[plateau]

For a long time I did audio engineering work for films, using my good old sennheiser 600's, which I also used at home for music. I sold them and spent the last two years traveling, haven't had any headphone during this time, just iem's. (which maybe have changed what i search for in headphones)

I've recently ordered and returned M1060c's (to try a planar for the first time), hd660s's, and dt1990's. I found them all very dry and non-immersive. I had more fun listening to my iems. -- At the same time a friend gave me the Beats Solo3's that he got free with his mac.. and I enjoyed listening to music more on those than any of the others. -- Something I never thought I'd say in a million years. The first beats were atrocious. -- But... I want a better version of them.

What in the ~$500 range has the excitement, punchiness, speed, and fun low end of that headphone, just with better sound quality and comfort? I don't want fake/exaggerated either, but i do want to feel the music rather than being detached from it. I don't care about the portability/bluetooth/openclosed aspect of it, just the sound.

Denon 7200's? Sony mdr7z? Fostex 610?

Anyone know what i'm looking for?

 

[serman005]

For a long time I did audio engineering work for films, using my good old sennheiser 600's, which I also used at home for music. I sold them and spent the last two years traveling, haven't had any headphone during this time, just iem's. (which maybe have changed what i search for in headphones)

I've recently ordered and returned M1060c's (to try a planar for the first time), hd660s's, and dt1990's. I found them all very dry and non-immersive. I had more fun listening to my iems. -- At the same time a friend gave me the Beats Solo3's that he got free with his mac.. and I enjoyed listening to music more on those than any of the others. -- Something I never thought I'd say in a million years. The first beats were atrocious. -- But... I want a better version of them.

What in the ~$500 range has the excitement, punchiness, speed, and fun low end of that headphone, just with better sound quality and comfort? I don't want fake/exaggerated either, but i do want to feel the music rather than being detached from it. I don't care about the portability/bluetooth/openclosed aspect of it, just the sound.

Denon 7200's? Sony mdr7z? Fostex 610?

Anyone know what i'm looking for?

Fostex/Dekoni Audio Blue = ++ fun

 

[Rhamnetin]

Fostex/Dekoni Audio Blue = ++ fun

This or Argon MK3 or ZMF Classic, and you have extra money for an amp if you need one.

 

[plateau]

i have a really nice amp still from owning the 600's.

is there anything significantly better in the price-point above these recommendations? i have $500-700 to spend if something is worth it.

thanks for the recs.

 

[Rhamnetin]

i have a really nice amp still from owning the 600's.

is there anything significantly better in the price-point above these recommendations? i have $500-700 to spend if something is worth it.

thanks for the recs.

ZMF Blackwood, or better yet a used ZMF Ori would be the next step up. Headphones don't get much more fun than the ZMF Ori, aside from super expensive headphones like the Stax SR-009 / SR-009S and Abyss Phi.

Also if you didn't know, all of these headphones I'm naming are heavily modded Fostex T50RP MK3's. The mods make all the difference in the world though, the stock one sucks in comparison. These all have deep, rumbling, thumping bass, nice linear mids, but I can only speak for the treble of the ZMF Blackwood and Ori which is better on the Ori but good on both with no real flaws (better treble than most non-electrostatic headphones I've used).

 

[ScareDe2]

$700, excitement, punchiness, speed, and fun low end, that sounds like a description about a planar LCD2 from Audeze. I do not recommend these though. Heavy on the neck and drivers failure problem.

I don't think the HD600 or DT1990 are the ultimate reference/monitor HP's. They lean in that direction. I am sure the best headphone was a game killer, cheap to made, and now discontinued. If I were you I would try to grab an HD250 Linear from Sennheiser. No need to spend more than $300 on an headphone.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

grown out of liking reference/monitor sound, best exciting buys ~$500?

Grado RS2e or used RS1e or RS1i.

For a long time I did audio engineering work for films, using my good old sennheiser 600's, which I also used at home for music. I sold them and spent the last two years traveling, haven't had any headphone during this time, just iem's. (which maybe have changed what i search for in headphones)

I've recently ordered and returned M1060c's (to try a planar for the first time), hd660s's, and dt1990's. I found them all very dry and non-immersive. I had more fun listening to my iems.

What amp have you been using? I'm using mine with a Meier Corda Cantate.2 and the percussion pops out almost as well as Grado (just without getting totally in your face with cymbals smack right by the ear canals); Brainwavz HM5 angled earpads also enhance the low end (and EQ trims the 3500hz peak) so the bass drums and even the toms sound deeper than Prestige-series Grados. "Flat(ter)" response isn't automatically boring in the same sense that the jagged response on the SR and older PS series isn't all that makes that happen. Part of that is how loud you're listening without distortion, which is just easier to do at higher volume with higher sensitivity, lower impedance headphones like Grados, and would otherwise require more power on other headphones (like driving a 93dB/1mW K702 with a Burson Soloist).

Same thing is true with most IEMs as they have high sensitivity, and if you've been using BA drivers, they're less susceptible to distorting due to lower damping factor when used on high output impedance sources/consoles/interfaces/stagemonitoring kits/etc.

What in the ~$500 range has the excitement, punchiness, speed, and fun low end of that headphone, just with better sound quality and comfort? I don't want fake/exaggerated either, but i do want to feel the music rather than being detached from it. I don't care about the portability/bluetooth/openclosed aspect of it, just the sound.

Denon 7200's? Sony mdr7z? Fostex 610?

Anyone know what i'm looking for?

Grado RS2e, or better, just save up for the RS1e. Maybe do the sock mod, or try either with Beyer pads.
https://www.headphile.com/page15.html

Or just save up for these with RS2e or RS1e drivers.
https://www.headphile.com/page13.html

At the same time a friend gave me the Beats Solo3's that he got free with his mac.. and I enjoyed listening to music more on those than any of the others. -- Something I never thought I'd say in a million years. The first beats were atrocious. -- But... I want a better version of them.

https://www.headphile.com/page13.html

 

[Rhamnetin]

The LCD-2 also doesn't really have "speed" due to its more laid back treble recession. The reason I can't recommend it however is due to upper mid/lower treble recession, which ruins all the realism for vocals and many instruments.

 

[squee116]

Fostex THx00/EMU Teak are good fun, agree on the T50rp and mods, I think the LCD2c is good fun. Hifiman can be good fun too, but the build issues with those are well documented, as well as some civil impropriety on the part of the owner. The Elex may fit this bill too. On the budget side, maybe the 1more triple driver overears? The only possible scenario where the Beats come out ahead of the Senn HD660s, given my hearing memory, is if you like a BIG bass boost in your music. And if you want bass cannons, that's another thing entirely.