Hey community!
I am seeking warm non-fatiguing open-back cans recommendations for enjoying heavy rock tracks.
Thinking to pull the trigger on Grado GS2000e .
In case youre unaware, Grados sit on your ears, as opposed to most other headphones that go over your ears. For me thats a deal breaker as it becomes extremely uncomfortable to wear for more than a few minutes. That being said, I do enjoy the sound that most Grados have with the uncomfortable stock pads in place. You can use the bowl pads, which improve the comfort but degrades the sound.
The best "warm" open back for metal that Ive heard is the ZMF Auteur. I use the term warm reluctantly as its the least warm headphone in the ZMF stable. A pad roll however can change the sound of any ZMF dramatically.
You might also consider the Meze Empyrean. Very nice sounding headphone that leans warm.
On the other end of the price spectrum there is the trusty Sennheiser HD650/6XX. Its not the best rock headphone ive ever heard, but for the price its a solid option.
Yeah, my first thought was ZMF at that price point.
Another less expensive alternative would be the Hyland Audio Jupiter One. 400GBP + shipping / import fees. Made to order by a man in a shed, in the proudest British tradition.
They're neutral-ish, bit of bass / mid bass emphasis. Very light and super comfortable. The stock cables are a little stiff, but that's about all I can say "bad" about them. Easily my favorite dynamic open back.
Yeah, my first thought was ZMF at that price point.
Another less expensive alternative would be the Hyland Audio Jupiter One. 400GBP + shipping / import fees. Made to order by a man in a shed, in the proudest British tradition.
Dont those also sit on your ears ala Grados? I tried one of his headphones a few years ago. IIRC there was some sort of cloth filter that was supposed to go in between the driver and the pads and I never could get the filter to lie perfectly flat. Very frustrating.
Dont those also sit on your ears ala Grados? I tried one of his headphones a few years ago. IIRC there was some sort of cloth filter that was supposed to go in between the driver and the pads and I never could get the filter to lie perfectly flat. Very frustrating.
No, they're proper over ears. I think the original model, the Saturn One, was an on-ear.
(I share your hatred for on-ears - only on-ear I've ever owned was the Martin Logan Mikros 90, and I only bought those because they were on fire sale for like $90 vs original $300 MSRP and I couldn't afford any of their electrostats at the time. My main speakers are now ML reQuests, hence the avatar picture. )
Yes not any Grados I would call warm. Some are not as bright as others and really like the old GS1000’s but again would not call them warm but haven’t heard the 2000E’s.
Fatigue can also be hard to judge as many have different levels that can effect them.
Kennerton Vali is my pick for Rock and Metal.
I also have the Grado Gh2 which are very good for those genres too, but they are unconfortable and lack subbass.
I recently sold my Auteurs and I think they aren't good for that. They exceed on some genres, specially in acoustic music, because of their excellent timbre, but they were lacking dynamics and excitement to be a very good rock hp IMHO.
Didn`t really appreciate much heavy rock until I tried Quad Era-1.
These are non-fatiguing (at least to me) and having listened to systems that are "warm" vs "dry" these strike a nice balance.
Bit under your budget...giant headband... but great fun for that genre.
Dont those also sit on your ears ala Grados? I tried one of his headphones a few years ago. IIRC there was some sort of cloth filter that was supposed to go in between the driver and the pads and I never could get the filter to lie perfectly flat. Very frustrating.
Depends on earlobe size I guess? Some circumaurals are so tight they can end up on your earlobes or you have to put them on like slide-locking from back to front to fold the earlobes inside the earpad space.
Didn`t really appreciate much heavy rock until I tried Quad Era-1.
These are non-fatiguing (at least to me) and having listened to systems that are "warm" vs "dry" these strike a nice balance.
Bit under your budget...giant headband... but great fun for that genre.
This for sure. I've searched for a long time, seeking what I consider the perfect can for hard rock and metal. Best I've found thus far. They seem to strike that perfect balance between warm and cold, and I wouldn't want to venture too far in either direction for these genres.
This for sure. I've searched for a long time, seeking what I consider the perfect can for hard rock and metal. Best I've found thus far. They seem to strike that perfect balance between warm and cold, and I wouldn't want to venture too far in either direction for these genres.
I have something like an irrational hatred of these -- Quad makes Electrostats. That's what they've been known for since 1949. If they're not electrostats they're not Quads.
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