Recommendation request thread

[SilentReaper]

Hello, after seeing many quality reviews done I'd figure consulting here would help me tremendously.

Country:
Canada

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)
1500$

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.)
Open Back (closed back acceptable if they are really good)

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.)
Video Games & Critical Listening

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

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
Comfort, long term value, detail extraction, large soundstage

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
I *love* the comfort and warmth the HD598's give, however I can appreciate the detail clarity that HD600's give.
Would like a neutral sound signature or slightly warm.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
I enjoy listening to psychedelic and orchestral music. (Examples include: Solar Fields, Thomas Bergersen)
I'm considering purchasing the HD8XX from Drop however I'm hesitant on pulling that trigger.

 

[BusDriver]

The $1500 bracket has a few big hitters. You already mentioned HD8XX, and since that isn't out yet, I can't say anything about it. However, HD800(S) has been recognized to have some of the biggest soundstage there is, and they are pretty detailed to boot. However, they trend towards bright, and some find them lacking in the low end. If they sound of interest to you, waiting and seeing if the 8XX improves upon the regular 800(S) may be a good idea.

Focal Clear is another great candidate. I don't own them, but I own the Utopia and used to own the Elex; the Focal cans seem to share some qualities, the most celebrated being their punch. You can feel the drivers move air and the bass hits are pretty much as as punchy as you're going to get with dynamic headphones (I'm talking about the physical properties of the drivers and not the volume of the bass). I've heard that the Clears have wider soundstage than the Utopia, so there's that.

Finally, the Hifiman Aryas also get a recommendation from me. They have better sub bass extension when compared to the HD800(S). They also have an impressive soundstage, and I feel that they are more natural tonally. I've heard some people describe them as being bright. They do have considerable treble if you just look at the FR graph, but because of the more forward midrange and bass extension it balances out better than the HD800(S).

At this price point I highly recommend trying them out before buying, but I know that that could be very difficult right now.

 

[Laurus]

Country: UK

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD): £150 ($200)

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

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

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant): Soundblaster G3

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.): Comfort is a must and build quality is important.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: Only really tried closed backs before.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: Looking for the best bang for my buck, been looking at the HD 560s and the DT 990 pros (250 ohms) and am looking for pointers.

 

[SilentReaper]

@Laurus
My personal experience has been very good about the HD500's series
Extremely comfortable, easy to listen to, decent imaging and CHEAP. (100$-150$ on sale)
After I bought my HD600's I gave my HD598's to my mom and she loved them too...fun for the whole family I guess.
HD500's series are more on the "fun" side of things.

DT990 are more analytical and have a V-shape signature however I wouldn't call them amazing by any means...they've been reviewed here
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eyerdynamic-dt990-pro-review-headphone.19975/

For best bang for buck I recommend the HD6XX (They are HD650 equivalent). These headphones sound great, scale up with better dac/amp's and for most people are acceptable "end game" headphones.

 

[Laurus]

the

@Laurus
My personal experience has been very good about the HD500's series
Extremely comfortable, easy to listen to, decent imaging and CHEAP. (100$-150$ on sale)
After I bought my HD600's I gave my HD598's to my mom and she loved them too...fun for the whole family I guess.
HD500's series are more on the "fun" side of things.

DT990 are more analytical and have a V-shape signature however I wouldn't call them amazing by any means...they've been reviewed here
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...eyerdynamic-dt990-pro-review-headphone.19975/

For best bang for buck I recommend the HD6XX (They are HD650 equivalent). These headphones sound great, scale up with better dac/amp's and for most people are acceptable "end game" headphones.

Unfortunately massdrop headphones like the 6XX have a rather large import fee when shipping to the UK as they aren't in Europe and I hear they aren't great for gaming. I'd go with them otherwise. Something that's putting me off the 560s is the fact a lot of people seem to find them more "boring" to listen to. Thanks for your input!

 

[samwell7]

Unfortunately massdrop headphones like the 6XX have a rather large import fee when shipping to the UK as they aren't in Europe and I hear they aren't great for gaming. I'd go with them otherwise. Something that's putting me off the 560s is the fact a lot of people seem to find them more "boring" to listen to. Thanks for your input!

Maybe try the Philips X2HR, or if you don't mind secondhand a set of sennheiser HD650s would be good, practically everything is user-replacable so you can make them like new again

 

[Laurus]

Maybe try the Philips X2HR, or if you don't mind secondhand a set of sennheiser HD650s would be good, practically everything is user-replacable so you can make them like new again

Do you have any recommendations on where to buy second hand headphones? Or is Ebay just the best place? Thanks.

 

[samwell7]

Do you have any recommendations on where to buy second hand headphones? Or is Ebay just the best place? Thanks.

