[Nostoi]

Actually with a new born I found myself in a comfy rocking chair a lot. Isolating headphones sound perfect. Particularly a pair that are durable since your nod off and likely put pressure on them somewhere with your head.

How did I miss out on that opportunity myself? Hmm. Oh right, sleep deprivation. Brain doesn't work as well haha. Congrats and good luck!

I remember those days myself. I actually had a pair of Nightowls when my son was a newborn (3 years ago) and indeed back then they were the perfect headphone for trying to relax with a pair of luxuriously comfortable headphones. The problem, however, is that it's short lived. I don't know what your arrangement is, but here once the crying starts, there's no way of relaxing no matter how isolating the headphones - nature (and duty) calls!

 

[waveSounds]

Congrats to Mrs WaveSound (and you) on the pending arrival. Needless to say, I must implore you to make the most of your headphone time now, because once he/she arrives, those serene moments listening to Radio X (both the rock station and the babestation) will be a rare occurrence (at least for the first year and half)....!

And obviously start hiding/protecting/baby proofing all your precious gear now.

Actually with a new born I found myself in a comfy rocking chair a lot. Isolating headphones sound perfect. Particularly a pair that are durable since your nod off and likely put pressure on them somewhere with your head.

How did I miss out on that opportunity myself? Hmm. Oh right, sleep deprivation. Brain doesn't work as well haha. Congrats and good luck!

Thanks for the congrats, chaps. Appreciate it. We're both very much looking forward to the arrival of our little girl. I'll start bubble wrapping all my gear shortly Might look into installing a desk on a pulley system so everything of value can literally be hoisted out of reach.

A rocking chair and NightOwls sounds like the perfect pairing. Although not sure I trust myself not to fall asleep before the little one in this setup - I've never been good with lack of sleep at the best of times!

 

[plakat]

Maybe I'm a weird outlier here (and IRL), but after better acquainting myself with the TH900's charms over the past several weeks - across most genres - I've been lucky not to have any issues with the treble becoming tiresome, fatiguing, or as some report to experience, painful. Currently listening to Radio X (a UK based rock radio station, not an audio broadcast of babestation lol) that's streaming at around 50 kbps in AAC. Granted, it doesn't sound particularly great, but even on this über low-res stream I'm having a pretty sweet time whiling away the afternoon tuned in with the 900s. Seems my ear anatomy was genetically engineered (by Fostex? O_o) for compatibility with the TH900 ha.

As for the Owls, @Malevolent you can't pass the opportunity up! They're worth $200 for the comfort alone. Sometimes I think that my head feels more comfortable wearing them than not...

Mine haven't been getting much use since the arrival of the 900s, but I still stick them on from time to time. Mainly if I'm watching something on the laptop in the sitting room while my wife's got the TV on and I need the added isolation. Or when I want to jam to tunes while moving around the house tidying up the trail of clothes, cups, plates and food wrappers that my wife has lovingly left out over the course of the day for me. It's like a join the dots of Mrs WaveSound's day. She is 28 weeks pregnant, though, so I'll let it slide (for now)!

The only application that I've found to not be so enjoyable with the Owls is when listening to audiobooks. The very reason they're such a smooth, velvety musical listen is the same reason they don't do especially well here for me. They have an almost reverb-like effect which ends up giving the impression Gandalf and gang are saving Middle Earth from a village hall. Detracts a bit from the immersion heh.

I read @Nostoi 's answer before your post, and of course implied it was a pending arrival of another headphone... I haven't the faintest idea how that could happen. Congratulation on your upcoming family extension! You'll want to dig out the SE846 for their supreme isolation

Regarding making things child safe (that means safe from being destroyed, right?): does anyone remember Ephraim Kishons story how their whole life moved onto their grand piano due to increased mobility range of their first son?

 

[kumar402]

Thanks for the congrats, chaps. Appreciate it. We're both very much looking forward to the arrival of our little girl. I'll start bubble wrapping all my gear shortly Might look into installing a desk on a pulley system so everything of value can literally be hoisted out of reach.

A rocking chair and NightOwls sounds like the perfect pairing. Although not sure I trust myself not to fall asleep before the little one in this setup - I've never been good with lack of sleep at the best of times!

