[achryst47]

Greetings everybody! I'm an extreme newbie here looking to delve into the audiophile world, and am looking for a quality pair of open back headphones good for music as well as movies. I have an older Onkyo receiver (TX-DS595) that I power my turntable with which is my main form of music enjoyment. I use the same amp for my movies too. I don't want to spend much more than 300. Any help is greatly appreciated! Looking forward to learning so much.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Hello friend!

When it comes to picking headphones, or really any audio equipment, your own personal tastes really shape what we each define as "good"

I have a few ideas of some open back headphones that I personally like, but knowing a bit more of your preferred sound signature could help me further decide..

Cheers!

 

[achryst47]

Hey Kirk. I mainly listen to psychedelic music but like all genres. If I found a pair tailored to Hendrix I would be a happy man. I guess good highs? Bass isn't incredibly important to me but would like some.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Sennheiser builds some amazing headphones, and the HD598 is right in your price range. Hendrix, along with many other classic rock musicians, have a lot of high quality recordings, so finding the right headphones to bring out that resolution will definitely benefit you. The HD598 isn't bass heavy, but the bass is detailed (which is nice in rock music), and the mids are clear and detailed, to my ears. Treble is also very nice on these bad boys

 

[achryst47]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to order them today! Lastly would you recommend a DAC? I'm still building my Vinyl collection and am forced to use spotify a lot.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I'm happy to help!
 
A DAC converts digital audio to an analog signal (DAC stands for Digital to Analog Converter). These take your digital signal (your audio file, CD, Spotify music stream, etc..) and turns it into an analog signal for you to hear with your headphones or speakers. Vinyls are different in that they do NOT produce a digital signal, they produce an analog one, therefor a DAC would not benefit them at all.
 
Anyways, I would certainly not recommend getting a DAC if you listen to primarily to vinyl. Now with that said...
 
DACs certainly improve sound quality, but NOT in the same way headphones do. Headphones vastly shape the audio you hear (bass, mids, treble...), while DACs alter things like resolution, detail, and transparency (transparency is how easy it is to hear every instrument in the sound stage). That's not to say headphones don't alter detail and resolution, but DACs do this in their own way. The best way to understand this is to hear some and compare them yourself
 
A DAC would improve the sound quality of your Spotify music, but if you're going to spend money on a DAC, using it with the lossy audio from Spotify would not yield as good of results compared to if you used lossless audio. It wouldn’t be a total waste, but be aware than when using higher-end headphones and audio equipment, the imperfections of lossy audio begin to become more audible for many people.
 
If you have no idea what lossy and lossless audio is, I'd suggest reading this article, as it is a very important part of the "audiophile world” Don't worry,

 it's a pretty simple concept.

 

[buke9]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to order them today! Lastly would you recommend a DAC? I'm still building my Vinyl collection and am forced to use spotify a lot.

Wow one recommendation and your off to the races. Whatever floats your boat. I would also take a look at the HE-400S. Easy to drive and doesn't mind a little power also. Have not heard the 598's so I can't say I have heard the 600's 650's own the 700's and heard the 800's and S model. I would pic the 400S's over the the 6xx's just for fun value and not just sound. It's your ears and your money so it's up to you I just would say give yourself a little more research time before you decide you just might love the 598's don't know.

 

[achryst47]

I did do research before I posted and the 598 seemed like a good choice I was just overwhelmed with all the options and the best way to utilize them for my listening options. Who knows, I may be disappointed but I don't have an option for testing so trial and error may be my costly but only solution.

 

[buke9]

I did do research before I posted and the 598 seemed like a good choice I was just overwhelmed with all the options and the best way to utilize them for my listening options. Who knows, I may be disappointed but I don't have an option for testing so trial and error may be my costly but only solution.

Yep there is not too many places to hear too many headphones so most of the times it is a shot in the dark. I hope you like them.