[ultrasoneman65]

Hello, I'm looking for some good headphones around $300 ($400 max perhaps) that work best for classical and instrumental music. I know I made a really similar thread to this about a year ago, I don't remember, but at the time I just decided to stick with my M50's. I know there are a lot of classical genres out there, but I find myself more attracted towards the "epic" sounding material; I've been listening to a ton of movie soundtracks from stuff like the Dark Knight, Inception, Avengers, (and pretty much anything Hanz Zimmer), and I feel like it's time for an upgrade to bring out that music more.
 
I don't really know what to look for though, and I thought I may as well ask here. What kind of "defines" this genre? A strong mid-section, a neutral sound, or a more rich and fuller sound? I want to know so I can look into it a bit more,
 
Thanks a ton in advance.

 

[ultrasoneman65]

My bad for the double-post. Just thought Id' post some links to some of the music.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHFA_wEK_00
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGJGXMUhmc
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqRZ2_w56U0

 

[Sefelt103]

For Clasical music a fairly neutral/natural headphone without being too thick or thin sounding with good imaging and soundstage. Beyerdynamic DT660, AKG K701, Sennheiser HD598.

 

[pp312]

Beyer DT880.

 

[ultrasoneman65]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've never had the opportunity to try any of them though, so I was wondering if someone could compare them a bit. I guess the character I would want out of them is a fuller and overall more impactful sound that I guess sounds "bigger." For example, something that could really bring out the horns in the Avengers theme or the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack. 
 
Someone I spoke to said to consider slightly forward mid's and brighter treble. Would that be a good piece of advice to follow? Once again, thanks in advance.

 

[Sefelt103]

I guess the character I would want out of them is a fuller and overall more impactful sound that I guess sounds "bigger."

You probably wouldn't want the headphones suggested as they tend to be neutral with a balanced sound. You might prefer different headphones that have more colouration and less balance from Sony, Grado etc. The world of headphones is full of these types as they tend to be much more popular. You description reminded me of a media player I used to own, the Colorfly C4. It had a quite thick and full sound as well as some colouration of the sound. It also seemed to utilise DSP (Digital Sound Processing) which gave a 3D sound presentation that attempted to make intimate headphones a bit more open.

Someone I spoke to said to consider slightly forward mid's and brighter treble. Would that be a good piece of advice to follow? Once again, thanks in advance.

The Beyerdynamic DT880 has similar characteristics to this. However this headphone like the DT660 can be used as monitoring headphones and are too accurate to give the greater attack (impact) and fuller thicker sounding you mentioned earlier. The brighter treble is often a feature of these type of headphones as it brings out the detail in the music.

 

[ultrasoneman65]

Thanks for the replies guys; at this point I have eliminated a few options because I would really prefer to have closed headphones for portable use with an E11 or E17. I'm looking at the NAD Viso HP50, PSB M4U 1, and the Blue Mo-Fi. Can anyone go over their strengths and how they compare among each other?

 

[lltfdaniel]

Focal classic is what i would go for.

 

[ultrasoneman65]

Unfortunately, that does stretch my budget a bit too much. I am once again considering the DT 880 Pro's in addition to the three i mentioned. I originally thought the semi-open cans would not work, but some sources say that there is not much sound leakage, just less isolation which I do not mind (especially if it results in a $60 to $70 difference when compared to the others).

 

[ultrasoneman65]

Sorry for the bump; really looking forward to making a decision by tomorrow night.

 

[noway]

The AKG K550s are pretty cheap right now. I have a pair on order.

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K550-Closed-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B005CNR7B0/

 

[lltfdaniel]

Even though the k550 are one of those headphones that sound great i think the focals sound better with that great way.
 
You could have seal problem with the k550 thats all.

 

[ultrasoneman65]

Okay, so after talking with my friend for a bit, I decided to go ahead and get the Senn. Momentums which were selling at around $150 when I got them. I'm fine with the fact that they are not the best at classical, because I was also looking forward to having a portable closed pair of cans.
 
I really wanted to like these....a lot. But I seriously hate the earcups; they're just too small. Also, I would prefer to have a slightly more neutral sound with a bit more punchy bass. I didn't hear all those details I was looking forward to hearing with my music to be honest. So I'm back to phase 1 again; can anyone recommend any comfortable, neutral headphones that work well for classical right around 200 to 220 dollars?

 

[K_19]

Love my AKG K702/K701 for these genres. Get the Q701 if you'd like punchier bass as it's a safer bet as far as the bass is concerned, and it can generally be found cheaper than the K's. Humongous earcups, too. 

 

 

[ultrasoneman65]

My bad, I forgot to mention; I think I'm going to restrict myself to just closed-back headphones; I'll most likely be taking these with me when I travel.
 
Also, I am starting to notice that on a lot of songs and videos from youtube, the Momentums play certain sounds differently from earcup to earcup. For example on some videos, it plays background noise on one side and the people talking on another. Is this just poor youtube quality, or is there something I' m missing here?