Best Headphones for low volume listening?
Jun 22, 2017 at 3:15 AM Post #46 of 56
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For me the GS1000i are summit-fi, they are that good.

I'm also of the opinion that Grado's are generally voiced for lower volume listening, which is why many complain
how bright and harsh they are - because they're listening at normal volumes for some phones but much too high for Grado's.

The closest analogy for how good they sound - like the Quad Reference Electrostatics speakers
which cost many thousands of dollars (£6,500). Of course driven by a suitable system.

For all of the mentioned Grado's I hear fantastic musicality.

Also, I'm not alone in my love for Grado's like the GS1000i, they are a cult favourite.

Very interesting. I'll have to try them out next chance I get. The loudness comment might be spot-on. I have a bass light electrostatic set that I love, but I love it more at higher volumes. At that volume I might not love the Grados. :/
 
Jun 24, 2017 at 9:42 PM Post #48 of 56
I think the Sony Z1R is fantastic at micro detail retrieval at low listening levels. Been telling people that all the time. It made me laugh when I saw this thread because I said in my head "yeah I know my pick!"
 
Apr 22, 2018 at 10:25 AM Post #49 of 56
Reviving this thread to suggest the Sennheiser Urbanite. Bass/mids balance is excellent on low volume. Upper treble is lacking though.

The Momentum 2.0 over ear also seems like a great low volume headphone on paper but I haven't heard them yet. Would be great if anyone could try those out on low volume. I might order a pair today, if I do I'll post my impressions.
 
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Apr 13, 2020 at 10:41 AM Post #52 of 56
Would the Focal Elex or Lcd2 Classic be better for low volume listening if I want the sensation of big sub bass dynamic impact at low volumes?
Hi cactus_farmer, I'm also invested in low volume listening. Currently I have been using the Koss KSC75, Sennheiser HD 58x Jubilee and Audio Technica ATH-M40x (I got them in the reversed order, but I listed them in the order that most impressed me) I had been interested in getting the Focal Elear or the Hifiman Sundara until I read the following comparison by Percy Wegmann (@pwjazz) at https://www.headphones.com/blogs/ne...l-elex-comparison?_pos=9&_sid=88c869e86&_ss=r
Apparently, he recommends the LCD2 over the Focal. As of today, I don't have such a steep budget for them (hopefully in the future I'll save enough for them), but after reading this thread I'm now considering getting a pair of Grado SR. I haven't decided whether to get the 80e or the 60e. I think the latter would round out my quiver a bit more, but I'm open to any piece of advice.
 
Apr 25, 2020 at 1:42 PM Post #53 of 56
Apparently, he recommends the LCD2 over the Focal

Actually, what I was getting at in that article is that I prefer the HD58X over the Elex. The LCD2C is a very different sounding headphone from those two.

FWIW I still own the HD58X but not the LCD2C.

If you like the HD58X, but want just a little more out of it, you could try the curtain mod.

 
May 1, 2020 at 9:51 AM Post #54 of 56
Would the Focal Elex or Lcd2 Classic be better for low volume listening if I want the sensation of big sub bass dynamic impact at low volumes?
I personally have the Elear (so I guess quite close to the Elex) and I recently bought the Grado GS1000i specifically for low level listening (tinnitus showed up, so I'm now trying to get the best sound I can at low volumes). Comparing the two, I would say the Elear has better timbre and more bass (but the Grado's bass is tighter and more detailed), but at lower volumes it sounds more congested than the Grado (quite a bit more, actually, those Grados sound so open!). They're good, don't get me wrong, but I prefer the Grado for low level listening, even though I long for good bass. YMMV

Your post was in November, did you try the Elex since then?
 
Oct 26, 2020 at 5:30 PM Post #55 of 56
hello all, I'm also interested to bring this tread back to life - was hoping to get some recent suggestions for closed back headphones that work well at low volume listening.
the akg 550 no longer available, is the K371 as recommended? (nice that it has a microphone option in the BT version).
The BT 770 ? ATH-A900x? SRH1540 ?
I'm afraid that a Bluetooth headphone won't work for low listening especially, as the noice/hiss is quickly noticeable, but a model that has a microphone (in the cable) would be great, to combine a work call with some quality listening.
So as you guessed, for me no need for a studio / monitoring headphone, more a 'good sound during my workday' model.

Thanks!
 
Oct 26, 2020 at 9:15 PM Post #56 of 56
Thanks for reviving. I would highly recommend any of the Denons 5200, 7200 or 9200 in quiet environments or the AKG K872 for louder environments. Generally speaking headphones that have a frequency response that favors your preferred freq response for the kind of music you listen to and that have enough clarity in those ranges will minimize you having to turn up the volume to loud levels. Hope this helps.
 

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