[gimmeheadroom]

Uhh so many. I like bassy music. Metal, rock, trip-hop, old rap sometimes, funk, chillout, dub and bass, dubstep, dnb, some jazz, some blues, turntablism, and some other stuff too. I also like female melodic singers when mood grabs me for something slower.

M1060C are getting very good reviews... or at least they were back when I almost bought them.

A good, inexpensive pair of planars is the Hifiman HE400i 2020. They do everything well.

For more visceral bass and very good slam but at the expense of speed, the Audeze LCD-2C (that's Classic, not Closed) is a very well-built, comfortable pair of headphones.

 

[HiFiRebel]

A good, inexpensive pair of planars is the Hifiman HE400i 2020. They do everything well.

For more visceral bass and very good slam but at the expense of speed, the Audeze LCD-2C (that's Classic, not Closed) is a very well-built, comfortable pair of headphones.

Bass is important! If I recall correctly that was why I got interested in planar headphones in the firs tplace a few years back. They are meant to be good with bass... or at least some of them.

For the time being I'll continue to look for headphones for my current amp. I'll leave the option of new amp + new headphones for later.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Bass is important! If I recall correctly that was why I got interested in planar headphones in the firs tplace a few years back. They are meant to be good with bass... or at least some of them.

Yes, they are good in a lot of ways including bass, speed, and low distortion.

For the time being I'll continue to look for headphones for my current amp. I'll leave the option of new amp + new headphones for later.

Probably the cheapest available production headphone that would give your amp a workout is the DT 880, 600 ohm version. It's a dynamic, it's light and comfortable. There is a big thread here for it.

 

[HiFiRebel]

Yes, they are good in a lot of ways including bass, speed, and low distortion.


Probably the cheapest available production headphone that would give your amp a workout is the DT 880, 600 ohm version. It's a dynamic, it's light and comfortable. There is a big thread here for it.

I've watched a couple of reviews and crossed them off the list, because they mentioned lack of low end on these.

I sometimes think I should get a pair of more natural sounding headphones to keep as reference. But I'm no musician (not any more) and they would just sit in the box while I play with my Argons. I need something I would like to use over the Argons. They don't need to be cheap. I can wait and save up if needed. I would like them to be a step up from my current favourite headphones (Argon Mk3).

It seems like I keep redefining the search while I go. I'm sorry about that. I'm a bit chaotic like that.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I've watched a couple of reviews and crossed them off the list, because they mentioned lack of low end on these.

I sometimes think I should get a pair of more natural sounding headphones to keep as reference. But I'm no musician (not any more) and they would just sit in the box while I play with my Argons. I need something I would like to use over the Argons. They don't need to be cheap. I can wait and save up if needed. I would like them to be a step up from my current favourite headphones (Argon Mk3).

It seems like I keep redefining the search while I go. I'm sorry about that. I'm a bit chaotic like that.

The DT 880 is amp-sensitive. I think a tube OTL brings out the best in them. They're kinda bland on some solid state amps.

Big thread here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-beyerdynamic-dt880-discussion-thread.429371/

I don't use mine very often, I bought them mostly since I will eventually do a balanced XLR conversion and they are a good candidate.

As far as natural, probably the HD 600; and from people I trust- the 660S2 are the kings. They scale greatly with a good amp. They need good power, especially voltage as @Monsterzero said above. They're not hard to drive, they're hard to drive well.

 

[HiFiRebel]

The DT 880 is amp-sensitive. I think a tube OTL brings out the best in them. They're kinda bland on some solid state amps.

Big thread here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-beyerdynamic-dt880-discussion-thread.429371/

I don't use mine very often, I bought them mostly since I will eventually do a balanced XLR conversion and they are a good candidate.

As far as natural, probably the HD 600; and from people I trust- the 660S2 are the kings. They scale greatly with a good amp. They need good power, especially voltage as @Monsterzero said above. They're not hard to drive, they're hard to drive well.

Yes, for natural I was considering 600's or 650's also 660s2's. But I suspect I'd miss my bass and don't use them often. What's the point buying them if they'd just sit in a box.

I didn't have much time for research today, but tomorrow I'll continue.

Thank you for all the help so far. Much appreciated!

 

[Monsterzero]

The DT 880 is amp-sensitive. I think a tube OTL brings out the best in them. They're kinda bland on some solid state amps.

Big thread here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-beyerdynamic-dt880-discussion-thread.429371/

I don't use mine very often, I bought them mostly since I will eventually do a balanced XLR conversion and they are a good candidate.

