[squee116]

Thanks for this report! The 770's are still on my horizon, though I can't for the life of me understand Amazon's pricing (it went gradually down from $220 to $199 in one day, to jump back up to $243 hours later).

I'm realizing now that portability is probably higher on my list than I thought. I need cans that can do isolation well enough for tracking, or general mic recording, but other than that, not being tied to my wall-plug amp is currently my goal. I just want to listen elsewhere. In that regard, the HP150 end up having the same problem as the 32 DT 770's with being 96dB sensitivity.


Oh good! I'll have to keep an eye out. Currently $259. Is the soundstage comparable to the 770s, or better?


Ah, rather expensive on Amazon Canada unfortunately, but I'll add them to my watch list. What's different about Planars?


Hadn't considered these. Thoughts compared to M50x?

I think they're more cohesive and enjoyable than m50x, less bass, but better mid-range, and more natural treble. They isolate decently, but if you're doing mic work on the move, you should REALLY consider the Sennheiser hd25

 

[Longbowman]

Planars are just a different driver technology, they’re almost the same principal as electrostatic but still use a magnet, but because the magnet is not attached to the driver they are much faster then dynamic drivers and if done right have better bass, more extended bass, less distortion along the whole frequency range etc. if portability is your main concearn neither the beyer nor hifiman planars will suit you, the beyer 32ohm and he400s,400i can be used out of a phone but your really not going to get the same experience as you would with an amp due to their lower sensitivity. Something like the Sennheiser momentum 2 may be better for you, the m50x definately don’t need an amp either. If portability is your concearn i would look for something in the range of 30-45ohm with 100db or higher sensitivity. That said, there are some decent portable amps like the Fiio a5 that would have no issues running any of the above listed headphones.

I'd love to hear some sometime! Curious to know what that particular signature is like.

Sorry, I'm constantly misrepresenting myself -- not portability in the sense of needing something to be compact, but something that is usable without needing expensive outboard gear. If something like a cheap Fiio will run good headphones, and will make the difference between mediocre soundstage/sound and higher fidelity listening, I'll certainly consider it. That said, the DT770, HE400, HP150, DT150, etc all have sub 100dB sensitivity. Seems like Momentums are discontinued, unfortunately.

 

[Motocrossman24]

The Fiio a5 is around 130$ and outputs 800mw into 32ohms which for a portable is quite impressive...something like the 400i would most likely run at its full potential off that, if not darn close to it(enough to still greatly enjoy them on the go) I would assume it’s also enough to comfortably power something like an HD600 to reasonable levels...but keep on mind that open back headphones are about the worst thing you can use portably...everyone will hear exactly what your listinging to, and there is no isolation from your surroundings, so you will need to listen to them louder due to it, which in turn makes people hear your music even worse. Open backs are really stay home setups. Unless you rlly don’t care about annoying others.

 

[Longbowman]

The Fiio a5 is around 130$ and outputs 800mw into 32ohms which for a portable is quite impressive...something like the 400i would most likely run at its full potential off that, if not darn close to it(enough to still greatly enjoy them on the go) I would assume it’s also enough to comfortably power something like an HD600 to reasonable levels...but keep on mind that open back headphones are about the worst thing you can use portably...everyone will hear exactly what your listinging to, and there is no isolation from your surroundings, so you will need to listen to them louder due to it, which in turn makes people hear your music even worse. Open backs are really stay home setups. Unless you rlly don’t care about annoying others.

The HD600 is 250ohm, right? From reading around here it doesn't seem like a Fiio will do the job on 600ohm DT880's, sadly.

 

[Motocrossman24]

The HD600 is 250ohm, right? From reading around here it doesn't seem like a Fiio will do the job on 600ohm DT880's, sadly.

HD600 is 300ohm...while the a5 may work with the 600ohm beyers it most likely won’t have the voltage to power them properly without clipping...that’s the difference between low and high impedance headphones...low impedance require a lot of wattage to power, high impedance requires low wattage but quite high voltage, and most battery powered portables just won’t work well with a 600ohm headphone.

 

[squee116]

I'd love to hear some sometime! Curious to know what that particular signature is like.

Sorry, I'm constantly misrepresenting myself -- not portability in the sense of needing something to be compact, but something that is usable without needing expensive outboard gear. If something like a cheap Fiio will run good headphones, and will make the difference between mediocre soundstage/sound and higher fidelity listening, I'll certainly consider it. That said, the DT770, HE400, HP150, DT150, etc all have sub 100dB sensitivity. Seems like Momentums are discontinued, unfortunately.

The Sennheiser hd25 sound pretty decent for portable headphones of any size, but with the added benefit of extreme isolation. Momentum 2.0 should still be available? I haven't checked them in a while though.

One thing I'm unclear about: why look to spend more money to make your current headphones do a job they simply weren't made for?

