sloowhand
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2017
- Posts
- 22
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- 12
The eternal dilemma between open vs closed back. Open back will be able to provide a better soundstage but not provide as much bass, closed back can provide more bass but won't have as wide a soundstage. So in the quest to bridge the gap, which is the better route to pursue?
I currently have a set of AKG K712 Pros that are amazing for gaming and movies and provide an awesome soundstage for both. Love them for that, but I've found I don't necessarily love them for music. They're not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but when I listen to albums like Random Access Memories, I can tell there's sub-bass I'm just not getting and even mid-bass is...adequate but not notable.
I also have some Meze 99 Classics that I love that have healthy low end and surprising soundstage for closed back for the money, but not exactly like I'm sitting in a studio with the band. But for travel headphones and for music, which is what I got them to be, they are fantastic.
So now I'm looking for a third pair to be my at home music headphones. Because I won't be in public I won't have to worry about external sound intrusion (in or out) so open back works and I'd like to keep the price below $400. So the question is, as stated in the title, what is the best recommendation: Open back with the best bass possible or closed back with the best soundstage possible? I know I could spend $2000 for a set of LCD-3s and not have to choose, but for my price range, what would you recommend? Which headphones provide the best compromise of wide, airy soundstage with solid, full, competent mid- and sub-bass. I don't need them to be booming or super hard hitting bass-wise, but when listening to hip hop or EDM I'd like them to be able to confidently and competently reach down into those low frequency ranges and deliver fullness and quality bass.
EDIT: I'll be driving them with a Modi 2 Uber/Magni 2 Uber stack.
I currently have a set of AKG K712 Pros that are amazing for gaming and movies and provide an awesome soundstage for both. Love them for that, but I've found I don't necessarily love them for music. They're not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but when I listen to albums like Random Access Memories, I can tell there's sub-bass I'm just not getting and even mid-bass is...adequate but not notable.
I also have some Meze 99 Classics that I love that have healthy low end and surprising soundstage for closed back for the money, but not exactly like I'm sitting in a studio with the band. But for travel headphones and for music, which is what I got them to be, they are fantastic.
So now I'm looking for a third pair to be my at home music headphones. Because I won't be in public I won't have to worry about external sound intrusion (in or out) so open back works and I'd like to keep the price below $400. So the question is, as stated in the title, what is the best recommendation: Open back with the best bass possible or closed back with the best soundstage possible? I know I could spend $2000 for a set of LCD-3s and not have to choose, but for my price range, what would you recommend? Which headphones provide the best compromise of wide, airy soundstage with solid, full, competent mid- and sub-bass. I don't need them to be booming or super hard hitting bass-wise, but when listening to hip hop or EDM I'd like them to be able to confidently and competently reach down into those low frequency ranges and deliver fullness and quality bass.
EDIT: I'll be driving them with a Modi 2 Uber/Magni 2 Uber stack.