Depends where you live, I've never bought off it before but some people have luck with Facebook marketplace, also there is a classifieds section on ASR here, on HeadFi and r/AVExchange on Reddit. I've mainly bought secondhand from eBay but I think the equipment would be better looked after if purchased from a forum.

 

[zenki]

Ok, this is good timing for me as i know nothing about iems or what to get.

Country: Australia

Budget: upto $3k

Form factor: IEM

Use case: Listening at night while reading in bed

Source information: SBT as Roon endpoint feeding Gustard H10

Things that are important to you: No microphonics, dont want to disturb partner

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: Loved my HD600 for over 15yrs. Also like stax sr007

Anything else you feel might be relevant: anything that can sound as good as my lx521 speaker setup?

Sony z1r?

 

[AudioJester]

Sony z1r?

Thanks, ended up with a 64 Audio Nio from a friend who was selling

 

[Nabooh]

Hi everyone! this is my first time posting in ASR, thanks in advance for your help!


Country: France

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD):
Probably around 900e (1075 USD), can be a bit more if really worth it

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.)
Casual listening at home, hifi audio, a bit of critical listening, but nothing too analytic.

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
My actual setup is a stack of Topping L30/E30. I might get better stuff in the future... Once I find the headphone which would be worthy

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
I don't care about weight or portability, I'm mostly looking for something durable, and I tend to avoid any high QC issue stuff... reason why I sold my Elex. I also want an headphone which is versatile, that I can enjoy on a lot of different music gender, why still being detailed and relatively analytic, without being "cold and lifeless".

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
HD800/HD800s: I liked the soundstage and the clarity, but trying to find music which sound good on them, or at least which their quality upfront, became progressively a chore. They are way too limited to certains type of music for me, and the soundstage sometimes sounds a little bit unnatural.

Elex: I kinda like them. But beside their QC issues ( I sold them quickly, because in France we don't have any massdrop support ), they were also very dynamic, to the point that they became fatiguing really fast, and I was constantly adjusting the volume knob. ButI really liked the small spatialisation of the sound, less soundstage than the HD800S, but pinpoint accuracy.

Clear: I'm using them right now. I find them... kinda average? They sound good on everything, I have nothing bad to say about them, but they have nothing special. They are similar to my HD6XX, of course there is more details, but given the price difference, is it worth it? I don't know... They also might be a little bit too intimate.

HD6XX: I like them, even if I'm not into intimate sounding headphone. The voices are just incredible, and they are really "chill /laid back" headphone to listen to. Maybe it lacks a little bit bass, and also more detailed high, and a bigger soundstage?

AKG K712: Reason why I sold my HD800S. I really like their brightness, given that it well balanced with the bass. The soundstage feel way more natural for me than the HD800S. It lack a little bit in the midrange, but overall they are nice headphone for all my TV/movie/gaming night.

Hifiman He4XX: I kinda like them? My first and only step towards planar headphones. Of course the bass was awesome, but I found that it wasn't counterbalanced by the mids or high, resulting in a very dark sounding headphone. I really would have liked a lot more mid presence, and more high and details.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:

My perfect headphone would be: mid quality of the HD6 series, powerful bass/subass (planar?), and also high, but not necessarily the main point here. I'm also willing to sacrifice a bit of details, towards a bigger soundstage, similar to the K712.

PRIORITY:
1- wide but natural soundstage on a lot of musical gender
2- quality bass/subass
3-Vocal/mids quality
4-high detail /clarity

I thought about the Sundara, but I don't know if it's a worthy step up from the He4XX I used to have.
I thought about the LCD2C, but I'm worried they might be way too dark for my taste.
Hifiman Ananda?
Hifiman Arya? ( this is where my wallet starts to cry )
Any suggestion?

Thanks!

 

[samwell7]

Hi everyone! this is my first time posting in ASR, thanks in advance for your help!


Country: France

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD):
Probably around 900e (1075 USD), can be a bit more if really worth it

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.)
Casual listening at home, hifi audio, a bit of critical listening, but nothing too analytic.

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
My actual setup is a stack of Topping L30/E30. I might get better stuff in the future... Once I find the headphone which would be worthy

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
I don't care about weight or portability, I'm mostly looking for something durable, and I tend to avoid any high QC issue stuff... reason why I sold my Elex. I also want an headphone which is versatile, that I can enjoy on a lot of different music gender, why still being detailed and relatively analytic, without being "cold and lifeless".

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
HD800/HD800s: I liked the soundstage and the clarity, but trying to find music which sound good on them, or at least which their quality upfront, became progressively a chore. They are way too limited to certains type of music for me, and the soundstage sometimes sounds a little bit unnatural.

Elex: I kinda like them. But beside their QC issues ( I sold them quickly, because in France we don't have any massdrop support ), they were also very dynamic, to the point that they became fatiguing really fast, and I was constantly adjusting the volume knob. ButI really liked the small spatialisation of the sound, less soundstage than the HD800S, but pinpoint accuracy.

