[Music Alchemist]

Upcoming Moonspell album:
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mo...language-album-about-great-lisbon-earthquake/

This is interesting. I just found out that a genera named nihilistic suicide pop exists somehow.

Oh, this is something most metal fans would love. Death country - Coffinshakers.

Neither of those were metal, but I'll comment anyway.

I fail to see how that is pop. Sounds more like underground neofolk.

I don't think most metal fans would like it. I know I don't.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Upcoming Moonspell album:
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mo...language-album-about-great-lisbon-earthquake/



Neither of those were metal, but I'll comment anyway.

I fail to see how that is pop. Sounds more like underground neofolk.

I don't think most metal fans would like it. I know I don't.

I agree that the band before doesn't sound like pop, I just happened to find them under that label while searching for new bands.

Also, I'm surprised that you don't like the coffinshakers, their lyrical content is quite good and they are like a twisted combination between rock, and dark metal, and something like country, I like the way it sounds in the end quite a lot. I must admit though, I wouldn't be so enthused if it weren't for those lyrics which give them a bit of flavor.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Also, I'm surprised that you don't like the coffinshakers, their lyrical content is quite good and they are like a twisted combination between rock, and dark metal, and something like country, I like the way it sounds in the end quite a lot. I must admit though, I wouldn't be so enthused if it weren't for those lyrics which give them a bit of flavor.

But that track was not metal in the slightest; just some sort of country. Perhaps they have metal tracks (with electric guitars) you could share?

 

[VocaloidDude]

So my multi year search for an upgrade to the sennheiser HD650 has lead me here. I was wondering specifically if the Sennheiser HD800 would be good for metal music. They seem like they tick a lot of the check marks off of the boxes in terms of what I am looking for (which is described in detail in the quote below). But the one thing that I am still skeptical about is how they will perform with metal music. I have very different taste in metal music than a lot of people, I usually don't like metal which is very highly produced. I like old school death metal, thrash metal, doom metal, sludge metal, grindcore, black metal. That is just part of the type of genres of music I like, that is in no way all that I listen to. I am just concerned, because on the ultimate solution for metal chart on head fi, which I think was made back in 2012, it slates the HD800 as being pretty average headphones for listening to metal music. It makes me think that there could be a better all arounder headphone, but that headphone is not apparent to me whatsoever right now.

Here is what I wrote in the other thread about the sort of headphones that I'm looking for.

I am looking for full size, open back headphones, in the 1000 dollar range. Comfort is of the utmost importance. My headphones I currently use are the Sennheiser HD650. I tried the Audeze LCD-2 once, but one of the drivers died in them so I returned them, they also hurt after prolonged periods of time.

I think the Audeze LCD-2 sounded better, in spite of it's deal breaking caveats. One of the things I liked about these headphones, is they give you the feeling of the sounds being right in the room with you more often than the sennheiser HD650, which only gives that feeling every now and then. The only pair of headphones which seem to be similar (based on the ultimate guide to metal headphones chart on head fi) are the kennerton odin, which are twice my budget.

I will be plugging these into the Magni 2 and Modi, but I would upgrade. Amplifiers are too confusing for me to even try to get into.

I live in the united states.

I don't get how people have a preference over one sound signature, like bass, treble, or midsection. I think they're all important, but I never cared much about having a ton of bass. I like the bass in my headphones to be tight and controlled, and punchy. I have a preference realism in the instruments, I like the feeling of lifelike imaging. I also like a wide sound stage, that's one of my favorite things about the HD650 is their wide open feeling.

I like a lot of different genres of music though, my favorite right now is classical. My preferences tend to be harsh and abrasive (I have found that the headphones people normally associate with "rock music" do not fit the harsh abrasive stuff I like). I also like folksy music. I like calm, spacy music like ambient or drone or drone folk. I like interesting ambient or microtonal music with a lot of stereo effects. My taste is all over the map, so a good "all rounder" would do. I don't care about pop music or dancy music, I will say that.

 

[Music Alchemist]

So my multi year search for an upgrade to the sennheiser HD650 has lead me here. I was wondering specifically if the Sennheiser HD800 would be good for metal music. They seem like they tick a lot of the check marks off of the boxes in terms of what I am looking for (which is described in detail in the quote below). But the one thing that I am still skeptical about is how they will perform with metal music. I have very different taste in metal music than a lot of people, I usually don't like metal which is very highly produced. I like old school death metal, thrash metal, doom metal, sludge metal, grindcore, black metal. That is just part of the type of genres of music I like, that is in no way all that I listen to. I am just concerned, because on the ultimate solution for metal chart on head fi, which I think was made back in 2012, it slates the HD800 as being pretty average headphones for listening to metal music. It makes me think that there could be a better all arounder headphone, but that headphone is not apparent to me whatsoever right now.

