Upgrade from Superlux HD681?

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

I also would like to know what a good upgrade to the hd-681 could be up to 130$. I read that the takstar have weaker bass to the superlux and I nearly can't imagine the oposite. My 681 can make a such a deep and powerful bass that my eardrums feel like a brush is tickling them. I never heard such a powerful bass and never felt this on my eardrum in my life.
These headphones are so much fun, they regularly make me smile when I hear them.
What I want is a deeper soundstage. I'm no expert but I think the width is very good but there is a lack of deepness in the soundstage.
Of course less harsh highs would be an important thing, more separation and of course the same powerful bass.
Better comfort would be fine, too. They should also work good without amp.
 
in short:
I love how much fun the superlux are, what headphone is even better with a similar signature for under 130$?
 
 
Edit:
I read about the jaycar/ HM5 / Fa-003 but what I read is that they might have a weaker bass than the superlux and the jaycar aren't available in Germany.

You should save up $40 more for the DT770 Pro/80. It has a very similar sound signature to the 681 and is super comfy and a deeper soundstage

 

[madmarty]

In Germany it's 65$ more than I wanted to pay (dt770/80ohm 150 Euro = 195$) and nearly 8x more than the superlux and that's to much for me.
Maybe it would be ok if there is a huge improvement to the superlux???
The next thing is that I read that they should be amped and this is something i wanted to avoid.
I wouldn't have guessed that the closed 770 have a better soundstage than the open superlux.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

In Germany it's 65$ more than I wanted to pay (dt770/80ohm 150 Euro = 195$) and nearly 8x more than the superlux and that's to much for me.
Maybe it would be ok if there is a huge improvement to the superlux???
The next thing is that I read that they should be amped and this is something i wanted to avoid.
I wouldn't have guessed that the closed 770 have a better soundstage than the open superlux.

It's a whole different league of headphones.
 
The 80ohm version does need a cheap amp to sound its best, but even without it's much better then the Superlux. And you don't need to get anything fancy to amp it so you could easily get one in the future.
 
IDK of any other headphones that are an upgrade above the Superlux with a similar signature though. Maybe someone else knows of one

 

[madmarty]

Thank you for your advice.
I prefer open headphones because of their better soundstage and comfort if I wear them for some hours.
I searched a bit and the dt 990 should be good, too. The downside of the beyers seems to be the slow bass and I would like a really good and fun bass, from sub-bass to the kickbass, which is the the big plus on the superlux.
The Ultrasone hfi 580 seems to have a similar signature and seems also to be very good but it's closed again.

 

[bogi]

Is there anything more compact and smaller then the Takstar? I'm not a huge fan of giant headphones either

I would suggest you Takstar HI 2050 too. I had both 681 and 2050 at home one week ago. 2050 is of better sound quality and significantly better build quality and comfort.
I don't mean they are giant. For home listening they are very appropriate. I mean you will be appreciating comfort and build quality if you buy them.

 

[Supertoaster]

Please close the thread.
 
Thank you for all your suggestions, but I posted this quite awhile ago originally and now I am content with my DT770 Pro/80s

 

[madmarty]

No, please don't close the thread. I'm still interested in this topic and others might be, too.
I will try out the dt990 soon.
If somebody knows similar open headphones which I could try out, I would love to get some suggestions.
 
It seems like the dt990 is really the only open headphone which signature is comparable to the superlux in the 130$ (100 Euro) range. In this aspect superlux did a great job in hitting a market-gap.

 

[swinbag]

I am in a similar position - I've got the Samson SR850's at the moment but finding them really uncomfortable, I love the sound signature of them though so I'm looking for an open, comfortable alternative and I'm torn between the 990's or taking a punt on the cheaper Takstar 2050's.
 
Living in the UK means it will take a few weeks for the 2050's to arrive, and I have been offered some 990's for £85 which seems like a good buy to me...

 

[madmarty]

I don't want to order the takstar from Asia as I don't know whether I like and want to keep it. Another interesting headphone is the Fischer Audio FA-011 but it's not available in Germany.
Up to 250$ or 200 Euro there is only the dt 990 left as a bass-strong, open and full-size headphone. That's really sad.

 

[wasabi521]

The Sony xb 500 will get boring because it bloats the 50 Hz bass and isn't even remotely as good as the 681's on the mid-highs.  I've heard both so I know.  If bass is the only important thing in the song (and not low bass) then they are fine, but you will miss the clarity/soundstage of your 681's.  the 700 is even more extreme... However, the 500 is quite comfortable (until the fake leather makes you overheat).

 

[elzafir]

Hey guys, I too have a Samson SR850 and Superlux HD661. Would the ATH-M50 be an upgrade to both of them? I read somewhere that the M50 is THE phones to get for under $200.