Recommendation request thread

[Simon66]

Ha, I know, I'm sorry I recommended you a headphone that was £40 more than your budget, but yeah sometimes they're on sale, you could look on camel tracker to see the price history of the HD560s on Amazon for instance. About the ohm rating, it's not as simple as increased ohm headphones are harder to drive, that's not necessarily the case. I think the most useful parameter to look at is the Sensitivity Rating, and the HD560s is 110dB / 1Vrms, which is quite a sensitive easy to drive headphone, most reviewers say you can just plug it straight into a phone and get decent volume for instance.

About the mic, I don't use a mic, so can't really advise you on that, but I'm envisaging that you'd buy a completely seperate mic and just plug that into the mic port of your device, so it doesn't have anything to do with the HD560s, it's not like the HD560s has a mic port or something. So I'm assuming you'd plug your headphone into the headphone port & the mic into the mic port. I think some headphone ports are both mic & headphones (don't know really), but in that case you might need a splitter. Really don't know anything about mics!

Take it easy & save up for that headphone, I'm comfortable recommending it to you.....I really do think it's the best headphone for it's price considering your usage needs, and straight up a good value headphone even for people with less restrictions (eg people who have the flexibility of EQ or who have headphone amps), it's just a darn good headphone.

That's ok, no problem. K702 is quite a unique headphone re soundstage, not many headphones like it, so it's got your wiiiidness that you wanted.....and you know about the solder issue which is the largest downside, but they're only £109 here in the UK, so it's a balance.
@Jimbob54 above gave you some good advice re using Graphical EQ Presets (Fixed Band Equalisers) from the AutoEQ project, but make sure you use the ones based on Oratory's measurements as they're generally the most thorough in terms of the work that goes into the creation of the measurement (the 2nd link has the detail you need):
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/harman_over-ear_2018/Sennheiser HD 560S
Alternatively, you could contact Oratory over on his reddit site, and ask him if he'd do a 10 band fixed EQ for it, he does that sometimes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/

EDIT: sorry, where's my brain, I had to cross out the above stuff as that's the for the HD560s and not the K702 that you're talking about! Also AutoEQ haven't updated their databases for the K702 Oratory measurement which was done this Summer, so your best bet is to contact Oratory at the link above. You could use the AutoEQ from Crinacle's measurement but for some reason the sample he measured didn't have the 5kHz peak, which was present on both my units of K702 that I sent to Oratory, so I would still ask Oratory for a Fixed Band EQ, but here's the K702 from Crinacle if you want to try it:
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/crinacle/gras_43ag-7_harman_over-ear_2018/AKG K702

Hi,

I will just write that first off..... i needed to sign in to see both yours and baba's replies. I got no email notification this time(seems that sometimes it works and sometimes not and i haven't touched any of the settings on my profile. In any case, thank you both for your responses. I'll write to you both in this one post so as not to hog the thread too much.

I hope my reply isn't too confusing but here goes: Robbo, thanks again for your help. Regarding the inpedance(ohms) and sensitivity. I did find some comments about both, on here and other site forums too. I can definitely say that i do not know about the technical and scientific side of these things, only the results some have claimed in forums and the such. i didn't see that much about sensitivity and i did impedance either though. The K702'S you mentioned do look interesting, i'm no good at soldering if i run to issues though..I only have a cheap solder that came in a plastic case with various attachments but hardly ever used it and s lying somewhere in our home.

I will have to look into the price side of things as the weeks go along and also as my birthday approaches. Robbo, you must have read my mind because only last night and today i was wondering if there was an easy way of looking up deals so your comment about camel tracker helped. I haven't googled it yet but will do as soon as i can.

Just a couple things i need to add. I did see a budget pair of headphones (Samson SR850) that looked quite good from Amazon comments, on forums and reviews. They are semi open and are going for around £38 here in UK on Amazon. The only thing about them is they don't have a mic socket in the headphone which i guess is expected for headphones at that price, so its just a direct 3.5mm cable. If anyone of you are familiar with them it would be nice to know a bit more if possible. I haven't bought anything yet though because as you told me and i agree, there's no need to rush too quickly.


