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Headphones Advice - Wired for Sound

Big Tabs

Big Tabs

looking backwards, going forwards
I know there is a proliferation of headphone threads… but this is quite specific I think.

Recently I purchased a pair of Philips X2HR open back over-ear wired headphones.
Previous to that I haven’t ever spent more than £30 ish on headphones as I have had little interest.

The open back Philips are quite nice, very comfortable and Wife and eldest Granddaughter were both startled at the sound (in a good way) - it is the first pair of open-back headphones that I have ever heard.

The headphones are primarily to use with my HiFi rather than for my iPod Classic 160gb.
I have tried the Philips with the iPod, but they are not that loud, which I guess is something to do with the ohm rating (I don’t really understand that bit - electronics are not my area)

I want to explore headphones further, the Kids/G-Kids will get any castoffs as they all use headphones.

Looking for recommendations for use mainly with my HiFi.

I want -
- Wired
- Over-ear
- 3 metre (plus) wires as my amplifier is not close to my sitting position
- No electronic noise cancellation
- No bluetooth
- less than £400, but may be convinced that higher priced headphones are the way to go.
- Comfort is an issue, I have an acrylic plate and metal screws in my head, some of these protrude a little so I need to wear the headphones for a while to test for comfort o_O


In terms of sound, I listen to such a wide variety of music that it is hard to say.

Source will be vinyl and c.d.

If Richer Sounds or another stockist in the Nottingham area would allow me a test run, even better.

I am not married to the open-back style, but there does seem to be inherent issues with closed-back phones

Thank you
 
Octavian said:
You might like Sennheiser HD600. Ticks all the boxes. Sound is kind of neutral. Perhaps there is a bit of extra warmth but nothing too objectionable. Comfortable and light, too.
Click to expand...

I didn’t mention, but I have tried the Sennheiser HD 599 SE before trying the Philips.

I preferred the Philips for sound, and the Sennheiser were not as comfortable.

Have you any comment on whether the HD600 will differ much to the HD599SE?
 
Big Tabs said:
Have you any comment on whether the HD600 will differ much to the HD599SE?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately no. I actually purchased a pair of 599SEs for my father to be used with digital piano. He is happy with the phones but he is not an audiophile.
 
Perhaps I have a big head, perhaps I have dull ears, but the HD650 I borrowed from a friend are a slightly tighter clamp on my head than I enjoy and sound slightly muffled and somewhat dull compared to my my ex-grado SR325 and my Etymotic Research ER6i. I recently went to Richer Sounds and they had a few headphones to try but not as many as you might want, they (like all) seem to have trouble getting stock at the moment. Since I was specifically looking for closed backs I can't help that much other than to say if your local Richer sounds you can get hear a few headphones in a highstreet location which is convenient. FWIW I tried Meze 99 Classic Walnut (too bling, a bit cuppy and a definitely taylored response), Shure SRH1540 (nice but well worn ex-demo and now end of line so no new stock) and Focal Elegia (much to bling for me but they did sound fun). HTH.
 
nobeone said:
Perhaps I have a big head, perhaps I have dull ears, but the HD650 I borrowed from a friend are a slightly tighter clamp on my head than I enjoy and sound slightly muffled and somewhat dull compared to my my ex-grado SR325 and my Etymotic Research ER6i. I recently went to Richer Sounds and they had a few headphones to try but not as many as you might want, they (like all) seem to have trouble getting stock at the moment. Since I was specifically looking for closed backs I can't help that much other than to say if your local Richer sounds you can get hear a few headphones in a highstreet location which is convenient. FWIW I tried Meze 99 Classic Walnut (too bling, a bit cuppy and a definitely taylored response), Shure SRH1540 (nice but well worn ex-demo and now end of line so no new stock) and Focal Elegia (much to bling for me but they did sound fun). HTH.
Click to expand...


Yes, as part of this journey, I might pop over to Richer and see what they got, how they feel and how they sound - I prefer this route rather than ordering and returning in an endless loop.

I am not against closed-backs, there just doesn’t seem that many available in the price range.
There was some meze 99 (not classic?) on pfm recently, but I missed them.

No rush, and there is such a vast selection, I will take it steady.
 
Amazon prime sales are coming up soon, there’s usually good deals on headphones and you could pick up HiFiman Sundaras for under £200 and HiFiman XS for £330 ish, Sundaras are good as they are but I use a 15db boost at 20hz sloping down to 60hz as I listen mostly to electronic music.
 
Somafunk said:
Amazon prime sales are coming up soon, there’s usually good deals on headphones and you could pick up HiFiman Sundaras for under £200 and HiFiman XS for £330 ish, Sundaras are good as they are but I use a 15db boost at 20hz sloping down to 60hz as I listen mostly to electronic music.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will have a look at those.
I do listen to electronic music, so will be looking for deep bass that is defined.
 
I use HD600's and really can't recommend anything better in or close to the price range having tried many others. To my ears they have the perfect balance of sound and are extremely comfortable.
 
If comfort is an issue (and it seems it may be), do not overlook AKG K-701 / 702.

They may feel a bit "loose" on the head due to the elastic suspension of the headband mechanism, but are very comfortable. Sound wise - I prefer the Sennheiser HD650, but they tend to have a much higher "clamping" feeling on the head.

