[Aimless1]

 
Quote:

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
 
 
 
 

I have not heard the MDR-V6 and that limits my ability to offer a good suggestion. 
 
In your price range two headphones come immediately to mind...
  Beyerdynamic DT880
  AKG K-501 used
 
The 880 is transparent and I the bass will be similar to your ER-4.  Grossly under rated but clear as a bell.  I'm thinking this is probably the closest to what you described for sound and fits within your budget and is readily available. 
The K501 sounds nothing like th newer AKGs but is an accoustic lovers dream can.  If you can find a good one used it is worth acquiring.  The only can I've sold and wish I still had.  They are power hungry and will not do well with all amps.
 
Good luck!
 
Based on what you've written it's not likely the Sennheiser HD650/600/580 will make you happy.
 

 

[draven5494]

I have yet to hear a headphone that beats the K701/702 in clarity.  The detail is astounding.  I have tried DT880s + HD650s + Pro900s + D5000s + a lot more than I want to mention.  For someone who is a detail freak like myself, the K702s have made me very happy.
 
 

 

[Zafonic]

Thanks for all the replies
 
I wish there were an audio store in London where I could try some headphones but I will research further into the suggestions like the AKGs and Beyers.
 
For the Beyerdynamic DT880 - which version would be the best - 32 ohm, 250 ohm or 600 ohm?
 
And the AKG K701 / 702 - I'm guessing these are highly detailed but does that also mean they are very bright...maybe too treble forward?
 
Btw - thanks for the heads up on the AKG K501

 

[gzone3lement]

Quote:

 
For the Beyerdynamic DT880 - which version would be the best - 32 ohm, 250 ohm or 600 ohm?

The higher the impedence is, the harder it is to drive headphones with an amplifier. An amplifier with more power is typically more costly. If you want to be within budget and decide to purchase a DT880, I would recommend 32 ohm. Specifically for DT880, The 32 ohm version is the safest one to purchase without regrets because it can be listened with and without an amplifier. I do not know much about the 250 ohm version. As for the 600 ohm version, you definitely need a powerful headphone amplifier.

 

[Aimless1]

Quote:

 
For the Beyerdynamic DT880 - which version would be the best - 32 ohm, 250 ohm or 600 ohm?
 
 
 

I owned the 250 ohm and that should be fine.  If your amp is portable or not up to the task, then the 32 ohm would be better.  
 
Many HFers like the K701/2.  I've only listened to the K701/2 at meets but I'd even take the K601 over the 701/2 version.  The K400/K500 series got it right IMHO.

 

[EddieE]

If clarity and transparency are your goals, you can save a lot of money by forgetting dynamics and jumping straight to Stax now - you'll end up there in the end anyway. 

 
 
A set of Lambdas of some variety with an amp can be found within your budget on ebay if you're patient.

 

[Blasto_Brandino]

Sony MDR-CD2000's - still the clearest phones I have used in the price range you mention, I have 1 pair new in the box.

 

[Chris_Himself]

HD600/650's with a recable. If you can find them, the HD580's are essentially HD600's except the 600's have different grills and an improved cable.
 
The sennheiser veil is to smooth out any harshness in your music IMO. It's a lot less fatiguing on my ears, but when I switched to silver with Cardas connectors, it changed this.
 
The previous posters MDR-CD2000's are actually a great fit for your application as well!

 

[nigeljames]

For great clarity and detail I would avoid the HD650's like the plague regardless what cable they had. 

 

[Acix]

Quote:

For great clarity and detail I would avoid the HD650's like the plague regardless what cable they had. 

Agree.. if you want great clarity and detail, go for the K-702 and save some money for a good hps amp and DAC that will help a lot to tune in the clarity and detail issues.

 

[Sylverant]

Quote:

Agree.. if you want great clarity and detail, go for the K-702 and save some money for a good hps amp and DAC that will help a lot to tune in the clarity and detail issues.

Correct me if i'm wrong...but there aren't many Dac/amps that can power the K702 despite it only being around 60ohms due to its low sensitivity, correct? Zafonic, you haven't mentioned it but do you have a dac/amp combo already?
 
For your price range I imagine the Audinst HUD-MX1  would be a good dac/amp combo. At $180 Its known to be provide good sound quality for its price and is very neutral. It has a selectable gain; from 16-300ohms and 300-600ohms. However, the gain is switched through jumpers inside the dac/amp itself on the pcb board.
 
The Yulong U100 is considered its direct competitor; at $240 has noticably better overall sound quality and depth but isn't as balanced. It has greater bass articulation, crisp, slightly foward vocals with a touch of warmth, and transparent highs. Its tonal balance is a bit on the bright side though. It is capable of greater volume than the Audinst, but only has high gain, so you'd need to set your music player's volume to 50% (think itunes/einamp/foobar2K) with In ear headphones such as your Ety's.
 
Understand, I know none of this from experience; I'm just relaying/summarizing information I learned from Mike's articles on Headfonia.com. As for headphones, I'm sure these guys here can help you better if they knew whether or not you have a dac/amp.
 
I myself am searching for a decent dac/amp as well

 
 
 

 

[wordlesschorus]

I'm fairly new to audiophile headphones but from what i hear if clarity is what you're searching for then Senns are a good bet.  I dont own a pair but i've sampled some and they sound great.  Much more expansive soundstage when compared to other cans.

 

[DeadEars]

I've had Sennheisers of one sort or another for more than 20 years.  The first and best Senns' that I've heard that offer clarity are the HD-800.  Do a quick search on the Senn "veil" and solutions.
 
That said, even the garden variety Senns can provide a very musical experience.  I've had my current HD-600's for more than 5 years and still really like their fairly balanced presentation.  As others noted here, the HD650 tend to be less energetic in the top octaves, and are not clarity champs either IMHO.
 
Best I've heard for clarity are electrostats.  Mostly out of my price range.  The O2's are superb.
 
After the HD-800's, I'd put the top orthodynamics, like the HE-6 and the Audeze LCD-2's.   I never liked the K-701's, since I found them excruciatingly bright, but other people love them.  We all hear differently.  If you don't have dealers around, buy used.  Then at least you should be able to get your money back out of them through re-sale.
 
Of course these ramblings are all over the map price-wise.  Anyway, I hope they help you.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Correct me if i'm wrong...but there aren't many Dac/amps that can power the K702 despite it only being around 60ohms due to its low sensitivity, correct? Zafonic, you haven't mentioned it but do you have a dac/amp combo already?
 
Understand, I know none of this from experience; I'm just relaying/summarizing information I learned from Mike's articles on Headfonia.com. As for headphones, I'm sure these guys here can help you better if they knew whether or not you have a dac/amp.
 
I myself am searching for a decent dac/amp as well

 
 
 

If you're a mac user, the Apogee Duet can solve most of the problems of the K702. If you're using a CD player/or any portable player as a DAC, than you can try the headfive/matrix m stage hps amp. For more money you can go for the SPL's, or the Luxman's. With this levels of amp's you can know your hps even better.

 

[Zafonic]

Hi guys
 
Thanks again for the very helpful advice.
 
Just to update on two things:
 
Firstly, after much more burn in the HD 600s are sounding much better.  The clarity that was missing is now there and maybe it isn't pin sharp but it's not bad at all, and moreover, sounds very balanced.  The other thing is that I can listen to the headphones for a long time without the music becoming tiring (the Sonys had a bit of a shrill treble at times).
 
Secondly, I'm using a Matrix Mini-i at present and getting a DACport very soon.  All the reviews I've read suggest this is a fantastic DAC/amp, so another pair of headphones is definitely on the cards