[Fossy]

Hi,

I'm brand spanking new on these forums and I will immediatly start annoying people with a question that probably has been asked before. (I searched the forums and didn't really find a proper anwser)

I'm basically looking for a set of (not too expensive, max €300) cans to mainly use for movies & tv (or games after I get myself a decent amp/dac). Hooray for thin walls and easily annoyed neighbors.

I'm currently using a Yamaha RX-V577 receiver and already own a set of EL-8 open back and Momentum 2.0 wireless (for my bi-weekly airplane trips). While I simply adore the EL-8's, I'd like something a bit more lush for movies. The momentums are fine for on the airplane etc but are a bit too uncomfortable to just kick back and enjoy a good movie.

Currently I'm a bit torn between the following sets:

- Fidelio's X2 (but here they cost €309 which I find really expensive)
- DT880 (or DT990) 600Ohm (worried about the treble, my ears can be a bit sensitive...)
- K7XX (it's back on Massdrop as we speak. Incuding shipping/customs it would come close to the €300 mark though)

I would love a set of Nighthawks but not at their current pricepoint, maybe if they drop below €400.

Anyone who can help me tip the scales (or provide a different alternative that is available in Belgium?)

 

[SiSkEr]

I would go with the DT990 or DT880. They might just be the most comfortable headphones I have ever tried, and also have very good sound.

 

[Monsterzero]

Thread title includes "crappy source" ,which implies low bit rate music/streaming,and if thats the case I would remove Beyers from your list...they do have a lot of treble and detail,so any noise/imperfections in bad files will be quite noticeable.

Youre on the right track with The AQ Nighthawk,as its quite dark.Also the Fidelio X2 would work,though Im not a huge fan of it for music,but for movies and gaming its quite nice.

I would also squelch the AKG K7XX,for the same reasons as the Beyers.  

 

[PurpleAngel]

I'm brand spanking new on these forums and I will immediately start annoying people with a question that probably has been asked before. (I searched the forums and didn't really find a proper anwser)
I'm basically looking for a set of (not too expensive, max €300) cans to mainly use for movies & tv (or games after I get myself a decent amp/dac). Hooray for thin walls and easily annoyed neighbors.
I'm currently using a Yamaha RX-V577 receiver and already own a set of EL-8 open back and Momentum 2.0 wireless (for my bi-weekly airplane trips). While I simply adore the EL-8's, I'd like something a bit more lush for movies. The momentums are fine for on the airplane etc but are a bit too uncomfortable to just kick back and enjoy a good movie.
Currently I'm a bit torn between the following sets:
- Fidelio's X2 (but here they cost €309 which I find really expensive)
- DT880 (or DT990) 600Ohm (worried about the treble, my ears can be a bit sensitive...)
- K7XX (it's back on Massdrop as we speak. Incuding shipping/customs it would come close to the €300 mark though)
I would love a set of Nighthawks but not at their current pricepoint, maybe if they drop below €400.
Anyone who can help me tip the scales (or provide a different alternative that is available in Belgium?)

 
As you already have the Yamaha RX-V577 A/V receiver, might as well use it as the DAC and headphone amplifier.
Because of the impedance (Ohm) issues with using a receiver's headphone jack, you want to get headphones in the 250-Ohm to 300-Ohm range.
Decent chance 600-Ohm Beyerdynamic headphones would also work, plugged into the Yamaha.
DT880 is blanced, but a little bright, DT990 is strong bass/treble
The Philips Fidelio X2 is only 30-ohms, not great for plugging into receivers.
If you could find some used Beyerdynamic T90 (250-Ohm) or even a used Beyer T70 (250-Ohm), that would make your ears happy.

 

[Fossy]

Ah, That was exactly what I was afraid of. The beyers have the most interesting pricepoint, but indeed as stated in the title, a fair bit of the media I have parked on my NAS is compressed into oblivion. Alot of these movies and music date back from the good dial up modem days (wmv, wma, avi). Nostalgia and the fact that I can't seem to track down modernised or better versions of these files keep me from deleting them. The nostalia filter is barely able to cover up the horrible image quality when seen on a 55" display, if I'm confronted with how badly the audio is compressed aswell I think I might just lose it all together ^^.
 
Maybe I'll try to track down a used pair of Nighthawks. They are super comfortable to me and I do like their sound, but when I first heard them they sounded a bit like a one-trick pony and not what I was looking for at that time.
 
When I bought the EL-8's I spent about 7 hours listening to the line-up of sets the store had in stock. So even though I am new to all of this, I think I know what sort of sound signature I enjoy now. 
 
