Hi folks! Time has come to think updating the headphones for current setup. Currently I'm using AKG K701s with Cambridge Audio Dacmagic and Musical Fidelity X-Can V8P. I have a feeling that something is missing in the sound - especially punch and excitement - and I guess that updating the headphones would make a difference. Do you have good recommendations for suitable headphones for my setup? Or should I update something else in my setup also? Thanks in advance!
Headphone recommendations for X-Can V8p and Dacmagic
Yes headphones do tend to make the biggest difference for me at least. Would also help if you could describe what type of sound signature you are looking for as in what is it you like and don’t like about your current headphones.
I tend to listen a lot of acoustic music, classical music and progressive rock. K701 lacks punch and excitement from my point of view. I need to crank the volume really high to get a sound I like. I guess that the sound profile of K701 is a bit too cold / midcentric for my taste, but I'm not sure if that is the main reason.
Let's say below 1000€. Chance is to increase the budget a bit if I need to update something else also.
ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
Grado RS1e and chances are no need to upgrade anything else unless there's noise (due to its higher sensitivity and low impedance).
Or it's a mix of too loose of a fit on your head, the relatively early bass roll off without having any sense of an upper bass plateau, as well as the X-Can having a relatively high output impedance.
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So very many potentially good options in this general price range. It's hard to know where to begin. Personally, for me, I do like the Ananda quite a bit. You might read about it and see what you think. It could be a possibility for you. The other one that has been on my mind a lot lately is the new Dan Clark Aeon 2 Open. As near as I can tell from a post Dan Clark Audio made a few days ago, the closed version is now shipping and the open one will start shipping in a couple of weeks. @jude has a cool video on the full-sized headphone forum right now that might be worth taking a look at. An Aeon 2 Open could also be a potential solution for you. I say this purely on the basis of past experience with Mr.Speakers, as I have yet to get my hands on an Aeon 2 Open. I do believe the overall quality of their prior products merits a good hard look at this new Aeon 2, though, FWIW. But that's just me and, of course, your mileage could vary.
Thanks for the recommendations! I'm a bit worried, how comfortable Grado RS1e is on a long run as it is not really an over-ear model. Do you have any own experience about it?
Ananda and Aeon look pretty interesting. I need to check those out.
Ananda and Aeon look pretty interesting. I need to check those out.
ProtegeManiac
Headphoneus Supremus
1. Bend the headband to reduce pressure on your earlobes.
2. Maybe put these on it.
http://www.headphile.com/page15.html
If you want something with "punch and excitement" over the K701, your options in terms of how effective it will be at getting you those:
1. Some amps with more power and current tend to offset the lower sensitivity and relatively low impedance of the K701. This assumes that your older but otherwise decent amp was fairly cranked up and is struggling by that point. X-Can might not be as good as newer amp designs but I'd still suspect it wasn't having enough of a problem.
2. HD650 has stronger bottom end and higher sensitivity, so assuming your amp doesn't nosedive at the output by 300ohms, it'll maintain a very musical, beat-emphasized performance. On some amps. Probably not that much with your X-Can.
3. Grado. You don't even need more than a DAP to get punch and excitement. And RS1i is the Gradoest Grado out there, the e-series isn't likely to have changed that much unless the GS500e is now the Gradoest Grado. Still lacks deep low end response but what upper bass it has tends to mask that and still has enough so the bass drum doesn't sound like a loud snare drum with a pillow in it. If anything the output impedance of the X-Can might be a problem on it almost as severely as on the K701, but at least a relatively affordable, modern, low output impedance hybrid amp (ie you have some option for tube rolling) is more than enough for it since, at 99dB/1mW you only need to get past 128mW to get it more than enough power. A decent portable amp like a Ray Samuels or ALO Continental can get you more than that.
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