Here is what I wrote in the other thread about the sort of headphones that I'm looking for.

I first heard the HD 800 in 2015 in a shop on the ($4,300) 430HAD. (Also briefly on the HDVD 800.) I used my own test tracks in most genres and spent around an hour with it. Earlier this year I bought an HD 800 for myself (it's nice that it's under $1,000 now instead of the $1,600 original MSRP) and drove it with a Chord Mojo. It sounded so similar to how it did from the much more expensive DAC/amp that I wouldn't be able to describe the differences without a direct comparison. I spent many hours equalizing the HD 800, with Sonarworks, others' settings, and my own experiments. No matter what it was driven with or how extensively it was equalized, I could never get it to sound right to me. There's something about the drivers that makes it sound overly tight, dry, and mechanical to me. And in stock form, I find it particularly unbearable with most music. Some mid-centric classical recordings were the only ones that presented no problems...but they sound good on pretty much any headphone. There are plenty of people who like it, though, including with metal. You'll have to decide for yourself how you feel about its sound. I'm sure it would improve with physical mods, but I didn't bother getting into that. I prefer many high-end headphones over the HD 800. I could list tons, but I'll just mention a few favorites: STAX SR-207, Koss ESP950, HIFIMAN HE500, Focal Elear, Sennheiser HD 650. Heck, I easily prefer the $20 Koss KTXPRO1 over the HD 800 with most music. The Elear is tuned similarly to the HD 650 and (in my opinion) has better technical performance than even the HD 800...but I think the HD 650 (as well as the HE500, electrostats, and KTX) is still a better all-rounder for all types of music. If you're going to be spending four figures or so on a headphone and only want to get one, it would be a good idea to go out to shops and meets to audition many of them before buying anything.

 

[VocaloidDude]

I first heard the HD 800 in 2015 in a shop on the ($4,300) 430HAD. (Also briefly on the HDVD 800.) I used my own test tracks in most genres and spent around an hour with it. Earlier this year I bought an HD 800 for myself (it's nice that it's under $1,000 now instead of the $1,600 original MSRP) and drove it with a Chord Mojo. It sounded so similar to how it did from the much more expensive DAC/amp that I wouldn't be able to describe the differences without a direct comparison. I spent many hours equalizing the HD 800 as well, with Sonarworks, others' settings, and my own experiments. No matter what it was driven with or how extensively it was equalized, I could never get it to sound right to me. There's something about the drivers that make it sound overly tight, dry, and mechanical to me. And in stock form, I find it particularly unbearable with most music. Some mid-centric classical recordings were the only ones that presented no problems...but they sound good on pretty much any headphone. There are plenty of people who like it, though, including with metal. You'll have to decide for yourself how you feel about its sound. I'm sure it would improve with physical mods, but I didn't bother getting into that. I prefer many high-end headphones over the HD 800. I could list tons, but I'll just mention a few favorites: STAX SR-207, Koss ESP950, HIFIMAN HE500, Focal Elear, Sennheiser HD 650. Heck, I easily prefer the $20 Koss KTXPRO1 over the HD 800 with most music. The Elear is tuned similarly to the HD 650 and (in my opinion) has better technical performance than even the HD 800...but I think the HD 650 (as well as the HE500, electrostats, and KTX) is still a better all-rounder for all types of music. If you're going to be spending four figures or so on a headphone and only want to get one, it would be a good idea to go out to shops and meets to audition many of them before buying anything.

That Koss ESP950 has been really interesting to me for a while. It seems like a fantastic deal for it's price, it has a lot of really good reviews in terms of sound quality, and it comes with it's own amplifier and comes with a life time warranty. The only other thing that looks like it might be a good idea would be the Hifiman HE500, but that thing is never available. I had the opportunity to get one one time too, but I had read too many reviews that say it's more of a side step to the HD650 and that they're somewhat heavy. I know that's subjective and all. I would probably get the HE500 if I saw them go on sale again, maybe. I just wish that I could see how the Koss ESP950 handle each individual genre of metal on a chart like the ultimate solution chart. The focal elear looks interesting, but I have also been told that that's a side step from the HD650, and I also don't know if it would be good with the sorts of music that I like. It's all just too many things to decide, and I wish that I could just own all of these headphones, because it doesn't seem like anything is going to make this easy to decide.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Let's see... Artists with upcoming material I'm looking forward to:

A Perfect Circle, Absu, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, Belphegor, Cannibal Corpse, Children Of Bodom, Converge, Cradle Of Filth, Deicide, Demons & Wizards, Dimmu Borgir, Dino Cazares, Dragonlord, Dying Fetus, Enslaved, Evanescence, Fear Factory, The Haunted, Iced Earth, Ill Niño, Immortal, Marilyn Manson, Moonspell, Morbid Angel, Motograter, Nachtmystium, Rammstein, Samael, Satyricon, Slipknot, Suffocation, System Of A Down, Today Is The Day, Tool

Wondering if Wintersun will also make another album this year.

