Please, recommend headphones for listening to music with ENJOYMENT.

[Another_Moon]

Greetings, I want headphones for enjoying, comfortable, pleasant, probably emotional, possibly fun listening. Budget up to about $300. As I heard the phrase, in a review of the DT 990 Pro from a sound engineer, where he compared them from the point of use of mixing/mastering, he said that these headphones are not entirely suitable for sound editing, because almost any mix sounds good in them, that’s exactly what I’m looking for and want.
And this is approximately what I get with my Superlux HD 668B, this is now my reference. Also, of course, I want them to be physically comfortable, and because of this, I probably wouldn’t want isodynamics. What I recently purchased for myself (all used with EQ Oratory): Sundara - the main thing is that they simply do not sit comfortably, the 9K peak of which was not on the GRAS charts was quite annoying to the ears, the bass was probably too light, not assertive; HD 560S - yes, it’s convenient, but I don’t like the sound in almost any track, I don’t feel the mood, it’s hard on the ears in itself, the bass seems to be there, and yes it’s deep, but in fact it’s almost not felt in the track, it’s very lightweight, maybe not tightly, these are all audiophile words, of course, but still, they also probably don’t have enough air.
In total, the wishes turn out to be approximately the following: dense, good, perceptible bass, probably not tense, a relaxed area in low treble, as I understand it, is about 3.5-4.5K, well, that there would still be “brilliance”, “air” of course, like everything is better in to the best of my ability, I want there to be a margin for distortion for volume, and in general, I want the headphones to be more or less correct, also the best option is a semi-open design, a compromise with noise insulation, but there are few such headphones, I understand, open ones may not give me the bass that I want I want it, but open ones can supposedly spoil the high frequencies.
So far, for these characteristics, I have looked at something like the DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm, but again, they do not have much less distortion than the HD 668B and I will not get a strong upgrade in volume, although this is still at least some option.
In general, anyone who has any opinions or ideas on this matter, write options for headphone models, thank you all. Sorry for the possibly stupid construction of sentences and choice of words, Google Translate.
UPD1: Perhaps what I want can be called something like U-shape, but I don’t think it should be more complicated. The reviewer-sound engineer also said that it’s nice to watch a movie, and in the HD 668B I also feel this, and on videos on YouTube, unlike the HD 560S.

 

[nerdemoji]

First off... use EQ. no perfect headphone exists without EQ, especially if you take into account on-head variance

You are looking for a preference target based headphone. So Harman 2018 OE is going to be your target

I think Dan Clark Audio Aeon Open X when it goes on sale from someone on Ebay is good, or you can wait for a sale at Drop and pay a little extra. Oh, and use EQ please



Was it nouv who recommended the DT 990 lol?

 

[Another_Moon]

First off... use EQ. no perfect headphone exists without EQ, especially if you take into account on-head variance

You are looking for a preference target based headphone. So Harman 2018 OE is going to be your target

I think Dan Clark Audio Aeon Open X when it goes on sale from someone on Ebay is good, or you can wait for a sale at Drop and pay a little extra. Oh, and use EQ please



Was it nouv who recommended the DT 990 lol?

I always use EQ anyway. And the DCA Aeon X Open response looks interesting based on my wishes. But this is of course a little expensive and not very convenient, I listened to DCA Stealth and didn’t like it, but here the response looks less clear, warmer, which is good and the design is open, which should also be better. I will no longer focus only on Harman Target, there are enough unsuccessful attempts, I want real opinions from use and comparison.

 

[asrUser]

Try looking for Foster headphones such as E-Mu Teak, Denon AH-D5200 and Fostex TH610 either new or used. You should be able to feel their bass. They're not really closed, but like semi-open. Sometimes Drop is selling the Teak with removable cables.
And look for Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, should be better than DT990.

 

[Another_Moon]

Try looking for Foster headphones such as E-Mu Teak, Denon AH-D5200 and Fostex TH610 either new or used. You should be able to feel their bass. They're not really closed, but like semi-open. Sometimes Drop is selling the Teak with removable cables.
And look for Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, should be better than DT990.

Interestingly, after EQ everything seems to be quite good, but a little expensive. Have you listened to Fostex T40RP mk3, T60RP by chance?
According to the graphs, the DT 900 Pro X actually looks worse than the 990, but in general, before purchasing, I plan to listen to both and what good things are offered here.

 

[asrUser]

Fostex T40RP mk3, T60RP by chance?

Nope. I only listened to TH610 and TH900. Both are impactful.

 

[nebunebu]

I've heard that the Sennheiser HD600 is really good.

