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Looking for an entry level headphone

Arylar

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Dec 21, 2024
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Hello everyone,

I've been reading this forum for quite some time on and off, even if lately I've been unable to listen to music too much due to health issues and I also lost the account I had here.
Anyway, to cut things short, I've always been passionate about music, but also overwhelmed about all the choices and decisions about equipment, so I swing between deep dives about hifi and a more pragmatic approach where I try to avoid questions, that's also why I love your scientific approach.

I've listened to music mainly on my old B&W 603 s2 speakers with a series of "dry", cold and clear amplifiers, even some transistor ones, so I guess I can say that I tend to love a neutral, analytical and definitely not excessively warm sound.

Since I'm unable to listen to speakers at decent volumes where I'm living now, I'm willing to try headphones instead of just stop enjoying music, because let's face it, listening from a non hifi speaker at inadequate volume is worse than not listening to music at all.

So in my quest for a good, or maybe decent, headphone I'm trying to find something that could be "hifi enough" without breaking the bank because I'm just starting to wet my feet with this way of listening.
I mostly listen to rock, jazz and folk, so I tend to appreciate forwards mids and details, with some strong bass that is present without beeing boomy or overwhelming. I usually prefer a "dry" sound with more details.

To save money I'm also looking at used cans, so my choice is also related to what I can find around.
Ideally I think I could like a sannheiser HD560s but it's not easy to find it at the moment, so I'm pretty overwhelmed by all the available choices, trying to cross what I want with what people would like to sell at an acceptable price.

It's especially difficult to give absolute values to sound quality without considering a price point. I'll list the models I'm taking into consideration at the moment, hoping you can give me some hint:

Sannheiser hd559
Sannheiser hd589cs
Akg k371 (probably my favourite if hd560 are not available)
Superlux hd672 (if I could find them in Europe, which seems pretty difficult)
Philips x2hr
Akg k702 (a bit higher priced)
Hifiman he 400se (same as the former, but I'm keeping an eye on refurbs)

So yeah, my options are a bit of a mess and scattered all over the place, but I would like to have some advice about my choices or similar products, especially to understand the difference in absolute sound quality between some new budget headphones, like superlux for example, and used higher tier ones like the sannheiser or akg.
I was also looking at some wireless ones, like the ugreen Amir reviewed, but I guess they're not better than the wired competitors.
Maybe I should just go with the 10$ Sony ones and learn how to use eq (which btw I already want to do, that's why I'm considering also the hd559 that I found at a really bargain price), but I'm not sure about how much difference in audible quality I could find between all these models.

Sorry if the long and confused post, I still hope someone could give me some helpful advice.

Thank you very much!
 
AKG K371 should be the default choice IMO, given that it tracks the full frequency range without additional EQ and is easy to drive. A number of EU online retailers offer generous return policies, and you should be given two week right of withdrawal on online purchases by EU law. At best it can be risk free to order any headphone on your list. That's a good thing because headphones will always be sensitive to individual anatomy/fit, so what sounds great for most wont sound good for some.
 
Hello everyone,

I've been reading this forum for quite some time on and off, even if lately I've been unable to listen to music too much due to health issues and I also lost the account I had here.
Anyway, to cut things short, I've always been passionate about music, but also overwhelmed about all the choices and decisions about equipment, so I swing between deep dives about hifi and a more pragmatic approach where I try to avoid questions, that's also why I love your scientific approach.

I've listened to music mainly on my old B&W 603 s2 speakers with a series of "dry", cold and clear amplifiers, even some transistor ones, so I guess I can say that I tend to love a neutral, analytical and definitely not excessively warm sound.

Since I'm unable to listen to speakers at decent volumes where I'm living now, I'm willing to try headphones instead of just stop enjoying music, because let's face it, listening from a non hifi speaker at inadequate volume is worse than not listening to music at all.

So in my quest for a good, or maybe decent, headphone I'm trying to find something that could be "hifi enough" without breaking the bank because I'm just starting to wet my feet with this way of listening.
I mostly listen to rock, jazz and folk, so I tend to appreciate forwards mids and details, with some strong bass that is present without beeing boomy or overwhelming. I usually prefer a "dry" sound with more details.

To save money I'm also looking at used cans, so my choice is also related to what I can find around.
Ideally I think I could like a sannheiser HD560s but it's not easy to find it at the moment, so I'm pretty overwhelmed by all the available choices, trying to cross what I want with what people would like to sell at an acceptable price.

It's especially difficult to give absolute values to sound quality without considering a price point. I'll list the models I'm taking into consideration at the moment, hoping you can give me some hint:

Sannheiser hd559
Sannheiser hd589cs
Akg k371 (probably my favourite if hd560 are not available)
Superlux hd672 (if I could find them in Europe, which seems pretty difficult)
Philips x2hr
Akg k702 (a bit higher priced)
Hifiman he 400se (same as the former, but I'm keeping an eye on refurbs)

So yeah, my options are a bit of a mess and scattered all over the place, but I would like to have some advice about my choices or similar products, especially to understand the difference in absolute sound quality between some new budget headphones, like superlux for example, and used higher tier ones like the sannheiser or akg.
I was also looking at some wireless ones, like the ugreen Amir reviewed, but I guess they're not better than the wired competitors.
Maybe I should just go with the 10$ Sony ones and learn how to use eq (which btw I already want to do, that's why I'm considering also the hd559 that I found at a really bargain price), but I'm not sure about how much difference in audible quality I could find between all these models.

Sorry if the long and confused post, I still hope someone could give me some helpful advice.

Thank you very much!
The AKG K371 is good for the price, but doesn't like rough handling.
I would also put the HD 599 SE refurbished for €85 in the Sennheiser outlet on the list.
The HD 560S refurbished is currently available in the outlet for €120.

I would also put the Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R in the running. Very underrated headphones because they are not very well known. I was extremely positively surprised and would always choose them over an AKG K701/702. Available on offer for €120, sometimes used for less than €100.

In my opinion, all the hyped Superlux headphones can't keep up with the above, whether they are modded or with EQ. I've had several, really good for the price, but that's all.
 
The AKG K371 is good for the price, but doesn't like rough handling.
I would also put the HD 599 SE refurbished for €85 in the Sennheiser outlet on the list.
The HD 560S refurbished is currently available in the outlet for €120.

I would also put the Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R in the running. Very underrated headphones because they are not very well known. I was extremely positively surprised and would always choose them over an AKG K701/702. Available on offer for €120, sometimes used for less than €100.

In my opinion, all the hyped Superlux headphones can't keep up with the above, whether they are modded or with EQ. I've had several, really good for the price, but that's all.
A bit like, "do you want the pleasure of a great sounding headphones as long as they last?" or "do you want an ok sounding headphone that lasts for years?". Manufacturers gave in to the mentality of chasing "the next new thing". Longevity is no longer is a big selling point, it's sad.
 
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