[MartinB]

I've started to care more about preserving my hearing. I've used loudness curves with my K271's, but I think it could sound better then it does.
I've understood that the Grado GS1000's are among the best headphones for low level listening and also maybe the Beyerdynamic DT770's if you are after a closed phone. Are there other alternatives? EQ is not an option here.
Thanks for reading!

 

[12thgear]

I had a pair of Denon AH-D2000 headphones that I thought worked well at lower listening, especially the bass. I think that the Ultrasone HFI-780 would be even better though. I have the HFI-680 and I find it to be very balanced across the board and it is a better performer than the Denon, with tighter bass and smoother highs. The HFI-780 is supposed to have a bit of a bass boost as well as very detailed treble. That might make for an excellent lower volume level headphone. Ultrasone also claims that their unique design allows for higher perceived volume at lower SPLs. I wouldn't but too much stock into that though.

 

[cswann1]

Since I got my D7000's I've been turning it down and enjoy my music as much or more at lower levels with these cans.


BTW...if you do decide to go with a Denon AH-Dxxxx, you must put a pair of JMoney lambskin pads on them. It's one of the most cost effective mods/upgrades I know of.

 

[myk7000]

d7k, gs1k

 

[Uncle Erik]

I've had good luck turning down the HD-800 and DT48. I don't know if you'd enjoy the DT48 (many don't) but it is one of the best options for acoustic and vocal music.

 

[MartinB]

Thanks for all the input. Some very expensive alternatives. Except for the DT48, anything else?
I owned the RS-1 in the past and loved it. I think it was a decent headphone for low level listening. At least it's treble was, maybe not the bass. Is the RS-1i different in this department if using it with comfies?

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Will a balanced can ever sound good at low levels? Don't think so. Real music is loud; Uncle Eric will tell you that an orchestra can reach 100+ db! And it will sound good only if played at life like levels. But what about our hearing? Simple... Eliminate all ambient environmental noise... And perceived loudness will increase. A good flat can will sound boring at low levels as human hearing follows equal loudness contour curves.

 

[oqvist]

Yes something closed to eliminate background noise and which lets you dig deeper into the music. My Ultrasones are certainly of the kind that sounds best when you don´t crank them up to much so a good option that way. You get all detail you ever need at very low volume.

I think most headphones sounds more balanced and right at lower volume. Surely at times you want impact but that is kind of speaker territory for me for most part anyway

 

[Currawong]

I'd suggest a Stax rig might be worth a shot as well, especially if you want to still be able to hear what is going on around you, but, of course, not if you don't want that.

 

[MartinB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Will a balanced can ever sound good at low levels? Don't think so. Real music is loud; Uncle Eric will tell you that an orchestra can reach 100+ db! And it will sound good only if played at life like levels. But what about our hearing? Simple... Eliminate all ambient environmental noise... And perceived loudness will increase. A good flat can will sound boring at low levels as human hearing follows equal loudness contour curves.

Of course that's true, but what's also true is that people tend to listen at a 5-10db higher level compared to when listening through speakers and that's dangerous for your hearing. So to get balanced headphone sound at the lower level you need a slightly different response as you say.

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Will a balanced can ever sound good at low levels? Don't think so. Real music is loud; Uncle Eric will tell you that an orchestra can reach 100+ db! And it will sound good only if played at life like levels. But what about our hearing? Simple... Eliminate all ambient environmental noise... And perceived loudness will increase. A good flat can will sound boring at low levels as human hearing follows equal loudness contour curves.

Some headphones are voiced specifically to sound more natural at low volumes. The GS1000 is one that's been mentioned. Music on these headphones sounds *better* at low volume than it does at high volume. And when I say "better", I don't mean just ok or good, I mean it leaves you with zero desire to turn the volume up but full satisfaction with the music.

 

[Dr. Robert]

Denon D7000 at very low level all the sound and the music. For me with Headroom Ultra Desktop. Amazing.

 

[Aethelred]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned AT. I think ATH-W5000 was build around the idea of not listening at high volume. These cans are exceptional at low volumes.

 

[myk7000]

Forgot to add that the pro 900 was very good for low level listening too

 

[MartinB]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Seems like there's a lot of praise for the D7000 and GS-1000. What about the DT770?