[waylman]

Hi all, I'm looking to upgrade my cans. I listen to a lot of death & doom mainly.
I am looking for something that is somewhat portable as I usually jam out to death while walking my dog.
I live in Los Angeles so I don't want anything that will get hot. I currently have the Grado SR60e which I like but just looking for better sound.
I mainly use my iPhone as a source so looking for something easy to drive.
Budget it around $500.
Any ideas here? Greatly appreciate any suggestions.

 

[Mhog55]

Hi all, I'm looking to upgrade my cans. I listen to a lot of death & doom mainly.
I am looking for something that is somewhat portable as I usually jam out to death while walking my dog.
I live in Los Angeles so I don't want anything that will get hot. I currently have the Grado SR60e which I like but just looking for better sound.
I mainly use my iPhone as a source so looking for something easy to drive.
Budget it around $500.
Any ideas here? Greatly appreciate any suggestions.

What type of sound signature do you prefer? If you like a V shaped sound, the Audio Technica wp900 are a slick headphone. The new Thinksound OV21 is what I'm potentially looking at for my next can. A less expensive option is the Meze 99 Classics, which I will never part with. They are well known for doing rock and metal quite nicely. These are all portable options.

 

[waylman]

What type of sound signature do you prefer? If you like a V shaped sound, the Audio Technica wp900 are a slick headphone. The new Thinksound OV21 is what I'm potentially looking at for my next can. A less expensive option is the Meze 99 Classics, which I will never part with. They are well known for doing rock and metal quite nicely. These are all portable options.

Thanks for the recs! For sound signature, I really tend to focus in on the rhythm section. Love my bass and drums. I fear the leather pads will get too hot in LA. I quite like the foam pads on the Grado's for staying cool. Any thoughts on good cans for metal with foam pads??

 

[Kimmeri]

Hello metal listeners, new user here. Looking for suggestion for metal cans. 200-500 euro prize and open back. I already have an amp so thats taken care of. I mostly listen stuff like

Thanks for everyone in advance!

 

[Angel III]

Hello metal listeners, new user here. Looking for suggestion for metal cans. 200-500 euro prize and open back. I already have an amp so thats taken care of. I mostly listen stuff like

Thanks for everyone in advance!

I will try your albums with the Austrian Audio Hi-X65 and Avantone Planar.

 

[Angel III]

Hi Kimmeri,
I have listened to all the songs you have listed, but I have focused on the track INFERI - Mesmeric Horror, from minute 2:50 onwards.
Be careful because the headphones I own, even if they have not passed the test on this track, does not mean that they are worse on everything you hear (absolutely not).
I've tried several headphones in the past, few of them had anything to do with metal music, simply because they weren't tuned for this kind of music (regardless of price).

My test (all equalized):
The Avantone Planar is a muscular headphone, it brings out the double bass drum and also the electric bass. As a former Metal guitarist, I can reassure the guitars are perfectly represented. Very compatible with Metal music.

The HD-650 with OTL is on the same wavelength as the Avanton Planar but less muscular, I was surprised on this track (thanks to the amplifier).
The HD-650 suffers on badly recorded tracks (I noticed that finally even in Metal we start to hear some good recordings, this will be good for our beloved HD-650s in the future).

The Sony MDR-1AM2 needs to be equalized well. This headphone is very compatible with Metal music, nice deep bass and well represented guitars (good for listening to 80's drums).

The Austrian Audio Hi-X65 on this track is the one that deserves the podium, beautiful on very clean and deep (luxurious) bass. The guitars play with great perfection. This headphone is a great revelation for me.

 

[arielext]

.

 

[arielext]

Hi Kimmeri,
I have listened to all the songs you have listed, but I have focused on the track INFERI - Mesmeric Horror, from minute 2:50 onwards.
Be careful because the headphones I own, even if they have not passed the test on this track, does not mean that they are worse on everything you hear (absolutely not).
I've tried several headphones in the past, few of them had anything to do with metal music, simply because they weren't tuned for this kind of music (regardless of price).

My test (all equalized):
The Avantone Planar is a muscular headphone, it brings out the double bass drum and also the electric bass. As a former Metal guitarist, I can reassure the guitars are perfectly represented. Very compatible with Metal music.

The HD-650 with OTL is on the same wavelength as the Avanton Planar but less muscular, I was surprised on this track (thanks to the amplifier).
The HD-650 suffers on badly recorded tracks (I noticed that finally even in Metal we start to hear some good recordings, this will be good for our beloved HD-650s in the future).

The Sony MDR-1AM2 needs to be equalized well. This headphone is very compatible with Metal music, nice deep bass and well represented guitars (good for listening to 80's drums).

The Austrian Audio Hi-X65 on this track is the one that deserves the podium, beautiful on very clean and deep (luxurious) bass. The guitars play with great perfection. This headphone is a great revelation for me.

