[Fenex]

Hello there I need a recommendation for buying headphones/earspeakers.
My Idea was to get a pair of new Sennheisers (preferably the 700'ds) with the Schiit Stack for aprox. 640€, but then I saw the Stax 2107 bundle was on sale in a Hi Fi shop near me for 700€ and I don't know which ones to buy. If you have got any other recommendations for a headphone setup for 700€ max feel free to tell me.

P.S. I listen to all kinds of music but prefer songs with vocals. Currently I own a pair of Sony Mdr-1A's but I don't like the soundstage and them being closed.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The STAX is far superior. But you may want to consider the SRS-3100 (SR-L300 headphones + SRM-252S amp) instead. The SR-L300 is the replacement of the SR-207 and has a more solid and focused sound. (By the way, I owned all these headphones.)

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/stax-sr-l300-impressions-thread.813511
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-entry-level-stax-thread.676272

 

[Fenex]

Thanks for the reply, I've just foud this offer and i don't know if this is a scam or stm. , because I wasn't able to find anything below 1000€ when looking for these on other websites.
I probably will listen to all Stax and Sennheisers that are available near me and then decide.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/STAX-SRS-3...305240&hash=item25e2845224:g:63UAAOSwx0FZjaHr (the offer)

 

[Music Alchemist]

Thanks for the reply, I've just foud this offer and i don't know if this is a scam or stm. , because I wasn't able to find anything below 1000€ when looking for these on other websites.
I probably will listen to all Stax and Sennheisers that are available near me and then decide.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/STAX-SRS-3...305240&hash=item25e2845224:g:63UAAOSwx0FZjaHr (the offer)

That price is normal for sellers from Japan.

But bear in mind that you will not be able to safely use the power supply in your country; you would need to get either a voltage transformer or the right aftermarket power supply. (And possibly a reverse polarity converter as well.)

If you go this route, ask around in the entry-level STAX thread to make sure you get the right equipment. (Otherwise you could risk frying the amp.)

You'd also need to take import taxes and so on into account.

And you would have to rely on the Japanese seller for warranty purposes instead of a local dealer.

 

[cossix]

I auditioned the HD700 with my Jotunheim for a week and they sounded like a hollow tin can. Way too much treble in proportion to the other frequencies. I'd assume it sounds the same out of the lower budget Schiit amps as well, so I would STRONGLY recommend trying before buying. It seems to be a very polarizing headphone.

The 650 is more universally enjoyed because of its relaxed signature, and it's not as amp picky.

I'd vote Stax but be aware they they seem to have crap build quality. The only reason I don't have a pair is because they look like the headphone chassis is made from spare plastic somebody found behind a store

 

[Fenex]

That price is normal for sellers from Japan.

But bear in mind that you will not be able to safely use the power supply in your country; you would need to get either a voltage transformer or the right aftermarket power supply. (And possibly a reverse polarity converter as well.)

If you go this route, ask around in the entry-level STAX thread to make sure you get the right equipment. (Otherwise you could risk frying the amp.)

You'd also need to take import taxes and so on into account.

And you would have to rely on the Japanese seller for warranty purposes instead of a local dealer.

I'm looking at taxes right now and it feels like going down a never ending spiral of words, which i don't understand, have to google and get more tax related words... , but from what I can tell I don't have to pay any taxes unless they ship some free cigarettes with the earspeakers.
As for the PSU or transformer, I have some 230V power supplies for my country the only problem would be the connector. But I will make sure to check the thread before plugging it to the wall. Thanks again

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm looking at taxes right now and it feels like going down a never ending spiral of words, which i don't understand, have to google and get more tax related words... , but from what I can tell I don't have to pay any taxes unless they ship some free cigarettes with the earspeakers.
As for the PSU or transformer, I have some 230V power supplies for my country the only problem would be the connector. But I will make sure to check the thread before plugging it to the wall. Thanks again

Don't be surprised if you end up having to pay a decent percentage of the item's value.

It needs to be the right power supply (preferably a regulated linear one) and you may need a reverse polarity converter as well. That's why I cautioned to consult experts in advance.