It’s that time of life when portable gears suddenly become your best friend and desktop gears will all get packed up.

 

[Terriero]

Congratulations @waveSounds. I have lived the experience twice (my son is now 7 years old, almost 8, and my daughter 4 years old ) Both lovely creatures and learning about music, althought there is that reggaeton that bombed us everyday when we are outside... My son has a camera for children from last Christmas (2020) and I bought a 32 Gb microSD for it and put a lot of my music inside... It's so funny to see them browsing the list and listening to my preferred tunes (but the sound is garbage... ).

 

[Paulo83]

So, I'm looking for a closed back in the 1000-1500 ish range, I listen to a real mix from blues, jazz, classical, classic rock to rap. Mainly for use at home, current rig is a rega RP6 and Ares 2 feeding a bottlehead mainline, though I would consider maybe swapping out the mainline for more power.

I've recently tried out the following with mixed feelings.

Denon AH-D9200 - great comfort, nice bass, treble too hot for me, bordering on sibilant on some small jazz recordings, hi hats, vocals etc. Felt like the mids were recessed but this could have been the dominant treble.

Fostex TH900 - great fun but the bass is a bit overpowering/distracting.

LCD-XC - really enjoyed these, pretty heavy and not the most comfortable, not sure how they'll play with the mainline.

Focal Celeste - nice but a bit bland compared to the fun of the XCs, felt a bit underwhelming when compared back to back.

Randomly the LSA HP-2 (gjallahorn clone) - interesting but had a very artificial sound and some kind of weird forced reverb on the mids in particular.

Not looking for something to walk around wearing but ideally I wouldn't need to lug a giant stack around if I wanted to move rooms of take them to the office. I have an old AK240 and a mojo but have been eyeing up the ifi signature.

Anyway, looking for some suggestions from you fine folk. Best bits from the XC/9200 were the bass, detail and separation so looking for more of that really. My main can for a while has been the ether flow open but I'm finding it very lacking in bass and just not very fun to listen to anymore.

 

[P007]

So, I'm looking for a closed back in the 1000-1500 ish range, I listen to a real mix from blues, jazz, classical, classic rock to rap. Mainly for use at home, current rig is a rega RP6 and Ares 2 feeding a bottlehead mainline, though I would consider maybe swapping out the mainline for more power.

I've recently tried out the following with mixed feelings.

Denon AH-D9200 - great comfort, nice bass, treble too hot for me, bordering on sibilant on some small jazz recordings, hi hats, vocals etc. Felt like the mids were recessed but this could have been the dominant treble.

Fostex TH900 - great fun but the bass is a bit overpowering/distracting.

LCD-XC - really enjoyed these, pretty heavy and not the most comfortable, not sure how they'll play with the mainline.

Focal Celeste - nice but a bit bland compared to the fun of the XCs, felt a bit underwhelming when compared back to back.

Randomly the LSA HP-2 (gjallahorn clone) - interesting but had a very artificial sound and some kind of weird forced reverb on the mids in particular.

Not looking for something to walk around wearing but ideally I wouldn't need to lug a giant stack around if I wanted to move rooms of take them to the office. I have an old AK240 and a mojo but have been eyeing up the ifi signature.

Anyway, looking for some suggestions from you fine folk. Best bits from the XC/9200 were the bass, detail and separation so looking for more of that really. My main can for a while has been the ether flow open but I'm finding it very lacking in bass and just not very fun to listen to anymore.

You think of trying the Noire?

It's actually under your budget...but since I didn't see the words 'bass slam' in your list of desireable traits, I think you'd like it. It has lots of nice, but natural bass. Portable form factor, but does benefit from a bit of juice. I use Element II and more than enough juice there. Would be enjoyable even from a dongle most likely....straight from a phone not always quite enough to make it.

Might be you want something a lot diferent than your Ethers...which I haven't tried, so could be a dynamic driver on the horizon.

 

[SQ13]

So, I'm looking for a closed back in the 1000-1500 ish range, I listen to a real mix from blues, jazz, classical, classic rock to rap. Mainly for use at home, current rig is a rega RP6 and Ares 2 feeding a bottlehead mainline, though I would consider maybe swapping out the mainline for more power.

