I have heard others say similar things. If you're into a neutral, less-colored sound, then I think that may be a great test.
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Best-sounding open & closed headphones... with no EQ-ing or mods!
- Thread starter ADUHF
- Start date
I have heard others say similar things. If you're into a neutral, less-colored sound, then I think that may be a great test.
It's funny though, to my ears neutral sounds takes a long time to get accustomed too. My personal preference is large bass, miss that aren't too shy and just a hint of top end. The other thing that's crazy is if you start listening to ultra low distortion headphones/speakers it seems like information is missing but in reality it's all there just human ears are used to a little distortion in what they are hearing.
Give me an example of what you mean by "neutral", etroze86, so I can see what you mean. Neutral to me includes a rise in the bass level, similar to the plot of the Harman curve that I posted earlier.
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Neutral to me is a ruler flat curve. I SQ competitions we would eq our vehicles to be just that, dead neutral no rise or fall in the curve till there is a natural roll-off.
Are you referring to the speakers in a car?
I’m very particular about headphones, I look for headphones that stand the test of time and don’t aggravate me in the long term. Very few headphones have stood the test of time for me. I kinda stopped doing much reviews because I’ve found what I want.
In terms of open-backs without mods or eq, the Beyerdynamic T1.2 Black is one of only open-back headphone I never had issues with long term listening even after owning it around a year. Would say Amiron Home but that’s only on the right system, most systems it’s treble is too much. There are potentially others but haven’t listened to them long enough to decide. Would say all of the HD 6 family but most never quite worked out for me in one way or another; the HD 600 is a bit boring but don’t have any real issues with it other than that; I tend to grow to dislike the HD 650 with longer-term ownership; and the HD 660 S I like it’s sound signature the most of the bunch but it causes me upper bass fatigue so a no go for me. Of the Senns would have to say the HD 600. So I guess it boils down to the T1.2 Black and HD 600 of what I’ve owned long term. They’re the only two open headphones I’ve owned I grew to like more with multi-month ownership.
In terms of closed-backs I’ve owned without eq or mods. Only really the Beyerdynamic DT 150 made the cut.
In terms of open-backs without mods or eq, the Beyerdynamic T1.2 Black is one of only open-back headphone I never had issues with long term listening even after owning it around a year. Would say Amiron Home but that’s only on the right system, most systems it’s treble is too much. There are potentially others but haven’t listened to them long enough to decide. Would say all of the HD 6 family but most never quite worked out for me in one way or another; the HD 600 is a bit boring but don’t have any real issues with it other than that; I tend to grow to dislike the HD 650 with longer-term ownership; and the HD 660 S I like it’s sound signature the most of the bunch but it causes me upper bass fatigue so a no go for me. Of the Senns would have to say the HD 600. So I guess it boils down to the T1.2 Black and HD 600 of what I’ve owned long term. They’re the only two open headphones I’ve owned I grew to like more with multi-month ownership.
In terms of closed-backs I’ve owned without eq or mods. Only really the Beyerdynamic DT 150 made the cut.
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Yes, I have yet to hear a headphone that can duplicate neutral like that.....I'm also not looking for one either.
Thank you for the reply, kman1211. I think you're the only one I didn't thank yet.
But do appreciate the response.I remember reading some of your fairly complimentary thoughts re the AudioTechnica R70x. And was wondering why you didn't think those were worth mentioning. Are the Senn 600 models just a better bet for the $$ in your opinion? Although I haven't thoroughly investigated them, I believe the (Mass)Drop versions of the Senn 580 (58x Jubilee), and Senn 650 (6XX) are both pretty reasonably priced.
When you say "flat", do you mean flat across the full frequency spectrum, including the sub-bass? Because most of the in-car audio curves I've run across seem to be elevated in the bass/sub-bass (anywhere from about 5 to 9 dBs), and also rolled-off to some degree in the treble. So the only area where they're relatively flat is in the midrange.
I believe the bass is generally elevated for two reasons: 1) to approximate a "room-sound", and 2) to compensate for low-frequency road noise.
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Thank you for the reply, kman1211. I think you're the only one I didn't thank yet.
I remember reading some of your fairly complimentary thoughts re the AudioTechnica R70x. And was wondering why you didn't think those were worth mentioning. Are the Senn 600 models just a better bet for the $$ in your opinion? Although I haven't thoroughly investigated them, I believe the (Mass)Drop versions of the Senn 580 (58x Jubilee), and Senn 650 (6XX) are both pretty reasonably priced.
Thank you. On the R70x it actually came down to comfort, it got quite uncomfortable with extended use for me. I liked it more than the Senns despite finding the Senns a bit more resolving as the Senns were always lacking a bit in euphony and musicality to my ears. If comfort was equal between the two I would of taken the R70x. I may revisit it in the future and maybe tinker with pads.
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prozonelayer
New Head-Fier
I'm quite new so forgive the basic commentary, but I have found the R70x quite comfortable myself. I bought them about a week ago to replace my old ATH-AD700s and have been able to wear them through my entire workday comfortably. The pads were a bit stiff at first, but after a few days they have either softened or I just got used to them. I also wear thick plastic glasses and the R70x are still very comfortable worn over my glasses. I do have fairly average sized ears, so I don't have issues fitting my ears inside the cups like I saw others have. That said, I have ordered the Brainwavz XL Micro-suede pads just to see how they compare.
As for the sound, again I'm not very experienced in describing headphones, but I find it to be excellent. Overall very neutral with a bit of punch on the low end, which is exactly what I was looking for as an upgrade to the AD700. Instrument separation and soundstage are also fantastic. I previously tried the Hifiman Deva out and found the sound very fatiguing and the headband not to be comfortable for long sessions, to the point that I felt a huge relief every time I took them off. On the other hand, I will find any excuse I can get to sit at my desk and put on the R70x. I ended up returning the Deva for the R70x and could not be happier, the sound and comfort were exactly what I was looking for.
I didn't really have issues with the earcup opening size but rather it was more of the depth, after a bit where it sat on my ears caused some hot spots to a worse degree than the Sennheisers and the Amiron Home, both which also touch my ears. If the earpads were deeper I wouldn't have any complaints about the comfort as the actual fit otherwise was great. I do miss the headphones sound though so I may just end up getting another pair.
prozonelayer
New Head-Fier
I can definitely see the shallowness of the cups being an issue for some. They only touch my ears at specific angles, so it hasn't been an issue for me, but I did like that my AD700s had huge earcups that my ears would not touch at any reasonable angle.
Good Point I never noticed that the R70X had significantly less angled drivers compared to the AD500x.
Back to the topic
Within budget
Open Back: AD1000X, R70X, SRH1840
Closed back: Z7M1, MSR7, A2000Z
My personal fav
Open back: Verite open(still saving up)
Closed back: AWKT
For a newbie, you're doin just fine! Thank you prozonelayer and llysender for your excellent contributions.
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