Headphone lovers, what do you love, what do you have, Head-Fi fans 2019-21 edition.*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by RJL2424, Aug 19, 2019.

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  1. Razakoz

    Razakoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Utah
    Anyone here have Hifiman HE-1000's? I was thinking of getting them for my WA5LE, but I wondered if there were any better options people might recommend?
     
  2. safebelayer

    safebelayer Well-Known Member

    If you're interested in the Sylvania 7n7 tubes, send me a note. I've got 5 NOS from JAC Music with 2 gold plated adaptors...tubes and adaptors unused. The 7n7 is a very nice tube with good balance.
     
  3. THOMAS STRAIGHT

    THOMAS STRAIGHT Forum Resident

    Location:
    26559
    I have a pr of Sennheiser HD650's that are my main listening device. I also have a pr of Byer Dynamic 810's that were my goto years ago that I still use for editing. I have a pr of Sony WH-1000XM3 that are bluetooth and noise canceling. Not quite up with the Senn's or Byers but pretty descent and extremely convenient.
     
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  4. LakeMountain

    LakeMountain Vinyl surfer

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Hi, I bought a Focal Elegia now that family members are home all the time and I cannot run the speakers as often as I would like to.

    I use a Lehmann Drachenfels D as head amp for the Elegia. It is one model below the top model Linear MkII D. I am burning in the headphones at the moment. First impressions are quite good, by the way.

    However whilst setting up a thought occurred to me whether I could not plug the headphones directly to the Pre out RCA plugs on my amplifier? Since I got a hybrid amp, the pre amplification is via tubes. I really like the sound of my hybrid amp and I wonder, if this would sound better than the head amp? I would need an adapter to get from 2 male RCA plugs to a female headphone plug. They exist, but is it save to hook up the phones directly to the preamplifier output? And does it make sense?
    Appreciate your help!
     
  5. Wenthrope

    Wenthrope Forum Resident

    My first “nice” pair of headphones are Grado SR-80s way back when. While I don’t listen to phones as much now, I do have a HifiMan 400i for those rare occasions at home. When traveling, I have a pair of Sony MX2s.
     
  6. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in
    johnnypaddock and Ham Sandwich like this.
  7. FalseMetal666

    FalseMetal666 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
  8. Razakoz

    Razakoz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Utah
    I ended up getting the HE-1000's to go with my WA5LE. I found some new ones being sold at a discount and went for it. I must say...WOW. I was expecting incremental improvements from the focal Elears, but these are WAY better. The sound stage is simply incredible, good natural sounding bass, sparkling treble, and the midrange from the SET 300B tubes is almost addictive in the sense that you just don't wanna stop listening sometimes. I think I can finally call my headphone setup "done" with these. Looking forward to further improvements with more burn in time. About 25 hours on them so far.
    [​IMG]
     
  9. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    I'm using a pair of Koss PortaPros. While I've tried other headphones, but I keep returning to these because I just like them over the others.
     
  10. bcaulf

    bcaulf Forum Resident

    Well, I’ve run into a pair that REALLY surprised me and exceeds my expectations.

    There has been a lot of inner-circle praise for a recent closed back headphone called the AKG K371. Those who know in the headphone forums have been recommending it so I decided to get a pair. They cost $150.

    They were designed to match very closely to the Harman target (which, if you’re not familiar with, there is plenty of info online but it’s basically a target curve culminated from a series of tests that started as an attempt to recreate the way speakers sound in a well-treated room, then over the years they began incorporating user-preferences to basically create the ultimate preference curve). The HD600 is noted for being very close to this curve, at least in the midrange. And these headphones sound really correct to my ears. They sound pretty much uncolored while not being sterile or analytical. They have a boost in the subbass (but way down low so it wouldn’t intrude in most music, not very offensive), a practically flat midbass (very slight dip in the upper bass) and near flat midrange (a little forward upper mids), with a sweet sounding treble, with hardly an ounce of grain or sibilance.

    In fact, in the midrange, they measure very close to the HD600 and HD650. I have an HD650 (6XX to be exact) and they do indeed sound very close, with the HD650 having a bit more natural timbre. So those who love the HD6xx series should enjoy these. Soundstage, imaging and detail is pretty close too.

