What pair of Headphones?

[quorzar]

Hello,
I need a pair of headphones for the days, I cant listen to my speakers, because it is too loud. Im new to headphones and hope to get some experienced feedback from some of you. Around 500€ or 430$ I want so spent. I heard of Sennheiser 660s, Fostex 610. Is it possible to get a decent soundstage and imaging for this price or is silent listening of speakers better than every headphone?
Anyone with a good advice?
Thank you.

 

[helloworld]

Hello,
I need a pair of headphones for the days, I cant listen to my speakers, because it is too loud. Im new to headphones and hope to get some experienced feedback from some of you. Around 500€ or 430$ I want so spent. I heard of Sennheiser 660s, Fostex 610. Is it possible to get a decent soundstage and imaging for this price or is silent listening of speakers better than every headphone?
Anyone with a good advice?
Thank you.

With your budget I may get massdrop hd6xx and a hifiman se560 v3 from ADORAMA(sometimes the price goes down to $299)

 

[Webninja]

I have the Massdrop HD6xx. I'm not a huge headphone person, but they are comfortable, and are not fatiguing. I prefer my Audioquest Nighthawks, but that is subjective.

 

[flipflop]

With EQ: Philips Fidelio X2
Without EQ: Hifiman Sundara
I wouldn't recommend low volume listening. The equal-loudness contour will warp your perception of the music, essentially distorting it.

 

[westyjeff]

What is your source during the day? 6XX are open back headphones so you will be sharing your music with those around you. Closed back headphones are what you need to ensure your keeping the music to your self. You need to determine what your source will power first. 6XX are higher Ohm and will need more power to get good volumes, lower Ohm headphones will give you higher volumes from sources such as phones, In ear buds would be another option.

 

[Johnb]

Let me assume that not getting too loud is relative to the loudness of speakers, i.e. that you are alone, and it is the neighbors you are concerned with, not co-workers. That would focus the discussion.

 

[SemperUnum]

In my experience headphones are something very personal: the fit, comfort, sound and yes, even the looks, makes them so personal.

You can ask for opinions to get a general idea but in the end it is best if you listen to several headphones in one session to correctly compare them and check which one really suits your taste (and head).

The last time I bought a new headphone I thought it would either be a DT1990, Amiron or a Focal Clear. However, at the end of my testing session I bought the HiFiMan Ananda: it sat nicely on my head, was comfortable to wear and had a sound I really liked, so all very personal things that in the end made my decision.

 

[VintageFlanker]

Hello,
I need a pair of headphones for the days, I cant listen to my speakers, because it is too loud. Im new to headphones and hope to get some experienced feedback from some of you. Around 500€ or 430$ I want so spent. I heard of Sennheiser 660s, Fostex 610. Is it possible to get a decent soundstage and imaging for this price or is silent listening of speakers better than every headphone?
Anyone with a good advice?
Thank you.

Where are you living? If in EU, I would go for the Beyer Dt1990 for 450€, excellent soundstage and imaging. Very detailed cans.

 

[GoMrPickles]

To go contrary to your thinking: If you are new to headphones, I recommend the Sennheiser 6XX if you like that design, or the Hifiman 4XX if you like that design. (I prefer the Sennheisers.) Or the DT880s. Look at the frequency response curves for each and compare.

At ~$200 each, you can add a nice DAC/AMP combo.

Once you figure out what you don't like, you can upgrade one or the other and sell the old eqpt. (You can also buy used, which many here do.)

If you are buying $500 headphones, you probably want a DAC/Amp to drive them, or separate DAC and Amp. $200 headphones and a $200 DAC/Amp (e.g., O2-ODAC or SDAC) will be a much more flexible introduction.

 

[Johnb]

To go contrary to your thinking: If you are new to headphones, I recommend the Sennheiser 6XX if you like that design, or the Hifiman 4XX if you like that design. (I prefer the Sennheisers.) Or the DT880s. Look at the frequency response curves for each and compare.

At ~$200 each, you can add a nice DAC/AMP combo.

Once you figure out what you don't like, you can upgrade one or the other and sell the old eqpt. (You can also buy used, which many here do.)

