[GreenClick]

I've been trying headphones all over town and can't seem to find a pair that I like.

I listen to lots of country and blues, so I want to hear the guitars most of all.
Most headphones that I tried had muddy bass, could not hear the guitars very well, but the voices were pretty good.

Any suggestions? I'm starting to pull my hairs out of frustration.

 

[007shark76]

Budget? Are you interested in closed-back or open-back? Also what is your source: mobile phone, external dac/amp, macbook, etc?

 

[GreenClick]

Budget? Are you interested in closed-back or open-back? Also what is your source: mobile phone, external dac/amp, macbook, etc?

I play uncompressed wav files from CDs in a Focusrite 2i2 USB interface.
I also use my Yamaha CD player in a Pioneer elite hi-fi amplifier.

I would like open backs, noise bleading is not an issue.

I'd like to keep it under 600$.

 

[007shark76]

What are some of the headphones you have tried? I am not familiar with your sources for driving headphones. I do know that the headphone outputs on my stereo gear: onkyo cd player, denon amp, marantz network player are not as good as a dedicated amp/dac with end results similar to what you have found with most headphones you have tried.

 

[GreenClick]

What are some of the headphones you have tried? I am not familiar with your sources for driving headphones. I do know that the headphone outputs on my stereo gear: onkyo cd player, denon amp, marantz network player are not as good as a dedicated amp/dac with end results similar to what you have found with most headphones you have tried.

I tried Seinheiser HD598, B&O H6, Bose Quiet Comfort 25, Audio-Technica ATH-50, Seinheiser Urbanite XL.

We have limited brands and stock where I live, so I don't have the opportunity to try a bunch.

 

[Monsterzero]

For an easy to drive option(no amp needed) I'd look into a Grado 225e,which does guitar oriented music quite well.It also has decent midbass thump,but doesnt encroach on the mids.The downside to Grados are they arent very comfortable and the have some odd peaks in the upper mids(which gives guitars that live sound)but its not to everyones liking.

Another option is getting an used HE-500,which is excellent all-arounder,but it does require a dedicated HP amp.HD650 is another option as well but some find it a bit dull sounding.It too will require an amp.

If you really want to go all-in try and find a pair of AKG K240 sextetts.They do guitar better than any headphone ive heard to date.Theyre 40+years old and quite difficult to find and drive,but worth the extra effort IMO.

 

[007shark76]

One of my favorite combinations for vocals and guitars that doesn't break the bank is: Schiit Modi Multibit (I consider the best DAC at its price point and a little higher), Pangea HP101 ($50 on amazon, gotta do disassembly though to change out the stock tube to an NOS Amperex tube), and Hifiman HE400S.

 

[GreenClick]

I found a more high-end store with Grado and Hifiman products. I'll go try them out tomorrow!

I'm really uninformed about DACs. I tought that the Focusrite interface would be a good DAC since it's designed to record analog signal to digital.
What difference would the Schiit Modi Multibit do?

 

[007shark76]

It is something you have to hear for yourself. I have tried other budget DACs and DAC/Amp combos. But once I tried the Modi Multibit in my system, it just gave me what I was missing from the others. To sum it up, it gives more dynamics and more an analog sound.

Edit: Also if you found a place to audition Grado and Hifiman, then they should have some different sources to try with them.

 

[GreenClick]

It is something you have to hear for yourself. I have tried other budget DACs and DAC/Amp combos. But once I tried the Modi Multibit in my system, it just gave me what I was missing from the others. To sum it up, it gives more dynamics and more an analog sound.

.
Thanks! You guys have really made it easier for me and answered a lot of my questions!

Would a tube headphone amplifier be something to look into? I might push my budget if it's worth it.

 

[007shark76]

It really depends on the headphones you end up choosing. I find hybrid tube amps work great with Hifiman.

 

[Monsterzero]

.
Thanks! You guys have really made it easier for me and answered a lot of my questions!

Would a tube headphone amplifier be something to look into? I might push my budget if it's worth it.

Most tube amps sound great with bright headphones like Beyers,HD800s and some high ohm(300+) AKGs...The AKG K240 sextetts sound epic with a nice OTL amp,but a vintage receiver does the trick too.The Schiit Magni didnt do them justice.

Most OTLs arent recommended for planar headphones,though there are exceptions.

If you like what youre hearing from the HiFiMan HPs you hear tomorrow i highly suggest to not sleep on the discontinued HE-500...for the money its a beast and has legendary mids.Ive seen them all the way down to 375.00 in the classifieds recently...great price for a great HP.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've been trying headphones all over town and can't seem to find a pair that I like.

I listen to lots of country and blues, so I want to hear the guitars most of all.
Most headphones that I tried had muddy bass, could not hear the guitars very well, but the voices were pretty good.

Any suggestions? I'm starting to pull my hairs out of frustration.

I would like open backs, noise bleading is not an issue.
I'd like to keep it under 600$.

Mighty Mo Rogers, Martin Gabriel, Rascal Flatts, etc sound great on my HD600 without bloated bass. Note that it's adjusted to have a looser clamp, so that's probably one problem that might be true with some of the headphones you tried so far, ie, the tight clamp is boosting the bass on some of them.

I play uncompressed wav files from CDs in a Focusrite 2i2 USB interface.
I also use my Yamaha CD player in a Pioneer elite hi-fi amplifier.

Avoid any low impedance headphones since everything you're using has a high output impedance impedance.