Clear: I'm using them right now. I find them... kinda average? They sound good on everything, I have nothing bad to say about them, but they have nothing special. They are similar to my HD6XX, of course there is more details, but given the price difference, is it worth it? I don't know... They also might be a little bit too intimate.

HD6XX: I like them, even if I'm not into intimate sounding headphone. The voices are just incredible, and they are really "chill /laid back" headphone to listen to. Maybe it lacks a little bit bass, and also more detailed high, and a bigger soundstage?

AKG K712: Reason why I sold my HD800S. I really like their brightness, given that it well balanced with the bass. The soundstage feel way more natural for me than the HD800S. It lack a little bit in the midrange, but overall they are nice headphone for all my TV/movie/gaming night.

Hifiman He4XX: I kinda like them? My first and only step towards planar headphones. Of course the bass was awesome, but I found that it wasn't counterbalanced by the mids or high, resulting in a very dark sounding headphone. I really would have liked a lot more mid presence, and more high and details.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:

My perfect headphone would be: mid quality of the HD6 series, powerful bass/subass (planar?), and also high, but not necessarily the main point here. I'm also willing to sacrifice a bit of details, towards a bigger soundstage, similar to the K712.

PRIORITY:
1- wide but natural soundstage on a lot of musical gender
2- quality bass/subass
3-Vocal/mids quality
4-high detail /clarity

I thought about the Sundara, but I don't know if it's a worthy step up from the He4XX I used to have.
I thought about the LCD2C, but I'm worried they might be way too dark for my taste.
Hifiman Ananda?
Hifiman Arya? ( this is where my wallet starts to cry )
Any suggestion?

Thanks!

Can you test any headphones? At this price point I'd highly recommend trying them before you buy.

How much are the AKG K812 where you live?

 

[Nabooh]

Can you test any headphones? At this price point I'd highly recommend trying them before you buy.

How much are the AKG K812 where you live?

The AKG K812 feels to me like the Focal Clear: very expensive for nothing really special, or at least determining compared to the K712 I have.

Well while browsing some online store, I came across a stock-B HD800S, and I decided to get it again. I keep selling my HD800/800S even if I like them because I wanna try out new stuff, but until now, they still have been the only headphones providing me with some kind of unique experience, that similar priced headphones can't do.

Instead of buying different headphones for the objectively perfect one (which doesn't exist, I know), I think I will stick with an headphone known for how much they can be EQ and still sound good, and I might even try to get some other amp and experiment with it.

 

[KlinkKlink]

Country:
America
Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)
~$500, maybe willing to do more if the phones are considerably better than the ones preceding
Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.)
Open back, over ear
Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.)
Home use; Critical music listening, games, movies; general media consumption
Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
Drop THX 789 + Grace balanced SDAC, but would like something that can drive itself without an amp when needed
Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
I care about the sound first. The build should feel like its price point, but otherwise I'm not super picky when it comes to comfort. At least, it shouldn't feel cheap.
Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
Neutral, preferably dynamic; T60RP Argons(A+), ATH MSR7 (decent), kPH30i/porta pros(preddy gud), ATH M50(yeah i know)
Anything else you feel might be relevant:
I'm looking for something that would complement my Argons. Something neutral, open and dynamic to the Argons' bassy, closed and planar. Also I'd like something that can drive itself without requiring an amp.

Thanks!

 

[Smychavo]

I hope it's okay if I redo my post since I feel like I wasn't totally clear with explaining what I was looking for.

Country:
USA

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)
$1000, very flexible assuming there are better options in other price brackets either above or below.

Form Factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.)
Over-ear closed back

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.)
Mixed use, gaming, music, watching videos

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
My current system consists of a Schiit Asgard 3, and the Apple USB-C dongle DAC

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
Build, comfort and sound quality are the biggest factors for me. That said, I wouldn't mind if the headphone in question is on the heavy side.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
My current range of headphones are the Hifiman HE-4XX, and the Beats Solo Pro. I find that I do like what feels to me the perceived clarity of the 4XX, yet I find that they're lacking in bass. This is despite using Amir's EQ presets. I have tried the Oratory preset but I find that I didn't totally like how it sounded despite the added bass. That said, the beats solo pros undoubtedly fulfill the bass that I feel is lacking, but I find that I don't like how recessed the rest of the response is compared to the 4XX.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
From what I can tell I'm absolutely fine in power requirements given my amp, and the dongle dac has done a good enough of a job of removing some very faint background hiss in high gain. I don't intend to take these headphones anywhere other than home. I do feel the need for a great closed back alternative since open back headphones don't behave very nicely in any sort of conference call.

