[hikaru12]

I've been struggling finding an end game headphone of my budget of $500-$600 for open back headphones. I'm looking for an open set of cans with maximum clarity but without making compromises on the low end. The Shures seems like they have the AKGs beat in the clarity department (and looks and build quality from the looks of it) but the AKGs win on sound stage and good combination of warmth and bass which should help the mids along. The Shures tame the treble of the AKGs by having a good smooth roll off at 10KHz with no noticeable peaks and very neutral presentation.

So hard to decide but I've heard for gaming and music the AKGs are probably my best bet. Open to any recommendations.

 

[YJX94]

What exactly do you want to use them for?

The Shures are a very neutral headphone whereas the AKGs colour the sound slightly. The AKG has nicer bass and it has very good detail retrieval in the treble which is why it has very good imaging, it's soundstage is also very wide so of course they are out of this world for gaming, speaking from experience as an owner of the K712's.

I'd say if you want a more neutral sounding headphone then go for the Shures, if you want soundstage and imaging for gaming/music then go for the AKGs. The AKGs are a better "overall" headphone. They're more fun and energetic and GREAT with music, movies and gaming and they are ridiculously comfortable, not to say the Shures are boring and uncomfortable, these 2 headphones are for different purposes entirely.

To get the absolute best out of the AKGs you need to use them with an amp, not to say they suck without one, they sound good without an amp but when you pair them with an amp it gives them that kick that makes them amazing cans for their price.

 

[hikaru12]

Thanks for the response. I don't mind colored as I actually prefer a warm and more mid centric headphone. My main concern is detail retrieval. It seems bang for my buck the AKGs can hit 90% of the detail retrieval of the Shures. I don't mind getting a separate pair of cans strictly for gaming as long as I can hear lots of detail. What's putting me off from just getting the Shures is it's lack of bass but I've heard swapping them out for the 1540 pads actually helps.

I plan on amping with a Magni 2. If you have any better amping suggestions for either can I'm all ears

 

[YJX94]

If you put the 1540 pads on the 1840 then you will get better bass but you will lose out on detail retrieval so you have to decide which is more important to you, the Shures are also hella comfortable like the AKGs. As for the amp The Magni 2 will power these both with ease however you should take a look at the Mayflower ARC, it's a DAC/AMP combo with a mic input so if you ever need to connect a modmic/vmoda boompro or any mic with a 3.5mm jack then you have the option to, it has USB and Optical inputs so you can use it with your PC and/or console as well.

Since you prefer warm and mid-centric but also want detail retrieval I say go with the AKGs because they are warmer than the Shures but have ever so slightly less detail retrieval that it's not even worth comparing

Look at it this way:-

AKG = warm/bassy, detail retrieval almost the same as Shures, again not even worth comparing

Shures with stock pads = not as much bass but great detail retrieval

Shures with 1540 pads = more bass but detail retrieval suffers quite a bit

As you can see I think the tradeoff with the pads that the Shures give isn't worth it which is why I said the AKGs are the better all-round headphone. The Shures may be better with the detail retrieval but not by much, you will not be disappointed with the AKGs. If you use the AKGs for a while then switch to the Shures then it won't be a mind-blowing difference in the detail retrieval, you'll say to yourself "oh, there's hardly a difference", and you'll wanna go back to the AKGs cause of the nicer bass and wider soundstage. AKG headphones as a whole are legendary for gaming along with the Audio-Technica ATH-ADX series, some of the widest soundstage and best imaging these have.

 

[hikaru12]

Thanks a lot for the detailed breakdown. You've convinced me the AKGs are the best overall can given all the tradeoffs of the Shures. Do you find that you have to equalize yours to get the most out of them? They're frequency chart is kind of all over the place. They definitely have a unique sound signature.

I'll look into that combo as it would save me on desk space. If I end up sticking with the Magni I'm thinking of getting the Modi Multibit as I've heard it's supposed to be pretty rich and warmish as well which should pair very nicely with the AKGs. Thanks again!

 

[Wyllio]

I'd say go with the AKG 712s, they're probably more tuned to your liking. The Shures on the other hand have been mentioned to be very boring sound. Also, don't get the Schiit Magni 2 instead get the Schiit Magni 3.

 

[hikaru12]

I'd say go with the AKG 712s, they're probably more tuned to your liking. The Shures on the other hand have been mentioned to be very boring sound. Also, don't get the Schiit Magni 2 instead get the Schiit Magni 3.

Do you feel like the Magni 3 pairs better with the AKGs since it's described as more warm than the 2 and also has more power? I've been debating getting it.

Yeah I've heard the more neutral you get the more boring the sound is but I guess that's the point since monitoring headphones aren't supposed to give any emphasis to any portion of the frequency spectrum while I prefer the emphasis to be on the vocals. I've even heard the HD800s described as boring despite being a bit treble hot.

 

[YJX94]

Thanks a lot for the detailed breakdown. You've convinced me the AKGs are the best overall can given all the tradeoffs of the Shures. Do you find that you have to equalize yours to get the most out of them? They're frequency chart is kind of all over the place. They definitely have a unique sound signature.

I'll look into that combo as it would save me on desk space. If I end up sticking with the Magni I'm thinking of getting the Modi Multibit as I've heard it's supposed to be pretty rich and warmish as well which should pair very nicely with the AKGs. Thanks again!

I don't really like to colour the sound more than it already is however feel free to experiment, they respond really well to EQ'ing. I love how they sound out of the box.

If you're going for a Schiit stack then get a Modi Multibit and a Magni 3, this will eat the AKGs for breakfast. If you can spend a bit more then get a Vali 2 instead of a Magni 3, K712s respond very well to tubes.

Also you're welcome, glad to have assisted you as this hobby is great. Enjoy those K712s when you get them. Also give them a bit of time to break in, when you get mentally used to the AKG sound signature you will fall in love with them.

All the best with your purchase.

 

[hikaru12]

Thanks my friend. Definitely seems like having more power will help. I actually have the Aune T1 for exactly that purpose as I believe it behaves more like a traditional tube amp for cheap. I'll hook it up the preouts to the M3. Should sound great with some Orange Globes.

 

[Wyllio]

The Magni 3 is just better than the Magni 2 in every way. It was meant to be the replace for the Asgard 3.

 

[hikaru12]

The Magni 3 is just better than the Magni 2 in every way. It was meant to be the replace for the Asgard 3.

Not to derail the entire thread but what makes you say that? It does have double the power for the same price which is impressive but since volume in decibels is logarithmic I don't know if id hear much in terms of a volume change. I do notice I'm almost 3/4 with my 400is with the Magni 2.

 

[Wyllio]

The Magni 3 has 3W RMS per channel at 16 ohms, while the Magni 2 has 1.8W RMS per channel at 16 ohms. So it should be significantly louder and it also has pre-outs for powered monitors.

 

[thecrow]

The he560 has great detail close to neutral with a great timbre. Has dropped in price considerably recently

http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/he-560.html

For headphones that are fun with great punch i just bought these today. With 2 yr warranty. Also has dropped considerably in price

https://www.moon-audio.com/focal-el...-70762005&mc_cid=39e3d7a711&mc_eid=4fb73473e0

 

[Mark K]

Sorry to dig out this ancient thread. Just got one pair of 1840...Not thrilled at the first moment like my own 712Pro but decided to give it a try. I need a few days to run them in.