As far as natural, probably the HD 600; and from people I trust- the 660S2 are the kings. They scale greatly with a good amp. They need good power, especially voltage as @Monsterzero said above. They're not hard to drive, they're hard to drive well.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the DT880 rec for a warm headphone with good bass. I have the DT880 600 ohm version, and regardless of amps or tubes I use, to my ears the DT880 is bland, bright, sterile and bass light. I dislike it so much the only reason I own it is for testing new tube purchases, so if a tube arcs over, which usually happens within a few minutes of being fired up, and blows a driver, on the DT880 its no big loss.

I know a lot of folks like it for mixing as it has a neutral (bass light) signature and is quite revealing, but for music enjoyment I can't stand it.

I believe someone has already mentioned earlier in this thread that buying headphones to match your amp is doing things a bit backwards, and in this case, I'd agree. If the OP had a megabuck OTL amp that he wanted compatible headphones for, I'd understand that, but a Emotiva pumping out a ton of power, the hum you're picking up on high sensitivity headphones isn't worth missing out on 98% of the headphones being made these days.
I have a fetish for high impedance headphones and AFAIK there is only one high impedance/ low sensitivity headphone currently being made, and that's the Mod House Tungsten. Every other headphone with low sensitivity are planars like the Abyss 1266, HE-6, Susvara. All of the other low sensitivity/ high impedance dynamic driver headphones are discontinued and buying used is a must. Even modern high impedance headphones like from ZMF and Sennheiser have a high enough sensitivity to where you most likely will continue to pickup the hum from your amp.

I'd suggest getting a Nitsch x Schiit Piety amp for 160 bucks and not have to limit yourself to just a small handful of headphones that will play well with your Emotiva. Just my .02

 

[HiFiRebel]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the DT880 rec for a warm headphone with good bass. I have the DT880 600 ohm version, and regardless of amps or tubes I use, to my ears the DT880 is bland, bright, sterile and bass light. I dislike it so much the only reason I own it is for testing new tube purchases, so if a tube arcs over, which usually happens within a few minutes of being fired up, and blows a driver, on the DT880 its no big loss.

I know a lot of folks like it for mixing as it has a neutral (bass light) signature and is quite revealing, but for music enjoyment I can't stand it.

I believe someone has already mentioned earlier in this thread that buying headphones to match your amp is doing things a bit backwards, and in this case, I'd agree. If the OP had a megabuck OTL amp that he wanted compatible headphones for, I'd understand that, but a Emotiva pumping out a ton of power, the hum you're picking up on high sensitivity headphones isn't worth missing out on 98% of the headphones being made these days.
I have a fetish for high impedance headphones and AFAIK there is only one high impedance/ low sensitivity headphone currently being made, and that's the Mod House Tungsten. Every other headphone with low sensitivity are planars like the Abyss 1266, HE-6, Susvara. All of the other low sensitivity/ high impedance dynamic driver headphones are discontinued and buying used is a must. Even modern high impedance headphones like from ZMF and Sennheiser have a high enough sensitivity to where you most likely will continue to pickup the hum from your amp.

I'd suggest getting a Nitsch x Schiit Piety amp for 160 bucks and not have to limit yourself to just a small handful of headphones that will play well with your Emotiva. Just my .02

Thank you! The feedback is noted. I might just keep my Argons paired with the Emotiva, as the seems to be made for eachother and just go with a new set.

If I wanted a better amp then the $160 one you mentioned and then pair it with a set of good bassy headphones, what combo would you recommend? I would like it to be a better combo then the one I currently own (but without spending thousands), ( also I would still prefer to buy new rather than used).

EDIT: Tungsten is 'sold out' on Modhouse website.
EDIT2: I'm liking what I'm seeing with Nitsch Piety amp. I'll try to find some reviews tomorrow. Thank you!

 

[Monsterzero]

Yeah, I'm on a waitlist for a review set of the Tungsten. Ryan is quite busy trying to keep up with orders.

If I wanted a better amp then the $160 one you mentioned and then pair it with a set of good bassy headphones, what combo would you recommend? I would like it to be a better combo then the one I currently own (but without spending thousands), ( also I would still prefer to buy new rather than used).

Well, there's nothing wrong with the Piety other than not having the widest stage I've heard. It has remarkably good synergy with ZMF headphones, of which I own most of them. It's our go to recommended amp on a budget for ZMFs in the ZMF amp thread.

