Are there any hidden gems at a budget?

[D4v3]

Hi All,

I'm in the hunt for a near pair of wired over ear headphones. I've been using a pair of Senn HD579's which I've enjoyed. Recently, the screws on one side must have backed out over the year and the whole driver assembly fell out and broke the wires. I was able to sold them back on but one got a bit messed up. I think they still sound OK, though I think the broken side might be the tiniest bit quieter now. I think that just might be placebo effect as I'm looking for there to be a problem. The pleather on the headband has completely come apart too.

A couple of years ago I lost one of my eyes, and I was already legally blind. Sound has become much more important to me and I was already a bit of an audiophile on a budget. Recently I've been fighting some more health stuff and I've found some refuge in sound. I have a pretty decent home theater setup that I've built of the years. Nothing that would impresses the big budget people but I think it's good and the neighbours certainly don't like it lol

I'd like a pair of open back headphones, with good detailed sound, a good stage and impactful bass. They will be used for music (mainly rock, some metal, other genre's like 90's stuff and occasionally some rap or dance if I'm in the mood for bass). They will also be used for gaming (don't need a mic) so they have to be drive-able by a controller which means probably under 100ohm.

My budget is tiny, under$200 CAD, can maybe push a bit more for something really worth it. It's nothing, I know, that's why I was hoping maybe there were some options out there that exceed their price point.

Any recommendations would be very appreciated.

 

[Dunring]

The Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X used can be gotten in that range and they're comfortable and the most fun of the new generation (DT700 is pretty boring). Also they're very easy to drive with a phone, onboard sound, or gaming controller. If you luck out the Audio Technica ADH1000x are nice, but very hard to find. I'd go with the DT900, they're great for music and gaming as well.

 

[ZolaIII]

Well Sennheiser HD 560S will probably fit you the same and are equally sensitive (dB/V) so you can drive them the same with what you already have. Wait until they get a discount (for holidays or such which happens regularly) as current asked price ain't very good.

HD560S

back to Sennheiser back to measurements home published: Sep-24-2020, updated: Aug-10-2024 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

Sennheiser HD560S Review (Headphone)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Sennheiser HD560S. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $170. I was taken aback by how light these headphones are. You can see it in this table relative to most of the others I have tested: This doesn't give them feeling of luxury...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[DVDdoug]

I don't have a recommendation...

I think they still sound OK, though I think the broken side might be the tiniest bit quieter now. I think that just might be placebo effect as I'm looking for there to be a problem

A bad solder connection is not likely to cause a subtle problem.

The pleather on the headband has completely come apart too.

But that's not placebo!

I'd like a pair of open back headphones, with good detailed sound, a good stage and impactful bass.

Interestingly, distortion is sometimes heard as "detail". I would have thought "detailed" means boosted high frequencies but it's just one of the many-many undefined "audiophile words".

Soundstage is obviously an illusion and it mostly depends on the listener, and (with headphones) with most people hear the sound coming from inside their head. Headphone Soundstage Survey

 

[Ron Texas]

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

$200 US, slightly over budget. This is my go to headphone.

 

[staticV3]

They will also be used for gaming (don't need a mic) so they have to be drive-able by a controller which means probably under 100ohm.

Easily driven does not (just) mean low impedance.

How easy a headphone is to drive, depends on both the impedance and the sensitivity.

For example, the DCA Aeon RT Closed is a low impedance headphone with incredibly low sensitivity. It'll be very difficult to get good loudness out of a controller.

In contrast, the HD660S is a high impedance headphone which you can easily drive from your controller, due to it's very high sensitivity.

For an open-backed headphone under $200 CAD, besides the HD560S, also consider the Thieaudio Ghost.

The Hifiman HE400se is nice as well, though maybe not a good choice for driving from a controller.

 

[D4v3]

Thank you all so much.

I was looking at some of the Bayer Dynamic offerings, what do you think of the 990pro vs the 900 pro x?

I've see the Senn 560's condemned a fair but but would they be any better then my 579's? I was really hoping for a little bit of a bump up.

StaticV3, thank you for the tip on drivaiblity, I will keep that in mind.

DVDDoug, I"m not convinced sound stage is an illusion. I can hear a noticeable difference between different headphones and home theater setup's.. Sure some of depends on software trickery but when it comes to headphones I thin the effect is real. With the questions on that poll I think the answers depend on the headphones you're using. Some sound like they are right in your ear, some sounds like they are all around you. The composition of the audio track plays a large role too. With the same headphones many tracks are poorly composed and just sound like they are in front or in you ear, either other tracks you can actually point to there the instrument is. But then you go back and listen with a differnt closed back pair and even the track that was very well composed now sounds narrow and in your ear. Take it from a visually impaired guy, there's a difference.