    Ive heard some pricier headphones that do some things better, but are flawed in other areas. The K371, while maybe unspectacular on first listen, does very little wrong, and that makes it spectacular in other ways. And considering it’s only $150, it’s quite mind blowing. They sound so balanced, neutral and clear without being harsh or fatiguing. They didn’t skimp on comfort or accessories either. You get three cables, a bag, nice build and they’re one of the most comfy headphones I’ve used.

    They get my recommendation for those looking for a closed back that sounds great and won’t break the bank. I hope they eventually grow outside word of mouth and become a standard in their price bracket. Any one else heard of these?
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2020
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  11. Kevin In Choconut Center

    Kevin In Choconut Center Offensive Coordinator

    Like a lot of us, I'm always looking to upgrade to something better. Two weeks ago, my go-to pair died on me. I went to my backup pair, only to have
    them die a day later, no kidding. So I bought a cheap pair for $10 to use while looking for something better.

    I found and decided to take a chance on a pair of Sonic Pro-26 headphones, which look to be from the 1970s, or 1980s, maybe. They were brand new
    in the original unopened box. I found them on Ebay and I like them so much that I bought a second pair today. Those are also listed as being brand new.

    These phones are stylish, easily adjustable for a perfect fit, and have handled everything I throw at them nicely. I'm quite happy with them.
     
  12. RJL2424

    RJL2424 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I have come full circle since I had last posted in this thread.

    My original search was for a pair of closed headphones that sounded better than either my Sony MDR-7506 or my Audio Technica ATH-M50x, at a price that wasn't much above what I had paid for my M50x. After I struck out there, I changed my priorities towards wireless Bluetooth headphones. And while I had acquired several sets, I found that all of those that I had tried either sounded cheap or block out way too much outside noises for my increasingly mobile usage. What's more, I had been listening to music at somewhat too high of a volume for my own good.

    So, my final change ended up being a set of full-sized open-backed headphones. I did find the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro locally (well, yes, I picked up a pair locally via curbside pickup after ordering it online).

    My opinion (after listening to it for some minutes after I plugged it into my smartphone): The 990 Pro was a little bright and tizzy, but very listenable even out of that gutless smartphone headphone out although I had to turn up the smartphone's volume most of the way in order to hear from that headphone comfortably. Despite its 250-Ohm impedance, it is relatively sensitive (this is my first higher-end open-backed full-sized headphone purchase since I sold off most of my headphone collection during the 2008 financial crisis). I have heard in the past low-impedance headphones that weren't even as sensitive as the (250-Ohm) DT 990 Pro.

    This will be my new headphone of choice for stationary, in-a-relatively-quiet-place listening - at least until I can actually get my hands on something better. My isolating wireless headphones will now be restricted to in-a-public-transport use, while I had recently picked up a Koss KPH-30i for my exercise walking (on the sidewalks and paths). My closed-back headphones will now be relegated to computer use.
     
  13. Rentz

    Rentz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    think you just sold me on those akg, have the exact same senheiser and love them but now need some closed backs so I don’t annoy the wife with my music while working and she hears the open backs
     
  14. bcaulf

    bcaulf Forum Resident

    Cool! Let me know what you think of them :)
     
  15. Grootna

    Grootna Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Sennheiser 599's driven by Teac Ha-501. Audible Illusions (heavily modified) 2d feeds the Teac. Am planning on upgrading to Mass Drop 6xx...when the right deal comes along. Paid $ 50 for the 599's.....sounds sweet for the money.

    Also have some old Stax SR-40's...use them with an old Hafler DH-200 from time to time.
     
  16. Rentz

    Rentz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    limited use so far but theyre nice, comfortable too. have more detail than my cheapo status closed backs which punch above their weight.

    they're no hd650 but for a sub $150 closed back headphone they feel very well made and sound nice.
     
    bcaulf likes this.
  17. tumpux

    tumpux Well-Known Member

    Location:
    NY
    Ah, tell us more about the Stax..
    How did you get it back then.
     
