Headphone Suggestions (~$2K) (Great treble)
Feb 6, 2023 at 7:25 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7

CT007

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Looking for a headphone to try that's around $2K or less.
  • Top notch treble, that's accurate, extended, airy, and smooth/non-fatiguing.
  • Open-back with wide open, natural, impressive spatial performance.
  • As good & strong of bass as possible, with decent overall warmth.
  • (Angled dynamic drivers seem to show good results)
If such headphone(s) only exist above this price, what are they?

Thanks! :)
 
Feb 6, 2023 at 10:41 PM Post #2 of 7
If you equalize the HE6se you can get them like that. They have swivel cups so they fit great. I have the A90d and it handles them with power. To do an autoeq profile with -6db premp reduction or even -4 on those you'll be in high gain in no time depending on recordings.
They aren't light but they are comfy. Very resolving and smooth, the bass comes out to play with a good eq profile. The Arya has forward upper mids and I used the he6se all the time when I had them both.
 
Feb 6, 2023 at 11:10 PM Post #3 of 7
Ah. I am not a fan of my HE6seV2 lol. It's gonna be in my next yardsale, with FD7. A strong left/right presence, but not much frontal depth, and that annoying HFM treble peak. I am wondering if Atrium is what I'm looking for...

Atrium vs HE1000V2?
 
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Feb 7, 2023 at 11:27 AM Post #4 of 7
Audio-Technica ADX5000 could be the ticket for you.
 
Feb 9, 2023 at 10:58 PM Post #5 of 7
I believe you might enjoy these:
https://hifiman.com/products/detail/267

Yes, they are at the upper limit of your price range, but they fit ALL of your criteria. The treble is open, airy, defined, but NOT fatiguing. The sound stage is WIDE and the instrument locations are stable and well defined. The vocals (both male and female) are sublime, as in wonderfully smooth and articulate. The bass goes deep and has good body, but with not as much detail as others.

My second recommendation would be these:
https://hifiman.com/products/detail/312

Again, treble is amazingly open and airy, with excellent sound stage that is wide and well defined. These are a newer model than the above (He1000v2), and the bass on these is a little better as far as detail goes, but not as much bass.

Now, here's the deal, I tried both above headphones (Arya v3 first, the the HE1000V2 later), and really liked them both, but ended up with a pair of Audeze LCD-4 headphones, so why am I recommending the Hifiman phones? .

First I LOVE the LCD-4 phones, they just work for me, but they also require a LOT of equalization to get there, and they still don't have the top end air and resolution of either of the Hifiman phones. And yes, I do miss that, but, the LCD-4 headphones have BASS that is both plentiful AND extremely detailed, and (when Equed) a wonderful midrange and vocal presentation. However I know that I'm missing some of the treble details of the He1000V2 or AryaV3. It's a tradeoff that works for me. I've been playing standup and electric bass for over 50 years, so that's VERY important to me, and the LCD-4 gives me what I need.

Of the 2 Hifiman models, the HE1000v2, has the best non-fatiguing treble, with simply outstanding midrange/vocals and near perfect instrument presentation (with no EQ), while I found the AryaV3 to be just a bit aggressive and tiring occasionally in the treble. And, while the HE1000V2 had more bass, the quality of the bass, the texture and detail, and depth, was better on the AryaV3. Personally, if I had to choose between the 2, it would be the HE1000V2, with midrange and treble nearly perfect, and very good bass.

Here's what's nice, you can try out either one for 30 days and get a full refund if you don't like them, and when I got mine from the Hifiman Store, there was no added sales tax (not sure if that's a state by state thing or not).

Anyway, I hope that helps. Good luck on your journey. Do spend some time reading these forums before spending any money, as there is a LOT of good information here and helpful folks. Just remember that we all have our own biases and expectations, plus, we all tend to hear things a bit differently, so just make sure you have a good return policy when you try something out.

EDIT: By the way, I auditioned all these using my Topping D30Pro into the Topping A30Pro, so very similar to your setup : )
 
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Feb 10, 2023 at 1:09 AM Post #6 of 7
HE1000V2 had more bass, the quality of the bass, the texture and detail, and depth, was better on the AryaV3
Oh... That is sad :frowning2:

Great info, man! TYVM. For now, I have an XTC Open on the way. All of the compromises one must deal with, even at $2000, is just sad.
 

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