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Less position/seal-dependent closed-back for office use,

sharock

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I'm looking for a portable closed-back to use in the office, fed by mobile phone or laptop and EQ'd to Harman target. I have been using IEMs, but frequently having to take them out to talk to people is faff so an over-ear headphone would be more convenient.

I have the K371 which sounds great with EQ. However, the thing is so position/seal dependent that it never sounds quite right in the bass unless you never move your head!

Is there something out there that can just be put on the head and forgotten about without having to constantly adjust it? Like my LCD-XC, although I'd look ridiculous wearing that at work.:D

I've read good things about the Shure SRH440, although getting an original, non-A model seems difficult now.

Cheers!
 

abdo123

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I heard the Hifiman Sundara (and most of Hifiman's lineup) is not very seal dependent. you have to add some bass on your own to taste though.
 
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sharock

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I heard the Hifiman Sundara (and most of Hifiman's lineup) is not very seal dependent. you have to add some bass on your own to taste though.

I guess you mean the closed-back Sundara? Would it not need a separate amp?
 
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markanini

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At least on my head I found SRH440 less prone to losing seal than AKG K371, and it sounds really good with some light EQ for my subjective taste. Order from someone with a good return policy is my main recommendation.
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staticV3

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@sharock the Sundara Closed back looks to me like a blatant cash grab where they just blocked off a normal Sundara and couldn't care less what that would do sonically: https://www.dropbox.com/s/r3g7nq13j5ozy36/Hifiman Sundara Closed-Back.pdf?dl=0
Needless to say, it's got issues.

Two closed headphones that reportedly seal easily and repeatable are the Austrian Hi-X60 and Beyer DT150. They have large ear pads and above average clamping force supposedly.

The Beyer has strong bass emphasis with the stock pads, which can be remedied by replacing them with the EDT 100T pads:
Beyerdynamic DT150 Measurements Relative Frequency Response Closed Back Headphone (2).png Screenshot_20230524-113449_Chrome.png

The Austrian is nicely tuned out of the box: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kk2i0e06u27myf/Austrian Audio Hi-X60.pdf?dl=0
 

asrUser

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Beyerdynamic DT 700 X Pro should be great.
 
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sharock

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Beyerdynamic DT 700 X Pro should be great.
They look good in terms of design but seem to have a big, uncorrectable FR error at 4KHz. The old DT770 seems to actually come out better post-EQ.

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asrUser

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Is it really an error? At the end you have to judge the sound, not the Harman curve. DT 700 X Pro is an improvement over DT770 for sure.
 

sushi2020

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Excellent review of the DT 700 Pro X by Solderdude.
A FR error at 4khz may not actually be a problem.

I would recommend an ANC headphone such as the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
They are not easily affected by sealing.
 
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