[w00x]

Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, I am looking for an alternative to the DT177X Go mainly in the way they sound. Closed back, since I will be using them at the office. I use them with a FiiO K5 Pro and listen to a lot of genres of music. Ambient, Chill-out, Trance, House, Progressive, Synthwave, Low-fi, instrumentals, orchestral, Alternative Rock, etc. Basically I need an all rounder with good bass.

I hate sibilant headphones/speakers. It literally causes pain in my ears.

I bought DT177X Go from Drop, but had QC issues with them and had to return them.
There was a random rattle in the right ear cup. It came and went whenever it pleased. At one point it came and didn't go away. Tried looking for hairs and other things that may be vibrating, but couldn't find anything and the drivers are covered so there is no easy access to the actual driver.
I ordered a second pair and lo and behold - same thing after less than 10 hours of listening. Since I am importing them to Europe, paying import fees, returning them and getting replacements is too much of a hassle to do for a third time. This is why I decided to go a different way for my closed-back headphones.

I really like the way the DT 177X Go sound. I like the tight bass, the not-annoying highs and the overall balanced and pleasant sound signature. They are very comfortable and the seal is perfect on my head. The only think they can benefit from is more soundstage.

I experience a lot of issues when trying to find an alternative though. It's hard enough to audition headphones, but I am finding it even harder to find actual alternatives to research into.

I own/have owned - AKG Q701, Philips Fidelio X2, Fostex T-X0, Sennheiser HD25-II.

AKG Q701 - Great detail, amazing soundstage, no bass whatsoever, painfully uncomfortable.
Fidelio X2 - I use them for gaming and general computer use at home. Pretty balanced, but a little veiled. Gets better when I press them to my ears. Adequate bass.
Fostex T-X0 - Too bright for my taste, but I wanted to test some entry planar headphones just for fun.
Sennheiser HD25 - Great isolation, good balanced sound, very "in-your-face", uncomfortable after a couple of hours.

I have auditioned as possible replacements when my first pair broke - Neumann NDH20 and Focal Elegia.
Neumann NDH20 - The sound is very, very .... near. Like someone is injecting it straight into my brain. The earpads are also not very good, since they are very shallow. My ears touch the headphones. Otherwise - great build. The sound may change with different pads, but I do not own them so I can't experiment.
Focal Elegia - Those sounded brighter than the Neumann, but the mids were .. further back. They also didn't fit at all well on my head. Like I was wearing a shirt one size larger. They were very loose. Maybe that's why the bass did not impress at all. They were very roomy, though. I was comparing them A/B with the NDH20 and switching from the NDH20 to the Elegia felt like entering the living room after sitting in a closet. Very roomy and even though they were heavier, they felt lighter. I did not like the sound at all. My ears hurt from the highs after just a 5-10 minute listening session.

I have also listened to the Meze 99 Classic at some point. The HD25-II sounded better to me.

Massdrop Fostex TH-X00 were on my radar, but they seem to be suffering from a weak spot near the ear cups.

The alternatives I've come across are:

AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon - 275 EUR / 310 USD
Audio Technica A1000Z - 440 EUR / 500 USD
Audio Technica A2000Z - 550 EUR / 620 USD
Final Sonorous VI - 650 EUR / 730 USD
AudioQuest NightOwl - 650 EUR / 730 USD
Sony MDR Z7M2 - 750 EUR / 840 USD

Any opinion on how these four compare to the BD DT177X Go? Any other suggestions I've missed?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mightygrey]

The Shure SH-1540 might be worth auditioning.

 

[kman1211]

While may be kinda ugly to many I think the Beyerdynamic DT 150 may work and may be the cheapest option, never had qc issues with those. Some reason I had a DT 1770 in the past and had QC issues with it's driver too, oddly the only Beyers I've had distortion/rattle issues with and I've owned many. The DT 150 doesn't quite have the Tesla Beyer bass punch though. The Nighthawks will without question have the bass but may not be a genre master and may take some adjusting to, it sounds different.

 

[Kukuk]

I think Beyerdynamic's T5P might be what you're looking for. Their treble is quite a bit more mild than the DT1770, but retain a good deal of the strengths. They have very good bass extension, the best isolation I've ever had in a headphone, they're super comfortable, they're well-balanced, and they have among the best soundstage I've heard in a closed-back headphone; a clear step up from the DT1770.

