[frescagod]

i'm consolidating my gear and i was wondering if you kind folks have any suggestions on a sub-$200, full sized, closed headphone that has a similar sound signature to the Shure SE846. the reason i'm asking is because i listen to my Audio Technica ATH-AD700 for much of the day during the week, but going from them to the SE846 is like putting cotton balls in my ears, due to the pronounced, airy treble from the AT and the somewhat rolled off Shure house sound. they're two completely different phones and i'm wondering if there is an affordable full sized closed phone that can bridge the gap there.
 
thanks in advance!

 

[SteveHiFi]

Do you have the white treble filters in the 846? I found they were congested-sounding until I changed the stock 'neutral' filters in them.
 
If you can find a bit more cash the new ATH-MSR7 might be up your street. It sounds like you want a closed alternative to the AD700 rather than an alternative to the Shures.

 

[frescagod]

i have swapped filters out a few times - the whites, while way more revealing, are somewhat harsh to my ears. i went back to the stock blues and i do love them. if i listen to them for more than half an hour, my ears adjust and i don't really notice the treble roll off until i go back to the AD700 for gaming or something like that. i think i bought them for $80-85 a few years ago; i run them out of my M-Audio interface and they just sound so great.
 
that being said, i am still not looking for a closed version of the AD700. i did have the M50 and they were nice, very detailed, etc. but i would like a more manageable closed phone that bridges the gap between the AD700 and the SE846, or leans closer to the SE846 at least. sometimes i need to take phones on and off every 5-10 minutes and i can't be doing that with the SE846.
 
sorry if this is all confusing.

 

[SteveHiFi]

I know the issue with the SE846 - everyone has different sensitivities to the higher freqs and they are just a bit on the sharp side for some.
 
Maybe look at the Focal Spirit One which is quite a forward closed 'phone - the ATH-MSR7 is very similar in my opinion, and better quality than the AD700. It fits the specification you gave so have a read around.

 

[frescagod]

nice, thank you for the input. i will check out both of those!