[kAi117]

Hello everyone, ever since I first listened to the Brainwavz m2, which were the first "higher-end" earphones i've heard from the stock ipod ones i've used all my life, I knew I was down the path to homelessness, as many of you understand (sad story really). So anyway, my journey started and I started from the m2's and soon garnered some decent headphones, like the brainwavz m3, ath m30x, sol republic tracks air, then spent a little more money and got the DUNU DN-1000 (which are a little too sibiliant for my taste). I FINALLY settled on the ie80s as my "oh goodness i think my journey stops here these IEM's are PERFECT", how young and naive I was to think there was ever an end to the madness.
 
Now i'm looking for an upgrade from the ie80s (~$300 budget). Once the ie80s really burned in I fell in love with how much body, texture, and soundstage they had. After really experiencing the soundstage on these, I realized how crucial soundstage is for listening enjoyment. That being said, I am probably looking for an open-back headphone as an upgrade, but i've ALSO been looking at the Sennheiser hd8 DJ's, which have nearly perfect reviews, even from people who prefer an accurate sound signature. The hd8 dj's are kind of my "plan B" option if I fail to find an open-back headphone I want. The only reason I don't prioritize the hd8 dj is because i'm afraid I won't use my ie80s as often since I believe they have a similar sound signature, and apparently they do everything just a little bit better. So I really want an open-back pair so I can get two different types of experiences. 
 
I've done some research and found some possible options: Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD580 (are these basically the same as the 600's?), Fidelio X2, and AKG K702 (very conflicting reviews on these). My biggest gripe with the HD600s are the fact that they "need" to be amped. I am stuck on a 300-350 dollar budget and I don't think I can afford a cheap amp that would drive them, since they are high end headphones, which is why i'm also looking at the hd580's, though i'm not entirely sure how much truth is on how identical they sound to the 600s. I bought the ie80s because of LinusTechTips' glowingly positive review on them, and also considering he has a similar taste in sound signature as me. Since the HD600's are one of his favorite headphones, I am really interested in them, since I wanted a more accurate/detailed headphone with a wide soundstage to contrast with the brilliantly fun sound sig the ie80s provide. 
 
I've read some people say that the Fidelio X2s are more fun sounding than the HD600s, and though not as accurate, more enjoyable of a headphone. Anyone have experience with both who can elaborate more on this? I'm probably not going to get the K702 since apparently they really lack in bass, and I NEED at least an acceptable amount to give the music a little more body. I honestly don't understand people who prefer a headphone with little to no bass, it's just not enjoyable to me, but don't get me wrong i'm not a basshead, I just need a decent amount to not sound boring. 
 
Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to read

 

[kAi117]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I listen primarily to EDM (which is why I love the ie80s) with female vocals, like house music, etc. The ie80s aren't the BEST when it comes to vocals, but from the songs I've listened to, they've handled about 80% of them well, and the other 20% sound a bit recessed and lost in the rest of the music
I also listen to some alternative rock music and pop

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kAi117 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

I've done some research and found some possible options: Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD580 (are these basically the same as the 600's?), Fidelio X2, and AKG K702 (very conflicting reviews on these). My biggest gripe with the HD600s are the fact that they "need" to be amped. I am stuck on a 300-350 dollar budget and I don't think I can afford a cheap amp that would drive them, since they are high end headphones, which is why i'm also looking at the hd580's, though i'm not entirely sure how much truth is on how identical they sound to the 600s. I bought the ie80s because of LinusTechTips' glowingly positive review on them, and also considering he has a similar taste in sound signature as me. Since the HD600's are one of his favorite headphones, I am really interested in them, since I wanted a more accurate/detailed headphone with a wide soundstage to contrast with the brilliantly fun sound sig the ie80s provide. 

 

The HD600 is basically the HD580J, a special edition HD580 that came out just before it was replaced by the HD600, in marble blue instead of the original dark grey finish. Note that the HD580J already included the new grill (as on the HD600 and HD650) and all the other dampening modifications that allowed the cups to be a more stable platform for the drivers to work in.

 

However if you like the IE80 the HD650 should be the one you're looking at. Headphone.com isn't working right now but in terms of frequency response graphs the IE8(0) and HD650 are virtually neck and neck, going up and down in the same frequencies. If anything the problem despite that is that these measurements were taken in a very quiet room, so for most users at home, chances are the open back will let in a lot more of the ambient noise and will have a tendency to sound like they lack bass in comparison. It might be beyond your budget but if your goal is to get an open back headphone that sounds a lot like the IE80 (you could probably just compensate for the ambient noise with a little EQ tweaking on the bass), might as well save up. The HD580 and HD600 both do not have bass plateau as high as the HD650's and the HD580 also rolls off earlier.

 

If you really can't stretch the budget nor get used cans the X2 might be your best bet. What I remember from one review is that it's basically somewhere between the HD600 and HD650 in the treble (closer to the HD650 though), and the bass is more comparable to the latter. Its 100dB++ sensitivity also makes it easier to drive than any of the AKGs and even the Sennheisers, however its low 30ohm impedance could result in an impedance mismatch and damping factor issues on some devices and even dedicated amps. That said if you can't afford an amp, you'll only really worry about that if the output impedance of whatever you'll drive them with is just too high, so this is still the safer choice. The very high sensitivity also means you can use less power out of whatever it's plugged into, leaving you considerable headroom power and you're farther from distortion.

 

Still, don't expect it to sound as good as the IE80 with any mainstream device you'll use it with - not that it can't depending on how loud you listen, but just don't expect it to be totally the same. The IE80 still has a higher sensitivity and better isolation, which means less stress for whatever is driving it, plus you will more easily hear the bass since you also have a lot less ambient noise coming in.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kAi117 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

I've read some people say that the Fidelio X2s are more fun sounding than the HD600s, and though not as accurate, more enjoyable of a headphone. Anyone have experience with both who can elaborate more on this? I'm probably not going to get the K702 since apparently they really lack in bass, and I NEED at least an acceptable amount to give the music a little more body. I honestly don't understand people who prefer a headphone with little to no bass, it's just not enjoyable to me, but don't get me wrong i'm not a basshead, I just need a decent amount to not sound boring. 

 

Good headphones that are otherwise properly driven can have enough bass to carry the beat well. Sure they roll off at the low range of the bass, but most of the beat-oriented bass notes are higher than that, and are in the boosted upper bass range. Depending on the kind of music one listens to there might not be a lot of notes in the low bass region where the response is already weaker than 1000hz, and on such music, a very strong response below 50hz has a tendency to make the bass guitar too loud.