[gamingdave]

I am currently looking for some new headphones to use in the house, as an upgrade to my current setup. Duties will be split between music and films, with some (non competitive) gaming. Primarily I am looking at open backs, though if I ended up with closed backs they might get used once a month on a long train journey (8 hours round trip) I do for work.
 
I currently own a pair of (10 year old) Sennheiser HD 595, Sennheiser Amperior (my goto out and about headphones), and AKG 551 which I use in the office (inline mic handy for Skype). The 595 are my normal late night headphone, though some music I may prefer the Amperior. 
 
Previously these have been powered either via an AV receiver (Yamaha RXV-3800) or a Fiio E07k, however I now have an Oppo HA-2 which I will use in and out the house either with an HTC One M8, or a PC.
 
I listen to a range of music including rock (all sorts), blues, country (Cash, Nelson and Jennings), soul, hip-hop and drum and bass with a bit of classical. I don’t listen to jazz or many female vocalists (with the exception of vintage soul like Motown and Stax) and don’t really listen to any pop, and no modern R&B (to me R&B is Dr. Feelgood, Tom Jones and Otis Redding). I also like film scores, and as said, will be using them for watching films also.
 
Some listening is done via high quality Spotify but a great deal is from my own rips which are mostly FLAC, some 320kps MP3, and the odd high resolution download.
 
I’ll say now I do love my bass, but only in a controlled way. In my home cinema setup I have a 500W Monolith+ sub, but it is well balanced in the system and not used to be dominate the overall sound, rather just to add really well controlled low frequencies with plenty of punch. I tend to like listening to music as intended but when listening on the move I have been known to slightly boost bass and treble to suit and give a bit more of a “fun” sound. I don’t want bass for the sake of it though and wouldn’t want it to either dominate to the detriment of other frequencies or come at a cost (too boomy or too slow). One thing I do appreciate is a decent soundstage.
 
Whilst the 595 do sound nice, and are super comfortable, bass is one thing they have always lacked, at least deep bass. When watching films it is especially noticeable. Obviously I want to see improvements across the board, but that is one area I want to hear a marked improvement. 
 
I am more interested in enjoying the music, and having long sessions, than being super critical of the music, so I guess you could say I was after something both fun and engaging, whilst also not being fatiguing. At the price I am looking though hopefully all will represent the original recording well. If anything I suppose I prefer a very slight V shape to totally neutral but I don't want too much colouration.
 
Having spent the last couple of weeks looking at a lot of reviews online and reading a lot on here I have narrowed it down to a few choices and would really appreciate any input. Here is my list with a summary from what I can gleam on here, and UK prices.
 
Sennheiser HD 650 - £225. Seems the logical progression up from the 595. Some prefer the 600, but consensus seems to be the 650 has a little more bass which makes me think they may suit me more. The price difference is also negligible in the UK at the moment, all of £6.
 
HIFIMAN HE-400i - £360. From all the reviews, sound like a headphone I would really enjoy. Top end of my budget though.
 
HIFIMAN HE-400s - £220. Sound very good for the money, but slightly lacking in bass (though changing the pads can improve it a bit). A step bellow the 400i, but 2/3rds of the price.
 
Philips X2 Fidelio - £300. These were one of my favourites from reading reviews, but having read the threads about the more recent versions and the quality control issues I have been put off them. I know Amazon have a good return policy, but I am reluctant to have to try several pairs before I get a good one.
 
Considering the Oppo PM-3 (£350) which would give me the option to use on the long train journey, but not sure they would be the best use of money for indoors (which will be 95% of use).
 
Out of those a few questions.
 
Will the Oppo HA-2 do them justice? How much of their potential will be realised? (I wont be looking to upgrade the Oppo in a hurry).
 
If you have heard more than one of these pairs, how would you compare them for fun, neutrality and overall comfort for longer sessions?
 
Compared to the 595, how much of a step up will each pair be, and how much more (controlled) bass will they have?
 
And specifically for the HIFIMAN, are the 400i that much better than the 400s, especially considering the price difference?
 
Anything else to recommend which can be had sub £400, ideally under £300, in the UK?
 
Cheers
 
Dave


 

 

[varzyl]

I'm in the same spot as you.
 
For those prices, I'd lean more on the HD650 (if you prefer warmth and some more body in the low end), or 400s (with the pad mod).
 
Right now, I wouldn't pay more than €250 on a Fidelio X2, and only through Amazon.. It's quite a gamble ATM. I'll probably wait until the situation is handled by Gibson's QC.
 
Best thing you could do is try as many headphones as you can by yourself.
 
If you can't find any samples in Hi Fi stores near you, you could order the 2-3 you selected through Amazon, evaluate them for a couple weeks, and then decide! You need some liquidity on your bank account though for those weeks, but if you have it it's well worth (and you end up with losing just 5-10€ € on return fees)

 

[Mr Rick]

I own them all, but if I could only have one it would be the HE 400I

 

[gamingdave]

  I own them all, but if I could only have one it would be the HE 400I

 
Hi Mr Rick, what is it you like best about the 400i?
 
