[Yanto]

You might be interested in this thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-headphones-for-classical-music.870956/

Thanks. Was an interesting read. I’ve jumped from wanting Sennheiser HD600 to HD6XX to Audio Technica ATH R70X to Hifiman Sundara and back to AKG K702! I’ve totally confused myself

 

[Terriero]

Thanks. Was an interesting read. I’ve jumped from wanting Sennheiser HD600 to HD6XX to Audio Technica ATH R70X to Hifiman Sundara and back to AKG K702! I’ve totally confused myself

Yes, I felt the same... it's like how I feel sometimes here: "from the forum to the mad house"....

Find a good pair of headphones for classical, whatever you decide, and then leave the forum, it's the only way!

 

[Yanto]

Yes, I felt the same... it's like how I feel sometimes here: "from the forum to the mad house"....

Find a good pair of headphones for classical, whatever you decide, and then leave the forum, it's the only way!

That’s no fun though!
Better for the bank balance and sanity though!

 

[jonathan c]

Find a good pair of headphones for classical, whatever you decide, and then leave the forum, it's the only way!

…Except that being in / reading Head-Fi == standing before the Mirror of Erised (in Harry Potter).

 

[homeros8000]

Just wanted to share those album covers of composers using HD 600

 

[Jony Garnard]

I’m actually using Grado SR325x now.
I do like them but I just can’t decide if they are 100% right for me

They are really very good!

 

[Yanto]

They are really very good!

I do agree. Enjoying them very much.

 

[Yanto]

Apologies in advance for bringing this back up. I’m still researching my options. As of now these would be my main ‘contenders’ and the best prices available for each one. In no particular order :-
Audio Technica ATH R70X - £199
AKG K702 - £140
Sennheiser HD600 £279
Hifiman Sundara £245
Sennheiser HD6XX £237 inc import taxes.
Would these prices influence you to prefer any one particular model please, bearing in mind the usage (classical music in all forms apart from opera), and that they will be driven by IFi Zen DAC v2 and Zen Can stack.
Thanks again

 

[Sefelt103]

How about AKG K612 PRO or Beyerdynamic DT880 if you don't mind bright for cheap. I thought Audi Technica 's ATH R70X was £281.

 

[Yanto]

How about AKG K612 PRO or Beyerdynamic DT880 if you don't mind bright for cheap. I thought Audi Technica 's ATH R70X was £281.

The R70X were out of stock everywhere here so would have to have imported them. Now one retailer here has stock again. So the price is a lot lower.
I read that 612 Pro is basically ‘dead neutral’ but boring? I don’t know. I have very little experience. If you’re saying that they are a good option that’s great. They are £183 here and in stock.
Everything I read about Beyerdynamic says overly bright. I don’t want anything brighter than my Grado’s. DT880 are £210

 

[Sefelt103]

The AKG 612 PRO, K702 and DT880 like pretty much every headphone will have similar but unique sound signatures from what I've read and heard these three fall into the bright diffuse field category which is often recommended for jazz and classical music. The brightness supposedly being irrelevant for these genres as opposed to badly mastered popular music in which these type of headphone can be painful to listen to. I don't listen to classical and am also not an adherent to different headphones for different genres. The AKG 612 PRO does seem a bargain in the UK, the lowest I could find it was at £109. The new Sennheiser HD560S could also fit the bill and is also relatively inexpensive.

I’ve totally confused myself

Selection of headphones is often confusing and very difficult to obtain what you're searching for. Going to a store (never mind mail order) doesn't help that much. You'll only know a headphone after quite a while with them.

I read that 612 Pro is basically ‘dead neutral’ but boring? I don’t know. I have very little experience.

Most of my headphones except perhaps the HD650 might be considered 'boring'. It's an inverted compliment and any headphone or speaker that wants to deliver high quality must lean toward boredom to some extent. Recording quality relates a lot to this.

 

[Yanto]

The AKG 612 PRO, K702 and DT880 like pretty much every headphone will have similar but unique sound signatures from what I've read and heard these three fall into the bright diffuse field category which is often recommended for jazz and classical music. The brightness supposedly being irrelevant for these genres as opposed to badly mastered popular music in which these type of headphone can be painful to listen to. I don't listen to classical and am also not an adherent to different headphones for different genres. The AKG 612 PRO does seem a bargain in the UK, the lowest I could find it was at £109. The new Sennheiser HD560S could also fit the bill and is also relatively inexpensive.

Selection of headphones is often confusing and very difficult to obtain what you're searching for. Going to a store (never mind mail order) doesn't help that much. You'll only know a headphone after quite a while with them.

Most of my headphones except perhaps the HD650 might be considered 'boring'. It's an inverted compliment and any headphone or speaker that wants to deliver high quality must lean toward boredom to some extent. Recording quality relates a lot to this.

Very helpful thanks.
AKG are relatively expensive here actually. The price I quoted for the K702 was buying them from Amazon Uk and paying shipping plus import taxes and is still a lot cheaper than buying here.
Yes I have read that brighter headphones can be especially good for genres such as classical. My Grado’s are considered bright but I find them fine.
Funnily enough I looked for Sennheiser HD560S yesterday. Only available in one online shop at £200. Saw some very good reviews.
Although I said I’d heard that the K612 Pro was neutral but maybe boring, I think I’d prefer a relatively uncoloured sound anyway so I wouldn’t rule anything out that is similar.

 

[Sefelt103]

I've just noticed you're living in Thailand and have mild tinnitus. In that case I would steer away from Beyerdynamic or AKG or any DF headphone which are often recommended for Classical. That makes your search even harder. A headphone with good timbre, wide soundstage and good imaging but slightly dark may be difficult to find.

 

[robertom]

I have a K612 and for me is one of the best headphones for the price category. It is very neutral, highs are not intrusive, and the 2K (typical AKG) peak is not as noticeable as in K701/K702. I can imagine why someone could find them 'boring' but this is not my judgement: they are neutral and the soundstage is excellent (not too wide, not too narrow). HD560S is neutral as well but the soundstage gives me a sense of fake dimension (The 'mid', voices in particular, has a somehow blurred image since they are not clearly centered ); perceived highs, in the specific unit of the HD560S I have tried, are above those of the K612: perfectly fine and not aggressive at all, but I find the K612 even more neutral in this regard. Moreover on crinacle's website you can see two samples of the HD560s with different levels on the highs, so there could be some (not irrelevant) unit variation. I stay with my opinion that if you stretch your budget a bit, the Hifiman Edition XS is the best of all the mentioned headphones (in my opinion including HD600 and HD650, and I have/have had both).
I have had and sold the Beyer, too: I agree, highs too elevated.

 

[Yanto]

I've just noticed you're living in Thailand and have mild tinnitus. In that case I would steer away from Beyerdynamic or AKG or any DF headphone which are often recommended for Classical. That makes your search even harder. A headphone with good timbre, wide soundstage and good imaging but slightly dark may be difficult to find.

Yes been here since last November. The tinnitus started after I was ill after my first Covid jab. It’s mild, but noticeable.
I’m enjoying my Grado’s but it’s possible that the brightness isn’t helping in that respect.
Would there be any models that you can think of that could be suitable? I don’t want to lose to much of the detail and separation that I have. Thanks