[kRed]

Hello guys/gals, lately I've been experiencing fatigue with my cans if I listen to them while working. I guess they all are attention-requiring headphones which makes them not good for background listening.

My search hasn't been very successful, the only one I've actually found is the Sennheiser hd650 which as I read is not ideal for my music taste (busy passages with a lot of heavy sounds/instruments). The grados scares me with comfort and attached cables. Meze seems too expensive and probably they have too much mid-bass anyway.

My budget is somewhat ethereal, It could be like around 500-700 for a regular buy, or 1500ish for a special occasion (I'll hit 40 soon, so... a nice present for myself?). I was looking toward ZMF Aeolus, but I live in Europe...


Give me your best!

 

[AudioThief]

HD650 or LCD 2, in my opinion.

They both have somewhat similar sound signature, however the LCD 2 has better and more bass. They both do very well in terms of clarity (busy passages etc). They are totally non fatiguing in their sound. Some people however take issue with the LCD 2 comfort. The LCD 2 is also built more "premium" yet fragile. So you need to handle it with care. The HD650, you can sort of toss around. This is, in conjunction with price, why I would recommend the HD650 over the LCD 2, unless bass response is very important to you. I would say the HD650 is also a bit more relaxed than the LCD 2.

I would also like to mention the Shure SRH1540. I just received them, but I was actually looking for a pair of headphones for more background listening just as you are, and landed on the Shures. They seem to fit the bill very well, and has the added benefit of being closed which is practical in a lot of situations. Sound wise it somewhat reminds me of the HD650, but with more bass. Supremely comfortable as well.

 

[zomkung]

1500-1700$ from auction.yahoo.jp

stax sr007 second hand + srm717/727 modded

 

[Monsterzero]

I was looking toward ZMF Aeolus, but I live in Europe...

ZMF has quite a few dealers in Europe. Perhaps @zach915m can give you some suggestions on where to try them out.

The Aeolus is a nice warm sounding headphone, with good meaty texture, which would be great for rock and some metal genres. The midbass can be strong for some busy passages, however various pads can either elevate or decrease that response.

Another headphone I like for rock and metal is the old AKG K240 sextett, which will cost about 100 euro used. They have a very intimate stage, with strong emphasis on guitars. They kinda sound like Grados, but better. Theyre also more comfortable than Grados, and without all of the upper mid peaks rthat Grados tend to have.

The downside to sextetts is they do not have a detachable cable, unless you find a modded pair and they are quite hard to drive @ a 91 sensitivity and 600 ohms.

 

[zach915m]

ZMF has quite a few dealers in Europe. Perhaps @zach915m can give you some suggestions on where to try them out.

The Aeolus is a nice warm sounding headphone, with good meaty texture, which would be great for rock and some metal genres. The midbass can be strong for some busy passages, however various pads can either elevate or decrease that response.

Another headphone I like for rock and metal is the old AKG K240 sextett, which will cost about 100 euro used. They have a very intimate stage, with strong emphasis on guitars. They kinda sound like Grados, but better. Theyre also more comfortable than Grados, and without all of the upper mid peaks rthat Grados tend to have.

The downside to sextetts is they do not have a detachable cable, unless you find a modded pair and they are quite hard to drive @ a 91 sensitivity and 600 ohms.

Our dealer list!

https://www.zmfheadphones.com/dealersnew

Can't guarantee stock etc, but we do ship to EU directly too.

 

[earmonger]

I'll say it again: Audio-Technica ATH-R70X. It was invented as an improvement on the classic Sennheiser HD600 and HD650.

Lightweight, comfortable, open-back, transparent sound from sub-bass (they claim 5Hz) all the way up. You can find a whole lot of reviews all over the place that basically agree with me.

From Italy, you can probably get a great price from Thomann in Germany: https://www.thomann.de/gb/audio_technica_ath_r70_x.htm

The wing things look outlandish but they make the phones virtually weightless on your head. To get the best sound you would need a headphone amp but this reviewer specifically loves the ATH-R70X with a $50 USB-powered amp, the VE Megatron:
https://twister6.com/2022/05/05/venture-electronics-ve-megatron/

 

[Corti]

I second the R70x recommendation. I got it for 1 month now and it has made my 6xx and Sundara almost obsolete (some specific albums sound better on the senns and hifiman, but those are few)..
The comfort of these Audio technicas is second to none for me.. Such airi- and lightness can wear them for hours and hours. Especiall during hot summer days.
It is also the first hp that i tried where i dont bother with Eqing since these have almost perfect tonal balance.
Only caveat is they obviously do not have tons of Bass, which is may be needed for heavier genres, but beside that a dream of a headphone.

 

[earmonger]

Only caveat is they obviously do not have tons of Bass, which is may be needed for heavier genres, but beside that a dream of a headphone.

Thanks for the +1, @Corti.

But I do have to disagree about the bass. The R in ATH-R70X is for reference tuning, which means they don't pump up the bass for artificial thrills. But the bass response is definitely there. Listen to something like OutKast's "The Way You Move" or Massive Attack's "Teardrop," or the super subwoofer throb at 3:25 of Hans Zimmer's "Why so Serious," and all the deep bass notes come through. You can EQ them up a bit if you want "tons of bass" -- the drivers will easily give it to you.

I run mine through a Schiit Magni 3+, which is ample power, though I've ordered a Megatron for more portable possibilities.
https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=63

 

[Corti]

Thanks for the +1, @Corti.

But I do have to disagree about the bass. The R in ATH-R70X is for reference tuning, which means they don't pump up the bass for artificial thrills. But the bass response is definitely there. Listen to something like OutKast's "The Way You Move" or Massive Attack's "Teardrop," or the super subwoofer throb at 3:25 of Hans Zimmer's "Why so Serious," and all the deep bass notes come through. You can EQ them up a bit if you want "tons of bass" -- the drivers will easily give it to you.

