Recommendation request thread

[mkawa]

oppo pm3(discontinued hard to find but very good)

the oppo pm3 is now the drop thx panda

 

[JohnYang1997]

the oppo pm3 is now the drop thx panda

I initially thought you meant: oppo pm3 is now on drop thanks to panda.
Eh no panda is not the same as pm3. Very far off in fact.

 

[markanini]

I'll start:
Requesting recommendations for two sets of cans

Country: Australia (will buy from Amazon)

Budget: 500AUD/400USD

Form factor: both over ear, one open back and one closed back

Use case: both for casual listening while working

Source information: Either an apple USB C to 3.5mm adaptor or a Panasonic Receiver (has plenty of power). Mostly Spotify premium or lower quality (96kbps MP3) streamed radio.

Things that are important to you: Comfort for both, for the closed back set durability and portability is important to me as I'll probably take them to work when the office opens back up.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: I'm leaving this open, I've always previously purchased headphones with a neutral/detailed FR as the goal but since I got a set of PortaPros they've shifted my world-view. I want something that I'll be able to listen to without fatigue.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: just returned my K702s (a little too bright) and K371s (lack of midbass lead to low engagement from me and not very comfortable for me).
I've still got a set of ATH-M50s and PortaPros and some IEMs (Etymotic MK5 and Rock-it sounds R-50), I've also got a set of Koss KSC75s and a parts express headband plus Yaxi pads on order.
Also I won't be using EQ.
My shortlist has K712 Pros, Philips X2HRs, Shure SRH440s and 840s, Sennheiser HD560S and CAL SEs but I'd love some more recommendations/feedback on the above-mentioned models.

AKG K612 have the smoothest, clearest treble I ever heard, un-EQ'd.

 

[samwell7]

AKG K612 have the smoothest, clearest treble I ever heard, un-EQ'd.

This is what lead me to the K712, I think the K612 is like an improved K702 but the K712 has a little more warmth which is what I'm after for long listening sessions.

 

[samwell7]

Thanks everyone for your help!
Slight change in plans, I've decided against getting another set of closed cans as I don't really need them.

I'm going to get two sets of open backed headphones, I can't decide between the HD58X/HD6XX and the AKG K712 so I'll get one now and then get the other in a month or so.

Again thanks all, you've given me a lot of different headphones to check out.

Now in the spirit of the original post in the thread, please request recommendations!

 

[bloodevil]

Country: Italy

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD): 600 EUR (can stretch to 700 and can buy used on ebay)

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.) : Must over hear, either open or closed

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.): Listen at home on my portable set

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant): FiiO Q3 amp/dac paired with iPhone using neutron player

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.): Comfort only (and obv sound)

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: I've only tried my Sennheiser Momentum M2 and I like them, I'd like to try an open back but if you think there's a closed one in that range that is much better it's ok

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I'd like to follow Oratory1990 EQ so would be better to pick one in his list

 

[samwell7]

Country: Italy

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD): 600 EUR (can stretch to 700 and can buy used on ebay)

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.) : Must over hear, either open or closed

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.): Listen at home on my portable set

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant): FiiO Q3 amp/dac paired with iPhone using neutron player

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.): Comfort only (and obv sound)

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: I've only tried my Sennheiser Momentum M2 and I like them, I'd like to try an open back but if you think there's a closed one in that range that is much better it's ok

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I'd like to follow Oratory1990 EQ so would be better to pick one in his list

These will be way under your budget but the first thing that came to mind was the Sony MDR-1A, I just checked Oratory's list and it isn't on there though!
Some others that might fit the bill (most are well under your budget):
* Shure SRH1540
* AKG N700NC
* AKG K371
* Audio Technica ATH-M50X
* Oppo PM-3

 

[bloodevil]

Oppo PM-3

I've tried to buy them some time ago but apparently they are discontinued and in EU very hard to find

 

[xcutionr13]

Country:
USA

Budget: Less than
$1000

Form factor:
over ear

Use case:
will be used on desktop at home. used for watching videos, listening to music, and some gaming.

Source information:
SMSL M300 MKII DAC and Archel2 GMR AMP

Things that are important to you:
sound quality, comfort (fit), weight

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
Currently using a Sennheiser HD6XX w/ oratory EQ (like the sound and the comfort)
Have also used Focal Clear (like the sound, but not comfortable), Philips X2 Fidelio (like the sound, but not the comfort), Sennheiser HD800 SDR MOD w/ oratory EQ (doesn't like the sound but like the comfort)

Anything else you feel might be relevant:

 

[samwell7]

Country:
USA

Budget: Less than
$1000

Form factor:
over ear

Use case:
will be used on desktop at home. used for watching videos, listening to music, and some gaming.

