Open back headphone recommendation below $300
Oct 30, 2018 at 2:59 AM Post #16 of 27
I wish I could give you a comparison between the two but I don't have the jubilee. I have heard that it does have more bass than the 6xx but it is not as clean sounding as the 6xx. I went with the 6xx because as I understand it, it is splitting the difference between the jubilee and the 700. Having a 598se which is more akin to the jubilee (as I understand it) I saw no reason to get it. Hopefully someone here has them both or has heard them both and can give you a comparison between the two. I have listened to rock on 6xx (ACDC, Queen, Metalica and a few other old school bands) and can say that if I only had the 6xx i would not be disappointed, but since I don't have to make that decision I won't.. lol, but with that said, I have not had enough exposure to say how it will sound across the entire genre. I know what I like and what sounds amazeballs on it and what I will use other headphones to listen to. If you are going to also have these for movie audio there are better offerings, again, can it do it, yes, is it the best.. .meh. I hope that helps.
Ethan

Yeah its a tough one this. Why do we have to have budget constraints !!! :D I am trying to figure if i want a one size fits all solution which is probably 58x. Or a does a few things but like a BOSS solution like 6xx .
 
Oct 30, 2018 at 6:30 AM Post #17 of 27
I will tell you something that I wish someone would have told me when I started out... wait till the budget meets the want. I did not wait and wound up with plenty of headphones, dacs, and amps that I did not really enjoy, need or want in the end. I had always had my eye on the 598se and the panda stack, and when I finally got them I realized that I should have just waited instead of spending all the money I did on other gear. The 598se and the panda stack are still on my desk and used to this day, not as often as in the beginning because my audio taste has matured and so did my wallet but, when gaming, I still use the 598se with the panda stack. The Sanskrit pro dac from the panda stack is still used daily (especially since my wife has my Aune x1s) and I am perfectly content with it. The point being this, if you are budget constrained, then give yourself a little more time and then get what you want instead of settling. I know it sucks but in the end, you will save yourself a lot of money and disappointment.
 
Oct 30, 2018 at 9:04 AM Post #18 of 27
I will tell you something that I wish someone would have told me when I started out... wait till the budget meets the want. I did not wait and wound up with plenty of headphones, dacs, and amps that I did not really enjoy, need or want in the end. I had always had my eye on the 598se and the panda stack, and when I finally got them I realized that I should have just waited instead of spending all the money I did on other gear. The 598se and the panda stack are still on my desk and used to this day, not as often as in the beginning because my audio taste has matured and so did my wallet but, when gaming, I still use the 598se with the panda stack. The Sanskrit pro dac from the panda stack is still used daily (especially since my wife has my Aune x1s) and I am perfectly content with it. The point being this, if you are budget constrained, then give yourself a little more time and then get what you want instead of settling. I know it sucks but in the end, you will save yourself a lot of money and disappointment.
Nailed it man ! Its just the wait that is difficult. Maybe i need to wait. Specially given we will be moving into a new apartment next year(our own) and my plan is to set up a music den. That too would need budgeting.
 
Oct 30, 2018 at 9:32 AM Post #19 of 27
If you would indulge one more recommendation, this one will be with the caveat that there may be some salty replies to what I am about to say. Some people find these headphones to be ugly, or lacking in the mids, and most of all, uncomfortable. With that in mind, I would recommend picking up the 1more triple driver over ear the next time they come up on massdrop. The last massdrop price was $149 the amazon price is $249 and while they are well worth the price audio wise, they can be very uncomfortable until broken in and, even after breaking in they will continue to be so just not as bad as when first purchased. I will also say that I am a large man with a big head, my wife who is a normal size human being doesn't have the problem I have where the clamping is a bit too tight and instead of being over ear they are more on ear. With them sitting on my giant ears it gets very uncomfortable, but because of the sound that they produce I will deal with it, especially when out running around. When at home I have much more comfortable great sounding headphones to wear so they don't get much use. As for the sound, some people have noted that the mids are lacking, I have found after having them for a while and fully breaking them in that the mids are there. When they are new, the ceramic tweeter is a bit intense but after breaking them in it does mellow out, also, the bass is very tight at first and then soften and warms up after break in. Once this happens the mids that seemed non existent come out to play. The could be better balanced to the mids and highs but IMO it is not really necessary because once they break in the highs and mids will blend in at a nice frequncy point to the mids which gives the low mids a little more umpf and the mid highs a little more crispness. I have listened to every genre of music with this headset and there is not a single complaint. they may not do any one genre with the beauty and grace of some like the 6xx does in the genres i mentioned, but they do all genres extremely well which makes them my go to when not at home. The only thing I would recommend is a portable dac/amp if you don't have one. They are rated 32 ohm but need a little power to perform at its best. This would be a $300 or less (as long as you catch the mass drop version) solution to hold you over till you get your listening station at home up and running. By the way, yes, it does rock and roll.... lol. Hope that helps
 

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Oct 30, 2018 at 10:16 AM Post #20 of 27
Nailed it man ! Its just the wait that is difficult. Maybe i need to wait. Specially given we will be moving into a new apartment next year(our own) and my plan is to set up a music den. That too would need budgeting.
Hey, not sure if you are interested in a tube amp but the Little Dot MKii is on massdrop for $129, if you are interested in going with a tube I would highly suggest this one as it is a great starter tube amp.
 
Oct 30, 2018 at 12:32 PM Post #21 of 27
MD x Sennheiser 6XX for $199.
 
Nov 26, 2018 at 6:02 AM Post #22 of 27
Have you looked at the Monolith M1060? I use(d) them for the same reasons as you've listed. They're planar, and they play well with your musical choices in my personal opinion.
Yeah i did some reading on the M1060 and also think they might suit my taste better. Can you give me some idea if the current version has addressed the build issues on the first one?
 