If you are buying $500 headphones, you probably want a DAC/Amp to drive them, or separate DAC and Amp. $200 headphones and a $200 DAC/Amp (e.g., O2-ODAC or SDAC) will be a much more flexible introduction.

This is a very wise recommendation. I completely forgot to factor in the cost of an amplifier, and then like most people started purchasing the "cheapest" amplification that will do the job. Then upgrading. That is the expensive way to go. $200 seems to be the sweet spot for a DAC and an amp (Khadas Tone Board or other, JDS Atom) or integrated solution (Topping DX3 Pro) that you will not soon regret having purchased. Also, give some real thought to whether at your listening position you prefer a single device or stacked components - real life usability is often overlooked, as well as comfort of the headphones themselves. Then, within any usage scenario there is good equipment.

 

[Johnb]

Some people as disciplined about buying and selling their stuff. Others aren't. Browsing the boards, I frequently see people list their equipment, and they have several amps, several dacs, several headphones - all entry level stuff. I can't help thinking that for the $1000 that they eventually invested, they couldn't have bought one exemplary example of each instead.

 

[pwjazz]

With EQ: Philips Fidelio X2
Without EQ: Hifiman Sundara
I wouldn't recommend low volume listening. The equal-loudness contour will warp your perception of the music, essentially distorting it.

I would instead recommend listening at low volume to protect your hearing and either using EQ to correct for the effect of equal loudness, or just getting headphones with a somewhat v-shaped signature which naturally compensates for our relative bass and treble insensitivity at low volumes.

 

[pwjazz]

Where are you living? If in EU, I would go for the Beyer Dt1990 for 450€, excellent soundstage and imaging. Very detailed cans.

I owned the DT 1990 and they do sound impressive, but they have a very high treble spike that for some people (like myself) becomes physically painful a few minutes into listening. Some people don't mind it, and it can of course be EQ'd down, but you should keep that in mind.

 

[pwjazz]

I can't help thinking that for the $1000 that they eventually invested, they couldn't have bought one exemplary example of each instead.

More expensive does not always equal better. Part of the fun of the hobby is the exploration and experimentation, which IMHO is better done with cheaper equipment. Once you've discovered your own preferences and better understand the pros and cons of various pieces of equipment, then it might be investing big bucks in something "exemplary". Jump to "exemplary" too soon and you might not even be able to judge whether it is in fact so.

 

[bravomail]

If u decide to go with closed headphones- try AKG K550-553. U can find K550mkII on harmanaudio.com for ~90 refurbished (orig price being 299). Highly recommended. I also have audiotechnica m40x - but they r more fun phones with mids way recessed (V shaped), I only use them because I added a custom cable to them with the mic. AKG K550 cable is long and non-removable.
Open headphones- try Sennheiser 58x from massdrop. If u don't mind treble - Hifiman He4xx.

 

[flipflop]

I would instead recommend listening at low volume to protect your hearing

If you want to protect your hearing, I suggest limiting your time listening to music. You can listen safely at 85 dB for up to 8 hours a day. That should be enough for even hardcore music lovers.

and either using EQ to correct for the effect of equal loudness,

Seeing how sloppy most people are at just equalizing to a simple target curve, this approach will be impossible for virtually everyone.

or just getting headphones with a somewhat v-shaped signature which naturally compensates for our relative bass and treble insensitivity at low volumes.

I've heard this idea expressed many times. The issue is that few headphones have smoothly rising bass and treble regions in accordance with the ELQ. V-shaped headphones, like Fidelio X2, often have a large mid-bass hump and jagged treble with one or two big spikes.

 

[quorzar]

Ok. Thanks for all your advice. And yes, too loud means neighbors. My source is lossless CD rip trough a Cambridge Audio DAC Magic+. Until now the only "good" headphones I use, are the Fostex TE05 BK. I enjoy them every day, but I thougt that there must be an improvement. After reading about the posts here the Sennheiser 6XX and the Hifiman 4XX are now in my closer selection. And open is the way I want to go, because the imaging and stage is better?!?!? The loudness correction Ill give a try with my DSP, so it would cost me nothing.