[Danieru]

Hello, 
 
I've been using Sony MDR - NC6 for quite a long time, and I figured its time for an upgrade. I listen to various sub-genres of metal, that makes up for about 90% of my music. The other 10% is mostly classical. I'm a newbie, so I'm not exactly sure how to describe the sound I'd be looking for in headphones. The only thing I can say is that I want the sound quality to be the best it can be. I also prefer over-the-ear headphones rather then In-ear or on-the-ear. I also want them to be very comfortable because the Sony's that I've had are pretty uncomfortable, my ears get irritated after wearing more than 45 minutes. I decided I'd come here for help, because I've tried asking people for advice at work or in school, and even other websites and everyone would recommend either Bose, or Beats by Dre, and I've sampled both these headphones and the quality didn't match the price tag. I plan on using the headphones mostly at home on the computer, but at times with my android cellphone.
 

Spoiler: I've decided to post some music samples that might help you suggest the right kind of headphones.

       

Also, I'd greatly appreciate it if you posted a specific reason for the headphones you suggested. 
 
Thank you. 

 

[anetode]

Second-hand HiFiman HE400 for 300$. The best bass for the money. Not a neutral presentation but a V-shaped frequency response works well for metal. Only real problem is some minor midrange distortion which you'd only really notice as a slight change in timbre in acoustic instruments and some high register vocals.
 
Otherwise find a Sennheiser HD580/HD600/HD650.

 

[Danieru]

  Second-hand HiFiman HE400 for 300$. The best bass for the money. Not a neutral presentation but a V-shaped frequency response works well for metal. Only real problem is some minor midrange distortion which you'd only really notice as a slight change in timbre in acoustic instruments and some high register vocals.
 
Otherwise find a Sennheiser HD580/HD600/HD650.

I probably should have mentioned this in my first post, but I prefer to buy new. Are the Sennheiser HD 598 a good choice? Also, can you explain the v-shaped frequency response thing you mentioned?

 

[punks15]

No, the 598 is better suited for slower music. Get a Grado
 
V-Shaped is when the bass and treble is more dominant than the mid

 

[Danieru]

  Get a Grado

They aren't that comfortable from what I hear. It really is a shame, that I'm not able to go anywhere to actually sample these headphones, only thing stores allow you to sample is Bose and Beats. -sigh-

 

[anetode]

 
I probably should have mentioned this in my first post, but I prefer to buy new. Are the Sennheiser HD 598 a good choice? Also, can you explain the v-shaped frequency response thing you mentioned?

 
I found the HE400 on sale for 300$ on Black Friday. They might go on sale again during the Christmas rush. The HE400 have a mild v-shape eq, the bass and lower mids are very even, followed by a dip in the high mids, followed by a boost in the mid treble which might bring out the "sparkle" of percussion instruments and the harmonics of the rest.
 
The HD 598 are all right, though you might consider the nearly equivalent HD558s at a lower price. Keep in mind that the HD600s are a healthy step up and can be found pretty close to (if not exactly) 300$ if you call around to places like B&H or Razor Dog.
 

  No, the 598 is better suited for slower music. Get a Grado
 
V-Shaped is when the bass and treble is more dominant than the mid

 
Don't get a Grado. If you do get a Grado then get the SR80, listen to it for a few weeks, then move up to an HD600 or HE400 and you won't feel so bad about losing only 80 bucks on the ubiquitous audiophile pimping of the Grado house sound.

 

[Danieru]

   
I found the HE400 on sale for 300$ on Black Friday. They might go on sale again during the Christmas rush. The HE400 have a mild v-shape eq, the bass and lower mids are very even, followed by a dip in the high mids, followed by a boost in the mid treble which might bring out the "sparkle" of percussion instruments and the harmonics of the rest.
 
The HD 598 are all right, though you might consider the nearly equivalent HD558s at a lower price. Keep in mind that the HD600s are a healthy step up and can be found pretty close to (if not exactly) 300$ if you call around to places like B&H or Razor Dog.
 
 
Don't get a Grado. If you do get a Grado then get the SR80, listen to it for a few weeks, then move up to an HD600 or HE400 and you won't feel so bad about losing only 80 bucks on the ubiquitous audiophile pimping of the Grado house sound.

Yeah before I made this thread I checked out other ones, and everyone was recommending Grado's for this kind of music, and I was also curious why is that? Are the HE400's comfortable?

 

[anetode]

  Yeah before I made this thread I checked out other ones, and everyone was recommending Grado's for this kind of music, and I was also curious why is that? Are the HE400's comfortable?

Grados have a specific tuning which bumps up the sound of guitars and a presentation that makes you feel like you're next to the instrument. It's a fun effect but it gets grating after a while. The HE400s are comfortable, though they are rather large. Another headphone you might consider would be MrSpeaker's Alpha Dogs.

