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Best sounding closed-back headphone $500-$1,000 for a non-audiophile?
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Downward compression vs Upward compression vs Expansion.
The only thing the Apple has going for it, as far as the OP is concerned is;
for a non-audiophile?
An audiophile should be seeking the most neutral expression aka accuracy. I guess I rolled the dice, but I bought them for the ANC I have my HD600 for accuracy
The only thing the Apple has going for it, as far as the OP is concerned is;
for a non-audiophile? 
An audiophile should be seeking the most neutral expression aka accuracy. I guess I rolled the dice, but I bought them for the ANC I have my HD600 for accuracy
ZolaIII
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Not to: target level, unprocessed level, disreging SPL and real level.
If you don't enable any of the Headphone Accommodations settings there is no trickery involved and all you get is the normal stereo signal, unmodified.
The feedback mechanism enhances "fidelity", and doesn't reduce it, since it makes the response constant and predictable across users in a range where most passive closed backs vary excessively - even more so given that the noise floor induced by the electronics is quite low, unlike quite a few ANC headphones.
ZolaIII
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To what (noise flor)? Bad; mics, bad DAC, multiple analog conversions, interpreted digital conversion errors and all together. So is it really a small deviation all together? Better than some but for from it.
Edit: and don't forget BT which alone bricks everything with low complexity and fidelity from codecs those support only.
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solderdude
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Many (cheaper) ANC headphones have audible hiss with no signal. Usually the 'pre-amp' for the feedback mic is the culprit.
I hate that just as much as audible hiss in active monitors at short distance.
There are some quiet ones (Bose and the more expensive Sony amongst them) I assume Apple thingy as well. Never played with one. MayaTlab did.
I hate that just as much as audible hiss in active monitors at short distance.
There are some quiet ones (Bose and the more expensive Sony amongst them) I assume Apple thingy as well. Never played with one. MayaTlab did.
ZolaIII
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I never suggested how they made any really good one's in the first place. If benefits are bigger than flows for given use case that's fine with me. I can live without it.
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- Thread Starter
- #149
I have been tempted by Airpod Max, Focal Bathys and Mark Levinson 5909. I still prefer to go wired for what I understand may be better sound. The passive isolation would be enough for my intended use, which is at home. I’m not planning to use them at work. My issue is more with the open backs. That may be a problem for me and wife (wife watching TV or reading in the same room).
I read a bit the previous discussions on this post but they are currently beyond my understanding and what I’m willing to learn at this right moment.
I’ll have to dig a bit more and hopefully test again the ones I mentioned earlier. Was just wondering if anybody had thoughts on them.
- Thread Starter
- #150
Also, I prefer not to have to worry about one more thing to charge. I want to use my headphones whenever I want without having to check if they are charged or not.
One thing I liked about the elegias (other than the sound) is that I just plugged them to my phone and I was immediately enjoying music. No need for DAC/amp etc., although they may improve the sound. I am willing to buy a DAC/amp if they really improve the listening experience. However I'm not interested in listening at high volume. I just enjoy music at normal volume. I'm more interested in a wide soundstage, separation of instruments and details.
One thing I liked about the elegias (other than the sound) is that I just plugged them to my phone and I was immediately enjoying music. No need for DAC/amp etc., although they may improve the sound. I am willing to buy a DAC/amp if they really improve the listening experience. However I'm not interested in listening at high volume. I just enjoy music at normal volume. I'm more interested in a wide soundstage, separation of instruments and details.
solderdude
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And we are back at the Hi-X60 again which is passive, wired, pretty sensitive, closed and has good tonality. A bit sharp in the highs as is often the case with monitoring headphones. This can be dealt with passively. Not the 'best' closed headphones but good comfort and sound and good build quality (I think)
No recharging, no batteries dying and having to be replaced etc.
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I hate to shill the Hi-X60, I freakin love them, I have been listening to them ever day for a week!
But... my Audeze just sound nicer, their less detailed yes, but their tonality is lovely, more natural sounding to my ears. To give context, my LCD2 Closed are now for sale, you can find them on these forums. I own a pair of LCD-X (2021) at home, open back obviously, I no longer need the LCD2 Closed, because the Hi-X60 are so damn good, and are very portable, and they have better detail retrieval, they lose a bit on enjoyment, but... I can carry Hi-X60 along with a mod mic and steam deck for similar in weight, so I made the logical choice.
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- #153
AA Hi-X60 are very well regarded. They seem to have everything I like: easily driven w/phone, great detail retrieval, good instrument separation, wide sound stage and $420! However, like the Elegias, they seem to be a bit light on the bass. Somebody mentioned "not fun"
I'm curious. When you said: "Not the 'best' closed headphones..." were you referring within this price range? What are they missing that would make them the "best"? Which one do you consider to be the best?
