Sorry, I haven't mentioned it before, but I am looking only for open headphones. I've heard a lot of good about ultrasone edition 8, but I would still like to go for open ones.
Thanks! Generally I am not a big fan of Denon headphones. I used to have D2000 and also auditioned D5000 and D7000. They are very nice sounding headphones, but not aggresive enough and have too much bass for me. Unless the new series of Denon headphones has different characteristics, I would rather look for other brands.
Wooden headphones have a unique sound whcih not everyone like, so take this with a grain of salt. But the Fostex TH900 and the Audio Technica wooden headphones (ATH-W3000ANV, ATH-W5000 and ATH-W1000X) are quite good to my ear. They are also quite easy to drive.
Shure SRH-1840 is also quite easy to drive and is a very reasonable headphones for its price.
My only full-size headphone at the moment is W5000 and I agree they sound great even out of iPod. I like them for vocals very much, but I don't find them great for rock or heavy electronic music.
Wooden headphones have a unique sound whcih not everyone like, so take this with a grain of salt. But the Fostex TH900 and the Audio Technica wooden headphones (ATH-W3000ANV, ATH-W5000 and ATH-W1000X) are quite good to my ear. They are also quite easy to drive.
Shure SRH-1840 is also quite easy to drive and is a very reasonable headphones for its price.
Thanks! Generally I am not a big fan of Denon headphones. I used to have D2000 and also auditioned D5000 and D7000. They are very nice sounding headphones, but not aggresive enough and have too much bass for me. Unless the new series of Denon headphones has different characteristics, I would rather look for other brands.
Thank you for the Grado recommendation. I have auditioned PS1000 and liked the sound very much, however I think I am not able to accept their build quality and their comfort is also an issue for me (too heavy, falling from my head, unable to listen while lying on bed).
If you find Denon's "not aggressive enough" there aren't many options for you other than Grado. They're generally fast and in the same league of aggression as Denon (sometimes less).
It sounds like you need the speed, attack and sound signature of an orthodynamic/planer magnetic like a hifiman or fostex... in which case you would need to get at the very least a small/portable and powerful headphone amp.
But Ultrasone is another good recommend as stated above.
Let us know what headphones you already have and what music you listen to, or what you need that your current headphones don't give you. That would help a lot.
OK, so to sum it up - I look for the following headphones:
(my total budget is up to $2000, but if I could get something really good sounding at $1000, that's even better)
- open and full-sized
- mainly for indie rock, progressive rock, heavy and light electronic music, pop and vocals
- without the need of expensive source/DAC (the headphones should not be very picky in regards to audio chain)
- without amp or with not very expensive amp
- Grado is probably not for me because of comfort and build quality issues
- Audio-Technica (I possess W5000) is good for vocals, but not so much for rock and electronic music (it has too "light" sound for me)
I would like to get the sound that is rich, "colorful" (I don't mean "colored"), dynamic, deep (with good depth).
Thank you for your recommendations so far. The suggestions I liked most so far are LCD-2 rev. 2 and t1/wa2 combo.
If you know other headphones (headphones+amp) that could satisfy the above-mentioned requirements, please do suggest them!
Based on what you've been posting you could likely do very well with the Senn HD650 and any one of several reasonably priced amps.
I personally would go with the HiFiMan HE-500 with the Lyr/Bifrost. I own the HE500 and Lyr and will be ordering the Bifrost on Friday. I listen to very similar music to what you have listed and the HE500 are continuously blowing me away. The total for all three pieces is well below $2000 and you would also have the added benefit of a significant upgrade in sound quality from the bifrost to your existing integrated amplifier.
Thanks! That's an interesting recommendation. Have you ever auditioned HE-500 in this setup (Lyr/Bifrost)? Do you think HE-500 will suit me better than LCD2? Have you compared the two headphones?
Based on what you've been posting you could likely do very well with the Senn HD650 and any one of several reasonably priced amps.
I personally would go with the HiFiMan HE-500 with the Lyr/Bifrost. I own the HE500 and Lyr and will be ordering the Bifrost on Friday. I listen to very similar music to what you have listed and the HE500 are continuously blowing me away. The total for all three pieces is well below $2000 and you would also have the added benefit of a significant upgrade in sound quality from the bifrost to your existing integrated amplifier.
I haven't heard the HE500 with the Lyr and Bifrost yet but from what I've read it will be an upgrade from my Little Dot DAC. I have heard the LCD2 only briefly but I personally preferred the HE500 as to my ears it sounded more balanced in that the treble, mids and bass seemed in proportion whereas the LCD2 sounded great but seemed to emphasize the bass a little too much for my taste.
I love my HE500/Lyr combo I can't speak as to whether you will prefer it to any other setup but to me it is the best I could get without spending hundreds or thousands more....
I will try to audition HE500 and LCD if possible. I would be best to listen to them however in my location it's not easy to do.
From what I've read I also feel HE500 would be more to my taste than LCD2. However I remember once someone comparing LCD3 to HE-6 and saying that LCD had richer,more 'colorful', more saturated sound. I wonder if it is true, because I really like when the headphone is able to reproduce sounds in a rich, colorful way.
I hope you will enjoy your new DAC. I wonder if it will make an audible difference in your system. Please let me know, if you'd be so kind
I haven't heard the HE500 with the Lyr and Bifrost yet but from what I've read it will be an upgrade from my Little Dot DAC. I have heard the LCD2 only briefly but I personally preferred the HE500 as to my ears it sounded more balanced in that the treble, mids and bass seemed in proportion whereas the LCD2 sounded great but seemed to emphasize the bass a little too much for my taste.
I love my HE500/Lyr combo I can't speak as to whether you will prefer it to any other setup but to me it is the best I could get without spending hundreds or thousands more....
It's a bit of an odd request, what with a budget that large and specifically stating you do not want an amp/dac for the headphones.
Bias advice here since I own both of these phones; but I'll recommend the LCD2 first and the T1 second, based on what you desire. Plenty of dac/amp choices for these under 1k if you so desire to add one later.
I find the LCD2 very good for rock. It has some weight behind the sound and comes off as very full and rich. The T1 to me can be clinical at times but mostly sounds very natural.....great for vocals / acoustic / strings....but does not lack in the bass area either.
It's a bit of an odd request, what with a budget that large and specifically stating you do not want an amp/dac for the headphones.
Bias advice here since I own both of these phones; but I'll recommend the LCD2 first and the T1 second, based on what you desire. Plenty of dac/amp choices for these under 1k if you so desire to add one later.
I find the LCD2 very good for rock. It has some weight behind the sound and comes off as very full and rich. The T1 to me can be clinical at times but mostly sounds very natural.....great for vocals / acoustic / strings....but does not lack in the bass area either.
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