This is what I listened to with some comments:
- Sennheiser HD650 - Sounded good for the pricepoint, but a little flat for my liking, not a comfortable wear for me (too much clamping).
- Sennheiser HD800S - Great sound, but like I said above, with crappy sources...
- Audioquest Nighthawk - Super comfortable, strange but likeable sound. Like being wrapped in a blanket infront of a bonfire.
- Sony MDR-Z7 - Can't put my finger on it, seems like it is missing something.
- Sony MDR-Z1R - Never at this pricepoint.
- Oppo PM3 - Interesing for mobile us, but I have the momentums for that.
- Oppo PM1 - Great, but not in my budget.
- Audeze EL-8 - These are not perfect but did everything just right enough to make the winner.
- Audeze LCD-2 - Great, but EL-8...
- Audeze LCD-3 - Awesome, but not within my budget.
- Focal Elear - Soundwise I loved these the most, but the lack of comfort(heavy, and didn't stay on head) and almost €200 price difference made these lose to the EL-8 for me.
- Focal Utopia - Not even close to what I can afford.
 
Everything was used on a HDVD800 from Sennheiser with a Tidal account (and a bunch of my crappy sources).
 
What I would really like to have heard aswell were some Audio Technica's, Hifimans, Fostex and Beyers. But the store doesn't carry those. I think I might start harrassing them to sell me those demo nighthawks so they can switch it out with the carbons ^^.

 

[akg fanboy]

from my experience, a crappy recording will sound worse on a headphone with emphasized mids, so if you love mids then you're outta luck. Treble emphasized headphones usually highlight the flaws of a bad source but mid range forward headphones just make them sound like complete garbage. You're probably gonna want a headphone with neutral to recessed mids and somewhat cut treble which the nighthawks seem to match. Otherwise I would suggest maybe the audio technica r70x which might suite you well

 

[Monsterzero]

  Ah, That was exactly what I was afraid of. The beyers have the most interesting pricepoint, but indeed as stated in the title, a fair bit of the media I have parked on my NAS is compressed into oblivion. Alot of these movies and music date back from the good dial up modem days (wmv, wma, avi). Nostalgia and the fact that I can't seem to track down modernised or better versions of these files keep me from deleting them. The nostalia filter is barely able to cover up the horrible image quality when seen on a 55" display, if I'm confronted with how badly the audio is compressed aswell I think I might just lose it all together ^^.
 
Maybe I'll try to track down a used pair of Nighthawks. They are super comfortable to me and I do like their sound, but when I first heard them they sounded a bit like a one-trick pony and not what I was looking for at that time.
 
When I bought the EL-8's I spent about 7 hours listening to the line-up of sets the store had in stock. So even though I am new to all of this, I think I know what sort of sound signature I enjoy now. 
 
This is what I listened to with some comments:
- Sennheiser HD650 - Sounded good for the pricepoint, but a little flat for my liking, not a comfortable wear for me (too much clamping).
- Sennheiser HD800S - Great sound, but like I said above, with crappy sources...
- Audioquest Nighthawk - Super comfortable, strange but likeable sound. Like being wrapped in a blanket infront of a bonfire.
- Sony MDR-Z7 - Can't put my finger on it, seems like it is missing something.
- Sony MDR-Z1R - Never at this pricepoint.
- Oppo PM3 - Interesing for mobile us, but I have the momentums for that.
- Oppo PM1 - Great, but not in my budget.
- Audeze EL-8 - These are not perfect but did everything just right enough to make the winner.
- Audeze LCD-2 - Great, but EL-8...
- Audeze LCD-3 - Awesome, but not within my budget.
- Focal Elear - Soundwise I loved these the most, but the lack of comfort(heavy, and didn't stay on head) and almost €200 price difference made these lose to the EL-8 for me.
- Focal Utopia - Not even close to what I can afford.
 
Everything was used on a HDVD800 from Sennheiser with a Tidal account (and a bunch of my crappy sources).
 
What I would really like to have heard aswell were some Audio Technica's, Hifimans, Fostex and Beyers. But the store doesn't carry those. I think I might start harrassing them to sell me those demo nighthawks so they can switch it out with the carbons ^^.

Many places,esp here in the States only carry a few brands of headphones to try before buying,and rarely,if ever,the entire line...Many of us,including myself,buy headphones weve never heard before....so sometimes a leap of faith is required.

The ATHs I have heard roll off the sub bass,so not great for movies and gaming.
HiFiMan,sound great,but heavy and questionable build quality....many require alot of juice to drive.
Beyers...not a fan of their house sound,but Purple Angel will be by shortly to tell you his T90 is his preferred headphone for everything......
Fostex/Denon/Foster...bass rich fun headphones.

