[ZzBOG]

I am looking for a closed back headphone to go with my HD800s which I love, but can't use sometimes when it's too loud in the office.
I have Z7M2 and while they are very comfortable and alright-sounding, I need more soundstage. Also Z7M2 suffer from a weird bug - they hiss (I am using Topping A90 + D10B and there is no noise whatsoever in HD800s only in Z7M2, but whatever)..
ing it's
So the shootout is:

1. ZMF Verite Closed. Idk the reviews are all over the place (as far as ~$3k headphones go). I saw quite a few ppl say it's muffled etc etc. Also the build quality is suspect (more than 2 instances of ppl talkign about wood cups getting chipped)

2. Focal Stellia. These don't seem to isolate well, which may be a deal breaker.

3. Sony MDR Z1R. I kinda like Z7M2 - it's the most comfortable big headphone I've ever worn. But I heard it's V-shaped, which isn't really my thing, I'd rather have a balanced headphone.

4. Dan Clark Audio Ether Flow. Idk I read somewhere it's actually not good at all. i am definitely not willing to step up to Stealth for $4k.

Oh the funniest part - my use case is games 60%, but for the other 40% which is music I am not willing to compromise on sound quality whatsoever.

If I was to weigh the features from 0 to 10 in importance:

10 - sound quality (duh)
10 - isolation
8 - comfort (I can mod)
5 - build quality (i hate the repair hassle)
0 - looks
0 - easy to drive (I'll accommodate)

 

[msing539]

I've heard the Stellia and DCA, owned a VO not the VC.

The Verite cups can be durable if you don't get a softer wood--the magnesium chassis is more prone to chipping in my experience, but only if you're not careful with them.

The Stellia is an interesting one, but I'd suggest demoing if you can. It's not for everyone. As far as DCA, I find them all to be a little boring, lacking engagement.

Though I haven't tried them for gaming, take a look at the Denon D9200. Not sure how it stacks up against the Sony but I prefer it to the others mentioned above.

 

[ZzBOG]

Though I haven't tried them for gaming, take a look at the Denon D9200. Not sure how it stacks up against the Sony but I prefer it to the others mentioned above.

Thank you, I will look into it!
Have you heard Kennerton or HP2 by any chance?

I see you have HD800S - those are my favorites now so I guess we have somewhat similar interests

 

[msing539]

Thank you, I will look into it!
Have you heard Kennerton or HP2 by any chance?

I see you have HD800S - those are my favorites now so I guess we have somewhat similar interests

I've only heard the Magni and a Rognir but prefer the 9200 over them.

Someone suggested the GH50 JM Mod to me, but haven't had a chance to demo them yet.

Funny but I actually preferred the Arya Stealth over the HD800S. In the end, I kept the 800S because I trusted its build quality more and the 800S had the bigger soundstage.

 

[cantcacheme]

10 - sound quality (duh)
10 - isolation
8 - comfort (I can mod)
5 - build quality (i hate the repair hassle)
0 - looks
0 - easy to drive (I'll accommodate)

Hm I noticed that you mentioned isolation as a top factor in your decision-making process. I can't speak about the vc, stellia or dan clarks but if you place that much value on isolation then maybe look into the meze liric, I found it to be considerably better than mdr-z1r for noise isolation, with a much more convenient form factor. In fact I would say it is only a little behind top consumer anc headphones (I got full size sony xm4s for reference) in terms of passive isolation (no anc enabled), it really is that good. Also comfort is absolutely fantastic, I would say it matches and maybe even beats mdr-z1r just because of its excellent headband design, you get full contact with your head unlike z1r which have the soft padding only on the top part of the headband (the headband sides are hard where the bracket housing lies)

In terms of sound, it is quite a bit more energetic than mdr-z1r, I felt it also had a little more reference type sound with excellent precision and detail, you still have this with z1r but you really have to listen closely for it. From what I heard people who owned empyrean/elite came into the liric expecting that same level of laid-back, smooth sound experience but were disappointed with how aggressive the liric sounds, personally I never heard empyrean or elite so it sounded fine to me, obviously not veiled like z1r but I don't think most people with a more neutral preference for sound would mind.

