[llysender]

Then you should Never set foot near the HiFiman HE-R9's. After a week straight of the R9's, the Cascades feel almost subtle.

hmmm That is interesting. Maybe its just my setup but the R9 sound alot like open backs with a nice meaty upper bass colouration and well controlled subbass rumble that envelops but doesnt overwelm. Wondering how much is due to difference in source.

 

[shampoosuicide]

What a Difference 50 Years Made: A Comparison Between the Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X and DT 150

Tidal on Mac > JDS Atom DAC > JDS Atom Amp

* Note: This comparison was made with the Beyerdynamic EDT 100T (a.k.a. DT 100 velour pads) fitted on the DT 150

• As with my earlier Sennheiser HD 560S and DT 700 Pro X comparison, again, both the DT 150 and DT 700 Pro X are relatively neutral headphones. However, The DT 150 is appreciably more mid-centric, whereas the DT 700 Pro X is relatively darker, warmer, thicker, and bassier.
• Tonally, the DT 150 possesses a uniquely organic and analog—almost vinyl-esque—quality. The DT 700 Pro X’s tone and tonality, on the other hand, come across as more generic and consumer-oriented.
• Presentation wise, the DT 150 appears significantly more effortless and expressive. While the DT 700 Pro X exhibits a great deal of vigour and robustness, it also sounds somewhat constricted in comparison.
• Dynamic contrast is distinctly superior on the DT 150, with the DT 700 Pro X sounding relatively compressed, despite featuring strong macrodynamics.
• While the DT 700 Pro X’s warmer, smoother, fuller-bodied sound lends it a healthy sense of realism especially with baritone vocals and instruments, it also tends to present in a somewhat smoothed-over, digital like quality next to the DT 150. Generally speaking, across a broader range of instruments, the DT 150 displays greater timbral accuracy.
• Soundstage is distinctly, if not significantly, more spacious on the DT 150 with a greater sense of scale, although the DT 700 Pro X boasts an impressive soundstage nevertheless for a closed-back headphone. The DT 150 is also distinctly more open and airy sounding, whereas the DT 700 Pro X sounds relatively enclosed.
• Imaging is generally precise on the DT 150 across all axes, although the DT 700 Pro X's depth placement is quite notable.
• Technically, the DT 150 displays distinctly better overall clarity and detail retrieval.
• Transparency and separation also appear distinctly superior on the DT 150, with a clearer delineation, greater space, and blacker background between notes
• Bass is significantly more powerful and authoritative on the DT 700 Pro X, with a far more propulsive and tactile quality, and digs deeper into the sub-bass. For its heft and weight, the DT 700 Pro X displays strong, although not remarkable, control, texture, and definition. The DT 150's bass presentation is more milquetoast by comparison, being relatively neutral but with good extension, definition, and texture.
• Treble shows distinctly greater presence, extension, air, and detail on the DT 150, with a wonderful sparkle and crispness. By comparison, the DT 700 Pro X's treble sounds relatively muted and rolled-off and its transients and attack a tad blunted.
• Mids and vocals have a significantly warmer, thicker, fuller-bodied tilt on the DT 700 Pro X, whereas the DT 150’s mids come across as more linear, open, transparent, and vibrant.
• For my own purposes, I prefer the DT 150 as it lends itself better to most listened genres: classic rock, older recordings, motown, IDM.
• For modern genres and general entertainment, including movies and gaming, I would give the nod to the DT 700 Pro X by virtue of its tuning and in particular its theatrical bass presentation. The DT 700 Pro X also has the advantage of offering significantly better isolation.

Having auditioned the Meze 99 Classics and owned the AKG K371, DT 770 Pro 80 and 250 ohm, DT 1770 Pro, Shure SRH 1540, and the E-MU Teak, either the DT 150 with EDT 100T pads or the DT 700 Pro X would easily be my default recommendation in the sub-$500 price range.

 

[Shane D]

hmmm That is interesting. Maybe its just my setup but the R9 sound alot like open backs with a nice meaty upper bass colouration and well controlled subbass rumble that envelops but doesnt overwelm. Wondering how much is due to difference in source.

To be clear, I really enjoy the R9's. But it is a TON of bass. I can't believe that I found a headphone bassier than the Cascades. I do find them pretty closed sounding with no isolation at all. To me, the vocal are good and the bass is great. Not a lot up top though. Couldn't be my every day headphones, much like the Cascades, but a ton of fun when you're in the mood.

My chain, for the most part, is:
Laptop to BF2 to iFi Pro iCAN.

 

[Shane D]

Well I dedicated my whole long weekend to my closed back headphones. I just now put them away and am starting to watch a double header (Toronto vs Baltimore).

I was debating whether to post this or not. These are my personal opinions and I am NOT an audiophile. And it ended up being LONG!

