Speaker guy trying to get his bearings in headphone land

[eforer]

For whatever reason, I'm not really enjoying researching and experimenting with Headphones the way I do with loudspeakers and that universe of Hi-Fi. Maybe it's that they hurt my ears after awhile with my glasses, or that I resent having to use them instead of listening to speakers, maybe I just like the sound of loudspeakers better, I honestly don't know. I'm just not that into them and I have to go down that road. At any rate, I would like a value conscious portable dac amp combo for use when I'm working outside of the home. Due to needing to hear what's going on around me in most places, I'm planning on using my open back HD58X Jubilee's that I got for a song awhile ago. Again, value conscious. I would generally be using these with a laptop, not my iPhone or iPad and bus power is preferred. Also, I do have both a 2nd gen Scarlett 2i4 and a Focusrite iTrack Solo both of which kinda fit the bill, so if a sub $200.00 option isn't much of an upgrade there, am I better off just using one of these?

Thanks from a fatigued shopper

PS, an entry level set of IEMs might be something I want to try too, but teriary to the portable DAC AMP combo.

 

[Keith_W]

Welcome to ASR! Good news, both your Focusrite devices should be able to power headphones. I have a 2i2 which I used for headphones for many years.

 

[Matias]

Welcome to ASR. I would start with a simple combo like 7Hz Zero 2 + Jcally JM20 and your phone/laptop for less than 50 usd.

 

[kemmler3D]

Welcome to ASR!

If you are listening on a laptop you can definitely improve things by using EQ, (EQAPO on Windows, SoundSource on Mac) it's much more important and useful with headphones than speakers.

Also, if you prefer speaker sound, I would definitely suggest trying a crossfeed plugin (easy enough on Windows via EQAPO + a free plugin), which helps smooth out the stereo image and make the sound a little more speaker-like. I doubted crossfeed for years but it's a big improvement for stereo imaging.

I agree with @Matias ' suggestion if you want a portable IEM / DAC combo, great place to start.

 

[DVDdoug]

...I'm not much of a headphone guy either.

Maybe it's that they hurt my ears after awhile with my glasses, or that I resent having to use them instead of listening to speakers, maybe I just like the sound of loudspeakers better, ...

...Due to needing to hear what's going on around me in most places, I'm planning on using my open back HD58X Jubilee's that I got for a song awhile ago.

Those two things often go together because with an open-back headphone you may not need a seal around the ear. Although, some may work better without the sound leaking-around the outside (you might get some bass cancelation).

Again, value conscious. I would generally be using these with a laptop, not my iPhone or iPad and bus power is preferred.

The Apple Dongle got great reviews! As long as it goes loud enough with your particular headphones that should be all you need. Your iPad may have a headphone jack. (The old iPhones used to.)

If you want some "cheap headphones" the Koss Porta Pro has a reputation for being a bargain and there's a reason they've been popular for decades... But "pro' is a bit of an exaggeration. You might want to give them a try. They are open-back and on-ear so you can wear them with glasses. And if you don't like 'em you haven't wasted a lot of money. I've got a pair in my laptop bag.

When it comes to headphones, there is almost no correlation between sound quality and cost. But of course, the bigger your budget the more options you have. (You can sort the reviews here by price or "recommended".)

 

[Multicore]

Koss KPH30i.

Due to needing to hear what's going on around me in most places, I'm planning on using my open back HD58X Jubilee's that

I have these and they are good and fairly comfortable and I use them for recording music. For everything else the KPH30i is better. More comfy, less isolated, easy to drive str8 from phone or laptop. The only limitation is they don't go as loud as some.

I'm on my second set. I really like them.

HD58X is great too if you want the full earwarmers, which I usually do not.

 

[LTig]

I use a Qudelix 5k and am very happy with it.

 

[InfiniteJester]

Welcome to ASR. I would start with a simple combo like 7Hz Zero 2 + Jcally JM20 and your phone/laptop for less than 50 usd.

An Apple dongle should be enough.

 

[eforer]

Wow! Thanks for the great suggestions this is really helpful. I’ve been a lurker on this site for years, glad I finally actually made an account and asked a question!

