[WhatAmIDoing]

Hello, I'm looking for some nice mid impedance open back over hear headphones. They cant be too difficult to drive because I have a fiio e10k dac/amp which struggles to power high impedance headphones.

Can someone give me some recommendations? I listen to classic rock, pop and rap.

 

[Pavioni]

Massdrop HD58X , as soon as they become available again. My E17K2 drives it far more than just OK. In fact, my 2017 Samsung cheapo J7 gets adequate volume and impact without amplification.

 

[Me x3]

FiiO E10K can drive most headphones just fine. The 150 Ohm thing on the specs is not precise.
Pick the headphone that suits your preferences the best.

a) What's your budget?
b) What kind of sound signature are you looking for? (Bass, midrange, treble presence, big or intimate soundstage?)

 

[WhatAmIDoing]

FiiO E10K can drive most headphones just fine. The 150 Ohm thing on the specs is not precise.
Pick the headphone that suits your preferences the best.

a) What's your budget?
b) What kind of sound signature are you looking for? (Bass, midrange, treble presence, big or intimate soundstage?)

I've heard the exact opposite about the e10k, that it struggles to drive high impedance headphones. But if you think it can power some 250ohm cans then I'm open to recommendations

My budget is like $200-$300, I dont want to get too crazy

 

[Me x3]

You'll hear many things, but (sadly) not everyone knows what they say.
So to give you just a bit of perspective:

Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 which are 300 Ohm, are both slightly easier to drive than Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990 (which are 250 Ohm)
Not the other way around.

AKG K701 - K702 - K712 (which are 62 Ohm) are harder to drive than both 300 Ohm Sennheisers and 250 Ohm Beyerdynamics.

You can drive a Sennheiser HD650 and a Beyerdynamic DT880 PRO at the same time, and that requires less power from the amp than driving a single AKG K702.
So yeah... It's not as simple as just looking at the impedance number.

As an extreme example a Hifiman HE-6 is 50 Ohm and it's VERY difficult to drive (so you won't be able to drive it with a FiiO E10K)

Again, the right pick is the one that suits your preferences the best.
AKG K712 is a very balanced neutralish headphone in my book. It's also very nice in terms of spatial qualities of the sound.
HD650 is fuller, more intimate and smoother, so it's less analytical and more forgiving with less than ideal recordings.
Keep in mind these two are designed as reference headphones so they will both provide a controlled/precise type of sound.

If you want something different you can check the Philips Fidelio X2 which will give you more of a cinema-like type of sound, with big - powerful bass and lively but not analytical treble.

 

[WhatAmIDoing]

You'll hear many things, but (sadly) not everyone knows what they say.
So to give you just a bit of perspective:

Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 which are 300 Ohm, are both slightly easier to drive than Beyerdynamic DT880 and DT990 (which are 250 Ohm)
Not the other way around.

AKG K701 - K702 - K712 (which are 62 Ohm) are harder to drive than both 300 Ohm Sennheisers and 250 Ohm Beyerdynamics.

You can drive a Sennheiser HD650 and a Beyerdynamic DT880 PRO at the same time, and that requires less power from the amp than driving a single AKG K702.
So yeah... It's not as simple as just looking at the impedance number.

As an extreme example a Hifiman HE-6 is 50 Ohm and it's VERY difficult to drive (so you won't be able to drive it with a FiiO E10K)

Again, the right pick is the one that suits your preferences the best.
AKG K712 is a very balanced neutralish headphone in my book. It's also very nice in terms of spatial qualities of the sound.
HD650 is fuller, more intimate and smoother, so it's less analytical and more forgiving with less than ideal recordings.
Keep in mind these two are designed as reference headphones so they will both provide a controlled/precise type of sound.

If you want something different you can check the Philips Fidelio X2 which will give you more of a cinema-like type of sound, with big - powerful bass and lively but not analytical treble.

Thats some very good info, thanks for that post. Most of what I listen to is old rock and pop songs uploaded to YouTube, not exactly high quality audio. Some more forgiving headphones in that sense would be helpful to me. I'll look into the HD 650's. I already own the Momentum 2.0, so why not give Sennheiser more of my money

 

[Guidostrunk]

HD58x. There's a few folks selling them in the for sale forums. They're ridiculously good. I definitely prefer them to the other senns I've owned(600,650,700,800). They're like the birth child of the HD700 , and Hifiman HE500. Lol

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hello, I'm looking for some nice mid impedance open back over hear headphones. They cant be too difficult to drive because I have a fiio e10k dac/amp which struggles to power high impedance headphones.
Can someone give me some recommendations? I listen to classic rock, pop and rap.

My budget is like $200-$300, I dont want to get too crazy

If you mean the most absolute best choice, it's beyond your budget - there's the HD700. The frequency response on that one might be a problem for you as it is for a few other people.

That said why go all the way up to 150ohms when there are lower impedance headphones that have high sensitivity, making the E1K's power delivery even less of a problem considering power still drops towards high impedance loads anyway? The HE400S has 98dB/1mW for a 24ohm load; Grado e-series are mostly at 32ohms with 99dB/1mW.

I've heard the exact opposite about the e10k, that it struggles to drive high impedance headphones. But if you think it can power some 250ohm cans then I'm open to recommendations

250ohms vs 300ohms isn't going to make as much of a difference as 96dB/1mW (some Beyers) vs 98dB/1mW (HD650).

That said, again, why shoot for higher impedance? It's not like the E10K has a high output impedance and has trouble controlling a low impedance driver, nor are low impedance drivers sporting a jagged response or markedly lower sensitivity, ie, there's the HE400S. Sure from a technical standpoint they're not as good as the HE400i or the Sundara, but you get a response curve similar to an HD600, is less susceptible to damping factor issues given it's a planar, but unlike other planars like the ones mentioned, it has much higher sensitivity.

In short if you're sure you really really like the sound of a particular 150ohm to 300ohm headphone - even on a different system, since you can jsut save up for the upstream components but you're already starting with a headphone that you like - then sure, get that.

Otherwise if you can't listen to the gear first much less on the same DAC-HPamp then you could just pick from among the 100ohm or lower headphones as long as the sensitivity is 96dB/1mW or higher.