Baba, thank you for your reply too. I couldn't find the headset you mentioned on Amazon UK and i haven't as yet looked into their capabilities( soundstage etc. I would prefer not to go the import side of things, not only because of possible cost, but also if i run into problems if there is a failure with the headphones and they needed to be returned. Another reason is i cannot buy things online without the help of family, or friends of family because i no longer have credit card access. Those ppl i know tend to only use Amazon UK or Ebay so i wouldn't wanna cause them any hassles....PS...i will look up the TRRS CTIA headset splitter you mentioned too, thank you.

Cheers,

Simon

 

[Robbo99999]

Hi,

I will just write that first off..... i needed to sign in to see both yours and baba's replies. I got no email notification this time(seems that sometimes it works and sometimes not and i haven't touched any of the settings on my profile. In any case, thank you both for your responses. I'll write to you both in this one post so as not to hog the thread too much.

I hope my reply isn't too confusing but here goes: Robbo, thanks again for your help. Regarding the inpedance(ohms) and sensitivity. I did find some comments about both, on here and other site forums too. I can definitely say that i do not know about the technical and scientific side of these things, only the results some have claimed in forums and the such. i didn't see that much about sensitivity and i did impedance either though. The K702'S you mentioned do look interesting, i'm no good at soldering if i run to issues though..I only have a cheap solder that came in a plastic case with various attachments but hardly ever used it and s lying somewhere in our home.

I will have to look into the price side of things as the weeks go along and also as my birthday approaches. Robbo, you must have read my mind because only last night and today i was wondering if there was an easy way of looking up deals so your comment about camel tracker helped. I haven't googled it yet but will do as soon as i can.

Just a couple things i need to add. I did see a budget pair of headphones (Samson SR850) that looked quite good from Amazon comments, on forums and reviews. They are semi open and are going for around £38 here in UK on Amazon. The only thing about them is they don't have a mic socket in the headphone which i guess is expected for headphones at that price, so its just a direct 3.5mm cable. If anyone of you are familiar with them it would be nice to know a bit more if possible. I haven't bought anything yet though because as you told me and i agree, there's no need to rush too quickly.


Baba, thank you for your reply too. I couldn't find the headset you mentioned on Amazon UK and i haven't as yet looked into their capabilities( soundstage etc. I would prefer not to go the import side of things, not only because of possible cost, but also if i run into problems if there is a failure with the headphones and they needed to be returned. Another reason is i cannot buy things online without the help of family, or friends of family because i no longer have credit card access. Those ppl i know tend to only use Amazon UK or Ebay so i wouldn't wanna cause them any hassles....PS...i will look up the TRRS CTIA headset splitter you mentioned too, thank you.

Cheers,

Simon

About the Samson SR850 you mentioned, I've never heard of that brand before so I don't know anything about them. I did look up in Oratory's and also Crinacle's database (and also the AutoEQ database) to see if there was a measurement for them, and there's nothing there, so they're a complete unknown quantity as to what the frequency response is like, so there's no way I could recommend them. If you want good audiophile grade sound combined with good gaming abilities for use without EQ then the HD560s really is the best out there.....it's the only one I'm happy recommending to you. I wouldn't recommend my other favourite headphone which is the K702 because it needs EQ and is harder to drive and also has the solder problems (so certainly can't recommend that to you because you're not using EQ). If the people you're dependant on are reluctant to spend £160 on the HD560s you could maybe say you'll do some chores for them or treat it as two combined gifts rather than one, something like that.....or just save up the money for that little bit longer.

EDIT: here's Camel Tracker for the HD560s, it's dropped in price by £10 over the last few days, so is £159 now rather than £169:
https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B08HNFV61M?context=search
The lowest in price it's been is £147, so it's only £12 more expensive right now than it ever has been, so I'd be inclined to buy it now at £159 if you can, who knows when/if it will go back down to £147.....doesn't look like this headphone has ever been included in the Black Friday Sales.

 

[Robbo99999]

@Simon66 , I edited my post after you read it so check the EDIT above.

 

[Simon66]

@Simon66 , I edited my post after you read it so check the EDIT above.

Thank you. I'll just have to see. Even £160 does seem a little steep for me right now and added to that, looking for a mic too, although a mic isn't my primary neeed right now i'd like one eventually. I did sign up to the camel site so i can track the prices now so thank you for that too.