Those hi-x65 are getting more interesting by the minute

 

[Kimmeri]

Hi Kimmeri,
I have listened to all the songs you have listed, but I have focused on the track INFERI - Mesmeric Horror, from minute 2:50 onwards.
Be careful because the headphones I own, even if they have not passed the test on this track, does not mean that they are worse on everything you hear (absolutely not).
I've tried several headphones in the past, few of them had anything to do with metal music, simply because they weren't tuned for this kind of music (regardless of price).

My test (all equalized):
The Avantone Planar is a muscular headphone, it brings out the double bass drum and also the electric bass. As a former Metal guitarist, I can reassure the guitars are perfectly represented. Very compatible with Metal music.

The HD-650 with OTL is on the same wavelength as the Avanton Planar but less muscular, I was surprised on this track (thanks to the amplifier).
The HD-650 suffers on badly recorded tracks (I noticed that finally even in Metal we start to hear some good recordings, this will be good for our beloved HD-650s in the future).

The Sony MDR-1AM2 needs to be equalized well. This headphone is very compatible with Metal music, nice deep bass and well represented guitars (good for listening to 80's drums).

The Austrian Audio Hi-X65 on this track is the one that deserves the podium, beautiful on very clean and deep (luxurious) bass. The guitars play with great perfection. This headphone is a great revelation for me.

Thanks so much man. Close of pulling the trigger on hi-x65. Getting them 350 eur inc. shipping, I find this quite reasonable. If youre there having an extra time and it wouldnt be too much trouble mind checking how the explosion on The Void Alone sounds on hi-x65? Song has a massive atmosphere and Im specifically interested about the explosion of music and vocals little after 3:20 mark.

 

[Angel III]

I congratulate you, you have a good taste in metal music .
The Austrian Audio Hi-X65 with this album (very well recorded) are something indescribable. When you equalize these headphones, please use this album as a reference.
I recommend using amp and dac.. don't forget parametric equalizer.
Ciao

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Any love for closed-backs? Seems like the Meze 99 Classics are the go-tos still. I'm in need of a set to complement my Grado Hemps. Warm but not "basshead" by any means ideally.

 

[gonintendo]

Any love for closed-backs? Seems like the Meze 99 Classics are the go-tos still. I'm in need of a set to complement my Grado Hemps. Warm but not "basshead" by any means ideally.

99 classics are very bassy. I don’t have much experience with other closed backs in that price range but I wouldn’t really recommend them if you’re not into bass. Or wiling yo EQ it down a bit.

 

[Mhog55]

99 classics are very bassy. I don’t have much experience with other closed backs in that price range but I wouldn’t really recommend them if you’re not into bass. Or wiling yo EQ it down a bit.

I'll agree to disagree. The only thing that makes them bassy is the use of the larger pads. With the original pads, or the Dekoni pads, they are not overly bassy imo - just about right actually. It does help however to slightly reduce 250khz, as that's where the push is.
I also wouldn't necessarily call them go to, but they sure do sound pleasing for the cost of admission. Especially with rock and metal.
How warm do you want? Mildly to moderately warm, there is the E-mu Teak, Kennerton Magni, and Focal Radiance. I don't like overly warm, so I can't help there. Also depends on how you want your mids and treble to be presented.

 

[gonintendo]

I'll agree to disagree. The only thing that makes them bassy is the use of the larger pads. With the original pads, or the Dekoni pads, they are not overly bassy imo - just about right actually. It does help however to slightly reduce 250khz, as that's where the push is.
I also wouldn't necessarily call them go to, but they sure do sound pleasing for the cost of admission. Especially with rock and metal.
How warm do you want? Mildly to moderately warm, there is the E-mu Teak, Kennerton Magni, and Focal Radiance. I don't like overly warm, so I can't help there. Also depends on how you want your mids and treble to be presented.

Yeah they’re definitely great cans for the price. Just wanted to make the poster aware that they are definitely not bass light. An emphasis at 250hz even if it’s not huge can make bass sound bloated to me. It’s easily corrected with EQ so it’s not a big deal, and I do enjoy elevated bass myself. But if you’re used to, say an hd650, these will basically sound like beats lol

 

[Mhog55]

Yeah they’re definitely great cans for the price. Just wanted to make the poster aware that they are definitely not bass light. An emphasis at 250hz even if it’s not huge can make bass sound bloated to me. It’s easily corrected with EQ so it’s not a big deal, and I do enjoy elevated bass myself. But if you’re used to, say an hd650, these will basically sound like beats lol

Yeah, still have to disagree. They sound nothing like Beats, bass or anywhere else. You must be using the large, now stock pads. I'm still using the original pads (until they die), and the bass is only elevated slightly. Definitely absolutely zero bloat.