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

[AudioDuck]

The eikons sound like the ideal choice! Unfortunately they aren't available here in India.

They do come up for sale here in classifieds though, and aren’t really regularly produced by ZMF anymore as of last fall. I think there is at least one pair in the classifieds now… you could see if the seller will ship internationally. But the amp caveat is important.

 

[jonathan c]

I am indeed a proud ZMF Eikon owner and a massive fan of them.

While the Eikons cost about as much as the Radiances, they are a completely different animal- if anything, they have more in common with the Shures (but with more detail and sub-bass to die for) and the Focal Stellias. However, the 300 Ohm impedance of the Eikons require an amp that can power them properly, such as a Violectric V200/280/281 or 202/others from their new lineup. There are also Beyer amps (A2/200) that apparently work well with ZMFs, as well as a Cayin SS amp that ZMF sells as well.

The best amps for the ZMF dynamic headphones, though, are tube amps (OTL models in particular). At least to my ears…

Based on that, I’d not mentioned the Eikons- but if you have the right amp, they will IMHO beat out the Shures and the Radiance by a large margin.

Did I mention I am a fan? **

** No, tell us more please!

 

[ZzZzZzZ]

The eikons sound like the ideal choice! Unfortunately they aren't available here in India.

I think goldfinch acoustics, banglore are dealer for zmf in India.

 

[gourab1995]

I think goldfinch acoustics, banglore are dealer for zmf in India.

Hmm didnt realize they cost 1399 USD or about 1.3 L Rs. I will go high end but under 900 USD. Also realized they are high impedance. I want something a bit more convenient to drive say at most 80 ohms. Ideally 40 something ohms.

 

[catom]

After a break with the Meze 109 Pro, I think I'm back on the closed back train!

Well, almost. Ordered one of JM Audio's new XTC (closed) headphones. Incredibly excited to get it. I hear it may be a Stellia competitor. I know, that's sacrilege. Blasphemy. That's the word I'm looking for.

 

[Mhog55]

After a break with the Meze 109 Pro, I think I'm back on the closed back train!

Well, almost. Ordered one of JM Audio's new XTC (closed) headphones. Incredibly excited to get it. I hear it may be a Stellia competitor. I know, that's sacrilege. Blasphemy. That's the word I'm looking for.

Let me know how you like it and what you're hearing pretty please! I'm seriously thinking about grabbing one myself
I'd definitely appreciate it.

 

[plakat]

After a break with the Meze 109 Pro, I think I'm back on the closed back train!

Well, almost. Ordered one of JM Audio's new XTC (closed) headphones. Incredibly excited to get it. I hear it may be a Stellia competitor. I know, that's sacrilege. Blasphemy. That's the word I'm looking for.

But they cost less and are not as ugly! Can’t be any good

 

[catom]

Let me know how you like it and what you're hearing pretty please! I'm seriously thinking about grabbing one myself
I'd definitely appreciate it.

Will do. Before I even hear them, I can honestly say it's an exciting and unique experience. These are basically custom headphones. He may start from a base model he has, but he tunes it to your preference.

Maybe not for everyone, but I think a dream for many audiophiles. I get some people will just want to push a buy button and not think about it or walk out of a store with product in hand. That said, it didn't take long for him to turn these around either. It just wasn't a one sided process.

I really don't know the mechanics or economics of a headphone business. I don't know what happens if hundreds of people all place an order at once. I just find this white glove experience to be very exciting.

 

[Redwingnine]

I have a pair of Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas closed back cans. They have a wonderful tonal balance. I prefer them to the Focal Stellia by a good margin. To me, they are more neutral sounding compared to the Stellia, also more comfortable to wear over longer listening sessions. The Stellia, while an excellent headphone, is a bit harsher in the midrange and treble.
The Edition 15 Veritas is the closest set of cans that sound like speakers without using EQ.

 

[GREQ]

I have a pair of Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas closed back cans. They have a wonderful tonal balance. I prefer them to the Focal Stellia by a good margin. To me, they are more neutral sounding compared to the Stellia, also more comfortable to wear over longer listening sessions. The Stellia, while an excellent headphone, is a bit harsher in the midrange and treble.
The Edition 15 Veritas is the closest set of cans that sound like speakers without using EQ.

How does the Veritas compare with the regular 15?
I thought the regular Edition 15 was a joke. Barely worth 300 euro.

 

[Redwingnine]

How does the Veritas compare with the regular 15?
I thought the regular Edition 15 was a joke. Barely worth 300 euro.

I think it's damn good. One of the very few cans that doesn't seem to need any EQ to sound like a reference set of loudspeakers.

One thing I can report is that it's very sensitive to the playback chain. I'm using the Chord M-Scaler and Chord Hugo-TT2 combination, which is a match made in heaven. With more pedestrian playback chains, the sound is not that great. I think it needs high quality hardware to get them to perform well. The Focal Stellia for example, does not sound like a 3K headphone with the Chord gear. The midrange sounds over emphasized, giving the sound a steely type feel. Yet, others report wonderful results with the Stellia. The guy I sold the Stellia to loves it.

I'm hesitant to throw any piece of high end gear under the bus. One has to take into account the entire playback chain when assessing headphones. Reviews for any given high end headphone are all over the place. As an example, whilst most reviews love the Abyss 1266, some others think it sounds dull and too recessed. Some of the better reviews use a variety of gear for evaluation, and lo and behold, there are occasionally significant deltas with headphones performance as a result.

 

[GREQ]

I think it's damn good. One of the very few cans that doesn't seem to need any EQ to sound like a reference set of loudspeakers.

One thing I can report is that it's very sensitive to the playback chain. I'm using the Chord M-Scaler and Chord Hugo-TT2 combination, which is a match made in heaven. With more pedestrian playback chains, the sound is not that great. I think it needs high quality hardware to get them to perform well. The Focal Stellia for example, does not sound like a 3K headphone with the Chord gear. The midrange sounds over emphasized, giving the sound a steely type feel. Yet, others report wonderful results with the Stellia. The guy I sold the Stellia to loves it.

I'm hesitant to throw any piece of high end gear under the bus. One has to take into account the entire playback chain when assessing headphones. Reviews for any given high end headphone are all over the place. As an example, whilst most reviews love the Abyss 1266, some others think it sounds dull and too recessed. Some of the better reviews use a variety of gear for evaluation, and lo and behold, there are occasionally significant deltas with headphones performance as a result.

.... OK.... but how does it COMPARE ???

 

[Redwingnine]

The bass is slightly deeper with the closed back version. They do share a similar sonic signature. Definitely not a joke. I find them significantly more enjoyable overthe Focal Stellia.

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

I may be asking for the impossible here, but what are people's recommendations for a compact, foldable (i.e. highly portable), easy to drive, and ideally good looking closed back? (And great sounding of course)

I have the AKG K361 with dekoni pads - sounds great but terribly built and looks ugly (IMHO).

Aeon noire would have been the answer were it not so hard to drive and less bulky.

Any thoughts?

 

[PitSteelers69]

The Audio Technica ATH-WP900 are just what you are looking for!