  18. luckybaer

    luckybaer Thinks The Devil actually beat Johnny

    Location:
    Missouri
    Senneheiser HD650
    Drop/Focal Elex
    Denon D2000
    Drop/Fostex TH-X00 EB
    Drop/HiFiMan HE4XX
    Beyerdynamics DT880
    AKG K600
    Grado SR-80e

    My lineup hasn't changed much in a couple of years.
     
    Boomy likes this.
  19. John Buchanan

    John Buchanan I'm just a headphone kind of fellow. Stax Sigma

    Mine collection is:
    Computer Audio -> Burson Audio Conductor 3X Reference -> Balanced headphone output -> Beyerdynamic T1 Gen. 2
    Ditto Ditto -> Single ended headphone output -> Neumann NDH20
    Ditto Ditto -> DAC output -> Stax SRM-Monitor Diffuse Field Equalizer and Amplifier -> Stax Lambda Nova Signature.
    All great systems.
     
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  20. RJL2424

    RJL2424 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    It turned out that my old smartphone didn't sound good. Although the tonal balance was good, the headphone out was very noisy, especially on the left channel. Worse, its Bluetooth was flaky, with random disconnects causing intermittent popping that was heard through my wireless headphones! Good, sensitive headphones, including my new DT-990 Pro, clearly picked up that crud! Between that, the flaky Bluetooth and the sluggish Web browser response with that cheapo phone, plus the fact that it would no longer accept any further Android OS updates beyond the version that is now two generations old (Oreo 8.1), and the fact that it dropped its support status down to the only-as-necessary security update support status (it was at quarterly until about a year ago), I decided to upgrade to a flagship phone from last year, now still available but reduced in price. This phone, even though it was a year old but still sold new, will continue to receive at least one more Android version update (having already been updated from its original Pie 9.0 to Android 10), plus monthly security updates for another couple of years.

    The headphone jack on my new phone was not too tight, not too loose. In contrast, my old phone's headphone jack was so loose that some of my headphone plugs wiggled in its socket even after I made sure that they're plugged in fully. Some other headphone jacks were too tight.

    Once again, I tried my DT-990 Pro in my new phone's jack. So far, so good. Will be testing soon with my more efficient closed headphones. In the meantime, my DT-990 Pro will always stay at home. They aren't going anywhere. I will, however, bring some of my other headphones on a road trip with this phone.
     
  21. peskypesky

    peskypesky Forum Resident

    Location:
    Satantonio, Texas
    I still need a pair of PortaPros. I have two sets of the Koss KSC75's which I love, and I am awaiting delivery of the Koss KTX-Pro1.

    My favorite headphone lately is the Takstar Pro 82.

    I loved my Grado SR80s, but the wires disintegrated with years of use.
     
  22. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Does anyone have experience with running planar headphones right off their speaker amp taps using an appropriate adapter or set of resistors? I’m once again thinking about grabbing a pair of LCD-3 and it would be great if I could just run them off my current 300B amps. Alternatively I could get a separate headphone amp and use the second set of pre-outs on my preamp.

    One option I see for a pre-built solution is the Hifiman HE-Adapter. It’s also easily DIY’d. HE-Adapter
     
  23. ivor

    ivor Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I'm a total amateur, but going from power amp to headphones seems like a bad idea... your amp does a bunch of work to bring the signal from line level to ~40 watts, but I don't think headphone amps output more than ~3 watts. So to "throw away" all the extra watts, the resistors have to dissipate it in heat.

    The HE-Adapter you linked seems to have the right inputs and outputs, but I'd be nervous that it describes it as "protection" rather than a converter. Not sure if this helps, but it's my two cents.
     
  24. spartree

    spartree Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    It does somewhat make me nervous, but perhaps more for the amps than the headphones. Having said that, people over on the head-fi forums do this all the time so I need to spend a bit of quality time over there. You can also see the idea behind the circuit and what it typically looks like here:
    Project 100
     
  25. all24bits

    all24bits Mature Adult

    Location:
    USA
    Stax Professional edition amp, purchased exclusively for my Koss headphones pictured. Sounds great and helps the soundstage, airiness and general sense of ease and power from the headphones.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
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