[juman231]

Hello Head-fi
 
I actually have a thread on IEM's under $200 as well, but if I find a headphone that fits my needs, I think I am more willing to...
 
Currently, I have ath-m50 from audio technica. I love everything about it except for the small soundstage. I liked how the headphone positioned me right in the middle music but I want the option of hearing my music off of the soundstage now.
 
And from my brief research, this is exactly what a open air headphones excel in (at least soundstage-wise), so that's why I'm here asking for your advises... But if you guys know of a headphone that excels in soundstage and is closed/semi-open, I am also open to suggestions.
 
Sound-wise, I'd like the headphone to be similar to the m50, but I think it'll be a neat experience to get a headphone with slightly warmer feel than the m50. Also, I really like the bass of m50, so I really don't want to lose it. Recently, I decided to listen to some daft punk and the rumbling bass that I could FEEL was great! which makes me more desperate to keep the bass. I don't know if open headphones are able to do this?
 
Lastly, I don't think I have money to buy a decent amp (i'd rather buy a good one the first time rather than buying a cheaper mediocre one and buying a better one later), so, I'd prefer headphones that sounds good without amps. I'll be using my cowon J3 to drive them. I read somewhere it can drive headphones with >100 ohms, but i don't know if that's true...So preferably under 100 ohm.
 
Thank you for your suggestions. And sorry about my pickiness! (ahh it's been only a week since I signed up to head-fi and I'm already convinced to buy a new headphone!!!)

 

[juman231]

..

 

[sumathias]

Well I would recommend the Sennheiser HD600 for a warmer presentation. Its open backed as well, and the sound stage is good. And it isn't very hard to drive, though an amp helps.
 
Its a tad above $200 though, but not past $300. I wouldn't limit myself to such a budget if I already have the m50s, as I prefer to upgrade in bigger jumps. But that's just me

 

[juman231]

Haha, actually, I thought about upgrading from my ath-m50 but if I buy a headphone with high impedance, I would definitely want to buy an amp and dac as some may suggest. I wouldn't want to buy such a high-end headphone, and not hear what I was meant to hear. And I don't have enough money to afford a high-end headphones, dac, and an amp -0-

 

[juman231]

Actually, screw it(hopefully this doesn't count as cursing?). I really like the hd600 -_-. What amp do you think I should buy? and would I need a dac? Is the bass good?
 

 

[Armaegis]

Do you want the headphones/amp to be portable, or will it strictly be for home use? This greatly affects what kind of gear you'll be looking at. Since you're considering the 600, I'll assume you're looking at home use.
 
I always like to suggest to people to try and get their hands on a vintage Sextett. It needs an amp behind it, but it's one of the biggest eye openers for its price. It doesn't really sound like the M50, but it certainly has a nice warm tone, rich mids, and a great soundstage.
 
In terms of extra gear, worry about your DAC last. Get the cans, then a decent amp (or a dac/amp combo).

 

[juman231]

It will definitely used at home. 
 
Also, by vintage sextett, do you mean the AKG K240? It was the only one I could find with the name. There's a lot of positive reviews, but if i'm going to buy my second headphone, i want it to be a definite upgrade like the hd600. Plus, many of the critics of akg k240 seems to to point to hd600 so, why not? So far, I think the only negatives for hd600 consist of needing an amplifier for sure for it to reach full potential.
 
How much money do I need to get a decent amplifier? Can you recommend me some?  
 
Also, to be honest, I don't know what DAC's effect on music is. I read what it does, from digital to analogous output and etc, but I don't know what it does to the music. Can you explain?
 
Before using this much of money, I'd really like to try them... How do I find out when and where head-fi will be having a meet?

 

[Armaegis]

The Sextett is a vintage K240, which is very different from the modern K240. The Sextett has 6 diffusers which help radiate the bass (for lack of a more technical description) and give it a much deeper feel and more depth and soundstage. I've had both the M50 and the HD600 (and auditioned the 650), and much prefer the Sextett over them. However, the Sextetts need an amp even moreso than the HD600.
 
The amp that I use right now is a Bottlehead Crack (with Speedball upgrade coming in the mail soon), but it's a DIY kit. It pairs very well with Sennheisers and my Sextett, and just about any high impedance cans I throw at it. It doesn't work as well for low impedance cans though. In your case, I'd probably look at a simple solid state or tube hybrid amp to drive both your M50 and whatever heavy can you get next. If you'll be listening at a computer, then consider getting one with a built in DAC. Your options here are quite frankly huge, so setting a budget first is good. In my experience, $200-300 is a good point before you start feeling diminishing returns. Or if you have a spare one laying around, just plug into a receiver to power all your headphone needs.
 
A dac is basically a chip that converts the digital information into an analog signal (and this analog signal is then fed into an amplifier so that you can properly drive speakers/headphones). More expensive dacs in theory do this conversion better. For the most part though, it's only a very marginal improvement compared to upgrading your headphones and amp first.

 

[juman231]

 
 
Also, do you also think hd600 has some recessed treble? 

 

[Riku540]

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the Beyerdynamic DT990 yet? The 250 ohm is $179 on Amazon and probably has the best sub $300 open headphone bass.
 
You will need an amp eventually but if you plan to buy one when you can afford it I think you'll survive in the meantime. The FiiO E7/E9 combo is not just the best bang for the buck, but ridiculously powerful I-can't-believe-this-only-costs-$200 combo.

 

[juman231]

Will this one give me the rumbling bass that I can feel? Man, I fell in love with this rumbling-ness after I listened to daft punk's new album for tron legacy. I think the track was called "armory." I felt like my m50 was unable to reach the bottom the producers intended.. although it went pretty low...Just a quick question. Would my headphone's ability to go lower, to give me the rumble be improved with an amplifier? 
 

 

[juman231]

Quote:

Why hasn't anyone mentioned the Beyerdynamic DT990 yet? The 250 ohm is $179 on Amazon and probably has the best sub $300 open headphone bass.
 
You will need an amp eventually but if you plan to buy one when you can afford it I think you'll survive in the meantime. The FiiO E7/E9 combo is not just the best bang for the buck, but ridiculously powerful I-can't-believe-this-only-costs-$200 combo.

Are you talking about the Premium ones, or the Pro ones? I see two types when I searched it up on amazon.

 

[Riku540]

The DT990 is outstanding in the bass category especially for an open headphone. The soundstage is nice and airy.
 
An amplifier will greatly improve headphones like the DT990 but regardless of ohm rating, amplification will give you more impact, depth, texture and tightness in bass, alongside with improvements throughout the entire spectrum.

 

[Elanzer]

 
DT990 definitely has bass you can feel, and well above average soundstage, given that it's an open end headphone. Having both, the DT990 has much better bass in the way that it stretches deeper and it's much more controlled than the M50. They're very good for bass dependant music like Daft Punk.
 
Between the 32/250/600 ohm versions, I wouldn't recommend using anything besides 32-Ohm without an amp.

 

[Riku540]

Quote:

Are you talking about the Premium ones, or the Pro ones? I see two types when I searched it up on amazon.

You want the premium. Looks like it just went temporarily out of stock.