[Old Dirty Puppy]

Maybe it's just me but I never really understood the Grado Love. I took a chance on a pair of SR325i once because I read about how great they are with rock and metal. Unfortunately I couldn't stand them. They way too bright and stabbed my ear drums. I also find grades very uncomfortable. I got rid of those SR325i as fast as possible.

 

[turkayguner]

Maybe it's just me but I never really understood the Grado Love. I took a chance on a pair of SR325i once because I read about how great they are with rock and metal. Unfortunately I couldn't stand them. They way too bright and stabbed my ear drums. I also find grades very uncomfortable. I got rid of those SR325i as fast as possible.

Yeah people recommend them especially for rock and metal. If you have been to some metal bars or rock concerts you know that it gets loud i mean really loud there. People even gets hearing losses if they go to such places frequently. And it is much more likely they will lose high frequency sensitivity first. Those people might like Grado's. That is the only explanation I have.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Long time lurker, first time caller. I own a pair of Sennheiser 558s and I love them to pieces. However, as most know, the treble is a little bit meh and the lower bass can be a bit meh as well.

I've spent a good portion of the last two months trying to find a good replacement and have failed at every turn. I started with the Sennheiser 579 and 599 because they seemed to be the first reasonable place to start. The 579 is almost perfect, but the upper mids sound awful. Trumpets, the voice of the guy from Journey, etc all sound glaring, grating, and easily over power the rest of the track to my ears (I know, everyone's ears are different). Everything else sounded fine though. The 599 had the same problem, except it was the bass that overpowered everything.

Returned those to Amazon, picked up the K7xx on ebay for like $120. Turns out my gear can't power those right and everything sounds bright which gets fatiguing. Gonna sell those back on ebay and get most of my money back.

I know, I could've gotten an amp lol. It's silly for me to not to. However, I have a xonar DGX sound card and an LG V20. Adding yet another thing into that mix felt tedious to me. Plus, have you tried playing a 3ds with an amp plugged in? Awful experience.

I have a bit of a weird use case, but does anybody know of a headphone that has the same sound style of the 558s (warm, bass/mids heavy, relaxing, not fatiguing) but with better clarity and faster bass that also doesn't require a car battery to power? I listen to them 6-10 hours a day at work and also at home. Noise isolation is not needed. I like hearing my surroundings lol.

It's probably asking a lot, but if something like that exists, I'd love to know about it. Price range is flexible, but under $250 would be best.

I appreciate the help!

Some of the cans I've considered:
Hifiman 400S (I guess they're warmer than the I, haven't bought them yet)
Sennheiser 579 (bought, didn't like it, returned)
Sennheiser 599 (bought, loved it, too fatiguing though, bass just a bit too heavy, returned)
AKG K7xx (bought, can't power them, bass non existent when under powered, selling in eBay)
HD600/650/6xx (requires too much power).

And hey, if the 558 is the best of the best for what I'm looking for, so be it they are amazing headphones, I was just wondering if there was a next step up without losing too much of that amazing, relaxing, never fatiguing sound signature.

Superlux HD330 or HD660

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

Yeah people recommend them especially for rock and metal. If you have been to some metal bars or rock concerts you know that it gets loud i mean really loud there. People even gets hearing losses if they go to such places frequently. And it is much more likely they will lose high frequency sensitivity first. Those people might like Grado's. That is the only explanation I have.

I've heard the same about Grado. Super bright which is the opposite of what I'm looking for lol

Superlux HD330 or HD660

I've not heard of Superlux before. I know prices =/= performance, but I'm a little more weary of going below my current cans' price range lol. How are they?

Also, I've heard amazing things about the Fidelio X2 and the SHP9500. Dunno about their sound signature though. Any thoughts on those?

 

[squee116]

That's two votes for the 400S. They really are quite interesting. Less than 30ohm impedance. I'm pretty sure my camera could power that lol. Do you have them and would be willing to give me a little more info on the sound? I know everyone's hearing is different, but different accounts help me gauge. I love how dark and chilled out my 558s are. It's surprisingly difficult to find another pair that just likes to chill out like that.

I've come close though. The 579s are essentially a clearer version of the 558s, but the upper midrange is simply ridiculous and harsh to me (imagine listening to Journey and having the lead vocals drown out everything other than the drums, woof!). The 400S seems like a winner, though. Does it require burn in time to get everything softened up like the K701s?

Really, the most important thing is relaxing. I can wear these 558s literally from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed without any ear fatigue (maybe a little discomfort after the 12 hour mark, but even then, no headaches).

Just to be clear, impedance and efficiency are two separate things. Low impedance does not guarantee high efficiency, and high impedance does not guarantee low efficiency. Be careful about correlating the two.
I think the Philips Fidelio X2's might be in your wheel house. They're efficient to drive well off mobile devices, tend to warm, have decently extended treble, and the bass is a monster on a leash. I think the Hifiman's will likely have better detail reproduction and transient response, but WILL be harder to drive, low impedance aside. I think the X2s would work directly out of your 3DS, which I don't think I could say confidently of the H400s.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I've heard the same about Grado. Super bright which is the opposite of what I'm looking for lol

I've not heard of Superlux before. I know prices =/= performance, but I'm a little more weary of going below my current cans' price range lol. How are they?

I have the HD330. For the kind of money you're looking to spend and you want to get bass, the HD330 is a good choice. Treble's bright out of the box but since the chassis is metal (headband and gimbals) unlike Sennheiser's all-plastic lower range headphones, you can bend it to relax the grip. Do that and you trim a lot of the treble and enough of the bass, putting the overall sound close to neutral. Just use thicker leather pads for the DT770 for it because the stock earpads have a narrow opening.

if you want to maximize the upgrade then might as well save up for an HD650. Or the HD6XX if you can still make it to that drop.

