[PapaIV]

They've already told you the opposite, but for me the Ananda are the best headphones I've tried for rock/metal, by far too. And they make an excellent pair with the RME ADI-2 DAC (I have both).

And by the way, I hate the Focal and that warm and boring sound of the Clear or the Radiance... for me they are the antithesis of metal

That’s good to hear about the Ananda, thanks! We do have a Hifiman dealer here, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to demo the Ananda - I think I’ll visit them next week and try to demo it. How would you describe Ananda’s sound with the RME (just a couple of words)?

If PapaIV already likes DT900 Pro X maybe DT1990 Pro is the next step up the ladder, similar sound but with better technicalities: lower distorsion, can play louder, wider soundstage, biggest con being the elevated treble which may take some EQ to be fine for all. After EQ it's sublime imo. I lower 6k and 10k and give sub 80 a little push and it sounds great. DT900 Pro X sounds pretty balanced as is.

As for planars, I only have the Hifiman HE400SE and sure it impresses with extreme low distorsion and extreme openness but compared to DT1990 Pro it lacks a whole lot of body in each and every sound. It's extreme clean, but also all sounds are sounding a little tiny. DT1990 Pro renders all instruments at "full size" and as powerful.

A planar with a somewhat meatier sound than the HE400SE would be great!

Beyerdynamic 1990 pro for metal is the way to go IMO

Thanks for the input! I did demo the 1990 while deciding my first pair and while it was of course better than the 900 in many areas I didn’t feel like the differences warranted the almost double price. I think I want to try a different brand/signature because while the 900 covers most of my analytical/transparent listening needs, it leaves me wanting more in terms of fun listening. Now the 400SE is interesting because I’m only reading good stuff about that pair so I wonder if, like you said I could get that kind of performance with a meatier sound by moving upwards the price ladder, but where to?

I don't listen to as much metal these days, but I love SepticFlesh! I use the Fostex thx-00 and they sound great to me with metal (and most music in general). The Denon D7200 might be a good option, though I haven't heard it myself, maybe someone else can chime in. I have the Denon D2000 which are similar to the thx-00.

Ah I can’t get enough of the Infernus Sinfonica live LP, plus most of their albums sound amazing through pretty much anything. Thanks for the suggestion - I can only find the th-900 and 909 in Europe and those are way out of my budget unfortunately!

Hey there, based on your preferences I'd recommend the Denon 7200 or possibly the Meze 99 Classics. If you can swing one of the Fostex variants like an E-MU Teak or used TH600 or THX00 Ebony, that would be ideal IMO. The planars you mentioned like the Hifiman headphones aren't warm, but I do like the Sundara for the price; but it doesn't hit hard or have a ton of sub bass extension. The Audezes' have good bass and impact but if you want a wide soundstage those lower end Audezes' won't give you that. I find them too dark, muddy, and wonky sounding personally. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the recommendations! Unfortunately I have no access to Fostex but can find Meze 99 Classics easily - I remember reading something about them being updated somewhat recently with disastrous results tho? Like extremely overblown bass response - I’ll need to find the exact post here.

Hmm that’s not good about the Audezes then, I don’t mind a dark signature and I’m very familiar with EQing general wonkiness but if they sound muddy that would be a problem yes. What first drew me to the line was the reports of a big darker/warmer sound while retaining a clean and dare I say detailed low end.


By the way, I went out and bought the Black Dahlia Murder’s Ritual album on CD today and listening to it now I can hear the 900 Pro X really struggling to keep up with the madness! No matter the EQ, everything below 1k sounds either distorted and muddy with EQ or pretty thin without. I generally find the 900 to be really dependent on recording quality (they perform much better on the Nocturnal album). Extreme sounding case, I know, but some of us go to sleep listening to that stuff

 

[monkey4054]

That’s good to hear about the Ananda, thanks! We do have a Hifiman dealer here, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to demo the Ananda - I think I’ll visit them next week and try to demo it. How would you describe Ananda’s sound with the RME (just a couple of words)?

Thanks for the recommendations! Unfortunately I have no access to Fostex but can find Meze 99 Classics easily - I remember reading something about them being updated somewhat recently with disastrous results tho? Like extremely overblown bass response - I’ll need to find the exact post here.

