Best headphones for classical music

[arteom]

If you truly love classical music - and I mean obsessively adore classical music; you only have one choice: AKG. NONE of the others accurately reproduces the tonal qualities of the instruments.

My classical setup is simple Cowon P1, iDSD black, AKG K702. (I set aside my Denon D5000, HD700, LCD3, iCan Pro amp, Shure KSE1500. Triple Fi 10, and SE500. None of these produces the true tone from violins). I'm a violinist. I know what a violin sounds like. At the risk of being arrogant, I know what a very, very nice Italian violin sounds like. I hear it everyday next to my ears. Then, I bought Itzhak Perlman's Complete WB works and played it on every speakers I own, every headphone, earbuds....etc.

When I heard Perlman from my AKG K702, I wanted to cry. It's nearly the exact sound I hear everyday next to my ears. (Better performed, of course) All the bright, clear, and sweetness of a the world's master violin makers represented in its truest form.

If you want to hear a violin, you can buy any headphone. If you want to hear a Stradivarius, Del Gesu, or Yo Yo Ma's 3 million dollar Montagnana cello, then you go buy AKG.

Personally, I'm considering dropping $900-1500 on the K812 if it's better than the K702, but I'm already enjoying the 702 so much I don't need better. You can also get the Massdrop version for $200. No brainer for classical music enthusiasts.

Have you heard the K712? What are your thoughts on it?

 

[DiamondD]

And more expensive isn't better. I think I paid $259 7 yrs ago for my 702. My first high quality head phones and the cheapest. Spent 2k on an LCD3 and 3k on the KSE1500. Even to this day, the 702 is best for classical. I'd get the KXXX Massdrop version, but I already have one. It's just a bit beaten up.

 

[DiamondD]

Have you heard the K712? What are your thoughts on it?

I have not. I'm doing research on higher models over the 702 to see if my musical experience can be enhanced. I'm considering the 712 and 812. More expensive doesn't mean better.

I have the AKG earbud K3003i or something. Earbuds are fussy. Did not get an accurate violin sound.

My Klipsch Reference speakers are accurate too, fyi. They just don't give you the same closeness as headphones.

 

[DiamondD]

Well, hot damn. The 712's only $300. I'm sold. My 702 is 7 yrs old, and I wouldn't mind a new one. Nice price point too.

Anyone found a good price for the 812? I don't want to spend over a grand anymore on headphones and electrostat earbuds. Results have always been disappointing.

 

[Me x3]

It's important to note that we are talking about quality headphones here and going from the best 200-300usd headphone to the best headphones won't change the experience as a whole.
You might get some extra refinement here and there, but that's it. In other words: diminishing returns.
If you don't want to spend an important amount of extra money for a subtle difference just stay on the 200-300usd range and enjoy the music.

K702 specializes in soundstage size and layering, clean extended yet neutralish bass and tasteful sparkle in the treble region. If I had to choose a word to describe K702's sound it would be acoustic
Very solid pick for classical music. I've owned two of these and enjoyed them very much.

K712 sounds similar to K702 but is has a more focused and full bodied sound that's just a tad less forward/nasal tonally speaking.
Warmer and not as expansive but somehow more incissive and contrasting. The word could be balanced

DT880 (600 Ohm) might not be as expansive or layered as the AKGs, but it has an extremely uncoloured response from bass to lower treble followed by unmatched treble extension.
I must admit I miss the DT880 from time to time. The word is airy

HD600 while I'm not a big fan of this, I must say it's great for those who want to enjoy classical music with little treble sheen.
The soundstage is quite intimate. The midrange is well behaved and clear. Tonality wise this sound more like a cello than a violin if you get what I mean.
The bass has a slight boost in the mid-bass and it's not as clear as the headphones above. I think the word for these would be undemanding

If you want to spend 3x, 4x, 8x to get the latest tech then you should check:
(These are better, more refined here or there but different too, so keep in mind preferences start playing an important role once you've reached the very best in the 200-300usd range)