 

[w00x]

The Shure SH-1540 might be worth auditioning.

I read that they are a little sterile/clinical. Have you had the chance to compare them to any of the ones I've mentioned?

While may be kinda ugly to many I think the Beyerdynamic DT 150 may work and may be the cheapest option, never had qc issues with those. Some reason I had a DT 1770 in the past and had QC issues with it's driver too, oddly the only Beyers I've had distortion/rattle issues with and I've owned many. The DT 150 doesn't quite have the Tesla Beyer bass punch though. The Nighthawks will without question have the bass but may not be a genre master and may take some adjusting to, it sounds different.

Yeah. It seems that the DT 177X inherited the driver rattle issues from the DT 1770 Pro.
So annoying! And I liked them so much..
I don't really care about looks so the "ugly" DT 150 would not be an issue. I actually think they look cool and retro. It's just that I am already willing to spend the money for a higher quality pair. Otherwise I will stick with my Senn HD25. Wouldn't the DT 150 be an obvious downgrade from the models I mention?
Bad part about the Audioquest is that there is no way to audition them and that "different sound" everyone is mentioning is a little scary. But their price is much lower than that of the others...

I think Beyerdynamic's T5P might be what you're looking for. Their treble is quite a bit more mild than the DT1770, but retain a good deal of the strengths. They have very good bass extension, the best isolation I've ever had in a headphone, they're super comfortable, they're well-balanced, and they have among the best soundstage I've heard in a closed-back headphone; a clear step up from the DT1770.

A guy here is selling them "brand new" for 600 EUR. Otherwise they are 900 EUR new, which is more than any of the others. 900 EUR is in a whole different ballpark and introduces other options into the mix. Audeze LCD-2 Closed for example.
I have also heard the DT1770 have sharp treble, but from what I read, the treble on the 177X is not nearly as harsh and the bass is not nearly as boomy.

I see that you have the Sony Z1R.
Do you think the T5P Gen.2 is worth it over the Sony MDR Z7M2? The price of the Sony Z7M2 (new) is a little more than the price of the T5P (from an unknown seller). If you have auditioned them both, can you tell me, in your opinion, how do they differ?

 

[Kukuk]

Looking at pricing for the T5P, they're in weird spot right now. There was a point where you could get them for $700USD, and I thought they might still be there. Nope, looks like they are $1000-$1300. At such high prices, it's hard to recommend them.

I haven't heard the Z7M2, unfortunately.

 

[kman1211]

Yeah. It seems that the DT 177X inherited the driver rattle issues from the DT 1770 Pro.
So annoying! And I liked them so much..
I don't really care about looks so the "ugly" DT 150 would not be an issue. I actually think they look cool and retro. It's just that I am already willing to spend the money for a higher quality pair. Otherwise I will stick with my Senn HD25. Wouldn't the DT 150 be an obvious downgrade from the models I mention?
Bad part about the Audioquest is that there is no way to audition them and that "different sound" everyone is mentioning is a little scary. But their price is much lower than that of the others...

The thing about some of the older Beyers they still hold up nicely, the Tesla's don't always sound better. It's more like each driver family has different characteristics to the sound. I like the look of the DT 150 as well due to their retro look but it's one of those headphones many find ugly. I had both the DT 150 and DT 1770 at the same time, found their tuning different but wouldn't actually really say the fidelity of the DT 1770 is much if any better, the DT 150 sounded clearer, had a larger image(each instrument and sound sounded bigger in size), and had a bigger soundstage. The DT 1770 was more dynamic and tactile, detailed, musical, with a greater sense of warmth to their sound. I liked both headphones soundwise, but would like to hear both again on my current system and see if I have different impressions. As I remember I and would be hard pressed to make a decision between them though the DT 150 does have the more neutral tuning of the two, but it seems the DT 177X is more neutral than either the DT 150 and DT 1770 which is why I was curious about it, but worries about it's quality control and bad experienced with the DT 1770 does deter me and I already have a T1.2 and an Amiron Home so I'm pretty good on the Tesla Beyer front.

The Nighthawk has this interesting echo and reverb to the sound and an enveloping warmth, I modded my pair to eliminate that but stock it's very unique and somehow does work when you adjust to it. Drivers in the Nighthawk are very capable but the tuning is love or hate. I haven't heard a lot of the headphones you listed sadly.