[chimney189]

For awhile now I was convinced that I would purchase the HE-400i. Lo and behold, I found that listening to the sound demo provided by Z Reviews sounded much different depending on what type of headphone I used. When I used IEM headphones then they sounded perfect to me: detailed, somewhat bright, airy, etc; then I listened to them through a short-lived Sennheiser HD-6XX -- this brought out lots of warmth. I don't like that whatsoever. I don't like a veil or blanket to cover up, thicken, or whatever to the sound.
 
I recently began looking at AKG-712 Pro and ATH-AD 2000x, but from reviews that I have read they also seem to have a warm, somewhat laid-back sound signature. I am wondering if anyone knows an open-back headphone within the $300 price range that would be nearly the exact opposite of these? I like mids to be neutral, yet somewhat forward.
 
Nit pick, nit pick, nit pick!
 
Basically, I'm looking for: Airy and/or Open -- Spacious, Articulate, Bassy, Fast, Breathy, Transparent, more Cool, Crisp, good Decay, Depth, somewhat Lean and/or Dry, Imaging, Naturalness (if possible with these)
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this!

 

 

[Beyakusenn]

That is basically a STAX headphone. Considering you don't have an energizer yet, you can't get a working system under $300.
 
I suggest you look for a second hand SRS-2170 system (SR-207 + SRM-252S) Or an SRS-2020, or another Lambda Basic System. They might not be easy to find, and even the second hand prices seem to be high at the moment, but I think these headphones have the kind of sound you are looking for.
 
Here is one with a decent amount of positive trader feedback: http://www.head-fi.org/t/822032/fs-stax-sr-303

 

[chimney189]

Thank you for the reply.
 
It seems that they can get quite expensive with amping. I guess the next step would be to ask which types of headphones are similar to Stax?
 
 
EDIT: What about the Koss-950?

 

[buke9]

Thank you for the reply.

It seems that they can get quite expensive with amping. I guess the next step would be to ask which types of headphones are similar to Stax?


EDIT: What about the Koss-950?

The 950's would be a good choice for what you are describing but run about $600 new come up for sale not real often used.

 

[chimney189]

What of any headphones under the $400 range? Or are there any at said price?
 
 
EDIT: Open-back headphones are what I'm looking for

 

[notfitforpublic]

Beyer line up sounds to be in your tastes. You can probably pickup a used DT880 (250 or 600 ohm) used or new on sale well with in your price limit.
 
I haven't heard a lot of the the AKG line up (just the 7xx) but might be another option. They tend to be given similar descriptions.

 

[chimney189]

  Beyer line up sounds to be in your tastes. You can probably pickup a used DT880 (250 or 600 ohm) used or new on sale well with in your price limit.
 
I haven't heard a lot of the the AKG line up (just the 7xx) but might be another option. They tend to be given similar descriptions.

Have you heard of the ATH-AD900x? I here these are great as well. I'm definitely checking out the DT880 -- I definitely like that they are said to be extremely comfortable.
 
I'm also definitely beginning to feel frustrated with expectation bias in terms of price-to-performance ratio. It's as if anything under $500 will sound like baloney

 

[buke9]

You could probably find HD-700's for that price also.

 

[atarione]

I have the DT880 Premium 250Ohms headphones... paired with the right amp... I love these headphones.. I have been using them at home most of the time for 3yrs
 
 
looking on amazon the 250's are a bit more than they had been down to before xmas but still under $200 ... very comfortable .. I would personally recommend the premiums over the pro's comfort wise...  I have never had the opportunity to try the all black edition ones can say on those..

 

[raybone0566]

The akg k712 is quite airy & open sounding. A bit better than the 880 to my ears. Both excellent choices. I owned at one time or another most flagships & now only own a couple under 500 ones. You can get close to what they offer with the right gear.

 

[obobskivich]

Beyerdynamic seems like a good suggestion - DT880 or T70 (I know they're closed-back but I think they'd fit your sound signature preferences) would be good candidates. The Audio-Technica A2000X may also be a good candidate (same reasoning as the T70). I personally regard the ESP/950 as somewhat warm, so I'm not sure if that's a good direction or not - they are airy and detailed for sure, but their sound signature reminds me in ways of the Sennheiser HD 580/600.

Ultrasone PRO2900 may also be worth a consideration - they're towards the cooler side, detailed, spacious (if S-LOGIC works for you - I don't mean this to sound ominous in the least, but some people don't seem to get along with S-LOGIC, and Ultrasone's own research into the matter concluded that there's a percentage of the population for whom this is going to be the case due to ear shape), etc. Definitely not "thick" sounding unless the recording calls for it.

In the land of used headphones, your initial request almost perfectly describes (at least from my recollection and experience) the Sony MDR-SA5000. They aren't in production anymore though, so I'm not sure if you can find a pair to try or own.

I would avoid the HD 600/650, most woodies, Grados, etc as those all tend towards being fairly warm sounding.

 

[chimney189]

Thanks everyone for your responses.
 
I'm a little worried about those wings on the AD series, but then again they might work extremely well. Comfort is definitely one of if not the most important factor to me just before sound.

 

[akg fanboy]

the technica wings are pretty uncomfortable to me, most headphones have an issue with the weight of the headphones being exerted to the middle of your head, then the technicas do the exact opposite and put it all on the sides of your head. Beyer and neutralish/forward mids would be the wrong choice. Akgs 700 series don't have a treble spike like the beyers but still have great detail, wider soundstage, and extended treble. The k712 will be warmer than the k701/k702

 

[chimney189]

  the technica wings are pretty uncomfortable to me, most headphones have an issue with the weight of the headphones being exerted to the middle of your head, then the technicas do the exact opposite and put it all on the sides of your head. Beyer and neutralish/forward mids would be the wrong choice. Akgs 700 series don't have a treble spike like the beyers but still have great detail, wider soundstage, and extended treble. The k712 will be warmer than the k701/k702

Thank you. The options have whittled down to either AKG 702 or the ATH-AD series.
 
Do the wings do anything right?
 
EDIT: Does anyone happen to know if the AKG 702 has the exact same headband as the 701's? I've heard the bumps beneath the K701 type of headband can be quite uncomfortable. (Things have switched from sound to comfort...)

 

 

[akg fanboy]

  Thank you. The options have whittled down to either AKG 702 or the ATH-AD series.
 
Do the wings do anything right?
 
EDIT: Does anyone happen to know if the AKG 702 has the exact same headband as the 701's? I've heard the bumps beneath the K701 type of headband can be quite uncomfortable. (Things have switched from sound to comfort...)

 

The wings are super easy to just wear without adjusting them, but the akgs do that as well. The later k702 models seem to not have the issue with the bumps from what i've seen from reviews. I would definitely call the 700 series a higher tier than the ad700/900 series of headphones. The ad2000x is completely different though but has the signature narrow soundstage