Recommendations for open, full-size headphone with no amplification necessary
Technically even a smartphone provides amplification. It's just that on a phone the driver circuit is embedded in the DAC chip instead of separate DAC chip, line stage output chip, headphone driver chip/tube circuit with large power caps, etc.
It's like an Intel CPU with an HD620 or an AMD APU with an embedded RX550 or Vega 3/5/6/8/10, and you just want a game like DOTA or Heroes of the Storm that can run on either without the need for an NVidia RTX 2070 Super or AMD Radeon 5700 as opposed to say Total War: Three Kingdoms or, heck, Battlefield, which can run NVidia's real time ray tracing so it looks like watching a CGI cut scene despite rendering lighting and reflections in real time. Or using a neutered version of Affinity on an iPad with an integrated chip as opposed to running the full desktop version on a gaming computer with at least four physical CPU cores at 4.5ghz and a separate graphics chip.
I've had a pair of Sennheiser HD 25-II's forever (13 years of abuse in my backpack and still going strong). However, there are a couple of downsides to the HD 25 that make them less than ideal for home use, so I've decided to get a second pair of cans to complement them. The tricky part of my requirements is that I'll be using them unamped 50% of the time, and want to make sure that anything I buy will sound nice unamped as well
Requirements
- Open headphone as they will only ever be used inside my house
Somewhat close to the sound (better in some ways) given an absolutely quiet room that increased ambient noise invasiveness won't make that big of a difference: Grado RS2e or RS1e.
Philips SHP9500S is a cheap alternative as well but think of it more like a more comfortable SR60e.
- I'm thinking getting a portable amp / dac for my home office (need to figure out which one, desktop space is limited so I don't want to fill it with audio equipment). 50% of the time the headphones will be used in my living room being driven straight from my macbook pro (2019).
If it's a portable unit I'd just take it to the living room where I'd also be less likely to be pounding on a keyboard thinking about something else, ie, there would be less ambient noise (though of course that means you can use lower volume and less power, at least you can leverage better quality power with lower distortion and noise) and on top of that you'd have all your attention on the music and more likely be able to discern a difference.
That or leave it in the living room. Sure the ambient noise of typing etc (I hope that's not butterfly keys version) will get in the way but you're not paying full attention to the music anyway while you're working or browsing. I have an SR80e on my gaming rig for when I'm just browsing or working on the desktop - granted the motherboard on this thing uses the same op-amp as my Meier amplifier (though just one instead of four) but the thing is if there's either noise from the window and the A/C in the daytime or how the PC's cooling fans are audible at night when those two are not present (despite running slower), I don't have my full attention on the music anyway. When I do run my reference rig I'm using a phone as a server via USB so the system doesn't need any moving parts (like the fans and water pump in my desktop PC).
Leaving the DAC and HPamp in the living room might also make compact AC-powered units possible since you won't need to move them around, unless you just put that laptop on your lap and there's no table beside your seat.
Either way your choices for headphones can include a few more.
- Comfortable over longer periods of time (big HD25 limitation for me)
RS2e with Audiophile C-Pads. Just make sure to adjust the headband as shown on the C-Pads page.
- musical preferences: 70% classical music, 15% jazz, 15% other stuff
- Sound profile: I'm looking for something that is balanced, I regularly go to classical music performances and play the piano, anything that comes close to mimicking real life as opposed to trying to enhance it (v-shaped sound) is my winner.
The main things I'm looking to improve upon over the HD25 are soundstage and timbre (not sure what the right audiophile word is, instruments simply sound more defined and real when I play music over my Adam A5 monitors and I want to have headphones that do the same)
If you want soundstage similar to a classical music performance then Grados are out. They're my fave for jazz, particularly the RS1e, but they're are a horrible choice for soundstage. If you really want to go all out on imaging without sacrificing how lively they sound on jazz you'd have to make other compromises.
Philips X2HR can sound a bit dark at the top end. Not sure how a Macbook reacts to it but I haven't seen anyone complain, that said a lot of people never noticed how Grados sound like tin cans on many high output impedance headphone outputs on speaker amps.
Sennheiser HD800 will have imaging that beats even the K70x series but like them can sound kind of dull yet sharp; on the upside, if you don't mind an amp that will EQ the sound a little (but not by much as when using the same amp on the AKGs), you can use a Darkvoice DV336se to drive it and you get more defined imaging. Problem is the DAC and HPamp aren't portable and this set will be expensive unless you get lucky with used gear.
There's also the Focal Elex but if you're paying full attention to the music it's best used with a good amp.
(not sure what the right audiophile word is, instruments simply sound more defined and real when I play music over my Adam A5 monitors and I want to have headphones that do the same)
Just note that that is helped along by the speakers throwing sound around a room, with soundwaves hitting your whole body and resonating around the room as real instruments would. In short, there's always a compromise with headphones.
At best there's the AKG K1000 but that one's not in production anymore.
Sacrificing soundstage size there's the Audeze LCD-3 but that's not comfortable to wear for long periods unless you have your head on a headrest the entire time, plus it'll need an amp.
- Budget: Not strictly defined. A combined 1000 pounds for the portable amp / dac and headphones seems a reasonable long-term investment / Christmas present for myself, but there's no need to use every last penny of budget when returns in sound quality start to diminish.
Current considerations:
- Based on comfort / music / soundstage the AKG K/Q701's are interesting, but I've read they need power to sound their best, can anyone confirm this using a macbook pro?
You might be able to get away with it on the Q701. Dampening on the driver reduces a bit of the treble and distortion or damping factor issues on lower power, lower quality, possibly high output impedance circuits isn't going to be as drastic.
That said...still not the best option. There's still the fit issue. If your head is too big these kind of hurt, at the very least you need to loosen the headband by putting it on something to stretch it; if your head's too small, the low end really won't be there even on the Q701.
Good option for imaging, relatively low power requirements, and comfort if you don't mind not having how the HD25 has a bit of verve in delivering the music.
...HD600 / HD650 (do the latter two sound nice without an amp? I've read mixed reviews on that topic)
The HD650 will sound "nice" in the same sense that people can be nice, ie, it won't scratch your ears; some HD600s can be similar have a short 3500hz peak that can be a bit of a problem.
If you think about it in chick and car terms, the HD650/6XX is who you drive in a Mercedes/Lexus/Genesis with to meet your Mom for Sunday brunch, absolutely zero concerns for that, but depending on what you really like ie what is "nice" to you in broader terms, not exactly the chick that will put her head on your lap (if you know what I mean) to make the most out of how you can hit the apex and powerslide while she does that because hey, you now get paddleshifters in that new Lamborghini or or G-Power tuned BMW M5.
If you're trying to avoid a headphone that does "Night/Quiet Listening" mode response curve (ie boosted at the top and bottom) then you might want to put this at the bottom of the list.
- Audio Technica ATH AD900
Really rolls off at the bottom end, and more severely if the fit is too loose on you. Think of the ADx00(0)X series as something like a K701 in varying degrees of K701-ness, just that they don't need a lot of power, just low output impedance.
