The Closed-Back Headphone Thread (Plus Comparisons & Reviews)

[soundblast75]

This also explains the need for *closed* headphones -- they simply block arguments so much better than open models

I'm currently using my D9200 primarily with the Impacto, a very nice combination. That small thing does sound very good. Comfortwise the D9200 is much better than what I remember about the D7200, where the headband was somehow more stiff/hard.

Meanwhile I decided to send the Yamaha MT8 back... it does sound really good at its price, extends down low with good separation from the mids. Comfort was a bit of a problem, with the cups being quite large and not so deep (despite the angled drivers that give more room at the back). Too many headphones around... They would not have got much use.

Instead I ordered an Austrian Audio Hi-X55... I did test them once and was not that happy with the bass level and a slightly strange upper mid section, but I think its still worth to give them a second chance. Plus its a local brand, I even know several guys that are involved in that model... and I just have to support a high quality headphone being built in Vienna at that price. Lets see how it does with more than a short audition.

There are som other models that will have to leave within the next few weeks:
* The JBL Club One: nice EDM headphone, but I just don't use it enough, especially after outfitting my V-Moda CF2 Codex with the XL pads -- every time I use them I ask myself why I waited so long... comfort is so much better, plus it seems to even tame the midbass a bit
* Maybe the SRH1540: supremely comfortable, yet somehow it did not click as much as expected with me.
* DT770 32Ohm: I own the 80Ohm variant anyway
* The Master-1: I simply don't use it anymore. Still a fascinating sound signature, but not closed...

Just bought the Impacto Universal after your post, for 60eur not a brainer, but i thought all this time it's Beyer exclusive use only? How do you get it working with Denons and others? I guess I'll find out next week anyway..i also have Anentos i love, so plenty of use
Thanks @plakat

 

[plakat]

Just bought the Impacto Universal after your post, for 60eur not a brainer, but i thought all this time it's Beyer exclusive use only? How do you get it working with Denons and others? I guess I'll find out next week anyway..i also have Anentos i love, so plenty of use
Thanks @plakat

Yes, at that price its a steal. Especially since this is a high quality DAC/Amp.

It simply works with the Denon, Sony and with Focal models that use 3,5mm jacks on both sides as well as far as I know (personally I don't care about Focal, so I can't speak from my own experience). They just didn't market it as a general solution -- and it would have been better off with a 3,5mm jack on the unit itself obviously. They are fading it out since its not their primary focus and many other more generic solutions exist.

 

[Frabera]

It seems to be quiet hard to choose between the D9200 and the VC's what are the main différences according to the fact the Denon is much cheaper...

 

[blackdragon87]

I like a headphone that has a nice soundstage with great instrument separation and it doesn't have piercing highs because I can't stand piercing highs

same here

 

[Terriero]

It seems to be quiet hard to choose between the D9200 and the VC's what are the main différences according to the fact the Denon is much cheaper...

Here you can find a fantastic comparison of Vérité closed, Denon AH-D9200 and Sony Z1R by Malevolent.

 

[immortalsoul]

For those of you that want to trade one of your nice closed back, I want to trade my Kennerton Vali for a nice closed back headphone. I am usually listen to the headphones on my bed close to my wife and she always asks me to lower the volume, so I think it is time for me to have a closed back instead of Vali. I hate to let it go because it is such a nice sounding headphone but like I said it is time for a closed back

 

[ADUHF]

Wow, thanks for the response, great info here! Here's are some frequency graph for the msr7's and msr7b's. You probably saw that I tried both.... I didn't think there was/is a big difference between the two IMHO....... but if you listen closely, there is a difference. It just doesn't hit you unless you look for it.