Do you mean another album after the one they're already coming out with?

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Wintersun/The_Forest_Seasons/652821
https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Wintersun/The_Forest_Package/652824

That Koss ESP950 has been really interesting to me for a while. It seems like a fantastic deal for it's price, it has a lot of really good reviews in terms of sound quality, and it comes with it's own amplifier and comes with a life time warranty. The only other thing that looks like it might be a good idea would be the Hifiman HE500, but that thing is never available. I had the opportunity to get one one time too, but I had read too many reviews that say it's more of a side step to the HD650 and that they're somewhat heavy. I know that's subjective and all. I would probably get the HE500 if I saw them go on sale again, maybe. I just wish that I could see how the Koss ESP950 handle each individual genre of metal on a chart like the ultimate solution chart. The focal elear looks interesting, but I have also been told that that's a side step from the HD650, and I also don't know if it would be good with the sorts of music that I like. It's all just too many things to decide, and I wish that I could just own all of these headphones, because it doesn't seem like anything is going to make this easy to decide.

Yep, even after owning all of them, I have mixed feelings about how they sound with various types of music.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Let's see... Artists with upcoming material I'm looking forward to:

A Perfect Circle, Absu, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, Belphegor, Cannibal Corpse, Children Of Bodom, Converge, Cradle Of Filth, Deicide, Demons & Wizards, Dimmu Borgir, Dino Cazares, Dragonlord, Dying Fetus, Enslaved, Evanescence, Fear Factory, The Haunted, Iced Earth, Ill Niño, Immortal, Marilyn Manson, Moonspell, Morbid Angel, Motograter, Nachtmystium, Rammstein, Samael, Satyricon, Slipknot, Suffocation, System Of A Down, Today Is The Day, Tool



Do you mean another album after the one they're already coming out with?

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Wintersun/The_Forest_Seasons/652821
https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Wintersun/The_Forest_Package/652824



Yep, even after owning all of them, I have mixed feelings about how they sound with various types of music.

Had no idea about their forest series! Thanks for the heads-up!

As for Coffinshakers, they don't make anything more metal, just really dark and slow songs.

I'm curious about all bands you mention above, I had no idea that SOAD, Slipknot or Rammstein are working on new albums the rest of the list I had some idea. Thank you for keeping us up to date, those are all great metal bands!

 

[VocaloidDude]

Let's see... Artists with upcoming material I'm looking forward to:

A Perfect Circle, Absu, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, Belphegor, Cannibal Corpse, Children Of Bodom, Converge, Cradle Of Filth, Deicide, Demons & Wizards, Dimmu Borgir, Dino Cazares, Dragonlord, Dying Fetus, Enslaved, Evanescence, Fear Factory, The Haunted, Iced Earth, Ill Niño, Immortal, Marilyn Manson, Moonspell, Morbid Angel, Motograter, Nachtmystium, Rammstein, Samael, Satyricon, Slipknot, Suffocation, System Of A Down, Today Is The Day, Tool



Do you mean another album after the one they're already coming out with?

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Wintersun/The_Forest_Seasons/652821
https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Wintersun/The_Forest_Package/652824



Yep, even after owning all of them, I have mixed feelings about how they sound with various types of music.

Is there a specific headphone in the 1000 dollar range or less that you listed which you like most?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Is there a specific headphone in the 1000 dollar range or less that you listed which you like most?

What exactly are you looking for in a headphone? What sound, closed or open, and for what type of metal? You see, every single person will have a different taste in music, I EQ all my headphones, including HD800 when I tested it. In your situation, the best advice is to go with LCD series headphones, LCD-X or LCD-4, but they are heavy when worn.

I would any day go with HD600 or HD800S, I like HD600 considerably more than HD650, this is why I said that every ear is different.

Given that I heard most headphones from most price areas, if you want an upgrade from HD650, but if you want to keep the same signature, go with Sennheiser ie800, LCD-X or LCD-4, but if you're ready for another signature, go with HD800S.

@Music Alchemist is right when he is saying that HD800 has a different sound, they are much faster and more precise than most headphones, not to mention the soundstage size and instrument separation. The speed of each instrument is incredible and if you need a headphone that will truly make your music shine, it is your best bet.

In the meanwhile, ie800 is my IEM of choice at this moment, they have most qualities of HD800S, but with a more life-like signature, their mids sound livelier and more enthusiastic, where HD800 sounds more serious.

 

[VocaloidDude]

What exactly are you looking for in a headphone? What sound, closed or open, and for what type of metal? You see, every single person will have a different taste in music, I EQ all my headphones, including HD800 when I tested it. In your situation, the best advice is to go with LCD series headphones, LCD-X or LCD-4, but they are heavy when worn.

