[terminaldawn]

Hello all,

In my quest to find my end game I have tried a bunch of headphones out and I keep coming back to the 660s. They make me happy however I feel they are lacking is soundstage, and perhaps a bit of bass but the bass I can live with the lack of bass. The soundstage is really where I want to improve. Are there any headphones I should be looking at that are very similar to the awesome that is 660s but with wider soundstage, lets say something at least the size of dt1990 or greater?

This is mostly for gaming 80% and music the other 20%, genres all over the place, Rap, EDM, Classical, Rock, Pop.

Here is what I have tried in order of preference:
660s – Great vocals, clear sound, fun to me, lacking in bass and wide sound stage. My ideal headphone would be similar but with wider sound stage and more bass.
DT 1990 Pro – Really liked the soundstage here, but seems to have recessed mids, but the highs are just ear piercing and really don’t want to have to deal with I have dekoni elite velour pads coming to try and see if this improves.
Aeon Open RT – Solid Bass, but seemed muddy and very anemic and 660s just outperform them in my opinion, was kind of considering aeon open 2 but I have heard the sound stage isnt that great here.
Sundara – Great sound, just didn’t play with these much since they were not comfortable, very hot.

NOTE: DAC / AMP is: Monolith by Monoprice Desktop Balanced Headphone Amplifier and DAC with THX AAA Technology (Dual AKM 4493 DACs & Dual AAA-788 Modules)

I have Ananda and Klipsch HP3 on my short list to checkout and on paper looks as though HD800s is my ideal option but was hoping not to spend $1600 on headphones but I may have to, to get what i am looking for. Ideally max budget would be around $1200 or less, but wiling to spend more if it gets me what I want.


TLDR: Looking to upgrade my 660s with something that sounds very similar but has more soundstage, any recommendations?


Thanks for any help!

 

[RSC08]

I never heard the Ananda but, from the reviews and opinions I saw on it, it has a very different sound signature than the one found on the HP-3. The HP-3 are very V shaped.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I personally would recommend the Focal Elex. I've compared it with the HD58X a lot, it has a similar tonal balance but with a more open soundstage, greater dynamics and cleaner bass. The Elex probably has more treble presence than the 660S, but I doubt it is as bright and piercing as the DT1990. If you're willing to try some EQ with the Elex in the treble, it is a very good technical upgrade to any of the 600 series Sennheisers. Don't expect it to do vocals as well as the 660S though, I find even my 58X does better vocals than the Elex.