 

[Robbo99999]

Thank you. I'll just have to see. Even £160 does seem a little steep for me right now and added to that, looking for a mic too, although a mic isn't my primary neeed right now i'd like one eventually. I did sign up to the camel site so i can track the prices now so thank you for that too.

Cool, see how you go

 

[okok]

would like to see adx5000

 

[38yEj5SxGA]

Ha, I know, I'm sorry I recommended you a headphone that was £40 more than your budget, but yeah sometimes they're on sale, you could look on camel tracker to see the price history of the HD560s on Amazon for instance. About the ohm rating, it's not as simple as increased ohm headphones are harder to drive, that's not necessarily the case. I think the most useful parameter to look at is the Sensitivity Rating, and the HD560s is 110dB / 1Vrms, which is quite a sensitive easy to drive headphone, most reviewers say you can just plug it straight into a phone and get decent volume for instance.

About the mic, I don't use a mic, so can't really advise you on that, but I'm envisaging that you'd buy a completely seperate mic and just plug that into the mic port of your device, so it doesn't have anything to do with the HD560s, it's not like the HD560s has a mic port or something. So I'm assuming you'd plug your headphone into the headphone port & the mic into the mic port. I think some headphone ports are both mic & headphones (don't know really), but in that case you might need a splitter. Really don't know anything about mics!

Take it easy & save up for that headphone, I'm comfortable recommending it to you.....I really do think it's the best headphone for it's price considering your usage needs, and straight up a good value headphone even for people with less restrictions (eg people who have the flexibility of EQ or who have headphone amps), it's just a darn good headphone.

That's ok, no problem. K702 is quite a unique headphone re soundstage, not many headphones like it, so it's got your wiiiidness that you wanted.....and you know about the solder issue which is the largest downside, but they're only £109 here in the UK, so it's a balance.
@Jimbob54 above gave you some good advice re using Graphical EQ Presets (Fixed Band Equalisers) from the AutoEQ project, but make sure you use the ones based on Oratory's measurements as they're generally the most thorough in terms of the work that goes into the creation of the measurement (the 2nd link has the detail you need):
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/harman_over-ear_2018/Sennheiser HD 560S
Alternatively, you could contact Oratory over on his reddit site, and ask him if he'd do a 10 band fixed EQ for it, he does that sometimes:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/

EDIT: sorry, where's my brain, I had to cross out the above stuff as that's the for the HD560s and not the K702 that you're talking about! Also AutoEQ haven't updated their databases for the K702 Oratory measurement which was done this Summer, so your best bet is to contact Oratory at the link above. You could use the AutoEQ from Crinacle's measurement but for some reason the sample he measured didn't have the 5kHz peak, which was present on both my units of K702 that I sent to Oratory, so I would still ask Oratory for a Fixed Band EQ, but here's the K702 from Crinacle if you want to try it:
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/crinacle/gras_43ag-7_harman_over-ear_2018/AKG K702

Thanks again!

I ordered the K702's off Amazon. From the all the reviews I read/watched, I think they will be perfect! I currently have a Sound Blaster G3 Amp DAC, but am considering getting the Qudelix K5, would this have plenty of power for the K702's? I have seen many conflicting opinions on "driveability" of the K702's and want to make sure I have the right equipment to get the most out of them.

I posted up on reddit requesting the 10 band EQ settings, let's see what oratory comes back with. Mind you, if I get the K5, I can go parametric.

 

[Robbo99999]

Thanks again!

I ordered the K702's off Amazon. From the all the reviews I read/watched, I think they will be perfect! I currently have a Sound Blaster G3 Amp DAC, but am considering getting the Qudelix K5, would this have plenty of power for the K702's? I have seen many conflicting opinions on "driveability" of the K702's and want to make sure I have the right equipment to get the most out of them.

I posted up on reddit requesting the 10 band EQ settings, let's see what oratory comes back with. Mind you, if I get the K5, I can go parametric.

Hi, well regarding the Qudelix 5K there's a review on this site here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...qudelix-5k-bluetooth-dac-headphone-amp.17386/
It should drive the K702 without problem, but that's a portable DAC/amp the Qudelix 5K and it doesn't offer the best performance if you don't need the portability feature. If you don't need portability then choose something else. Cool, it'll be good to see if Oratory does a 10band EQ for it.....would you post back here if he does?

