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I’ve got $300 to spend on a new headphone, open back. I currently use ATH M50X that are 8-10 years old. I replaced the ear pads and a zip-on cover for the headband. I decided I want to try something new, an open back headphone. I want a low impedance headphone that can be used with my Macbook Air M1. I listen to ECM jazz, Lush (female voices & electronic).
The Hifiman he400se, AKG K371Pro, or Audio Technica ADA1000X are all easy to drive and sound great, The Final Sonorous III would probably be the most familiar for an upgrade to what you have though. I have one and you can power them really well with onboard sound or a phone. The Apple 3.5mm adapter gets them ridiculously loud.
I'll endorse the suggestions by DonR and Dunring, but humor me : buy the Koss KPH30i's. They're quite inexpensive, and I think that you will be amazed at how good they sound, esp. in the low end. I know that I couldn't believe it.
I think they hit about 103db on 1Vrms which is what that laptop maxes out on. Might not be enough but given OP's genre preference should be OK. Some of the HiFiman headphones are low impedance but also low sensitivity so he will just have to try different models I suspect.
The clamping force can be a bit too much, but easily remedied by stretching the headband. Otherwise I cannot think of any headphone that is more comfortable than HD600. This might depend on how much one notes the weight: for example the LCD-X has luxurious pads and fits your head like a glove, but at least I will notice the huge weight whenever I move my head a bit, and I have a thick neck of a powerlifter.
I picked up a pair of HD600s "used" from Amazon for almost a hundred under you budget. I received an open box brand new set of headphones that represent the best deal in audio for me in 2023 so far. They are now EQ'd and my daily driver because of the aforementioned comfort and very low weight.
I have Sennheiser HD650 and MacBook Air M1 (and I listen to ECM recordings quite often). I do not use and I would not recommend HD650 with the M1 Air straight from the headphone out. These cans definitely need some more power IMHO. Sundaras (own them too) are slightly easier to drive, but anyway the only headphones I sometimes use with MB are Audioquest Nighthawks, as the most efficient of the cans I have.
But if external DAC/amp is an option for @Jim Creek I would not hesitate to join the choir of HD600 / HD650 proponents.
I’ve got $300 to spend on a new headphone, open back. I currently use ATH M50X that are 8-10 years old. I replaced the ear pads and a zip-on cover for the headband. I decided I want to try something new, an open back headphone. I want a low impedance headphone that can be used with my Macbook Air M1. I listen to ECM jazz, Lush (female voices & electronic).
Edit: re: the impedance question, not sure if your laptop would struggle with the 560s, the list below gives some options that would be easier to drive, but within your price range one does get better open back performance at the expense need in g more power. May be worth looking at cheap amplification to open up better options on terms of headphones. Something like this:
Zero-Noise Audio Performance According to multiple headfiers requests: 3.5mm jack unbalanced output DAC+HPA 200mW@40ohm in the same case as #9038SG3 and # 9038D. Like the previous prototypes, 9038D6K will work with Tweak app as well. The DAC has virtually zero noise modulation behavior. Classic...
Thanks everyone. I know I said open back headphones but I went in a different direction.
I jumped on a deal on Amazon. The AKG Podcast Kit which includes a microphone, software and a K371 headphone for $135. As it turns out I really love the K371. It is so much better than my ATH M50X.
When I read reviews of the K371, there was a lot of praise for its performance, following the Harmon curve very closely. But there were some criticisms on QC issues and durability over time. These were 3 year old reviews. My pair came with no QC problems. It seems those QC issues have been addressed. Long term durability remains to be seen.
Compared to my 8 year old M50X head phones the K371 has a much better balanced sound and wider sound stage. The M50X is too bass heavy. The bass bleeds into the midrange making the over all sound a bit muddy. I didn’t realize just how bass heavy it was until I compared them to the K371. Some of this can be EQ’ed but the sound stage will still be narrower.
I love my new K371 phones. I hope they last in the long run. We’ll see.
I have Sennheiser HD650 and MacBook Air M1 (and I listen to ECM recordings quite often). I do not use and I would not recommend HD650 with the M1 Air straight from the headphone out. These cans definitely need some more power IMHO.
I'm using HD650 from the headphone out of my M1 Pro (13 inch, so no high impedance support), and it sounds better than my Schiit stack. They definitely need power, but the M1 pro is capable of that.
The M1 Air isn't, at least for me. But I'm 61, so, you know...
I'll check my daughter's M1 Pro 13". Maybe there's a difference in headphone out performance?
The M1 Air isn't, at least for me. But I'm 61, so, you know...
I'll check my daughter's M1 Pro 13". Maybe there's a difference in headphone out performance?
This is interesting. Will be nice if you managed to check it, I'm curious to know if there is any difference as I like listening to the HD650 via the M1 Pro the best so I was surprised by the observation about the M1 Air.