Though, I have HD800 which has a very very comfortable fit, but this headset falls through depending on the recording so its not an all-rounder.
I also have Hifiman HE400 - you get used to the sound and once you do, its as good as any (not mind blowing at all).

However, what i'm rolling with daily is Sennheiser HDR 130 which uses 864MHz radio frequency and has a range up to 100 meters. I've modified this headset using speaker elements from Bower & Wilkins P3 and it plays all music in a pleasant manner. Probably not technically correct at all, but I love the sound and love the freedom of moving around in the house cooking, reading, playing games, going to the toilet, working in the shed.

 

[wunderkind]

Like sofas or toilet seats..... Headphones are so subjective. What sounds good to me may sound crap to you. Try before you buy or make sure the product has good return policy attached.

For me I've converted to planar cans and cannot stand dynamic cans. But it may not be for everyone.

 

[UrbanAnimism777]

I'd personally get the Philips Fidelio X2HR - 150 dollars will get you there in terms of enjoyment and comfort. Plus, if you EQ, they scale up A LOT.

 

[ZolaIII]

I would say Denon AH-D5200 from closed back's and for medium 70's SPL without EQ and Sennheiser old series 600 from open back 80+ SPL (and without sub bass). Denon's will have very good highs to about 12.5 KHz and bass is slightly up (+2~3) but particularly good shaped. Anyhow add a bit of wet reverb. Both are over your budget but I think on the long run it's worth it.

 

[kestrel4]

Greetings, I want headphones for enjoying, comfortable, pleasant, probably emotional, possibly fun listening. Budget up to about $300. As I heard the phrase, in a review of the DT 990 Pro from a sound engineer, where he compared them from the point of use of mixing/mastering, he said that these headphones are not entirely suitable for sound editing, because almost any mix sounds good in them, that’s exactly what I’m looking for and want.
And this is approximately what I get with my Superlux HD 668B, this is now my reference. Also, of course, I want them to be physically comfortable, and because of this, I probably wouldn’t want isodynamics. What I recently purchased for myself (all used with EQ Oratory): Sundara - the main thing is that they simply do not sit comfortably, the 9K peak of which was not on the GRAS charts was quite annoying to the ears, the bass was probably too light, not assertive; HD 560S - yes, it’s convenient, but I don’t like the sound in almost any track, I don’t feel the mood, it’s hard on the ears in itself, the bass seems to be there, and yes it’s deep, but in fact it’s almost not felt in the track, it’s very lightweight, maybe not tightly, these are all audiophile words, of course, but still, they also probably don’t have enough air.
In total, the wishes turn out to be approximately the following: dense, good, perceptible bass, probably not tense, a relaxed area in low treble, as I understand it, is about 3.5-4.5K, well, that there would still be “brilliance”, “air” of course, like everything is better in to the best of my ability, I want there to be a margin for distortion for volume, and in general, I want the headphones to be more or less correct, also the best option is a semi-open design, a compromise with noise insulation, but there are few such headphones, I understand, open ones may not give me the bass that I want I want it, but open ones can supposedly spoil the high frequencies.
So far, for these characteristics, I have looked at something like the DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm, but again, they do not have much less distortion than the HD 668B and I will not get a strong upgrade in volume, although this is still at least some option.
In general, anyone who has any opinions or ideas on this matter, write options for headphone models, thank you all. Sorry for the possibly stupid construction of sentences and choice of words, Google Translate.
UPD1: Perhaps what I want can be called something like U-shape, but I don’t think it should be more complicated. The reviewer-sound engineer also said that it’s nice to watch a movie, and in the HD 668B I also feel this, and on videos on YouTube, unlike the HD 560S.

Sorry but I don't agree on the DT990. Borrowed a pair and found them a little too piercing. I think they're designed for gamers. I had the same requirement as you and am now very happy the HD-650 (after sending back HD-560s).

 

[krumpol]

DT990 [...] I think they're designed for gamers.

These have been designed forty years ago, when kids were listening to eight bit samples of their games through cheap TV repro.

 

[kestrel4]

These have been designed forty years ago, when kids were listening to eight bit samples of their games through cheap TV repro.

!thanks
You'r right! I'd no idea they go back so far. Have they been changed? Or have they been relaunched for gamers and studio mixing, given that their style is not really conducive to actual enjoyment of music, based on my short experience of a borrowed pair.

 

[Another_Moon]

Они были созданы сорок лет назад, когда дети слушали восьмибитные версии своих игр с помощью недорогих телевизионных репродукций.

