[lerthedc]

Hello this is my first post to Head-fi so we'll see how this goes. I currently own a Noble 4C ciem being driven by my nexus 6. I have an Oppo HA-2 on the way to serve as a better DAC and amp. I was considering buying a good set of open backed full size headphones to compliment my Nobles for home listening. Assuming that I like the HA-2, I would probably use that to drive the full sized headphones as well but there is a chance I would return them and get another amp/DAC for ~$300. In the past I have owned the Audio technica- M50s but quickly returned them because they were too uncomfortable and bassy for me. I used the UE 700 for portable use and the AKG Q701 with Fiio E11 for home use. If it isn't clear already I appreciate neutral headphones with  good clarity and soundstage.
 
That being said I did find the Q701 to be a bit bass light. To compliment my Nobles I am looking for something with just a bit more warmth and smoothness without being too dark, bassy or laid back. I listen mainly through spotify premium (320 kb/s ogg vorbis). I may switch to FLAC if I can truly tell a difference but that is a discussion for another thread. I listen to a variety of genres such as classical, jazz combos, acoustic, and a multitude of electronic genres such as drum and bass, dubstep, house, ambient, trip hop, glitch. While I try mainly stick to well recorded stuff I do listen to fairly compressed edm, so it might be nice to have a bit more of a forgiving headphone. Comfort is also pretty important to me. I switched to ciems partially because headphones like the Q701 and M50 and other full size headphones got uncomfortable on my apparently sensitive head.
 
Just based on research so far it seems that the sennheiser Hd 700 or 600 will suit my tastes and budget best ~$500 but I have heard a lot of conflicting opinions on which is better. I was also considering the HD 650 as well but it seems like that it would be too bassy and dark for me.

 

[pbui44]

Hello this is my first post to Head-fi so we'll see how this goes. I currently own a Noble 4C ciem being driven by my nexus 6. I have an Oppo HA-2 on the way to serve as a better DAC and amp. I was considering buying a good set of open backed full size headphones to compliment my Nobles for home listening. Assuming that I like the HA-2, I would probably use that to drive the full sized headphones as well but there is a chance I would return them and get another amp/DAC for ~$300. In the past I have owned the Audio technica- M50s but quickly returned them because they were too uncomfortable and bassy for me. I used the UE 700 for portable use and the AKG Q701 with Fiio E11 for home use. If it isn't clear already I appreciate neutral headphones with  good clarity and soundstage.

That being said I did find the Q701 to be a bit bass light. To compliment my Nobles I am looking for something with just a bit more warmth and smoothness without being too dark, bassy or laid back. I listen mainly through spotify premium (320 kb/s ogg vorbis). I may switch to FLAC if I can truly tell a difference but that is a discussion for another thread. I listen to a variety of genres such as classical, jazz combos, acoustic, and a multitude of electronic genres such as drum and bass, dubstep, house, ambient, trip hop, glitch. While I try mainly stick to well recorded stuff I do listen to fairly compressed edm, so it might be nice to have a bit more of a forgiving headphone. Comfort is also pretty important to me. I switched to ciems partially because headphones like the Q701 and M50 and other full size headphones got uncomfortable on my apparently sensitive head.

Just based on research so far it seems that the sennheiser Hd 700 or 600 will suit my tastes and budget best ~$500 but I have heard a lot of conflicting opinions on which is better. I was also considering the HD 650 as well but it seems like that it would be too bassy and dark for me.

If the Oppo HA-2 is something that you would keep, then the HD700 is a better choice, as it is 150 ohms and the HD600 is 300 ohms. The HD700 is more amp picky, but will play better with battery-powered amps. If the amp will be plugged in, it will need to have a very good control of treble, as the HD700 is like the HD800 in exposing treble imperfections.

 

[KG Jag]

  Hello this is my first post to Head-fi so we'll see how this goes. I currently own a Noble 4C ciem being driven by my nexus 6. I have an Oppo HA-2 on the way to serve as a better DAC and amp. I was considering buying a good set of open backed full size headphones to compliment my Nobles for home listening. Assuming that I like the HA-2, I would probably use that to drive the full sized headphones as well but there is a chance I would return them and get another amp/DAC for ~$300. In the past I have owned the Audio technica- M50s but quickly returned them because they were too uncomfortable and bassy for me. I used the UE 700 for portable use and the AKG Q701 with Fiio E11 for home use. If it isn't clear already I appreciate neutral headphones with  good clarity and soundstage.
 
That being said I did find the Q701 to be a bit bass light. To compliment my Nobles I am looking for something with just a bit more warmth and smoothness without being too dark, bassy or laid back. I listen mainly through spotify premium (320 kb/s ogg vorbis). I may switch to FLAC if I can truly tell a difference but that is a discussion for another thread. I listen to a variety of genres such as classical, jazz combos, acoustic, and a multitude of electronic genres such as drum and bass, dubstep, house, ambient, trip hop, glitch. While I try mainly stick to well recorded stuff I do listen to fairly compressed edm, so it might be nice to have a bit more of a forgiving headphone. Comfort is also pretty important to me. I switched to ciems partially because headphones like the Q701 and M50 and other full size headphones got uncomfortable on my apparently sensitive head.
 
Just based on research so far it seems that the sennheiser Hd 700 or 600 will suit my tastes and budget best ~$500 but I have heard a lot of conflicting opinions on which is better. I was also considering the HD 650 as well but it seems like that it would be too bassy and dark for me.

