[PrincessLeliana]

Given your tastes in metal,the Sennheiser HD6xx(HD650) could very well work for you,and theyre a perfect match for OTL amps.
Thrash,speed,death,melodeath,black all trip up the 6xx,but for slower genres like classic,symphonic,power the 6xx sound pretty good and fit your desired sound.

The one caveat is they do have a pretty seriously strong clamp on your head. However there are plenty of videos and posts around the Web on how to stretch out the 6xx so it doesnt crush your skull.

I heard they were very bright, something im keen to avoid. I dont like the kshing and sibilance and piercing and aaAAAAAA.

Also blons pretty tho

 

[Monsterzero]

Well if youre used to the sound of AQ headphones,every single headphone in existence is going to sound brighter in comparison.

Sorry I cant assist you more.

 

[PrincessLeliana]

Well if youre used to the sound of AQ headphones,every single headphone in existence is going to sound brighter in comparison.

Sorry I cant assist you more.

Yeah I got that haha ^_^, I gotta snap out of it eventually!

 

[ScornDefeat]

I heard they were very bright, something im keen to avoid. I dont like the kshing and sibilance and piercing and aaAAAAAA.

Also blons pretty tho

At your budget, the Sennheiser HD6XX is really likely the best choice for your use case, considering that comfort is a main necessity. The HD6XX are light, with little fatigue after long hours. Realistically, I'd recommend the AQ Nighthawks/Nightowls for you, as well; but since you already have those....

It does sound like the AQ Nights really might be be your best bet. Otherwise, the HD6xx is worth trying for 200 bucks. If the HD6xx is too sibilant or fatiguing to you.....you might be out of luck haha

 

[PrincessLeliana]

At your budget, the Sennheiser HD6XX is really likely the best choice for your use case, considering that comfort is a main necessity. The HD6XX are light, with little fatigue after long hours. Realistically, I'd recommend the AQ Nighthawks/Nightowls for you, as well; but since you already have those....

It does sound like the AQ Nights really might be be your best bet. Otherwise, the HD6xx is worth trying for 200 bucks. If the HD6xx is too sibilant or fatiguing to you.....you might be out of luck haha

Mhm, I'll look into it! Might see what I can get and for where, was just never really in love with sennheisers, is the issue.

 

[frogmeat69]

Not sure what your budget is, but have you looked into the ATH-R70X? I like mine a lot, and am also a fan of the Nighthawks. Maybe read up on them a little, just a thought.

 

[PrincessLeliana]

Not sure what your budget is, but have you looked into the ATH-R70X? I like mine a lot, and am also a fan of the Nighthawks. Maybe read up on them a little, just a thought.

It's about 100 more than these blons are, and ehhhh i unno

 

[SSJ3TM]

I could use some help picking a headphone. I'm looking for an open-back headphone that costs $1500 or less, although i'd be willing to pay slightly more if there is something perfect for me that's a little more expensive. I listen to extreme metal, with a strong focus on black metal. My problem is that, while i like treble and an overall sense of clarity, a lot of the music I like is very harsh and sibilant in the upper mids and lower treble (around 2-10k). I tend to find this harshness to be unbearable if my headphones don’t handle it well. For example, I have owned sony mdr-ex700lp, and shure se535 iems in the past. I couldn’t handle either of those because of the upper mid/lower treble harshness. Then I bought westone w40s and loved them. They made the harshness completely disappear. I then stepped up to w80s (my headphone experience so far has been exclusively iems) and also love them, although the w80s do let some of the harshness come through. So, I’m obviously looking for something that will not accentuate the harshness in my music. Also, I think I would prefer something that is not mid-foreword, as I tend to add extra bass and treble through EQ as long as it doesn’t get harsh. Some headphones that I have been considering are the audeze lcd-2 and lcd-x, focal clear, zmf aeolus and auteur, and mr. speakers aeon and ether. I’m hesitant about considering hifiman because of build quality issues. Any suggestions regarding these headphones or any others that you think would be a good fit for me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[gerrtier]

Hello guys, Im happy owner of Hifiman 560's now. What do you think about Daart Canary I used with them, is it enough amp for?