HD800: Crossbreed between DT880 and K702. On steroids. Powerful tool with superior microdetail and soundstage.
Just a tad dry and steely in terms of tonal balance. The word is analytical

HD800S: Improved HD800, not steely and slightly warmer overall.
Powerful tool with superior microdetail and soundstage. Still a little bit dry. Same word analytical

Tesla T1.1: Different crossbreed between DT880 and K702 shifted a tiny bit towards musicality (opposed to analytical character). Not dry.
This is a very resolving and microdetailed headphone but at the same time it sounds fluid. While it does have very good sound separation, it's not decidely trying to disociate everything in the midrange.
To me, the word is sweet but please read it in this context of very detailed neutralish headphones.

Tesla T1.2: Again, not dry. Similar to T1.1 but more energetic and punchier, the bass is fuller and tighter and the overall sound is more incisive and contrasting. Just a tad more treble here.
These two sound very much alike but while T1.1 is borderline relaxing, T1.2 demands constant attention. Upper mids are slighly softer on T1.2, less of an AKG tuning here.
Soundstage is just a hint less expansive than on T1.1 although imaging is really sharp. The word could be lively

K812: This one is on the analytical camp along with HD800 and HD800S. It's slightly warmer and more forward at the same time. Sound separation and placement are top notch. Sounds very much like a professional tool for critical listening. Everything from the bass presence to the midrange neutrality to the treble extension is very good. The sound is big and holographic (not distant). Really a joy for AKG lovers. Unlike HD800/S which has a slightly dry tonality this one doesn't but in exchange you get a slightly forward tonality, borderline strident some might say. The sound has an immediate quality to it. Microdetail (the finest texture of sound) is very good, better than K7-series, yet a little bit behind T1 and HD800 variants in this regard. K812 is very dynamic and rythmic, opossed to the more sterile sound on HD800 variants. The word is critical

What about HD700? Well it has some very strong points in its price range. Soundstage, black background, tight bass, extended treble.
It's not as good as T1/HD800/K812 but can easily compete with DT880 and K7-series and outclass them in some regards.
The problem I have with HD700 is that it has a slighly unnatural tonality in the treble, it's not a problem of how bright it is since it's not that bright really, but the treble is somehow plastic for lack of a better word. It can be hard to describe. People clapping for instance sound markedly unnatural to my ears. By the time I owned it, I though DT880's treble was at least 2 tiers above.

All my impressions are based on matching these headphones with neutralish equipment and no eq applied.
Of course you can tweak the sound with some particular setups as well as using eq. That would surely lead to a far more complex scenario.

Regards,
Me x3

 

[Sefelt103]

Beyerdynamic DT660/880/T1, Sennheiser HD580/600/800, AKG K702/K812

 

[Audioholic123]

If you truly love classical music - and I mean obsessively adore classical music; you only have one choice: AKG. NONE of the others accurately reproduces the tonal qualities of the instruments.

My classical setup is simple Cowon P1, iDSD black, AKG K702. (I set aside my Denon D5000, HD700, LCD3, iCan Pro amp, Shure KSE1500. Triple Fi 10, and SE500. None of these produces the true tone from violins). I'm a violinist. I know what a violin sounds like. At the risk of being arrogant, I know what a very, very nice Italian violin sounds like. I hear it everyday next to my ears. Then, I bought Itzhak Perlman's Complete WB works and played it on every speakers I own, every headphone, earbuds....etc.

When I heard Perlman from my AKG K702, I wanted to cry. It's nearly the exact sound I hear everyday next to my ears. (Better performed, of course) All the bright, clear, and sweetness of a the world's master violin makers represented in its truest form.

If you want to hear a violin, you can buy any headphone. If you want to hear a Stradivarius, Del Gesu, or Yo Yo Ma's 3 million dollar Montagnana cello, then you go buy AKG.