Dec 2, 2018 at 8:05 PM Post #24 of 27
Somshankar,
I don't want to oversell the 6xx but it is the best headphone outside of the 800s for cello music. I must also explain that I did not hear that until I put it on my tube amp. The tube seems to fill that soundspace and makes it warm without losing the detail. I was listening to Bach Cello Suites No. 1-6 and kept hearing a sound that I thought was a low hum from the tubes. After a while of listening and ruling out the tube I realized that it was actually the cellists breathing. To me, it shines the most when fewer instruments are present because it does tend to lose some of the sound definition during orchestral music especially in the brass section. It will go from beautiful sound separation where you can pick out individual instruments to a blurring of the lines in which you can no longer hear the individualism of each instrument but the tonality of that sound range is still there and full. Now when you have a trio or quartet where the instruments individually own that sound space you wind up in audiovana. You can hear fingers drag along strings, piano foot pedals changing the tone of notes, breath from horn and wood wind players and fullness of voice from a singer. I watched Natalie Cole do her duet of unforgettable with her father and literally cried. I can listen to just about anything with these headphones but will say that to me, these shine in that wonderful space of fewer instruments and precision musicianship. When it comes to EDM, R&B, Rap and even big band where bass plays a huge part of the score, they perform but to me, that is best on my lcd 2 closed because of its deeper and heavier bass presence. Blues, Jazz, classical, cello, guitar, quartet, trio and a Capella are just a few that sound absolutely amazing with the 6xx on a tube amp. I don't know what everyone else's experience has been with these headphones but to me, there is none better to my taste in this realm. It took me some time to tune the tube amp to the sound I like by rolling tubes but once I found the right tubes it was a done deal. As for the difference between them and the jubilee, I can not say because I don't have them, I do however have the 598SE and will say that in comparison, the 598SE does have a bit more lower register presence in both the lows and mids, but it is not as clean or warm to me. Don't get me wrong, they sound great but they seem to lose a step in comparison. If I had to choose between the two, it would boil down to whether or not I am using a tube amp. without it I can see an argument for not getting the 6xx depending on your audio taste, but with it, to me, it does not matter what the taste is, it is a much sweeter and moving sound on the 6xx. So much so that I actually use the 6xx over my 800s for just pure pleasure listening on this tube amp with the music types I listed. The 800s just doesn't give me that same soulfulness that he 6xx does, it has an amazing sound but I normally wind up analyzing more than listening with the 800s. I know that this may not be the case for everyone but for me, that sweet clarity and beauty from the 800s is just not as giving as the 6xx on a tube amp. This was very long but I wanted to make sure that I explained as best I could what I hear especially since I am on a tube amp. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions please just ask and I will get back to you as soon as possible. {EDIT} Forgot to address your question about driving them, I can't really address it because everything I have can drive it just fine. The problem is that everything with one exception is desktop, the only portable I have is the Nano IDSD Black label and even with that, there is no issue pushing it.
Ethan

Nice post, Thanks Ethan.
I also have HD6xx and HD 598SR.
I'm currently sourcing music from a Shanling M3s with iem (unbalanced cables) and with a iBasso PB3 portable amp, I'm using my HD6xx (balanced).
Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn to point a few, are amazing.

I'm putting my two cents in, because i'm also looking to make the jump to tube amps.
What's your setup? Tube amp + DAC (which ones)? Could you share some insight please?

Thanks
 
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Dec 3, 2018 at 12:24 PM Post #25 of 27
I'm putting my two cents in, because i'm also looking to make the jump to tube amps.
What's your setup? Tube amp + DAC (which ones)? Could you share some insight please?

Thanks
Hi Arum 16,
I am still new to tube amps and went with a recommendation of the Little Dot MKII as a newb friendly amp. My gear is as follow, optical to my Aune X1S, RCA to the Little Dot MKII with Riverstone Audio matched pair 7-pin GE JAN 5654W and Voskhod 6j1p-EV/6zh10-EV matched pair tubes without high gain jumper. 1/4 inch to XLR adapter to custom XLR cable made by mimic cables. I replaced the ear pads on my 6xx with the NewFantasia sheepskin leather memory foam ear-pad cushions because the original pads made my ears itch and sweat. The sound is not as wide which to me makes it seem more intimate as well as a little more bassy which is a great thing IMO. It actually gives me that ear tickle from the low frequency rumbles now, love when that happens. Hope that answers your questions, if you have any other questions just let me know and I will do my best to answer.
Ethan
 
Dec 3, 2018 at 5:05 PM Post #26 of 27
I am a music lover. Listening to metal(black,death,grind) , prog rock, jazz and western classical mostly.
I have a Fiio x5 Mk2 for a DAC and a ATH M50x and Sennheiser HD558 for headphones.
I am reasonably satisfied with what i have.
But as expected I am itching now to get a good pair of open back headphones.
I am considering the Hd58x on massdrop but also looking for other options eg. planar magnetic.
From what i understand of my own taste i would prefer a headphones with a good bass presence(not over done), clear mids.Specifically i want to avoid a headphones which muddies the bass to mid ranges. Also i would prefer one with a good soundstage/imaging.
And i like rounded treble. very sharp trebles throw me off.
My budget is < $300 .
Also a headphone that can be driven by my Fiio x5 mk2.
Hifiman he400i
 
Dec 3, 2018 at 5:09 PM Post #27 of 27
Thanks Ethan. Nice setup, looks like fun.
Food for thought.

Was thinking about a fully balanced tube amp. I've been reading a bit. Might be difficult to find some nice matching tubes, and someone says that balanced might bring more hurdles to a successful tuning than not.
 

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