HD800 fan looking for cheap closed backs mainly for classical at the office

[David M H]

For home listening I use & enjoy: FLACs -> JRiver -> Chord 2Qute -> Trilogy 931 -> HD800.

I mainly listen to classical music; lots of violin as I play too. I do listen to rock too. I actually enjoy the 6kHz peak of the HD800.

I now need a pair of cheap, closed back, wired, over ear headphones for office use. A cheap setup: JRiver will feed FLACs into a PCM5102 DAC then into an old Cyrus integrated amp with a headphone output. I want as much clarity, detail and high end (violin screech!) as I can get for approx. £150. Looks & portability are not important, just best sound/pound.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Me x3]

Check the Beyerdynamic DT660

Headphone #42 here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared.634201/

 

[serman005]

SoundMAGIC HP151 is the best value in this price range in my opinion. Mostly neutral with a subtle v shape that may give you the high end you are enjoying with your HD800. Note that this is the updated and new version of the prior HP150, which you do not want. You want the new one. AKG K550/553 is also a nice option given your music interests. amazon uk has the K550 Mk II for a hair under 150 gbp, The HP151 are 119.99 gbp, also on amazon uk. Good luck.

 

[yage]

Try the Sony MDR-7506.

 

[yong_shun]

Try the Sony MDR-7506.

I think this is a good choice!

 

[David M H]

Thanks very much for all the good advice.

Unfortunately, I couldn't easily source Beyerdynamic DT660, so I've only auditioned Soundmagic HP151 at £120 and Sony MDR-7506 at £90. Maybe I should've auditioned the DT770.

For £90, the Sony MDR-7506 has a great sound for classical music, a great recommendation for me. However, I found them uncomfortable and the sound became noticeably congested during full orchestral passages. Having said that, even my HD800 can struggle with some huge orchestral sounds. At £90, these are impressive headphones.

By contrast, the Soundmagic HP151 are supremely comfy, with a lovely balanced, open sound. Noise isolation is exceptional; great for the office. Unfortunately, on Britten's violin concerto (Steinbacher) and Bach's Partitas (Gluzman) they didn't seem to portray the 'grit' of the violin quite as well as the Sony but after a few days I decided to just live with that. Compromises.

The HP151 just ticked a few more boxes for me. I was tempted to keep both sets but just occasionally sanity has to prevail.

Great forum.

 

[bzippy]

Just in case you're still kinda looking . . .

I recently got a set of NAD Viso HP50 and I think they'd work really well for you. Very flat/neutral/natural balance with great high end clarity & detail, without being too bright or harsh. Ultimately I had to return them because they didn't fit me. I have a pretty small head and at the smallest setting the cups didn't seal all the way around my ears. If they fit you, I think you'd really like them. At least one Amazon seller has them for about $130-160 right now, depending on color.

I'll add that even if they did fit me I probably would not have kept them because I was also looking for a bit more low end. As a reference point, the Senn 600's are my main set and I really like them, but I usually have to engage a little bass boost to get the sound I'm after. The low end on the NAD's have about the same low end level as the 600's I'd say. I was just looking for a set of closed backs that did not need any EQ to meet my needs.

 

[IkSak]

Just in case you're still kinda looking . . .

I recently got a set of NAD Viso HP50 and I think they'd work really well for you. Very flat/neutral/natural balance with great high end clarity & detail, without being too bright or harsh. Ultimately I had to return them because they didn't fit me. I have a pretty small head and at the smallest setting the cups didn't seal all the way around my ears. If they fit you, I think you'd really like them. At least one Amazon seller has them for about $130-160 right now, depending on color.

I'll add that even if they did fit me I probably would not have kept them because I was also looking for a bit more low end. As a reference point, the Senn 600's are my main set and I really like them, but I usually have to engage a little bass boost to get the sound I'm after. The low end on the NAD's have about the same low end level as the 600's I'd say. I was just looking for a set of closed backs that did not need any EQ to meet my needs.

I second this idea. I also love classic music and I have the HP50 and they're pretty good for office use. They are very neutral and they offer a nice representation of classic