1) The HiFiman HE-R9's are basshead headphones! These things really boom when called upon. Vocals are good, but the higher end is lacking a bit. Not detail monsters but pretty good separation. They do not sound very open at all, which I suppose is related to the limited high end. They are Very easy to drive and also a great bargain at $369.00.

The comfort is awesome. They are very light and I am using a one sided balanced Hart cable, which I already had for the T60 Argon's.

There are now my bass champs and a lot of fun. Definitely do not need ANY bass boost.

2) T60 Argon's. These need a fair amount of power (mid gain on my iFi). Also, really needs bass boost. IMO, T60 Argon's are not bassy headphones, but are bass prone. They will take all the bass boost or bass eq'ing you can give them. The sound is pretty good and they have a nice size soundstage.
Comfort is pretty good with fat suede pads and a one sided cable.

While these are nice headphones, I think I will probably move these on. They need power and EQ which limits their usefulness.

3) LSA HP-2's. Nice looking headphone and also very light and comfortable. I do find them bass light though. I enjoy the mids,treble and overall detail though. The separation and the precision are amazing. I would kind of compare these headphones to the Grado sound. Lots of detail and bass light.

Very easy to drive and beautiful to look at. Also, probably my most open sounding closed backs. I will be moving these on as they are not what I am looking for in a closed back.

4) Focal Elegia. These were a surprise this weekend. I remembered them as being my most "balanced" closed backs with decent bass and good clarity.
In reality there is not much bass, the clarity is not great and they don't sound very open. I was underwhelmed and used them for a day and a half. After a while I adjusted, but these are not the shoo-ins I thought they would be.
They would be a good headphone to take to work. Solid sound and not too flashy. They do need some power and bass boost though. Makes me wonder about the Radiance purchase. I LOVE my Elex's, but feel a little indifferent about these.

5) Last up is the CFA Cascades. Since I have owned them I have always liked them and thought of them as a "one trick pony". Well that title now belongs to my HiFiman HE-R9's.
These are now my favourite all round closed back. Great bass, very good mids and the top end is not bad. Pretty good overall detail. Many people feel that the bass bleeds over into the mids. I don't find that, but maybe it does and I don't mind it?

I find these very easy to drive and, for me, they don't require EQ. I also find them pretty open sounding.

The downside is, IMO, the worst headband in the industry. It does not fit a normal head, it requires Nuggets to stop the pain and you can't get a good clamp. You can tighten the headband and have a tight clamp for an hour or two and then it relaxes. If I could get a Senn or Focal headband on these it would be just about perfect closed back, for me.

Chain used for the weekend was Laptop to BF2 to iFi Pro iCAN.

Before the ball game started, I did an isolation test with my wife. I listen at a max of 75Db's, so I am a quiet listener. She sits about five feet from me (lazyboy, then table, then lazyboy couch). I ran through my favourite songs at my personal max volume. She could not hear the music from ANY headphones. On two of them she though she heard a sound, but could not even identify it as music. And that includes the HE-R9's which really surprised me.

 

[sleepdeprecation]

The survivors -

- Focal Elegia (with and without Dekoni Stellia Pads)

- Mod House Argon MK3

Fallen Soldiers -

- Mod House T60 Argon (Xenon Suede and Xenon Vegan Leather Pads)

Out of curiosity, because I’m considering getting an Argon mod of some sort, what makes the T60 Argon’s a go away while the regular mk3 Argon’s are a stay?

 

[arar]

I've been listening to a lot of drum and bass and jungle and dubstep and stuff like that from the late 90s/early 00s recently, and I've been thinking that I kinda want a closed-back pair for just this kind of music. Unsurprisingly my HD58Xs aren't the best for this sort of stuff lol. You lot got any suggestions? I would imagine thumping bass and especially strong subbass would be necessary, otherwise I'm not sure what to look for and I'm hoping someone here who also listens to this sort of stuff could recommend something that has worked out well for them.

Since it's for a relatively specific need, I'd rather not pay too much. Maybe, I dunno.. somewhere around 200-300 euros max? But the cheaper the better, tbh.

 

[GREQ]

I've been listening to a lot of drum and bass and jungle and dubstep and stuff like that from the late 90s/early 00s recently, and I've been thinking that I kinda want a closed-back pair for just this kind of music. Unsurprisingly my HD58Xs aren't the best for this sort of stuff lol. You lot got any suggestions? I would imagine thumping bass and especially strong subbass would be necessary, otherwise I'm not sure what to look for and I'm hoping someone here who also listens to this sort of stuff could recommend something that has worked out well for them.

Since it's for a relatively specific need, I'd rather not pay too much. Maybe, I dunno.. somewhere around 200-300 euros max? But the cheaper the better, tbh.

Magnat LZR-980 has fabulous sub-bass.
It's an extremely overlooked headphone in the EU market.
The only main downside is that it suits thinner head shapes, and is impossible to wear the headband over the crown of your head. It must be worn between the crown and forehead for the best fit.
Also the earpads are completely proprietary - BUT extremely hard wearing fabric.
They were also plagued by quality control issues, mostly snapping headbands - which is why I said they're better for thinner shape heads.
They do look good and sound good though.