Bon Texas, those drop headphones are so tempting. The only problem is I have some Amazon gift cards I was really hoping to use for this. Still really considering it though, wish the exchange rate was better right nw,

 

[ZolaIII]

Well they are considered to be better or at least best from HD 5xx series regarding FR.

At least you can return them with Amazon if you are not satisfied but still wait for discount if you can.

 

[D4v3]

Well they are considered to be better or at least best from HD 5xx series regarding FR.
View attachment 372306
At least you can return them with Amazon if you are not satisfied but still wait for discount if you can.

Hmm sorta just looks like a trade off, 579's have a bit better bass while 560's have a bit better mids. Unless I'm reading this wrong? What about the 599's On sale right now for $199. Is there any difference between the standard and SE besides the colour?

 

[solderdude]

When you liked the HD579 go for the HD599.
Similar build quality though, just a bit better sound quality (mostly in the treble) and a bit higher price.
Because of the relative small difference in price and sound Sennheiser stopped the HD579 and kept the 599 only.

An alternative is the DT990/80 Pro or DT990/32 Edition (with a bit of toilet paper in front of the driver) which is mechanically sturdier than the HD5xx range and also has 'warmth'.
A bit more expensive but customized ... DT990 Manufaktur (in 32 ohm)

 

[ZolaIII]

Hmm sorta just looks like a trade off, 579's have a bit better bass while 560's have a bit better mids. Unless I'm reading this wrong? What about the 599's On sale right now for $199. Is there any difference between the standard and SE besides the colour?

Wouldn't call mid bass hump better, you will feel more extension on HD 560S and same goes regarding lower and uper mids and primary overtones for them. No there is no difference besides the colour for HD 599. If you want more bass switch to closed back's. I think HD 560S have enough of it when you listen to them rather loud. If you don't like to listen like that I am afraid closed back's are only way to get there. Talk with @solderdude as he is hire and DIY audio heaven is his contributing blog.

 

[D4v3]

I don't think I'd go for closed backs, I much prefer the spacious stage of open back headphones. I have some decent closed backs and they sound good and all but it's just not the same.

I was really hoping that will all the new brands on the market there would be something that really hit above its price point. Wishful thinking I guess, I would really like a step in sound quality. Seems silly to spend all this money, even though it's really not much, just for the same thing I already have.

 

[AdamG]

I know you asked for headphones that are open. There are some open design IEM’s that might be suitable for your needs. I own an enjoy the FIIO FH5s and they work great with the Xbox game controller. Just a suggestion for consideration. They are on sale for $168 USD.

FIIO FH5s

 

[D4v3]

I've thought about IEM's but I've never found them to be very comfortable, especially for long periods of time. Maybe it's just the shape of my ears or I just haven't used any really good ones.

 

[D4v3]

The more I look at them the more tempting the Hifiman 400SE's look. I've been wanting to dip my toes into a planar headphone for a while. Are there any other's at a similar or slightly higher price point that are worth looking at? They look solid minus the weak bass, I've seen a couple people say they are a bit fatiguing.

 

[doalt]

There are not many choices under $200. I think one reason is that HD6XX, which is basically HD650, is priced at 199. Any headphone at this price would inevitably be compared to it, and not many can pass this test.

Some budget planar magnetic headphones (like Hifiman HE400SE) are highly praised, but they are hard to driver. A dongle or controller may not have enough power.

I used to have HD598, which is very similar to HD599, and probably similar to HD579 too. Then I upgraded to HD6XX and never looked back. But be mindful that the soundstage of HD6XX is not bigger. It's smaller but more focused. Personally I prefer it over the diffused sound of HD598, but it may not bode so well for gaming.

 

[doalt]

The more I look at them the more tempting the Hifiman 400SE's look

It's interesting that we both mentioned HE400SE back to back. But as staticV3 mentioned, low impedance doesn't mean they are easy to drive. On the contrary, they are quite hard to drive due to their low sensitivity so you'll likely need a headphone amp.

 

[staticV3]

Are there any other's at a similar or slightly higher price point that are worth looking at?

http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/deva-pro-wired-openbox.html
http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/deva-wired-openbox.html
http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/he560-v4.html

 

[D4v3]

I did notice the low sensitivity on these. Apparently the amp inside the Dual Sense and Series X controllers are fairly capable but I'm not convinced they would run them well.

Thank you for those links, StaticV3, even with the crappy exchange rate some of those might be worth it