[Ancipital]

Hi people,
 
You're all bad influences, and have cost me money. I'm about to ask a question that has been asked many times before, but at least I can make sure that relevant info isn't scattered over the forums.
 
I recently picked up a Mojo, and fed from UAPP or from my iPad, it sounds stinkingly lovely. It sounds so stinkingly lovely that it outpaces my various headphones quite noticeably.
 
I hooked the damn thing up to a Stax SRM-313 and SR-404 combo and fed it some nice recordings- the classic 70s Adrian Boult recording of The Planets Suite nearly made me die with shock; closing my eyes, I felt like I could pick out every musician, for example. I'm at peace with the fact that I'll never ever ever be able to justify spending that sort of money on a set of cans, but I'd like to step it up a bit.
 
(I own some HD-25-1 II, some QC25 mostly to make air travel less stressful, some SE215, and some cheaper/smaller in-ears.)
 
My old faithful HD-25-1 II (often used for location sound recording and occasionally DJing) are a wonderful tool, but they really are the bottleneck here. I'm thinking about some midrange-ish full-sized cans, possibly willing to consider open-backed, as a gateway drug into happier listening at home. Obviously everyone has a different idea of what constitutes "midrange", so for reference, I'll just mention that I was looking at some HD600.. something around that sort of price would be sensible. 
 
So, I'd like to hear some additional suggestions- please include a little reasoning/commentary rather than "X rulez LOL".
 
If you're tempted to ask "what kind of music do you listen to?", please don't. I don't restrict myself to one specific genre- yesterday, I listened to some classical, "The Mountain Will Fall" by DJ Shadow, "Knives Don't Have Your Back" by Emily Haines, and some old NiN. It would be impossible to answer such a question
 
Yeah, I know, I don't want much. However, I'd welcome your opinions, as many heads are better than one.

 

[Dulalala]

Hifiman HE400i? I had a quick audition of them the other day and they were really nice.

 

[Ancipital]

Good call, thanks! I have been reading some quite positive reviews of those. I like the idea of Planars, though have my reservations about the build quality issues.. Sadly, I've not been able to find anywhere sensible in London to audition them.

 

[Dulalala]

The Audio Technica AD1000X are really good too. However they can be quite uncomfortable in my experience as their 3D wing support doesn't really support the headphone all too well and ends up putting pressure on the top of my ear which can be painful after long listening sessions.

 

[Ancipital]

Hrm, that sounds hazardous for a glasses wearer. I am still cogitating and reading about the 400i, looks like they got rid of those awful twist connectors and the back plate- which would improve matters a little.

 

[Dulalala]

Well during my audition they seemed pretty sturdy and well built so I wouldn't worry too much about it. In terms of sound to give a rough idea it sounded rather balance with a little boost in the sub-bass. If you really want to try them maybe consider getting them on amazon? I think amazon has a return policy doesn't it so if you don't like them you can always return it for a different one.

 

[Ancipital]

  Well during my audition they seemed pretty sturdy and well built so I wouldn't worry too much about it. In terms of sound to give a rough idea it sounded rather balance with a little boost in the sub-bass. If you really want to try them maybe consider getting them on amazon? I think amazon has a return policy doesn't it so if you don't like them you can always return it for a different one.

 
Again a helpful and sensible reply, thanks
 
I did consider that, but Amazon's charging about £40 over the dealer prices for them, which is a non-trivial amount. Frankly, if I'd found a dealer somewhere in London that was easily reached by public transport, I would have gone to listen to a pair today. Still, it's far from clear-cut, as the HD600s also have the advantage of an amazingly reliable supply of spares. Nothing's ever straightforward, is it?
 
Meanwhile, I will continue to think and read too many reviews.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Don't count STAX out just yet. I got an SR-207 for $180 and an SRM-212 for $150 on the used market. It's my favorite so far. The HE400i and HD 650 are good choices as well. I owned both. I'm curious about the HD 600 since it's supposed to be like a more neutral HD 650. As far as closed-backs go, my favorite one is the Yamaha HPH-MT220. It's not as accurate as the STAX and so on, but has punchy, impactful bass that goes well with energetic music.

 

[k4rstar]

For what it's worth I was able to demo my HD600 with the Mojo extensively and thought it was a very engaging listen. I still preferred my desktop setup as I believe it was closer to what the HD600 tonality should be like, as the Mojo + HD600 combo can be very mid-forward at times. You can get a pair for very reasonable prices, so if isolation isn't an issue and genre-versatility is a focus then I would wholeheartedly recommend the combination.
 
P.S. I am also a big Emily Haines fan and she comes through great on the HD600s. 

 

[Monsterzero]

If you can find one used,the original ATH AD2000(X version not so much} has really great midrange

 

[Ancipital]

Wow, some excellent suggestion and discussion, thanks everyone. I felt very welcomed, and really value the surprisingly sensible and relevant suggestions- really good stuff!
 