Only suggesting this one, because you're asking in euros where these are more easily available, sometimes below 50 EUR on the 2nd hand market.
Retail price was closer to 300 EUR.

For overall sound quality, I would easily put these above Sennheiser Momentums (1 and 2).
They only need two small boost in EQ at 4kHz, which is audible, (but exaggerated in my graph by the usual miniDSP EARS artefact) and a treble shelf of 5dB.
And that's very much subjective and track dependent - some dubstep has VERY sharp exaggerated treble (think Skrillex) which won't need any EQ at all.

- notice this graph goes down to 10hz


I guess other people might suggest stuff like Meze 99 Classic - but I think those are just a horrible mess of mid-bass bloat and don't do electronic music any justice.

 

[Nostoi]

I guess other people might suggest stuff like Meze 99 Classic - but I think those are just a horrible mess of mid-bass bloat and don't do electronic music any justice.

Meze's stock silver-plated cable totally mitigates the bloat. Dekoni sheepskin pads also help. I have gone through most of the portable closed-backs, and to my ears, Meze 99 checks the most boxes (and I say this as someone who strongly *dislikes* mid-bass and loathes any bloating....they've really surprised me with good they can sound).

 

[GREQ]

Meze's stock silver-plated cable totally mitigates the bloat. Dekoni sheepskin pads also help. I have gone through most of the portable closed-backs, and to my ears, Meze 99 checks the most boxes (and I say this as someone who strongly *dislikes* mid-bass and loathes any bloating....they've really surprised me with good they can sound).

Good to know it's possible to tame them.
I've only auditioned them a dozen times so never been able to play around with them properly.
I'd like to see some measurements of those mods TBH, since they do represent fairly good value for money for their design and build quality.

 

[Nostoi]

Good to know it's possible to tame them.
I've only auditioned them a dozen times so never been able to play around with them properly.
I'd like to see some measurements of those mods TBH, since they do represent fairly good value for money for their design and build quality.

I was able to do a direct A/B with stock tuning and silver-cable tuning 99 here, as my wife also has a pair. I was honestly very surprised by how effective the cable is in cleaning up the bloat (wasn't expecting that great a difference really). (The Yaxi pads are since gone, and replaced with the Dekoni pads mentioned above).

I'd also add - I actually use the 99 out and about, and they "work" as portable headphones in terms of fitting into a bag and not looking overly outlandish. Especially good with Mojo2/Hiby R3 as it fits in the case.

 

[arar]

Magnat LZR-980 has fabulous sub-bass.

That's an interesting recommendation, I have literally never heard of these, hahah. Seem pretty dang hard to find, but I'll certainly keep an eye out.

I actually have a pair of 99Cs, though I don't use them very much. I agree that they sound pretty messy for electronic music--or really any music if I'm being honest--but they're very good for movies and cinematic games so I keep them around.

I think I'm gonna see if messing around with EQing the 99Cs would lead to anything good, though. I'm a bit skeptical about the cable swap having such a huge effect on the sound. Would love to try it but, yeesh, that price.

 

[Nostoi]

That's an interesting recommendation, I have literally never heard of these, hahah. Seem pretty dang hard to find, but I'll certainly keep an eye out.

I actually have a pair of 99Cs, though I don't use them very much. I agree that they sound pretty messy for electronic music--or really any music if I'm being honest--but they're very good for movies and cinematic games so I keep them around.

I think I'm gonna see if messing around with EQing the 99Cs would lead to anything good, though. I'm a bit skeptical about the cable swap having such a huge effect on the sound. Would love to try it but, yeesh, that price.

The cable effectively came free with this offer - https://headphone.shop/product/meze-silver-copper-upgrade-cable/ (see "upgrade promotion")

I'm also not a big cable believer, but since I was able to A/B with another pair volume matched from same source, the results were 100% clear that the silver cable actually does clear up that bloat.

 

[arar]

The cable effectively came free with this offer - https://headphone.shop/product/meze-silver-copper-upgrade-cable/ (see "upgrade promotion")

I'm also not a big cable believer, but since I was able to A/B with another pair volume matched from same source, the results were 100% clear that the silver cable actually does clear up that bloat.

Huh. Well, now I'm curious. I'll have to see if I could get the cable second hand somewhere.

 

[Mhog55]

Meze's stock silver-plated cable totally mitigates the bloat. Dekoni sheepskin pads also help. I have gone through most of the portable closed-backs, and to my ears, Meze 99 checks the most boxes (and I say this as someone who strongly *dislikes* mid-bass and loathes any bloating....they've really surprised me with good they can sound).

Exactly!

 

[SANDMANxGB]

Four day weekend aimed at my closed back collection. GOT to thin the herd! Head to head comparo's all weekend.

If you had to rank these, where would the HE-R9 sit?