I think the DT 990 has changed a lot since its 1985 release, and not only externally) And so, I changed my opinion a little between the HD 668B and HD 560S, the HD 560S gives a lot of detail not at the expense of the frequency response, it does not give distortion, the low frequencies attenuate quickly and don’t go into the midrange, this gives a lot of information about the audio recording, but it’s harder to get a buzz, especially from lower-quality audio recordings.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

!thanks
You'r right! I'd no idea they go back so far. Have they been changed? Or have they been relaunched for gamers and studio mixing, given that their style is not really conducive to actual enjoyment of music, based on my short experience of a borrowed pair.

Beyerdynamic has the TYGR 300R which is basically a warmer/less bright tilted DT 990. This one is indeed marketed "for gamers" but many people prefer it over the DT 990, myself likely included.

They also have a gaming headset called the MMX300 which is very highly regarded not only among gamers, and the "Custom Game".

Marketing aside, both of these seem just as good as their "audiophile" models for people who like a slightly V-Shaped sound.

TYGR 300R: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a7lqflrl98yj6fr/Beyerdynamic Tygr 300.pdf?e=2&dl=0
MMX 300: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dd23azesu23u65s/Beyerdynamic MMX300.pdf?e=1&dl=0 (highest preference rating of all Beyers not that it is saying much)

 

[Phil Spectrum]

You really should check out the Audio-Technica ATH-R70X. They are like the acclaimed Sennheiser HD650 BUT with more bass, more transparency and an extra world of comfort, zero clamping. Everything is clear, nothing is pumped up, nothing feels unnatural or forced. You can EQ up the bass if you want but I've never felt the need.

Audio-Technica R70x review: the definition of neutral headphones

But you don’t have to work in a studio to love how they sound

www.theverge.com

The ASR review was disapproving but if you look at the fine print, they had trouble with "fitment" -- again, zero clamping -- and I think the measurements are off because of that.

I have listened to music for hours a day with these and they are just plain enjoyable. They are high-impedance; amplification will help, but you don't have to get a mega-expensive amp.

 

[David James]

I'm an hd600 owner. They are very agreeable and comfortable, at least for me. Everything sounds good. My only complaint is that there doesn't seem to be great imaging, at least in my setup and the way I use them. You will want to EQ them since the bass is lacking, but they responded well. Certainly worth auditioning anyway since they and their kin are probably the most recommended and tried and true.

This might seem like an odd suggestion, and nothing you asked for, but I just bought the zero:2 IEMs for $30 or whatever ludicrously low price they sold for, and just like Amir said, the 'reference' sound has changed my perspective. I adore them and they are completely comfortable, unlike my previous experience with IEMs. I mention them because they changed my expectations somewhat on what a headphone should sound like. They also changed my expectations of what recordings should should sound like.

 

[SteveL]

I'm an hd600 owner. They are very agreeable and comfortable, at least for me. Everything sounds good. My only complaint is that there doesn't seem to be great imaging, at least in my setup and the way I use them. You will want to EQ them since the bass is lacking, but they responded well. Certainly worth auditioning anyway since they and their kin are probably the most recommended and tried and true.

This might seem like an odd suggestion, and nothing you asked for, but I just bought the zero:2 IEMs for $30 or whatever ludicrously low price they sold for, and just like Amir said, the 'reference' sound has changed my perspective. I adore them and they are completely comfortable, unlike my previous experience with IEMs. I mention them because they changed my expectations somewhat on what a headphone should sound like. They also changed my expectations of what recordings should should sound like.

It seems to me that IEMs like that have really upended the market. Admittedly not everyone is as comfortable with IEMs as I am, but these days I wouldn't even think of buying a headphone unless I had Dan Clark money, which I definitely don't. We have never before had tremendously good sound for next to no money (really only the cost of the cheap IEM and perhaps a cheap dongle, since nearly all of us would have a phone in any case). It's pretty thrilling.

 

[HD800Fan]

Maybe consider an IEM like the Truthear Nova. Well-received, very close to the Harman target and half your budget.

 

[srkbear]

I think without question that the best headphones you can buy under $500 are Hifiman’s Edition XS. The Hifiman store has open box items of them all the time for about $359, if you can swing it (they usually go for $459), and they guarantee them as new and give you their full warranty. And if you ever decide you want to upgrade to a higher tier in their lineup, they’ll let you send them in for an upgrade for a fraction of the price difference.

They’re beautifully tuned planars, comfortable as all hell, open-backed, out-of-this-world soundstage, and great for any genre. I own a ridiculous collection of insanely priced “flagship” headphones, and if I got stranded on a desert island with the Edition XS, I’d be perfectly happy. Plus Amazon will let you audition them for several weeks with a no-questions-asked return policy. Give them a try!