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Headphones Advice

Cb22

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Hi all, first post here. Any thoughts on the following would be appreciated.

I currently own a pair of Sennheiser HDXX, a D50 and O2 amp. I bought them about four years ago and have been using them everyday at work. I wear them for 7-10 hours a day. So far the XX have held up great. They’ve taking a beeting and they're still working fine. The thing that I like most is the comfort.

I have an Eversolo Z-8 that I recently purchased for my house setup after reading the review here. Love the VU meters! I'm looking to purchase a new pair of headphones to live alongside the Z-8. I'm considering the following based on the forums/ reviews I've read.

  1. HiFiMan Arya Stealth
  2. Audeze LCD-X
  3. Sennheiser 650H (I pretty much know what I'm getting and a nice price)
  4. Meze 109 Pro (I've read its treble heavy but very comfortable)

Worth mentioning that I don't plan on doing any EQ and comfort/ bass is most important to me. I listen to a wide variety of music and podcasts too. My only complaint about the XX is the lack of bass for music. I don't want to have to crank the headphone amp up super loud to feel the bass. If I'm going to spend this kind of $ on a pair of headphones I figured it was worth posting on the forum first to see if you have any recommendations. I think I can find all but the Meze on Amazon so if I don’t like them, I can always return em.

Any other headphones you would recommend checking out?
 

IAtaman

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Love the VU meters!
Agreed.

I'm looking to purchase a new pair of headphones to live alongside the Z-8. I'm considering the following based on the forums/ reviews I've read.

  1. HiFiMan Arya Stealth
  2. Audeze LCD-X
  3. Sennheiser 650H (I pretty much know what I'm getting and a nice price)
  4. Meze 109 Pro (I've read its treble heavy but very comfortable)

Worth mentioning that I don't plan on doing any EQ and comfort/ bass is most important to me. I listen to a wide variety of music and podcasts too. My only complaint about the XX is the lack of bass for music. I don't want to have to crank the headphone amp up super loud to feel the bass. If I'm going to spend this kind of $ on a pair of headphones I figured it was worth posting on the forum first to see if you have any recommendations. I think I can find all but the Meze on Amazon so if I don’t like them, I can always return em.

Any other headphones you would recommend checking out?
It's gonna be tough to check all the marks without EQ in my opinion. I was between LCD-X and Arya myself a few weeks ago, ended up getting both sort of, I love LCD-X, it has the bass punch you are looking for but it is not comfortable for long periods due to its weight, and needs EQ to sound its best. Probably your best option would be Arya between your top 3, I do not have any personal experience with Meze. Assuming you mean HD650, that is "same" as 6XX so that would be a waste of money. Best tuning out of the box with no EQ and good bass punch - DT770 Pro, AKG K371 maybe and if you live in EUR, people here speak highly about Ollo Audio. Or you can EQ and live happily ever after with your Arya's.
 
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jae

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I assume you meant you have the HD6XX and by 650H you are referring to the HD650? If so you can cross that one off your list since they are effectively the same headphone. Personally I would not recommend any of those other 3 headphones, they all have glaring problems that I would say need EQ to correct, and if you're going to use EQ you might as well start by EQing your current headphones that is quite capable already. If you are on MacOS try SoundSource and if on Windows try EquilizerAPO+Peace. Even if you don't want to use EQ on a daily basis for whatever reason, comparing your preferences with EQ compared to the frequency response of your original headphone is essential in determining what you should look for in a new headphone. There are many good headphone from Dan Clark Audio and also stuff like Audeze MM-500 to look at (and also very great for comfort), but I would say a number of them also need EQ to sound their best.
 
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IAtaman

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What EQ program would you recommend using?
On PC Equalizer APO + Peace on Mac probably best of the bunch is EqMac. I believe there is a master thread that goes into details of different EQ apps on ASR, would recommend searching for it as well. I would also recommend looking at Qudelix 5K - it is a tiny wired/wireless portable DAC/Amp combo with a very functional parametric EQ with AutoEQ built in.
 

solderdude

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I don't plan on doing any EQ and comfort/ bass is most important to me
OLLO S5X

Full bodied yet accurate/real sound, excellent bass extension, service-able, no EQ needed, no piecing treble, easy to drive, quite comfortable, you can try one for a month.
 
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Cb22

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On PC Equalizer APO + Peace on Mac probably best of the bunch is EqMac. I believe there is a master thread that goes into details of different EQ apps on ASR, would recommend searching for it as well. I would also recommend looking at Qudelix 5K - it is a tiny wired/wireless portable DAC/Amp combo with a very functional parametric EQ with AutoEQ built in.
Thanks I'll check these out. I'm using a PC and audirvana studio, which has Qobuz integration for streaming. I'm not sure how PC Equalizer will interact with audirvana studio. But I'll check it out.