P.S. Also, an interesting alternative (albeit closed-back) could be the Denon series (specifically AH-D5200) - I have the AH-D7200 and am extremely happy with them, but the may be quite a bit over budget.
 
InSides said:
If comfort is an issue (and it seems it may be), do not overlook AKG K-701 / 702.

They may feel a bit "loose" on the head due to the elastic suspension of the headband mechanism, but are very comfortable. Sound wise - I prefer the Sennheiser HD650, but they tend to have a much higher "clamping" feeling on the head.

P.S. Also, an interesting alternative (albeit closed-back) could be the Denon series (specifically AH-D5200) - I have the AH-D7200 and am extremely happy with them, but the may be quite a bit over budget.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
Yes, comfort is important as I intend to do whole albums on the Cans.
I will look into the Denons as well.
 
I use 650's (very comfortable) with a 5 metre custom lead from SkyAudio (ebay). Sound great on the end of a vinyl only rig.
 
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Look at headphone amplifiers, both home and portable. You said you like the sound and comfort of the Philips, they just don't mate well with all of your electronics. Headphone amps will just take that same sound signature and clean it up. Enough power to easily drive the Philips. They are straining with the Ipod so much it's all distortion when you try to give it any volume.
I'm in the States so maybe access to different brands but the dragonfly series for portable and I use an older Creek amp for one system and a Schiit Audio tube amp with Neumann closed back. Amazing sound.
 
I’ve got your Phillips, and a pair of HD600’s, as well as HD59x. They are all great phones.
  • Phillips easiest to drive (ie go louder), then HD59x then HD600.
  • Phillips have the strongest clamp, noticeable if you wear glasses.
  • HD600 have lovely midrange, HD6xx a touch more air, or space around instruments.
  • Phillips slightly brighter than both, but never unpleasantly so. Definitely not as bright as Beyerdynamic 990’s anyway.
I find a UGreen iPhone dongle drives the Phillips adequately, and that’s why I keep them around. Great value at the price.

HD600’s are lots of peoples default choice, and I wouldn’t be without a pair. But if you’re on a budget, the HD59x’s can be a great alternative at the prices they seem to go for second hand.
 
Big Tabs said:
I didn’t mention, but I have tried the Sennheiser HD 599 SE before trying the Philips.

I preferred the Philips for sound, and the Sennheiser were not as comfortable.

Have you any comment on whether the HD600 will differ much to the HD599SE?
Click to expand...

I have the Senn HD600 and they are probably the most comfortable headphones I have ever had (including other Sennheiser cans) - and I've got though a lot through the decades.
Another plus point is that original parts for them are readily available (or were when I bought some new pads and a cable recently) and a doddle to fit.

I can (and do) use them for 2 hours at a stretch quite often and rarely notice I have them on* .... and the sound is great too ;)

*More than once I have got up for a loo break and almost dragged my hp amp off the table :eek:

(PS - I have ears the size of Noddy's mate ...)
 
CTank said:
I’ve got your Phillips, and a pair of HD600’s, as well as HD59x. They are all great phones.
  • Phillips easiest to drive (ie go louder), then HD59x then HD600.
  • Phillips have the strongest clamp, noticeable if you wear glasses.
  • HD600 have lovely midrange, HD6xx a touch more air, or space around instruments.
  • Phillips slightly brighter than both, but never unpleasantly so. Definitely not as bright as Beyerdynamic 990’s anyway.
I find a UGreen iPhone dongle drives the Phillips adequately, and that’s why I keep them around. Great value at the price.

HD600’s are lots of peoples default choice, and I wouldn’t be without a pair. But if you’re on a budget, the HD59x’s can be a great alternative at the prices they seem to go for second hand.
Click to expand...

thank you, that is another + for the HD600’s, so looks like I should at least try a pair.

No idea what a Ugreen iphone dongle is, never mind what it is for.
I don’t stream music, and mostly use my mobile phone as a phone.
If I do want mobile music, then it would be my iPod 160gb Classics
 
I have a pair of the Philips X2HR and they are great headphones for the price (really great at the sub-£100 price you can often get them for). I also have some Audio Technica ATH-R70x and if you value comfort as well as sound then I would definitely recommend the Audio Technica. Very light and easy to wear, fantastic sound quality although you'll need to use with a headphone amp (as opposed to a mobile phone) to get the best out of them.
 
I like the AKG701s mentioned above; and they are very, very comfortable (noting specific issue, @Big Tabs) Also - an utter bargain.

Note though - the cable plug is 6.3mm and an adaptor is supplied to sleeve-down to 3.5mm if you want to use with mobile devices, so it's a bulky assembly at the socket end into any 3.5mm socket.
 
starbuck said:
I have a pair of the Philips X2HR and they are great headphones for the price (really great at the sub-£100 price you can often get them for). I also have some Audio Technica ATH-R70x and if you value comfort as well as sound then I would definitely recommend the Audio Technica. Very light and easy to wear, fantastic sound quality although you'll need to use with a headphone amp (as opposed to a mobile phone) to get the best out of them.
Click to expand...

The Philips X2HR headphones I got in an Amazon sale for £84 brand new, so that is pleasing to know.

I was using the Philips earlier with my Roksan K3 amp, and they sounded fine. I don’t really want a specific headphone amplifier. Definitely not with a phone.

I will add the A.T. cans to my growing list. ta.
 
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