 

[elliott]

Maybe this is a weird one

Country:
USA

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)
500

Form factor: (e.g. over ear, on ear, IEM, open back etc.)
True Wireless IEM (no wire connecting the two buds) > Wireless IEM > IEM

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.)
Woodshop with a lot of noise, motorcycle riding with lots of noise and helmet constraint (larger buds don't work for a tight fighting helmet)

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
iPhone 12 Mini

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
Noise cancelling (active and/or passive), slim profile so when I put a helmet on, the IEMs don't get pulled out.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
Audeze LCD2s were my favorite cans I've had. The journey was grados -> hifiman -> LCD2, with several inbetween if that helps.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
I read a few sound attenuation tests of the airpods pro and saw that there is no ANC on the lower end of the spectrum. This got me thinking that they probably aren't the best for safety. A lot of wood shop and motorcycle noise is on the lower end of the spectrum which airpods pro don't block, and I think this is what's leading me to fatigue when wearing them. As a test, I took out my old Shure SE215s, which were way better in this scenario, but no BT, sound is pretty meh. On first pass, I think the best option would be something like the Ety ER4s but looking at their BT solution, I'm thinking it's going to be annoying AND Etys basically are the worst profile for motorcycles.

 

[Ariamella]

Country:
Hong Kong

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)
~HKD500 or around $60 give or take, willing to go higher if really worth it

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

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

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
Phone, maybe apple dongle at some point

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
Comfort and fit is most important, I don't want to have to go around trying 10 different tips to get what I want. Also ideally want a removable cable or TWS as I'm notoriously clumsy.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
The N3AP was a sound I really liked, in general I like neutral-warm with bass boost for on the go use. KZ-style treble peaks are absolutely unacceptable.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
I can buy from Amazon US or Taobao/Tmall. Either is fine.

 

[Inazzab]

Country:
US

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD):
350$ Max, preferably 300$ or lower (I'm happy to look at the used market)

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

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.):
Critical listening and casual listening + a bit of immersive gaming on the side

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

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.):
1. Responding well to EQ (I plan to EQ to a bass-light Harman target)
2. Instrument placement and separation sounding as realistic as possible (Soundstage being outside my head, although it doesn't have to sound super far away)

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
I recently got the Sundaras, but I found their imaging and soundstaging rather disorienting. I don't get the impression that I'm in the recording room, as everything sounds inside my head, and sometimes the image of instruments will briefly switch sides or move when it shouldn't However, I really appreciate their detail retrieval. I may return them for something else, if there are any better options.

Edit: I also appreciate the sense of scale the Sundaras give to music, it's just really strange to hear something sound so large inside my head.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
Are there any headphone sites other than RTINGS and ASR to find measurement-based headphone reviews? They're both great, but they don't have data on all the headphones I'm considering.
Thanks for the help!

 

[samwell7]

Country:
Hong Kong

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD)
~HKD500 or around $60 give or take, willing to go higher if really worth it

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

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

Source information: (your amp/lack of amp if you feel it's relevant)
Phone, maybe apple dongle at some point

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.)
Comfort and fit is most important, I don't want to have to go around trying 10 different tips to get what I want. Also ideally want a removable cable or TWS as I'm notoriously clumsy.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
The N3AP was a sound I really liked, in general I like neutral-warm with bass boost for on the go use. KZ-style treble peaks are absolutely unacceptable.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
I can buy from Amazon US or Taobao/Tmall. Either is fine.

Good thread here discussing lower-cost IEMs

 

[samwell7]

Country:
US

Budget: (in local currency and maybe USD):
350$ Max, preferably 300$ or lower (I'm happy to look at the used market)

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

Use case: (e.g. casual listening while at work, critical listening etc.):
Critical listening and casual listening + a bit of immersive gaming on the side

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

Things that are important to you: (e.g. comfort, portability, durability etc.):
1. Responding well to EQ (I plan to EQ to a bass-light Harman target)
2. Instrument placement and separation sounding as realistic as possible (Soundstage being outside my head, although it doesn't have to sound super far away)

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked:
I recently got the Sundaras, but I found their imaging and soundstaging rather disorienting. I don't get the impression that I'm in the recording room, as everything sounds inside my head, and sometimes the image of instruments will briefly switch sides or move when it shouldn't However, I really appreciate their detail retrieval. I may return them for something else, if there are any better options.

Anything else you feel might be relevant:
Are there any headphone sites other than RTINGS and ASR to find measurement-based headphone reviews? They're both great, but they don't have data on all the headphones I'm considering.
Thanks for the help!

I was going to say a HD600 but the soundstage on a HD650 is a bit better, I've found it to be a realistic sound. I'd suggest trying the HD600/HD650 if you can.

The AKG K702 responds very well to EQ but the soundstage may be a bit too big.

Fostex T50RP mk3 is also worth a try