[CJG888]

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[peterinvan]

Coming back to this thread for more input after more thoughts and research... I still can't figure out what closed back is worth buying haha...
I've gone off the idea of the Focal Celestee. Neutral is something I'd like but so many reviewers comment on its lack of soundstage and mention its like a more resolving version of an AKG K361 ($100 headphone...)

A nearby used set of Focal Elegia has come to my attention for a mear $450 (CAD). So I'm considering those. Although many reviews (and comments earlier in this thread) also mention they are a bit 'anemic' and light on bass (I wear glasses too and seal could be an issue there). I guess that would be very different to my Fostex headphones though, for listening to more instrument-based genres, and I could always EQ them. And I'd imagine they'd do fine for monitoring applications.
What to do??

I think it's still kind of out of these and the Beyer DT177X or 1770Pro (I noticed on amazon a lot of people saying they're more balanced and less harsh now maybe they revised the tuning after all the negative reviews??)

I love the look of the Denon 7200 and 9200 but damn, those prices... maybe its worth just holding out and saving up for a pair though... Honestly I personally just don't think I could spend 2k on a pair of headphones I just don't use them enough these days. I listen via speakers way more...
Even 1k seems crazy on tiny pair of headphones whereas 1k on a pair of bookshelf speakers, monitors or floorstanding speakers gets you a lot of physical material and sound quality.

I have installed Dekoni sheepskin pads on my Elegias and the bass is significantly improved . They sound like the Bentley that I auditioned a while back.

 

[designbykai]

I have installed Dekoni sheepskin pads on my Elegias and the bass is significantly improved . They sound like the Bentley that I auditioned a while back.

Interesting! At such a cheap price I'm thinking I should get them. Heart/ears say yes, brain/wallet say no. The problem with this addiction..

 

[Malevolent]

I'm glad you're rediscovering the ATH-AWKT. I have also been listening to my pair recently and they're even overlooked within my own collection. Keep us posted if you get a pair.

The ATH-AWKT would have shot to the top of my to-buy list, if some annoying queue cutters, in the form of the Empyrean, the Utopia, and the Rögnir, did not exist.

These pesky headphones have been living in my head, rent-free, for the last few months. Sadly, I won't be able to audition the Rögnir, but the 2 open-backs have been very impressive in my respective auditions. This conundrum would be a lot easier to resolve if I could audition the Kennerton flagship, or obtain thorough comparisons between the Rögnir and a host of top-end challengers, such as the Vérité Closed, the MDR-Z1R, the AH-D9200, the TH900 Mk2, the Stellia, et al.

 

[Malevolent]

Coming back to this thread for more input after more thoughts and research... I still can't figure out what closed back is worth buying haha...
I've gone off the idea of the Focal Celestee. Neutral is something I'd like but so many reviewers comment on its lack of soundstage and mention its like a more resolving version of an AKG K361 ($100 headphone...)

A nearby used set of Focal Elegia has come to my attention for a mear $450 (CAD). So I'm considering those. Although many reviews (and comments earlier in this thread) also mention they are a bit 'anemic' and light on bass (I wear glasses too and seal could be an issue there). I guess that would be very different to my Fostex headphones though, for listening to more instrument-based genres, and I could always EQ them. And I'd imagine they'd do fine for monitoring applications.
What to do??

I think it's still kind of out of these and the Beyer DT177X or 1770Pro (I noticed on amazon a lot of people saying they're more balanced and less harsh now maybe they revised the tuning after all the negative reviews??)

I love the look of the Denon 7200 and 9200 but damn, those prices... maybe its worth just holding out and saving up for a pair though... Honestly I personally just don't think I could spend 2k on a pair of headphones I just don't use them enough these days. I listen via speakers way more...
Even 1k seems crazy on tiny pair of headphones whereas 1k on a pair of bookshelf speakers, monitors or floorstanding speakers gets you a lot of physical material and sound quality.

I don't particularly think that the Elegia has a wide or deep stage, to be honest. Plus, as you've mentioned, the bass response isn't very robust; if you crave a healthy low-end presence in your music, the Elegia will most likely disappoint. In comparison, I actually prefer the added warmth afforded by the Celestee - it provides a lusher tone that makes music sound a little more enjoyable (to my ears).

If you don't mind my asking, what are you looking for in your next closed-back?

 

[designbykai]

I don't particularly think that the Elegia has a wide or deep stage, to be honest. Plus, as you've mentioned, the bass response isn't very robust; if you crave a healthy low-end presence in your music, the Elegia will most likely disappoint. In comparison, I actually prefer the added warmth afforded by the Celestee - it provides a lusher tone that makes music sound a little more enjoyable (to my ears).

If you don't mind my asking, what are you looking for in your next closed-back?

Interesting. I just gathered from comparisons/reviews that Elegia was a little bit wider than Celestee which is more 'in your head'.
Elegia has been described as a closed back Clear. Seems like it has some weird peaks and that Celestee is more neutral.

I'm after a closed back that is close to neutral (or harman curve, a bit of warmth). Something that doesn't look and feel like I'm wearing a pair of speakers on my head (like Fostex's do) and don't look ridiculous on Zoom calls lol. Something I can use for podcasting, editing audio/video, some music production. Honestly the AKG K361/K371 tick all the boxes but they seem super cheap and crappy build-wise and like they wouldn't be the most enjoyable to use for actually listening to/enjoying music. And I do usually crave detail; I like to hear the nuances of instruments, drum transients etc.

So the logical step up in price/quality to me was Beyer 177X or 1770pro. And then Celestee.

The Denons seem like they would fit the bill, I'm just not sure if I want to fork out that much money.. (especially the d9200). But maybe I should just save up. I like that they are a bit more compact looking (smaller cups) than Fostex's.

