Open-backed Headphones ≥ Shure 846s

[RichJT]

Hi all,

I received some great guidance regarding PEQ plug ins for my Mac the other day so thought I would once again ask for guidance.

I bought the Shure 846 G2s for mainly portable listening a couple of weeks ago and have been impressed with them. EQ works well, the filters are well implemented, they isolate really well as with previous Shure IEMs I’ve owned and they were good value with 5-year warranty on Japan Amazon coming in at $679 USD.

I have never been that impressed with my Focal Celestee headphones but hoped EQ would help them. I tried Amir’s suggested corrections but still they are inferior to the Shure’s so I have put them up for sale.

Now, with the portable solution taken care of I would like to get home listening open-backed headphones that are as good as or superior to the Shures. In terms of budget, I am happy to save for them a little and pay more but naturally awareness of diminishing returns means less expensive options might work better.

Final point. It’s humid in Japan and I often wear headphones while working at home so would like some that are mot as tightly clamping or heavy as the Focals.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

 

[markanini]

Have you thought about on-ears like Koss Porta Pro? They have a midrange that is somewhat more reminiscent of IEMs.

 

[obsessive9119]

I haven’t heard the Shures, but I recently picked up a set of Sennheiser HD560S and am really impressed by them. They’re one of the cheaper headphones I own but just sound fantastic *without* needing EQ. They’re light and comfortable IMO, though the clamping force is a bit tight.

 

[RichJT]

Have you thought about on-ears like Koss Porta Pro? They have a midrange that is somewhat more reminiscent of IEMs.

Hi Mark, Thank you for taking the time to reply. I would like headphones that are at least equal to the Shure’s in terms of sound quality but with with the added benefits of open-backed headphones like wider soundstage etc if that makes sense? Any ideas?

 

[RichJT]

I haven’t heard the Shures, but I recently picked up a set of Sennheiser HD560S and am really impressed by them. They’re one of the cheaper headphones I own but just sound fantastic *without* needing EQ. They’re light and comfortable IMO, though the clamping force is a bit tight.

Good evening and thank you for your suggestion. I am actually wondering if Sennheiser headphones will be what I end up with. I have been looking at the 800S reviews and they tested well here. The HD560S option would be cheaper I think. What impresses you about them?

 

[A Surfer]

I have no direct experience, but I wonder if Dan Clark Audio might offer a well tuned headphone that you would like?

 

[A Surfer]

Good evening and thank you for your suggestion. I am actually wondering if Sennheiser headphones will be what I end up with. I have been looking at the 800S reviews and they tested well here. The HD560S option would be cheaper I think. What impresses you about them?

I owned and loved the 800S. I had both a tube and a solid state amp and enjoyed the 800S with both.

 

[obsessive9119]

What impresses you about them?

They (pretty much) follow the Harman curve out of the box - they have a bit less bass than Harman but I’m happy with that. They’re also easy to drive. The angled drivers are meant to help with soundstage but I can honestly say I’ve noticed.

The no EQ/easy to drive combo makes them very convenient compared to my usual streamer + headphone amp setups. I can run them off a phone dongle and they sound as good or better than my other headphones with EQ and an amp.

 

[AryaStealth]

I have been looking at the 800S reviews and they tested well here.

HD 550 should be your first choice for neutral sound with Sennheiser, unless you like/need large 5-6khz treble spikes (HD 800S), HD 550 is more neutral and more comfortable than HD560S which has excessive energy around 4 and 8khz. Also it is next to impossible to achieve a good seal on 800S because its cups are so large, so the bass quality will be average even with a very large low shelf.
The only open back from Dan Clark which has 3db deviations in its frequency response from 20Hz to 6Khz (measured on a real head with MS-TFB-2 ear mics) is Expanse which is very expensive. Noire XO has at least 6db deviations/swings between 1 and 6khz on a real head. For a similar price I think Arya Unveiled should sound more neutral than Noire XO, but both has slightly exagerated 5khz, only Noire XO has a 6db peak at 2-2.2khz and more treble after 8khz.

 

[markanini]

Hi Mark, Thank you for taking the time to reply. I would like headphones that are at least equal to the Shure’s in terms of sound quality but with with the added benefits of open-backed headphones like wider soundstage etc if that makes sense? Any ideas?

I dont think most open backs sound like IEMs, closed backs may be closer but are not on the table as you indicated a hot climate. On-ears tend to push some stereotypical IEM frequencies more than around-ears, and the Koss on-ears remain the highest regarded overall in that category despite budget end pricing. Maybe DCA figured something out with aroudn-ear open backs as @A Surfer suggested but I'm not familiar personally.

 

[obsessive9119]

HD560S which has excessive energy around 4 and 8khz

That’s not true of the current version, I think - it may have been true of the initial version.

 

[markanini]

That’s not true of the current version, I think - it may have been true of the initial version.

Theres some pushback from people like oratory1990 on whether a silent updated HD560S was ever a thing.

 

[Laika2]

Any suggestions? Thank you!

AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AKG K371 closed-back headphone. I purchased this last summer and it currently costs US $149 on Amazon including shipping. Note: our company, Madrona Digital, carries various Harman brand products although not the AKG products. The K371 is made...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Check this review out. Very close to Harmon where most suffer in the low bass department. Just got a pair for $130 referbished off eBay, better than my Sennheiser 650 HDs at about 4 times the price and I like them better than my Shure 846 Gen 2s which were by no means cheap.

Mark above recommended Koss Porta Pros and honestly those are often my go too for outdoors, have been for years, great sounding and at the price you won't care if you lose them in a year.

 

[RichJT]

I dont think most open backs sound like IEMs, closed backs may be closer but are not on the table as you indicated a hot climate. On-ears tend to push some stereotypical IEM frequencies more than around-ears, and the Koss on-ears remain the highest regarded overall in that category despite budget end pricing. Maybe DCA figured something out with aroudn-ear open backs as @A Surfer suggested but I'm not familiar personally.

I am looking for headphones that are equal to or better than the IEMs but them sounding like IEMs is not important. I will add the Porta Pros to my testing list. Thanks again for your advice.

 

[RichJT]

AKG K371 Review (closed back headphone)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AKG K371 closed-back headphone. I purchased this last summer and it currently costs US $149 on Amazon including shipping. Note: our company, Madrona Digital, carries various Harman brand products although not the AKG products. The K371 is made...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Check this review out. Very close to Harmon where most suffer in the low bass department. Just got a pair for $130 referbished off eBay, better than my Sennheiser 650 HDs at about 4 times the price and I like them better than my Shure 846 Gen 2s which were by no means cheap.

Mark above recommended Koss Porta Pros and honestly those are often my go too for outdoors, have been for years, great sounding and at the price you won't care if you lose them in a year.

Thank you for your suggestions. AKG K371? Added to the list. The open-backed headphones will be solely for home use as the IEMs are now my portable option.

 

[RichJT]

Thank you everybody for your advice thus far. We have a summer vacation coming up from next weekend which will mean I can visit headphone shops abroad to do some listening. I will try and review as many headphones as I can in that time. I know a place in Seoul as we used to live there. Does anyone know of any good-for-testing headphone shops in the centre of London or Paris?

I am making a headphone list and I will try to check them thrice…

 

[A Surfer]

I have to admit, I used Porta Pros for years and while they were pretty good, I don't think they were as good as pretty much any true over ear headphone that I owned. Maybe they have been improved since I owned mine about 10 years ago.

As well, they cable was so poorly soldered to the terminals on the driver and would easily get torn off from hard to avoid occasional yanks. Had to use the lifetime warranty at least three times which while appreciated, still sucked.