Thanks for coming back so quickly.
Headphones for metal music - ultimate solution
- Thread starter levap
- Start date
Hello.
Been loosely following this thread for some time as a very keen Metal listener. Wanted some advice on my headphone next purchase from some experienced metal heads if possible.
Ive been using the HD6XX as it’s great value but can’t stop thinking about the next step up. I think I want something that handles speed a bit better and is more dynamic. I like tubes and therefore think I’m looking at dynamic drivers. Am I basically needed to finally pull the trigger on an Atticus or is there an alternative?. Is the Atticus fast enough for Grindcore? Or should I just get a LCD2c and a SS amp? (Had a LCD2.2 previously and liked it quite a bit, sold when I thought I could justify the money on a Utopia which I’ve recently sold to try and get back to sane money spent on gear)
My current chain is Bifrost 2 > Eddie Current ZDT Jr > HD6XX.
I listen to all types of metal really... but mainly Doom/Stoner or Grindcore/Black/Death.
help would be appreciated!
Been loosely following this thread for some time as a very keen Metal listener. Wanted some advice on my headphone next purchase from some experienced metal heads if possible.
Ive been using the HD6XX as it’s great value but can’t stop thinking about the next step up. I think I want something that handles speed a bit better and is more dynamic. I like tubes and therefore think I’m looking at dynamic drivers. Am I basically needed to finally pull the trigger on an Atticus or is there an alternative?. Is the Atticus fast enough for Grindcore? Or should I just get a LCD2c and a SS amp? (Had a LCD2.2 previously and liked it quite a bit, sold when I thought I could justify the money on a Utopia which I’ve recently sold to try and get back to sane money spent on gear)
My current chain is Bifrost 2 > Eddie Current ZDT Jr > HD6XX.
I listen to all types of metal really... but mainly Doom/Stoner or Grindcore/Black/Death.
help would be appreciated!
YtseJamer
Headphoneus Supremus
The ZMF Aeolus are the absolute best Metal headphones that I have heard since I've been in this hobby. I'm not really listening to Grindcore Metal but I can test some songs for you if you can let me know which bands I should try?
Have you heard the Atticus?
shuto77
Headphoneus Supremus
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Which ZMF headphones can you compare the Aeolus to? And how much better are they than the LCD 2 Classic? Have you compared them to the Focal Clear, by chance?
Thanks for your quick reply. That’s a glowing reference and Aeolus is definitely a consideration of mine. Would be really good to establish how they do with very fast metal (A question I’ve wondered for a while is: Is Aeolus better for faster metal than Atticus?).
A few grind albums I listen to off the top of my head:
Pig Destroyer - Prowler in the Yard
Wormrot - Abuse or Dirge
Nasum - Any (Helvete/Human 2.0 etc)
I own the Atticus and have heard the Aeolus a bit. I think if you don't need isolation the Aeolus may be a better fit for metal in some ways. There's more air around instruments and it sounded a tiny bit faster. The mid bass felt like it had more room to breath. Atticus has a bit more sub bass and the mid bass impact felt a bit stronger.
Neither of these headphones seem super fast to me and the treble extension is somewhat limited. However the bass impact, timbre, and quality of the mids are the real selling point. I think either are great headphones in that price range. The relatively lack of speed compared with planar headphones isn't a deal breaker for me as the Atticus is very coherent and enjoyable to listen to despite some congestion in faster passages.
A used ETHER C Flow in that price range is faster and has better bass and treble extension and definition, but has less bass impact and the timbre is not as natural to my ears.
I just bought the Verite Closed at CanJam NY and it's basically perfect for me for metal. It has both speed and natural timbre. Drums are explosive and fast. It retains the ZMF house sound with smooth clear mids, but also has really excellent treble performance.
However, for some reason I am still hanging onto my Atticus. There's just something about the warm sound signature that is appealing especially if my ears are fatigued. Atticus is very forgiving to bad recordings, while the Verite Closed is more aggressive and can veer towards fatiguing with some black metal.
Neither of these headphones seem super fast to me and the treble extension is somewhat limited. However the bass impact, timbre, and quality of the mids are the real selling point. I think either are great headphones in that price range. The relatively lack of speed compared with planar headphones isn't a deal breaker for me as the Atticus is very coherent and enjoyable to listen to despite some congestion in faster passages.
A used ETHER C Flow in that price range is faster and has better bass and treble extension and definition, but has less bass impact and the timbre is not as natural to my ears.
I just bought the Verite Closed at CanJam NY and it's basically perfect for me for metal. It has both speed and natural timbre. Drums are explosive and fast. It retains the ZMF house sound with smooth clear mids, but also has really excellent treble performance.
