[Andymaxwell]

Hi All, I hope you can help?
 
I love the HD595's, the openness of the sound, the details and the soundstage. However, I now need to buy a pair of closed back headphones so I can use them at work without disturbing anyone.
 
Is there such a pair with the same sound signature of the 595's but in a closed back format?
 
I love and have used couple of Sennheisers but am willing to move away if it suits my needs.

Could anyone suggest what would be appropriate?
 
Thanks in advance

 

[stv014]

Technically, it would be the HD380 Pro (closed with HD5xx drivers), but it would sound different.

 

[Andymaxwell]

Hi Stv, thanks for the thought. They are indeed the direct replacement (if they can be called such). They do indeed have a different sound. A touch too much in the bass for my liking as well as being heavy and tight on the head.

 

[ostewart]

Try the Soundmagic HP100, great sounding closed headphones, with an open sound and great detail, tight bass, great mids and smooth highs.

 

[verb]

Hey Andy,
 
Did you get anywhere with this,,, did you make a chic either way??
 
I'm in exactly the same situation, love my HD595's but need something that really doesn't leak, sadly it's almost as much of a priority for me as the sound. (also love the velour ear pad's,,, sooo comfy).
 
I've played with the idea of AKG 272's or 550's. they are meant to seal well against your head.....
 
Cheers

 

[adamsounds]

Count me in, too. I love with the HD 595 headphones. They are balanced, yet still give the music I listen to an amazing sense of space so I can hear every detail. They're simply the best headphones I've ever heard.
 
Alas, I should probably find some closed headphones to minimize sound-leakage when I make multitrack recordings at home.
 
Andy— I'm curious if you've picked anything. Otherwise, I might just put up with the sound leaking of the HD 595s, or put up with the extra bass of the HD 380s...
 
Dammit, Sennheiser. You and your damn awesome headphones.

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hi All, I hope you can help?
 
I love the HD595's, the openness of the sound, the details and the soundstage. However, I now need to buy a pair of closed back headphones so I can use them at work without disturbing anyone.
 
Is there such a pair with the same sound signature of the 595's but in a closed back format?
 
I love and have used couple of Sennheisers but am willing to move away if it suits my needs.

Could anyone suggest what would be appropriate?
 
Thanks in advance

 
Look into:
 
AKG K271 MKII
AKG K272 HD
KRK KNS 8400
AudioTechnica A700
AudioTechnica A900
Shure SRH840
Shure SRH940
Beyer T70
 
Very best,

 

[Andymaxwell]

Hi All,
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. And it's obviously a conundrum a few of us are having.
 
But essentially, the answer is no, not yet
 
Here's the problem I having.
 
It's really difficult in Bristol to try out headphones. Well, to clarify, to try headphones that aren't
 
a) Senheisser
b) Dr dre or Phillips cheapies
c) Very expensive Audio Technica's
 
A number of the shops who sell decent headphones have to order them in, or if they are in store, won't get them out of the box (Richer Sounds/Sevenoaks)! And the thought of buying pairs and pairs of the things from Amazon and sending them back, sinks me into mild depression. So I feel I must put my audio purism onto the back burner
 
Audio T on Park Street (Bristol) have been great btw. They stock mainly Sen's with a couple of AudioTecnica's and allow you to spend as long as you like listening to them.
In there I heard a pair of HD 439's a few months back which for only £80 were very impressive. And I plan to go back with my headphone amp and Pure i20 dac and listen again.
 
On the other hand I may 'Amazon test' a pair of KRK 6400's, which one seemingly reputable reviewer on this forum has suggested people with HD598's would like, and for £80 are a bargain. Recently I tried on a pair of the next level up - KRK8400's and they felt lovely, and I mean really light and perhaps even more comfortable than the 595's. The differences between the 8400 and the 6400 are the more expensive pair (8400) has velour pads and a memory foam headband pad, plus slightly more rangier drivers. For those who want to master either sound like a good choice of closed back cans especially if you only want to spend £80.
 
But however nice these may be, and even though the Senheisser 439's were very engaging they won't be 595's.
 
So all that probably doesn't help you all with the decision to swap to a 'like-595-but-with-a-closed-back' decision, but it gives you an idea of where I am heading.
 
STOP THE PRESS.......There is a new hi-fi store I haven't been to yet, so hold your breath folks, there may be more news in this one yet!
 
PS All KRK's and the HD439's referred to above are closed back.

 

[verb]

WEll two months down the line I'm back here after a fruitless search.
 
I bought a pair of AKG K272's, and tried them for about a fortnight they really haven't been anywhere near my expectations.
 
The second everyone is out of the office the AKG's are put back in their box and the HD595's go back on and remind me once more how disapointed I am with the AKG's,,,, so they are going back.
 
I would add that although the AKG's aren't uncomfortable, they press your ears against your head in a way the 595's just surround and don't touch your ears.
 
As another side point if the allegation is raised that the 595's lack bass, the AKG's really lack bass!
 
Did anyone have better luck in their search??
 

 

[verb]

Well another fortnight down the line I've come to an arrangement I'm happy with,,,,
 
I'm sure everyone is past this point at the moment, but ho hum, off I go anyway!
 
I ended up going back to the Sennheiser brand and went for a pair of HD439's, cheaper than the AKG's and a lot cheaper than the 595's. but they are good actually really good. far better than the AKG's and almost up there with the 595's.
 
There are little details that haven't been focused on as much as the more expensive 595's. specifically the velour is still very comfy, but you can see it's folded round the edge, a tiny thing, but aesthetically unpleasing, and the headphone its self is shallower than the 595. By that I mean that in the 595's my ear doesn't touch the headphone itself, in the 439's they do,,, although not like in the AKG's when they were pressed against my head.
 
The other interesting addition I made which is actually really making the 439's sing like the 595's and the 595's sing like never before is the addition of a small and (relatively) cheap headphone DAC amp combination. I picked up a Fiio E10 to hopefully pick up the sound of the 439's and it has.
 
I run my headphones daily through a late 2010 iMac I'd heard that there would be no point getting a headphone amp to run out of the USB socket as the sound card is as good as any cheap headphone amp (these USB DAC's bypass the soundcard completely) but I must disagree There is a noticeable (although not extreme) improvement in the breadth and detail of the sound that you're hearing. Enough for me to hear detail I hadn't heard in the 595's before.
 
The E10 has hi gain and bass boost option which is good to have as an option as the 595 do lack a bit of bass, but isn't necessary for the 439's.
 
Anyway, I hope someone finds this useful.
 
Thanks all