Recommendations: Superlux vs Samson vs AKG?

[philbegas]

Hi guys,
I'm looking for a pair of over-ear headphones. I would like them to be able to be usable without a headphone amp, and I would generally be using them for DJing, gaming, or home listening.
 
- The reason I'm asking about these specific brands is I prefer the wire-top design because I find that too much pressure around my ears makes me nauseous.
 
- I owned the Superlux HD 681 EVOs and I liked the sound, I liked the semi-open soundstage, and the slight inclination (but not obsession) with bass, but I felt like they were let down a little bit by the headphone jack. I bought mine in May 2015, then in Jan 2016 I had to send them back to have the connection re-soldered because only one of the cans was playing. And about 7-8 months later it broke again. I know that these are only $40 USD headphones, so I'm not mad per-say, but I thought it might be nice to hear if any of the alternatives are worth it? Besides the HD 681 Evo I was looking at:
 
Samson SR 850 / 950
AKG K 52 / 72 / 92
 
I don't mind spending a little more (like 75-80 USD) to get better headphones, but it seemed like once I start paying more, they start being high-ohm headphones, meaning I need a headphone amp to utilize them.
 
In any case, could you guys give me any recommendations? Or should I just buy the exact same headphones again?
 
Thanks!

 

[PurpleAngel]

I would say to just buy the Superlux HD 681 EVO again.

 

[serman005]

I am very happy with my Superlux HD681 Evo. For the price, the Evo bass is just tremendous. I have many more expensive cans, but still listen to the Evo regularly. Mine are three years old with no connection issues at all.  I haven't heard of the type of problem you experienced. You may just have been a bit unlucky. --(

 

[philbegas]

It's definitely possible that I just got unlucky, it seems like head-fi loves these headphones. What brand headphone cable would you recommend buying? It comes with the 10 foot cable and then the 3 foot, which is a little short, I prefer something that's around a meter, maybe 3.5 feet long.

 

[Craig234]

FYI Samson SR950 are on sale for $24 now - check slickdeals.net for the deal link.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
I don't mind spending a little more (like 75-80 USD) to get better headphones, but it seemed like once I start paying more, they start being high-ohm headphones, meaning I need a headphone amp to utilize them.

 

Higher impedance doesn't really become a problem until you get to around 250ohms or so (then again, only because there isn't anything between 120ohms and 250ohms), and even then, that's only for devices that can't generate at least enough voltage to be listenable. Just for reference, when the power's out, my iPad can drive my HD600 well enough.

 

In your case, high impedance might even be preferable. When you hook them up to a console when you do DJ work the high impedance can make the high output impedance of the console almost of no consequence. A headphone with impedance lower than the output impedance can end up getting the bass cut or boosted.

 

What you'd have to deal with more on most better headphones is that a lot of them are open-backs, and particularly in the price point you're willing to extend to, the ones that easily come to mind are the Philips SHP9500 and Grado SR60e. Both are open back headphones that will have a problem with ambient noise, particularly when you're a DJ. 
 
 
Quote:

 
In any case, could you guys give me any recommendations? Or should I just buy the exact same headphones again?

 

I think the reliability problem on the HD681 has a lot less control with QC standards and more with one design choice that is incompatible with how you use them: it has a pigtail that allows for swapping cables depending on the length needed but when used by a DJ the weight of the plug tugs on the pigtail when you move around.

 

Maybe try another closed-back Superlux like the HD660, which comes with a coiled cable.

 

[serman005]

There's a replacement cable for the 681 Evo on aliexpress. Just go to aliexpress and search 'replacement cable Superlux HD681 Evo' and it will pop up. It's $13.99 w/ free shipping. Of course, a new Evo is $37 on amazon, so it might be better to just buy a new one (?).

 

[philbegas]

Thanks for the thorough response Protege.
 
I actually didn't mind the semi-open when djing with the HD 681 EVO headphones. Granted I'm not playing any insanely huge gigs, just played small raves and recorded mixes at home, and not that often actually because I've been too busy with other stuff. I figured that perhaps the headphone jack configuration contributed to the downfall, especially if I had the weight of the extended cable pulling down on the headphone.
 
 
The thing is, like I said in the OP, I only want headphones that have the wire top design. That's why your two recommendations (and then the HD 660s) wouldn't work. But if ohms really aren't something to worry about, maybe I'd have more options if I considered 55 ohm headphones. What do you think about the AKG K52/72/92? I imagine they wouldn't suffer from the same cable failure, they're closed-back, and 55 ohms I believe.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  There's a replacement cable for the 681 Evo on aliexpress. Just go to aliexpress and search 'replacement cable Superlux HD681 Evo' and it will pop up. It's $13.99 w/ free shipping. Of course, a new Evo is $37 on amazon, so it might be better to just buy a new one (?).

 

Except the problem is probably on the pigtail, not the cable that hooks up to it.
 

 
I actually didn't mind the semi-open when djing with the HD 681 EVO headphones. Granted I'm not playing any insanely huge gigs, just played small raves and recorded mixes at home, and not that often actually because I've been too busy with other stuff. 

 

The thing is though many of the better headphones are fully open, not just semi. The two headphones I cited practically just have a grill so your fingers don't poke the drivers. 

 

You can look into the Superlux HD330 if you're fine with semi-open. I have this on my gaming desktop  and it uses the same coiled cable.
 

 
The thing is, like I said in the OP, I only want headphones that have the wire top design. That's why your two recommendations (and then the HD 660s) wouldn't work. But if ohms really aren't something to worry about, maybe I'd have more options if I considered 55 ohm headphones. 

 

The thing is it isn't just that they're "wire top designs," but that they use a headband similar to the AKG self-adjusting design. They're basically a little tight by default but very flexible, so you just pull them down against your head and what contacts the top of your head isn't stiff.

 

The HD660/330 uses a design similar to Beyerdynamics, with a steel headband wrapped by a headband. Now just because they're steel doesn't mean that's a problem, you just deal with it differently, and in this case an all-steel headband with no plastic bits is easier to customize because you can bend steel. Bend the center/top section inwards to make them slightly flat, then bend inwards near the gimbals, then bend the gimbals outwards.
 
Here's what it looks like stock

 
Here it is set wider in its new shape

 

 

Also, as much as you can't bend plastic, the HD600 has a metal slider under the main headband. That can be bent to reshape it somewhat similar to the headphone above. As it fits me now it's like it's just on my head rather than clamping it, and that's even with the much thicker Brainwavz HM5 angled earpads on them.
 
Metal frame needs to be extended as it's on rails inside the plastic headband.

 
Here's mine with the presentation box as a reference for the stock shape.