[Adam82]

Hi, hoping someone can recommend me something.

I'm looking for closed-back headphones with certain requirements.

First let me state the headphones which I currently own.

- DT 770 Pro 250ohm
- AKG k371
- AKG k702
- Rode NTH-100
- Shure SRH440a

I use this dac and amp:
- JDS Labs Dac+
- JDS Labs Atom+

Out of all of these, I only find DT 770 and AKG k702 comfortable, to the point I can wear them all day, whereas every single other headphone, I can't wear it for more than an hour without my head hurting. I think my ears might be big or weirdly shaped, not sure, but I came to the conclusion, the earpads, they need to be round, like an "O", whereas all those other headphones(besides dt770 and k702), they are more shaped like an "0" (other than the Rode, idk what that shape is but it's tiny and bad for me).

When it comes to the sound, all of these besides the DT 770 sound somewhat similar, I'm not much of an expert with all the sound terminology, all of them more or less sound similar besides DT 770 which sounds completely different to the rest and I actually dislike it. Best one I'd say k371 sound wise. So what is my issue with DT 770 besides sound? It's not loud enough, in fact, it's the quietest out of all these headphones (I tried 80ohm too, same thing). I love to crank up my volume really really high, and honestly, k371 at half volume is louder than dt770 at max. k702 is a also very loud and comfortable but it's open back so it's not acceptable for me, I need closed back.

So having said all that, I am looking for a closed back headphone with these requirements:
- "O" large shaped earpads, minimum DT 770 size, preferably k702 size(they are very large).
- Close to level of loudness of k371
- Max budget 300pounds (350usd), but preferably within 0-200usd range.
- Has to be available on Amazon UK

Sadly something like DT 700 Pro which I think might fit my criteria, is unavailable on Amazon.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Waxletter]

Haven't really navigated into this area just yet but I'll try and give a few pointers.

• One of AKG's older closed-backs, the K553 MKII, uses large, circular earcups.
• Beyerdynamic released a 16 ohm version of the DT770 to guitar center awhile back, called the DT770i. It should be easier to drive, but the drawback is that tuning you disliked is seriously intensified.
• Akg has released a few other closed-backs (ex. K92) that use circular earcups, but they're all known for having pretty wonky tuning.

With regards to your Amazon situation, sadly the K553 (and all variants as far as I can tell) and the 16 ohm 770 aren't available on UK Amazon. If you can use a company outlet store (like the Beyerdynamic Outlet) or Ebay, try that.

 

[pbui44]

Check these out:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OLLOAUDIO-S4R-1-1-2022-Instruments/dp/B09VLH3VY3/

 

[Adam82]

Haven't really navigated into this area just yet but I'll try and give a few pointers.

• One of AKG's older closed-backs, the K553 MKII, uses large, circular earcups.
• Beyerdynamic released a 16 ohm version of the DT770 to guitar center awhile back, called the DT770i. It should be easier to drive, but the drawback is that tuning you disliked is seriously intensified.
• Akg has released a few other closed-backs (ex. K92) that use circular earcups, but they're all known for having pretty wonky tuning.

With regards to your Amazon situation, sadly the K553 (and all variants as far as I can tell) and the 16 ohm 770 aren't available on UK Amazon. If you can use a company outlet store (like the Beyerdynamic Outlet) or Ebay, try that.

Ugh, ive bought k52 which is supposed to be same thing as k72 and k92, and ngl, I don't think I like how they sound. They sound totally different from every single headphone I listed, I don't know how to describe it, "muddy" I guess? I'll try them for a few days. They only cost 30pounds so I wasn't expecting anything great anyway I guess.

 

[dunring]

If you can get the Drop DT177x Go I've had them, and like them better than the DT1770. Easy to drive, and well rounded. Those will get loud on almost anything. IEM's with foam tips will give the isolation and privacy of closed back too. I have the 7hz Timeless and they're really good, also the Truthear Zero is well tuned for music with no EQ needed. Both will go as loud as you could want on the JDS Atom.

 

[Waxletter]

Ugh, ive bought k52 which is supposed to be same thing as k72 and k92, and ngl, I don't think I like how they sound. They sound totally different from every single headphone I listed, I don't know how to describe it, "muddy" I guess? I'll try them for a few days. They only cost 30pounds so I wasn't expecting anything great anyway I guess.

Yeah they don't have a super good reputation. Did a bit more webcrawling on UK amazon and found a few more things you might want to take a look at. All of these are closed-backs with circular housings. I'll try and list the potential issues with them, but I'd recommend doing some more research before buying one.

• Soundmagic HP1000
  • Potential Issues:
  • Unclear Tuning, has recieved general praise on head-fi reviews, but there aren't any clear FRs for this other than a hard to read raw graph.
  • Hard to Drive (Will be quiet)
• Soundmagic HP151
  • Potential Issues:
  • V-shaped tuning
• Beyerdynamic DT240
  • Potential Issues:
  • V-shaped tuning
  • Too small?
• AKG K275
  • Potential Issues:
  • Unclear Tuning
  • Too small?
• AKG K182
  • Potential Issues:
  • Bassy Tuning
  • Too small?
• Audio-Technica ATH-A990Z
  • Potential Issues:
  • V-ish Tuning
  • Wing Suspension System
  • Too small?
• Audio-Technica ATH-A550Z
  • Potential Issues:
  • V-ish Tuning
  • Wing Suspension System
  • Too small?