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Recommendation request thread

Robbo99999

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I got my Arya, Topping A90, and SMSL M400 DAC (with FabFilter Pro-Q for EQ) and have enjoyed the setup. However, I have the budget to possibly swap out the headphones with something "better" (end game). I know the law of diminishing returns, so maybe there's not much to be gained over the Arya (with EQ) for under $4k? That's where I need help.

Country: USA

Budget: ~$4K or less

Form factor: Over ear, planar, open back

Use case: Quiet environment music listening during work

Source information: FLAC tracks, Topping A90, and SMSL M400 DAC (with FabFilter Pro-Q for EQ)

Music preferences: Adele, Imagine Dragons, Cold Play, Bastille, NONONO, MS MR, CHVRCHES, Lady Gaga, London Grammer

Things that are important to you: All-day listening comfort in a home office. Must be wired (XLR), and do NOT need to be portable. Weight is a consideration.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: Like my Hifiman Arya.

I was considering the following:

DCA Stealth - Look great, measure great, but seem to me to be overpriced. I think a properly EQ'd setup with different planar headphones could be had for less that has similar performance. Plus, I'm more of a fan of open back headphones, and the closed design puts me off a bit.

Abyss Diana V2 - I thought they were a good contender, but the review by Amirm and the bad distortion levels and thumbs down recommendation really put me off. Others like Joshua Valour (Youtube) seem to like them, but I put more weight on Amirm's review.

Hifiman HE6se - Gets Amirm's thumbs up (with EQ), but the price point at $1800 is very close to my Arya and I don't know if there would be a noticeable sonic upgrade over my Aryas?

Hifiman HE1000se - Seems to get glowing reviews and has good "slam" (unlike most Hifiman cans). One downside is I don't see any solid EQ settings (some have used the HE1000 v2 settings).

So far I'm leaning towards the HE1000se, but certainly open to other opinions. Thoughts?
Ah, I've done a post in another thread that is relevant to you, I'll link it in a second. From a measurement perspective I think you can improve on the Arya that you currently have, because the frequency response is really quite jagged which cannot be totally solved by EQ:
Hifiman Arya.jpg


The DCA Stealth is probably the pinnacle of headphones in terms of measurements and might be the ultimate headphone to get (from that point of view), but I couldn't comment on it's soundstage as I've not listened to it which is kind of an unknown with any headphone until you listen to it or get consistent subjective reports from a number of different sources on that aspect. But a good alternative, and I think the only alternative that can match it in terms of measurements (after EQ) is the Hifiman HE6se that you already mentioned:
HE6se.jpg

And following is that link I promised you, here someone asks me a related question which I answer, and I further describe why I think the HE6se is the only contender re measurements with the DCA Stealth, I also put in some caveats in there where I think that measurements don't tell you everything and for me the importance of putting some of the measurements into perspective (eg distortion measurements):
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-state-of-the-art-headphone.25920/post-896355
 

aandres_gm

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I had mentioned this request some months ago, and I am hoping in the coming months that @Amir gets a chance to evaluate the Kube Sound Kube4. The manufacturer seemed willing to supply a sample when I asked early on in their Kickstarter campaign but if that fails due to supply constraints, I would be willing to ship over a loaner unit of the two I am receiving as a backer.

Fast forward to today, in Kube Sound’s latest Kickstarter update to backers, they just revealed on-axis tweeter measurements following tuning at SoundHub, taken within SoundHub’s own anechoic chamber.

View attachment 151499

The frequency chart looks promising. The volume axis has a 5dB separation per tick mark. I superimposed a target frequency line similar to what Amir does in his on-axis tweeter measurements in his reviews. The bass measurement in particular seems amazingly deep for a speaker of its size. Quoting SoundHub’s submitted analysis:

View attachment 151504

Meanwhile, the upper bass to midrange and finally treble (100 Hz to 15 KHz) seems to tightly hug to a +/-2dB tolerance.
View attachment 151498

Honestly, if SoundHub’s measurement is accurate, the Kube4 is a game changer for portable Bluetooth speakers. And all this is from a battery-powered, self-amplified, Wi-FI and Bluetooth-connected unit with an MSRP of $599 and a Kickstarter price as low as $359 (super early bird).

The manufacturer also claims exceptionally low THD and noise levels, and also very high output levels:

View attachment 151507

View attachment 151500
I am dying to see and hear just how much it lives up to the hype!
Wrong thread?
 

Robbo99999

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I had mentioned this request some months ago, and I am hoping in the coming months that @Amir gets a chance to evaluate the Kube Sound Kube4. The manufacturer seemed willing to supply a sample when I asked early on in their Kickstarter campaign but if that fails due to supply constraints, I would be willing to ship over a loaner unit of the two I am receiving as a backer.

Fast forward to today, in Kube Sound’s latest Kickstarter update to backers, they just revealed on-axis tweeter measurements following tuning at SoundHub, taken within SoundHub’s own anechoic chamber.

