Recommendations for headphones with great clarity and transparency
May 13, 2011 at 3:34 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 37
Zafonic

Zafonic

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I've owned a pair of Sony MDR-V6 headphones for many years now and they are great for the type of music I listen to - mainly vocal, with acoustic + electric guitar, but also some latin pop like Marc Anthony, along with stuff like Sting, Chris Rea, George Michael, Eva Cassidy, etc.  The thing I get with the V6s is great clarity - I can hear everything in the song, from the different guitar plucks + strums, to the raw vocals.  Everything comes through as clear as a bell.    The V6s also have good bass, and since I am not a basshead and don't listen to metal, heavy rock, hip hop, etc, I'm just looking for natural, powerful bass, with good soundstage and transparency.  To give you an idea, my IEMs are Etymotics, because they suit the type of music I listen to well.  I also have to say that I've been really impressed with the V6s, although since they are so old I'm sure I can get an upgrade with some of the headphones you guys have.
 
My budget is about £200 / $350 and I'd be using a headphone amp + DAC.  Can anyone recommend a few models that would give me the clarity I'm looking for?  Maybe Beyerdynamic or AKG?  Would they have any glaring weaknesses?
 
Any help is much appreciated :)
 
 
 
 
 
May 13, 2011 at 4:14 PM Post #2 of 37
I cant tell if youre restricted to IEM or if you can wear the big stuff but the Sennheiser HD800 is the clearest thing I ever heard. Beyerdynamic has some good headphones but they lose some of that clarity with emphasized bass and reduced output in the area above the midrange.
 
May 13, 2011 at 4:25 PM Post #3 of 37
Hi - sorry, I am looking for full sized open headphones.  I'm actually trying a set of Sennheiser HD 600 at the moment and they are about 60-70 hours burned in. Perhaps they require longer but at the moment they do not seem anywhere near as transparent as the Sonys (I do find them a bit bright but clarity-wise they are better)
 
May 13, 2011 at 4:43 PM Post #4 of 37
The Sony 7509HD improves on the V6 in terms of vocal and midrange clarity and detail, but loses any semblance of the bass impact found in the V6.
 
May 13, 2011 at 4:51 PM Post #5 of 37
zafonic said:
Hi - sorry, I am looking for full sized open headphones.  I'm actually trying a set of Sennheiser HD 600 at the moment and they are about 60-70 hours burned in. Perhaps they require longer but at the moment they do not seem anywhere near as transparent as the Sonys (I do find them a bit bright but clarity-wise they are better)
Click to expand...

The HD600 sounds very veiled compared to the HD800.
 
May 13, 2011 at 5:37 PM Post #7 of 37
Q/K701/2, used (AD2000, A2000X, W5000, Ed8, T1).

You can try Sony CD900ST too, if you can get hold of one.
 
May 13, 2011 at 6:37 PM Post #8 of 37
All these years and ACIX has been using the K702 ampless the entire time!
o2smile.gif

 
Quote:
acix said:
Zafonic, I think you're searching for the K-702... but I'll need a DAC and a nice hp amp to perfect this combo.
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May 14, 2011 at 1:23 PM Post #10 of 37
For starters, you may want to build up audio setup slowly. For a budget of $350, I recommend iBasso D2+BoA. It currently costs $170.00 new, but if you can find it used here or Audiogon, you may get it at a more affordable price. That leads you to having at least $180.00 remaining budget. I am hoping to getting myself a Sennheiser headphone below HD650; they are affordable and versatile in many music genres. I hear they are easy to drive with or without an amp, but I am not sure yet. It depends on impedence measurement. Once you found your DAC+amp, you are given more time to think of selecting headphones. As for HD600 and above, iBasso D2+BoA will not be able to drive those headphones well.
 
May 14, 2011 at 1:38 PM Post #11 of 37


Quote:
badbob said:
I cant tell if youre restricted to IEM or if you can wear the big stuff but the Sennheiser HD800 is the clearest thing I ever heard. Beyerdynamic has some good headphones but they lose some of that clarity with emphasized bass and reduced output in the area above the midrange.
Click to expand...


You need to change the HD600 cable. The HD650 cable is a cheap upgrade and makes a significant difference. Later on with the appropriate amping and source the HD600 will soar higher than any HP in the $200 range.
 
May 16, 2011 at 2:04 AM Post #13 of 37


Quote:
acix said:
Hehehe, I do need a new Auditor
k701smile.gif
Click to expand...



I used to use a receiver. After purchasing a SPL Phonitor, I am very impressed.
 
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