 

[38yEj5SxGA]

Hi, well regarding the Qudelix 5K there's a review on this site here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...qudelix-5k-bluetooth-dac-headphone-amp.17386/
It should drive the K702 without problem, but that's a portable DAC/amp the Qudelix 5K and it doesn't offer the best performance if you don't need the portability feature. If you don't need portability then choose something else. Cool, it'll be good to see if Oratory does a 10band EQ for it.....would you post back here if he does?

Sure mate, will do

I chose the 5k because it's compatible with the PS5's UAC1 requirements. Do you have any suggestions for an affordable desktop DAC/Amp with PEQ? It needs to be compatible with UAC1 (for the PS5) or at the very least optical input.

 

[Robbo99999]

Sure mate, will do

I chose the 5k because it's compatible with the PS5's UAC1 requirements. Do you have any suggestions for an affordable desktop DAC/Amp with PEQ? It needs to be compatible with UAC1 (for the PS5) or at the very least optical input.

Ah, I see. I don't have any suggestions re desktop DAC/Amp with PEQ included.....they're not particularly common otherwise I'd probably be able to point you to one.....but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist, might have even been reviewed on this site.

 

[maverickronin]

Do you have any suggestions for an affordable desktop DAC/Amp with PEQ? It needs to be compatible with UAC1 (for the PS5) or at the very least optical input.

I don't think there are any affordable desktop AIOs with PEQ. In fact the only one I can think of is the RME ADI-2 DAC.

It's not UAC1, but it does have optical and coax SPDIF inputs. I use a UAC1 SPDIF bridge between my Switch and the RME.

If you're on a tight budget, just using the 5K as a DAC and running it into a more powerful desktop amps would be the best choice.

Besides that, there are other hardware DSP units aimed at either consumer (MiniDSP) or pro audio markets (Behringer, DBX, etc) that could be used in between.

None of that's going to be as cheap as the 5K though. Its a bargain.

 

[Robbo99999]

Sure mate, will do

I chose the 5k because it's compatible with the PS5's UAC1 requirements. Do you have any suggestions for an affordable desktop DAC/Amp with PEQ? It needs to be compatible with UAC1 (for the PS5) or at the very least optical input.

I don't think there are any affordable desktop AIOs with PEQ. In fact the only one I can think of is the RME ADI-2 DAC.

It's not UAC1, but it does have optical and coax SPDIF inputs. I use a UAC1 SPDIF bridge between my Switch and the RME.

If you're on a tight budget, just using the 5K as a DAC and running it into a more powerful desktop amps would be the best choice.

Besides that, there are other hardware DSP units aimed at either consumer (MiniDSP) or pro audio markets (Behringer, DBX, etc) that could be used in between.

None of that's going to be as cheap as the 5K though. Its a bargain.

I think the 5K will be fine then, go with it. It's enough power, and sound quality wise you probably wouldn't notice a difference. Try it on it's own at first, then if you want you can buy a desktop amp later.

 

[aandres_gm]

Country: Germany, can import from any country in the EU

Budget: 500€ max. Lower is always better.

Form factor: over ear, closed back.

Use case: closed back counterpart to Ananda, for the times I don't want to bother my girlfriend.

Source information: A30 Pro, so neither power nor the physical connectors should be relevant. All is being fed from a Pi running Moode, so CamillaDSP is definitely an option.

Things that are important to you: no flashy looks. Durability is important, as is parts availability.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: love my Ananda. I'd accept the new ones not having the same great soundstage, if that means they keep my music for myself.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I've been eyeing the DCA Aeon RT. Seem solid and apparently fit the bill, but availability in the EU is very poor, and importing puts me well over my absolute max budget.

 

[Robbo99999]

Country: Germany, can import from any country in the EU

Budget: 500€ max. Lower is always better.

Form factor: over ear, closed back.

Use case: closed back counterpart to Ananda, for the times I don't want to bother my girlfriend.

Source information: A30 Pro, so neither power nor the physical connectors should be relevant. All is being fed from a Pi running Moode, so CamillaDSP is definitely an option.

Things that are important to you: no flashy looks. Durability is important, as is parts availability.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: love my Ananda. I'd accept the new ones not having the same great soundstage, if that means they keep my music for myself.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I've been eyeing the DCA Aeon RT. Seem solid and apparently fit the bill, but availability in the EU is very poor, and importing puts me well over my absolute max budget.