I've recently tried out the following with mixed feelings.

Denon AH-D9200 - great comfort, nice bass, treble too hot for me, bordering on sibilant on some small jazz recordings, hi hats, vocals etc. Felt like the mids were recessed but this could have been the dominant treble.

Fostex TH900 - great fun but the bass is a bit overpowering/distracting.

LCD-XC - really enjoyed these, pretty heavy and not the most comfortable, not sure how they'll play with the mainline.

Focal Celeste - nice but a bit bland compared to the fun of the XCs, felt a bit underwhelming when compared back to back.

Randomly the LSA HP-2 (gjallahorn clone) - interesting but had a very artificial sound and some kind of weird forced reverb on the mids in particular.

Not looking for something to walk around wearing but ideally I wouldn't need to lug a giant stack around if I wanted to move rooms of take them to the office. I have an old AK240 and a mojo but have been eyeing up the ifi signature.

Anyway, looking for some suggestions from you fine folk. Best bits from the XC/9200 were the bass, detail and separation so looking for more of that really. My main can for a while has been the ether flow open but I'm finding it very lacking in bass and just not very fun to listen to anymore.

you can check out the ZMF Eikon or even the new Rognir Dynamic (I have not heard it)

 

[jonathan c]

So, I'm looking for a closed back in the 1000-1500 ish range, I listen to a real mix from blues, jazz, classical, classic rock to rap. Mainly for use at home, current rig is a rega RP6 and Ares 2 feeding a bottlehead mainline, though I would consider maybe swapping out the mainline for more power.

I've recently tried out the following with mixed feelings.

Denon AH-D9200 - great comfort, nice bass, treble too hot for me, bordering on sibilant on some small jazz recordings, hi hats, vocals etc. Felt like the mids were recessed but this could have been the dominant treble.

Fostex TH900 - great fun but the bass is a bit overpowering/distracting.

LCD-XC - really enjoyed these, pretty heavy and not the most comfortable, not sure how they'll play with the mainline.

Focal Celeste - nice but a bit bland compared to the fun of the XCs, felt a bit underwhelming when compared back to back.

Randomly the LSA HP-2 (gjallahorn clone) - interesting but had a very artificial sound and some kind of weird forced reverb on the mids in particular.

Not looking for something to walk around wearing but ideally I wouldn't need to lug a giant stack around if I wanted to move rooms of take them to the office. I have an old AK240 and a mojo but have been eyeing up the ifi signature.

Anyway, looking for some suggestions from you fine folk. Best bits from the XC/9200 were the bass, detail and separation so looking for more of that really. My main can for a while has been the ether flow open but I'm finding it very lacking in bass and just not very fun to listen to anymore.

With your h/p/a being the Bottlehead Mainline and with your price range, I highly recommend the ZMF Eikon. It is high impedance (300 ohms), runs beautifully on OTC and OTL tube h/p/a, is blessed with extreme musicality; and I own an Eikon (powered by Woo WA2 or by Woo WA6SE).

 

[catom]

Congratulations @waveSounds. I have lived the experience twice (my son is now 7 years old, almost 8, and my daughter 4 years old ) Both lovely creatures and learning about music, althought there is that reggaeton that bombed us everyday when we are outside... My son has a camera for children from last Christmas (2020) and I bought a 32 Gb microSD for it and put a lot of my music inside... It's so funny to see them browsing the list and listening to my preferred tunes (but the sound is garbage... ).

I also have a 4 and 7 year old. The 4 yr old just got a cast off today (and 3 pins pulled, ouch!) for his arm, poor guy (bad break falling off a bicycle). He's been spoiled with equipment to help keep him still the past 3 weeks (they heal so fast) and has inherited my old Audio Technica MSR-7 headphones that he now wears around the house music playing or not. Or as I like to say, those headphones are undergoing durability trials.

That and I had a pair of Sol Republic V10s (one of my first $100+ pair of headphones and boy was it a slippery slope). While not as awesome in terms of sound quality as the Audio Technicas, they are even more indestructible. I found that those Sol Republic headphones are the BEST for kids. The older one needed a pair for school for whatever reason, we just chucked those in his bag no worries! No way those are ever breaking.

