Best headphones for classical music

[Mink]

I generally like all my headphones for classical music, but some are just better for the big orchestral works.
My current favorite is the Philips Fidelio X3. Great soundstage, in both width and depth. Tonality and timbre are natural sounding to my ears. The mids are a little bit recessed, but that helps in giving a true sense of soundstage. Some may find the midbass distracting, Treble is well behaved, but probably not for the treble sensitive folks out there. To my ears there's no harshness or hardness in the sound.

 

[gazzington]

I listen to a lot of metal, electronic music but also classical and Jazz. I have very good headphones for the metal and electronic listening (rad0, th900) but want something upto £1400 for classical and jazz. Im considering dt1990. hd800s, focal clears, hifiman ananda or arya, beyer t5 or denon 9200 or even a high end grado. I would love a zmf verite but they are above my budget! I generally use a hugo 2 but would happily add a small amp if more power was needed.

 

[bagwell359]

I'm not an engineer, but maybe that could occur. There is the famous incident in the 70s when Bob Carver said he could tweak his solid state amp to exactly duplicate the sound of a Conrad-Johnson tubed amp. And he did it! He then marketed the result as his 200 wpc m1.0t amplifier, which I used until it died.

That is 100% correct.

 

[SilverEars]

I find that Sennheisers do string instruments well. So, I think Sennheisers are for classical.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I'm building a very over built BH Crack for my HD-600 (with mild mods). IMO if you want audio nirvana to classical (and I'd say non modern jazz, and a good swipe at audiophile tracks too) for the cheapest money - a new BHC kit w/ speedball ($415) and a gently used HD-600 from the pre 2016 era (~$120) = $535 and get a MQA bit perfect feed to an above average DAC... Nirvana. Now since I like everything but country and death metal I have the other rig. Ragnarok 1, Gumby 1, HE-500 (w/ mods) - it's about 7x more, and does a lot the 600 won't do, but visa versa there is stuff that the 600 w/ tubes can do the other can't either.

I started with HD650 with a Bottlehead Crack, then I got HD600. The HD650 was good for small combos, Jazz and Bossa Nova. Anything that lends itself to small, intimate settings and a warm sound signature that is slightly veiled or smooth in the treble.. The HD600 were much better for classical music since it is not veiled like the HD650 and provides clearer bass and treble. Then, I got the HD800S and it is another level in terms of clarity, detail, imaging, instrument placement and sound stage. Originally, I was using a Modi Multibit DAC, but just got a Hugo 2 DAC this week. I inserted in place of the mimby and now it has a glorious sound for classical music. Everything sounds good to me. I don't even consider the HD800S as bright until I pair it directly with the Hugo 2, then it's too bright. But, the BHC really tames the treble and adds warmth to the bass for all genres of music. I was going to replace my mimby with a bimby or gumby, but now that I have the Hugo 2, I don't feel an urgent need for it at this time.

I forgot to mention that getting rid of USB is a huge improvement for sound quality as well. I use either a Bluesound Node 2i or the 2go streamer with the Hugo 2. This pairing is very unusual, I got here because I bought the Hugo 2 to go with my IEMs, but I noticed it had RCA output jacks and found I could like out and run it as a DAC only in desktop mode. Fantastic DAC.

 

[bagwell359]

I started with HD650 with a Bottlehead Crack, then I got HD600. The HD650 was good for small combos, Jazz and Bossa Nova. Anything that lends itself to small, intimate settings and a warm sound signature that is slightly veiled or smooth in the treble.. The HD600 were much better for classical music since it is not veiled like the HD650 and provides clearer bass and treble. Then, I got the HD800S and it is another level in terms of clarity, detail, imaging, instrument placement and sound stage. Originally, I was using a Modi Multibit DAC, but just got a Hugo 2 DAC this week. I inserted in place of the mimby and now it has a glorious sound for classical music. Everything sounds good to me. I don't even consider the HD800S as bright until I pair it directly with the Hugo 2, then it's too bright. But, the BHC really tames the treble and adds warmth to the bass for all genres of music. I was going to replace my mimby with a bimby or gumby, but now that I have the Hugo 2, I don't feel an urgent need for it at this time.

I forgot to mention that getting rid of USB is a huge improvement for sound quality as well. I use either a Bluesound Node 2i or the 2go streamer with the Hugo 2. This pairing is very unusual, I got here because I bought the Hugo 2 to go with my IEMs, but I noticed it had RCA output jacks and found I could like out and run it as a DAC only in desktop mode. Fantastic DAC.

That Hugo 2 is indeed great. I still haven't heard the 800 on the BHC, but hear its great. Good because on most SS its a problem.

 

[Uzair76464]

Well, Nowadays. You can go with either Audeze, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, or AKG.

• In Sennheiser, I perfer HD660. Because this headphone is budget-friendly with excellent dynamics and audio quality.
• You can also opt to choose the Beyerdynamic DT990, or DT990Pro (any impedance). They are perfect competitors for the Sennheiser headphones.
• As for AKG, you can go with AKG K702. The AKG K702 is a beast of a headphone, Period.

You can also find more headphones for classical music here.

 

[Deolum]

I feel like every headphone can play classical music but none does really master it.

 

[Deolum]

Always wonder how the AKG K1000 sounds like when playing classical music.

They sound quite good but not spectacular. They have some big presentation at large orchestras but lack a bit of detail and imaging due to their build. They also might sound a bit boring and lack immersion. At least for me.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I feel like every headphone can play classical music but none does really master it.

Just curious, are you talking in comparison to speakers? There are quite a few headphones that do really really well with Classical, but just like with every other genre they'll never compete with really good speakers.

 

[pashustik]

Can you tell me if Galaxy Buds are suitable for classical music? What do you think about Harman Curve compatibility with classical music

 

[idsearcher]

I have a pair of HiFiMan Sundara's and Focal Eligia's and can vouch for both of them for classical music... but it depends on whether you are a "I like to be in the front row" which is the Eligia's or "I like to be 1/3 of the way from the front" which is the Sundara's. Currently listening to the 3rd movement of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe performed performed by Les Siecles (2017) which is beautifully recorded I am preferring the Sundara's only because I find the Eligia's with complex and big orchestral music tiring to listen to due to how forward they can sound. The Sundara's are much "easier" listen with a wider soundstage but slightly less imaging detail to the Eligia's. Pick your poison really.

 

[sheridant]

late to the show - but have to mention raal sr1a - driven by the hsa-1b - seems to capture the whole orchestra perfectly, putting you right in front of the orchestra - so so close to a very top end speaker system experience, just missing the tactile bass experience that even the 1266 cant deliver - comfy too - but be ready for anyone in the house to occasionally mock you