Personally, I'm considering dropping $900-1500 on the K812 if it's better than the K702, but I'm already enjoying the 702 so much I don't need better. You can also get the Massdrop version for $200. No brainer for classical music enthusiasts.

I don't think you sound arrogant, as a fellow musician I understand what you mean and I agree with you. I've been buying/collecting expensive headphones now for 10 years, my very first open-back headphone was the K702 of which I used almost every day for 6 years, I then replaced it with a Beyerdynamic DT990 and Sennheiser HD600 (only because the headband and earpads of the K702 had started to wear out) but soon ditched them for another AKG K702 in 2015/16. Since then I've owned 3 more AKG's; the K612, K712 and the Q701. I now have the Q701 and gave the other 3 away. The Q701 is the warmest sounding of all the AKG's i've owned but it's treble is as clear/accurate as the K702 and yet also depending on the source, can rival the K712 for bass quantity.

 

[MinaZuki KoYoru]

why not try HD800?

 

[Relaxasaurus]

Surprised Focal Clear isn't on this list. Never owned an AKG but this thread really has me interested.

Can anyone compare the cans above to a planar? I have an HD6XX but I really enjoy the "crispness" of violins (and strings in general) on the Monolith 1060C's.

 

[SilverEars]

Sennheisers do violins and string instruments really well.

 

[bagwell359]

If you truly love classical music - and I mean obsessively adore classical music; you only have one choice: AKG. NONE of the others accurately reproduces the tonal qualities of the instruments.

My classical setup is simple Cowon P1, iDSD black, AKG K702. (I set aside my Denon D5000, HD700, LCD3, iCan Pro amp, Shure KSE1500. Triple Fi 10, and SE500. None of these produces the true tone from violins). I'm a violinist. I know what a violin sounds like. At the risk of being arrogant, I know what a very, very nice Italian violin sounds like. I hear it everyday next to my ears. Then, I bought Itzhak Perlman's Complete WB works and played it on every speakers I own, every headphone, earbuds....etc.

When I heard Perlman from my AKG K702, I wanted to cry. It's nearly the exact sound I hear everyday next to my ears. (Better performed, of course) All the bright, clear, and sweetness of a the world's master violin makers represented in its truest form.

If you want to hear a violin, you can buy any headphone. If you want to hear a Stradivarius, Del Gesu, or Yo Yo Ma's 3 million dollar Montagnana cello, then you go buy AKG.

Personally, I'm considering dropping $900-1500 on the K812 if it's better than the K702, but I'm already enjoying the 702 so much I don't need better. You can also get the Massdrop version for $200. No brainer for classical music enthusiasts.

Some AKG's are great for classical (such as the 702 as noted above), others are more like mix down monitors (very hot in the upper mids and/or highs). Recommend to try and listen with care before you buy - any can - not just AKG.

Re: Hifiman 400S - I don't think that's the best choice.

 

[boozcool]

The Stax SR-009, if you can swallow the cost of the electrostatic amplifier, has incredible micro-details that excel with classical music

You'll hear the musicians breathing and chairs moving more than other headphones, which can be a blessing and a curse

 

[bagwell359]

The Stax SR-009, if you can swallow the cost of the electrostatic amplifier, has incredible micro-details that excel with classical music

You'll hear the musicians breathing and chairs moving more than other headphones, which can be a blessing and a curse

If your budget goes this far, try MrSpeakers Voce, more bass than the Stax, with less of the never ending 'ssssh' detail of the Stax.

 

[bmichels]

The Stax SR-009, if you can swallow the cost of the electrostatic amplifier, has incredible micro-details that excel with classical music

You'll hear the musicians breathing and chairs moving more than other headphones, which can be a blessing and a curse

+1

 

[boozcool]

If your budget goes this far, try MrSpeakers Voce, more bass than the Stax, with less of the never ending 'ssssh' detail of the Stax.

I’ve been curious about the Voce
Haven’t had a chance to hear it, I wonder if it also has the micro detail of the SR-009