[dhmcclain1]

Looking to buy my first pair of decent headphone. Budget is around 300 USD. My sound preference is balanced, nothing too forward.
I cannot abide sibilance and from my experience I don't like an overly bright sound. Despite some hearing loss, I seem to be sensitive to treble. I don't care for bass heavy saound either. Love a good midrange.
 
Not asking for much. Just perfection. For less than 300 USD.

Any suggestions? I have a pair of old, and cheap Sennheisers that sound bad in almost every way, except they do not have pronounced treble. Not sure they even have treble. LOL Very bassy, muddy, awful.
 
One more thing. Gotta be very comfortable as I tend towards longish listening sessions.
Thanks .

 

[serman005]

  Looking to buy my first pair of decent headphone. Budget is around 300 USD. My sound preference is balanced, nothing too forward.
I cannot abide sibilance and from my experience I don't like an overly bright sound. Despite some hearing loss, I seem to be sensitive to treble. I don't care for bass heavy saound either. Love a good midrange.
 
Not asking for much. Just perfection. For less than 300 USD.

Any suggestions? I have a pair of old, and cheap Sennheisers that sound bad in almost every way, except they do not have pronounced treble. Not sure they even have treble. LOL Very bassy, muddy, awful.
 
One more thing. Gotta be very comfortable as I tend towards longish listening sessions.
Thanks .

Open or closed?

 

[dhmcclain1]

Open or semiopen.  Isolation is not a factor. Will be used exclusively in my home setup.Been looking at Hifiman 400s, Fostex T50Rp MK3, Beyer DT880, Senn HD650. Not sure what else might fit my budget. Can't make up my mind. Think I have read too many reviews.

Thanks for any help. FWIW, my home rig seems to kinda smooth things out, at least my IEM's tend to be tamed down a bit, at least in the upper end. Makes me wonder if the Senns would be too warm. Also considered Fidelio X2 but I'm afraid they might be too bassy  Also, if it helps, my taste in music is varied, with the exception of rap/hiphop, EDM and I don't listen too classical much at all. Thanks again.

 

[Dulalala]

If you want balanced, maybe try looking at the HD600?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Looking to buy my first pair of decent headphone. Budget is around 300 USD. My sound preference is balanced, nothing too forward.
I cannot abide sibilance and from my experience I don't like an overly bright sound. Despite some hearing loss, I seem to be sensitive to treble. I don't care for bass heavy saound either. Love a good midrange.
 
Not asking for much. Just perfection. For less than 300 USD.

 
HD600
 

 
One more thing. Gotta be very comfortable as I tend towards longish listening sessions.

 
Look in the HD600 thread on how to loosen the clamp, but basically you have to bend the metal sections towards the opposite direction. This also manages the 3500hz peak.
 

 
Any suggestions? I have a pair of old, and cheap Sennheisers that sound bad in almost every way, except they do not have pronounced treble. Not sure they even have treble. LOL Very bassy, muddy, awful.

 
Let me guess - the HD201 or HD205? Those were made for amateur DJs.

 

[dhmcclain1]

Thanks very much. Are there any differences between the HD600 and the HD650? Can get the 650 about 70 bucks cheaper. But if the 600 is the better choice I'm willing to stretch the budget a bit.

 

[wdetterman]

  Thanks very much. Are there any differences between the HD600 and the HD650? Can get the 650 about 70 bucks cheaper. But if the 600 is the better choice I'm willing to stretch the budget a bit.

 
The HD650 is a newer, revised version of the HD600. In general, HD650 is supposed to have a warmer tone and a bit more bass than the HD600. I used to have an HD600, and I don't know if I would recommend it if you are sensitive to treble. For me, the highs on the HD600 were a bit loud, but were fine once I got used to them. 
 
I would recommend the AKG K7XX because the highs and bass aren't too much, and the mids are great. But they aren't currently available on Massdrop, so you might consider the AKG K702 which is supposed to be similar but with less bass than the K7XX.
 
Also, check out the HiFiMAN HE-400s. A friend of mine just bought a pair, and they sound terrific. 

 

[serman005]

   
The HD650 is a newer, revised version of the HD600. In general, HD650 is supposed to have a warmer tone and a bit more bass than the HD600. I used to have an HD600, and I don't know if I would recommend it if you are sensitive to treble. For me, the highs on the HD600 were a bit loud, but were fine once I got used to them. 
 
I would recommend the AKG K7XX because the highs and bass aren't too much, and the mids are great. But they aren't currently available on Massdrop, so you might consider the AKG K702 which is supposed to be similar but with less bass than the K7XX.
 
Also, check out the HiFiMAN HE-400s. A friend of mine just bought a pair, and they sound terrific. 

For me, the K7xx and the K702 sound a bit brighter than my HD600, which I would not characterize as bright or sibilant at all. It just goes to show that we all experience these things differently. For your list of requirements, I would say the HD600 is the better fit than the 650 (which I also own), but I feel confident you would also like the 650. Lastly, the HE400S is a very nice headphone (also own it)--glorious midrange and a gentle treble. A bit bass light unless you add the Focus A pads, which improve bass performance significantly.