 

[punks15]

Yeah before I made this thread I checked out other ones, and everyone was recommending Grado's for this kind of music, and I was also curious why is that? Are the HE400's comfortable?

 


Because for metal you will definitely need speed and fast transients. And the grado will give you that. HD600 is still okay okay for rock or hard rock but for metal they can't keep up with the energy and pace of music IMO

 

[Danieru]

I'm going to consider everyone's suggestions, but what do you guys think about the AKG headphones specifically the k702, q701, or the k550. I also wanted to see what you guys thought of Beyerdynamics, the DT 770 or the DT 990.

 

[Claritas]

There is simply nothing better than Grados for guitar-oriented music. That's why they're recommended for metal. They do well with other treble-based music too, such as female vocals, string quartets, and organ. It's true that they can be uncomfortable, though an aftermarket leather headband took care of that for me. If you want to try them, try 60i because it has the least potentially offensive highs and it's also the cheapest. You can buy L-cushions, which move the drivers away from your ears, to improve the soundstage. None of this means that Grados are right for you, but I'm willing to be called nasty names for liking them.
 
HE400 is a very good headphone. By that, I mean it's in a better class than Grado's SR series or modded Fostex, both of which are good but not very good headphones. I'm still using good as a real compliment (as opposed to adequate and tolerable). If I still listened to a lot of jazz, I'd already have bought it. It's such a kinetic headphone: what a sense of movement! You want to get right up and dance. Which is strange because although it's the least heavy and uncomfortable of the Hifimans, it's still sort of heavy and uncomfortable, and I don't know what can be done about that. I dislike it for classical because it has too much of a sense of motion for classical, and metal simply didn't stand out on it for me. But I didn't end up analyzing why because I started playing jazz on it and forgot to analyze.

 

[Danieru]

  There is simply nothing better than Grados for guitar-oriented music. That's why they're recommended for metal. They do well with other treble-based music too, such as female vocals, string quartets, and organ. It's true that they can be uncomfortable, though an aftermarket leather headband took care of that for me. If you want to try them, try 60i because it has the least potentially offensive highs and it's also the cheapest. You can buy L-cushions, which move the drivers away from your ears, to improve the soundstage. None of this means that Grados are right for you, but I'm willing to be called nasty names for liking them.
 
HE400 is a very good headphone. By that, I mean it's in a better class than Grado's SR series or modded Fostex, both of which are good but not very good headphones. I'm still using good as a real compliment (as opposed to adequate and tolerable). If I still listened to a lot of jazz, I'd already have bought it. It's such a kinetic headphone: what a sense of movement! You want to get right up and dance. Which is strange because although it's the least heavy and uncomfortable of the Hifimans, it's still sort of heavy and uncomfortable, and I don't know what can be done about that. I dislike it for classical because it has too much of a sense of motion for classical, and metal simply didn't stand out on it for me. But I didn't end up analyzing why because I started playing jazz on it and forgot to analyze.

I'm sure HE400 look nice and sound nice, but they do seem somewhat uncomfortable. Also, I am worried about quality control, because they are made in China from what I heard. No racism intended. I get nervous buying electronics or things of that sort that are made in China, which is weird because I'm sure the majority of computer components I used to build my pc were from China.
 
Anyway is this a common problem?

 

[punks15]

  I'm going to consider everyone's suggestions, but what do you guys think about the AKG headphones specifically the k702, q701, or the k550. I also wanted to see what you guys thought of Beyerdynamics, the DT 770 or the DT 990.

The AKG's is fast enough to keep up with metal but it doesn't have the PRaT like Grado/HE400, the Beyer is doesn't have the forwardness of Grado

 

[Danieru]

 
The AKG's is fast enough to keep up with metal but it doesn't have the PRaT like Grado/HE400, the Beyer is doesn't have the forwardness of Grado

what is PRaT?
 
So then what about headphones that are good all around, and also what do you think of the Shure SRH840, 940, or 1440/1840?  

 

[Claritas]

  what is PRaT?
 
So then what about headphones that are good all around, and also what do you think of the Shure SRH840, 940, or 1440/1840?  

 
PRaT = pacing, rhythm, and timing. It refers to how fast / slow / lively the sound is, Since it refers to speed, I'm not sure how it was being differentiated from "fast," but sometimes reviewers use PRaT to refer to "musicality." Neither term is really clear.
 
HE400 is a safe choice (and you should be able to increase the padding on the headband). Look at HE300 too; it has some popularity with the Grado crowd, so I would suppose it's also good for metal. Or try SR60i with L-cushions.
 
I happen to like SRH840 as an all-rounder, but it's closed, it doesn't really stand out with any particular genre, and the headband's uncomfortable. SRH940 is comfortable and resolving, but too bright. The HE400 is a better choice than either. I haven't yet heard SRH1x40.