Bassy, warm, available currently that doesn't cost a fortune? Perhaps the Meze 99 classics or Campfire Cascade. Whether or not you will enjoy those more than your current setup, that's nearly impossible to say. So much of this hobby is based upon personal preferences and system synergy. Personally I found both to be too bassy for my tastes, but if forced to pick between the two, I'd go with the cheaper Meze 99s. The bass on both are so dominant that the mids tend to get stepped upon, but much moreso on the Cascade.

If you want to get a nice warm sounding amp that can drive most any headphone on the planet and not have to worry about buzzing, I'd look into Violectric amps, and if those are too pricey then I'd suggest amps made by Lake People. Violectric, Lake People and Niimbus amps are all the same company. Lake People is their entry level gear, Violectric middle ground and Niimbus are their high end amps.

My v550 pro has adjustable gain keys in the rear, so you can adust how much power is coming into the headphone at any given time. For example if driving the Susvara you'd set the gain to +24. If you swap to a 32 ohm 104 sensitivity headphone you'd pickup a ton of hum @ +24, so you drop the gain down to zero, or even minus 6 and then you'd have no more hum. Gain is a totally different function from the volume knob.

 

[HiFiRebel]

Yeah, I'm on a waitlist for a review set of the Tungsten. Ryan is quite busy trying to keep up with orders.


Well, there's nothing wrong with the Piety other than not having the widest stage I've heard. It has remarkably good synergy with ZMF headphones, of which I own most of them. It's our go to recommended amp on a budget for ZMFs in the ZMF amp thread.

Bassy, warm, available currently that doesn't cost a fortune? Perhaps the Meze 99 classics or Campfire Cascade. Whether or not you will enjoy those more than your current setup, that's nearly impossible to say. So much of this hobby is based upon personal preferences and system synergy. Personally I found both to be too bassy for my tastes, but if forced to pick between the two, I'd go with the cheaper Meze 99s. The bass on both are so dominant that the mids tend to get stepped upon, but much moreso on the Cascade.

If you want to get a nice warm sounding amp that can drive most any headphone on the planet and not have to worry about buzzing, I'd look into Violectric amps, and if those are too pricey then I'd suggest amps made by Lake People. Violectric, Lake People and Niimbus amps are all the same company. Lake People is their entry level gear, Violectric middle ground and Niimbus are their high end amps.

My v550 pro has adjustable gain keys in the rear, so you can adust how much power is coming into the headphone at any given time. For example if driving the Susvara you'd set the gain to +24. If you swap to a 32 ohm 104 sensitivity headphone you'd pickup a ton of hum @ +24, so you drop the gain down to zero, or even minus 6 and then you'd have no more hum. Gain is a totally different function from the volume knob.

Thank you for very detailed reply @Monsterzero Much appreciated.

Food for thought. I need to decide on what route to take. Should I stretch to an amp that would last me forever, then hunt for good phones for it. Or should I buy the Piety amp and pair with a descent pair of easier to drive headphones (planars maybe). Or should I continue on my quest to find a pair of headphones for the current amp (the Tungsten's look so interesting!). I got to hit the bed for the time being, but I'll continue to check reviews for the equipment mentioned tomorrow while working.

Thank you again everyone. Your help is very much appreciated!

 

[Monsterzero]

Should I stretch to an amp that would last me forever, then hunt for good phones for it. Or should I buy the Piety amp and pair with a descent pair of easier to drive headphones (planars maybe).

I wouldn't recommend the Piety for planars. The synergy between it and the ZMF Caldera is nothing to write home about and the Caldera is not a difficult headphone to drive, relatively speaking.
The Piety has great synergy with ZMF's dynamic driver headphones, as I mentioned above. ZMF dynamic drivers are all 300 ohms and a mid to high 90s sensitivity, so I would assume that it would do well with other similarly spec'd headphones, like the HD600 and 6xx and some of the Beyers mentioned earlier. It also sounds good with low impedance/high sensitivity headphones. Where I am not impressed with it is with the Caldera and the K701, but the K701 is notoriously amp picky, so that's more of a comment on the headphone rather than a knock on the Piety.

IMO you should find your dream headphone(s) and then get an amp to match with it, as opposed to the other way around. There are tons of great sounding amps out there, many of which can drive most any headphone in the world, but those amps tend to land in the $$$ category. One amp you might consider is the relatively affordable Cayin IHA 6. It can drive the Susvara, IEMs and everything in-between without buzzing on IEMs and easy to drive HPs. That clocks in at around 8-900.00 USD. It isn't the last word in staging, refinement, depth and detail retrieval, but for the price, it's a nice, versatile amp that won't break the piggy bank.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the DT880 rec for a warm headphone with good bass.