I assume you meant you have the HD6XX and by 650H you are referring to the HD650?
Yes that's what I meant.

As of now my short list has changed to:
  1. OLLO S5X
  2. OLLO S4K (a little lighter so maybe better for wearing longer?)
  3. DCA Aeon 2 Noire
  4. HiFiMan Arya Stealth
I was reading this thread:

Quoting, @jae , "Firstly I will say that 95-99%+ of what we interpret as sound quality, soundstage, imaging effects etc. (that aren't from the spectral content of the music itself) is based almost solely on the frequency response of the headphone. That being said, as you can imagine virtually every headphone has a different FR, and the modern research on the topic has shown that price has very little correlation with perceived sound quality in blind tests, and in fact any people found cheaper headphones to be superior to many critically-acclaimed ones when they didn't know what response they were listening to. So, don't feel like you have to spend money to get a "better sound".

My budget is 1300. Just because I have it doesn't mean I need to spend it all. As of now I'm leading to ordering the S5X and if I'm not happy with it I can send it back. Because I'm in the US the return shipping could get pricy. I was looking at the SK4 because the weight was a bit lighter.

I'm going to think of it for a couple more days but sounds like the S5X could be the winner. Sounds like its a good value for what you get.
OLLO S5X

Full bodied yet accurate/real sound, excellent bass extension, service-able, no EQ needed, no piecing treble, easy to drive, quite comfortable, you can try one for a month.
Could wear the headphones all day without any fatigue?
 

Vini darko

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OLLO S5X

Full bodied yet accurate/real sound, excellent bass extension, service-able, no EQ needed, no piecing treble, easy to drive, quite comfortable, you can try one for a month.
Never heard of them before. Your quality review has me intested now. If only I atcually had money.
 

solderdude

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I'm going to think of it for a couple more days but sounds like the S5X could be the winner. Sounds like its a good value for what you get.

Could wear the headphones all day without any fatigue?

Never tried that but an evening with the S5X (with felt disc) is perfectly fine.
They are a bit heavy in weight but less than Focal Clear and less than any Audeze, just slightly heavier than Sundara and HD800.
 
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solderdude

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Never heard of them before. Your quality review has me intested now. If only I atcually had money.
OLLO has only been around since 2017.
The first headphones they made were nothing to write home about.
Sound quality is improving gradually.
They are primarily focused on studio monitoring headphones though. Not for the hifi market but the S5X is good enough for this.

Downsides: cable is microphonic, clamping force is a bit on the high side but can be adjusted. Adjust-ability leaves something to be desired. Will fit most heads just fine though.
IMO one of the very few headphones that does not need EQ, is easy to drive.
Not Harman bass though but great for the 20% of listeners that does not desire elevated bass. Bass extension is excellent.
 

Elitzur–Vaidman

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Thanks I'll check these out. I'm using a PC and audirvana studio, which has Qobuz integration for streaming. I'm not sure how PC Equalizer will interact with audirvana studio. But I'll check it out.
Peace EQ (equalizer apo) shouldn't interact with audirvana studio. The way it operates in the Windows Audio Service is by processing the audio right before it's sent to the audio device driver.
 

Jimbob54

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Peace EQ (equalizer apo) shouldn't interact with audirvana studio. The way it operates in the Windows Audio Service is by processing the audio right before it's sent to the audio device driver.
Funnily enough I trialled Audirvana last night (didnt work out for me, different story) but you can get it to work with EAPO if you select the Directsound path to your DAC with exclusive mode unlocked.
 
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Cb22

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(didnt work out for me, different story)
I'm interested to hear. Care to elaborate? I was reading that the computer automatically up-samples/ and down-samples audio. And Audirvana makes sure the correct sample rate gets to the DAC.

Side note, I'm getting a new pair of loud speakers tomorrow - the BMR towers by Philharmonic Audio. I'm really interested in AB testing Audirvana/Qobuz via a PC vs Spotify though my smart TV. I'm curious to see how much of a difference I will hear if any.
 

Jimbob54

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I'm interested to hear. Care to elaborate? I was reading that the computer automatically up-samples/ and down-samples audio. And Audirvana makes sure the correct sample rate gets to the DAC.

Side note, I'm getting a new pair of loud speakers tomorrow - the BMR towers by Philharmonic Audio. I'm really interested in AB testing Audirvana/Qobuz via a PC vs Spotify though my smart TV. I'm curious to see how much of a difference I will hear if any.
Didn't like the interface, it didn't merge my local and qobuz libraries. Couldnt do a whole library shuffle.

