[mbphotox]

I will get a FiiO X5 gen 2 in 2 weeks time and started to look for new headphones today.
 
I've been listening to a pair of Sennheiser HD25-1/II for the past 8 years.. Really love the precision and punchy bass they deliver. They are on their fourth cable and x-th set of pads and seem kinda worn-out by now.. Also, while not uncomfortable, I sometimes wish for more comfort.
 
At home, I've got a pair of Beyer DT-770 (Manufaktur, 250 Ohm) that I don't use that often, because I hate the spiral cable.. (Having it replaced in my country costs almost as much as buying a new pair of DT-770 pro)
I really like the Beyers for the incredible comfortability and they too are very "warm and soft". The bass is a bit too much often times, though.
 
My speakers are B&W dm685 (on a Destiny Audio tube amp with Pro-Ject Rondo Red MC on creek pre-amp) in the living room and a pair of Yamaha HS5n in the office. (I'm clearly a "warm buddy"..)
 
 
What am I looking for?
Something quite neutral (frequency response-wise) with a precise and dry, punchy bass and somewhat warmer sound. (ergo not "studio-grade" neutral

)
The headphones need to be closed because I'm gonna use them in public transport, etc.
They should be super comfortable too.
 
Basically, a Beyer DT-770 with the sound of my HD25-1/II

 
 
What music do I listen to?
Singer/Songwriter (Norah Jones et al)
Blues Rock (Ainsley Lyster, Joe Bonamassa, etc.)
Hard Rock, Metal (all kinds of good and bad quality stuff)
Electronic (Chillstep, Deep House, etc. mostly when working, because it's not distracting like "serious" music.. haha)
 
 
 
 
I went to a studio store today to test a few specimen:
Shure 940 - Was way too harsh in the higher frequencies, not too comfortable, but seems to be great for studio work (if you need the analytical treble)..
Sennheiser HD6x - Incredibly uncomfortable, couldn't really listen to the music it was so bad.
 
The comfortable ones:
Beyer DT-880 - Lacks bass completely..
Beyer DT-990 - absolutely amazing sound quality and feel on the head, but open design lets in all the noise from the world.. (Still, I've just ordered a pair (DT-990 Edition, 250 Ohm) for home use..)
Beyer Custom Studio - very neutral, literally boring for my taste..
 
Then I dared to test the Beyer DT-1770 Pro - What an amazing pair of headphones, almost perfect! Only thing I was missing was a bit more "fun".. maybe a little more in the punchy bas(s)ement? There's a massive gap between the 1770 and the 770 (tested that one too, of course) bass-wise.. Also, the DT-990 was more "comfortable" to listen to, but I assume that's the open design and that's a no-no en route..
 
If the 1770 wasn't so expensive (4x the price of the DT-770 here) I would've taken it, though..
 
But now I'm kinda hesitant. And there are more mothers with pretty daughters out there..

 
What other headphones could you suggest?
 
I would give somebodys leg to be able to listen to a Denon AH-D5000 (if only to be able to tell myself that I didn't miss anything missing out on them)..
Love the look of the Grado RS2-e, but the budget probably couldn't stomach it..  (and that one's open, no?)

 

[buke9]

I will get a FiiO X5 gen 2 in 2 weeks time and started to look for new headphones today.

I've been listening to a pair of Sennheiser HD25-1/II for the past 8 years.. Really love the precision and punchy bass they deliver. They are on their fourth cable and x-th set of pads and seem kinda worn-out by now.. Also, while not uncomfortable, I sometimes wish for more comfort.

At home, I've got a pair of Beyer DT-770 (Manufaktur, 250 Ohm) that I don't use that often, because I hate the spiral cable.. (Having it replaced in my country costs almost as much as buying a new pair of DT-770 pro)
I really like the Beyers for the incredible comfortability and they too are very "warm and soft". The bass is a bit too much often times, though.

My speakers are B&W dm685 (on a Destiny Audio tube amp with Pro-Ject Rondo Red MC on creek pre-amp) in the living room and a pair of Yamaha HS5n in the office. (I'm clearly a "warm buddy"..)


What am I looking for?
Something quite neutral (frequency response-wise) with a precise and dry, punchy bass and somewhat warmer sound. (ergo not "studio-grade" neutral )
The headphones need to be closed because I'm gonna use them in public transport, etc.
They should be super comfortable too.