These are some I read and/or tested:
- I enjoyed the FOCAL Elegia except for the comfort. I assume the Celestee have the same problem.
- I understand the Aeon X Closed and the Aeon 2 Noire are very comfortable but difficult to drive.
- I tested the AUDEZE LCD-2C and found them a bit on the bassy side. However I thought the LCD-XC sounded better and I believe are considered the best headphones by some.
Although I don't think I will go for open back, I may check the AUDEZE LCD-X & HiFiMAN Ananda & Arya to compare.
Except for the AA Hi-X60, I see my $1,000 budget starting to be a little shy, as some of the headphones I read about are on the $1,200 - $1,300 range, and that assuming I don't need to buy a DCA/amp.
staticV3
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- Thread Starter
- #155
Well, I haven't tried them. I read a few comments on other posts that mention that. If they are not, then they would seem to have everything I enjoy. I'll try to test them in store or buy if I can't and test them at home.
Unfortunately, I haven't yet learned to read the graphs. Would you please care to translate? And by the way, would also appreiate your thoughts on how they compare to the other ones in my list if you listened to them
solderdude
Grand Contributor
For bassheads or people wearing glasses with thick arms they sure can be light on bass and not 'fun'.However, like the Elegias, they seem to be a bit light on the bass. Somebody mentioned "not fun"
These are 'accurate' monitoring headphones so tonally 'neutral' with small emphasis on treble which is because they are intended for monitoring where a small emphasis there 'helps' in finding problems in a mix and ensures recordings (the end product for consumers) does not sound bright nor sharp when mixing using these.
These are not 'hifi headphones for music enjoyment' in the sense that they do not have a 'speaker-in-room' alike midbass emphasis like some of the typical 'hifi headphones'.
Instead the bass level is very much like the Elegia but without the recessed upper mids that one has. There is much more 'clarity' in the X60 and 'brightness'.
Because the 'tilt' of the tonality of the X60 is closer to that of good nearfield monitors and the Elegia more 'speaker in a room alike from a few meters away' they sound different despite having similar bass to mid response.
In this price range it is among the best.
There is NO such thing as 'the best' headphone.
Sure... one can look for the highest 'recommendation' or the highest 'compliance to a target' number but that actually might mean nothing on your head.
How much we like to believe that a plot made on their specific personal fav. test fixture and target is exactly how it will sound/perform on your head alas more often than not is no reality.
One can find a 'best' headphone for themselves though. That might be different than what others like best or what is higher in some ranking list.
I cannot possibly tell you which headphone you might like best.
All I can say is that when you prefer nearfield speakers (from less than 1 meter away) and hearing 'details' and need room for your ears the X60 basically is a very good choice.
When you like a more 'distant' speaker-in room sound without Harman like bass but more 'relaxed' in the upper mids and treble you would do better with Elegia.
staticV3
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No worries. Solderdude actually wrote an excellent crash course on how to read frequency response curves:
Frequency response
home back to Learn back to How to interpret graphs published: Mar-18-2017, updated: Sep-6-2020 Frequency response deviations, as well as phase response, are so called ‘linear distortions̵…
diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com
Edit: here's another introduction to frequency response graphs written by Crinacle:
Graphs 101: How to Read Headphone Measurements – In-Ear Fidelity
A guide to reading frequency response graphs of headphones and IEMs.
crinacle.com
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It's high time that you learn to take graphs with pinch of salt. Surely you have seen the graphs that show large individual FR variation on closed backs, especially in the bass range. Though even if you took oratory1990s graph at face value you do a see a recession in the midbass range that's critical to bass perception.
The Hi-X55/60/65's ear cups have a wide range of motion up/down/front/back and the earpads are a thin wall of memory foam that easily deforms under clamping force. For these headphones I'm tempted to bet that bass response would be less inconsistent on a cohort of individuals than some other closed backs, even if the design is leakage intolerant to begin with. As far as I'm concerned I found it very difficult to find ways to make the response inconsistent at lower frequencies with the Hi-X65.
Can be contrasted with :
The main issues in terms of inconsistencies are likely to be in the mids / trebles, and as the pads wear out over time (which they do quite quickly). I did eventually find the Hi-X65 a coupling nightmare, but not at lower frequencies
.Even this is hard and usually achieved only with ownership bias aka if person only has the one set of headphones or if the most recent purchase is a lot more expensive than his other headphones. Otherwise there are so many variables besides objective performance that "the best" headphone varies by day, with different music and just wanting something a bit different once in a while.
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