View attachment 151499

The frequency chart looks promising. The volume axis has a 5dB separation per tick mark. I superimposed a target frequency line similar to what Amir does in his on-axis tweeter measurements in his reviews. The bass measurement in particular seems amazingly deep for a speaker of its size. Quoting SoundHub’s submitted analysis:

View attachment 151504

Meanwhile, the upper bass to midrange and finally treble (100 Hz to 15 KHz) seems to tightly hug to a +/-2dB tolerance.
View attachment 151498

Honestly, if SoundHub’s measurement is accurate, the Kube4 is a game changer for portable Bluetooth speakers. And all this is from a battery-powered, self-amplified, Wi-FI and Bluetooth-connected unit with an MSRP of $599 and a Kickstarter price as low as $359 (super early bird).

The manufacturer also claims exceptionally low THD and noise levels, and also very high output levels:

View attachment 151507

View attachment 151500
I am dying to see and hear just how much it lives up to the hype!
Wrong thread?
Ha, true, I'd like to see you try to tape two of those to the sides of your head!
 

Illmatic

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Country: England

Budget: ~ £1400 - cheaper would be better, could maybe go higher if something was really worth it.

Form factor: over ear, open or closed

Use case: listening to music, critical and casual, generally long sessions.

Source information: Roon on Mac mini > RME ADI-2 Pro FS R > Headphones

Things that are important to you: Sound quality is the most important, I like to hear detail and listen to many genres. Comfort is also very important, I wear headphones for hours each day.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
Really enjoyed the following headphones:
  • Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (I really like these)
  • Grado PS500e (if only these were comfortable)
Disliked:
  • I've tried a bunch of Sennheiser headphones from HD560s to HD800s and not really enjoyed any of them.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:

I listen to most genres of music, but mostly Jazz.
Clarity is the probably most important thing for me really, I like bass but it's got to be correct and not at the expense of the mids.
 

mysiak

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Still on the lookout, I narrowed it down to basically two models.

Audio technica ath m50x - full sized oval cups, well known brand with plenty of spare earpads to choose from (I would switch to bigger sheepskin type), except the fake leather band they should last years.

Beyerdynamic DT240 pro - smaller sized round cups, original pads are rare to come by, but I could use any generic round pads with similar dimensions (sheepskin from Aliexpress), sturdy build so should last years as well.

Both models should make me happy in terms of portability and sound, but both have mixed reports about their comfort. Any owner who could chime in? :)

I ruled out any active model as there are numerous reports of failing electronics, buttons etc. I expect headphones to last at least 5 years and this is not possible with "fashion" brands. I still like the design and features of JBL Live 660, but I see it as a waste of money and natural resources to trash them after about 2 years (+ ear pads need replacement roughly each 6 months as they are of low quality).
So.. I've just received Audio Technica m50x and while they sound very nice with my smartphone, the comfort is..let's say lacking. Faux leather is unpleasant to touch as usual, pads are small and make the headphones basically "on ear". I swapped ear pads with sheepskin variant and comfort has hugely improved. Unfortunately for some reason my prescription glasses break the seal unevenly with 3rd party pads - left side has bigger breach of seal and I can't fathom why (btw. exactly this happened to Marshal Monitor as well). Sound is then shifted to the right side which is annoying. I will give them another chance, but most probably I am just going to send them back.

It seems that I will simply abandon the idea of buying portable closed headphones which are comfortable, good sounding and play nice with thin glasses. :confused:
 

mysiak

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Still on the lookout, I narrowed it down to basically two models.

Audio technica ath m50x - full sized oval cups, well known brand with plenty of spare earpads to choose from (I would switch to bigger sheepskin type), except the fake leather band they should last years.

Beyerdynamic DT240 pro - smaller sized round cups, original pads are rare to come by, but I could use any generic round pads with similar dimensions (sheepskin from Aliexpress), sturdy build so should last years as well.

Both models should make me happy in terms of portability and sound, but both have mixed reports about their comfort. Any owner who could chime in? :)

I ruled out any active model as there are numerous reports of failing electronics, buttons etc. I expect headphones to last at least 5 years and this is not possible with "fashion" brands. I still like the design and features of JBL Live 660, but I see it as a waste of money and natural resources to trash them after about 2 years (+ ear pads need replacement roughly each 6 months as they are of low quality).
After the failed attempt with ATH M50x I couldn't resist trying Beyerdynamic DT 240 pro.. :)

Build quality is exceptional, comfort is surprisingly good - no hot spot caused by the headband, ear pads are "over ear" at the top (where it matters the most) and "on ear" over earlobes. Sound is very nice, needing just a bit of EQ touches around 500Hz and 5kHz (10 band GEQ is plenty enough, PEQ is not needed). Absolutely no problem to drive them from a smartphone to deafening levels. I can't detect any difference in sound with or without my glasses. Sheepskin memory foam earpads are on the way, hopefully they won't break the seal or cause some other side effects.

