[ZoaKaizer]

Are there any Headphones who are Hidden Gems ?

underrated /cheaper headphones whose performance and sound quality are actually in the same league with Flagship Headphones like HD800S, Focal Utopia, or ADX5000 ?

 

[javertim]

Beyerdynamic T1.2 has been selling pretty cheap lately and sound spectacular.

 

[SonyFan121]

I would hardly call the Beyerdynamic T1.2 a hidden gem..it's one of the most popular headphones.
Here are a few candidates from me;
Creative Aurvana Live; They have biocellulose drivers, produces a well balanced sound and realistic soundstage. They are like portable Denon AH-D2000's.

Panasonic RP-HTF600-S; Aesthetically less pleasing than the CAL's but arguably sound better. 50mm drivers produces a well balanced, neutral sound but with deep bass.

AKG K612 Pro; No where near as detailed or as perfectly tuned as the AKG K702 (austrain version), but sound very natural and has that classic expansive AKG soundstage.

Symphonized Premium Genuine Wood Headphones; A rebrand of the Meze 88 Classics. One of the best sub $120 headphones I ever heard. Very warm, natural sound like a violin with one of the widest soundstages i've heard from any headphone. I preferred them to Audioquest Nighthawks. The only thing that dissapointed me about the Symphonized headphone was the build quality, I remember the original Meze 88 Classics being of better build quality. I knew about Meze long before they became popular on Head-Fi.

(The original 88 Classics)

Sony MDR 7510/1; Had these headphones for a few days now. I don't know why they never quite took off in popularity, instead remain very much unknown. They are perfect for mixing/mastering music with because of the unique sound signature. Deep, accurate bass with strong mid's and very accurate treble. I find the soundstage to be speaker-like. Most studio/professional headphones at this price don't scale with expensive equipment but the 7510 does. Their sound signature reminds me very much of my Ultrasone Edition M headphones, except the 7510 has deeper bass and wider soundstage, due to having much larger drivers.

And finally, The Fostex T50RP; Not so much a hidden gem as they are quite popular, but these headphones may well be the best choice if you are looking for the absolute best performance for very little money. The drivers are very capable and where they are housed in the headphone, there is much potential to be modded to perfection, meaning it's sound can be improved to the level of other more expensive headphones costing several times more.

 

[kman1211]

Beyerdynamic DT 480 with some modifications. Sounds better than my Beyerdynamic T1.2 or any headphone I’ve ever owned.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Beyerdynamic DT 480 with some modifications. Sounds better than my Beyerdynamic T1.2 or any headphone I’ve ever owned.

Haha! I knew you was gonna say that.

I am trying to limit my love for the 48/480 on here. Its better that way. I stocked up on both.

I don't want to get burned.

 

[ArgBoston]

Bosshifi/Sivga headphones punch well above their weight.

 

[Monsterzero]

AKG K240 sextetts
Sennheiser HD250

Both are older,discontinued,and both need strong amping.

Check my YouTube channel for reviews on both.

 

[Wiljen]

AKG K240 sextetts
Sennheiser HD250

Both are older,discontinued,and both need strong amping.

Check my YouTube channel for reviews on both.

Couldn't agree more on the K240 - way underrated.

On the HD250 be careful which one you get - the German made version was a bit better than the Irish made version. Particularly in the mids.

 

[kman1211]

Haha! I knew you was gonna say that.

I am trying to limit my love for the 48/480 on here. Its better that way. I stocked up on both.

I don't want to get burned.

Same here. The Tesla Beyers are good, but they don't have the clarity, solidity, or naturalness of the DT 480's. It's a truly analog sound with the DT 48/480, and you hear everything in a different light with them, but with time you also realize they sound right and proper in a way other headphones don't. I'm sure we both noticed the drivers near limitless potential and scalability as well. It's rather interesting the first dynamic transducer is one of the best ever made.

 

[SonyFan121]

Same here. The Tesla Beyers are good, but they don't have the clarity, solidity, or naturalness of the DT 480's. It's a truly analog sound with the DT 48/480, and you hear everything in a different light with them, but with time you also realize they sound right and proper in a way other headphones don't. I'm sure we both noticed the drivers near limitless potential and scalability as well. It's rather interesting the first dynamic transducer is one of the best ever made.