 
Both the HD 600 & 650 (which is the can I would recommend for your consideration) are at the edge of the recommended impedance for this amp.  Both are 300 Ohm and have a middle of the road sensitivity rating.  So they might work well or just so-so.  I'm sure you can find the answer either here or (since you have limited privileges here with only one post) from Oppo.
 
See:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared#user_HD650
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared#user_HD600
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared#user_HD700
 
Headphone comfort is a very individual thing.  Sizing and sensitivities are unique to each person.  We can point you to headphones that are generally considered to be comfortable and mention others that have garnered complaints for being uncomfortable.  However, the only way to know for sure is to wear them yourself for a time equivalent to your longest listening session.
 
Most find the HD 600/650 to be comfortable, but some have problem with how hard they clamp.  The HD 700 even better in the general comfort feedback.  However, your individual assessment may vary.

 

[lerthedc]

Ok. If there is another Dac/amp combo in the $300 range that would pair better with either of these headphones then I would consider that as well. Could either of you compare the sound of these sennheisers with reference to the Q701? That headphone roundup thing was helpful but it just added more opinions to the mix. I have to admit I was leaning toward the HD700 but they may have been because the looks are better plus the fact that it used to retail for $1000 and I can get it for $450 with the amazon warehouse deals. I think the 600s are around 50 to 100 dollars cheaper on the same deal.

 

[Japheel]

I personally really disliked the hd700 when I tried it and even felt that the hd600 was generally better. It was more tonally neutral and more enjoyable to listen to. The hd700 felt a bit diffuse to me and the mids were just really weird. They did imaging and soundstage better, but that's about it and it definitely did not appeal to me. I would be happy trading my alpha dog with a pair of hd600, but would be upset to compare it to the hd700 tbh. Lots of amps do well with the hd600/650 from solid state to tubes, just don't pick something that was described as too thin sounding. I liked my e07k and e09k with their sweeter sound on the hd600. I don't have too much experience with dac/amps under 300 tho, sry . Most of my impressions come out of stereo exchanges mha100, so I can't even enjoy my home setup(AD out of the e09k and e07k).

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Enclosed area shows considerably weaker midrange response but with a similar peak pushed more towards the treble than the high midrange in the HD600. Although the peak levels are comparable and technically 3.5khz should be more audible to human ears, that relatively gaping hole hole in the midrange past 1khz all the way past 4khz in the HD700 will tend to make that peak more audible than it is.

 

[lerthedc]

Right I've heard about these treble peaks in the HD 700. The thing is I don't know how they will sound to my ears. And at this point I have heard a variety of opinions on whether or not these peaks take away from the sound at all.

 

[lerthedc]

Also I'm a college student in LA. I wish I could try these headphones but I wouldn't know where to look. Plus I don't have a car yet out here.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Right I've heard about these treble peaks in the HD 700. The thing is I don't know how they will sound to my ears. And at this point I have heard a variety of opinions on whether or not these peaks take away from the sound at all.

 

I gave a description of the effects up there - weaker midrange makes treble seem louder and potentially sharper the narrower the peak. That means that it's more likely that the midrange seems to lack "body," "s" and "t" sounds in lyrics can be perceived to sound sharper to your eardrums along with harder hits on the cymbals.

 

[KG Jag]

  Also I'm a college student in LA. I wish I could try these headphones but I wouldn't know where to look. Plus I don't have a car yet out here.

 
You're in the biggest metro area in the USA.  You have the resources to afford these cans.  You're on your way to a degree.  You can make it happen.

 

[lerthedc]

Jeez dude, ok. I was more wondering if people knew where to look out here. There don't seem to be any headphone places in pasadena. I'm not going to ride a bus for 4 hours to go to some random headphone shop on the other side of town. My best bet seemed to be some random home theater place but I wanted to see if anyone knew of a place nearby before I started calling every Best buy with a Magnolia store.

 

[lerthedc]

Oh wait, just found a place in Pasadena. I'm really surprised I haven't come across them before. They only have the 650 and 800 but I should be able to go there.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Jeez dude, ok. I was more wondering if people knew where to look out here. There don't seem to be any headphone places in pasadena. I'm not going to ride a bus for 4 hours to go to some random headphone shop on the other side of town. My best bet seemed to be some random home theater place but I wanted to see if anyone knew of a place nearby before I started calling every Best buy with a Magnolia store.

 

My brother asked me before where to get Grados aside from online stores, so I checked out Grado's website. I found an audio store smack behind his college campus in Costa Mesa. Look up Grado's dealer network and call them up, see if they have other brands (might as well try the Grados also if they aren't too far from you). Grado has a lot of smaller stores owned by audiophiles who probably run their own shops as a retirement business/hobby in their dealer list.

 

[lerthedc]

Upon further research, I am considering the Philips Fidelio X2, Hifiman He400i and Sennheiser HD 650. Does anyone have any thoughts on these? Especially compared to the previous mentioned headphones?

 

[Japheel]

The x2 may be too bassy if you found the m50x too bassy. It is pretty heavy in the sub bass, but I wouldn't call it particularly laid back, well, maybe the mid range is, but the treble is quite forward. The he400i wouldn't complement your nobles tbh, as they are fairly reference, and for 500 bucks, the he500 is better imo. More impactful bass and engaging midrange. The hd650 seems perfect for you, although, Idk how well they'll run off of your setup. I only tried them on a bottlehead crack, darkvoice and a deckard. If you can verify that the hd650 will run well, they are just a bit laid back and will complement a very resolving set of ciems very nicely; you really can't go wrong with its sound signature