[ferday]

Wow this is a huge thread and I've spent way too much time reading these forums in the last 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone who posts and bothers to answer noob questions!

I'm looking for my first "truly" high end cans, I'm currently using HD437, HD500, and AT50 for portable use. The 500's were high end when I bought them years and years ago...

I'm looking for the best all-round can I can get for under $1000USD, they would be run off of either the PC or iPhone primarily through my E17, or through my hi-fi for serious listening sessions. I listen to all types of music, literally....

For comparison I really love my AT50's (I was surprised!) for bassy/electronic although the trebles can be overly bright sometimes to the point where some metal can be painful, while the senn's are definitely warmer and better for anything mellowed but I find them a bit muddy for some stuff and I actually prefer the detail on the AT's

So far looking at the audeze lcd2, hifiman he500, senn's hd650, looking for mid sounding (I.e. all rounder not too bright or too warm, etc for lots of different music) theses ones are easy to get in Canada but I'm open and I'm also curious about high end closed cans as it increases where/when I can listen...although open cans should sound better?

Would love recommendations based on - detail first, bass second, soundstage third and anything else after that. Would prefer if they can run decent through my e17

Thanks for any response, and I'll keep reading all the other threads in the meantime!

 

[LinkPro]

Quote:

Wow this is a huge thread and I've spent way too much time reading these forums in the last 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone who posts and bothers to answer noob questions!
I'm looking for my first "truly" high end cans, I'm currently using HD437, HD500, and AT50 for portable use. The 500's were high end when I bought them years and years ago...
I'm looking for the best all-round can I can get for under $1000USD, they would be run off of either the PC or iPhone primarily through my E17, or through my hi-fi for serious listening sessions. I listen to all types of music, literally....
For comparison I really love my AT50's (I was surprised!) for bassy/electronic although the trebles can be overly bright sometimes to the point where some metal can be painful, while the senn's are definitely warmer and better for anything mellowed but I find them a bit muddy for some stuff and I actually prefer the detail on the AT's
So far looking at the audeze lcd2, hifiman he500, senn's hd650, looking for mid sounding (I.e. all rounder not too bright or too warm, etc for lots of different music) theses ones are easy to get in Canada but I'm open and I'm also curious about high end closed cans as it increases where/when I can listen...although open cans should sound better?
Would love recommendations based on - detail first, bass second, soundstage third and anything else after that. Would prefer if they can run decent through my e17
Thanks for any response, and I'll keep reading all the other threads in the meantime!

 
The ones that you mentioned need way more power than what the E17 can provide to drive them properly. The E17 is a good DAC, but the amp section is a bit lacking. I've heard people drive HD650 with E17 with good results though, so YMMV.
 
For an all-rounder can I'd recommend the ATH-W1000x. They run for around 550 bucks, good bass response, great ATH mids and 3D soundstage. Treble can get out of hand on certain materials though, or depending on the amp. The higher model, W5000, is supposed to sound more refined but lacking in bass quantity and picky on components/source. The W3000ANV could be great too, being LTD edition and such.
 
Or get a D5000/7000 if you can find good deals on them. These Denons make great all-rounder cans with their insane sub-mid bass response and sparkling treble. Too bad they are getting discontinued, so you may try the D7100 instead for around 900 bucks. 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Wow this is a huge thread and I've spent way too much time reading these forums in the last 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone who posts and bothers to answer noob questions!
I'm looking for my first "truly" high end cans, I'm currently using HD437, HD500, and AT50 for portable use. The 500's were high end when I bought them years and years ago...
I'm looking for the best all-round can I can get for under $1000USD, they would be run off of either the PC or iPhone primarily through my E17, or through my hi-fi for serious listening sessions. I listen to all types of music, literally....
For comparison I really love my AT50's (I was surprised!) for bassy/electronic although the trebles can be overly bright sometimes to the point where some metal can be painful, while the senn's are definitely warmer and better for anything mellowed but I find them a bit muddy for some stuff and I actually prefer the detail on the AT's
So far looking at the audeze lcd2, hifiman he500, senn's hd650, looking for mid sounding (I.e. all rounder not too bright or too warm, etc for lots of different music) theses ones are easy to get in Canada but I'm open and I'm also curious about high end closed cans as it increases where/when I can listen...although open cans should sound better?
Would love recommendations based on - detail first, bass second, soundstage third and anything else after that. Would prefer if they can run decent through my e17
Thanks for any response, and I'll keep reading all the other threads in the meantime!

