Are There Ideal Headphones for ASMR or Replicating a Sense of Closeness and Physical Presence?

[DEF]

Budget: I don't know, make it <5000 EUR
Currently using: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro ( but headband is already broken )
Previous: DT 990 Pro, AKG K812, Focal Utopia

I'm really curious about which headphones can best reproduce ASMR sensations, especially from recordings made with a Neumann KU100.

After looking into some of the current top-tier headphones, the DCA E3 seems to be highly regarded.
However, based on my past experience with the Focal Utopia, while the sound was excellent, the comfort was lacking.
More importantly, the ASMR recordings still felt somewhat distant, lacking that truly immersive "real" feeling.

I know IEM's are a thing, but I would require custom molds.
I tried custom molds for sound dampening, and the issue was that after 1 hour they would lose grip.

 

[DVDdoug]

I don't really know, and I don't know if the headphones matter that much but MOST people perceive headphone sounds as being "close". It's very common for people to hear the sound coming from inside their head! That should be close enough. Headphone Soundstage Survey

with a Neumann KU100

Binaural recordings are supposed to be more "realistic" (when listening on headphones) so I assume near sounds should sound near and far sound should sound far...

 

[DEF]

I don't really know, and I don't know if the headphones matter that much but MOST people perceive headphone sounds as being "close". It's very common for people to hear the sound coming from inside their head! That should be close enough. Headphone Soundstage Survey


Binaural recordings are supposed to be more "realistic" (when listening on headphones) so I assume near sounds should sound near and far sound should sound far...

I believe this has a lot to do with how well the seal is and how far away the drivers are. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Mr Swing King]

With headphones I think it’s mostly a frequency response thing. Intimate sounding headphones are often those with a neutral midrange/treble ie cans like HD600/650. When some experience a dip in said place they often perceive it as sounds coming from further away. If you want sounds even closer to you, perhaps a Grado will fit better for ASMR.

Then again…I can’t believe I just recommended a Grado as I find them unbearably forward.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Comfort should be no issue with DCA headphones. I use my Stealth minimum 8 hours every workday with no issues and I don't have reason to believe that the E3 would be any different.
I think getting a neutral headphone and adding EQ to get a closer experience would be sensible.

 

[DEF]

Comfort should be no issue with DCA headphones. I use my Stealth minimum 8 hours every workday with no issues and I don't have reason to believe that the E3 would be any different.
I think getting a neutral headphone and adding EQ to get a closer experience would be sensible.

Maybe I should order Stealth and E3 and make a choice between these two.
The only thing keeping me away is the cable. It's kinda bulky, isn't it?

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Maybe I should order Stealth and E3 and make a choice between these two.
The only thing keeping me away is the cable. It's kinda bulky, isn't it?

Yeah, I don't like the VIVO cable much to be honest. I owned a DCA Aeon RT already so I just use the more pliable cable that came with it on my Stealth.
I'm pretty sure you can contact DCA support to work something out though. They have been really nice and responsive in all interactions I had with them so far.