[MattKelly]

MattKelly,

In response to your question regarding comparison of the M70X, 7520, PM-3 for your needs, subjective but personal preference & maybe bias but the PM 3 would be a good choice.

I own the PM 3 but have tried the other two extensively in a similiar situation to what you require (mine is sound monitoring).

By the way, have you tried any of the three headphones you're interested in as close to a realistic demo situation as you would have in your apartment as just studying the specs doesn't tell you much in the real world.

Compared to the Sony & AT, PM 3 uses a Planar Magnetic Driver hence PM which technically is a more vibrationally stable driver where sound is concerned as it requires less air to move compared to the standard dynamic driver which the other two use. In a real world sense, this means there is a sense of more accuracy and detail, not to mention if you have a good source, especially in gaming, you can respond to your surroundings more quickly and accurately. For example, say your response time in a FPS to react to someone behind you may be a certain amount of time and you might not know where they coming at you from once you turn around but with a good headphone like the PM 3, you would know before you turn around & maybe react even before they shoot.

Also, as I didn't see anything post wise before this page, another headphone for you to consider & hopefully not confuse things for you would be the Shure 940 as in terms of your current three choices, remember subjective, it sits between the 7520 & PM 3 sound wise and will more than serve your needs for imagining & analytical detail, remember source dependant as always...

Also, good fit with IEMs are tricky, personally & this is subjective again but I use comply's in medium size for my AT E70 which I wear all day long when I'm out with no discomfort or faitgue.

Hope this helps...

PaganDL, this was just what I was looking for! Thank you so much for the helpful response. I had considered the 940's at one point, but I think that I've finally narrowed it down to the PM-3. In comparison to the M70x, I was worried that they would lack the imaging / detail that I need (due to the slight treble roll-off) but I actually don't think it will be too much of a concern. It's a planar and I'm sure the detail / layering is more than sufficient for my needs. I really appreciate the kind help - thank you again!

 

[PaganDL]

No problem, MattKelly,

Glad to help...

Have a great day !

 

[Sinocelt]

Gearslutz is to recording gear what Head-Fi is to listening gear. And they have a list of the best studio monitors under $200.

 

[Alex Seran]

I personally use DT990 pro from beyerdynamics and must say it has never disappointed me.I have been Audio technica MTH50X in past but later felt like i need some Open backed headphone and made a switch but I do recommend ATH M50X as well.
You can read review for both the headphones here : https://gadgetsdeck.com/best-studio-headphones/

 

[Sinocelt]

And the DT 990 successor, the DT 1990 PRO, is on Gearslutz's Ten of the best headphones over $300 list.

 

[trancephorm]

Hello again... Been writing a post here about half year ago. The difference now is that I have greater budget than previosly stated 400$ for studio quality headphones + DAC/AMP which is working in Linux. I'm still lost in options, but at least I realised that any of the following headphones is good choice:
Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro / DT770 / DT880
Sennheiser HD600 / HD650 / HD800S
AKG K701

Now I need to pic DAC & AMP (possibly in one, but separated is also considered), which is suitable for headphones I mentioned (feel free to suggest some other one). Keep in mind that I want to produce electronic music, mostly psytrance, but also downtempo, idm and ambient. The software I want to use is Renoise in Linux and I guess I need lowest latency possible with some decent DAC.

Please help, there are so many options... Do I need higher impedance for quality... Heard Fiio products are great...

 

[DasKobold]

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Better options available.

What better options do you have? I paid 139€ for my 770 back then and they are imo very good at that price range.

 

[trancephorm]

What better options do you have? I paid 139€ for my 770 back then and they are imo very good at that price range.

Seems like Sennheiser HD600 is a bit better (though more expensive) option?

 

[Sinocelt]

What better options do you have? I paid 139€ for my 770 back then and they are imo very good at that price range.

This is "a list of the top contenders, regardless of price," and I try not to list more than one item per brand per category. I've just updated the page so that the only Beyerdynamic now listed is the DT 1770 Pro.

That doesn't make the DT 770 Pro a bad option; not everyone can spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of studio headphones, and even people who can most often will not if their headphones are going to be used by a lot of clients, not all of them will be gentle with the material.

Please help, there are so many options...

I wish I could help, but I now live in the middle of nowhere, so I must buy to try.

 

[trancephorm]

Reading many reviews around, I decided that I should go for Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro 250 Ohm. Now, onto DAC and AMP combined or separated: What is the most suitable buy while being compatible with Linux?

 

[Sinocelt]

Reading many reviews around, I decided that I should go for Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro 250 Ohm. Now, onto DAC and AMP combined or separated: What is the most suitable buy while being compatible with Linux?

Sounds like your budget is still swelling.

Beyerdynamic makes its own headphone amps. Both are expensive, but the less expensive of the two can be found bundled with the DT 1990 Pro. It is only an amp, though, not a DAC.

 

[gacyde]

how about hifiman he400i?

 

[Sinocelt]

how about hifiman he400i?

I've never heard it, but according to Headfonia and Lifewire, it isn't as neutral as the HE-560:

I could say the HE-400i is quite linearly tuned but there is more focus on the mids and bass than there is on the treble. In that regard the HE-560 is a lot more linear and “reference” tuned. (Headphonia)

We had a chance to compare the HE-400i to the HE-560 and were happy to hear that both headphones sounded quite similar. we can't say the HE-560 comes across as more detailed, but it does sound more neutral to our ears (with what sounded like a more subdued and smoother peak in the lower treble). (Lifewire)

 

[gacyde]

I've never heard it, but according to Headfonia and Lifewire, it isn't as neutral as the HE-560:

I could say the HE-400i is quite linearly tuned but there is more focus on the mids and bass than there is on the treble. In that regard the HE-560 is a lot more linear and “reference” tuned. (Headphonia)

We had a chance to compare the HE-400i to the HE-560 and were happy to hear that both headphones sounded quite similar. we can't say the HE-560 comes across as more detailed, but it does sound more neutral to our ears (with what sounded like a more subdued and smoother peak in the lower treble). (Lifewire)

Thanks for the reply

So how about the best studio headphone (neutral) around $200?

 

[ScareDe2]

Thanks for the reply

So how about the best studio headphone (neutral) around $200?

Brainwavz HM5 (closed)
BeyerDynamic DT770 (closed), DT880 and DT990
AKG K550 (closed)
AKG K701
AKG K702


As for the HE560, I am not so inclined to call it neutral. I find it slightly boomy in the bass and "nasal" in the mid/treble region. I would say there is an excess around 5kHz. And I think it lacks some air on the very top. I would be very interested to see a frequency graph of this particular headphone.