I was also looking at the Neumann NDH20 (which have been described as neutral resolving studio tools) but seems like they have bad clamp/comfort. And Adam SP-5s which are very similar to the Ultrasone Signature's I've had and enjoy but with brighter/detailed Adam tuning. I have Adam studio monitor speakers so this kind of makes sense in terms of translating a similar frequency response from speakers to headphones....

Obviously not closed-back but I've always wanted to try LCD-X as well.... the 2021 versions seem like they have some welcome improvements.

 

[elnero]

Interesting. I just gathered from comparisons/reviews that Elegia was a little bit wider than Celestee which is more 'in your head'.
Elegia has been described as a closed back Clear. Seems like it has some weird peaks and that Celestee is more neutral.

I'm after a closed back that is close to neutral (or harman curve, a bit of warmth). Something that doesn't look and feel like I'm wearing a pair of speakers on my head (like Fostex's do) and don't look ridiculous on Zoom calls lol. Something I can use for podcasting, editing audio/video, some music production. Honestly the AKG K361/K371 tick all the boxes but they seem super cheap and crappy build-wise and like they wouldn't be the most enjoyable to use for actually listening to/enjoying music. And I do usually crave detail; I like to hear the nuances of instruments, drum transients etc.

So the logical step up in price/quality to me was Beyer 177X or 1770pro. And then Celestee.

The Denons seem like they would fit the bill, I'm just not sure if I want to fork out that much money.. (especially the d9200). But maybe I should just save up. I like that they are a bit more compact looking (smaller cups) than Fostex's.

I was also looking at the Neumann NDH20 (which have been described as neutral resolving studio tools) but seems like they have bad clamp/comfort. And Adam SP-5s which are very similar to the Ultrasone Signature's I've had and enjoy but with brighter/detailed Adam tuning. I have Adam studio monitor speakers so this kind of makes sense in terms of translating a similar frequency response from speakers to headphones....

Obviously not closed-back but I've always wanted to try LCD-X as well.... the 2021 versions seem like they have some welcome improvements.

What about the Shure SRH1540's?

 

[gazzington]

I’ve spent way too much money today. Bought verite closed in olive wood. It’s in stock in a uk seller. Should get it in a few days

 

[AudioDuck]

I’ve spent way too much money today. Bought verite closed in olive wood. It’s in stock in a uk seller. Should get it in a few days

Congratulations! I’m sure they will be lovely.

 

[AudioDuck]

What about the Shure SRH1540's?

Great suggestion. Light, amazingly comfy, good build quality/durability, scales with better sources/amps/cabling, plays well with a range of amps, pretty resolving yet gracious with lesser-quality recordings… I love mine and use them every day.

 

[designbykai]

I hadn't considered the 1540s! They seem like they'd fit the bill. Certainly the alcantara would be comfy. The only shures I ever owned were 840s many years ago and I wasn't a fan, totally different though

 

[Joaquin Dinero]

1540s would also be nice and nondescript for work video calls. Not gonna get a lot of "what are those crazy headphones you have?" questions.

Now I want some

 

[designbykai]

Great suggestion. Light, amazingly comfy, good build quality/durability, scales with better sources/amps/cabling, plays well with a range of amps, pretty resolving yet gracious with lesser-quality recordings… I love mine and use them every day.

Given that you have some Focals, how to the Shures compare? Does the 1540s sub go as low and detailed? Are they 'boring' compared to the Focals and lacking in dynamic punch in comparison or anything? Or is it fairly close but just more neutral?

As far as looks and video calls go, I do think the Shure's would be fine but they certainly aren't that nice or my cup of tea. I prefer Beyers, maybe its just that I'd prefer all black rather than the silver arms (like the Shure 1840 which is also blacked-out I prefer that look for pro purposes). Another reason I'm ruling out the Neumanns haha (but mostly the clamp and comfort issues many people talk about)

I also think the Adam SP-5s might be a good way to go.. I know that I find this style of Ultrasones comfortable despite the clamp, and they seal/isolate really well. I'm surprised more people haven't talked about these headphones on headfi (I think the official thread had only 2 pages). Adam are a fantastic pro audio company. I'm a little worried they might be too bright/fatiguing for music listening daily drivers. But for professional work the detail would be welcome.

 

[AudioDuck]

1540s would also be nice and nondescript for work video calls. Not gonna get a lot of "what are those crazy headphones you have?" questions.

Now I want some

Funny- I wear my 1540s on several video calls a day, and have yet to have any comments on my headphones.

 

[AudioDuck]

Given that you have some Focals, how to the Shures compare? Does the 1540s sub go as low and detailed? Are they 'boring' compared to the Focals and lacking in dynamic punch in comparison or anything? Or is it fairly close but just more neutral?

As far as looks and video calls go, I do think the Shure's would be fine but they certainly aren't that nice or my cup of tea. I prefer Beyers, maybe its just that I'd prefer all black rather than the silver arms (like the Shure 1840 which is also blacked-out I prefer that look for pro purposes). Another reason I'm ruling out the Neumanns haha (but mostly the clamp and comfort issues many people talk about)

I also think the Adam SP-5s might be a good way to go.. I know that I find this style of Ultrasones comfortable despite the clamp, and they seal/isolate really well. I'm surprised more people haven't talked about these headphones on headfi (I think the official thread had only 2 pages). Adam are a fantastic pro audio company. I'm a little worried they might be too bright/fatiguing for music listening daily drivers. But for professional work the detail would be welcome.

Great questions! I need to do some comparisons between the Focals and the 1540s this evening and will respond with details. (Listening to Khruangbin on the 1540s right now!)