I run mine through a Schiit Magni 3+, which is ample power, though I've ordered a Megatron for more portable possibilities.
https://www.veclan.com/engappliance_sel_one?eng_ApplianceVo.eac_id=63

well, yes not having 'tons of bass' wasnt actually a critic, only that i listen to a lot of metal and electronic music where subbass is the carrying element and i dont think any open-back will ever give me a satisfying sound for that (semi-open backs can get very close).
but when i auditioned the R70x i played this track

and i was really suprised how good the bass response was for an open-back.
and since OP asked for 'a laid-back, relaxed open back headphone for rock and prog' deep-subbass reproduction is probably not a criteria anyway.

 

[helljudgement]

Hello guys/gals, lately I've been experiencing fatigue with my cans if I listen to them while working. I guess they all are attention-requiring headphones which makes them not good for background listening.

My search hasn't been very successful, the only one I've actually found is the Sennheiser hd650 which as I read is not ideal for my music taste (busy passages with a lot of heavy sounds/instruments). The grados scares me with comfort and attached cables. Meze seems too expensive and probably they have too much mid-bass anyway.

My budget is somewhat ethereal, It could be like around 500-700 for a regular buy, or 1500ish for a special occasion (I'll hit 40 soon, so... a nice present for myself?). I was looking toward ZMF Aeolus, but I live in Europe...


Give me your best!

You can't go wrong with the Aeolus. It doesn't grab your attention with details like a hd800 or ad5000 and it's warm and somewhat darkish presentation works great for prog rock imo. My favorite plug in and listen headphone is the Verite Open as it has a somewhat laid back presentation but still retain a high degree of nuance and finesse. The Aeolus is very different sounding and doesn't resolve quite as well as the Verite but to my ears it does perform well enough on the technical front and has enough bass to satisfy most rock genre. You can also look at the new Auteur which is scheduled to be release soon though that is not exactly laid back sounding.

 

[kRed]

Thank you all!
@earmonger @Corti The ATH-R70X looks interesting and it's available on Amazon, so fuss-free buy. May I ask how do you think it would fare with artists like porcupine tree or opeth?
Is it too much for it?
Resolve in his review says it doesn't handle well busy passages (from a detail retrieval and separation perspective).

@helljudgement
How would you rate the Aeolus for the artists I mentioned above? I'm coming from an Arya SE, which is pretty fast and punchy.

 

[zomkung]

I'll say it again: Audio-Technica ATH-R70X. It was invented as an improvement on the classic Sennheiser HD600 and HD650.

Lightweight, comfortable, open-back, transparent sound from sub-bass (they claim 5Hz) all the way up. You can find a whole lot of reviews all over the place that basically agree with me.

From Italy, you can probably get a great price from Thomann in Germany: https://www.thomann.de/gb/audio_technica_ath_r70_x.htm

The wing things look outlandish but they make the phones virtually weightless on your head. To get the best sound you would need a headphone amp but this reviewer specifically loves the ATH-R70X with a $50 USB-powered amp, the VE Megatron:
https://twister6.com/2022/05/05/venture-electronics-ve-megatron/

ATH-R70X is too small for my ears.

Definitely buy HD600 and not the other (I used to own both)

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Hello guys/gals, lately I've been experiencing fatigue with my cans if I listen to them while working. I guess they all are attention-requiring headphones which makes them not good for background listening.

My search hasn't been very successful, the only one I've actually found is the Sennheiser hd650 which as I read is not ideal for my music taste (busy passages with a lot of heavy sounds/instruments). The grados scares me with comfort and attached cables. Meze seems too expensive and probably they have too much mid-bass anyway.

My budget is somewhat ethereal, It could be like around 500-700 for a regular buy, or 1500ish for a special occasion (I'll hit 40 soon, so... a nice present for myself?). I was looking toward ZMF Aeolus, but I live in Europe...


Give me your best!

Audeze LCD-2C (that means "Classic")

Warm, a bit slow, very enjoyable easy listening headphone.

 

[helljudgement]

How would you rate the Aeolus for the artists I mentioned above? I'm coming from an Arya SE, which is pretty fast and punchy.

I'm more into hard rock and heavy metal and I've not heard those artists. The prog rock I listen to are mainly Pink Floyd and King Crimson and for those I find the Aeolus pretty exceptional. It is not as quick as the Arya so some some notes may get a bit blurry especially with very busy passage but it does a good enough job that I never find it too smudgy or blunt. The mids does take a back seat to the bass and treble but overall it is still very balance with a slight emphasis on mid bass. It's signature does complement well with the Arya but if you're more concern with speed and separation you can consider the Auteur. It has underwent a slight revision and has improve the technical aspect of that headphone. But it is a lot more neutral sounding than the Aeolus so do bear that in mind. They are all fantastic in their own right but for your use case and budget the Aeolus does seem like a great fit.

 

[earmonger]

Thank you all!
@earmonger @Corti The ATH-R70X looks interesting and it's available on Amazon, so fuss-free buy. May I ask how do you think it would fare with artists like porcupine tree or opeth?
Is it too much for it?
Resolve in his review says it doesn't handle well busy passages (from a detail retrieval and separation perspective).

With all due respect to Resolve, the ATH-R70X is superb at detail retrieval. It's made for studio work to do precisely that.

It sorts out every maniacal detail, from synth gliss to tambourine, of something like this (though better to listen on a streaming service than low-res YouTube):


Thomann.de, a pro-music store, will probably save you 30-40 Euros over Amazon, and also has an easy return policy.