After a lot of thought and reading, I picked up some HD650 from Amazon, as they're a bit of a snip for around £230, and they're good about returns.
 
Initial remarks:
 
Cons:
 

1. They are a bit too small for my head- I wish they extended further to better cover my ears more easily).
2. The "squnk" noise that the velour pads make sets my teeth on edge. I hope that this dies down as the pile flattens, or I get better at not moving my face at all!
3. The massive and unruly cable is extremely irritating. I have tamed it with velcro and some loose coils for now, but I am going to have to fit some sort of gorgeous but expensive short cable, as fighting with the big ugly cable definitely detracts from the experience. When Toxic Cables returns from wherever he's gone, I hope to be relieving him of one of his existing 650 cables, as this will be a major quality of life upgrade for these cans.

 
Pros:
 

1. The sound, while apparently tuned to be a bit "warmer", is lovely. Highs are still present and clear, lows are surprisingly crisp and snappy, especially mid-lows. Separation is decent though obviously not a patch on work's Stax. No sibilance or similar, and reasonable separation Very easy on the ear indeed.
2. The Mojo drives with the 650s without issues. Obviously this will surprise precisely no-one, but it was nice to confirm first-hand.

 
 
So yes, so far so good. This is a really pleasurable combo, without being outrageously pricey. I'm enjoying it enough to have fun rediscovering favourite music, and hearing new details and nuance, which is a good sign. Since the object of the exercise is to actually get to the point when listening is an outright pleasure, it's a hell of a start.
 
Thanks again for all your suggestions, there's a bit of me that wishes I could have auditioned them all, if I'm honest. I'm also secretly on the lookout for a deal on a used pair of 400i (the ones without the backing plate, with sensible connectors) just for fun. However, it does feel like I have now established a sensible baseline for solid, pleasurable listening. Sometimes the safe option isn't always boring.
 
Edit:
 
..oh, and k4rstar, while "Knives Don't Have Your Back" might be heart-breakingly beautiful, now I can hear how cheaply recorded it is. I will have to come to terms with that- it still may be my favourite album ever, though!
 
I suspect that the slightly warmer sound of the 650 is a very comfortable fit with the Mojo, nothing is really "too forward" so far. Meanwhile, Jon Hopkins, Wu-Tang Clan, Suzanne Vega, Pink Floyd, and famous London Symphony Orchestra recordings are all fun listens, so you win some, you lose some

 

[cel4145]

Frankly, if I'd found a dealer somewhere in London that was easily reached by public transport, I would have gone to listen to a pair today.

Not a quick trip, but HiFiHeadphones has a large headphone selection: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/. Could be worth visiting this weekend for some demoing.

 

[Ancipital]

Not a quick trip, but HiFiHeadphones has a large headphone selection: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/. Could be worth visiting this weekend for some demoing.

 
Given the current famously terrible state of the train service between Brighton and London, it's really not a journey that I'd voluntarily undertake right now. What should be a 45 minute journey is often three hours plus, with no guarantee that you'll get there, or indeed back, due to dangerous overcrowding and random cancellations. It's somewhat amazing, the amount of political coverage the franchise owners are being given- Tory governments haven't shed their unconditional support for union busting, it seems. End of rant.
 
It's really sad, as I used to love hopping on a train, and being able to dip my toes in the sea within an hour!
 
However, noted for future reference. If Brighton ever becomes a viable place to visit again, I'd enjoy a look around, even if my bank balance wouldn't. Thanks.

 

[SteveHiFi]

   
Given the current famously terrible state of the train service between Brighton and London, it's really not a journey that I'd voluntarily undertake right now. What should be a 45 minute journey is often three hours plus, with no guarantee that you'll get there, or indeed back, due to dangerous overcrowding and random cancellations. It's somewhat amazing, the amount of political coverage the franchise owners are being given- Tory governments haven't shed their unconditional support for union busting, it seems. End of rant.

And not forgetting the week leading up to Canjam London, where there's a 5 day strike if talks don't help things. I'm glad of my motorbike!
 
We can't help that, but we're otherwise an easy ride down from Victoria - by the way you'll need Lancing for us, but you may as well do Brighton too.

 

[cel4145]

Given the current famously terrible state of the train service between Brighton and London, it's really not a journey that I'd voluntarily undertake right now. What should be a 45 minute journey is often three hours plus, with no guarantee that you'll get there, or indeed back, due to dangerous overcrowding and random cancellations. It's somewhat amazing, the amount of political coverage the franchise owners are being given- Tory governments haven't shed their unconditional support for union busting, it seems. End of rant.

That's terrible. Definitely ought to be fixed. Not just an inconvenience for some people, but bad economically when you have a public transportation system that *should* be able to get people there that quickly.