[tbombadil]

Hello Head-Fi people,

While shopping for a new pair of headphones, I fell into this rabbit hole, and here I am. I've been reading reviews obsessively for a few weeks, and I know I'm likely to be happy with any of the generally well-regarded options in my price range, especially because I'll have no initial basis for comparing them to anything that's actually comparable. That is, whatever I get will be a big step up from what I have, but since I'm stepping into an unknown world, I'd really appreciate some guidance.

Who I am:

I'm in my early fifties and without significant hearing loss, but with a moderate case of tinnitus.

My listening preferences are varied, so I want something that is a versatile all-around performer. A somewhat random sample of genres I enjoy includes: classical, specifically period performances (instruments, orchestration and technique) of early baroque through early classical era compositions; heavy metal (favorites include Gojira and Lorna Shore); alt-rock like Tool and Radiohead (not that they're all that alike); singer songwriters like Mary Gauthier, Jimmy LaFave, Robert Earl Keen Jr., Steve Earl, Lucinda Williams, ...; film scores from the likes of Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, Ramin Djawadi, and Bear McCreary; solo acoustic guitar like most of the CandyRat Records catalogue; Nordic folk revival like Wardruna, Heilung, and Eivør (I'm currently looking for Mongolian paralells, in case you have recomendations there); a wide variety of jazz from the 30s through today, some favorites include Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Brad Mehldau, Wynton Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, and Diana Krall; bluegrass and related country/folk from traditional like Bill Monroe to modern crossover artists like Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek; modern pop like Lana Del Rey and Billie Elish; ambient nature soundscapes; I could go on, and on, ... I'm all over the place.

How I'll be using my headphones:

The vast majority of my listening is at my desk, through a 2023 MacBook Pro that can support high-impedence headphones (I don't know how well). I don't have a separate amp. I'm beginning to think one might be in my future, so I'd be very interested to hear how that would likely change my listening experience in comparison with the MacBook Pro's internal amp. I don't have to worry about sound leakage, and background noise isn't too much of an issue, so open backs are definitely an option. Comfort matters, because I tend to wear headphones for many hours every day, but sound quality is a much higher priority.

Sound preferences:

On the spectrum between "neutral/reference" and "musical", I think I'd lean towards the middle. I have no idea whether I'd prefer the strengths of dynamic or planar drivers; I keep vascilating based on what I've just read and wanting the best of both worlds. There are so many delicious adjectives used in headphone reviews and I'm hard pressed to describe which would be most important to my listening experience, but immersive, detailed, nuanced, and realistic are all important, as is a good sound stage. I'm currently leaning towards open backs, though (wanting the best of both worlds again) if I could get that sound quality and some isolation, that'd be great.

Budget and where I'm shopping:

I'm planning to spend roughly $500-$1,000, and I'd love to stay in the lower end of that range. I'm definitely shopping used to make the most of my money, looking at eBay, classifieds here, and Reverb. If there are other places I should look, please let me know.

Options I've consider so far:

Please don't feel constrained to this list. This is just an assortment of headphones for which I've read appealing reviews and found them available in my price range.

Beyerdynamic: DT 700 Pro X, DT 1900 Pro, T1 gen 3.
Focal: Clear Mg; Audeze LCD-X (2021 or later).
Hifiman: Arya, Ananda.
Dan Clark: on my list to look into models.
Sony: MDR-Z1R
My out-of-price-range pipe dream is the Focal Utopia.

Lastly, while I'd love to try headphones out before buying, I live in a remote area and opportunities are very limited.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[msing539]

Welcome! Sub $1000 used, take a look at the Denon D9200, Quad ERA-1, and Sash Tres. If you go for tubes, consider the ZMF Auteur OG.

 

[tbombadil]

Welcome! Sub $1000 used, take a look at the Denon D9200, Quad ERA-1, and Sash Tres. If you go for tubes, consider the ZMF Auteur OG.

Thanks for recommending some I haven't looked at yet! I'll look into all those after work today, and at first glance the ZMF looks really interesting. Not much used availability for it at the moment, but I'm not in a hurry.

 

[HiFiWar]

Under $1k? Arya is most likely your best choice. Sash Tres is supposed to be good as well. So is the SJY Moonlight, but you'll want a balanced cable. Oh, and if your amp is powerful enough, the HE6 is on sale all the time. ZMF makes good stuff too.

 

[Thomasr]

Welcome! Sub $1000 used, take a look at the Denon D9200, Quad ERA-1, and Sash Tres. If you go for tubes, consider the ZMF Auteur OG.

Another recommendation here for the Sash Tres - very musical and engaging headphones, and well within your budget new. Use a bit of that leftover budget to buy a pair of Beyerdynamic DT-880s, and you're covered for those times you're craving some of the snap and sparkle that the Tres rounds off.

 

[dunring]

The Beyerdynamic dt900 are more fun than the dt700 which are pretty soft in tuning. The Arya Stealth refurb from Hifiman with warranty is kingpin, best pair I've heard. If you want value for money, the He5xx is neutral and really comfortable. On Amazon the SMSL C200 is used for $125 and will power them really well. If you get the DT900 you won't even need an amplifier, they're easy to power up.

 

[tbombadil]

Just picked up the DT1990 Pro from the classifieds here. Since they were well under my budget, I can keep shopping for a pair of planars. I'm really curious about the difference, so it'll be interesting to compare. The Sash Tres looks really interesting; I'll definitely be looking for comparisons between it and the Hifiman Arya. It looks like there are some significant sound and price differences between the different levels of Arya (non-stealth, stealth, and organic), so I'm curious which ones the Tres is most comparable with. If the sound quality is comparable at a similar price, hand-built by a small shop vs. mass produced could definitely tip my decision.

 

[KUROKOCCHL]

Congrats on the DT 1990! If you’re looking at the arya organic, would you consider the He1000 Stealth? Around the same price as Arya organic refurbished and not too hard to drive if you plan to add an AMP/DAC later on but unsure with the budget you set already

Hifiman allows you to return within 30 days, just have to pay shipping fee (no restocking fee).

 

[earmonger]

Planars are probably going to take an amp -- though looking at that Mac support page, maybe its headphone jack really will adapt!

You can get a very good bare-bones DAC/Amp for just two digits: VE Megatron. $56 shipped to the US.

No volume control, no battery, runs off USB power from computer or phone and has impressive specs -- check out reviews here and elsewhere. Save the $$ for your headphones.

Meanwhile, for all-around versatility and natural timbre -- why else are you listening to those sackbuts and krummhorns? -- you should at least audition dynamic-driver Audio-Technica ATH-R70X. You can do a 30-day trial from Thomann, which has the best price too.

They sound good out of my MacBook Air (pre-2022, alas) but better from the Megatron.

Warning: Once you've felt how light and comfortable they are, it's going to be very hard to put up with anything weightier.

 

[tbombadil]

Congrats on the DT 1990! If you’re looking at the arya organic, would you consider the He1000 Stealth? Around the same price as Arya organic refurbished and not too hard to drive if you plan to add an AMP/DAC later on but unsure with the budget you set already

Hifiman allows you to return within 30 days, just have to pay shipping fee (no restocking fee).

Sure, I'll consider the He1000 Stealth! It's one I haven't looked at yet, so I'll start looking at reviews. Hifiman's refurbished and clearance prices are definitely looking good. As I recall, the Arya Organic is out of my range at the moment, but I'm not in a hurry, so that could change.