Though I haven't tried them for gaming, take a look at the Denon D9200. Not sure how it stacks up against the Sony but I prefer it to the others mentioned above.

In terms of gaming I found d9200 to be maybe a little bit lacking, its intimate sense of space works very well for music but for games you want a bigger soundstage to accurately gauge distance of enemy movements (footsteps, gunshot, explosions etc). It does well with positional audio, but maybe you would have a harder time judging how far away sounds are. Don't get me wrong, it works fine for gaming, but in this price range there are certainly better options, th900 and z1r come to mind. Comfort is also a little bit lacking, because of the flat headband design you won't get much contact on the sides of your head, for this reason I found accessories like dekoni nuggets to be absolutely necessary to avoid hotspots on the top of my head. The earpads openings are quite small, they worked fine for me but maybe not for everyone. For pure music enjoyment, however, d9200 is certainly the one to beat.

 

[msing539]

th900 and z1r come to mind

Agree with everything you said except the TH900 is nowhere near balanced sounding.

I'd rather have a balanced headphone.

 

[cantcacheme]

Agree with everything you said except the TH900 is nowhere near balanced sounding.

I mentioned those as examples that would be better for gaming only

 

[audiocroissant]

Good thread, would be interested to see more responses too.

In terms of isolation, I have read that VC is up there on that too.

 

[ZzBOG]

Hm I noticed that you mentioned isolation as a top factor in your decision-making process. I can't speak about the vc, stellia or dan clarks but if you place that much value on isolation then maybe look into the meze liric, I found it to be considerably better than mdr-z1r for noise isolation, with a much more convenient form factor. In fact I would say it is only a little behind top consumer anc headphones (I got full size sony xm4s for reference) in terms of passive isolation (no anc enabled), it really is that good. Also comfort is absolutely fantastic, I would say it matches and maybe even beats mdr-z1r just because of its excellent headband design, you get full contact with your head unlike z1r which have the soft padding only on the top part of the headband (the headband sides are hard where the bracket housing lies)

Hey thank you this is very interesting. I never heard about these.
do you know anything about Kennerton headphones? The horn ones seem enticing in terms of soundstage (I'd expect it from horns at least), but no idea about the isolation . people seem to praise the sound as well

 

[cantcacheme]

Hey thank you this is very interesting. I never heard about these.
do you know anything about Kennerton headphones? The horn ones seem enticing in terms of soundstage (I'd expect it from horns at least), but no idea about the isolation . people seem to praise the sound as well

Unfortunately I never head any of the Kennerton stuff. From what I heard they got really good bass, the closed-back headphone thread should have some more info:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-closed-back-headphone-thread-plus-comparisons-reviews.939901/

Really good stuff in that thread.

 

[Monsterzero]

I have had 6 ZMF headphones, and currently have 5 here with me. Only issue Ive had was a driver failure on my Atticus, and ZMF fixed it free of charge as ZMF offers lifetime driver warranty on all of their headphones when purchased new from ZMF directly or from one of their international distributors.

 

[paradoxper]

By going off your perceived preference, Stealth or Rognir would be the best choices as they are the most technically capable, if you were looking for a bump for fun Stellia would be a good fit and if you were looking for something different and complimentary with a more dark and warm signature, the VC is a good option.

For the latter, if you wanted some of the best class timbre and feel HD800 bass response is adequate and want to retain the spacious presentation, the ES-R10 is really a no brainer as it makes the Verite sound bad in comparative trait.

I would note the Stealth takes appreciative power to open up and it still remains a dynamically challenged performer but it is quite balanced.
My favorite closed is the Rognir as it's very dynamic and punchy and musically involves you at a technical level for closed backs.

 

[ST33L]

I have the MDR-Z1R and love them. They have a wide soundstage for a closed back, but they are V-shaped.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

The best closed for the office that don't make you look like a dork and still sound great are IEMs.

 

[Ieonasj]

I have the MDR-Z1R and love them. They have a wide soundstage for a closed back, but they are V-shaped.

not V -shaped. more neutral with boosted bass. i think.