I am fond of my Klipsch r6 on-ear phones, although am looking to get something new. Any recommendations for something similar, perhaps a tad less bassy in the $150-250 range?
Well that leaves out the 6xx, which is indeed a good answer. Maybe the best answer. People might suggest the Mezes but as I said up above, I find them muffled and I don't think they would be less bassy than what you have. Someone who knows the Beyerdynamic line should pipe in here. I'm not familiar. But they certainly have a reputation for clarity. Or there might be a closed back Senn that makes sense. For IEMs, I definitely go Chifi. But I don't think the same could be said for that pricepoint for headphones.
Thoughts on either Sennheiser HD 450BT or Audio-technica ATH-SR30BT? Again, looking something to wear mostly outdoors, hopefully without spending more than $250? (Yes, I know I can Google reviews for them, but I value the opinions of people here)
Stax SR-007 mk1s (the gold finish) with a Mjolnir Audio KGSSHV Mini amp, all connected via balanced inputs. Pros: the best headphone rig I have owned and perhaps ever heard (excepting the Sennheiser Orpheus I tried once at a show). Cons: *VERY* leaky sound, such that if I listen in the room with others watching TV (say), they can hear all of my music and I can hear that bloody TV. Which, when I come to think about it, is the main use case for me in having expensive cans, so I may sell them and go closed-back; I know I will be compromising on sound - pretty much every direction from Stax is down IMHO - but at least I will be able to hear what I’m listening to properly
Coincidentally, though it’s far from ‘audiophile’, the Bose QC35 headphones I have are perfectly listenable via BT for non-focused music consumption. FAR below the sound of Stax, obviously, but then they cut out the external sound rather well and their sound is fine, really. It is very tempting to consciously compromise here by selling my Stax, pocketing the cash and living (and being comfortable with) the Bose, since - let’s be fair - it solves my primary issue with the STax and adds portability and flexibility. Plus I already own them….
Getting a lot of listening time of late, as I had a hernia op last Monday. Comfort is the word! Quite enjoying Apples recent Lossless streaming too.
My go to cans are situation dependent - work, home and on the move. About 10 - 15 years ago (maybe more) I decided that I needed to get at least one set of very good headphones as I've always enjoyed listening with them. I began with the Senn HD280s. These are seriously underrated and I can see why so many are used by professionals for monitoring. Their neutrality and accuracy is their trademark. All you have to do is drive them well and that's not necessarily easy. My brother now has these. I then got the Shure SRH840s and they still serve as my cans at my workplace. When I changed tack and went for iems I bought IE8s off the internet (they were fake) and immediately got the IE8Os from a reputable supplier. These were my standard for a while as they brought out so many aspects of familar music that I hadn't heard. Along the way I had also acquired a used pair of HD580s. The first time I heard the 580s was when they first appeared and compared to the 540s I owned it was simply jaw dropping. These are the cans that set everything in motion in my opinion (along with with their Beyer equivalent). When Flare Audio began a kick starter program with the their 'R' series I picked up the excellent R2A from someone who had bought them at kickstarter price and decided to move on to something else. They were a sound revelation and changed my thoughts about headphones. I still love listening to them. Many compared them favourably to the Senn IE8OOs From the the R2A I went (used) to Flare's next iem, the Pros. They had some real strengths but a 'peaky' and sibilant treble on some recordings was a bit of a dampener. Then came the Flare Gold where they solved that problem in spades and they are a superb set of iems. Once again I bought used ones for less than half the original price. After a hiatus of a few years I then went back to looking at full size cans and a bargain from an Australian retailer saw me buy the Massdrop HD6XX as I had always wanted to hear and own the HD650s. I also needed a closed back headphone as a possible replacement for my Shures so I purchased a used wired pair of the Momentum 2s. My last purchase has been the Audeze LCD1 this year. This means that I have three dynamic driver iems, two closed back and two open back dynamic driver full sized cans and a set of open back planars. So what do I have in my collection? Shure SRH840 Flare R2A Flare Pro Flare Gold Sennheiser HD580 Sennheiser 6XX Sennheiser Momentum 2 Audeze LCD1 Quite simply, too many headphones!!! My go to cans: Work - the Shures On the move - the Flare Golds though I am also happy to take the R2As At home - the LCD1s for nearly all music but I use the HD580s for historical classical recordings because bass is not in the equation and they are still a fantastic headphone, just a bit bass shy. Historical recordings don't really cut it with the Audeze LCD1 as compared to the 580s. So that means I haven't used either the 6XXs or the Momentums for a while and I don't see why I should keep them. As an aside, if the 6XXs are the 650s with just a name change I can't understand the hype they are given. Yes, I have very good amplification for them (Burson Playmate 2 with 3.5 watts of power). They just don't do it for me whereas the the 580s do and the 600s probably would as well. So at home I simply put on the Audeze's and am so happy with the sound. You reach a point where, as far as upgrade goes, enough is enough and my LCD1s are that point. The bottom line is the music and the LCD1s portray that wonderfully.
For the main hi fi I use Stax SR202. I also have a pair of Meze Classic 99 which I use with an A&K 25 playing FLAC rips which I really like. When out exercising or on the treadmill I just use some cheap Soundmagic IE which I dont mind losing/ breaking.
I only have two pairs, Sennheiser HD25 for when I’m mixing through my speakers, and Beyer DT1990Pro for when I’m mixing through headphones. The HD25 are designed for one ear on-one ear off use, the Beyers sound better and are more comfortable. I think it pays to have a pair of open back and a pair of closed back, as each have quite a different sound. That’s my 2p worth.
My go to headphones are the Meze 99 Noir. They are a great all rounder. Sound good from almost any source. Light weight and comfortable. The included case makes them good for travel. When listening via my main stereo I go for the 4xx. My main earbuds are the Jabra 75t.
Right now I’m enjoying the best headphone rig I’ve ever heard (so far). Focal Elex headphones, driven by a Burson Audio Soloist 3X amplifier.
I just upgraded to Grado SR125x headphones. My six-year-old Grados developed a short & I saw that Grado had just introduced a new "x" version of the Prestige SR line with more substaintial cables. Since we recently made a nice profit on the sale of our house I decided to spend a little more this time & move up a level in the model series. The sound is very similar.
Received the Campfire Audio Ara and Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt DAC today for mobile listening. Unfortunatley, I will have to switch back to headphones as I am finding the Ara overly bright and making my ears sore after hearing just three songs.
I got a pair of LCD XCs earlier this year. As a person familiar with the brand, do you have an opinion of this model and have a recommendation for power? (I've just been using a little FIIO Mont Blanc E12A, as i generally use these with an Ipod). I like the sound I'm getting from the headphones with this set-up, but feel like they could still sound better (maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like 4-figure headphones should sound near-perfect). I haven't tried EQ yet, which I heard is recommended for all Audeze products.