A couple new headphones that I heard at CanJam NYC that I really enjoyed were the Mr.Speakers Aeon,and the two new ZMF headphones,Eikon and Atticus.....while the Eikon is the more neutral and expensive of the two,I liked Atticus more....crazy bass slam and very nice midrange.....All three arent quite available yet and might be out of your budget,but worth mentioning in case your budget changes.

 

[akg fanboy]

Many places,esp here in the States only carry a few brands of headphones to try before buying,and rarely,if ever,the entire line...Many of us,including myself,buy headphones weve never heard before....so sometimes a leap of faith is required.


The ATHs I have heard roll off the sub bass,so not great for movies and gaming.

HiFiMan,sound great,but heavy and questionable build quality....many require alot of juice to drive.

Beyers...not a fan of their house sound,but Purple Angel will be by shortly to tell you his T90 is his preferred headphone for everything......

Fostex/Denon/Foster...bass rich fun headphones.


A couple new headphones that I heard at CanJam NYC that I really enjoyed were the Mr.Speakers Aeon,and the two new ZMF headphones,Eikon and Atticus.....while the Eikon is the more neutral and expensive of the two,I liked Atticus more....crazy bass slam and very nice midrange.....All three arent quite available yet and might be out of your budget,but worth mentioning in case your budget changes.

Every open dynamic has sub bass roll off. The r70x is very different from traditional AT headphones and it fits his preferences very well, it's like a mix of an hd650 and nighthawk but fits his budget.
True that on the t90 reconmendation lol, I love the q701 but I don't blindly just recommend it for every situation... Even the t1 flagship isn't that great imo, but for his needs the t90 is the exact opppsite of what he needs. Fostex headphones have a treble spike which again isn't the greatest for poor sources. Imo v shaped is never fun sounding

 

[Fossy]

Every open dynamic has sub bass roll off. The r70x is very different from traditional AT headphones and it fits his preferences very well, it's like a mix of an hd650 and nighthawk but fits his budget.
True that on the t90 reconmendation lol, I love the q701 but I don't blindly just recommend it for every situation... Even the t1 flagship isn't that great imo, but for his needs the t90 is the exact opppsite of what he needs. Fostex headphones have a treble spike which again isn't the greatest for poor sources. Imo v shaped is never fun sounding

 
I've done some reading about r70x by now, and I am intrigued as it's sold in most places for around €319. It's a little bit more than I intend to spend, but my budget is always flexible for something I really like. 
Now I just need to find a place where I can demo them. I am one of those 'try before you buy' guys. I hate returning stuff simply because I don't like it. Except if I find something that might like on the really really cheap (I got the Yamaha receiver this way. Demo set comprised of the RX-V577, BD-S677, A pair of NS333 speakers and a NS-SW300 sub for €600).
 
Maybe I'll try to test my patience ^^. Most of my whisky collection is being auctioned off in May and that could net me well over €10.000 (depending on 1 particular bottle). That will open up a larger budget.
 
I am by no means an audiophile, nor will I ever will be. But for electronics & gadgets I do like to spend a bit more than the average consumer for quality. 
 
In any case, thanks to everyone for helping me find the right direction and we'll see what turns up (often the best buys are things that completely blindside you ^^. For example, when I bought the EL-8, I actually went in the store with the intention to buy the Elear).

 

[akg fanboy]

   
I've done some reading about r70x by now, and I am intrigued as it's sold in most places for around €319. It's a little bit more than I intend to spend, but my budget is always flexible for something I really like. 
Now I just need to find a place where I can demo them. I am one of those 'try before you buy' guys. I hate returning stuff simply because I don't like it. Except if I find something that might like on the really really cheap (I got the Yamaha receiver this way. Demo set comprised of the RX-V577, BD-S677, A pair of NS333 speakers and a NS-SW300 sub for €600).
 
Maybe I'll try to test my patience ^^. Most of my whisky collection is being auctioned off in May and that could net me well over €10.000 (depending on 1 particular bottle). That will open up a larger budget.
 
I am by no means an audiophile, nor will I ever will be. But for electronics & gadgets I do like to spend a bit more than the average consumer for quality. 
 
In any case, thanks to everyone for helping me find the right direction and we'll see what turns up (often the best buys are things that completely blindside you ^^. For example, when I bought the EL-8, I actually went in the store with the intention to buy the Elear).

ah, those specific headphones aren't all that popular as they are not really in line with traditional AT sound, but they can be found for cheap second hand at least in the us, I don't know about your country. I hope you can find a pair of them to audition because they really seem to match what you're looking for. Good luck mate