Best closed backs?

[Men1608]

I would like to demo the Stellia and VC, but can’t because of my location, which is a bummer. No demo units here.

 

[MrPanda]

I demo'd them both at Can Jam NYC, both excellent. I went with Stellia, and I'm really happy with it. I use a variety of sources, and Stellia is extremely easy to drive, even from a DAP. VC sounded great, but for the genre's I listen to, and way I listen, the speed and accuracy of the Stellia won me over. That being said, with a great tube amp, I could really go for the VC!
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[xeizo]

As someone said, there's nothing like the best as this is in much a subjective hobby. With that said I'm pretty impressed with Sony MDR-Z7M2, for me they sounds right in a lot of ways.

 

[protoss]

Beats ! Beats by Dre

 

[headphonesaddict123]

i have tried a few , maybe i'll stick with lcd 4 and stellia as some of the best i've tried , with neumann ndh-20 at somewhere mid-tier .

 

[Nitreb]

I'm surprized the Audeze LCD-XC wasn't included in the poll.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Too low space, i guess. ^^
Monitor 5 isn't there too.

 

[penguinofsleep2]

ZMF Verite beats others in terms of technicalities IMO but it's frequency response is right at the borderline of like/dislike for me (too W shaped for me). Have heard all of the others except Stellia and Aeon Closed 2 (but had Aeon 1 closed) but based on what I see online, Stellia is not stronger than Verite in terms of technicalities. Of course, preferred sound and FR is all subjective per preference.

Otherwise the Fostex TH-X00 (TH-900 too bright for me) isn't bad at all for a lower price bracket or for more bass (while not approaching Atticus and Eikon levels).

I also notice the Meze Empyrean is not listed (although it doesn't beat Verite in technicalities IMO).

 

[blackdragon87]

Fostex trx 00 ebony

 

[04gto]

Under $1k- E-MU Teak (Rosewood cups). $1k-$2k- Audeze LCD-XC. Over $2k- ZMF Verite Closed

 

[headphonesaddict123]

keep the threads going on my audio comrades , i believe many people have not had a chance to try many closedback headphones to begin with .
Like someone here asked why LCD XC is not on the list , personally i never had an opportunity to try it .

 

[Gadget67]

Well, the question of which one is “best” depends on lots of factors (listening environment, amp, DAC, music, etc) which we all know of course. I preface it this way because I am always looking for that best combination of factors when making a purchasing decision which is what makes threads like this so interesting and informative. I’ve been through a fair number of headphones in that search; Audeze LCD-2 when they first came out, Sennheiser 600, LCD-X, Sony MDR-Z7, Sony MDR-Z1R and, most recently, Focal Utopia. I still have and use all of them (extremely tolerant wife) but the Focal Utopia is hands down, drop the mic, sell everything else best I’ve ever owned. The biggest limitation is the open back design, which means I need a dead quiet listening environment with low/zero ambient noise so they are not “perfect”. Enter the Focal Stellia which will be showing up Monday; we will see if this combination (Utopia/Stellia) offers that (almost) perfect combination. More to follow next week when I’ve had a few days for a preliminary evaluation!

 

[525251]

From the selection I heard the hd 820 s and the Focal Stellia.
Objectively the sennheiser hd 820 (overall, all the sound characteristics) is noticeably inferior.
Personally I also did not like the way the sennheiser played (tonality, timbre, frequency response); sometimes it sounded veiled, flat, strange, lacked bass, too close to my head (lacked stage).

 

[hifi80sman]

As someone said, there's nothing like the best as this is in much a subjective hobby. With that said I'm pretty impressed with Sony MDR-Z7M2, for me they sounds right in a lot of ways.

I second this. From a price/performance perspective, this is a good higher-end choice. Love the 70mm driver over 4.4mm balanced connection! Scales well with a good AMP/DAC.

 

[04gto]

Under $1k- E-MU Teak (Rosewood cups). $1k-$2k- Audeze LCD-XC. Over $2k- ZMF Verite Closed

So I realized that I just got excited and posted this without any context, or subjective reasons for my opinions. First, I will name some other headphones that I have used or listened to extensively. Audio Technica ATH-M50X (still have them), Monoprice Premium DJ Pro (my son has these), Master & Dynamic MH40 (sold), Marshall Major (broken), Sony WH-1000XM3 (still have these), E-MU Teak w/ Rosewood cups (still have them), Audeze LCD-XC (still have them), Focal Stellia (friend owns them), ZMF Verite Open (same friend owns these), Sony MDR-Z1R (same friend).

First, the E-MU Teak. I gotta say, whomever engineered and designed these headphones, did so just for me. To me they are worth every bit of the $500 price when new. I bought mine used for $300. As far as pure musical enjoyment goes, these are the best sounding headphones I have ever heard. They are not the most detailed when compared to the LCD-XC for example, but wow, they make almost every genre sound fantastic. No harsh highs, smooth mids and amazing (almost basshead) lows. You can run them from a phone, but I would not recommend it. These love power. I often run them from a JDS Labs EL Amp. If I could only keep one pair of headphones, these would be it. Pro- They make nearly everything sound great. BASS! Smooth, liquid mids. Silky treble. Cons- Not the most detail in the mids. Really does need an amp.

Next, the LCD-XC. I gotta say, when I first heard these I was a bit underwhelmed. I heard them at a Hifi shop in San Francisco. What was the problem? The myth that these can/should be ran out of a phone or very low power source. Wrong. The Hifi shop would only let me listen to them out of 1/4 headphone jack on a Luxman L-505UX. I don't know how much power it had but it was not anywhere near enough to bring out the texture, detail and slam that these are capable of. So, while the shop owner was not looking, I plugged them into my Fiio Q5 with AM3 module.....WOW so much better. I was in love. As I was listening to Thelonious Monk, Off Minor (take 4), I fell into the music like never before, or since. I now use them from my Fiio Q5s with AM3D THX module (balanced). A fantastic combination. Pro- Amazing detail and imaging. Super accurate, deep bass. The mids are really perfect for my taste. The highs are detailed without being harsh or glaring. Cons- They are big and not really portable, but I do take them many places. They do require an amp to sound their best. They bring out too much detail in poorly recorded/mastered music. They Bass goes deeper than the E-MU but not as much slam.

Finally, the Verite closed (Monkey Pod wood). To quickly sum these up; If you like the E-MU Teak (or similar Fostex X-00 series), you will love these. The difference? Way better detail in the mids and highs. With slightly less bass. I am not trying to say that these and the E-MU Teak sound the same. However, if you like the E-MU Teak, but want more detail and a bit more energy/detail in the mids, you will love these. I want my own set really badly. But I also want to try the ZMF Eikon and Atticus first.