Probably the only complaint would be that they use 2.5mm jack, but I purchased generic 2.5->3.5mm adapter (had to file it down a little for it to fit) and I'm able to use any 3.5m cable now.

All in all I am very pleasantly surprised by this purchase and it would be my recommendation for a compact(ish) portable headphones, IMHO much better and even cheaper choice than AudioTechnica M50x.
 

_thelaughingman

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Country: USA
Budget: ~100
Form Factor: over ear, over head closed back
Use Case: casual listening
Source: Spotify

Looking for good tonality and decent sound signature headphones that’ll be used once in a while in noisy environment for music listening. Not looking for sound canceling in headphones. Will be EQ’ing to Harman curve if need be. Please recommend some closed back headphones.
 

Jimbob54

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Country: USA
Budget: ~100
Form Factor: over ear, over head closed back
Use Case: casual listening
Source: Spotify

Looking for good tonality and decent sound signature headphones that’ll be used once in a while in noisy environment for music listening. Not looking for sound canceling in headphones. Will be EQ’ing to Harman curve if need be. Please recommend some closed back headphones.
See what you can get the akg k361 for in your territory. In the UK they can be had for sub £100. Akg in the States are more.
 

Phoney

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Any recommandation for a closed back headphone for on the go use? I prefer to be able to use my headphone cables that are dual 3.5mm into the headphones. I wanted the DT770pro but it doesn't have 3.5mm inputs. Price range $100-200 dollars. I don't really care about noise cancelling or bluetooth, I care mostly about sound quality and comfort. Keep in mind that my head is pretty big, meaning some headphones like the HE400SE is a tiny bit short for me even at maximum length. Preferrably something that I can equalize to Harman sound (I can live with -2 db or more deviation from Harman in the bass). Also I use Qudelix 5K, so it doesn't need to be very easy to drive.
 
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Jimbob54

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Any recommandation for a closed back headphone for on the go use? I prefer to be able to use my headphone cables that are dual 3.5mm into the headphones. I wanted the DT770pro but it doesn't have 3.5mm inputs. Price range $100-200 dollars. I don't really care about noise cancelling or bluetooth, I care mostly about sound quality and comfort. Keep in mind that my head is pretty big, meaning some headphones like the HE400SE is a tiny bit short for me even at maximum length. Preferrably something that I can equalize to Harman sound (I can live with -2 db or more deviation from Harman in the bass). Also I use Qudelix 5K, so it doesn't need to be very easy to drive.
I'd abandon the dual 3.5mm limitation. Too restrictive when you factor in the size and price criteria too.

Not sure about the sizing of the akg k371 /361 but they meet the price criteria and easy to Harman eq.
 

Phoney

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I'd abandon the dual 3.5mm limitation. Too restrictive when you factor in the size and price criteria too.

Not sure about the sizing of the akg k371 /361 but they meet the price criteria and easy to Harman eq.
I agree, I could go with others but then I have to use 3.5mm into my Qudelix 5k and it will not provide as much power which means it needs to be fairly easy to drive. Will DT770 pro or AKG k371 do fine with the 3.5mm into the Qudelix 5k?
 

Jimbob54

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I agree, I could go with others but then I have to use 3.5mm into my Qudelix 5k and it will not provide as much power which means it needs to be fairly easy to drive.
Also, quite a few headphones, especially at that price have fixed cables. Or unique fittings.
 

Phoney

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Also, quite a few headphones, especially at that price have fixed cables. Or unique fittings.
I have a 2.5mm cable for my Qudelix, but it's dual 3.5mm and I don't want to buy a new one.
 

Jimbob54

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I agree, I could go with others but then I have to use 3.5mm into my Qudelix 5k and it will not provide as much power which means it needs to be fairly easy to drive. Will DT770 pro or AKG k371 do fine with the 3.5mm into the Qudelix 5k?
PS, at that price you're probably looking at a lot of the black plastic units badged as "Pro", so akg m50x, some shures etc etc on amazon. I can't recall which have been reviewed on here. Think the m50 has
 

Jimbob54

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I have a 2.5mm cable for my Qudelix, but it's dual 3.5mm and I don't want to buy a new one.
You shouldn't need the 2.5mm balanced to drive most of these cans
 

Phoney

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Where to buy a 2.5mm cable for Drop Aeon Closed X?
 
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RHO

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Jimbob54

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Where to buy a 2.5mm cable for Drop Aeon Closed X?
Buy the closed RT from DCA, get it with the balanced XLR cable and buy a cheaper xlr to 2.5mm adapter.
 

Phoney

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Buy the closed RT from DCA, get it with the balanced XLR cable and buy a cheaper xlr to 2.5mm adapter.
Ended up doing exactly this. The Drop X was out of stock. Bought the 2.5mm from Hart Audio Cables. This should be good with my Qudelix 5k.
 
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