[bloodandsoil]

Hello, I'm looking for recommendations for open ear headphones with low impedance without spending over $400.  Thanks!

 

[cel4145]

Soundmagic HP200
Phillips X2
ATH-AD1000X
ATH-R70x
HE-400S

 

[ProtegeManiac]

HD600

 

[bloodandsoil]

Soundmagic HP200

Phillips X2

ATH-AD1000X

ATH-R70x

HE-400S

 


Thanks! Here are my initial reactions:

SoundMAGIC HP200: The company website does not work for me and I could not find the HP200 model, only the HP100. So, not really sure what to think about this one.

Philips X2: I guess these are the Fidelio X2/27? They look great. I'll look into these.

ATH-AD1000X: These also look great. I've heard some criticism that the cushions are not the best.

ATH-R70X: I checked the audio-technica product page and it looks like these have an impedance of 470 ohms, which is too high for what I'm looking for.

HIFIMAN HE-400S: Very low impedance of 22 ohms. They look very comfortable. The company promotes that these are "planar" but I do not know what that means. It's also not in the head-fi glossary http://www.head-fi.org/a/glossary-of-terms

Overall, all of these options are at or under $300 on Amazon.com. I am prepared to spend a bit more, but maybe this is really the sweet spot and spending only $100 more wouldn't buy me anything more.

 

[bloodandsoil]

HD600

 


Impedance 300 ohms is just too much for me.

Maybe you meant these? http://en-us.sennheiser.com/audio-headphones-high-end-surround-sound-hd-598

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Maybe you meant these? http://en-us.sennheiser.com/audio-headphones-high-end-surround-sound-hd-598

 

Not about to make a typo considering the numbers are farther apart, and also, I'm very familiar with how the HD600 is. That avatar is from my own cam, even though it's so popular now that a lot of people have used it from the HeadFi archive 

 

Plus I've tried them with quite a number of amps, just a few of them below.

 

 

In any case it depends really on what you plan on plugging them into (more on this below), which you didn't state. If it's anything like an Ibasso D-Zero MkII or Fiio X3 then honestly might as well go with the HD600.

 

 

Quote:

HIFIMAN HE-400S: Very low impedance of 22 ohms. They look very comfortable. 

Quote:

Impedance 300 ohms is just too much for me

 

That depends on what you'll plug them into. Generally the 300ohm HD600 will work well enough with anything more powerful than a smartphone (iPads and any good quality tablet/hybrid ultrabook will be acceptable) due to the high enough sensitivity. In other words, while 300ohms initially looks like a stiff load, the sensitivity means you don't need a lot of power. Most amps (barring those whose output really drops by 300ohms) will go louder with the 300ohm, 97dB sensitivity HD300 than the 62ohm, 93dB sensitivity K701 for example. 

 

The HE400S has a high sensitivity however so it won't have the same issue as the HE400i, however you have two problems here. Most amps generate more power at 32ohms than at 22ohms, so you actually get less power; in practice this isn't something you'd notice on its own, as the power drop isn't as larg as between 32ohms and 300ohms. What might be a problem, depending on what you have it plugged into, is the output impedance. If the output impedance of the device it's plugged into is fairly high then you can start losing damping factor, which is even more of a factor in a device where the damping factor isn't as high to start with (and therefore you get to a point where the effects are audible), and that can either boost or cut the bass. Granted, a mobile device with a very weak output will sound worse on the HD600 than its damping factor and distortion will be on the HE400S, but just be aware that very low impedance isn't always a good thing.

 
 
 
 

 
The company promotes that these are "planar" but I do not know what that means. It's also not in the head-fi glossary http://www.head-fi.org/a/glossary-of-terms

 
http://www.getmad.com/737983
http://www.audiopur.com/en/product/html/?111.html
http://www.head-fi.org/t/642100/dynamic-sound-vs-planar-magnetic-sound

 

[bloodandsoil]

Thanks ProtegeManiac.  I have a lot to learn and I didn't mean any offense.  I really appreciate your feedback.
 
