[yrstruly]

I would definitely recommend you try Meze Liric, they haves excellent sound isolation and they can be driven by very well by Mojo 2. As far as the sound goes, it's usually hit or miss with these - for me it's a hit. They are quite bassy, especially in the sub-bass, they have much larger soundstage compared to any Focal closed-back and as far as fatigue goes, in general I don't find them sharp or piercing (and I'm quite sensitive to both upper mids and treble), but they are a couple of songs where I do find them a bit too much in terms of sibilance.

Decent shout, thanks. Sort of forgot about the Liric. From memory they have slightly weird timbre - a bit shrill - but will certainly give them another go.

Have you tried a Fostex with the Lawton cups? It provides a spacious sound and good isolation, but may get too dynamic too. It's definitely not as in your face as Focal though.

Or possibly one of the Fostex modded headphones.

Hmmmm I'm generally not a fan of needing to mod and from my brief experiences with the TH610 and TH900 they're extremely fun but a bit too V shaped for my tastes...

 

[Mhog55]

If the headphones you mentioned cause fatigue, I feel pretty confident that the 9200 will as well, especially if the Radiance did. The 1st headphone that comes to mind is the Kennerton GH40. Smooth, soft yet dynamic, organic, not aggressive or annoying in any way. Don't have to listen at loud volumes to feel satisfied or miss much of anything that the song has to offer. No frequency is bothersome or in your face. Pretty flat and neutral, easy to drive, comfortable. Unfortunately, some might find it a bit boring if they prefer an upfront, forward, extremely energetic type of presentation.

 

[AudioDuck]

Thanks Catom. All excellent insights to this "Sorry about your wallet" hobby. I'll start focusing in on that 800-1200 range, with a current leaning towards the Denons.

Great feedback from @catom that I second!

Unless I missed it, you didn’t mention your amplification- but if you can drive 300 Ohm headphones with your gear, ZMFs might fit the bill for “warm blanket” sound.

The most obvious choices in the ZMF stable would be the Atticus ($800-900 used, starts at $1,100 new) or Eikon ($1,000-1,100 used, no longer made after 2022).

There is a dedicated Atticus/Eikon thread here that I highly recommend. Several pro reviews also exist online that compare the two. Personally I am a very happy Eikon owner (full disclaimer: I’m a ZMF fanboy), though depending on musical tastes the Atticus might be more for you.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Great feedback from @catom that I second!

Unless I missed it, you didn’t mention your amplification- but if you can drive 300 Ohm headphones with your gear, ZMFs might fit the bill for “warm blanket” sound.

The most obvious choices in the ZMF stable would be the Atticus ($800-900 used, starts at $1,100 new) or Eikon ($1,000-1,100 used, no longer made after 2022).

There is a dedicated Atticus/Eikon thread here that I highly recommend. Several pro reviews also exist online that compare the two. Personally I am a very happy Eikon owner (full disclaimer: I’m a ZMF fanboy), though depending on musical tastes the Atticus might be more for you.

I can definitely second the Atticus and Eikon suggestions. I owned both before selling them off on my way to the VCs and Atrium. If I had to pick one, I would go with the Eikon because they have a little bit more special sauce to me. The Atticus is a very good headphone as well, but it isn't as engaging or as unique IMO, but solid all around nonetheless. Good rec!

 

[Ieonasj]

If you're willing to buy used then a used Denon D9200 could be a fair bet, they can be had for around 900-1000 so even cheaper than an MSRP radiance, however they punch well above their price and can even compete with VC and Stellia. Their sound also seems to align with your preferences, that being a very clean sound with slight elevation in the bass; it can come across as bright depending on your ears and source gear. It does have quite an intimate soundstage, however it is wide enough so as to not sound cramped or claustrophobic.

9200 too hissy at highs.... ,also bad isolation for closed headphones. overpriced tought.nothink interested. focal radiance 750eur new sells far better choice or celeste.even bathys here nice choice for 800eur. i have bathys,lcd-2closed and ananda. set. compared my bathys vs stellia,radiance,celeste,9200,7200,and 5200. 5200 was perfect too sounding.all focal s dont have highs. too bassy and thats all.bathys is latest and has harman curve. bass,mid and highs is right correct sounding cans.

