[nanosniper]

Hey guys i was wandering your recommendations for open backed headphones. On-ear and over-ear it doesn't matter.  I have closed back MDR-XB700 and i wanted a pair of open backed for around the house use.  I was looking at Sennheiser 558 or one of the Grado pairs.  Or is there a better brand out there? 

 

[TheJosablo]

Sennheiser HD 558 fo sure.

 

[Me x3]

What music are you planning to listen with them? Do you care much about bass quantity?

 

[nanosniper]

Im sorry guys i forgot to add what music I listen to.  I listen to about every genre of music besides country.  Since i have my 700s i dont need a lot of bass but i want it to still be herd.  I do listen to dubstep and electronic music that has heavy bass lines. but i dont want the bass to be lacking if possible.

 

[Me x3]

I strongly recommend Yamaha's HPH-200.
Sennheiser Hd558 are also very good headphones but will probably lack midbass/punch for your likes.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/640370/yamaha-hph-200-pictures-and-review-updated-7-19
 
In contrary with some amazing headphones for specific genres, this sound very good no matter if you are listening to Bocelli, Dire Straits, Diana Krall, Clapton, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk or Nightwish, mp3 or flac, dynamic range 14 or 6.
 
I think Hph-200 are one of the best open air all rounders at its price point (if not the best)
 
You can't go wrong with any of this headphones, Hd558 are more confortable and bigger in size while Hph-200 are compact, have an amazing balance for all purposes and have a funnier / more engaging presentation of sound.
 
Best Luck!

 

[nanosniper]

I looked up the yamaha HPH-200 and i can get them for about 102$ are they more bang for your buck than the HD 558?

 

[Me x3]

Both give you great sound for the money. But both sound quite different. The perfect choice depends on what you expect from your new headphones. I would choose Hd558 over Hph-200 for classical and Hph-200 over Hd558 for rock and EDM.

 

[nanosniper]

im sorry what is EDM?  Also which has a wider range of music playability. if that makes any since.  Like which can play the most genres of music better than the other?  I also read that the HD 558 are great for movies and gaming, can the Hph-200 do the same thing?
 
Thanks for your time! you have been a great help  

 

[Trunks159]

The hd558 can't even compare to the ma900.
They're the best under $200.

 

[Me x3]

EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music. (Daft Punk,..., you know, that kind of music)
But without going any further with confusing definitions, I've picked my Hph-200 and I'm listen to different sorts of music and I can't find them failing with a single genre:
 
Mstislav Rostropovich - Bach Cello Suites
Kraftwerk - Neon Lights
Era - The Chosen Path
Modest Mouse - Out of Gas
Puss In Boots Soundtrack (Henry Jackman) - Hanuman
Antonio Vivaldi - The four Seasons (TELARC)
Luciano Pavarotti - Notte 'e Piscatore (With Andrea Bocelli)
Daft Punk - The Game of Love
Acoustic Alchemy - Nouveau Tango
Supertramp - Cannonball
Dire Straits - So Far Away
Rammstein - Du Riecht So Gut
Epica - Sensorium
Enya - Only Time
Max Payne Soundtrack - Main Theme (Kärtsy Hatakka & Kimmo Kajasto)
Grim Fandango Soundtrack - Manny & Meche (PC Game)
 
I've watched the last Star Trek Movie some weeks ago with this headphones. They sounded great as always. For sure, full size headphones like Hd558 will provide more confort when watching a movie for two hours and a half.
 
Ok, enough! Simply Amazing all rounders!
 
Normally I listen to music with my Beyerdynamic DT990 250Ohm, DT880 250Ohm, Focal Chorus or Dali Zensor Speakers, mostly Jazz and Classical. But as an all-rounder I think this little headphones are the best I've tried so far.
Beyerdynamic T5p are probably better all rounders, but that's not a fair comparison =D
 
I've heard good things about Sony Mdr-Ma900 but I can't talk about them since I haven't tried them yet.
 
Best Luck!

 

[ashton18]

Try the Beyerdynamic DT 990s! You can buy them on Amazon for $179 and return them if you don't like them. They're a great set of cans.

 

[nanosniper]

hmm ok! thanks for the suggestions.  for the price tag the Hph-200s look like the deal but is there any other headphones out there that can compare with sound and price that you guys would recommend?  Trying to be thorough.

 

[ashton18]

Look at the SoundMagic HP100s, they're $200 I believe.

 

[Me x3]

DT990 are amazing headphones for good recordings but terrible headphones for poorly recorded/modern over bright/ ultra compressed recordings. Probably best headphones under 200 but they need amplification since its impedance is rated 250 Ohm and goes up to 390 Ohm.

 

[nanosniper]

yea i dont have an amp on hand unfortunately, nor a pc that i can mod since i have a mac, so that may not be the best choice.