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Wired headphones - any recommendations?

jamguy

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Hello, would appreciate some recommendations for wired headphones at around the £200 mark. They should be durable, unlike the AKGs I just had. Prefer the feel of on-ear, but if over ear, they shouldn't feel too stuffy or overbearing, especially as someone who wears glasses. The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition seems popular, but apparently the cable is too long for day to day use, e.g. commuting, etc. Also interested in the Sennheiser HD 560S and the Fiio FT1 Pro - struggling to choose between them but open to suggestions of others. I'm listening to music (just a casual listener, not a DJ or anything) and am not a gamer. Think I prefer closed back, but not essential. In terms of genre, I listen to a range of music, some of which has a lot of bass, and some which is brighter, so I guess I'm looking for something netural. Thanks!
 
Hello and welcome.
Hmmm... HD560s and FiioFT1 Pro are open-back, and as per their proper nature express bass region in a manner for sure less impressive respect than any closed-back can.
Will you use an headphone amplifier for drive these headphones or any other of your choice?
 
Hey, thanks for this. You're right, both are open-back. I can't seem to find much within this price range that fulfil my criteria and are closed-back, so would really appreciate any recs. I won't be using an amplifier - this is more for day to day use: commuting, going for a walk, etc...
 
Good closed-backs at that budget are AKG K371 and FiiO FT1.

Here are measurements and a quick comparison:

A cut above that you can find headphones like the HD620S, Hi-X60, and Aeon RT Closed/Closed X.
 
Hello, would appreciate some recommendations for wired headphones at around the £200 mark. They should be durable, unlike the AKGs I just had. Prefer the feel of on-ear, but if over ear, they shouldn't feel too stuffy or overbearing, especially as someone who wears glasses. The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition seems popular, but apparently the cable is too long for day to day use, e.g. commuting, etc. Also interested in the Sennheiser HD 560S and the Fiio FT1 Pro - struggling to choose between them but open to suggestions of others. I'm listening to music (just a casual listener, not a DJ or anything) and am not a gamer. Think I prefer closed back, but not essential. In terms of genre, I listen to a range of music, some of which has a lot of bass, and some which is brighter, so I guess I'm looking for something netural. Thanks!
Fiio FT1 Pro with EQ. Thank me later. You can use my EQ profile if you wish to tame its treble and add more bass (click on the link for more info in another thread).

Edit: An open back planar can have more tightly controlled bass with EQ than any closed back.
 
As per its use description, an open-back or a planar seems not to fit as well...
 
As per its use description, an open-back or a planar seems not to fit as well...
The drawback with closed backs is the fact that they require a tight seal in most cases to achieve their ideal bass response. On some closed backs even opening your mouth can mean 2-3 dB less bass because the seal is slightly broken. They also seem to have higher seating variation (i.e. inconsistencies) in higher frequencies.

Open-backs are acoustically ideal if used in a low noise environment and especially if EQ is an option (if you prefer to add more bass).
 
Open backs are probably good for commuting only if you are driving a Rolls Royce and you keep the windows closed.
He mentioned open-backs in the opening post lol. I don't think he meant taking them outside.

Edit: I am planning to use the Fiio KA17 with its built in EQ so that the filters are built into my source/DAC.
 
He mentioned open-backs in the opening post lol. I don't think he meant taking them outside.
They mentioned commuting though which implies outside unless they work from home and are talking about the walk from the bedroom to the front room. Their second post mentions going for a walk. I suspect your lol is misplaced.
 
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Good closed-backs at that budget are AKG K371 and FiiO FT1.

Here are measurements and a quick comparison:

A cut above that you can find headphones like the HD620S, Hi-X60, and Aeon RT Closed/Closed X.
You mentioned the FT1 but I think posted a link to the FT1 Pro by mistake perhaps mate? Very annoying how they named those two when they are quite different (dynamic/planar, closed/open).
 
Here's the FT1 thread I meant to post:
 
Prefer the feel of on-ear, but if over ear, they shouldn't feel too stuffy or overbearing, especially as someone who wears glasses.
Closed back can be problematic with glasses, potentially breaking the seal.

for day to day use, e.g. commuting, etc.
Open back can be problematic commuting in noisy environments.

I honestly would suggest a good iem for the use case, plenty of choice even for much less than £200 reviewed here.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. As you can probably tell, I don't know much about headphones!

In terms of open or closed-back, I'd like something that is detailed and dynamic, but wouldn't be totally drowned out by external noise, i.e., a balance between the two but with an emphasis on the former. FWIW, I used to have PHONON 4000s and absolutely loved the sound and feel. They needed to be repaired after a couple of years, had to send them to Japan to repair them, and when they broke a second time it wasn't worth paying to ship them over and wait all over again - hence the need for durability.

As I said, I prefer on-ear as over-ear tends to be too isolating for me (don't need to be noise cancelling) - also find they tend to be too overbearing and uncomfortable. I like the idea of IEMs but I prefer the feel of cans. Currently looking into Sennheiser 560HDs and Shure SRH840A. What do you think? Thanks again :)
 
Thanks for the input everyone. As you can probably tell, I don't know much about headphones!

In terms of open or closed-back, I'd like something that is detailed and dynamic, but wouldn't be totally drowned out by external noise, i.e., a balance between the two but with an emphasis on the former. FWIW, I used to have PHONON 4000s and absolutely loved the sound and feel. They needed to be repaired after a couple of years, had to send them to Japan to repair them, and when they broke a second time it wasn't worth paying to ship them over and wait all over again - hence the need for durability.

As I said, I prefer on-ear as over-ear tends to be too isolating for me (don't need to be noise cancelling) - also find they tend to be too overbearing and uncomfortable. I like the idea of IEMs but I prefer the feel of cans. Currently looking into Sennheiser 560HDs and Shure SRH840A. What do you think? Thanks again :)

If you are using them for commuting, then those headphones aren't going to work as they'll leak sound. Bluetooth is just far too convenient vs wired for when you're out and about, too.

Possible to get a couple of pairs within your budget, if needed. Hifiman HE400SE for about £70 on Aliexpress for at home, Sennheiser Accentum Plus for £130 for out and about.
 
These seem pretty interesting


clearly we can't know about durability
 
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