 

[Fenex]

Update:
Thanks again for all of your recommendations I have listened to all of these Headphones and decided that the Stax are the best headphones in existence , but I saw an incredible offer for the Sennheiser HD 700 which cost 350€ including the Headphones, a good 3.5 mm cable and a headphone stand from Sennheiser. They are all new grade quality and still have a 1 year warranty.
Now that I justified my purchase, I want to say that the headphones don't sound "tinny" or fatiguing in comparison to the Stax or the HD 650s'. I also listened to the Sony mdr sa 1000. Now for the comparison of all the Headphones (this is the part for the people wanting to buy any of these headphones)
Sound:
-Sennheiser HD 650, sound great but lack soundstage
-Sennheiser HD 700, sound fantastic but have a bit too much bass
-Sony mdr sa 1000, sound great aspecialy in instrumental songs but they lack soundstage, BASS and a bit of clarity
-Stax, sound warm , very clear, wide enough and have something more I just am unable to describe
My conclusion: If you have a strict budget and don't care about used products buy the Sony's they are going for around 150-200€ and sound good enough, the bass can probably be fixed but it's not hard to get used to the sound and forget about the lack of bass (If you listen to instrumental). But if you have money to spend buy the Stax earspeakers you won't regret it. The HD line up is also great for anything inbetween in terms of budget.
Comfort:
-Sennheiser HD 650 1st
-Sennheiser HD 700 2nd
-Sony mdr sa 1000 3rd
-Stax srs-l300 4th
P.S: please listen to all of these (except the sonys', because they aren't availible anywhere) before buying.

 

[cossix]

Update:
Thanks again for all of your recommendations I have listened to all of these Headphones and decided that the Stax are the best headphones in existence , but I saw an incredible offer for the Sennheiser HD 700 which cost 350€ including the Headphones, a good 3.5 mm cable and a headphone stand from Sennheiser. They are all new grade quality and still have a 1 year warranty.
Now that I justified my purchase, I want to say that the headphones don't sound "tinny" or fatiguing in comparison to the Stax or the HD 650s'. I also listened to the Sony mdr sa 1000. Now for the comparison of all the Headphones (this is the part for the people wanting to buy any of these headphones)
Sound:
-Sennheiser HD 650, sound great but lack soundstage
-Sennheiser HD 700, sound fantastic but have a bit too much bass
-Sony mdr sa 1000, sound great aspecialy in instrumental songs but they lack soundstage, BASS and a bit of clarity
-Stax, sound warm , very clear, wide enough and have something more I just am unable to describe
My conclusion: If you have a strict budget and don't care about used products buy the Sony's they are going for around 150-200€ and sound good enough, the bass can probably be fixed but it's not hard to get used to the sound and forget about the lack of bass (If you listen to instrumental). But if you have money to spend buy the Stax earspeakers you won't regret it. The HD line up is also great for anything inbetween in terms of budget.
Comfort:
-Sennheiser HD 650 1st
-Sennheiser HD 700 2nd
-Sony mdr sa 1000 3rd
-Stax srs-l300 4th
P.S: please listen to all of these (except the sonys', because they aren't availible anywhere) before buying.

What sorcery did you pull to make the 700 have too much bass??

 

[Music Alchemist]

What sorcery did you pull to make the 700 have too much bass??

The green line below is neutral bass (your LCD-2 has just about perfectly neutral bass), so...

https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD700.pdf

 

[Me x3]

What sorcery did you pull to make the 700 have too much bass??

+1

I've owned HD650 and HD700 at the same time.
My HD650 had more bass between the two.

 

[cossix]

+1

I've owned HD650 and HD700 at the same time.
My HD650 had more bass between the two.

The 700 has tighter bass than the 650 but it doesn't have much of it. I've never heard a single person say the 700 had too much bass. Usually people complain it doesn't have quite enough.

 

[cossix]

The green line below is neutral bass (your LCD-2 has just about perfectly neutral bass), so...

https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD700.pdf

The LCD2 has far more bass than the HD700, so if that's neutral then the 700 is recessed. Which makes me wonder how somebody can perceive the 700 having too much bass unless EQ is added or the amp being used is coloring the sound to a massive degree

 

[Music Alchemist]

The LCD2 has far more bass than the HD700, so if that's neutral then the 700 is recessed. Which makes me wonder how somebody can perceive the 700 having too much bass unless EQ is added or the amp being used is coloring the sound to a massive degree

As far as the measurements go, the HD 700 has a lot more bass. (The LCD-2 almost perfectly follows that green line, which is the diffuse field curve, in the bass, whereas the HD 700 goes far above that line. Contact @miceblue for further details.)

I did own both and found that the HD 700 wasn't as bassy as the measurements suggest, for whatever reason.

All this is a moot point with a bit of EQ.

 

[cossix]

As far as the measurements go, the HD 700 has a lot more bass. (The LCD-2 almost perfectly follows that green line, which is the diffuse field curve, in the bass, whereas the HD 700 goes far above that line. Contact @miceblue for further details.)

I did own both and found that the HD 700 wasn't as bassy as the measurements suggest, for whatever reason.

All this is a moot point with a bit of EQ.

It must be due to the amp being used. I tried the 700 with my Jotunheim and it sounded thin and lifeless, while others say it sounds great with their amp. I'm certain that different amps produce vastly different results because I can't see how anybody with functioning ears can enjoy the sound that I heard with my gear