However, for some reason I am still hanging onto my Atticus. There's just something about the warm sound signature that is appealing especially if my ears are fatigued. Atticus is very forgiving to bad recordings, while the Verite Closed is more aggressive and can veer towards fatiguing with some black metal.
shuto77
Headphoneus Supremus
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It looks we have some members who have moved up the chain successfully who provide useful impressions.
Maybe we can get my idea off the ground of listing solid pieces of gear in various segments. We could pull from reviews or people's internal impressions
Based on my reading here and elsewhere, common recommendations include the lists below.
$200
Sennheiser HD6xx
Sennheiser HD58X
Meze 99 Noir / Classic (the Drop Noir is $200 and often goes on sale)
Hifiman HE4XX
AKG K371 (this $150 closed-back is well-regarded)
$200-$500
Verum 1 Planar
Audeze LCD-1
Hifiman Sundara
Hifiman HE-560
Maybe Sennheiser HD660 (if you don't believe they're the same as the 58x)
Drop/ Emu Fostex Variants
$500-1,000
Focal Elex
Maybe Aeon Flow Open or Closed?) I no longer like the AFC for metal, but some people may)
Audeze LCD-2 Classic / LCD-2
$1,000-2,000
Anything from ZMF (Atticus, Eikon, Aeolus, Auteur)
Mrspeakers Ether Open
Focal Clear
$2,000 +
Verite Open
Verite Closed
Focal Stellia
Audeze Lcd-4
Meze Empyrian
Additional sections:
iem
Custom iem
Amps
Dacs
Popular-but-bad Headphones that aren't great for metal
@Hansotek probably has a list
Maybe we can get my idea off the ground of listing solid pieces of gear in various segments. We could pull from reviews or people's internal impressions
Based on my reading here and elsewhere, common recommendations include the lists below.
$200
Sennheiser HD6xx
Sennheiser HD58X
Meze 99 Noir / Classic (the Drop Noir is $200 and often goes on sale)
Hifiman HE4XX
AKG K371 (this $150 closed-back is well-regarded)
$200-$500
Verum 1 Planar
Audeze LCD-1
Hifiman Sundara
Hifiman HE-560
Maybe Sennheiser HD660 (if you don't believe they're the same as the 58x)
Drop/ Emu Fostex Variants
$500-1,000
Focal Elex
Maybe Aeon Flow Open or Closed?) I no longer like the AFC for metal, but some people may)
Audeze LCD-2 Classic / LCD-2
$1,000-2,000
Anything from ZMF (Atticus, Eikon, Aeolus, Auteur)
Mrspeakers Ether Open
Focal Clear
$2,000 +
Verite Open
Verite Closed
Focal Stellia
Audeze Lcd-4
Meze Empyrian
Additional sections:
iem
Custom iem
Amps
Dacs
Popular-but-bad Headphones that aren't great for metal
@Hansotek probably has a list
bode
Head-Fier
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After reading the massive thread on metal-fi, I posted the following roundup of recommended Metal headphones.
Audeze LCD 2 incarnations.
Audeze LCD-2 Classic
ZMF Atticus
Mr Speakers Aeon Flow
Meze 99 Classic
Meze Neo
Audioquest Nighthawk
Denon Ah-D7200
Audeze SINE
Sony MDR-1A
Fidelio X2HR
Fostex T50RP MK3
Voda M-100
Sennheiser 600/650
Some of those higher end headphones are hard to pick up second hand or on warehouse deals, especially in the UK.
I was wondering if anyone has any views on the Denon AH 7200? Are these too U shaped? I need something with good full bass, not neutral! And with excellent instrument separation.
Audeze LCD 2 incarnations.
Audeze LCD-2 Classic
ZMF Atticus
Mr Speakers Aeon Flow
Meze 99 Classic
Meze Neo
Audioquest Nighthawk
Denon Ah-D7200
Audeze SINE
Sony MDR-1A
Fidelio X2HR
Fostex T50RP MK3
Voda M-100
Sennheiser 600/650
Some of those higher end headphones are hard to pick up second hand or on warehouse deals, especially in the UK.
I was wondering if anyone has any views on the Denon AH 7200? Are these too U shaped? I need something with good full bass, not neutral! And with excellent instrument separation.
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This is pretty legit. I would add the Campfire Cascade to the $500-$1000 group and crown it the top choice for metal in that tier. I would add the HE-6se and Stax L-700 to the $1,000-$2000 category. And I would add the Abyss Diana and AB-1266 and the Stax SR-009S to the $2,000+ category.