Source information:
SMSL M300 MKII DAC and Archel2 GMR AMP

Things that are important to you:
sound quality, comfort (fit), weight

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
Currently using a Sennheiser HD6XX w/ oratory EQ (like the sound and the comfort)
Have also used Focal Clear (like the sound, but not comfortable), Philips X2 Fidelio (like the sound, but not the comfort), Sennheiser HD800 SDR MOD w/ oratory EQ (doesn't like the sound but like the comfort)

Anything else you feel might be relevant:

If you're EQing and gaming maybe an AKG K702 or K712?
They respond really well to EQ due to low distortion, I find them very comfortable (YMMV) and they're apparently great for gaming due to the soundstage.

Both should be well under your budget, K712 has memory foam pads and will sound smoother (closer to the HD6XX) out of the box.

 

[Jimbob54]

Country: Italy

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD): 600 EUR (can stretch to 700 and can buy used on ebay)

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.) : Must over hear, either open or closed

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.): Listen at home on my portable set

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant): FiiO Q3 amp/dac paired with iPhone using neutron player

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.): Comfort only (and obv sound)

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: I've only tried my Sennheiser Momentum M2 and I like them, I'd like to try an open back but if you think there's a closed one in that range that is much better it's ok

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I'd like to follow Oratory1990 EQ so would be better to pick one in his list

You could try the Mr Speakers Aeon RT (Open or closed, closed reviewed on here) / if you use Drop the Aeon X (open or closed)- very very similar headphones, price etc, just depending if you want to import direct from manuf or via Drop.

Amir reviewed the RT Closed variant and recommended strongly. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-audio-aeon-rt-review-closed-headphone.19393/

I paid about £370 with £90 shipping, handling , taxes etc into UK. Arrived a week or so after ordering,

If you like to listen really loud , might be a bit of a challenge for your Fiio but Ive run the Aeon RT Open off an E1DA 9038S (balanced dongle) and it was fine at reasonable levels. Comfy headphones, Oratory EQ for the Aeon X Open (Ive applied that to the RT Open)

 

[Maki]

Not a recommendation request but rather an impressions request: I'm looking for subjective impressions by objectivists who use EQ on the difference between the SR-009 and the SR-009S and have had extended listening time on both. I'm loathe to trust people who hear things that aren't there or don't use EQ, which is most of the target market for this price range unfortunately. I have heard both, but the 009S only in an audio store environment so obviously no chance to bake my own EQ there.

 

[Sashoir]

Thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for users to request headphone recommendations, rather than having many separate threads.

Suggested format (sorry about formatting, I'm on mobile):

Country:

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.)

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.)

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:

Anything else you feel might be relevant:

Please let me know your thoughts/make whatever adjustments you think will benefit the user-base.

Thank you for starting the thread, samwell7.
Country: UK
Budget: £100-300 approx ($140-420)
Form: over-ear, wired, closed back
Use-case: soon to have a baby, looking for something to substitute for speaker-based listening when I take the baby at night so my wife can rest: home use only.

Source: I have (or will have) a topping A30 (old "amateur" version).

Things that are important to me: comfort, sound quality, longevity, detachable cable. Not too much leakage (so I don't wake the baby), not *too* much noise attenuation (so I can hear the baby if she's crying). My loudness peaks are < 90dB when I normally listen to music (and usually quieter), so fortissimo performance is of no consequence to me (and presumably, therefore, high impedances or low sensitivities are not of great moment for my decision).

I've never really used headphones much except in the office to block out chatter, as I've typically found them uncomfortable. I have a pair of creative aurvana noise cancelling headphones whose sound quality isn't great and which are horribly uncomfortable after about forty minutes and which are quite ill-made, so I imagine almost anything will be an improvement. I didn't think I had a particularly large head or ears, but perhaps I do as the above earphones don't encompass my whole ear, and they still feel tight after three years (yet happily fall off my head).

I am not really a "gear head"; I don't upgrade often, or buy/sell equipment to experiment. I have been considering a pair of beyerdynamic only because I have fond recollections of their microphones from many years ago.

Due to the plague, auditioning is impossible, so I'll be buying sight-unseen: thanks in advance for any advice.

Best,
S

 

[samwell7]

Thank you for starting the thread, samwell7.
Country: UK
Budget: £100-300 approx ($140-420)
Form: over-ear, wired, closed back
Use-case: soon to have a baby, looking for something to substitute for speaker-based listening when I take the baby at night so my wife can rest: home use only.

Source: I have (or will have) a topping A30 (old "amateur" version).

Things that are important to me: comfort, sound quality, longevity, detachable cable. Not too much leakage (so I don't wake the baby), not *too* much noise attenuation (so I can hear the baby if she's crying). My loudness peaks are < 90dB when I normally listen to music (and usually quieter), so fortissimo performance is of no consequence to me (and presumably, therefore, high impedances or low sensitivities are not of great moment for my decision).