You're gonna use Parametric EQ right? (don't know anything about CamillaDSP)

When I think of good closed back headphones I think of Aeon RT (like you mentioned), AKG K371, and NAD HP50 of which I have the last one on that list. I think an EQ'd HP50 would be better than a likewise EQ'd K371 as the K371 has a fairly difficult dip in the treble to EQ and NAD (maker of the HP50) marketed the HP50 having something called "RoomFeel" which was supposed to sound more like speakers in a room to a greater extent than your average headphone. NAD HP50 also has exceedingly low distortion as proven by Amir's review of that headphone. They don't make it anymore, so praps you could try to buy one 2nd hand (used).....which might be a bonus because it might not be much money too. NAD HP50 actually has better spatial soundstage qualities than my open backed HD600, but to be fair the HD600 has the worst soundstage of all my headphones (small & narrow). EDIT: I did some listening just now with the HP50 as I've not listened with it for months, and I found it quite finicky to position to get good sound.....it was good once positioned, but I don't remember it being this pedantic about positioning before.....I have long hair now as opposed to previously a Number 3 on the sides, so that's probably making a difference. With the HP50 you'd want to have small ears too, mine are quite small, so as to fit in the earcup, it's a very tight fit. It's obviously a bit of a pain the ass this headphone, but once positioned right it does sound good, the quality of the bass being one of the most standout aspects, I use an EQ I did using an Oratory measurement:

K371 is apparently quite finnicky for head placement on some people too. Hmm, I haven't researched other recently reviewed closed backs that have been reviewed here on ASR, but this might keep you going and give you a bit of food for thought until I read your next post (& if I have time to go through the ASR reviews of other closed backs soon).

 

[aandres_gm]

You're gonna use Parametric EQ right? (don't know anything about CamillaDSP)

When I think of good closed back headphones I think of Aeon RT (like you mentioned), AKG K371, and NAD HP50 of which I have the last one on that list. I think an EQ'd HP50 would be better than a likewise EQ'd K371 as the K371 has a fairly difficult dip in the treble to EQ and NAD (maker of the HP50) marketed the HP50 having something called "RoomFeel" which was supposed to sound more like speakers in a room to a greater extent than your average headphone. NAD HP50 also has exceedingly low distortion as proven by Amir's review of that headphone. They don't make it anymore, so praps you could try to buy one 2nd hand (used).....which might be a bonus because it might not be much money too. NAD HP50 actually has better spatial soundstage qualities than my open backed HD600, but to be fair the HD600 has the worst soundstage of all my headphones (small & narrow). EDIT: I did some listening just now with the HP50 as I've not listened with it for months, and I found it quite finicky to position to get good sound.....it was good once positioned, but I don't remember it being this pedantic about positioning before.....I have long hair now as opposed to previously a Number 3 on the sides, so that's probably making a difference. With the HP50 you'd want to have small ears too, mine are quite small, so as to fit in the earcup, it's a very tight fit. It's obviously a bit of a pain the ass this headphone, but once positioned right it does sound good, the quality of the bass being one of the most standout aspects, I use an EQ I did using an Oratory measurement:
View attachment 149971
K371 is apparently quite finnicky for head placement on some people too. Hmm, I haven't researched other recently reviewed closed backs that have been reviewed here on ASR, but this might keep you going and give you a bit of food for thought until I read your next post (& if I have time to go through the ASR reviews of other closed backs soon).

Thanks for the detailed reply. I looked around and could find the NAD new, for around 270€. However, I'm reading positioning is hard and the headphones are prone to breaking down. So I'm not too sure.

I'll look into K371, with Aeon RT Closed still having the lead. Do you happen to have any recommendations outside of what amir has reviewed? His NAD review was also very shaky, with apparent issues getting a good seal on one cup (déjà vu with the Ananda review) and surprisingly adding a big bass boost to what's an already bass-heavy headphone lol

 

[Robbo99999]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I looked around and could find the NAD new, for around 270€. However, I'm reading positioning is hard and the headphones are prone to breaking down. So I'm not too sure.