$1,000 is serious headphone money and in most cases probably the turf of the Summit-Fi section of this forum.  However, there is no sense in buying anywhere near that price point, if you are listening to MP3's through a Fiio.  The first two cans you mentioned are planars and I don't think that any Fiio will drive them properly.  The HD 650 is also too difficult to drive properly from most portable amps (I don't know about yours).  So first it is important to know:
 
What is the format of your music and other sounds you will putting into these cans?
 
What sound card, dac and amp beyond a Fiio do you plan to use--or are willing to buy?

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

I definitely like the design of the dt770s, but there were multiple reviews on amazon saying hey wouldn't be ideal to use without an amp, and that was the reviews of the 80 ohm one.
What would you say about the new Sony XB800s? Or the audio technica ath-m50?
And the more I use my current headphones, the more I need new ones based on comfort alone. It has a lot of bass and that is nice, but comfort is top priority. And if too much bass can lead to discomfort, then I will just need to accept that I won't get as much bass, but also won't feel any pain after using them for a longer period of time.

The beyers will benefit from an amp, but the 80ohm you can do without one unless you need to play music super loud. The bass will tighten up a bit with an amp, but even though they are 80ohm, they aren't that hard to drive volume wise. The Sennheisers that you are also looking at, benefit from an amp as it brings out the bass a little more and fills the bottom end.
 
I know nothing about the XB800 as it looks like it is less than a month old. The XB500/XB700 were total basshead headphones and were very comfortable. You might look into the XB700 as it has slightly better mids and highs than the XB500.
 
The M50 would probably have the sound you are looking for, but may not be the most comfortable choice. Some people think they are comfortable, while others can't stand them after a short while.
 
Too much bass may lead to discomfort if it personally bothers you. Some people are bothered by bright treble and can't listen to certain headphones for too long because of it. If the bass has bothered you, then you could look for something wil a bit less bass emphasis. The most comfortable headphones in your price range IMO are the Beyer DT770/880/990 or any Sennheiser from the HD518 or up. 

 

[ferday]

$1,000 is serious headphone money and in most cases probably the turf of the Summit-Fi section of this forum.  However, there is no sense in buying anywhere near that price point, if you are listening to MP3's through a Fiio.  The first two cans you mentioned are planars and I don't think that any Fiio will drive them properly.  The HD 650 is also too difficult to drive properly from most portable amps (I don't know about yours).  So first it is important to know:

What is the format of your music and other sounds you will putting into these cans?

What sound card, dac and amp beyond a Fiio do you plan to use--or are willing to buy?

Thanks (link pro too)

Im a pretty obsessive music collector, Most of my music is in flac, with 320k mp3 copies for pod use, although I have a lot of lower quality stuff as well I'm not expecting that to sound great on anything. I've been more into the collecting itself, and my hifi in the past and have a good system but with kids and junk I can't listen as much as I'd like, and I travel a lot for work so I'm getting into the phones world more and more. I almost never use cd's or vinyl since I've ripped it all.

I can plug in to my hifi which is onkyo receiver + pre amp, it should drive any can just fine I would think...but I don't wanna be stuck in my theatre room I'd rather be able to have a portable-ish system if possible (ie sit in bed or in front of my PC). Is there an add on to the e17 to jack the power or am I looking at a completely different setup?

In short, over time I'm willing to spend an almost arbitrary amount for a great setup. For now, I have 1k...save it? Buy a desktop amp first? Even better, a portable? Or are there cheaper cans that will sound a lot better than my current setup, using the e17 as it sits? I like the e17 but I've never had a DAC before so the difference is enormous to me at the moment...

Thanks a bunch guys the quick responses are appreciated

 

[steve2151]

For a portable setup, you could buy a small one box dac/amp and put the rest into customs or collapsible closed headphones. I'm using a Practical Devices XM6 to an ER4P at work and thinking of upgrading to either the Ultrasone Signature Pros or customs myself.
 