I've never really used headphones much except in the office to block out chatter, as I've typically found them uncomfortable. I have a pair of creative aurvana noise cancelling headphones whose sound quality isn't great and which are horribly uncomfortable after about forty minutes and which are quite ill-made, so I imagine almost anything will be an improvement. I didn't think I had a particularly large head or ears, but perhaps I do as the above earphones don't encompass my whole ear, and they still feel tight after three years (yet happily fall off my head).

I am not really a "gear head"; I don't upgrade often, or buy/sell equipment to experiment. I have been considering a pair of beyerdynamic only because I have fond recollections of their microphones from many years ago.

Due to the plague, auditioning is impossible, so I'll be buying sight-unseen: thanks in advance for any advice.

Best,
S

Is there any particular sound you're after? E.g. neutral, warm, or more detailed?
My suggestions are:
* AKG K371 (neutral)
* Audio technica ATH-M50x (warmer)
* Shure SRH840 (very mild 'V' shape, supposed to be good)
* Beyerdynamic DT770 (haven't listened but supposedly very comfortable, bigger 'V' shape than the Shures)

Side-note, we have young kids (18 month old twins) and I've had to buy Samsung galaxy buds+ because the kids kept pulling out the cable in that situation.

Edit: thinking more about it, when I was having a hard time putting the kids to sleep when they were younger I was just watching a video here and there on my phone, you might be best off with an open-backed headphone, the noise leakage won't be enough to wake the baby and you've got the benefit of being able to hear everything going on with them.
My recommendations in this instance are:
* AKG K712 (612 if the 712 is too expensive)
* Sennheiser HD6XX or 560S
* Koss PortaPros or KSC75
* AKG K240

 

[Sashoir]

Dear Samwell7,

I really appreciate the advice, thank you! I'd not considered open-backed headphones, but only because of likely incorrect assumptions (leakage).

Cable pulling (and possible, though unlikely, asphyxia) during the "grabby" period was the reason I wanted detachable cables (also why I've chased or run under the floor every wire I could find in our flat).

I expect that I'd prefer "colder" to "warmer" as my "house curve" with speakers is flatter than I think most people here use, and I gather that "warmth" refers to a slight emphasis in the baritone register, but I'm only just learning the terms of art people use to describe sound--I still haven't the faintest idea what "forward" means, and whenever someone writes that something is "fatiguing" I always imagine a little old edwardian lady wearing pearls and a lace collar needing smelling salts after collapsing in a swoon.

 

[samwell7]

Dear Samwell7,

I really appreciate the advice, thank you! I'd not considered open-backed headphones, but only because of likely incorrect assumptions (leakage).

Cable pulling (and possible, though unlikely, asphyxia) during the "grabby" period was the reason I wanted detachable cables (also why I've chased or run under the floor every wire I could find in our flat).

I expect that I'd prefer "colder" to "warmer" as my "house curve" with speakers is flatter than I think most people here use, and I gather that "warmth" refers to a slight emphasis in the baritone register, but I'm only just learning the terms of art people use to describe sound--I still haven't the faintest idea what "forward" means, and whenever someone writes that something is "fatiguing" I always imagine a little old edwardian lady wearing pearls and a lace collar needing smelling salts after collapsing in a swoon.

Ha!
I'm not sure what frequency range the baritone register covers but to me warm is a bit more boosted in the mid-bass typically, around lower male vocals.
As for fatiguing, you're only *just* off the mark - I've only really found this with speakers (likely due to room reflections) when the treble is boosted e.g. the hi-hats will be much louder in the mix than they are in real life, or when something doesn't sound realistic, as the brain can be working to relate the sound to real-life (this is conjecture as it's not been proven).

As for the rest, I wouldn't worry too much about asphyxiation because I'd imagine you'll be watching the baby while you're holding them and you can run the cord up underneath your top so it isn't just hanging in the wind. When they do get to the grabby stage it's gonna be pretty difficult to use any headphones that aren't true-wireless buds I think.

As for full-size headphone recommendations I'd say:
* Sennheiser HD600, neutral, removable cable
* Sennheiser HD560S, slightly brighter than neutral, not sure about removable cable
* AKG K702, slightly brighter than neutral, removable cable
* AKG K612, neutral, non-removable cable

 

[Sashoir]

Ha!
I'm not sure what frequency range the baritone register covers but to me warm is a bit more boosted in the mid-bass typically, around lower male vocals.
As for fatiguing, you're only *just* off the mark - I've only really found this with speakers (likely due to room reflections) when the treble is boosted e.g. the hi-hats will be much louder in the mix than they are in real life, or when something doesn't sound realistic, as the brain can be working to relate the sound to real-life (this is conjecture as it's not been proven).