I've heard the same about Grado. Super bright which is the opposite of what I'm looking for lol
---
Also, I've heard amazing things about the Fidelio X2 and the SHP9500. Dunno about their sound signature though. Any thoughts on those?

SHP9500 is like an SR125 but with less treble peak. X2 might be what you're looking for though, but I'm not a fan of how non-modular it is. I'd get the SHP9500 if I'm buying for myself, but that's mostly because I know the Brainwavz HM5 earpads fit. (ie, your main problem is that Philips doesn't stock replacement parts, even earpads; unlike for example Sennheiser, Audezee, or AKG).

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

I have the HD330. For the kind of money you're looking to spend and you want to get bass, the HD330 is a good choice. Treble's bright out of the box but since the chassis is metal (headband and gimbals) unlike Sennheiser's all-plastic lower range headphones, you can bend it to relax the grip. Do that and you trim a lot of the treble and enough of the bass, putting the overall sound close to neutral. Just use thicker leather pads for the DT770 for it because the stock earpads have a narrow opening.

if you want to maximize the upgrade then might as well save up for an HD650. Or the HD6XX if you can still make it to that drop.



SHP9500 is like an SR125 but with less treble peak. X2 might be what you're looking for though, but I'm not a fan of how non-modular it is. I'd get the SHP9500 if I'm buying for myself, but that's mostly because I know the Brainwavz HM5 earpads fit. (ie, your main problem is that Philips doesn't stock replacement parts, even earpads; unlike for example Sennheiser, Audezee, or AKG).

Thank you for the advice. It's weird how there is like this giant line in the sand between something like the 558s and, well, everything lol. The HD650 keep sounding like it's what I'm looking for, but I just can't saddle myself to a headphone amp. It's nuts how hard it is to upgrade from the 558s, but I guess super relaxed sounding headphones like that aren't overly popular eh?

 

[serman005]

Thank you for the advice. It's weird how there is like this giant line in the sand between something like the 558s and, well, everything lol. The HD650 keep sounding like it's what I'm looking for, but I just can't saddle myself to a headphone amp. It's nuts how hard it is to upgrade from the 558s, but I guess super relaxed sounding headphones like that aren't overly popular eh?

I agree the X2 would be a sensible alternative for you. A fun headphone. Also, there are really good portable amps that are fairly compact if you really want an HD650...

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

I agree the X2 would be a sensible alternative for you. A fun headphone. Also, there are really good portable amps that are fairly compact if you really want an HD650...

I was looking at a few Fiios that were under $150 that look to be about the size of a smart phone or smaller.

I went ahead and ordered the Fidelio X2 on Amazon, that way I can return it if need be. I got some random prime savings of $50 so I managed to get it for around $230. I'm really hoping these things do the trick. The HD650 are probably the end game. I would love some recommendations for amps for that future purchase

But for now, let's see how the Fidelio X2 does.

 

[serman005]

I was looking at a few Fiios that were under $150 that look to be about the size of a smart phone or smaller.

I went ahead and ordered the Fidelio X2 on Amazon, that way I can return it if need be. I got some random prime savings of $50 so I managed to get it for around $230. I'm really hoping these things do the trick. The HD650 are probably the end game. I would love some recommendations for amps for that future purchase

But for now, let's see how the Fidelio X2 does.

Let us know how you like the X2.

 

[squee116]

Congrats, and let us know how you like them. I think you'll be happy.

 

[AbsolutZeroGI]

Let us know how you like the X2.

Congrats, and let us know how you like them. I think you'll be happy.

I received them today. Been giving them a listen for a coupe of hours now. My initial impressions are very positive. The bass is definitely there like it wasn't in the K7xx (they both had good sounding bass but you had to crank up the volume to hear it on the K7xx). Excellent clarity in the mids and higher frequencies. I haven't run into a track that sounds harsh yet. The K7xx sounded much more clear, but also way quieter because the impedance/sensitivity was so much higher. These sound like the K7xx if the highs were less prominent, the bass were a bit more prominent, and the whole thing were easier to drive and, hence, got louder without extra equipment.

It's weird. They're both more exciting than the 558s, but also just as relaxed. It just sounds...clearer and more even. The highs are much crisper than the 558s, but they "stay in their place". No overbearing loudness yet. Everything sits where I imagine it's supposed to in the recording. There was one song where there was a bit of sizzle, but it wasn't "cringe" inducing, just more noticeable.

Works in my 3DS just fine. Gotta max out the volume to get good volume into these, but that was also true for the 558s (the K7xx...lol yeah right, couldn't barely hear squat on the 3DS). Works on my LG V20 without a problem. My Xonar DGX has no problems driving these.

Unless I find some glaring flaw, I think these might end up being my new mains. Comfortable, sturdy feeling, 3.5mm replaceable cable (omg yes). Zeos was right, What Philips, you're not supposed to make things this good lol.

I'll update in a few days when I've really had them going. They still have the "Steve Perry from Journey" test for their upper midrange (where the Sennheiser 579s and 599s failed miserably...seriously, they were so harsh and bad) and also the "pop/metal" test and "poorly mastered recordings" test (where the K7xx failed miserably. Oh goodness they are not kind to live recordings on YouTube lol).

It's a tad too soon to determine if they're perfect yet, but I've done 2 hours of video game music and 1 hour of random classic rock, alt rock, and radio rock and these haven't even broken a sweat yet. I'm very excited about putting them against the hard stuff