Just googled them to find out more about them. Beyerdynamic are certainly very good at making dynamic headphone drivers. What is the THD rating of the DT48/480?
Do they have a thin/bright sound signature or is there lots of depth to the bass?
I wonder what material the drivers are made out of. Sometimes different materials allow for clearer/more precise audio. I used to have Pioneer SE-MJ591 portable headphones and noticed that the bass was especially clear, linear and precise. It was because the drivers where made from aluminum.

 

[kman1211]

Just googled them to find out more about them. Beyerdynamic are certainly very good at making dynamic headphone drivers. What is the THD rating of the DT48/480?
Do they have a thin/bright sound signature or is there lots of depth to the bass?
I wonder what material the drivers are made out of. Sometimes different materials allow for clearer/ more precise audio, for example; I once had Pioneer SE-MJ591 portable headphones and the bass was especially clear, linear and precise. It was because the drivers where made from aluminum.

I’m not sure what the THD is, in stock form they do lack bass presence(one big reason for modding) but they are not thin sounding by any means. The sound has a lot of body and solidity to it and they are insanely dynamic when driven well. The best I could describe their bass is precise, textured, detailed, and fast. Bass presence is extremely seal and system dependent. The drivers are made out of aluminum(pure aluminum not aluminum plated or anything like that) and uses an enclosed magnet system, which is one of the many things makes them unique compared to other headphones. They also have essentially limitless excursion, meaning when driven well with a proper dampening factor it’s nigh impossible to distort them, instead they keep getting louder and louder with more intense dynamics with no hint of modal breakup, bass impact is scary at that point.

 

[SonyFan121]

I’m not sure what the THD is, in stock form they do lack bass presence(one big reason for modding) but they are not thin sounding by any means. The sound has a lot of body and solidity to it and they are insanely dynamic when driven well. The best I could describe their bass is precise, textured, detailed, and fast. Bass presence is extremely seal and system dependent. The drivers are made out of aluminum(pure aluminum not aluminum plated or anything like that) and uses an enclosed magnet system, which is one of the many things makes them unique compared to other headphones. They also have essentially limitless excursion, meaning when driven well with a proper dampening factor it’s nigh impossible to distort them, instead they keep getting louder and louder with more intense dynamics with no hint of modal breakup, bass impact is scary at that point.

Now I wish I had kept those Pioneer headphones I referred to. It seemed to me by your description of the Beyerdynamics that the drivers may be made of aluminum, there's something special about the sound aluminum drivers/transducers produce. For years I owned a pair of standmount speakers by a small German speaker company called Canton, and the bass cone was made from aluminum, they had the most accurate bass/sub-bass I've ever heard from any speakers. They also could be driven hard and suffer zero distortion. I think a part of the reason for that is that aluminum is tougher than other materials more commonly used.

 

[kman1211]

Now I wish I had kept those Pioneer headphones I referred to. It seemed to me by your description of the Beyerdynamics that the drivers may be made of aluminum, there's something special about the sound aluminum drivers/transducers produce. For years I owned a pair of standmount speakers by a small German speaker company called Canton, and the bass cone was made from aluminum, they had the most accurate bass/sub-bass I've ever heard from any speakers. They also could be driven hard and suffer zero distortion. I think a part of the reason for that is that aluminum is tougher than other materials commonly used.

Honestly there is something special about metal drivers in general, especially pure metal. The thing is it has to be designed properly, the DT 48/480 are metal drivers done right, the housing and dampening is what holds them back so they need some help. I actually understand why many won’t like them stock, they are held back. The aluminum is a big reason for the headphones stupid good excursion, the ideal shape of the aluminum driver, plus the excellent magnet design. The midrange and treble are some of the best I’ve ever heard too, it’s so real and natural sounding. They truly sound like real life voices and instruments, and due to this they are the single least fatiguing headphone I’ve owned, my ears aren’t trying to compensate.