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Headphone advice

P

Peez

pfm Member
Hi all,


need some advice please - not looking to buy yet but researching top end headphones that have a similar sonic balance to my Harbeth's.

Used to have Stax basic system but sold them some time ago and not sure that was the right thing to have done - was never really engaged by them but i wasn't that engaged by the system upstream either and the system has totally changed now.

Basically, i don't like the idea of anything bright (i do own sr60's and they can sound a little / bright course on occasions).

i am not ruling anything out so, options include -

Fostex TH900 (seem like they might work)

Senn HD800 (mixed reviews re the treble balance)

Senn HD650

Stax basic system, or the one above it.

B&W P7 (have the p5 for the commute)

Sony MDR Z7 (any good?)

-

or anything else that might be brilliant & not harsh sounding

the stax seem like they might be a good option sonically but they also used to seem little inconvenient to use and if i wasn't using the stax i would probably just plug the headphone into my supernait 2 headphone out.

cheers,
 
I demo'd Senns 750's & 800's and Beyer T90s. Bought the T-90s in the end. No regrets for a detailed but smooth and non-fatiguing sound. Can't compare to Harbeth as I don't know their sound however
 
I wouldn't describe my HD800s as bright - hyper detailed and clear with a massive soundstage (? headstage:)). Perhaps too clean for some tastes but not mine.
I owned the Stax basic system a few years ago and loved it; I owned the 4040 sig system for a brief period but didn't take to its presentation too well (iirc, the energiser was tubed).
I'd also recommend Hifiman eg HE-6 and Beyer T1, both superb in different ways (check out head-fi).
 
You must try some Audeze before you make your mind up.
A funny story.
Someone on the naim forum posted after the Bristol show last year about trying to listen to headphones at the show.
Everywhere i went they had the same John Martyn track playing so I gave up.

That was a good friend of mine who was doing some serious listening and had set everything to a track he knew well.:cool:

The poster must of been a bit of a idiot if he couldn't see you could select music to listen to.:D
Give the Audeze a listen.
 
2 years ago I would have said that HD800 was sibilant and bright, I would now suggest that you try some. I bought my second pair a few months ago, and sold my PS1000, as the HD800 treble was so much more natural, smooth and less fierce, compared to PS1000.
 
this is great advice - thanks for all the replies - any thoughts re how easy they beyer's and hd800's would be to drive?

have Sennheiser changed the sonic balance of the HD800 then?

Will also try the Audeze & Oppo's
 
If it helps, I have Harbeth M30.1 at home.
I was given a pair of SR80is a few years ago but I found them too harsh. Earlier this year I bought myself a pair of HD650. I know they are not as high end as the others but they wonderful to listen to.

I'd love to hear the newer headphones like Audeze and Oppo.
 
Was less impressed with the Audeze Pre Fazor LCD 3 (which I owned and sold on) as I was the Fazor LCD2 which I currently own. I felt a bit guilty that I was wearing some $3k headphones that were not actually that good, but the much less expensive but newer Fazor units blew me away and continue to blow me away.

If you have the headphone amp then you owe it to yourself to try Orthodynamic headphones like HiFiMan and so on.

I expect when I go abroad these will go with me as it's likely we will be living among people And that will mean I cannot listen to music as loud or as often as I like. I bought the LCD2s because I often wake up at 3am (when the zopiclone wears off) and unable to get back to sleep until say 6am so I get up make some yea and I spend it listening to, well, studying opera... For that you need really good cans.

The Beyers were a tough act to follow but iI preferred the slightly cheaper and lower spec LCD2 because the expensive ones felt too expensive -- the LCD2 really is most of the way to the LCD3.

I love headphone listening.
 
...depends on decent? Beyer DT880s were a bit plummy bass-wise. I really always gravitate towards open, every time. Bass seems to not swamp everything else that way.
 
Yes I get that, but the whole point of headphone listening for me is for when there is other stuff going on at home - or I don't want to disturb others.

Open backed may make sense in design for ultimate sound, but seem a bit pointless if the conditions necessary mean you could be using speakers anyway.
 
I have 30.1s and only really need them for when my wife is watching TV etc

At work so will post more later on but thx for the advice so far.
 
If it's closed cans you're after, I recently demo'd a pair of ATH-MSR7 and was impressed with their spacious presentation for a closed-back can. Perhaps not the smoothest/flattest response (they have a little lift in the upper mids and treble), but very articulate and nicely detailed nonetheless with none of that overblown bass to muddy the mids. I found the tonal balance to be great for listening at low to moderate SPLs, but perhaps a little bright for cranking. YMMV.
 
SteveS1 said:
Yes I get that, but the whole point of headphone listening for me is for when there is other stuff going on at home - or I don't want to disturb others.

Open backed may make sense in design for ultimate sound, but seem a bit pointless if the conditions necessary mean you could be using speakers anyway.
Click to expand...

I find the leakage of orthos is minimal and I can listen to music when I am unable to get back to sleep, in bed with partner asleep, though if I cannot sleep I just bed down in the guest room anyway... and get up late.
 
I had Sennheisser HD650 which I found the midrange a bit too recessed and I sold them. I currently own the HD600 which has a more balanced sound, the midrange is very smooth and it gives a pleasant sound.

I also have a pair of Stax Basic SRS2050II which is similar to the current SRS2170. The sound is very airy, a completely different experience to the moving coil type headphones. I like them very much.

I recently bought a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880 600ohm. They sound excellent, the treble is clear and extended, the bass is less than the Sennheiser HD600.

I would like to try the Audeze LCD2 one day but from what I read in head-fi, they are not that reliable. Another headphone I like to try is the Sennheiser HD800.

I am using Schiit Valhalla valve headphone amp which suit the 300 ohm Sennheisser HD600 and 600 ohm Beyerdynamic DT880. If I decide to buy the Audeze, I will need to buy another headphone amp which can drive low impedance properly.

Have a look at this thread in head-fi:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones-compared
 
SteveS1 said:
I'm wondering whether the latest Audeze low impedance is worth an audition. They are not as pricey as others but still a lot of moolar. However, if they blew the socks off ......well birthdays being what they are. :)

Anyone had a play?

https://www.audeze.com/products/el-8-collection/el-8-closed-back
Click to expand...

Going by Head-Fi comments; the EL-8s are more grainy than is usual for planars. They're not bad indeed, just not in the same league as many others.

I've not had the pleasure of listening myself, so take with a grain of salt.

Another few headphones worth considering are the MrSpeakers Ether and the Hifiman HE-1000. Both are getting very good reviews over on head-fi.
 
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