IEMs:
Sub $300 - Periodic BE
Sub $500 - Fiio FH7
Sub $1,200 - Unique Melody Mirage
$2,000+ - 64 Audio Tia Trio, Audeze LCD-i4
Rocklobst3r
New Head-Fier
I can vouch for LCD-2 fazor for metal, Job for a cowboy suneater album the low end extension from the lcd's is glorious
I'd also add Aeon Flow Closed 2 in the < $1000 category. It's definitely the best closed back I've heard for metal in this price category and is a significant step up from the series 1 Aeons (open and closed).
It has lots of detail and great sound stage for a closed headphone. The bass response has been significantly increased vs. the generation 1 AFC. Mid bass is more present, while the sub-bass is retained. Overall, drums are more impactful, while the texture of bass guitars is well presented. The mids are a bit recessed, yet vocals and electric guitars and still very clear and layered. Treble is very detailed and fast, but not super bright in most places. Some have described a bit of a peak in the treble, and some sibilance on some tracks. I've heard some peaks on some tracks, but I hear the same peaks on other headphones with the same tracks. The filter insert system is nice in that you can tone down the treble as needed for different albums. Overall the V shape works well for metal and is very forgiving with poor recordings (e.g. black metal).
The only real competitor for a closed back in that price range is the Elegia, which I've only spent a bit of time with at CanJam. It is a more punchy and dynamic headphone, but the bass response was pretty light and the high end was a bit fatiguing with metal.
It has lots of detail and great sound stage for a closed headphone. The bass response has been significantly increased vs. the generation 1 AFC. Mid bass is more present, while the sub-bass is retained. Overall, drums are more impactful, while the texture of bass guitars is well presented. The mids are a bit recessed, yet vocals and electric guitars and still very clear and layered. Treble is very detailed and fast, but not super bright in most places. Some have described a bit of a peak in the treble, and some sibilance on some tracks. I've heard some peaks on some tracks, but I hear the same peaks on other headphones with the same tracks. The filter insert system is nice in that you can tone down the treble as needed for different albums. Overall the V shape works well for metal and is very forgiving with poor recordings (e.g. black metal).
The only real competitor for a closed back in that price range is the Elegia, which I've only spent a bit of time with at CanJam. It is a more punchy and dynamic headphone, but the bass response was pretty light and the high end was a bit fatiguing with metal.
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Some very good information there.
I’m loving my HD6XX for most metal out of a tube amp, price to performance with these headphones is excellent. Doom to Death metal they are really good actually. Thinking I’ll still look to move to Atticus at some point, but they are still £900 more than HD6XX in UK which is staggering.
I’m still looking for some advice on which headphones do grindcore (super fast death metal) justice, as I know the HD6XX don’t quite keep up, and I’m also hearing Atticus don’t either. Am I going to look at planars for that? If so, am I looking at a decent SS amp too?
Any Headphone + Amp suggestions this side of 1000 USD/GBP? Maybe Sundara with Jot (but not sure how if they have synergy. I’m using a Bifrost 2 amp which is staying.
I’m loving my HD6XX for most metal out of a tube amp, price to performance with these headphones is excellent. Doom to Death metal they are really good actually. Thinking I’ll still look to move to Atticus at some point, but they are still £900 more than HD6XX in UK which is staggering.
I’m still looking for some advice on which headphones do grindcore (super fast death metal) justice, as I know the HD6XX don’t quite keep up, and I’m also hearing Atticus don’t either. Am I going to look at planars for that? If so, am I looking at a decent SS amp too?
Any Headphone + Amp suggestions this side of 1000 USD/GBP? Maybe Sundara with Jot (but not sure how if they have synergy. I’m using a Bifrost 2 amp which is staying.
How does the FH7 compare with the Periodic Be. They’ve both got Beryllium DDs (or is the Be just coated in it?) so I’d imagine the lows at least share qualities? Does the FH7 improve on the rest of the frequencies with the BAs for miss and treble? Essentially are they much of an upgrade over Be?
I like the Be very much but paired with the ZX2 (also warm) it can get quite muddy with certain albums. I actually prefer Be out of my iPhones lot of the time
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They are a huge upgrade over the BE. Honestly, the FH7 is my favorite metal IEM at any price point.
The difference between the FH7 ($499) and the UM Mirage ($1099) is probably smaller than the difference between the FH7 ($499) and the Periodic BE ($299).
Tuning, dynamics, detail-to-dollar ratio, impact, everything - the FH7 absolutely destroys. It's hands down my favorite IEM. And it's my most used piece of gear overall right now.