Akg k553, send hd25, and other affordable models are neutral, and designed for audio recording and mixing on mobile devices. V-curves really are not ideal for that.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

The HD600 is 250ohm, right?

300ohms.

Sorry, I'm constantly misrepresenting myself -- not portability in the sense of needing something to be compact, but something that is usable without needing expensive outboard gear. If something like a cheap Fiio will run good headphones, and will make the difference between mediocre soundstage/sound and higher fidelity listening, I'll certainly consider it. That said, the DT770, HE400, HP150, DT150, etc all have sub 100dB sensitivity. Seems like Momentums are discontinued, unfortunately.

You don't necessarily need 100dB sensitivity, 97dB/1mW is enough, if that's all we're looking at, since that basically means that even 256mW is enough. The problem is that you still have to take other specs into account.

For example, many other headphones in that range have 250ohms to 300ohms, if not 600ohms, which if you're using a portable amp or a really cheap desktop amp, can be a problem since they don't produce a lot of power at 300ohms.

Most of these headphones are also open headphones, and while closed headphones aren't exactly that good in blocking a lot of noise compared to an IEM, they are still markedly better than open headphones whose only claim to isolation is that there's a plastic baffle around the driver and the earpads go around the earlobes.

Grados' e-series IIRC has 100dB/1mW of sensitivity, but then they have the worst isolation levels. One alternative is the Philips SHP9500S - 99dB/1mW and they go around the ears a bit, but given the cups aren't that large, some people don't find them comfortable enough. On top of that, getting spare parts, even earpads, is impossible since Philips doesn't support out of warranty much less phased out products unlike how you can get Sennheiser or AKG parts like how Saab cars aren't being produced anymore but you can still get new parts.

 

[trellus]

I'd love to hear some sometime! Curious to know what that particular signature is like.

Sorry, I'm constantly misrepresenting myself -- not portability in the sense of needing something to be compact, but something that is usable without needing expensive outboard gear. If something like a cheap Fiio will run good headphones, and will make the difference between mediocre soundstage/sound and higher fidelity listening, I'll certainly consider it. That said, the DT770, HE400, HP150, DT150, etc all have sub 100dB sensitivity. Seems like Momentums are discontinued, unfortunately.

The Sennheiser HD1 Over-Ear (non-wireless variant) are the Momentum 2.0 Over-Ear with a new name, and still seem to be a "current" model:

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/hd1-over-ear-headphones-with-mic

 

[Longbowman]

So, price wise, Hifiman 400's are ~$350, Senn HD1's are $400+, MSR7 are ~$260 (used are $230), etc. While good options, somewhat out of budget currently. I'd consider the MSR7 but it sounds like the bass and soundstage are lacking?

770 32's are $200, M50x are $200, 7506's are $150. The PSB's are $200 too, so they're a consideration -- can anyone comment on the soundstage compared to a DT770? Great reviews on them, interestingly.

There's also the Hifiman Edition S that's closed/open switchable, but I hear isolation is poor. Any reviews? $200 here.

I'm also curious about soundstage -- are the "out of budget" headphones considerably better soundstage-wise than the M50x or DT770?

 

[Motocrossman24]

All listed are closed back, so soundstage will be zero, or just above zero...you don’t really buy entry level closed backs for sound stage, you buy them for their sound signature. The m50x have insane bass, subdued midrange and decent highs, the dt770 have zero bass compared to the m50x, but better midrange, and their highs are shrilliling, I can’t stand beyer highs.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm also curious about soundstage -- are the "out of budget" headphones considerably better soundstage-wise than the M50x or DT770?

Not all. You don't have to go out of budget just on the headphone - the K7XX, K701, etc do well. Problem with those is they'll sound somewhat lazy without a good amp, even if you can get them to play loud enough to get hearing damage within 60mins.

 

[Motocrossman24]

I believe he’s looking for closed back and 200$...those are open back and almost 500

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I believe he’s looking for closed back and 200$...those are open back and almost 500

Oh yeah. Well then within that price range and closed back, there's practically only the K55x, but they need the small head mod to increase the clamp pressure and in turn increase the bass response. Drivers need to be closer and the relatively porous earpads compressed to achieve that.

 

[Longbowman]

Thanks for all the help, by the way.

Ended up getting 770's on a good deal. I can see why people don't like the highs and the scooped mids, they sound slightly anemic even compared to my 880s, but they're decently isolated, respond well to EQ, really comfortable and detailed, and are driven just find by my LG G6 (I don't listen all that loudly). A friend had a Fiio E7 he generously gave me which is great for using with a laptop or PC, but quite frankly I don't really notice a difference between its sound signature and coming straight out of my phone.
I do considerably less commuting than expected so the 770s are just fine for walks or outside listening.