I'll look into K371, with Aeon RT Closed still having the lead. Do you happen to have any recommendations outside of what amir has reviewed? His NAD review was also very shaky, with apparent issues getting a good seal on one cup (déjà vu with the Ananda review) and surprisingly adding a big bass boost to what's an already bass-heavy headphone lol

I think it was one of two things or both with Amir & the HP50: firstly the headphone looks a bit damaged as it's unsymmetrical in his pics with the pads at different heights and the headband looks as though it's been bent by someone, secondly he definitely did have fitment issues of the HP50 on his GRAS measurement device (either because of the damage to the headphone or it's just a little bit of a finicky headphone for placement too, which I mentioned in my last post).......so Amirs review is a kind of worst case from a frequency response point of view, in fact I wouldn't use his EQ for that headphone for those reasons, in fact it sounds awful using that on my HP50, there was issues with Amir's HP50. All-in-all HP50 is a bit of a gamble for you probably, but praps worth it if you can get one cheap that's been used assuming it looks alright.

I'm gonna have a quick look through ASR reviews of closed back headphones and will edit this post if I think I can find anything worthy outside of the K371, HP50 & Aeon RT for under 500 Euro.
EDIT: ok I've gone through all the Amir recommended (after EQ) closed back headphones and I didn't like the frequency response of any of them beyond the K371 apart from perhaps the Emu Teak (https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/e-mu-teak-review-headphone.24824/ ) and the problem with that one is that it's from The States and gonna cost too much. Out of all the closed backs that Amir has reviewed I'd go K371 based on those reviews: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../akg-k371-review-closed-back-headphone.19657/ , that's if you don't want to shell out for the Aeon RT. Or the NAD HP50 is probably a better headphone than the K371 if you can get it sitting properly on your head & ears, lol! Seems to be a lack of good quality low priced closed back headphones....I think open back have been fairing better in this regard.

 

[Jimbob54]

Country: Germany, can import from any country in the EU

Budget: 500€ max. Lower is always better.

Form factor: over ear, closed back.

Use case: closed back counterpart to Ananda, for the times I don't want to bother my girlfriend.

Source information: A30 Pro, so neither power nor the physical connectors should be relevant. All is being fed from a Pi running Moode, so CamillaDSP is definitely an option.

Things that are important to you: no flashy looks. Durability is important, as is parts availability.

Your preferred sound signature/other headphones you've tried and liked/disliked: love my Ananda. I'd accept the new ones not having the same great soundstage, if that means they keep my music for myself.

Anything else you feel might be relevant: I've been eyeing the DCA Aeon RT. Seem solid and apparently fit the bill, but availability in the EU is very poor, and importing puts me well over my absolute max budget.

Look at some of the woody Fostex and Denons- if you look in the Amazon Warehouse deals section they both come up quite regularly and for around £400- I can never remember model numbers but I think Fostex is TH600/610 and Denon is 5200/7200 in that kind of price range- similar to the EMU Teak reviewed on here.

But I personally would stretch the budget for the Dan Clarks.

 

[aandres_gm]

Look at some of the woody Fostex and Denons- if you look in the Amazon Warehouse deals section they both come up quite regularly and for around £400- I can never remember model numbers but I think Fostex is TH600/610 and Denon is 5200/7200 in that kind of price range- similar to the EMU Teak reviewed on here.

But I personally would stretch the budget for the Dan Clarks.

I'm reading and hearing interesting impressions on the Denon 5200. However, comparing the price (~430€) with the DCA, it's really not that much of a saving. Unfortunately there's no chance at auditioning these, which is something I'd usually do.

 

[Robbo99999]

I'm reading and hearing interesting impressions on the Denon 5200. However, comparing the price (~430€) with the DCA, it's really not that much of a saving. Unfortunately there's no chance at auditioning these, which is something I'd usually do.

If it's not much of a saving it might be worth going for the DCA considering it measured well hear on ASR. Ok, the frequency response was quite far off Harman, but there was no nasty peaks or dips so it EQ's easily to the Harman Curve, the distortion results were good and Amir had very positive listening impressions once EQ'd.....so if you're not saving much it's better to get the DCA. One other thing to consider, there was some word out that some of the technology from the DCA Stealth might trickle down to future lower priced DCA headphones in the future....so you might consider waiting until they introduce a new line-up incorporating that tech. In that case you could get the K371 as a place holder for a year or two and then replace it for a future DCA good value headphone incorporating their tech from the impressive DCA Stealth.

 

[Phony846]

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?