Hmm that’s not good about the Audezes then, I don’t mind a dark signature and I’m very familiar with EQing general wonkiness but if they sound muddy that would be a problem yes. What first drew me to the line was the reports of a big darker/warmer sound while retaining a clean and dare I say detailed low end.

Hey again, unfortunately, I would have to respectfully disagree about the Hifiman Ananda, they have an excellent tonality, but I found them quite boring and lacking in bass, dynamics, and impact. I'm not saying it's a bad headphone, it's actually a really good headphone; but if you are looking for a warmer, bassier, 'fun' sounding headphone then the Ananda ain't it.

Not too sure about the 99 Classics other than I know that they are warm, bassy, comfortable and within your price range. Definitely try them if you are able to as well.

If you are happy to try EQ, then an Audeze might be an option then. I would try to demo them if you are able to, don't entirely write them off. I just personally preferred other brands (like Focal, Hifiman, Sennheiser, and Fostex more without using EQ). I liked the LCD-3 and 4 the most, but a used LCD-X or XC might be a good option for you.

 

[Kimmeri]

That’s good to hear about the Ananda, thanks! We do have a Hifiman dealer here, I just don’t know if I’ll be able to demo the Ananda - I think I’ll visit them next week and try to demo it. How would you describe Ananda’s sound with the RME (just a couple of words)?





Thanks for the input! I did demo the 1990 while deciding my first pair and while it was of course better than the 900 in many areas I didn’t feel like the differences warranted the almost double price. I think I want to try a different brand/signature because while the 900 covers most of my analytical/transparent listening needs, it leaves me wanting more in terms of fun listening. Now the 400SE is interesting because I’m only reading good stuff about that pair so I wonder if, like you said I could get that kind of performance with a meatier sound by moving upwards the price ladder, but where to?



Ah I can’t get enough of the Infernus Sinfonica live LP, plus most of their albums sound amazing through pretty much anything. Thanks for the suggestion - I can only find the th-900 and 909 in Europe and those are way out of my budget unfortunately!



Thanks for the recommendations! Unfortunately I have no access to Fostex but can find Meze 99 Classics easily - I remember reading something about them being updated somewhat recently with disastrous results tho? Like extremely overblown bass response - I’ll need to find the exact post here.

Hmm that’s not good about the Audezes then, I don’t mind a dark signature and I’m very familiar with EQing general wonkiness but if they sound muddy that would be a problem yes. What first drew me to the line was the reports of a big darker/warmer sound while retaining a clean and dare I say detailed low end.


By the way, I went out and bought the Black Dahlia Murder’s Ritual album on CD today and listening to it now I can hear the 900 Pro X really struggling to keep up with the madness! No matter the EQ, everything below 1k sounds either distorted and muddy with EQ or pretty thin without. I generally find the 900 to be really dependent on recording quality (they perform much better on the Nocturnal album). Extreme sounding case, I know, but some of us go to sleep listening to that stuff

Do not buy these cans people are suggesting. You are European, you have to 2 more days to get new OG Focal Clear for 700 euro with 2 years warranty. Excellent product and nothing on earth can beat that deal right now. https://www.son-video.com/article/casques-hi-fi/focal/clear

 

[monkey4054]

Do not buy these cans people are suggesting. You are European, you have to 2 more days to get new OG Focal Clear for 700 euro with 2 years warranty. Excellent product and nothing on earth can beat that deal right now. https://www.son-video.com/article/casques-hi-fi/focal/clear

The OG Focal Clear is a superb headphone but OP asked for warm, sub-bass, impactful kick drums, something different to his Beyer. I don't think the Focal is warm (more neutral/bright) and I personally found it a bit fatiguing with metal. The macrodynamic impact is excellent though and resolution and clarity are unbeatable for the price. It has fast transients as well. I agree that it's a great deal, I just don't think it's exactly what he is looking for right now.

 

[Kimmeri]

The OG Focal Clear is a superb headphone but OP asked for warm, sub-bass, impactful kick drums, something different to his Beyer. I don't think the Focal is warm (more neutral/bright) and I personally found it a bit fatiguing with metal. The macrodynamic impact is excellent though and resolution and clarity are unbeatable for the price. It has fast transients as well. I agree that it's a great deal, I just don't think it's exactly what he is looking for right now.

I would still buy them if I were him haha. How about a used ZMF Atticus then? Very warm and often recommended for metal?