Didn't explore actual sound settings too much but looked to me like you could either pass to dac bit perfect or presumably could do some resampling. But if it doesn't do what I need on the library management and play controls it's a dead duck.
 

jae

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DCA Noire is a great headphone- be aware that it is closed (the other ones you have been comparing to are open). I think if you order from DCA directly, there is a 14-day trial period less a 5% restocking fee for returns. Headphones.com has a 365 day return policy but a 10% restock fee. Maybe a good option to order from places with a good return policy or Amazon (30 days) etc. if you are not completely sure about the purchase.

Excellent choice with the Philharmonic loudspeakers. They are a cut above most hifi speakers. I'm sure you'll enjoy them greatly as-is, but many around here would encourage you to get the $80 umik-1 measurement mic to see how they perform in your room. There are many tutorials and guides on here and elsewhere on taking measurements of your system with REW and using that information to do room correction via EQ, aiding in optimal speaker placement/angling, or choosing the best treatments for a room if that's something that interests you.

I would really encourage you to give the EQ a try with the 6XX before making any purchases. I (or others) can give you an eq profile for it if you get eqapo+peace setup. You may find that the 6XX with just the bass correction gets you quite far in terms of new found enjoyment while still being that familiar sound you're used to. I bought my HD650 15 years ago as a daily driver and even bought a 2nd pair of 6XX when it was released to take with me while I am working overseas, and I still use them regularly despite owning a number of headphones that are technically "better". Since you already love them, the headband and so on is already broken in to your head and you find them comfortable, it should be a pleasant change. You can also use the EQ to mimmick the response of some of those headphones you are interested in to see if you'd like something close to their out-of-the-box sound signature, which can definitely help your purchase decision.
 

Mulder

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I also have the OLLO S5X. Since you mentioned Sennheiser 650, I have the SennheiserHD 600 which is similar in sound signature, and I clearly prefer S5X compared to HD600. S5X has a very well extended bass, and a very precent and well defined lower end overall. The low end is not warm or muddy, but clear and crisp. However, it will not deliver a heavy fat bass, i.e. the bass is not emphasized in relation to other frequency ranges. I have followed @solderdude ideá and put thin felt into them. This reduced treble a tiny amount, which might prevent possible listening fatigue. You wrote you are listening to headphones 7 to 10 hours a day, and this seems to be a lot to me and I would probably be tired of any headphone after such long listening sessions. I don´t think S5X is uncomfortable, but as it is a headphone designed for studio use it has a bit of clamping force. I don´t mind this, but it can as mentioned be adjusted. However, the Sennheiser 650 is probably slightly more comfortable.
 

luisma

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Just purchased a B-stock Ollo S5X following @solderdude review, should we create an owner's thread for it?

Edit: I wanted (needed) closed backs and looking into better bass than my HD560S (which I love BTW and added a low shelf bass filter), I wanted to attend the Florida Audio Expo but couldn't so I haven't heard any other headphones.

LCD-XC (too heavy, perhaps Audeze will release a lighter version and expensive)
Arya (QC issues apparently, not so good customer service and expensive)
Focal Elegia (the headband breaks)
Hi-X60 (almost purchased this one but changed my mind)
Emu Teak (I wasn't convinced)
Aeon ClosedX or Noire (these seems to be great, light, good customer service, but wasn't sure either)

Edit 02: I would still like to listen to planars eventually.
 
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Cb22

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I would really encourage you to give the EQ a try with the 6XX before making any purchases.
I did this with peace Eq and it worked great too boost the bass on the 6XX. However, I keep the 6XX at work and wanted to get a new pair for my house. Or maybe I'll bring the new Ollo's to the office if there super comfortable and I can wear them for 8+ hours a day.
You wrote you are listening to headphones 7 to 10 hours a day, and this seems to be a lot to me and I would probably be tired of any headphone after such long listening sessions.
I wear headphones for most of the day due to my profession. I work in commercial postproduction. I'm a editor/ motion designer but sometimes, I dabble in sound design. Obviously I'm not listing to music all day. I have to listen to a lot of mono content eg dialogue. The 6XX have just become one with my head at this point. I have a pair of KRKs for mixing but can't use them all day as I'm in a shared space and don't have my own edit suite. Or a least not yet :)

Just purchased a B-stock Ollo S5X following @solderdude review, should we create an owner's thread for it?
No way I just got the B-stocks too! But with an extra pair of pads. lol. I am still interested in the DCA Aeron and the HiFi Man Arya's. Maybe one day I'll get to hear them.

Excellent choice with the Philharmonic loudspeakers. They are a cut above most hifi speakers.
Yes I've only had one evening with them so far. Initial thoughts (relative to the BMRs) - there is a bit more presence in the mid range, the soundstage a step up and fantastic. The finish is stunning and far exceeded my expectations. I do plan on measuring them with the UMIK and REW, probably will get to this in a couple of months I just want to enjoy the new speakers for now.
 
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