I probably won't be using an amp, and the headphones will be plugged directly into the audio jack of my PC.  I built the computer myself and it is just using the onboard sound controller that is built-in to the motherboard.
 
The sound controller is a Realtek ALC1150.  The product page has a lot of technical details that I admittedly do not understand.  Here it is:  http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=328

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

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

Thanks ProtegeManiac.  I have a lot to learn and I didn't mean any offense.  I really appreciate your feedback.

 

None presumed, don't worry about it.

 

Quote:

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

I probably won't be using an amp, and the headphones will be plugged directly into the audio jack of my PC.  I built the computer myself and it is just using the onboard sound controller that is built-in to the motherboard.

 

The sound controller is a Realtek ALC1150.  The product page has a lot of technical details that I admittedly do not understand.  Here it is:  http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=328

 

I'd focus more on the motherboard model, its DSP chip and the analogue output design. The Realtek chips aren't all that bad as DACs, it's more a question of what was built around it. You can have a DSP chip that does virtual surround sound simulation and when that's present that usually goes with a decent analogue output/headphone driver stage.

 

[bloodandsoil]

 

None presumed, don't worry about it.

 

 

I'd focus more on the motherboard model, its DSP chip and the analogue output design. The Realtek chips aren't all that bad as DACs, it's more a question of what was built around it. You can have a DSP chip that does virtual surround sound simulation and when that's present that usually goes with a decent analogue output/headphone driver stage.

 


Okay, well, for what it's worth, here is my specific motherboard model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132567
And the official product page: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-PRO/

Does that give more information that I can use to help select the right headphones?

 

[punkmanmatthew]

Check out Grado headphones. Not sure what kind of music u listen too or what kind of sound signature u prefer?

 

[bloodandsoil]

I enjoy listening to a wide range of music, but the majority of the time it is classical (specifically baroque). I'm not really into a big bass sound at all. Other than that, I do play some first person shooter games and positional sound is extremely important for that.

 

[punkmanmatthew]

Grados don't have a lot of bass and their miss and highs r what really shine. They have good quality bass just not too much quantity. The sr80es r only 100 dollars and can give u and Idea of how they sound.

The 325e r the first grados I ever tried and I thiught they were the best sounding headphones ive ever heard at the time. They just aren't the most comfortable thing in the whole world.

 

[bloodandsoil]

After some research, I found out that my motherboard's audio circuit includes a Texas Instruments R458012 amplifier. Official product link here (PDF): http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/rc4580.pdf

This is pretty technical for me and so I'm hoping someone can break it down and hopefully tell me what it means as far as what kind of heaphones I should be looking for. Thanks.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Okay, well, for what it's worth, here is my specific motherboard model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132567
And the official product page: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z170-PRO/

Does that give more information that I can use to help select the right headphones?

 

In very general terms, as much as it's mostly marketing fluff (scroll down that page), I'd much rather trust that motherboard with practically anything with reasonable sensitivity when it comes to driving headphones, as long as you don't expect it to come anywhere near Reference-grade (also, the reality is that unless you're focused on listening, there's still the fan noise and other factors to consider anyway). Basically if most of what this computer will do is gaming then no problem.

 

That said, one thing it does lack is a DSP with virtual surround, but you can save some money and just go with Razer Surround. For up to $400, and if your focus is gaming, just go with an AKG Q701. You can set the savings aside for now and just get really good soundcard+DAC-HPamp later on, or even new earpads - authentic AKG earads cost around $90 per pair and you wouldn't want to go cheap on that since they can really affect the sound, especially in AKGs where the thickness is asymmetrical (they're thicker to the rear). Or spend a bit extra, get the HD600 (the soundstage is less expansive as the AKGs though), and you can use Brainwavz HM5 earpads on them which are only $25 for the pair (you need to gut the worn out earpads and mount them on the plastic bracket first).