 

[monkey4054]

I would still buy them if I were him haha. How about a used ZMF Atticus then? Very warm and often recommended for metal?

Haha yes a used ZMF Atticus is a good suggestion as well. Verrrrry warm and bassy, lacking in technical performance though...

 

[PapaIV]

Do not buy these cans people are suggesting. You are European, you have to 2 more days to get new OG Focal Clear for 700 euro with 2 years warranty. Excellent product and nothing on earth can beat that deal right now. https://www.son-video.com/article/casques-hi-fi/focal/clear

The OG Focal Clear is a superb headphone but OP asked for warm, sub-bass, impactful kick drums, something different to his Beyer. I don't think the Focal is warm (more neutral/bright) and I personally found it a bit fatiguing with metal. The macrodynamic impact is excellent though and resolution and clarity are unbeatable for the price. It has fast transients as well. I agree that it's a great deal, I just don't think it's exactly what he is looking for right now.

Why'd you have to do that to me ? I had my mind set on planars but this looks like such a good deal...now I only have two days to read reviews, think about it and learn French. I can always change my taste in music JK but seriously I'll look into bass performance and how well it takes to EQ. How large are the cups/pads on those, maybe compared to DT770/990 etc? They look kinda small in the photos and I'm a tall dude with tall ears, would hate it to turn out to be an on-ear for me

I actually think I can demo the MG version at a store here, is the OG only aesthetically different ?

 

[monkey4054]

Why'd you have to do that to me ? I had my mind set on planars but this looks like such a good deal...now I only have two days to read reviews, think about it and learn French. I can always change my taste in music JK but seriously I'll look into bass performance and how well it takes to EQ. How large are the cups/pads on those, maybe compared to DT770/990 etc? They look kinda small in the photos and I'm a tall dude with tall ears, would hate it to turn out to be an on-ear for me

I actually think I can demo the MG version at a store here, is the OG only aesthetically different ?

No the MG and OG versions sound quite different as well. Most people think the MG actually sounds worse than the older Clear.

 

[PapaIV]

No the MG and OG versions sound quite different as well. Most people think the MG actually sounds worse than the older Clear.

Ok thanks so much, I'll try and demo whichever is available tomorrow just to get a general feel and get back with thoughts! I think it'll come down to either the LCD-2 for planar or the Clear if I decide to go with the dynamic, more technical route.

 

[monkey4054]

Ok thanks so much, I'll try and demo whichever is available tomorrow just to get a general feel and get back with thoughts! I think it'll come down to either the LCD-2 for planar or the Clear if I decide to go with the dynamic, more technical route.

Sounds good, take your time when trying them out and please let us know your thoughts after.

 

[firesign]

Ok thanks so much, I'll try and demo whichever is available tomorrow just to get a general feel and get back with thoughts! I think it'll come down to either the LCD-2 for planar or the Clear if I decide to go with the dynamic, more technical route.

I would not recommend the Clear even to my worst enemy.

To me, the Ananda simply sounds natural and maintains the brightness and impact that cymbals have. The Clear sounds too warm, dull, and loses all the naturalness and brightness of the high frequencies.

 

[magicscreen]

It's extreme clean, but also all sounds are sounding a little tiny.

A planar with a somewhat meatier sound than the HE400SE would be great!

Thank you! It was a good decision for me not to buy an HE400SE then.

 

[xeizo]

Thank you! It was a good decision for me not to buy an HE400SE then.

HE400SE sounds amazing on many types of music, but not that much on metal, it's way too polite. DT1990 Pro on the other hand sounds great with metal.

 

[Dim666]

FOREVER TH900

 

[PapaIV]

Sounds good, take your time when trying them out and please let us know your thoughts after.

Unfortunately they didn’t have any of the Clears for a demo! I think since this will be a blind purchase I should order from somewhere with a good return policy such as Thomann or Amazon.

I would not recommend the Clear even to my worst enemy.

To me, the Ananda simply sounds natural and maintains the brightness and impact that cymbals have. The Clear sounds too warm, dull, and loses all the naturalness and brightness of the high frequencies.

The Ananda really intrigues me. Everyone seems to adore the Sundara and from what I’m reading the Ananda is like a much improved version of the Sundara. The question is however how they both perform with Metal/Rock!

FOREVER TH900

Yeah everyone recommend those throughout this thread - shame I can only find them at double my budget!