[Blindsay04]

Hey all,

Right now I have the Sennheiser HD 58x along with the Schiit Magni and Modi (I forget which version but they are not the newest ones). The volume knob on my Magni is starting to go so it got me thinking about some upgrades anyways.

Starting with the headphones. For the money I have been pretty happy with the 58x but the biggest thing I find they lack is bass. I know which open back headphones that makes it a bit tougher but I want something with some more punch (I listen to a lot of rap and metal). If possible also like the idea of a wider soundstage, I have been shopping around for some new home speakers and was looking at some Martin Logan electrostats and really love the sound stage they offer and was hoping to find at least a little bit of that in headphones.

A few that intrigued me,

-beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro - These seem to fit the more bass bill but I have seen many say the high end can be a bit piercing

-Hifiman edition xs - I really like the soundstage that these seem to offer and I have heard they have respectable bass but I am not sure if the bass would be a noticeable improvement over my current headphones

-Focal Elex - Not as sure about these but they just seemed to get a lot of really positive reviews

Open to other ideas I might be missing as well.


On the dac/amp side of things I have been happy overall with my Schiit stack except the failing volume knob so I was planning on sticking with them unless there was something amazing i was missing out on. I was leaning towards getting the Magnius/Modius stack to replace mine. Whatever setup I do get, I have to make sure it has some outputs to connect to my JBL 306p's

Budget is a bit flexible $1000 ideally but up to $1500 possible. Also open to just buying headphones now and the dac/amp later if there was something really amazing headphone wise that was a bit more pricey.

Thoughts?

 

[msing539]

-beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro - These seem to fit the more bass bill but I have seen many say the high end can be a bit piercing

-Hifiman edition xs - I really like the soundstage that these seem to offer and I have heard they have respectable bass but I am not sure if the bass would be a noticeable improvement over my current headphones

-Focal Elex - Not as sure about these but they just seemed to get a lot of really positive reviews

Hey, the 1990 isn't laid back like the Sennheisers--it throws a lot of detail at you all the time. I'd say the low end is better but if you really want some thump, the 1770 is better for that. Yes, the XS is improved over the Senns in the low end and I do prefer the sound overall, but still don't expect to be blown away by the bass... I do think these are some of the best headphones in the sub-$500 bracket.

I have not heard the Elex but I always shy away from it because of all the ones with blown drivers on eBay. If you search it and just arrange price low to high, you'll find half a dozen where one side stopped working.

 

[Blindsay04]

Hey, the 1990 isn't laid back like the Sennheisers--it throws a lot of detail at you all the time. I'd say the low end is better but if you really want some thump, the 1770 is better for that. Yes, the XS is improved over the Senns in the low end and I do prefer the sound overall, but still don't expect to be blown away by the bass... I do think these are some of the best headphones in the sub-$500 bracket.

I have not heard the Elex but I always shy away from it because of all the ones with blown drivers on eBay. If you search it and just arrange price low to high, you'll find half a dozen where one side stopped working.

Thanks for the info, I do want more bass but I still want a good well rounded headphone that is clean (and open back is a must for me), I just need a bit more low end punch than what my 58x offers. The XS does seem to be the most promising of the bunch. I have not researched much above the price of the Elex, is there a notable headphone at or a bit above that price that would be a noticable step up over the XS? I know within the same brand the Ananda's are the next price up but they dont seem to be a solid upgrade over the XS in the reviews ive seen (open to other brands as well)

 

[msing539]

I think the XS is a great choice. There's also the HE6SE v2 which is around $600. Some folks really love it but you'll need something different to power it.

Next up the chain for me would be the Focal Clear MG around $1000. The OG is about $700-800 used. The LCD-X is great if you don't mind the weight, but something I would try before I buy.

 

[DeweyCH]

Give the Avantone Planar some thought. It’s easy to drive, super clean, has good but not overwhelming or bloomy bass and is built very solidly. It’s also pretty responsive to EQ, so if you wanted you could add a Schiit Loki Mini+ to your stack, which is very respectable and I wouldn’t push for upgrading unless the volume pot goes fully dead.

Alternatively (and pricier) you would probably enjoy the ZMF Aeolus. There’s probably one or two on the classifieds. Fantastic headphones, some of the most fun to listen to. Soundstage is good but not fantastic, but ye gods is it great for rap and metal.

 

[DeweyCH]

I think the XS is a great choice. There's also the HE6SE v2 which is around $600. Some folks really love it but you'll need something different to power it.

Next up the chain for me would be the Focal Clear MG around $1000. The OG is about $700-800 used. The LCD-X is great if you don't mind the weight, but something I would try before I buy.