Basically, a Beyer DT-770 with the sound of my HD25-1/II :wink_face:


What music do I listen to?
Singer/Songwriter (Norah Jones et al)
Blues Rock (Ainsley Lyster, Joe Bonamassa, etc.)
Hard Rock, Metal (all kinds of good and bad quality stuff)
Electronic (Chillstep, Deep House, etc. mostly when working, because it's not distracting like "serious" music.. haha)




I went to a studio store today to test a few specimen:
Shure 940 - Was way too harsh in the higher frequencies, not too comfortable, but seems to be great for studio work (if you need the analytical treble)..
Sennheiser HD6x - Incredibly uncomfortable, couldn't really listen to the music it was so bad.

The comfortable ones:
Beyer DT-880 - Lacks bass completely..
Beyer DT-990 - absolutely amazing sound quality and feel on the head, but open design lets in all the noise from the world.. (Still, I've just ordered a pair (DT-990 Edition, 250 Ohm) for home use..)
Beyer Custom Studio - very neutral, literally boring for my taste..

Then I dared to test the Beyer DT-1770 Pro - What an amazing pair of headphones, almost perfect! Only thing I was missing was a bit more "fun".. maybe a little more in the punchy bas(s)ement? There's a massive gap between the 1770 and the 770 (tested that one too, of course) bass-wise.. Also, the DT-990 was more "comfortable" to listen to, but I assume that's the open design and that's a no-no en route..

If the 1770 wasn't so expensive (4x the price of the DT-770 here) I would've taken it, though..

But now I'm kinda hesitant. And there are more mothers with pretty daughters out there..

What other headphones could you suggest?

I would give somebodys leg to be able to listen to a Denon AH-D5000 (if only to be able to tell myself that I didn't miss anything missing out on them)..
Love the look of the Grado RS2-e, but the budget probably couldn't stomach it..  (and that one's open, no?)

Find a pair of Mr Speakers Alpha Dogs.

 

[mysticstryk]

If your going portable I'd recommend the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0. Can usually get on sale under $200.

They are not neutral though, however if you think the dt880 lacks bass, then your not going to like a neutral headphone then.

 

[mbphotox]

The Alpha Dogs look hoot!
But I assume that's a direct distributor?

Chances, to find them in a store in switzerland won't be that big..


Will give the momentum an ear when I visit the store.

And no, I think it's really not "studio neutral" that I'm looking for, more the kind of "neutral" that the DT-990 produces.

 

[mysticstryk]

They look hoot!
But I assume that's a direct distributor?

Chances, to find them in a store in switzerland won't be that big..

Not sure what kind of stores are available in Switzerland, but you can absolutely find Sennheiser products there. Check their website for a list of distributors.

Also check your online websites, here in the US they are on just about every major online retailer.

 

[mbphotox]

Sorry, our posts crossed.. I replied to buke (and edited my post after seeing yours).
Of course we have Sennheiser and most other headphone brands (the big ones, like Shure, Beyerdynamic, Bose, Denon, Sony, Pioneer, Stax, Grado, etc.) in stores, but I've never heard of those smaller ones that often get recommended here, like the MrSpeakers, the Massdrop TH-X00 and stuff like that.

 

[mbphotox]

Just found this comparison of the DT-770 Pro and the DT 1770 Pro and it doesn't reflect what I heard in the store at all..
 
The DT-770 seemed much boomier in low frequencies and in various songs (Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen (R.I.P.), Joe Satriani, etc.)
The DT 1770 Pro was much clearer (but that's what they found too in that review) and sounded more refined. Hell, I had them on the same amp and switched half a dozen time during songs and the difference seemed monumental..
 
How could I even justify that massive price increase now?

 

[mysticstryk]

Sorry, our posts crossed.. I replied to buke (and edited my post after seeing yours).
Of course we have Sennheiser and most other headphone brands (the big ones, like Shure, Beyerdynamic, Bose, Denon, Sony, Pioneer, Stax, Grado, etc.) in stores, but I've never heard of those smaller ones that often get recommended here, like the MrSpeakers, the Massdrop TH-X00 and stuff like that.

The alpha dog can only be found used and neither them or the thx00 are suitable for portable use. The alpha dog is big and heavy and the thx00 doesn't isolate and leaks sound.

