TRapz
500+ Head-Fier
It looks like I'm searching for headphones again! I'm relatively confused obviously about which is the best for me, but I'm also confused about what I like. Some background:
I went to a headphone meet earlier this year and tried many different headphones, most of which were very expensive but a did try some that were within my price range. My favorite headphones there were the HE-400i and the ZMF Blackwood. I'd like the sound signature of the headphones I buy to be similar to either of these two. I remember that the ZMF had wonderful texture and bumped up bass and mids; they were very fun and I really enjoyed them. The HE-400i had striking clarity and the texture of the bass was incredible. I understand that for my price range, I won't get something that's very close to these, but having the general sound signature would be great.
At the moment, I own a FiiO X1 with all lossless files (FLAC or WMA Lossless). I may be getting a FiiO E11k or E07k soon. I also have Shure SRH440s and SE215s. The SRH440s are slight bit bass light but do sound very good. The SE215s are a bit congested and maybe a little bass heavy. Mids are good on both, and treble is only okay on both. I listen mainly to rock, stuff like Muse, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Green Day, RHCP, etc. Obviously, I jump around a bit and would like my headphones to be able to handle this as well as my other genres, such as metal (Dio, Metallica, Slipknot), electronic (PrototypeRaptor, CHVRCHES), and sound track stuff (WoW, The Hobbit). I enjoy a smooth and cleanly sound from electronic and stuff like Muse, but I also like a hard bite to the guitar and stand out vocals on stuff like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. These will be used at home, hence why I would like open-backed headphones.
So, what I'd like:
I'm looking at the AKG K240S, Grado SR80e, Sennheiser HD558, Grado SR60e, and ATH-AD700X. I do not know much about these last two, though I have tried the SR80i, SR60i, and HD558. I tried the HD558 in a Best Buy where the sound was loud, but smoothness seemed to be good; other than this, I don't know much about it. I tried the Grados at the headphone meet I attended, and while I cannot remember why, I believe they did not impress me. This may have been because of my source or I may not be remembering correctly; at the moment, I'm most interested in the K240, the SR80e, and the HD558. I fear the HD558 may be too smooth and not rough enough for when I listen to rock; the K240 seems good but I hear of problems with build quality and I don't know if they have the guitar bite I'm looking for for rock. The Grados seem great, but my worry is that I thought I did not like them when I tried them at the meet. I would obviously like to spend as little as possible, so the K240s are attractive, but the sound signature of the SR80e seems better. What should I get/do you recommend another headphone?
TL;DR: Looking mainly at K240 and SR80e, I want smoothness and soundstage for electronic but bite and guitar/vocals upfront for rock.
Thanks for reading and for any recommendations!
I went to a headphone meet earlier this year and tried many different headphones, most of which were very expensive but a did try some that were within my price range. My favorite headphones there were the HE-400i and the ZMF Blackwood. I'd like the sound signature of the headphones I buy to be similar to either of these two. I remember that the ZMF had wonderful texture and bumped up bass and mids; they were very fun and I really enjoyed them. The HE-400i had striking clarity and the texture of the bass was incredible. I understand that for my price range, I won't get something that's very close to these, but having the general sound signature would be great.
At the moment, I own a FiiO X1 with all lossless files (FLAC or WMA Lossless). I may be getting a FiiO E11k or E07k soon. I also have Shure SRH440s and SE215s. The SRH440s are slight bit bass light but do sound very good. The SE215s are a bit congested and maybe a little bass heavy. Mids are good on both, and treble is only okay on both. I listen mainly to rock, stuff like Muse, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Green Day, RHCP, etc. Obviously, I jump around a bit and would like my headphones to be able to handle this as well as my other genres, such as metal (Dio, Metallica, Slipknot), electronic (PrototypeRaptor, CHVRCHES), and sound track stuff (WoW, The Hobbit). I enjoy a smooth and cleanly sound from electronic and stuff like Muse, but I also like a hard bite to the guitar and stand out vocals on stuff like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. These will be used at home, hence why I would like open-backed headphones.
So, what I'd like:
- Open headphones that have good clarity and soundstage, as well as feel very much open
- Good clarity
- Good mids and bass, not bright (but also not bass heavy). What matters most to me is vocals, guitars, and drums (vocals and guitars should be upfront, and I should be able to hear the drums without them being overpowering)
- Smoothness on songs that require it, but a bite and excitement in rock and metal
- Good build quality, comfort is not required but good to have
I'm looking at the AKG K240S, Grado SR80e, Sennheiser HD558, Grado SR60e, and ATH-AD700X. I do not know much about these last two, though I have tried the SR80i, SR60i, and HD558. I tried the HD558 in a Best Buy where the sound was loud, but smoothness seemed to be good; other than this, I don't know much about it. I tried the Grados at the headphone meet I attended, and while I cannot remember why, I believe they did not impress me. This may have been because of my source or I may not be remembering correctly; at the moment, I'm most interested in the K240, the SR80e, and the HD558. I fear the HD558 may be too smooth and not rough enough for when I listen to rock; the K240 seems good but I hear of problems with build quality and I don't know if they have the guitar bite I'm looking for for rock. The Grados seem great, but my worry is that I thought I did not like them when I tried them at the meet. I would obviously like to spend as little as possible, so the K240s are attractive, but the sound signature of the SR80e seems better. What should I get/do you recommend another headphone?
TL;DR: Looking mainly at K240 and SR80e, I want smoothness and soundstage for electronic but bite and guitar/vocals upfront for rock.
Thanks for reading and for any recommendations!