 

[Todamm]

I purchased a new T50RP from the ZMF website! I will wait for ZMF's T50RP modding.

I'm thinking of changing the earpad, do you have any earpad recommendations?
I have SUEDE of Auteur, BE2, EIKON, and UNIVERSE.

 

[subguy812]

I just want to revisit and give props to the GH50 JM MKII. This HP has some real balance, contrary to what one might think. The stage demonstrates incredible height, width and spaciousness. Bass is incredible and delivers quality as well as quantity. Treble is never harsh or offensive. They are easily driven with authority from the SP3000. I feel these HP's strike well above their price point.

 

[Mhog55]

I just want to revisit and give props to the GH50 JM MKII. This HP has some real balance, contrary to what one might think. The stage demonstrates incredible height, width and spaciousness. Bass is incredible and delivers quality as well as quantity. Treble is never harsh or offensive. They are easily driven with authority from the SP3000. I feel these HP's strike well above their price point.

Couldn't agree more

 

[Alexzander]

Today I had a chance to direct AB my Rognir Planar with ECL-03 pads to DCA Stealth for a few hours in an audio shop dedicated auditioning room through some TOTL Cayin amp and DAPs (N8ii, RS8).

First of all what surprised me was that Stealth played quite good with those above mentioned players - so portable use of them is still possible.
As for the winner in terms of music reproduction I gave it to Rognir in each 8 of 10 tracks.
It has more spacious soundstage with more vibrant volume, better defined transients and clarity.
I’ve also tried Expanse which I found to be a more muffled version of Stealth with weaker bass while being more comfortable on ears.
Besides that I gave a chance to the new Focal Utopia but found overly smooth sounding.

 

[cantcacheme]

Today I had a chance to direct AB my Rognir Planar with ECL-03 pads to DCA Stealth for a few hours in an audio shop dedicated auditioning room through some TOTL Cayin amp and DAPs (N8ii, RS8).

First of all what surprised me was that Stealth played quite good with those above mentioned players - so portable use of them is still possible.
As for the winner in terms of music reproduction I gave it to Rognir in each 8 of 10 tracks.
It has more spacious soundstage with more vibrant volume, better defined transients and clarity.
I’ve also tried Expanse which I found to be a more muffled version of Stealth with weaker bass while being more comfortable on ears.
Besides that I gave a chance to the new Focal Utopia but found overly smooth sounding.

Surprising to see that Stealth can be driven off portable gear. I always wanted to trial a pair, but seeing as it is almost as hard to drive as Susvara, I never seriously considered it. Anyways, already owning Rognir P -- perhaps I am not missing out on much.

For Utopia, I found it to be very source-revealing, its sound changes quite noticeably depending on what it's plugged into. From what I understand, new Utopia is only a slight tuning change (a little warmer), so this statement should retain validity for this 2022 revision as well.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I’ve also tried Expanse which I found to be a more muffled version of Stealth with weaker bass

I'm surprised by this. I own both the Stealth and the Expanse and the Expanse has more bass to my ear. From the reviews I have read it seems that most folks hear it this way too. It makes me wonder if they were being driven properly after all...

 

[Alexzander]

I'm surprised by this. I own both the Stealth and the Expanse and the Expanse has more bass to my ear. From the reviews I have read it seems that most folks hear it this way too. It makes me wonder if they were being driven properly after all...

High gain balanced. What I heard is that Expanse had more mid bass but less sub bass.

 

[ekjellgren]

What are your opinions on the Shure SRH1540 now in 2023? Is it worth getting for €420?
Is there something better in the sub €500 area?

 

[yrstruly]

What are your opinions on the Shure SRH1540 now in 2023? Is it worth getting for €420?
Is there something better in the sub €500 area?

Personally I prefer the Elegia (same price bracket) but some may disagree

 

[Ieonasj]

Personally I prefer the Elegia (same price bracket) but some may disagree

elegia with deconi pads will be similar to stellia sound