 

[mbphotox]

Guess I'll be saving up for the DT 1770 Pro then.. or get the Amperior HD25..
Anyone wanna buy my 770 "Manufaktur" in near-mint condition?

 

[mysticstryk]

Guess I'll be saving up for the DT 1770 Pro then.. or get the Amperior HD25..
Anyone wanna buy my 770 "Manufaktur" in near-mint condition?

Make a post in the classifieds section. For a good price you should be able to find a buyer.

 

[mbphotox]

Gave the 770 to a friend, she really loves them.

Also, my HD25 started falling apart this week. Will visit a big store next week and test the following cans for mobile use:

Sennheiser HD25-1 ii (obviously)
Momentum 2 on ear
Urbanite on ear

Beyer T51p
Beyer DT1350 (never had any issues with the clamping of the HD25 on my ears even when split open and wearing glasses for 2-3 hours at a time)

Grado rs225e (and the rs2e, because I need to know how "grado" sounds, even if I won't buy them for travel..)

Maybe I'll put on a few more candidates..




Besides,
The DT1990 came out just after I got the DT990, and dropped significantly in price since then.. when I ever need new cans for home use... *sigh*

 

[mbphotox]

Bottom line first: I bought a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 1350 (facelift)
They should arrive in the mail tomorrow morning.
 
 
I visited a store in Zurich that was recommended to me by our local studio gear supplier.
They have a HUGE selection of all kinds of headphones from 20 bucks all the way up to the Focal UTOPIA. And each and every single one of the can be listened to. (I didn't dare to put on any of the "monsters", though.. out of respect, I guess.)
 
 
So, I spent a whopping 2,5 hours in the store and the guy who runs it was incredible!
 
What did I listen to:
Sennheiser Momentum 2 on ear
Sennheiser Momentum 2 over ear
Sennheiser HD25-1 ii
Beyerdynamic T51p
Beyerdynamic DT1350
Ultrasone 880
Grado sr125e
Grado rs2e

First off, the Grados weren't considered for mobile use. The rs2e will definitely be looked at again when I need new cans for home use.
Everything sounded simply great on those, but I guess I'd have to use the big foam pads (GS series) for comfort.
I also liked the sr125e quite a lot, but the earpads and overall haptics didn't appeal to me at all.
 
I really hope that Grado will come around and provide removable cables (that aren't as cumbersome to handle as the current ones) with the next update.
 

Now, to my actual test:
The ultrasone 880 got dumped right away because they were so uncomfortable with my glasses. Also, they seemed too big for travel.

The momentum over ears sat much more comfortable and sounded really good, and very neutral. And boring. I couldn't really warm up to the thought of using those for nearly 20 hours a week.. Not enough of the "fun factor".

The on ear momentum, otoh, is a completely different story. Even boomier than the HD25, and even more recessed in the mids. Everything drowns in bass..
I didn't like that at all.

The Beyerdynamic DT1350 sounded very analytical, amazing voices and detailed mids, but still with great bass.
In direct comparison to the momentum on ear and the HD 25-1 II, the beyer sounded weaker​ and a bit harsh, but I ended up liking that sound much more after a little getting used to.
 

I asked for the T51p then, to compare it to the HD25 and DT1350.
What a weird feeling, having those "twins" on your head and realising that they aren't twins at all.
The T51p dishes out waay too much bass and seems to be less precise/clear in the mids. Overall, not nearly as high quality as the DT1350, IMO.
Looking at the measurements over at goldenears, the DT1350 does perform noticeably more linearly than the T51p and the massively overpronounced bass in the latter becomes obvious too. (I checked the measurements after I gathered my impressions in text)
 

Regarding comfort:
The momentum on ear felt very light and comfortable, although it left me wishing for more clamping because slightly pushing them to the head improved the sound/isolation significantly.
The t51p was very comfortable too, but the remote annoyed me, as did the thin, scraping-sound-prone, cable.
The DT1350 was perfect. Very nice fit, feels extremely solid and comfortable.
 
Realising that I really like "neutral" with a strong bass, I ended up ordering the DT1350 facelift and hope that a brand new one won't take too long to loosen up a little, since the test sample had been "on many heads" according to the salesman .
 
Otoh, I never could relate to all the whine about the "deathgrip" of the HD25 either, so my head seems to be slim enough for the clamping not to be too much.
 
 
Really looking forward to testing these cans out in the wild.