[Fulch36]

I haven't been round these parts in a few years but unfortunately for me: my venerable Philips Fidelio X1's have died. The left driver appears to be faulty (they've always had a channel balance issue since the day I got them so maybe this isn't the biggest surprise!) and so I have passed them, and the Graham Slee Solo I was driving them with, on to a friend who likes to try and fix electricals as a hobby.
 
I am now in desperate need of a replacement as I'm having to use my IEM's when I work and I'm not enjoying the experience. On the plus side my new job means a bigger budget of around £1000 for the headphones themselves and a suitable amp (I'll be using my Creative Titanium HD as a DAC/DSP).
 
Music tastes are fairly varied but mainly consist of: Indie, Rock, Folk, Country, Acoustic and the odd bit of Electronic. Previous headphones I've owned would be Sennheiser HD598, Sennheiser PC360, Beyerdynamic DT990 and of course the Fidelio X1's - despite what this string of ownership might imply I am incredibly sensitive to treble! I found both of the Senn's to be very fatiguing and could only manage an hour or so of continuous use even though I found them very comfortable to wear, I even find myself able to detect the squeal of things like switch mode power supplies (wallwart's) if there are any in the room!
 
Not fully understanding this at the time I went from the 598 to the DT990 to get a more lively and energetic signature (ie more bass) and still found that I could only listen to them for short periods of time but that they were more engaging for a wider variety of music. I then moved to the X1 and was far happier: with some source material I could still end up wincing at times but it was a rarity and they sounded great to me. I did miss the mid-presence of the 598 for anything acoustic though.
 
So: I'm after an open headphone (haven't tried anything closed in years and don't need the sealing), mid-sized soundstage, without a lot of treble, mids that are forward but I'd still like a fair amount of bass presence (slightly less than the X1 maybe?). Preferably with velour pads - I had an old set of closed 'phones that sounded great but had pleather pads and these used to leave me feeling nauseous with how hot they made my head, possibly this wouldn't be as bad on an open headphone though?
 
Options I've found on my own: Audeze LCD-2, Hifiman HE-500 and HE-400i.
 
Any suggestions or feedback would be very much appreciated!

 

[jodgey4]

You're sure it's not just the cable?
 
Maybe the treble is an issue from your source. Have you tried any others?
 
Older LCD-2s would be great, as well as HD650s. Those are popular warm/darker cans.

 

[Fulch36]

Tried several cables and no joy at all, if I bent the jack a lot then I could get the occassional crackle out of the left side but then the volume from the right driver was super quiet. To be honest it could well be a very loose connection or something similar but I don't really have the time or the resources at the moment to dissassemble them (considering that the pads are not easily removable) hence why I've passed them along for now.
 
They've done fairly well to be honest, they're 3 years old and have had several thousand hours of use - I always make use of headphones whilst working as it helps me to concentrate. Pretty much every headphone I've owned has gone the same way eventually, this friend was able to repair my 598's and as far as I know he's still using them, gives me a convenient excuse to upgrade anyway.
 
As for the source: I've tried a few (a Fiio DAP, a friend's old iPod, my HTC phone, a few other computers etc) and some are worse than others - it hasn't been too much of an issue with the X1's to be honest but every now and then it'll crop up.
 
I'm fairly sure it's just my ears: I have a dedicated 'charging area' in my flat that I avoid as much as possible because things like phone chargers really annoy me with the sound they make. My girlfriend and friend's all think I'm mad but they go along with it because they can see how much it annoys me!
 
I hadn't considered the 650's at all to be honest, not sure how much of an upgrade it would be from the X1 though and I did find them to be a little bit slow and dull sounding when I tried them but that wasn't using my own set-up.
 
Thanks for the suggestions though, I really appreciate it!

 

[jodgey4]

Yeah, I've heard the X1 jack goes out easily. Sad .
 
There's some lights and routers in buildings I frequent that annoy the heck outta me, I hear ya! Have you considered EQ?
 
I really liked the HD650s compared to the X1s! More open with better center imaging. Much less of a veil, especially in the lower mids and lower treble, and the bass goes down much tighter and with more texture. The mids have better tonal balance as well, and more detail. The highs are smoother, and less prevalent as well - should really help you. You can often audition them at Best Buys with the Magnolia Home Theatre sections, or ask in the HD650 threads for ideas on where to try them out .
 
I really like my LCD-2s of course, they're the natural step up from the HD650s!