I don't think it would compare to a desktop dac/amp and open headphone in the same price range though. The XM6 is a good battery powered portable, but I've owned desktop units that are around half the price (Audinst HUD-MX1, Audio-GD NFB-12, etc) that can outperform it.
 
Seeing that you have an E17 already, you could get something like a Fiio E09k and a HE-400 for home use (around $520 total) and then get some top tier iems to use with E17 on the go. 

 

[strausd]

Too much bass may lead to discomfort if it personally bothers you. Some people are bothered by bright treble and can't listen to certain headphones for too long because of it. If the bass has bothered you, then you could look for something wil a bit less bass emphasis. The most comfortable headphones in your price range IMO are the Beyer DT770/880/990 or any Sennheiser from the HD518 or up. 

Ok that is good to hear. Of the DT770 and HD 558, which one wins overall for comfort and which one for bass? And by how much? And how would the HD 449 fit in that area?

 

[humanoid]

Hi,
I used to have the Pioneer HDJ-2000 for a really long time until it got stolen a week ago. Now I want to get another pair of headset but not the same as my old cans. Any suggestions of what i can get that compares to Pioneer HDJ-2000 or better in terms of quality and price(willing to pay more if its worth it).
 
Thanks.

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

Ok that is good to hear. Of the DT770 and HD 558, which one wins overall for comfort and which one for bass? And by how much? And how would the HD 449 fit in that area?

I don't know what the HD449 is like, but it will not be in the same league as teh other two cans. The comfort is pretty similar between the two cans so it's mainly personal preference. The DT770 will have more bass, but it is a bit boomy, with an amp it will get a bit tighter. The HD558 will have a more balanced bass that will come forward when amped. Both are great cans, but very different. The HD558 is a pretty friendly sound that will make most music sound good even it it was mastered poorly. The DT770 has a "fun" sound with more emphasis on the bass and treble. Either can may work for you, but the best thing would be to see if you can try out at least one. While this might not be possible, it would at least let you see if the one(s) you try feel and sound the way you want.

 

[Mike112]

Just a quick question, I'm wondering about the bass impact of the KRK 8400s compared to other headphones that are commonly labeled as "neutral" such as the Shure 840s, Sony MDR-V6, and FA-003/clones. I ask this because I've heard that the KRK's are "bass light" and having little to compare them to I'm not sure if what I'm hearing is what one would consider bass light or neutral. I just know that they're much, much lighter in bass than my m50s, which I know are known to have an emphasized bass. So if I did decide to eventually pick any of these up, I'd like to know how they compare.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Thanks (link pro too)
Im a pretty obsessive music collector, Most of my music is in flac, with 320k mp3 copies for pod use, although I have a lot of lower quality stuff as well I'm not expecting that to sound great on anything. I've been more into the collecting itself, and my hifi in the past and have a good system but with kids and junk I can't listen as much as I'd like, and I travel a lot for work so I'm getting into the phones world more and more. I almost never use cd's or vinyl since I've ripped it all.
I can plug in to my hifi which is onkyo receiver + pre amp, it should drive any can just fine I would think...but I don't wanna be stuck in my theatre room I'd rather be able to have a portable-ish system if possible (ie sit in bed or in front of my PC). Is there an add on to the e17 to jack the power or am I looking at a completely different setup?
In short, over time I'm willing to spend an almost arbitrary amount for a great setup. For now, I have 1k...save it? Buy a desktop amp first? Even better, a portable? Or are there cheaper cans that will sound a lot better than my current setup, using the e17 as it sits? I like the e17 but I've never had a DAC before so the difference is enormous to me at the moment...
Thanks a bunch guys the quick responses are appreciated

I'll start with a word on warning.  In my experience the headphone out of an Onkyo A/V receiver is very weak.  It probably won't adequately power an HD 650 and certainly won't drive most if not not all planars.  It's not like the 70's and 80's when receiver headphone jacks could power about anything you plugged in--and included 600 Ohm dynamic headphones.
 