As for the rest, I wouldn't worry too much about asphyxiation because I'd imagine you'll be watching the baby while you're holding them and you can run the cord up underneath your top so it isn't just hanging in the wind. When they do get to the grabby stage it's gonna be pretty difficult to use any headphones that aren't true-wireless buds I think.

As for full-size headphone recommendations I'd say:
* Sennheiser HD600, neutral, removable cable
* Sennheiser HD560S, slightly brighter than neutral, not sure about removable cable
* AKG K702, slightly brighter than neutral, removable cable
* AKG K612, neutral, non-removable cable

Thank you again! I really like the time people take here to advise beginners like me. Smashing tip about running the cable under my clothes; I doubt I'd have thought of it (or, knowing me, I'd have thought of it when my daughter's 27 and moved out).

Many thanks,
S

 

[samwell7]

Thank you again! I really like the time people take here to advise beginners like me. Smashing tip about running the cable under my clothes; I doubt I'd have thought of it (or, knowing me, I'd have thought of it when my daughter's 27 and moved out).

Many thanks,
S

No worries, all the best for the next step!

 

[Riez1984]

Country: Netherlands

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD) max €200,- less would be better

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.) Over Ear, open back

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.) main usage at pc, listen to music from spotify at the moment, youtube, movies and gaming. Mostly at night but I want to be a bit aware of surroundings because of a little kid I want to hear if she gets up and starts crying.

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant) Loxjie D30

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.) Comfort and durability are (of course) important to me. I like to be able to exchange cables. It would be nice if the headset would be able to get used occasionally onna cell phone, I have a portable little dac if necessary.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: Until recently I had my first set of "real" headphones. The Philips fidelio x2hr. One of the hinges broke and I got a refund from Amazon. I liked the comfort though it was quite big. I'm no audio expert and liked the sound only thing I noticed after getting the Amp recently that my ears started to hurt a bit, or had some discomfort in my head sort to say from some music, more from higher tones.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I have PEACE installed so it would be nice if a profile is available for the headphone eq. I also have a fidelio M2BT which I got second had. I was very disappointent of the fact there are no earpads to be found with the plastic ring on them and also no eq setting to be found anywhere (would be great if anyone did now)
Headphones I looked at: Sennheiser HD599, this one is occasionally discounted at Amazon for 99,-. Curious if it's a good deal? Als HD560s which I have read good things about. I also like the design of the AKG702 which fits in my budget. Only things I'm worrier about are that I have read online AKG has problems with a wire getting lose especially on the right ear up a lot. Supposedly it is possible to solder but that is not something I want to get into.

Hope to get some suggestions. Preferred to buy at Amazon because they are one of the easiest with warranty here in my experience.

 

[samwell7]

Country: Netherlands

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD) max €200,- less would be better

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.) Over Ear, open back

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.) main usage at pc, listen to music from spotify at the moment, youtube, movies and gaming. Mostly at night but I want to be a bit aware of surroundings because of a little kid I want to hear if she gets up and starts crying.

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant) Loxjie D30

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.) Comfort and durability are (of course) important to me. I like to be able to exchange cables. It would be nice if the headset would be able to get used occasionally onna cell phone, I have a portable little dac if necessary.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: Until recently I had my first set of "real" headphones. The Philips fidelio x2hr. One of the hinges broke and I got a refund from Amazon. I liked the comfort though it was quite big. I'm no audio expert and liked the sound only thing I noticed after getting the Amp recently that my ears started to hurt a bit, or had some discomfort in my head sort to say from some music, more from higher tones.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I have PEACE installed so it would be nice if a profile is available for the headphone eq. I also have a fidelio M2BT which I got second had. I was very disappointent of the fact there are no earpads to be found with the plastic ring on them and also no eq setting to be found anywhere (would be great if anyone did now)

Headphones I looked at: Sennheiser HD799, this one is occasionally discounted at Amazon for 99,-. Curious if it's a good deal? Als HD560s which I have read good things about. I also like the design of the AKG702 which fits in my budget. Only things I'm worrier about are that I have read online AKG has problems with a wire getting lose especially on the right ear up a lot. Supposedly it is possible to solder but that is not something I want to get into.

Hope to get some suggestions. Preferred to buy at Amazon because they are one of the easiest with warranty here in my experience.

If you're going to use EQ my vote goes to the K702, only reason I say 'if you're using EQ' is that the treble might be a bit much in its stock form as it's probably close in level to the X2HR although the treble on the K702 should be smoother.
@Robbo99999 has a good EQ profile for the K702 and it is soon going to be measured by Oratory who will come up with a standard EQ profile for it.

I can't comment on the longevity of the new Chinese-made models as I only had mine for around a month (returned it to buy a K712) but years ago I had one of the Austrian made versions which I used almost daily for 2-3 years without issue.

Edit: what is a sennheiser HD799? Did you mean HD700?