Best headphones for Rock/Metal under $2K

[cany89]

Howdy!

I have RME ADI 2 and HD 558, and pretty happy with these. But I'm looking for an upgrade.
- Tried HD 600, slightly better but not a huge upgrade.
- Tried HD 800 S - with/without EQ. I liked it. They are definitely far better than what I have and HD 600. I had my WOW moments when I was listening to anything other than metal. Wider soundstage and more resolution overall but considering the price, it's meh. (For rock and metal ofc. Otherwise, they are not of this earth!)
- I'll try LCD-2 sometime next week.

Does anyone know a headphone that really gives you chills when listening to rock/metal music?

*I can find most of the Sennheiser, Audeze, Beyerdynamic, and AKG but I need to search for other brands like Hifiman, Meze, Grado, Focal, Stax, etc.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Eldgrim]

I also mainly listen to rock/metal and am looking for an upgrade from the HD650. Going to have three ZMF cans (VC, VO & Auteur) on home loan this week, I can let you know what I think of them if you are interested.

 

[markanini]

Never heard an Audeze but I wonder if the reduced pinna gain would take the the fun out the genre.

 

[Loathecliff]

There can be only one:- The Sony MDR ZX110, with EQ. (sic)

The one in Panther Pink ('Rosa') is the best value. Was €7 on Amazon España last week.

 

[MrDogg]

I'm not a huge fan of planars, really liked the Auteurs though!

 

[cany89]

There can be only one:- The Sony MDR ZX110, with EQ. (sic)

Hahah good one

 

[muslhead]

Open box hifiman he1000v2

 

[cany89]

I also mainly listen to rock/metal and am looking for an upgrade from the HD650. Going to have three ZMF cans (VC, VO & Auteur) on home loan this week, I can let you know what I think of them if you are interested.

Let’s see if you like one. Never heard of ZMF but I’ll look for them

 

[cany89]

Open box hifiman he1000v2

Hmm, I saw one, it was around $1400, in good condition. But I thought it was too much for it, no?

 

[SpinifexV]

My favorites (the ones I've kept) are:
- Hifiman He6-SE V2 for details and resolution.
- Focal Elex for comfort and speaker-like presentation (the drivers are quite fare from your ears, unlike the planars).
- Dan Clark Aeon Closed RT, for moments when you need a closed headphones (very good, but open headphones will always be better).
- AKG K361 for the office. Very competent headphone that won't break my heart (or bank account) to replace if they are broken or stolen.

The main thread between these 4 is that they are better with EQ, yes, but you can easily live without it (unless you are a bass head).

LCD-2 is cumbersome and poor in the treble area IMHO. HD600 is fine, but laidback and slow for fast paced music. Never cared for most Beyers and the bigger AKGs. Grado is worth a listen for fun, but definitely not a good hp objectively.

 

[DVDdoug]

I don't have a recommendation and I don't own the same headphones as you.

But I'm looking for an upgrade.

In what way? i.e. More bass, etc.? Most of the difference is frequency response and that can be tweaked with EQ.

Sometimes you can get bored with the sound even though it's OK and then you upgrade and you get bored with that...

I assume you've been through the reviews here?

Does anyone know a headphone that really gives you chills when listening to rock/metal music?

A headphone or speaker is (ideally) supposed to accurately reproduce whatever you feed into it. You may have different preferences with different genres, but you're mostly on your own to figure that out.

And when you start getting into emotions that's just a individual-personal thing. You might "get chills" if you're having a good day and listening to your favorite music, but probably not if you're listening to something you don't like (or something you're bored with) or if you've had a bad day.

 

[LTig]

AKG K371. Great bass.

 

[cany89]

@DVDdoug well I only listened to few expensive headphones and they all sounded better than my good ol 558s. By better I mean they have more resolution, they sound deeper, vocals sound different - in good way. I’m not expert in expressing these things so... But I assume a high-end headphone that most people like would technically be better than my open back 101 cans, no?

 

[dmac6419]

AKG K371. Great bass.

And he'll have monies left over,lots of it.

 

[cany89]

AKG K371. Great bass.

I haven’t listened to closed back headphones for years. Aren’t they lack the soundstage that open’s have?

 

[Shazb0t]

He-6 is a great choice because of it's extremely low bass distortion. You can boost the bass to your taste with rock. metal, industrial, etc. and not have to worry about distortion problems.

 

[LTig]

I haven’t listened to closed back headphones for years. Aren’t they lack the soundstage that open’s have?

They do, but although I like my HD800 a lot subjectively the K371 has a bass the HD800 cannot compete with (both EQed, of course).

 

[cany89]

They do, but although I like my HD800 a lot subjectively the K371 has a bass the HD800 cannot compete with (both EQed, of course).

So you listen to K371 even though you have HD800. That’s a promising comment

 

[MRC01]

I find the LCD-2F (not classic) "rocks" with rock/metal music. It has vanishingly low bass distortion with very linear response, so unlike some headphones, where you boost the bass and it sounds soft or bloated due to distortion, the LCD-2 stays tight & clean. The Fazor has a dip around 4k, but the dip is smaller than other models, so it's more neutral. And this dip is a nice fit with rock/metal which typically is mastered "hot" in that frequency range.

 

[cany89]

@MRC01 looking forward to hear them