Could you rank the pairs I picked for:
 

1. Comfort
2. Ease of listening (as in least fatiguing for longer sessions)
3. Bass (both extension and control)
4. "Fun" sound
5. Neutrality

 
Trying thing in store is tricky, there aren't many good places around. I could do the multiple order from Amazon, but don't really want to take the p**s too much.
 
varzyl, I agree on the X2, its a real shame they have such a QC issue at the moment, else I may have already bought them.

 

[Mr Rick]

   
Hi Mr Rick, what is it you like best about the 400i?
 
Could you rank the pairs I picked for:
 

1. Comfort
2. Ease of listening (as in least fatiguing for longer sessions)
3. Bass (both extension and control)
4. "Fun" sound
5. Neutrality

 
Trying thing in store is tricky, there aren't many good places around. I could do the multiple order from Amazon, but don't really want to take the p**s too much.
 
varzyl, I agree on the X2, its a real shame they have such a QC issue at the moment, else I may have already bought them.

I would choose the HE400I because I like the sound of planers. YMMV.   To me the 400I has a bit better bass then the 400S. The X2s are great for some genres but are bass heavy on others. All three are more comfortable then the HD650. I really like the suspension systems of the 400I, 400S and X2. I can wear them for hours. The HD650s are just not that comfortable on me, and I have tried to adjust them.  I really have no opinion on neutrality. I use an EQ.

 

[spdtdl]

  I own them all, but if I could only have one it would be the HE 400I

 
+1

 

[kid vic]

I really like my HE-500's and think you'll be better served buying what you want from the jump as opposed to yearning for an upgrade the whole way through. 
 
+1 HE-400i

 

[gamingdave]

  I really like my HE-500's and think you'll be better served buying what you want from the jump as opposed to yearning for an upgrade the whole way through. 
 
+1 HE-400i

 
Looks like the 400i are definitely on the list then. If UK price difference is taken into account, £360 vs £220, would you still recommend them as such an upgrade over the 400s?
 
The 650 are still very tempting, but I am wondering how well they will sound from the Oppo H-A2.
 
Anyone have any experience with the 400i and 650 with the Oppo or a similarly rated amp?

 

[fjrabon]

   
Hi Mr Rick, what is it you like best about the 400i?
 
Could you rank the pairs I picked for:
 

1. Comfort
2. Ease of listening (as in least fatiguing for longer sessions)
3. Bass (both extension and control)
4. "Fun" sound
5. Neutrality

 
Trying thing in store is tricky, there aren't many good places around. I could do the multiple order from Amazon, but don't really want to take the p**s too much.
 
varzyl, I agree on the X2, its a real shame they have such a QC issue at the moment, else I may have already bought them.

Comfort: HE400i=HE400s=X2 >>> HD650=HD600
Least fatiguing: HD650 > HE400i > X2 >> HD600 > HE400s
Bass quantity: X2 > HE400i = HD650 >> HE400s > HD600
Bass extension and control: HE400i > HD650 > HD600 > X2 >HE400s
Fun sound: HE400i > X2 > HD650 > HE400s >> HD600
Neutrality: HD650 > HE400i = HD600 > HE400s >>>>>> X2

 

[gamingdave]

Thanks fjrabon
 
I think the 400i are edging it at the moment, but with the X2 now back down to £225 it puts them at the same price as the 650, and the 400i are £360, so quite a step up price wise.

 

[kid vic]

   
Looks like the 400i are definitely on the list then. If UK price difference is taken into account, £360 vs £220, would you still recommend them as such an upgrade over the 400s?
 
The 650 are still very tempting, but I am wondering how well they will sound from the Oppo H-A2.
 
Anyone have any experience with the 400i and 650 with the Oppo or a similarly rated amp?

I haven't heard either of them (actually had a chance today but completely forgot about this thread) but your better of buying the one you want from the jump as opposed to constantly upgrading or upgrading later and trying to sell what you have. 

 

[gamingdave]

  I haven't heard either of them (actually had a chance today but completely forgot about this thread) but your better of buying the one you want from the jump as opposed to constantly upgrading or upgrading later and trying to sell what you have. 

 
That's definitely the plan. Happy to spend a bit more to get the best set within budget at this time. I look after things and expect this pair to last a long time. Not saying I won't buy any other headphones in the next few years, but they would have to offer something substantially different, and I would suspect the next pair would be high end closed backs to offer an alternative to my Amperioirs when traveling.
 
Just looked on Amazon and the X2 have dropped again. X2 - £200, 650 - £225, 400i - £360.
 
That's quite a difference, with the Hifiman almost double the Phillips, making the X2 more tempting again.

 

[kid vic]

   
That's definitely the plan. Happy to spend a bit more to get the best set within budget at this time. I look after things and expect this pair to last a long time. Not saying I won't buy any other headphones in the next few years, but they would have to offer something substantially different, and I would suspect the next pair would be high end closed backs to offer an alternative to my Amperioirs when traveling.
 
Just looked on Amazon and the X2 have dropped again. X2 - £200, 650 - £225, 400i - £360.
 
That's quite a difference, with the Hifiman almost double the Phillips, making the X2 more tempting again.

As they say the choice is yours