[cybotron9]

Hey fellow head-fiers!

Welcome to headphone recommendation request episode 92863269542.

Been reading on this forum for a long time and as I now myself have a request for a recommendation, I signed up and hope you can give me some recommendations.

As the title says, I’m looking for headphones that provide a great listening experience with music like Pink Floyd. I already looked up for other threads about this topic and found some, but they were all about a budget of maximum $300. As I am willing to spend more, I wanted to start a new thread. Of course, I am happy to spend way less money if there are suitable solutions, but I have set myself a budget of 1500 € - if the experience is worth it. For powering the headphones, I have a Fostex HP-A4BL and a Chord Mojo for mobile use and it would be great if the new headphones would not force me to invest that much further in amplifiers, but if necessary I would do that too.

Now of course I won’t be solely listening to Pink Floyd, I listen to almost all kinds of music. But I think Pink Floyd gives a good insight on what kind of headphones I am looking for (please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, I’m nowhere near an expert): open-back of course with a good soundstage, but also good imaging. Clear and resolving sound with a mostly balanced frequency response but maybe a bit warm without sounding too dark, and last but not least: Not too thin on the bass region, but without it being too overwhelming and muddy or bleeding too much into the mids. I want some punch with Pink Floyd and will also be listening to some electronic music and hip-hop (although I already have some closed-back ones for that kind of music) and they should not be too analytical, but on the other hand maybe should be versatile enough to make jazz music enjoyable or even to be able to listen to some classical music (but which will happen not that often so there should be no focus on that). I hope I am not asking for too much. Am I right when I guess that the HD800S will be too boring for Pink Floyd?

Also, it would be great if the cans would be rather easily accessible from Europe.

Thank you.

 

[GREQ]

HD800s can sound a bit sterile especially with older recordings which didn't exaggerate the bass, like Pink Floyd.
It would excel with modern recordings.

I would say give the Focal Clear a listen.
It's got probably the most satisfying bass of any open-back headphone that never overwhelms or gets bloated.

Any planar recommendations can probably be ignored, as while they surely do have good deep bass extension, they very often sound dry and too analytical for old recordings, which is technically accurate, but simply doesn't get your toe tapping.

I auditioned one several times in a HifiProfis in Frankfurt, so they should be easily obtainable here.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

LCD-2C and have some money left over

 

[saadi703]

Hifiman Arya or the Focal Clear. Both are excellent choices. I would personally take Arya over Clear though.

 

[cybotron9]

Thank you for your recommendations.

Was looking at the Focal Clear anyway and could get it as b-stock for 1.200 €. I may be really giving them a listen, but the LCD-2C and Arya sound interesting too.

I'm worried about the weight of the LCD-2C though and heard the Audeze's are not that comfortable in general. What about the comfort on the Arya?

And can somebody say how the mentioned headphones compare to each other in sound? I already heard the Elear and had the same complaint about it that almost everybody else has: too recessed mids. But other than that I liked them and as the Clear shall sort that issue out, they are the most interesting for me at the moment. But of course without having heard the LCD-2C and the Arya. By the way: would these be more difficult to power since they are planars?

Thank you.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

LCD-2C is easily driven by any desktop amp. I don't use my cans with portable devices.

LCD comfort is very personal. I find they feel good on me and I can wear them for long periods. One of the things I like is you're kinda inside them.

Other people hate them and never get used to them. Try in a shop if you can.

 

[saadi703]

I'm worried about the weight of the LCD-2C though and heard the Audeze's are not that comfortable in general. What about the comfort on the Arya?

Arya is the most comfortable headphone that I have tried. The larger ear cups and the headband design helps in the comfort. Yes, Audeze headphones are not comfortable but LCD-2C is one of the light weight Audeze but still not as comfortable as Arya.

By the way: would these be more difficult to power since they are planars?

In comparison to clear, yes the planars will require more juice but not as much as people believe however you still need a decent (not expensive but decent) amp to handle the plannars.

But other than that I liked them and as the Clear shall sort that issue out, they are the most interesting for me at the moment. But of course without having heard the LCD-2C and the Arya.

If you like the way the clear sounds then you would not like the Audeze LCD-2C which is pretty dark headphone whereas Clear is very dynamic headphone with much better tonality. I would also recommend to try the Arya before you buy the Clear but you won't be disappointed with the clear at all however giving a try to both will help you to decide whatever is best for you.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I agree the Audeze house sound is on the dark side. I call them the Sennheisers of Planars

That used to make more sense, nowadays I'm not sure Sennheiser has a house sound. But they used to.

 

[saadi703]

That used to make more sense, nowadays I'm not sure Sennheiser has a house sound. But they used to.

Yes, it used to be called Sennheiser Veil. Their 800 line is very different from their 600 line but I think this is a good thing as one has more options from the same manufacturer that they usually trust.

 

[Monsterzero]

Sorta off topic but,you said:

I want some punch with Pink Floyd

Understand that a lot of Floyd doesnt have the most dynamic sounding masterings. I love Floyd and own several of their albums in 24 bit lossless,yet the masterings can leave you wanting more punch,especially The Wall. DSoTM remaster is pretty good as is Animals, Meddle and Wish You Were Here. Im pointing this out so you understand that regardless of which headphone you buy,if the mastering isnt great,then either will be the listening experience.

FWIW my buddy who also loves Floyd and owns a Mojo auditioned several headphones before buying the Focal Clear.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Yes, it used to be called Sennheiser Veil. Their 800 line is very different from their 600 line but I think this is a good thing as one has more options from the same manufacturer that they usually trust.

Read my sig. It was never about a veil. I would not have tolerated that.

 

[saadi703]

Read my sig. It was never about a veil. I would not have tolerated that.

Yes, just read the signature Nice to meet you. My first better headphone was also Sennheiser and it was HD598 to be exact. It sounded so good to me that I thought that how more expensive headphones can sound any better. I still own that pair and it works great and I own a HD800s as well. I am currently looking for a tube amp for my HD800s.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

There are probably a lot of good choices in OTL amps. A guy from Denmark posted a link to an amazing list of all kinds of tube amps. I'll try to find it later on.

When this crisis is over I hope I will get a Woo WA2.

 

[saadi703]

There are probably a lot of good choices in OTL amps. A guy from Denmark posted a link to an amazing list of all kinds of tube amps. I'll try to find it later on.

When this crisis is over I hope I will get a Woo WA2.

Woo WA2 or Glenn OTL or Bottlehead mainline?

 

[cybotron9]

Thank you very much, that helps! The LCD-2C is out then.

Problem is, there are no shops with a decent collection of headphones near me, which would be closed at the moment due to coronavirus anyway.

The Arya costs 1.800 € and the Clear as b-stock 1.200 €. As I don't have 3.000 € lying around and am not a big fan of ordering stuff and sending it back, I suppose I will go for the Clear first which will save me 600 €. From your description (dynamic and tonality - exactly what I am looking for) my guess is I will like them.

Off-topic question while we're at it: while looking for the Arya, I have stumbled upon the Jade II - *** damn they look sexy!

Does anyone have experience with them and are these on the same level as the STAX ones or even better? Electrostatics are my dream and I were planning to save up for some in a couple of years. Didn't know Hifiman made Electrostatics too.