 

[ZolaIII]

The HD 58x you have will be happy with anything that can output 1V (110 dB) like US Apple dongle. However they are both impedance dependant and seal dependant. Meaning FR will change with high impedance sources (60 Hz boost) and won't play nice with glasses (bass lose). Question is what you really need and want especially regarding mobility.

 

[markanini]

CX31993 dongle and Truthear Red or Hexa, or AKG K371. You don't need to overspend.

 

[LTig]

CX31993 dongle and Truthear Red or Hexa, or AKG K371. You don't need to overspend.

I changed my mind about AKG K371 and advise against it despite its great sound. There are too many where the headband brakes and can't be replaced (mine included, despite being very careful and not using it often).

 

[Spkrdctr]

I have to agree with the OP. I have been using headphones for the last couple of years and I still prefer speakers every single time. Well, a good surround set up anyways. I use headphones for the wife factor, she likes to read at night and I like watching loud explosion/shooting/car chase movie. She drew the line and made me get headphones as she was getting PTSD from all of the bullets and explosions going on around her! Good Luck in your search. Lots of good people around here to help.

 

[markanini]

I changed my mind about AKG K371 and advise against it despite its great sound. There are too many where the headband brakes and can't be replaced (mine included, despite being very careful and not using it often).

Not to be a contrarian, but I changed my mind in the opposite way. I know it seems unreasonable to recommend a headphone which may not hold up physically. But my point is different. You pay 2-3 times the price of K371 for a closed back with comparable sound quality. This alone makes it look more acceptable as a value proposition. EU regulations mandate a 3-year warranty of electronic goods which all retailers must honor. Most K371 headband breakage happened within the three-year window. All K371 don't break by the way.

 

[LTig]

Not to be a contrarian, but I changed my mind in the opposite way. I know it seems unreasonable to recommend a headphone which may not hold up physically. But my point is different. You pay 2-3 times the price of K371 for a closed back with comparable sound quality. This alone makes it look more acceptable as a value proposition.

Still it is a bad sign that AKG did nothing to improve the headband nor offer a replacement. I decided to skip AKG products for the future no matter what.

EU regulations mandate a 3-year warranty of electronic goods which all retailers must honor. Most K371 headband breakage happened within the three-year window.

In Germany there is a mandatory dealer warranty (Gewährleistung) of 2 years, not 3. And after 6 months the buyer has to prove that the defect was there when bought new.

All K371 don't break by the way.

Not all, but the number of complains at Thomann says enough.

 

[ZolaIII]

Still it is a bad sign that AKG did nothing to improve the headband nor offer a replacement. I decided to skip AKG products for the future no matter what.

In Germany there is a mandatory dealer warranty (Gewährleistung) of 2 years, not 3. And after 6 months the buyer has to prove that the defect was there when bought new.

Not all, but the number of complains at Thomann says enough.

Wall structural integrity is one of such defects so you don't have to prove much at least. I changed my preference to easy to use and settled down for Denon AH-D5200 on which is wery little that can brake (no connection cable between cups internally, unicast dur Aluminium and so on). They sound OK, you can drive them from pretty much anything and they won't complain regarding source impedance either. Most importantly they are easy to put on and achieve good seal even with glasses but cups aren't that big so older people will want bigger ones. Regarding sound is lush over all a bit hot which some like to call British, I don't and it's not my preference all tho not bad so I do EQ them and they are fine down to 30 Hz. Anyway you get what you paid for with those.

 

[markanini]

Still it is a bad sign that AKG did nothing to improve the headband nor offer a replacement. I decided to skip AKG products for the future no matter what.

In Germany there is a mandatory dealer warranty (Gewährleistung) of 2 years, not 3. And after 6 months the buyer has to prove that the defect was there when bought new.

Not all, but the number of complains at Thomann says enough.

Valid points, I used to think exactly like you five years ago, because I expected there would eventually come competition both in build quality and sound quality. But that's laughable in hindsight. Sub is $200 in 2025 you have at least one good sound-quality option in AKG K371, drivable from most sources. Build quality will cost more unless you're willing to compromise on sound quality. Like it or not, that's the landscape.