[KING DRANZER]

I find it's really hard to beat the price of the HD6XX and MCTH+DAC combo. The pairing gives you a nice full sound, it’s slightly punchy, does a great job giving instruments air, instrument placement, and it sounds great for most genres. If you won’t be using it on the go this is an incredible deal. You’ll have to sacrifice a bit of the bottom end because of the nature of the headphone.

If you want another great match the HD6XX + Schiit Jotunheim+DAC will give you speed and technicalities and fill out the bottom end (it gives the HD650 bass) but a very intimate sound stage. You’ll also lose depth compared to the MTCH.

The last recommendation I could give are used Massdrop TH-X00. They go for $200-250 on eBay and paired with the MCTH or Jot sound great. The Jot brings the bass hard but the treble may be hot to people. You can adjust the sound of the MCTH by buying a warmer tube which should ease the hot treble peak. The sound stage is intimate and instruments don't breathe like they do on the Senn.

The HD6XX and MCTH+DAC combo falls into your budget new.

The HD6XX and Jot or TH-X00 + Jot will have to be found used.

The TH-X00 will be needed to be found used but the MCTH+DAC can be purchased new.

The only headphone I found that sounded fantastic out of most sources that were easy to drive were the HEX-V2 but those now are $1000 (Sundara).

Yes I definitely agree that for that price HD6XX is definitely hard to beat it. But as I am ready to spend nearly 2-3times more I am bit dissatisfied by its performance specially after trying out some of the costlier headphones. I am trying to get the best I can get for my budget with least compromise possible. I have no idea how TH-X00 sound as Fostex is not available in my country at all. I have no intention of buying amp.

 

[melons]

I am using Xperia XZ Premium to test .

Could that be the limiting factor?. higher volume with a poor DAC equals unhappy ears. If I play my HD660S OE's through my HTC10 (which also doesn't have the power to drive them well) they don't sound too great. If I listen to them through an iFi iDSD Micro they sound pretty superb. You need to either look at very low impedance headphones or get a decent DAC/Amp to drive the headphones

 

[KING DRANZER]

Yes I get your point but what good is a headphone if I have to buy and maintain additional equipment to drive it. Do impedance affect anything other than lvl of audio. Because even HD650 was as clear as Z7. If impedance affects quality of audio then I will have trouble.

 

[King CATalyst]

Audioquest nightowl is fantastic for under $400, beyerdynamic dt 1990 pro is another great choice.

 

[KING DRANZER]

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro is the I wanted to test but sadly there is no outlet of Beyerdynamic in my area where I can test them out. And no electronic store has them stocked as they only have online sales in my country with limited service centers.

I have heard good reviews of DT 1990 Pro but am unsure if they are better than Sennheiser HD-800. Are they really that good. Should I consider them.

Should I also consider T5P and T1. How good is T1 in comparison to Pioneer SE-Monitor5 and SONY-MDR7520 for clarity and detail with no loss.(Will not be using amp regularly)

 

[GU1DO]

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro is the I wanted to test but sadly there is no outlet of Beyerdynamic in my area where I can test them out. And no electronic store has them stocked as they only have online sales in my country with limited service centers.

I have heard good reviews of DT 1990 Pro but am unsure if they are better than Sennheiser HD-800. Are they really that good. Should I consider them.

Should I also consider T5P and T1. How good is T1 in comparison to Pioneer SE-Monitor5 and SONY-MDR7520 for clarity and detail with no loss.(Will not be using amp regularly)

none of these headphones would do its best with your asus sound card ,, the only headphone i would consider with weak source and still be enjoyable would be the M1060 ,,
i was going to suggest HD660 but to be honest it need good amp/dac to sing ,,

 

[Rhamnetin]

If you're not going to be using a real amp (regularly) and good source then you can rule out most of the headphones mentioned. There are only a few really good headphones that are very easy to drive. Beyerdynamic has the T5p, HiFiMan has the Ananda and Edition X v2. All of these are above the $300-600 price range though you can probably get a used T5p within that price range.