The HE6SEv2 is a fantastic set. Definitely need more power, probably a Jotunheim with balanced cables. Also wicked uncomfortable unless you at least add some Dekoni Nuggets to the headband. With proper amplification I don’t think there’sa better headphone under a grand (adorama with the email link has them for $550)

 

[Blindsay04]

The HE6SEv2 is a fantastic set. Definitely need more power, probably a Jotunheim with balanced cables. Also wicked uncomfortable unless you at least add some Dekoni Nuggets to the headband. With proper amplification I don’t think there’sa better headphone under a grand (adorama with the email link has them for $550)

I am not familiar with them, I take it they are notorious for being power hungry? Assuming I can power them correctly, you think that is a better bet over the XS? On the power side, I was originally checking out the Magnius which is 3.2W at 50ohm vs the 4.0W of the Jot. One thing I have to make sure with to is I use the volume knob on my current Magni to control the volume for my JBL 306p's so I have to make sure the output is variable and not fixed. Assuming it is I could do the Modius, Jot and the HE6SEv2

 

[DeweyCH]

I am not familiar with them, I take it they are notorious for being power hungry? Assuming I can power them correctly, you think that is a better bet over the XS? On the power side, I was originally checking out the Magnius which is 3.2W at 50ohm vs the 4.0W of the Jot. One thing I have to make sure with to is I use the volume knob on my current Magni to control the volume for my JBL 306p's so I have to make sure the output is variable and not fixed. Assuming it is I could do the Modius, Jot and the HE6SEv2

Yes. Powered correctly, they're beasts. You can see my collection in my sig, I'm listening to mine right now. A Modius-Jot stack would probably be very good with them. I drove mine with a Magnius briefly (ended up selling it b/c the single-ended output is not great, and I got a nice deal on an iFi Pro iCAN), and it had enough power. The Jot would be a better choice if your budget allows, though.

You can also roll pads on them and find something better than stock. I've settled on a pair of ZMF Universe Perforated Suede pads on mine. You'd need a plastic ring that Hifiman sells for like ten bucks to mount them.

 

[Blindsay04]

Yes. Powered correctly, they're beasts. You can see my collection in my sig, I'm listening to mine right now. A Modius-Jot stack would probably be very good with them. I drove mine with a Magnius briefly (ended up selling it b/c the single-ended output is not great, and I got a nice deal on an iFi Pro iCAN), and it had enough power. The Jot would be a better choice if your budget allows, though.

You can also roll pads on them and find something better than stock. I've settled on a pair of ZMF Universe Perforated Suede pads on mine. You'd need a plastic ring that Hifiman sells for like ten bucks to mount them.

Yeah I mean I could do the Modius, Jot and the HE6SEv2 and any cables and pads I need and stay under my $1500 max so I could definitely do that. I just have to make sure the preouts on the Jot are variable and not fixed

 

[DeweyCH]

The pre outs on the Jot are variable - it's got full preamp capability.

 

[Blindsay04]

The pre outs on the Jot are variable - it's got full preamp capability.

Great, I like being able to use the volume knob on my Magni now to control the volume of my JBL's when I am not using headphones.

Also it looks like I can get the HE6SEv2 from Adorama for $550 right now

 

[Blindsay04]

Alright just a few more sanity check questions before I pull the trigger.

For the HE6SEv2 vs the XS, From what I have watched/read the soundstage is a little smaller on the HE6's because of the driver shape but I assume it will still be wider than my 58x?

In terms of bass/sub bass how does the HE6 compare to the XS, either way I assume it will be more than my 58x?

On the amp side, I was gonna go with Schiit because I have been happy with my little stack (aside from the failing volume knob) but I am not shooting myself in the foot and missing something amazing in this price besides them am i?

Thanks again!

 

[DeweyCH]

I haven’t heard the XS unfortunately, but I did briefly have a Stealth magnet Arya. The 6SE doesn’t reach its soundstage, but it’s pretty impressive despite the round vs elongated cups. Bass is cleaner on the 6SE and it digs down deep into subbass when driven well. Arya had really good bass but it was not as clean. Maybe a bit more raw bass presence but you lose some of the definition. I sold the Arya but haven’t let go of the 6SE.

Either one should be much better bass-wise than the 58X. Soundstage as well. Adorama I think has a really generous return policy if you find they’re not suiting you.

Stack-wise, the Jot is probably the recommendation I’d make, but you may consider the Topping A90 or the SMSL SA-400. There might be some interesting options over in the classifieds as well. @Olumm is selling a D30/A30 Pro stack that could be a nice match, and @haasaaroni has a Flux FA-10 that could well be an endgame for $650.

 

[Blindsay04]

I haven’t heard the XS unfortunately, but I did briefly have a Stealth magnet Arya. The 6SE doesn’t reach its soundstage, but it’s pretty impressive despite the round vs elongated cups. Bass is cleaner on the 6SE and it digs down deep into subbass when driven well. Arya had really good bass but it was not as clean. Maybe a bit more raw bass presence but you lose some of the definition. I sold the Arya but haven’t let go of the 6SE.

Either one should be much better bass-wise than the 58X. Soundstage as well. Adorama I think has a really generous return policy if you find they’re not suiting you.

Stack-wise, the Jot is probably the recommendation I’d make, but you may consider the Topping A90 or the SMSL SA-400. There might be some interesting options over in the classifieds as well. @Olumm is selling a D30/A30 Pro stack that could be a nice match, and @haasaaroni has a Flux FA-10 that could well be an endgame for $650.

Sounds good, Thanks again, I really appreciate your help

 

[DeweyCH]

One last thing to note, the HE6se is really responsive to equalizing. You can crank the bass without it distorting.