 

[wdetterman]

  For me, the K7xx and the K702 sound a bit brighter than my HD600, which I would not characterize as bright or sibilant at all. It just goes to show that we all experience these things differently. For your list of requirements, I would say the HD600 is the better fit than the 650 (which I also own), but I feel confident you would also like the 650. Lastly, the HE400S is a very nice headphone (also own it)--glorious midrange and a gentle treble. A bit bass light unless you add the Focus A pads, which improve bass performance significantly.

​Well, I would agree that the K7XX sounds brighter than the HD600 does, but the HD600's treble seemed a little bit harsh for me. I like the warmer sound signature personally. Both are great headphones, and they deliver the highs in different ways.
 
Now that I think about it, the Monoprice Monolith M560 is comprable to the HE-400s and is $200. I've heard great things about it, and I will probably be buying either the M560 or the M1060 (if it comes back in stock) soon. Might be worth checking out.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Thanks very much. Are there any differences between the HD600 and the HD650? Can get the 650 about 70 bucks cheaper. But if the 600 is the better choice I'm willing to stretch the budget a bit.

 

I personally would get the HD650 - at 25hz it's still level with 1000hz, whereas the HD600 is already beginning to trail off below where 1000hz is by 45hz. Above 1000hz, the HD600 has a peak centered at 3500hz, whereas the HD650 is smoother.

 

 

 

However, in that same region the HD650 has a smoother curve but everything above 1000hz is weaker than everything below that. Coupled with the taller plateau in the bass region, it does have a tendency to seem dark and bass heavy by comparison.

 

In actual usage though when both headphones are on fresh earpads and headbands are loosened the response isn't as drastically different as other people make it seem. However, slap on worn pads on the HD650 without relaxing the clamp, and it will sound drastically different from an HD600 with fresh pads.

 

 

 

[dhmcclain1]

Wow, thanks to all for the replies. I know for some folks 300 bucks isn't a big deal. For me, because I'm a bit older and can tell the standard tales of when everything was almost free(LOL), it's a big expenditure. But having said that, I love listening to music, and I love that music to sound good. So, this is a big decision for me. I appreciate all the replies. I kind of lean toward a relaxed or I guess, darker, sound, as it seems alot of energy in the upper regions gets fatiguing. The dilemma for me is that I feel like I am missing something in the music. With IEM's I haven't found that holy grail of a detailed and revealing high end without the fatigue factor. Don't know if any of the recommendations you all have kindly given me fit that bill. Maybe I would have to spend alot more , don't know. Bad thing for me is there is nowhere near me where I can listen and compare. I am leaning towards the hifiman 400s and the Focus pads. A bit cheaper than the HD600, but a few bucks more than the 650. Dang. Like always the more I research, the harder it gets to make a decision.

I guess they each have a little something the others don't.
In any event thanks to all, and if there are any other suggestions please offer them up. I have by no means made a final decision,
and I get the feeling no matter which I choose I can't go horribly wrong.  Certainly all are a step up from the ones I have. They are so bad, I think I hid them. Can't find them anymore.LOL

 

[Monsterzero]

C'mon guys all these suggestions and nobody bothered to ask OP if he has an amp,and if so,which....

Pretty much every HP ive seen tossed around this thread needs an amp,some much more than others....Poor guy goes and drops a bunch of cash on a HD650 only to find his system doesnt push the midbass hump past the muddy stage....

So..To OP,what amp,if any, do you have?    

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  I kind of lean toward a relaxed or I guess, darker, sound, as it seems alot of energy in the upper regions gets fatiguing. The dilemma for me is that I feel like I am missing something in the music.

 

When you have a peak, even if the average volume is somewhere in the loud enough but still safe region, you still have a peak that emphasizes some part and if it's in the midrange-treble area, that will get fatiguing to listen to.

 

If you get anything that has a smooth enough upper midrange to treble region, barring a totally skewed bass response, you can always just increase the volume a little bit more. And avoid using an amp that deliberately warms up the sound (and don't use it for any  headphone either). So for example, use the HD650, but drive it with a Schiit Valhalla2, not a Little Dot MkII.

 

[dhmcclain1]

Thanks. Good advice. Of course, that probably means a new amp. But, bank account aside, new toys have their appeal.

Currently would be run through my Musical Fidelty DAC into my Yamaha receiver.Have been toying with the idea of a dedicated headphone amp, but that would be down the road alittle bit. No need for one unless I have the phones to plug into it, eh? I'm sure I will be looking for eecommendations for that at a later date.

 
 
Sooo, it seems like there are quite alot of used hifiman 400i and 400s for sale. Lots of "customer returns". Hardly any hd600 or hd 650 available used. Makes me think that Sennheiser night be the way to go.
Are there quality issues with the hifimans? Or other issues? Anybody know?
 
So, I found a pair of HE-400i for 240 bucks. Got them today. Guys, if the Sennheisers sound better than these, then my hat is off to Sennheiser. At first blush, the 400i is just what I was looking for. Granted, I need to spend more time with them, but I don't think that will be a problem.

  I will likely have to find other pads, tho. After a short time I got pretty warm. But the sound so far is pure bliss.
Thanks for all the recommendations, guys.