I didn't recommend it for a warm headphone with good bass. I recommended it only on the basis that he wants a current production hard to drive headphone on a budget.

I think they improve on an OTL but as I said, I don't listen to mine often and bought them mainly to do some surgery on.

 

[HiFiRebel]

I wouldn't recommend the Piety for planars. The synergy between it and the ZMF Caldera is nothing to write home about and the Caldera is not a difficult headphone to drive, relatively speaking.
The Piety has great synergy with ZMF's dynamic driver headphones, as I mentioned above. ZMF dynamic drivers are all 300 ohms and a mid to high 90s sensitivity, so I would assume that it would do well with other similarly spec'd headphones, like the HD600 and 6xx and some of the Beyers mentioned earlier. It also sounds good with low impedance/high sensitivity headphones. Where I am not impressed with it is with the Caldera and the K701, but the K701 is notoriously amp picky, so that's more of a comment on the headphone rather than a knock on the Piety.

IMO you should find your dream headphone(s) and then get an amp to match with it, as opposed to the other way around. There are tons of great sounding amps out there, many of which can drive most any headphone in the world, but those amps tend to land in the $$$ category. One amp you might consider is the relatively affordable Cayin IHA 6. It can drive the Susvara, IEMs and everything in-between without buzzing on IEMs and easy to drive HPs. That clocks in at around 8-900.00 USD. It isn't the last word in staging, refinement, depth and detail retrieval, but for the price, it's a nice, versatile amp that won't break the piggy bank.

Thank you!

It looks like I need to go back to the drawing board. It makes sense to start from headphone side and then pick amp that would work well with them. I will spend the next few days researching headphones to see what I like. I must admit though, the Tungsten's got me really interested. So I'm going to research them too. If I like what I see, I could pair them with my current amp. That would save me a few bucks.

Anyway, thank you again for a very detailed reply. It very helpful and thanks to this thread I already learned a lot. Thanks!

 

[HiFiRebel]

I've spent the last few days checking reviews and thinking about what to do. Here are my thoughts.

I have watched many headphone reviews and there are a couple I even consider getting. I was even very close from buying a streamer, but all of that could be found in the other thread. BUT Modhouse Tugsten's got me so interested that I am unable to buy any other headphones until I know what the deal is with them. As an owner of Modhouse Argons Mk3, I know and appreciate Ryan's workmanship. I love my Argons and they are easily the best headphones I own (not that I own that many). So when I learned that Ryan has designed and built his own headphones from ground up, I can't just pass it and move along. I need to know if they are as good as I think they might be. Unfortunately, I can't order them and there are not that many reviews yet. So I need to wait. I can't buy any other headphones at the moment though. If the word is that Tungsten's are nothing special, I will go back to my list and buy something else. This subject then is now closed until I know more.

However, I think I have found a way to solve my amp and DAC issues. Not that there are any issues with my setup as it is. I love it. But one thing that I know would need upgrading sooner or later is my DAC. I have Topping D50 DAC and it's a good little DAC. I have no complaints about it at all. But I know there are better DACs out there. Plus my Emotiva amp is very powerful. Too powerful to use with some easier to drive headphones. So to kill two birds with one stone, I will buy a new DAC + amp. It's called RME ADI-2 and it should be the end game for my needs. I will never need a better DAC for the rest of my life. Plus it can drive easier to drive headphones (and harder to drive ones too). I will connect it to my current setup, replace my current DAC with ADI2 and it will be converting digital to analogue and also send signal to my Emotiva amp. That way I will be able to listen to my Argons just the way I do now, but knowing that the signal my amp is receiving is as good as it gets. Then if I buy easier to hard headphones I can use them connecting straight to ADI2 DAC and listen from that, not having to use Emotive amp for that. If I buy hard to drive headphones, like Tungsten's for example, I can use them with Emotiva amp.

So it solves all of my problems in one shot (apart from not owning Modhouse Tugsten's but that's another matter). So starting from tomorrow, I'm on a hunt for ADI2 DAC. New or used, I haven't decided yet. If I can't find used in good price in good condition, I'll buy new. Why tomorrow I hear you asking? Because I have lots of work today and also I am feasting my eyes with ADI2 reviews. Just to see how brilliant it is (and from what I've seen so far, it's brilliant enough).

So what do you think about this solution?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The RME DACs are very musical (at least the AKM I have is) and they have tons of features. But they're fiddly and can be annoying to use since they're so light, you need two hands to operate it. The remote is good and helps, but not for everything.

The RME headamp is just ok. I don't like it for HD 600s, for LCD-2C it works great.