I would any day go with HD600 or HD800S, I like HD600 considerably more than HD650, this is why I said that every ear is different.

Given that I heard most headphones from most price areas, if you want an upgrade from HD650, but if you want to keep the same signature, go with Sennheiser ie800, LCD-X or LCD-4, but if you're ready for another signature, go with HD800S.

@Music Alchemist is right when he is saying that HD800 has a different sound, they are much faster and more precise than most headphones, not to mention the soundstage size and instrument separation. The speed of each instrument is incredible and if you need a headphone that will truly make your music shine, it is your best bet.

In the meanwhile, ie800 is my IEM of choice at this moment, they have most qualities of HD800S, but with a more life-like signature, their mids sound livelier and more enthusiastic, where HD800 sounds more serious.

All I have is my top 100 black metal and death metal charts, and an overall chart. I don't have one with all of the genres of metal I like, unfortunately, but this might give you a general idea.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[VocaloidDude]

Also, here's my top 50 thrash metal albums, with no big 4 except slayer, because I get tired of seeing that on every list.

Spoiler

 

[Dobrescu George]

All I have is my top 100 black metal and death metal charts, and an overall chart. I don't have one with all of the genres of metal I like, unfortunately, but this might give you a general idea.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

This looks complicated. I love ie800 with metal, but I didn't hear HD800 enough to be absolutely sure about whether it fits with those metal bands...

 

[Music Alchemist]

Is there a specific headphone in the 1000 dollar range or less that you listed which you like most?

STAX SR-207. And that's one of their out-of-production entry-level models, replaced by the SR-L300. I would have gotten their higher-end models after I tried all those non-electrostats, but I've moved on to speakers, which I think are a lot better.

What exactly are you looking for in a headphone? What sound, closed or open, and for what type of metal? You see, every single person will have a different taste in music, I EQ all my headphones, including HD800 when I tested it. In your situation, the best advice is to go with LCD series headphones, LCD-X or LCD-4, but they are heavy when worn.

I would any day go with HD600 or HD800S, I like HD600 considerably more than HD650, this is why I said that every ear is different.

Given that I heard most headphones from most price areas, if you want an upgrade from HD650, but if you want to keep the same signature, go with Sennheiser ie800, LCD-X or LCD-4, but if you're ready for another signature, go with HD800S.

@Music Alchemist is right when he is saying that HD800 has a different sound, they are much faster and more precise than most headphones, not to mention the soundstage size and instrument separation. The speed of each instrument is incredible and if you need a headphone that will truly make your music shine, it is your best bet.

In the meanwhile, ie800 is my IEM of choice at this moment, they have most qualities of HD800S, but with a more life-like signature, their mids sound livelier and more enthusiastic, where HD800 sounds more serious.

I had the LCD-X. It was one of the better all-rounders, but I preferred the HE500 when it comes to planar magnetics. (Oh, and in an audition, I preferred the HE6 over the HE1000.)

The HD 800 just sounds artificial and synthetic to me most of the time. (Haven't heard the HD 800 S, but it has the same drivers and is significantly more expensive.) The HD 650 may not be as technically proficient, but it sounds a lot more natural. The HD 600 is sort of in-between: a bit more bright and lean, with a more peaky frequency response that caused some issues for me. And the HD 700's FR is just all over the place. (And yes, I owned all these.)

 

[Dobrescu George]

STAX SR-207. And that's one of their out-of-production entry-level models, replaced by the SR-L300. I would have gotten their higher-end models after I tried all those non-electrostats, but I've moved on to speakers, which I think are a lot better.



I had the LCD-X. It was one of the better all-rounders, but I preferred the HE500 when it comes to planar magnetics. (Oh, and in an audition, I preferred the HE6 over the HE1000.)

The HD 800 just sounds artificial and synthetic to me most of the time. (Haven't heard the HD 800 S, but it has the same drivers and is significantly more expensive.) The HD 650 may not be as technically proficient, but it sounds a lot more natural. The HD 600 is sort of in-between: a bit more bright and lean, with a more peaky frequency response that caused some issues for me. And the HD 700's FR is just all over the place. (And yes, I owned all these.)

You had quite the adventure there lol

I heard all of the above except for most hifiman headphones. I generally agree with your opinions although I found HD600 much better for my ears than HD650, music came clearer and more energtic, metal had more life in it.

As for HD700, while comfortable as a cloud, the signature was a bit strange to my ears as well, I would need them for longer to have a better opinion.

I love HD800S though. It is an amazing headphone and sounds natural to my ears, but I liked HD800 as well. Maybe testing them with symphonic metal more than other kinds of metal might be connected with this though, especially testing them with Haggard.