparing very nicely with TOTL HPs in SQ. I got the opportunity to audition the new Schitt RAG/YGG stack at CANJAM this year using an LCD3, HD800, and my NT6pro, and found that my IMO, my NT6pro beat both them both in terms of fidelity with this pairing.

 

[efoote]

Similar to drummerben04's original question, except maybe more specific, do you think the open or closed-back EL-8 by Audeze will be a better choice. I will drive them at home with probably a WA6 but maybe a WA6-SE. I listen to rock and a bit of relaxing electronic trance. I might use them on a bus or in the library so is there really that great of a loss of imaging if I go closed back?

 

[reddog]

I think you should go for MrSpeakers Alpha Prime's, they sound really nice and black out the outside noise , like a ostrich with its head in the proverbial hole. If you can find a quiet listening space then go for a open backed headphone. The only two open backed cans I have used for extensive periods are the Beyerdynamic Dt 880 600 ohm cans and the HE-400i's. Both sets of headphones are fun but do not hold a candle to the Alpha Prime's.

 

[kapanak]

I think you should go for MrSpeakers Alpha Prime's, they sound really nice and black out the outside noise , like a ostrich with its head in the proverbial hole. If you can find a quiet listening space then go for a open backed headphone. The only two open backed cans I have used for extensive periods are the Beyerdynamic Dt 880 600 ohm cans and the HE-400i's. Both sets of headphones are fun but do not hold a candle to the Alpha Prime's.

Honestly, if you are going to spend $1000 on a headphones, I think you should consider its quality value. I don't find MrSpeakers stuff of particular lasting value. They are $50 headphones with a lot of R&D gone into researching their improvements. They are not $1000 headphones. I would honestly save and buy an HD 800. At least you know you are getting the best of the best.
 
The new LCD-2F (w/Fazor) with the microseude headband and earpads are pretty darn wonderful too, nothing against the leather version either, also equally comfortable and wonderful, just gets hot on my head and ears.
 
Fostex TH-900 is overpriced in my opinion. However, it truly feels like a top of the line headphones. Tesla T1 is also very wonderful, but truly bright lol ...

 

[reddog]

Honestly, if you are going to spend $1000 on a headphones, I think you should consider its quality value. I don't find MrSpeakers stuff of particular lasting value. They are $50 headphones with a lot of R&D gone into researching their improvements. They are not $1000 headphones. I would honestly save and buy an HD 800. At least you know you are getting the best of the best.

The new LCD-2F (w/Fazor) with the microseude headband and earpads are pretty darn wonderful too, nothing against the leather version either, also equally comfortable and wonderful, just gets hot on my head and ears.

 
Fostex TH-900 is overpriced in my opinion. However, it truly feels like a top of the line headphones. Tesla T1 is also very wonderful, but truly bright lol ...

I totally disagree, but we are human and life would be boring if we agreed all the time.

 

[drummerben04]

  Similar to drummerben04's original question, except maybe more specific, do you think the open or closed-back EL-8 by Audeze will be a better choice. I will drive them at home with probably a WA6 but maybe a WA6-SE. I listen to rock and a bit of relaxing electronic trance. I might use them on a bus or in the library so is there really that great of a loss of imaging if I go closed back?

I was wondering that question too. If the loss of imaging between a closed and opened is a huge difference. To answer that question now that I think about it, closed headphones have come a long way over the past decade. I'm more concerned about the sound quality than the build quality. Of coarse if your paying $1000 on headphones in this day in age you should expect a stellar build. From what I've been reading Mr. Speakers alpha series hold up just as good as any other headphone in that price range. People say it's quite comfortable too. Theirs no denying though that the alpha primes are one of the most open sounding closed headphones out today. The 3-D Printed molds really shine. Not to mention their customer service is second to none. You can speak to Dan directly. Not sucking up to Mr. Speakers but I wouldn't call them nothing more than a modded $50 headphone. If anyone could do it, they would!
 
As far as IEM's go I've always had the notation that they lack in bass and higher frequencies will sound tinny. Maybe I just haven't heard any top of the line ones. I was told their not really meant for music enjoyment rather for tuning your instruments at a concert. Very precise, very harsh sound at times.