[Sebastien Chiu]

Yo whaddup headfi,

I'm starting to do research on my first pair of over ear headphones for at home use. Hit me up with whatever suggestions you have for me to look into. I'm probably going to wait till Black Friday before I purchase, so also let me know what usually goes on sale and ends up being around $200!

These are going to be powered by an Audioquest Dragonfly Red. My only requirement is that they have to have a removable cable. No preference on open or closed back or sound signature, I need to branch out a little and explore!

I usually listen to film music (classical focus),alternative metal, pop, and rap. Whatever you think works best for those genres goes!

Thank you.

 

[YJX94]

I think you should go with open back to really make your music feel alive. For around $200 I think the best headphones that meet your requirements are the Sennheiser HD 6XX. I am not sure however if they can be powered by the Audioquest Dragonfly Red. I think for music alone you should really look into the HD 6XX, they're basically just a normal HD 650 with a much lower price thanks to the power of Massdrop, only $200. I am confident there is no better headphone for music at or under $200 than the HD 6XX unless the HD 600 drops under $200 which it rarely does.

Good timing as well since Massdrop just announced that they're doing another HD 6XX run.

I would have also recommended something like a Beyerdynamic DT 990 but that has no removable cable. The X2 is another great option and it does have a removable cable, very fun headphone.

Basically wait until Black Friday and if the HD 600 isn't around $200 then look into the HD 6XX, if for whatever reason you don't decide on those then look into the X2.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I think you should go with open back to really make your music feel alive. For around $200 I think the best headphones that meet your requirements are the Sennheiser HD 6XX. I am not sure however if they can be powered by the Audioquest Dragonfly Red. I think for music alone you should really look into the HD 6XX, they're basically just a normal HD 650 with a much lower price thanks to the power of Massdrop, only $200. I am confident there is no better headphone for music at or under $200 than the HD 6XX unless the HD 600 drops under $200 which it rarely does.

Good timing as well since Massdrop just announced that they're doing another HD 6XX run.

I would have also recommended something like a Beyerdynamic DT 990 but that has no removable cable. The X2 is another great option and it does have a removable cable, very fun headphone.

Basically wait until Black Friday and if the HD 600 isn't around $200 then look into the HD 6XX, if for whatever reason you don't decide on those then look into the X2.

Nicely done...I would only add/change one thing: I would suggest the Fidelio X2 not as the back up choice per se...I think if you don't already have a powerful amp, the X2 would be my first choice. Especially since the OP doesn't have a sound signature preference per se: the Fidelio is a generally more "fun" headphone than the HD6xx. The catch is, lately the price of the Fidelio is all over the place, so all things considered...yeah, what the first guy said...

 

[YJX94]

Nicely done...I would only add/change one thing: I would suggest the Fidelio X2 not as the back up choice per se...I think if you don't already have a powerful amp, the X2 would be my first choice. Especially since the OP doesn't have a sound signature preference per se: the Fidelio is a generally more "fun" headphone than the HD6xx. The catch is, lately the price of the Fidelio is all over the place, so all things considered...yeah, what the first guy said...

In that case maybe the AKG K7XX then?

Another Massdrop gem and also $200. I don't know if it's currently available on Massdrop though.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

In that case maybe the AKG K7XX then?

Another Massdrop gem and also $200. I don't know if it's currently available on Massdrop though.

A good choice, I would second that.

 

[buke9]

HE-400S would probably be a bit more but would be worth a look very good for the money and are not too power hungry as I’m sure the Red would run them with ease as they run out of a phone just fine but don’t mind a bit more power.

 

[serman005]

The HD650 and HD600 are unlikely to fall to the $200 level any time in the near or mid-future. IMO, your best bet is an HD6XX, which is extremely attractively priced for what it is, an excellent, versatile, highly scalable headphone.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Ok...between an He400i and an HD 600 what would you guys choose and why? the He400s is a little out of my price rang.

 

[YJX94]

Ok...between an He400i and an HD 600 what would you guys choose and why? the He400s is a little out of my price rang.

HE-400i is better for electronic music and dubstep and such than the HD 600. Go for the HE-400i if you really want that planar bass.

 

[Renato Fury]

Sennheiser HD 598

AKG K7XX

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Thanks for the options you guys. Deciding is the fun part. HD600 or 6xx is my first choice right now since they kill it in the soundstage and clarity part.

 

[YJX94]

Thanks for the options you guys. Deciding is the fun part. HD600 or 6xx is my first choice right now since they kill it in the soundstage and clarity part.

They kill it in the soundstage...what do you mean?

They have some of the narrowest soundstages for open backs, hardly any. If you mean how accurate the soundstage is as in imaging then you're absolutely right about that, they have amazing imaging.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Sorry, I'm still getting used to the terminology as I'm quite new to this. I definitely mean imaging. Thank you for correcting me!

 

[YJX94]

Sorry, I'm still getting used to the terminology as I'm quite new to this. I definitely mean imaging. Thank you for correcting me!

No problem, I was as confused as you were when starting all this lol.

 

[PopZeus]

Yeah, I'm recommending a pair I own, but Fidelio X2 fer sure. Especially since the HD6XX requires more power to get the most out of them.