I didn't actually take notes until after I started testing the higher-end HP's..... so I'm sorry I can't offer you much on the HP's that cost sub-$500. I do remember that I didn't especially care for any of them, except for the msr7 and msr7b. Those two, to my ears, simply sounded much better than the others. The latter is the only one I spent a lot of time with. Keep in mind, I modded that one, so it sounded a bit different than stock. I still maintain that, for just over 300usd, the modded msr7b is a pretty strong little beast of a HP. Removing the little felt pieces really open up the sound.... and once you tone down the treble a bit, it's quite impressive (I used Sennheiser attenuation pads at first, but honestly paper towel fit to size worked better). So in addition to the HP's you have listed, I'd encourage you to give that one a shot as well. Check the msr7 thread for more info on the mods. And of course, let us know what you think.

I'm not sure I have the heart for another round of testing... especially in the lower-priced space. So I won't have much to offer you in terms of reviews or simply my thoughts on them. That said, I'd love to hear what you come up with after trying 'em out!

Cheers Mate

Thank you for the Crinacle link on the MSR7B, TSelanne. Crinacle appears to have added quite a few new headphones to his graphing tool since my last visit there!

https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/

Since I just got my DT-770 and M50X a few months ago btw, I'm not really lookin for another closed-back at this point. Unless I run across something in my price range that looks like a much better match to my preferred sound signature than what I've already got. And also as comfortable and reliable as the DT-770 has been so far. The Crinacle plots on the AT MSR7b don't look too shabby. But they don't appear to be a significant improvement on the AT M50x, and 250 ohm DT-770, in terms of their tonal balance. And maybe a step back in some ways from the kind of thing I'm lookin for. (See my notes below though re the L/R bal. on all these HPs.)

It's helpful to see some new and different plots on my current headphones though. I don't think Crinacle had plots of both the 80 & 250 ohm DT-770 the last time checked. (To view the 250 ohm, click on the down arrow (v) after the name of the headphone in the title bar that's below the graph on the right side, and select it from the list.) They appear to confirm a couple of my suspicions about the differences in tonality between the two though. For starters, the 250 ohm DT-770 has more sub-bass than the 80 ohm. I could definitely hear that in my comparisons, when listening to them on the same amp. And the 250 ohm also appears to have a bit more air in the higher frequencies. And I believe it was the combination of those two things which lead me to perceive that the 80 ohm version as being a bit more "mid-centered". The notch at 4 kHz also looks more pronounced on the 80 ohm version of the DT-770. And I believe that is something I also noticed. Though it was probably less obvious than the differences in the sub-bass and treble.

The plot of the 250 ohm DT-770 also appears to shown an imbalance between the right and left channels, which favors the right channel by a dB or so. Which is also consistent with my experience. So it looks like that issue could indeed be in my headphones rather than some other gear. And it looks like I'm making the right type of correction to compensate for that. The plot also shows that the imbalance is pretty consistent across most of the frequency spectrum, rather than isolated only to certain spots. Which is also useful to know. Because that means I don't really need an EQ to fix it. And the simple L/R balance adjustment I've been using is probably sufficient.

The drivers on Crinacle's 80 ohm DT-770 plot look a little better balanced though. And like they might actually be favoring the left channel a bit in the bass and mid-treble, which is interesting. I did not listen to the 80-ohm DT-770, when I had one, as much as the 250 ohm. Because I took a pretty quick shine to the latter. And was really more interested in a higher impedance HP.

The L/R balance appears to be very good on the AT MSR7b btw. Particularly in the bass and midrange. But less good on my AT M50x. ...Oh well. You get what you pay for, I guess. The imbalances don't look quite as problematic on the Rtings M50x compensated plot...

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#295/3992

I'm fairly sure I could hear some differences in both the bass and treble though on my pair. Perhaps that's somethin that could improve a little after some break-in though.

 

[Terriero]

For those of you that want to trade one of your nice closed back, I want to trade my Kennerton Vali for a nice closed back headphone. I am usually listen to the headphones on my bed close to my wife and she always asks me to lower the volume, so I think it is time for me to have a closed back instead of Vali. I hate to let it go because it is such a nice sounding headphone but like I said it is time for a closed back

Something similar happened to me sometimes and I rejected to use my HD 800 at nights (it's so annoying when you are really enjoying your music at not so loud volume and someones said: could you low that volume? ) ... That's because I looked at this thread and stayed here

But, I know, HD 800 are a "no headphones - headphones", because of the supreme sound leakage.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

After ordering them on Black Friday, they've arrived this morning.
It's going to be a joyful week, i guess.

