[wadec22]

I have had the head-fi bug off and on over the years and have used a number of headphones and am still looking for the one.

DT770 Pro - WAY too tight of clamp & the headband created a hot spot on top of my head- hated it
DT880 Premium - liked it a lot, but was looking for something a little nicer with the upgrade bug
DT990 - treble hurt so much I could not wear them more than a few minutes
Denon D2000 - loved them, sold as I lost the headphone bug for a bit

Sennheiser 598 - liked them, slightly too clampy, moved on looking for a quality upgrade
Fostex TX-X00 - really liked the sound but the soundstage was much too narrow
Sennheiser RS180 - has appeased my bug as it sounds as good as the 598 but is wireless

Latest round
HD700 - WAY too tight clamp - WAY too bright hated them
HD800 - LOVED the soundstage & imaging. Moving on from them because 1. too bright - fatigue sets in quickly 2. mechanism is okay but not ideal comfort

I want;
light clamp
great imaging
at least a decent soundstage

Was considering
TH900 but I've been cautioned they are likely too bright
DT1990 but only comes in PRO and I already know I hate that clamping force

Now considering:
HE560 - too bright?
Shure 1840 - too bright?
T1 v2 - too bright?
Fidelio X2 - too much clamp?
Amiron - too bright?
Fostex TH610

Thoughts? Help! Thanks in advance.

***UPDATE***
HE400i - tried these - good sound, tolerable clamp, not super comfortable. put ZMF Oris on them and they got much more comfy but the seal was so good the bass became too much. ultimately imaging a great deal behind other cans i mention above.

Denon AH-D7200 - REALLY liking so far. Put the ZMF pads on them and even better. imaging is close to the HD800 - obviously just a smaller sound stage

Also have TH-X00 purplehearts and some like new D2000's (hello old friend) on the way

 

[AudioThief]

I have the TH900 and the Denon AH-D5000 (fostex made these headphones)

TH900 is clearly bright. I can tolerate the treble, but it is a bright headphone and will for most be fatiguing. The Denon AH-D5000 is more well behaved. Based on what I've read, the Massdrop TH-X00 and the TH610 are more like the D5K than the TH 900. The TH-X00 lacks soundstage, while the TH610 should be more spacious in that regard.

Fidelio X2 doesn't clamp, the comfort is great. The imaging is just OK, the soundstage is wide and spacious. I would be more concerned with overall SQ. Fostex TH610 is much better sounding I would think.

I would recommend getting your hands on a pair of TH610s and trying them, or purchasing Denon AH-D5000 or D7000 used. They have really good imaging and soundstage. You need to be aware that these are seriously bass heavy cans. They are pretty warm sounding because of this. I think they sound really good and luxurious, but if you like more thin/analytical 'phones, the TH610 are probably a tad better - but still they are not the latest in neutrality.

I'm sorry I can't help more.

 

[wadec22]

I have the TH900 and the Denon AH-D5000 (fostex made these headphones)

TH900 is clearly bright. I can tolerate the treble, but it is a bright headphone and will for most be fatiguing. The Denon AH-D5000 is more well behaved. Based on what I've read, the Massdrop TH-X00 and the TH610 are more like the D5K than the TH 900. The TH-X00 lacks soundstage, while the TH610 should be more spacious in that regard.

Fidelio X2 doesn't clamp, the comfort is great. The imaging is just OK, the soundstage is wide and spacious. I would be more concerned with overall SQ. Fostex TH610 is much better sounding I would think.

I would recommend getting your hands on a pair of TH610s and trying them, or purchasing Denon AH-D5000 or D7000 used. They have really good imaging and soundstage. You need to be aware that these are seriously bass heavy cans. They are pretty warm sounding because of this. I think they sound really good and luxurious, but if you like more thin/analytical 'phones, the TH610 are probably a tad better - but still they are not the latest in neutrality.

I'm sorry I can't help more.

Thanks! Have you tried the 610?

 

[AudioThief]

Thanks! Have you tried the 610?

No, that is why I am hesitant about recommending it. I have read a lot about it as I was close to purchasing one for myself, so I should be in the ballpark of its general features, but I haven't heard it so I would like you to try one before buying. All other headphones mentioned in my post, I have tried.

 

[Lurk650]

HE400i?

 

[cossix]

No idea what to mention if the 598 and 800 were too clampy :/ Those are quite literally the loosest headphones I've ever heard of/worn, and I've done plenty of research about this stuff.

 

[wadec22]

No idea what to mention if the 598 and 800 were too clampy :/ Those are quite literally the loosest headphones I've ever heard of/worn, and I've done plenty of research about this stuff.

really? 5 of the sets on my short list alone are significantly lighter clamp. The 598 are pretty easy to loosen up with books or a pillow and then they are fine but the HD800 pads are so big, the flat out hit the wrong part of my jaw line. it's not awful, if the treble wasn't so piercing (even modded), I probably could live with it.

 

[wadec22]

HE400i?

just ordered a pair off amazon. build quality seems to be a concern - but for $200 bucks, seemed a no brainer to at least give them a shot.

 

[Lurk650]

just ordered a pair off amazon. build quality seems to be a concern - but for $200 bucks, seemed a no brainer to at least give them a shot.

They feel solid to me. I see some "right ear cup died" reports but with the inventory of gear I have I'm not gonna worry about it

Also, unless I'm misunderstanding, imaging and treble are relatively different traits. Imaging is the placement of sounds left and right, piercing treble just means the emphasis of frequencies. There is plenty of headphones with dark treble and terrible Imaging

 

[wadec22]

Also, unless I'm misunderstanding, imaging and treble are relatively different traits. Imaging is the placement of sounds left and right, piercing treble just means the emphasis of frequencies. There is plenty of headphones with dark treble and terrible Imaging

they are different traits. just saying that i loved the imaging on the hd800 but they had piercing treble. i've read the t1 v2 and th900 have great imaging but also harsh treble.

just looking for something with less treble emphasis and great imaging. there certainly are plenty of dark treble cans with terrible imaging. while they are different traits, they tend to go hand in hand. great treble clarity, tends to lend itself to great imaging. i want treble as tolerable as possible, but still that nice clean image. that make sense?

 

[cossix]

really? 5 of the sets on my short list alone are significantly lighter clamp. The 598 are pretty easy to loosen up with books or a pillow and then they are fine but the HD800 pads are so big, the flat out hit the wrong part of my jaw line. it's not awful, if the treble wasn't so piercing (even modded), I probably could live with it.

I can see the 800 not fitting well, which definitely results in weird pressure in weird parts of your face from the big cups. But the 598 is pretty loose and is also not as large. Maybe I have a thin head? The 650 has tons of clamp and that really required a week stretched over a box, but the 598 I could wear for 12 hours easily with no unnatural pressure. Praise different head shapes I guess!