Closed-back office recommendation

[aabeba]

Hello, everyone. I recently got an office job and was looking from a recommendation, and head-fi is the first place that came to mind.

I've been out of the headphone game for a good several years. Last I recall was when I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 598, then my AKG K7XX, which I've since sold. I still have my FiiO E09K/E17 but use them as a pre-amp for my speaker setup.

I'm looking for a closed-back pair and a DAC and amp to go with them for around $500. I'm coming from a 2.1 home setup, so I'd really like the cans to have a little more low end. IEMs would be fine, too.

I found out about the Nuraphone headphones recently, and was initially impressed, but then read that the bass gets very bloated. That, and the $400 price tag make them less appealing than they initially were.

I'd appreciate any pointers. Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Soundmagic HP151 closed headphones, $125.
Could spend $100 for a FiiO or Schiit DAC/amp.

 

[surfgeorge]

On the IEM side I think you'd like the Moondrop Kanas Pro $180 on Aliexpress.
There's quite some hype going on, but they are really impressive.
The mids are amazing, detailed, clear, smooth, the bass is strong, especially sub-bass is impressive, but it never gets in the way of the mids, and the highs are clear and smooth too, slightly on the safe side but they can really bite too!

I ave it paired with a Chord Mojo and like the pair a lot, but I think you could pair them with any good DAC/Amp, even brighter ones as they are so well behaved at the top.

The iBasso IT01s would be a supposedly similar take on the same technology from a bigger brand, and from what I read with less sub-bass but more treble extension.

I have used the AudioQuest NightOwl at the office, but the Kanas Pro sound better and are more convenient.

P.S. - finding the right tip for the IEM can be a challenge and comfort of good over ears is still better IMHO.

 

[aabeba]

Thanks for the replies. I'll check the recommendations out.

P.S. - finding the right tip for the IEM can be a challenge and comfort of good over ears is still better IMHO.

I really haven't found an OE pair that hasn't felt constricting after a short while. I think I have a big head, and I definitely get hot quickly.

Those Kanas look nice. I know very little about IEM bass--how much louder and more accurate would it be on these than on Apple EarPods or AirPods?

 

[surfgeorge]

Thanks for the replies. I'll check the recommendations out.



I really haven't found an OE pair that hasn't felt constricting after a short while. I think I have a big head, and I definitely get hot quickly.

Those Kanas look nice. I know very little about IEM bass--how much louder and more accurate would it be on these than on Apple EarPods or AirPods?

Good IEMs can have tremendous amount and quality of bass.
As a test, take your iPods and run a frequency sweep with this online tool:
http://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

when I do that I hear a steadily increasing volume going up the frequency, up to about 5kHz, then a strong peak at about 8,5kHz.
But bass volume below 500Hz is continuosly dropping.

The KPE have good sub-bass, starting at about 20Hz and with pretty flat volume from 80-100Hz up.
I can listen to organ music and hear and feel the rumble of the lowest notes.

KPE is not a bass head IEM though, just has a quite strong bass and even stronger sub bass. It still feels kind of neutral since there is no bleeding into the mids. But it sure shows bass when it's in the track!
If you are a bass head you could try to get a Sony EX800ST and do the tape mod (tape over vent with a pinhole). Supposedly the best bass head IEM you can get.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm looking for a closed-back pair and a DAC and amp to go with them for around $500. I'm coming from a 2.1 home setup, so I'd really like the cans to have a little more low end. IEMs would be fine, too.

Superlux HD660, $60
Fiio Q1 MkII, $120

 

[Dubbaya]

I'm fairly new to this hobby and still learning a lot but since I had a similar scenario happen to me I figured I would share what I am using currently.

For my office headphone I am using the Audeze Mobius. It would solve the need for a standalone DAC as you can just use the supplied USB cable to hookup and it will use the DAC/Amp built into the headphone. They also have built in EQs to change the sound to a given desire at any time. Naturally they have that Audeze planar sound and have some fantastic low end along with everything else especially if you tinker with the EQs. The headphones have a bunch of other fun features that I use outside of the office but since they are closed back they are my go-to to bring in when I leave for work.

I picked them up used for a good price that helps with their $400 MSRP and really made them a great buy for me. Fantastic headphones in my book!

 

[aabeba]

Good IEMs can have tremendous amount and quality of bass.
As a test, take your iPods and run a frequency sweep with this online tool:
http://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

when I do that I hear a steadily increasing volume going up the frequency, up to about 5kHz, then a strong peak at about 8,5kHz.
But bass volume below 500Hz is continuosly dropping.

The KPE have good sub-bass, starting at about 20Hz and with pretty flat volume from 80-100Hz up.
I can listen to organ music and hear and feel the rumble of the lowest notes.

KPE is not a bass head IEM though, just has a quite strong bass and even stronger sub bass. It still feels kind of neutral since there is no bleeding into the mids. But it sure shows bass when it's in the track!
If you are a bass head you could try to get a Sony EX800ST and do the tape mod (tape over vent with a pinhole). Supposedly the best bass head IEM you can get.

Yeah, I use that site all the time to test my sub and speakers. I have a really bad room dip below 40 Hz, which drives me nuts. Every now and then a track will have some low 30 Hz notes that don't play cleanly, which is why I want that nice, even response from the headphones I'd buy, so it's good to hear the Kanas give you that. Any idea what return policy is like on AliExpress if they don't fit or i don't like them for whatever reason?