If you want a quality and affordable portable amp that will drive almost anything except planars, the HeadRoom Total Airhead is still on sale for half price ($49.00):
 
http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/amplifiers/headroom-total-airhead.php
 
You should plan on getting a desk top amp at minimum and perhaps an amp/dac in either one piece (purchase) or two.  I'm old school and still do my serious music listening on CD & vinyl.  So for me, the amp alone is enough.  My guess is that you will end up with both (perhaps in a combo unit).  Good desktop equipment that will push planars starts at about $225 to $250 a pop.  Some (among many) examples are the Schiit Asgard amp & Bifrost dac, Matrix M Stage and Audio-gd NFB 12.1 (amp + dac).  What you select will greatly depend on how it pairs with the cans you ultimately buy.
 
With regard to cans--the HD 650 (and older more neutral) HD 600 are classics and still hold up very well.  Above them the best buy new is the HE-500.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Just a quick question, I'm wondering about the bass impact of the KRK 8400s compared to other headphones that are commonly labeled as "neutral" such as the Shure 840s, Sony MDR-V6, and FA-003/clones. I ask this because I've heard that the KRK's are "bass light" and having little to compare them to I'm not sure if what I'm hearing is what one would consider bass light or neutral. I just know that they're much, much lighter in bass than my m50s, which I know are known to have an emphasized bass. So if I did decide to eventually pick any of these up, I'd like to know how they compare.

Before Beats and the like came into prominence, bass, mids and treble were all measured by how close they could come to reproducing the sound put down on a quality music track--or a group of them.  Using this old and (mostly) objective standard the bass on the the 8400 is neutral or just less than neutral. 
 
The Shure has a mid bass hump.  So it is enhanced above neutral within that range.
 
The Brainwavz HM5 (one of the clones) is neutral--but its overall sound is not as clear and detailed as the other two.
 
The M50 has a "V" shaped EQ with emphasized bass and treble, but has recessed mids.  I hear it as a basshead lite can.  It has a similar EQ--although different sound--to the Beyer DT 770.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hi,
I used to have the Pioneer HDJ-2000 for a really long time until it got stolen a week ago. Now I want to get another pair of headset but not the same as my old cans. Any suggestions of what i can get that compares to Pioneer HDJ-2000 or better in terms of quality and price(willing to pay more if its worth it).
 
Thanks.

I have never hear it.  What was its sound signature? 
 
How hard was it to drive and what will you be driving your new can with?
 
Are you looking for another closed or closed DJ can, or are other options, including open cans, OK with you?
 
If you budget is different from about $240, tell us what it is.

 

[Techno Kid]

Sorry I should have posted here and not have made a new thread.
 
I've been all about IEM's and have had quite a few but now I'm looking for a good full size headphone and I really don't know much about full size cans at all.  The Denon AH-D7100, Sennheiser HD 700 or Grado PS1000 are 3 I was looking at and are all around $1000.  I'm open to suggestions but want to keep it under $1500.  I'm really not picky when it comes to sound signatures, as long as they're balanced (mids can be a little forward) detailed with a large soundstage that has good imaging and separation.  So if anyone has heard the 3 I've mentioned or has others in mind that might work for me please  let me know, thanks.

 

[strausd]

I don't know what the HD449 is like, but it will not be in the same league as teh other two cans. The comfort is pretty similar between the two cans so it's mainly personal preference. The DT770 will have more bass, but it is a bit boomy, with an amp it will get a bit tighter. The HD558 will have a more balanced bass that will come forward when amped. Both are great cans, but very different. The HD558 is a pretty friendly sound that will make most music sound good even it it was mastered poorly. The DT770 has a "fun" sound with more emphasis on the bass and treble. Either can may work for you, but the best thing would be to see if you can try out at least one. While this might not be possible, it would at least let you see if the one(s) you try feel and sound the way you want.

Thanks for the advice. As long as the bass on the HD 558 is still good, and by that I mean "accurate" then I'm pretty sure I will be fine as my music already puts bass above everything else. I have read on here at least twice that too much bass can lead to "fatigued listening sessions" or something like that. And I am starting to think that in addition to my headphones already being uncomfortable, maybe the added bass isn't helping...

So with that in mind, I am starting to lean towards the 558s. The only thing that I am worried about is that they are open and will have sound leakage. As far as I know, the 449s are closed which I have also heard can lead to more bass. And if they are in the same category when it comes to comfort, I am stuck between those two.

And I totally agree, trying them out somewhere would be ideal. Do you know of a common retail store that might have them?