[anicai]

Hi guys! I am planning to buy my first pair of quality headphones and since I'm a complete newbie I was hoping if someone could help me out with this first step into hi-fi world.
I did a lot of research and I decided that I would like the cans to be over ear. I will be using them on my desktop. Now, I don't own any dac/amp, so I will be plugging them straight into mobo (asus prime b350 plus - HD realtek audio), but I will probably buy a decent amp later down the road. Also it is really important that they are as comfortable as possible while wearing glasses cause I usually have a problem with this, after about half an hour it becomes painful to wear headphones (on ear).
As for music, I'll be playing flac files (and Spotify), genres like indie, folk, rock (Katie Melua, Sigur Rós, Brandi Carlile, Coeur de Pirate, Cat Power, Angus and Julia Stone, etc), and I would like to get ones that are great with female vocals.
My budget is 150 eur ($180).
I narrowed my choices to:

• Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Special Edition Chrome Version 250 ohm (amazon-$179)
• Sennheiser HD 58X (Massdrop-$150)
• Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro (Germany-111eur-$129)
• AKG K702 (Germany-118eur-$137)

Which one would be the best for my needs? I am leaning towards the sennheiser, but I don't know... Also, how much do these open cans leak? Cause there are usually other people in the room with me and I don't want to disturb them. And I have to mention that I will not be able to try on any of these headphones before purchasing them.. My friend (from the US or Germany) will send them to me.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thank you in advance!

 

[Zenvota]

Open headphones are open, you'll be able to hear everything in the room and everyone will be able to hear what you're listening to.

Check out the monoprice m565c, v moda m100, beyer dt 770 pro, maybe the audio technica a550z or m50x, sennheiser hd598c.

Since you're using a computer and are unfamiliar with the equipment you could try some cheaper options first, philips shp9500 are open, audio technica m20x and sennheiser hd206s are closed, superluix hd681s are semi open.

Some other things to consider besides over ear is pad type, you may love or hate pleather or velour, alot of headphones you can swap pads around, some are circular and your ears may touch the pads, others aren't that deep and your ear touch the baffle.

 

[serman005]

Open leak a lot. People will hear your music. I think you will be looking for a closed headphone.

 

[anicai]

Yes, I was afraid they would leak much, though I read here that Sennheiser HD 58X doesn't leak a lot unless it's on full volume...that's why I was considering them...and DT 880 are semi open...As for DT 990 and AKG I wasn't sure about leakage...
Thanks for suggestions, I will definitely look them up

 

[PurpleAngel]

• Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Special Edition Chrome Version 250 ohm (amazon-$179)
• Sennheiser HD 58X (Massdrop-$150)
• Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro (Germany-111eur-$129)
• AKG K702 (Germany-118eur-$137)

Which one would be the best for my needs? I am leaning towards the sennheiser, but I don't know... Also, how much do these open cans leak? Cause there are usually other people in the room with me and I don't want to disturb them. And I have to mention that I will not be able to try on any of these headphones before purchasing them.. My friend (from the US or Germany) will send them to me.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thank you in advance!

Check out the Audio Technica ATH-A990Z headphones.

 

[anicai]

Check out the Audio Technica ATH-A990Z headphones.

Those seem to be really good, but are a bit over my budget.

 

[Rvl1]

I would go to a store and try out some
If you can borrow a friends to try out
I tried out about 100 and bought about 30 used and now use k712 , hd595 , qc20 , etymotic hf5
My son went through all my 30 of my phones and chose hd558 and he also bought beats

It is like choosing food , each person likes something a little different
Spicy , salty or sweet , music is the same and audio gear is 100 times harder to choose

 

[anicai]

I would go to a store and try out some
If you can borrow a friends to try out
I tried out about 100 and bought about 30 used and now use k712 , hd595 , qc20 , etymotic hf5
My son went through all my 30 of my phones and chose hd558 and he also bought beats

It is like choosing food , each person likes something a little different
Spicy , salty or sweet , music is the same and audio gear is 100 times harder to choose

Yes, I would love to be able to try them out first, but that's impossible for me... Most of these headphones cannot even be found in the stores here where I live, and those few that can (only hd 598 I think) cost twice as more than in the USA. Plus, none of my friends really use expensive quality headphones... That's why I'll buy it in the US or Germany and have friends who live there send it to me.

 

[Danneskjoeld]

I'd like to give you an advice, because I have a similar taste of music. I think one of the special thing about folk and indie is the intimacy. That's why the Senns HD 600 are my go to cans. If you just have a voice and a guitar they just make you smile. The narrow soundstage somehow supports that feeling. I haven't heard the Send HD 58X, but I'm they are considered to be a mix of HD 600 and 650. I can imagine that on some rock tracks you will be missing some energy. If you want a more energetic sound you may consider the Hifiman HE-4XX. compared to the HD 600 you will get a boost in bass and treble with slightly recessed mids. That signature is capable of a lot more genres. An you have an planar driver.

Sound leakage is can be an issue if you live in a noisy environment. At normal listening levels and people just talking at normal level, leakage is no issue. Just in case someone is screaming, singing or watching TV very loud, consider a closed headphone.

 

[anicai]

I'd like to give you an advice, because I have a similar taste of music. I think one of the special thing about folk and indie is the intimacy. That's why the Senns HD 600 are my go to cans. If you just have a voice and a guitar they just make you smile. The narrow soundstage somehow supports that feeling. I haven't heard the Send HD 58X, but I'm they are considered to be a mix of HD 600 and 650. I can imagine that on some rock tracks you will be missing some energy. If you want a more energetic sound you may consider the Hifiman HE-4XX. compared to the HD 600 you will get a boost in bass and treble with slightly recessed mids. That signature is capable of a lot more genres. An you have an planar driver.

Sound leakage is can be an issue if you live in a noisy environment. At normal listening levels and people just talking at normal level, leakage is no issue. Just in case someone is screaming, singing or watching TV very loud, consider a closed headphone.

Thanks for the advice! I live in a really quiet home, there's only one person in the room with me and she works from home, that's why I was worried about the leakage, I wouldn't want to disturb her. Also, I won't be listening to music at full volume, of course... Someone on this forum mentioned that HD 58x is good for all genres and the price is great!
HE-4XX are selling on massdrop right now as well. I was looking at them too, but I was concerned if they would be ok without dac/amp cause I can't buy that right away.

 

[Shanachai]

I use the Senn HD598Cs in the office, I can vouch for their extreme comfort (I also wear glasses) and they are easy to drive, so need for an amp/dac at first.

 

[AthenaZephyrian]

I dunno about HD600's... but I love my Hifiman HE400i's. Just make sure you get a warranty if you pick 'em, as they are fragile. You can EQ down the 9khz region and bring up the 1-3khz region (by about 3-5dB each), and they'll sound more neutral and intimate, with all the joys of planar. I've never heard th HD6x0's, but have heard HD558's, and prefer the 400i by a landslide.

Actually, I prefer the 400i to a lot of things by a landslide.

I suggest you try TrueFi by Sonarworks if you get a compatible can. It's a bit pricey, but man, is it ever worth it for indie and other vocal music. There's not really another way to get vocals to sound this convincing. For tracks that get a bit crowded (e.g. metal), EQing the 3-20khz region ^ 2-3dB helps bring some resolution.

 

[buke9]

If you worry about sound leakage then go for closed backs.

 

[Rvl1]

I tried to get the massdrop hd58x and hd6xx , they wont ship to me in Japan
But akg and some others were able to ship

 

[buke9]

Well then you have a decision to make then yes?