 

[Mhog55]

Yes, you should check out Austrian Audio's Hi-X60, also praised by @plakat Given you didn't like the WP900, you'd likely find these far more balanced without the piercing highs and recessed mids. They are rather linear/natural but in a musical rather than analytical way. Fantastic headphones though I slightly prefer the Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro X, but that headphone is a bit more coloured than the X60 with its elevated sub-bass.

The other headphone I had recently was the Tago T3-01. A bit too flat for me, but if you like the HD600 tuning and want something without any peaks, that would be another contender.

Thanks bud

 

[Malevolent]

Well, 2022 started off with a hit to the pocketbook...aeon 2 noire will be here Friday and now a pair of kennerton magnis will be here Monday.

How do you find the AEON 2 Noire?

Sound aside, don't they feel.. just right on the head? One thing Dan Clark has done really well with his headphones is comfort. I have yet to audition a Dan Clark / MrSpeakers product that didn't sit well with me, comfort wise.

Congrats on your purchases! Starting off the new year with a bang, I see.

 

[Malevolent]

As for the Owls, @Malevolent you can't pass the opportunity up! They're worth $200 for the comfort alone. Sometimes I think that my head feels more comfortable wearing them than not...

Yeah. The owls in this thread have convinced me.

Mine haven't been getting much use since the arrival of the 900s, but I still stick them on from time to time. Mainly if I'm watching something on the laptop in the sitting room while my wife's got the TV on and I need the added isolation. Or when I want to jam to tunes while moving around the house tidying up the trail of clothes, cups, plates and food wrappers that my wife has lovingly left out over the course of the day for me. It's like a join the dots of Mrs WaveSound's day. She is 28 weeks pregnant, though, so I'll let it slide (for now)!

The only application that I've found to not be so enjoyable with the Owls is when listening to audiobooks. The very reason they're such a smooth, velvety musical listen is the same reason they don't do especially well here for me. They have an almost reverb-like effect which ends up giving the impression Gandalf and gang are saving Middle Earth from a village hall. Detracts a bit from the immersion heh.

Congratulations, my friend!

Well, one thing we can say about all the kids to the many daddies (and mummies) in this thread - they won't have to suffer poor audio in their life, ever! That is, unless, of course, they prefer an AirPods, or something.

 

[MatW]

So, I'm looking for a closed back in the 1000-1500 ish range, I listen to a real mix from blues, jazz, classical, classic rock to rap. Mainly for use at home, current rig is a rega RP6 and Ares 2 feeding a bottlehead mainline, though I would consider maybe swapping out the mainline for more power.

I've recently tried out the following with mixed feelings.

Denon AH-D9200 - great comfort, nice bass, treble too hot for me, bordering on sibilant on some small jazz recordings, hi hats, vocals etc. Felt like the mids were recessed but this could have been the dominant treble.

Fostex TH900 - great fun but the bass is a bit overpowering/distracting.

LCD-XC - really enjoyed these, pretty heavy and not the most comfortable, not sure how they'll play with the mainline.

Focal Celeste - nice but a bit bland compared to the fun of the XCs, felt a bit underwhelming when compared back to back.

Randomly the LSA HP-2 (gjallahorn clone) - interesting but had a very artificial sound and some kind of weird forced reverb on the mids in particular.

Not looking for something to walk around wearing but ideally I wouldn't need to lug a giant stack around if I wanted to move rooms of take them to the office. I have an old AK240 and a mojo but have been eyeing up the ifi signature.

Anyway, looking for some suggestions from you fine folk. Best bits from the XC/9200 were the bass, detail and separation so looking for more of that really. My main can for a while has been the ether flow open but I'm finding it very lacking in bass and just not very fun to listen to anymore.

Have you tried EQ, e.g with the XC? Still one of the best headphones in that price range imo, together with the D9200. Other options to consider could be the Sony MDR-Z1R and the Focal Radiance.

 

[Malevolent]

It’s that time of life when portable gears suddenly become your best friend and desktop gears will all get packed up.

Imagine the baby dropping his/her food all over your DAC, amplifier, or headphones. Or worse, just dropping your stuff.

Wow, thinking of that sends shivers up and down my spine!