 

[KING DRANZER]

For reference at what I am searching for headphones like Pioneer SE-Monitor5 in lower budget range as I am planning to get new headphones instead of used ones. Pioneer SE-Monitor5 is able retain most of the clarity and detail of MDR-7520 while packing the punch similar to HD650 doing all that while being consistent without losing details or clarity at any point throughout majority of genres(all of the genres I need).

I am searching for headphone of that kind. There should be at-least one or two headphones like that in low budget range.

 

[KING DRANZER]

none of these headphones would do its best with your asus sound card ,, the only headphone i would consider with weak source and still be enjoyable would be the M1060 ,,
i was going to suggest HD660 but to be honest it need good amp/dac to sing ,,

I got info from this forum that M1060 is no where as clear and detailed as MDR-7520 which I am referencing. I am finding for headphones which are very clear and detailed while packing some punch.

 

[GU1DO]

Could that be the limiting factor?. higher volume with a poor DAC equals unhappy ears. If I play my HD660S OE's through my HTC10 (which also doesn't have the power to drive them well) they don't sound too great. If I listen to them through an iFi iDSD Micro they sound pretty superb. You need to either look at very low impedance headphones or get a decent DAC/Amp to drive the headphones

HD660 with iFi Micro iDSD is my go to setup these days ,, man this combo is just perfect
i am using my Hugo 2 as DAC and this is the next level and i don't think its gets better ,,
now i am looking to update my 660 cable

Trust me , get a good dac (Mojo maybe) and you will reach audio nirvana

 

[GU1DO]

I got info from this forum that M1060 is no where as clear and detailed as MDR-7520 which I am referencing. I am finding for headphones which are very clear and detailed while packing some punch.

i never heard MDR-7520 , so i cant help ,, sorry

 

[KING DRANZER]

i never heard MDR-7520 , so i cant help ,, sorry

Yes no problem there. You have decent collection of headphones and are knowledgeable about what you use. What is your take on SONY Z1R how good are they compared to other high end headphones like Fostex TH900mk2 and how superior it is when compared to mid range M1060 and HD660S.

 

[melons]

HD660 with iFi Micro iDSD is my go to setup these days ,, man this combo is just perfect
i am using my Hugo 2 as DAC and this is the next level and i don't think its gets better ,,
now i am looking to update my 660 cable

Trust me , get a good dac (Mojo maybe) and you will reach audio nirvana

Couldn't warrant the expense of two mobile elements so It was a choice between a mojo and an iDSD BL and I'm quite happy with my final choice (iDSD BL) so far (and the mojo seems too quirky). If I had the money I'd definitely audition a Hugo2 to accompany the BL, but I haven't so I'm scared to :/ . I am maybe ahead of you on headphone cables though, my 3rd aftermarket cable is on it's way to me as I type, first two weren't cheap but weren't very good either, third is a Forza Claire Hybrid which I ordered after being really impressed with their iem version.

You could always loan me your Hugo for a few days

 

[FastAndClean]

get some old, heavy planar like HE500 and call it a day

 

[GU1DO]

Couldn't warrant the expense of two mobile elements so It was a choice between a mojo and an iDSD BL and I'm quite happy with my final choice (iDSD BL) so far (and the mojo seems too quirky). If I had the money I'd definitely audition a Hugo2 to accompany the BL, but I haven't so I'm scared to :/ . I am maybe ahead of you on headphone cables though, my 3rd aftermarket cable is on it's way to me as I type, first two weren't cheap but weren't very good either, third is a Forza Claire Hybrid which I ordered after being really impressed with their iem version.

You could always loan me your Hugo for a few days

hugo is my precious

Nice you are enjoying your setup i hope you like your new cable , i had the Forza Noir Hybrid HPC with my Z1R , it was good but in general i dont like silver/silver plated so i sold it ,

now i am narrowing my choices for my HD660 to Norne Draug 3, WyWires Red, (and maybe Wireworld Nano-Eclipse but am not sure about it , it was recommended by a friend)

do you have any recommendation for pure copper cable ?