 

[Terriero]

After ordering them on Black Friday, they've arrived this morning.
It's going to be a joyful week, i guess.

Early impressions? Another one reporting about comfort? (@Malevolent if it won't be this saturday... I will go crazy...)

 

[Malevolent]

Ad SRH1540: good characterization. Yes, I'll give it a bit more time... might actually be one of those cases that sound so inoffensive that one has to use them for longer to really appreciate their sound. I'm generally biased against those impressive sounding headphones, most get on my nerves rather sooner than later.

My CF2 is also Rose Gold... and yes, there's something to the original V-Moda signature. A basshead signature done with taste, engaging and just fun. I'm really happy with the XL pads now -- they were in my drawer for years, bought them shortly after they were announced as an accessory to the original M-100. Never used them before, pulling off the original pads always scared me... Now I immediately ordered a second pair for my M-100 Master.

What I really like about V-MODA is its unabashed dedication to a "house sound" - EDM-loving, DJ-friendly, virtually indestructible, bass-heavy "fun" headphones. Since its takeover by Roland, however, they seem to be gravitating towards a more audiophile-centric tuning; case-in-point, the M-200 Master. I was actually very intrigued with that headphone. However, the multitude of early reviews from its loaner tour didn't generate exciting news.

In any case, since you have both the M-100 Master and the M-200, could you share more impressions of these 2 headphones? Ideally, I'd like something that doesn't stray too far away from the V-MODA sound. Thanks!

 

[Malevolent]

Sadly, I have yet to find tubes that provide the equivalent sparkle in the treble that I adore (especially in the HD800S) compared to SS amps I have on hand. I've had the exact same experience that you complain about; whatever tubes I use in the MJ2 smooths out the extreme ends of the bass and treble which is good most of time....

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. I am (quite) treble sensitive, so a tube amplifier helps to alleviate any averse reactions to harsh-sounding highs (for the most part). However, for headphones with muted highs, tubes may actually be a poor choice - the resulting sound may be overly rounded, mellow, and lacking in energy.

Thankfully, the Vérité Closed has a wealth of pad options to choose from; if they don't establish dominion over the treble section, however, I might hunt for a decent solid-state amplifier to resolve this inadvertent dilemma.

 

[Malevolent]

Have you given the Universe pads a try yet. I'm assuming your previous impressions were from the Autuer pads right? I'm also curious of the Be2 pads myself. Lately I've been listening to the Universe pads more than the Autuers.

Yes, I'm using the Auteur pads on the Vérité Closed. According to the (helpful) chart, the Universe pads provide a warmer sound - this is the opposite of what I'm looking for, though, so I never thought to install them on the headphones. However, as the BE-2 pads come highly recommended (by both @zach915m and @Nostoi), I will be getting a pair of BE-2 Lambskins shortly.

 

[Malevolent]

After ordering them on Black Friday, they've arrived this morning.
It's going to be a joyful week, i guess.

Nice! Enjoy!

I don't want to cause you to spend more money, but the headphones may look better on traditional wooden "omega" stands. Just saying..

Early impressions? Another one reporting about comfort? (@Malevolent if it won't be this saturday... I will go crazy...)

Counting down to your purchase, my friend! Time to join the AH-D9200 club!

 

[Malevolent]

It seems to be quiet hard to choose between the D9200 and the VC's what are the main différences according to the fact the Denon is much cheaper...

Frankly, both headphones reside at the top of the closed-back headphone game; each has a slight advantage over the other, but neither is a clear-cut victor. As a personal anecdote, if I had to choose a single headphone to last me for years, I could pick either option and be perfectly happy.

@Terriero has linked my comparison between the 2 (and the MDR-Z1R, too). If you have any questions about either headphone, feel free to ask.