 

[ScornDefeat]

I could use some help picking a headphone. I'm looking for an open-back headphone that costs $1500 or less, although i'd be willing to pay slightly more if there is something perfect for me that's a little more expensive. I listen to extreme metal, with a strong focus on black metal. My problem is that, while i like treble and an overall sense of clarity, a lot of the music I like is very harsh and sibilant in the upper mids and lower treble (around 2-10k). I tend to find this harshness to be unbearable if my headphones don’t handle it well. For example, I have owned sony mdr-ex700lp, and shure se535 iems in the past. I couldn’t handle either of those because of the upper mid/lower treble harshness. Then I bought westone w40s and loved them. They made the harshness completely disappear. I then stepped up to w80s (my headphone experience so far has been exclusively iems) and also love them, although the w80s do let some of the harshness come through. So, I’m obviously looking for something that will not accentuate the harshness in my music. Also, I think I would prefer something that is not mid-foreword, as I tend to add extra bass and treble through EQ as long as it doesn’t get harsh. Some headphones that I have been considering are the audeze lcd-2 and lcd-x, focal clear, zmf aeolus and auteur, and mr. speakers aeon and ether. I’m hesitant about considering hifiman because of build quality issues. Any suggestions regarding these headphones or any others that you think would be a good fit for me would be greatly appreciated.

The Focal Clears' little brother, the Elear, is one of my favorite headphones for Metal. That being said, I find they struggle with a lot of Black Metal; my suspicion is that the Clear will struggle even more. Just too resolving of a headphone for much of the Black Metal out there.

I think the ZMF Aeolus is your best bet here. It is a more forgiving headphone and the touch of warmth will help tame some of the issues one may have with Black Metal on high-end audio.

 

[SSJ3TM]

The Focal Clears' little brother, the Elear, is one of my favorite headphones for Metal. That being said, I find they struggle with a lot of Black Metal; my suspicion is that the Clear will struggle even more. Just too resolving of a headphone for much of the Black Metal out there.

I think the ZMF Aeolus is your best bet here. It is a more forgiving headphone and the touch of warmth will help tame some of the issues one may have with Black Metal on high-end audio.

How does the aeolus compare with the auteur? I've watched several video reviews of the auteur, and a lot of contradictory things were said. Some say the aeolus is more aggressive and "in your face", whereas the auteur is more relaxed, even though everyone says the auteur has more treble than the aeolus. Some say that the auteur is more mid forward than the the aeolus, whereas others say the aeolus has warmer and more intimate mids. To me these statements seem to conflict with each other.

 

[Monsterzero]

How does the aeolus compare with the auteur? I've watched several video reviews of the auteur, and a lot of contradictory things were said. Some say the aeolus is more aggressive and "in your face", whereas the auteur is more relaxed, even though everyone says the auteur has more treble than the aeolus. Some say that the auteur is more mid forward than the the aeolus, whereas others say the aeolus has warmer and more intimate mids. To me these statements seem to conflict with each other.

The Auteur does have more treble than the Aeolus,and with the pads I preferred for each,the Auteur is more aggressive than the Aeolus.
The reason you're hearing conflicting reports is because each ZMF headphone ships with at least two different pads,with more available for purchase. Each pair of pads ZMF makes can make a massive difference in the way they sound.
Both are great headphones,but if it were me I'd grab the Auteur,or if funds permit,the Verite closed.

 

[ScornDefeat]

How does the aeolus compare with the auteur? I've watched several video reviews of the auteur, and a lot of contradictory things were said. Some say the aeolus is more aggressive and "in your face", whereas the auteur is more relaxed, even though everyone says the auteur has more treble than the aeolus. Some say that the auteur is more mid forward than the the aeolus, whereas others say the aeolus has warmer and more intimate mids. To me these statements seem to conflict with each other.

I find that the Auteur has a more neutral presentation than the Aeolus, overall. However, it is a little more mid-forward. Auteur overall is the faster headphone with more notable attack, which, combined with the mids, could lead to a more aggressive sound.

Aeolus is warmer, slightly more laid back. Auteur is less warm, better resolution, a little more aggresive in its presentation.

 

[ItzMar]

I've got £500 ($600) to spend on some cans for my metal needs. Mostly Alternative Metal. What's the best in my price range? For reference I currently own DT1990s and LCD2C. 1990s are too clinical for tracks that aren't mastered the best, LCD2C is too rich and dark sounding in the mids.

 

[ScornDefeat]

I've got £500 ($600) to spend on some cans for my metal needs. Mostly Alternative Metal. What's the best in my price range? For reference I currently own DT1990s and LCD2C. 1990s are too clinical for tracks that aren't mastered the best, LCD2C is too rich and dark sounding in the mids.

Definitely would suggest looking at the Focal Elear for that price range.