Best over the ear headphones under $1000?

I haven't heard the EL-8, either the closed version or open version. I haven't even seen a frequency plot yet to get an idea of how it's voiced. I can't say anything specific about them.

In general I prefer open headphones. Open headphones have much better audiophile potential. It's like having a speaker that has less cabinet or box effects in the sound. Open is just more open.

One thing I'll mention is that if you listen to metal you're going to want a headphone that doesn't have treble peaks. Treble peaks zing. Yeow. They make the ears ring. Especially peaks in the 8-10 kHz range. Cymbal hits become instruments of torture. The top of the peaks also defines that maximum safe volume you can listen at. If a headphone has a +8dB peak at 9 kHz your safe overall listening volume needs to be decreased by 8 dB. Peaks like that are common in many headphones.

A big advantage for the LCD-2 (and all of the Audeze LCD series) is that there are no treble peaks and the treble is actually shelved down a bit. The treble is not going to zing your ears. You can crank them as loud as the midrange and bass will let you. The treble isn't going to limit your safe listening volume.

The M50 actually has a peak at 9 kHz. The newer M50X has tamed that peak. You can hear the 9 kHz peak in cymbal hits and in music that has some sort of harsh treble (brickwalling can make for harsh treble). Here's a graph for the M50 and you can see the 9 kHz peak: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHM50B2012.pdf

I consider the LCD-2 to be a great headphone for metal. For an audiophile headphone it is very forgiving of harshness. No treble peaks. Fast bass. Smooth midrange that doesn't get shouty.

 

Closed headphones like the ATH50 block sound from both coming in and out of the headphones. The main aspect of this is private listening, as with open headphones anybody in the room can clearly hear your music. Doesn't work for most work situations, commuting, etc.

The tradeoff is open headphones tend to sound much better.

So if you're using these at home, open is a no brainer.

 

Check this out for an interesting read. http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame

I have a pair of Senn HD650 as well as the NAD Viso HP50. They have a similar tonal balance, IMO, the differences lie more in the soundstage.

 

I'll be looking at how the Audeze EL-8 compares to the Oppo PM-2. If neither of those floats my boat I'll see how the Sennheiser HD700 stacks up to the HD600.

Bill

 

Thank you so much for your recommendations and explanations. I really appreciate it! A lot of this talk is completely new territory for me, so I've learned a great deal already.

Cheers. Thanks for the link!

 

I use these to monitor my remote recordings and they are wonderful. They sound great, are ruggedly made, and effectively isolate sound. I assume that's your reason for wanting this type of phone. If you don't need that feature, the comfort and soundstage of non-isolating phones seems better to me. The isolation comes at a cost, comfort and the ability to make the phones seem speaker-like. That said, the Sennheiser HD25-1 II (make sure you get this exact model) does present some of the soundstaging and is by no means uncomfortable.

 

...And if anybody is curious as to what HD25 II's look like, just turn on ESPN. They're the industry standard in broadcasting, every sportscaster is wearing them, they're even faithfully reproduced to the last detail in the latest Madden NFL video game.

 

Shure SRH840

 

After years of DJing and home music listening, I'm a Sennheiser devotee. I have a pair of HD 598s that are really comfortable and sounds great and are sub $200. If I was looking to upgrade the Senn line would be the first place I would look.

 

Best DJ headphone ever made and it's not even close. They're a bit tight for extended listening imo, but that is all personal preference.

 

I've been using a pair of Sony MDR-Z7 cans for about a month now and I really like them. They are a little heavy on the bass, but not overly so. I also have HD600, AKG K712, Grado SR325e, ATH-M50x. Before I got the Sony cans, the HD600s were my primary.

Amazon has them right now for $530.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-Z7-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B00NW357PK

 

Those look pretty nice, and seem to be closed back. Are you saying you prefer them to the HD600s?

 

Yes, without a doubt. They're "almost" closed. There's a bass port on the bottom and some outside sound leaks in. But very little sound leaks out. I personally think $500-ish is a great price for the sound quality of these 'phones. Once I put them on, I don't want to take them off.

 

Those look really nice...great design. How is the bass? I find Sony headphones do bass a little muddy though I've never tried any of these higher end models.

 

There's no question that the bass is boosted a bit. But it's clear and not muddy at all. The "bass bump" made me a little hesitant to try these, but I'm glad I did. I don't think there's anything at that price that sounds quite as good.

 

Yeah, I have to block out a lot of annoying co-workers! haha... Also, I can really crank the music and no sound leaks out in the office here.

 

These are what I use. One of the greatest purchases I've made in the last few years.

 

I completely understand. I also have been in this situation. If soundstage was a primary goal, the best soundstage I've ever heard is using my AKG k501 phones, but they are very leaky, although they are over-the-ear phones. The Sennheisers are, on the other hand, very, isolating.

 

If you're looking for a closed headphone with top-end "sparkle," you might want to consider the Beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO. I didn't see it mentioned yet. Under $200:

 

Haven't even heard of them before! Thanks for the idea!

 

I'm loving my NAD HP50's. A lot less dark than the ATH-M50's which I like a lot too, but much prefer the NAD.

 

Plus 1. Just dug out my V1 LCD-2 for a Physical Graffiti session. These have to be one of the best rock headphones ever, just head banging crankable with a rock solid bottom end . The LCD-3 are technically better but cant quite match the LCD-2 as a dedicated rock headphone.

 

Anyone heard or interested in buying the Audeze EL-8's? I currently have Sennheiser HD-650's and really love their sound BUT they are incredibly leaky and being open-backed EVERY sound outside gets mixed in with the music: listening to music in the same space as my partner watching TV means they are becoming less of a joy to use so I am needing some very closed in "Closed-back" type. The Audeze's are in my sights but in the UK they are £600, 3 times the price of my Senns, so they would need to be a lot better for me to make that leap.

 

If you want warmer phones with slightly rolled off highs, the Audeze phones are good (I have not heard their less than $1,000 models, I have heard the LCD-2 and up). For under $1,000, and a little bit less warm sound , though still very smooth and on the warmish side, I really like the Alpha Dog.

 

I haven't heard the EL-8 yet. Either the open version or the closed version.
Another potential closed headphone to consider is the Oppo PM-3. It's new. Just released around a week ago. It's also an ortho. Priced at $399 in the US.

One area that can differentiate headphones is their low-level detail retrieval ability. The really good headphones let you hear more of that low level detail that gets washed away by lesser headphones. A really good headphone is more than just getting the frequency response right. The Audeze LCD series does very well with low level detail retrieval. I don't know where the EL-8 will stack up in detail retrieval. The Oppo headphones do OK (though I haven't heard the PM-3 yet), but low level detail retrieval isn't their strong suit.

The Alpha Dog headphones are also neat. But have their own sonic quirks. To me the midrange and the treble don't integrate together very well. I like a very coherent sound in headphones. The Alpha Dog doesn't do that for me. It sort of sounds to me like the midrange and treble are different drivers. And that annoys me.