What headphones are closest to a speaker experience?

[modi]

Are there any headphones out there that manage to present similar qualities to a good speaker system? By this I'm talking about wide soundstage, excellent clear imaging, deep high impact bass. From reading through the posts on headfi it seems that CD3000 do the soundstage well, HD650's do the imaging well and the DT770 does the powerhouse bass. Is it possible that one set of cans can do all of this superbly?

 

[cadobhuk]

Of course:R10.

K1000 paired with sub or stick-to-chair kicker is the closest thing to speaker probably,for a reasonable money.

 

[Jasper994]

I can't even fully explain this yet but the E5's are the most speaker like headphone I've heard to date...

 

[Taurui]

CD3000 doesn't do soundstage well, in fact it seemed unnatural and bloated to me.
Best speaker experience from headphones was, without a doubt, the AKG K1000 with the Audiovalve RKV, but that's undoubtedly over your desired budget.
Instead, why don't you simply go with a good pair of headphones that have some really nice headphone qualities? Like instrument seperation, sonic balance, detail, extension, neutrality?

-Taurui

 

[ssportclay]

Beyerdynamic DT860 headphones driven through the 120 ohm jack of my corda prehead are the closest I have found to sounding like my Von Schweikert VR-1 speakers.

 

[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taurui CD3000 doesn't do soundstage well, in fact it seemed unnatural and bloated to me. Best speaker experience from headphones was, without a doubt, the AKG K1000 with the Audiovalve RKV, but that's undoubtedly over your desired budget. Instead, why don't you simply go with a good pair of headphones that have some really nice headphone qualities? Like instrument seperation, sonic balance, detail, extension, neutrality? -Taurui

I agree. The CD3000 sounds like a headphone with a huge yet limited soundstage.
The K1000 on the other hand is an entirely different beast - the most speakerlike headphones I've heard so far.

In fact, I even thought that the Hd650 driven by a Prehead sounded pretty simliar to speakers.

The Beyer 880 also has a very big soundstage, bigger than on the hd650 but you really get the feeling that you're wearing headphones - the borders of the soundstage are clearly audible somehow.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

The K1000 has the most speaker-like presentation that I've heard, it just needed more bass (in the rigs that I heard), hence the sub. But the soundstaging and imaging were pretty damned sick. The only other headphones that have anything remotely like this that I've heard are the R10, perhaps Ed would (Edwood LOL) bring you up to speed on the differences more precisely, since he owns both.

 

[modi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taurui Instead, why don't you simply go with a good pair of headphones that have some really nice headphone qualities? Like instrument seperation, sonic balance, detail, extension, neutrality? -Taurui

Yeah I think I'm maybe expecting too much from headphones and should except them for their inherant benefits and limitations. The reason why I compare them to speakers is that given the opportunity I prefer listening to music through good speakers and I listen through headphones when it is not convenient to crank up my hifi (which is at least half of my music listening time). So in an ideal world I would love to have a set of cans that brought me similar musical pleasure to my Sonus Faber monitors.

 

[modi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer The K1000 has the most speaker-like presentation that I've heard, it just needed more bass (in the rigs that I heard), hence the sub. But the soundstaging and imaging were pretty damned sick. The only other headphones that have anything remotely like this that I've heard are the R10, perhaps Ed would (Edwood LOL) bring you up to speed on the differences more precisely, since he owns both.

I'm assuming pretty serious dollars for both those rigs

 

[Spent&Bent]

For what it's worth, Grado RS-1 has been compared to the smaller sonus fabers in general character by certain reviewers....

 

[bhd812]

ps-1 hands down!

the only headphone I heard with a continuing bass line thru out the entire song (like speakers)

 

[Tuberoller]

I'm a die hard speaker guy and I think the Senn HD600/650 family sounds most like speakers to my ears. This is the big reason they have remained my reference.

 

[Solude]

When I went through the Senn, Grado, Beyer families trying to find something that matched my PSB setup, the Beyer 880 was closest followed by the Grado 325 with the Senn 600 trailing FAR behind. Grado lacked the warmth, Senn put you way too far out to be speaker like. But I really hate the Senn house sound, too much like listening to a concert from outside to me. Music I listen to is mic'd at ~2" from the source, the playback of that should sound close. Partially why lots of people classify the Senn sound as classical which is often recorded live away from the stage. But a headphone that imposes that back row concert sound on nearfield recordings is miles away from reference to me.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solude ...Music I listen to is mic'd at ~2" from the source, the playback of that should sound close. Partially why lots of people classify the Senn sound as classical which is often recorded live away from the stage. But a headphone that imposes that back row concert sound on nearfield recordings is miles away from reference to me.

True, this is what I hear as well from a "stock" HD600. The Cardas cable helps ameliorate the recessive upper mids a great deal and puts you in maybe the 10th row instead of the back of the house. The right amp helps a great deal as well.

 

[Old Pa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer The K1000 has the most speaker-like presentation that I've heard, it just needed more bass (in the rigs that I heard), hence the sub.

I was listening to my K1000s last night using my Arcam FMJ 23T through my RKV. This is, to my ears, my most "speaker" like headphone combination and does not lack bass response, clean, quick and well-formed. Very pleasant.