What headphones do you recommend?

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Comments

  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    Only one solution for you then. Staples.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • dankinddankind I am not your foot. Posts: 20,827

    I SAW PEARL JAM
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,641

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  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    Added a couple more 'phones to the collection: KLH Ultimate One open backs with Zebrawood cups and beryllium drivers and Sennheiser HD 599.

    The KLH are stunning in terms of balance, soundstage and detail retrieval. Exceptional comfort and build quality too. 

    The Sennheisers should arrive sometime this week. 
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,641
    dudeman said:
    Added a couple more 'phones to the collection: KLH Ultimate One open backs with Zebrawood cups and beryllium drivers and Sennheiser HD 599.

    The KLH are stunning in terms of balance, soundstage and detail retrieval. Exceptional comfort and build quality too. 

    The Sennheisers should arrive sometime this week. 

    have the 569 Sennhausers closed back. really really good sound
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    edited December 2022
    mickeyrat said:
    dudeman said:
    Added a couple more 'phones to the collection: KLH Ultimate One open backs with Zebrawood cups and beryllium drivers and Sennheiser HD 599.

    The KLH are stunning in terms of balance, soundstage and detail retrieval. Exceptional comfort and build quality too. 

    The Sennheisers should arrive sometime this week. 

    have the 569 Sennhausers closed back. really really good sound
    Sweet! I'm really looking forward to checking them out when they arrive. 

    In the meantime, the KLH Ultimate Ones are totally killing it! They seem to be improving with use. Everything I have listened to with them has sounded great and high quality recordings are breathtaking! 

    I played Binaural through them last night and fell in love with that album all over again. It sounded like Eddie and his uke were playing live in the room during "Soon Forget". The dog at the beginning of "Rival" sounded like it has chewing on my skull and I felt like I was listening to them recording "Of the Girl" in the studio. 

    Can't recommend these things highly enough!
    Post edited by dudeman on
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    The Sennheiser HD599s arrived a couple days ago. They are terrifically comfortable and the soundstage is really impressive. Still breaking them in as they sounded a little veiled at first. Getting better with more hours on them.


    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 28,621
    dudeman said:
    The Sennheiser HD599s arrived a couple days ago. They are terrifically comfortable and the soundstage is really impressive. Still breaking them in as they sounded a little veiled at first. Getting better with more hours on them.


    I have the Senn HD 650.  They were $500 when I bought them several years ago, but today discounted to $350.  I think they are a steal at that price.  

    Which of those are your favorite?
  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    For open backs, the KLH Ultimate Ones are easily the best sounding and most capable 'phones I have. They are super comfortable and finely crafted. They also present low frequencies better than the other open backs I've heard. The detail is very impressive and they don't fall apart with busy or dense mixes like a lot of other headphones tend to. 

    The Shure SRH840s are my favorite closed backs for listening to music. They do everything well and they aren't overly hyped in the bass and treble. They sound more true to source than the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x and Sony MDR-7506. I use the Shures when I'm working since they are easy to drive with a computer and they block out extraneous office noise.

    For tracking guitars, I like the Sonys. They shine in the midrange and provide good isolation for recording. The A-Ts handle bass better so I use them for tracking bass guitar and drums.

    I like the AKG K245s for acoustic music and classical. They are really open and airy but they still have enough weight in the lows and mids to serve those genres well.

    Still feeling out the Sennheisers. They very much have their own baked-in sound and while it isn't unpleasant, it is different from everything else in my collection. I have to kick the treble control up a couple notches to match the clarity I get from the KLHs flat. I really like how they place instruments in the soundstage, though. In that regard, they are almost as good as the KLH.

    Long answer, I know. It comes down to using different tools for different jobs.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    mrussel1 said:
    dudeman said:
    The Sennheiser HD599s arrived a couple days ago. They are terrifically comfortable and the soundstage is really impressive. Still breaking them in as they sounded a little veiled at first. Getting better with more hours on them.


    I have the Senn HD 650.  They were $500 when I bought them several years ago, but today discounted to $350.  I think they are a steal at that price.  

    Which of those are your favorite?
    Are you using a separate headphone amp for your 650s? 
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 28,621
    …pdudeman said:
    mrussel1 said:
    dudeman said:
    The Sennheiser HD599s arrived a couple days ago. They are terrifically comfortable and the soundstage is really impressive. Still breaking them in as they sounded a little veiled at first. Getting better with more hours on them.


    I have the Senn HD 650.  They were $500 when I bought them several years ago, but today discounted to $350.  I think they are a steal at that price.  

    Which of those are your favorite?
    Are you using a separate headphone amp for your 650s? 
    Not any longer.  My McIntosh pre has a very nice amp so no need.  However I do have a Music Hall headphone amp that I used with the vintage Marantz.  I found the internal one on the Marantz to be harsh so the Music Hall was a clear improvement.  If you’re on vintage still, you may want to try one out.  
  • dudemandudeman Posts: 2,969
    I've thought about it a lot. Most of the time, I use the headphone out on my Marantz 2215b. It has been fully recapped and restored and it is cleaner sounding than the 2245. The 2215b drives all of my cans well but I don't have any with impedance over 50 ohms. It has a pretty easy life.

    Since I have gotten into listening with headphones more regularly, I have been looking at Sennheiser HD650s and Hi-Fi Man Sundaras. I know they are much harder to drive so I've been checking out some HP amps.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • mrussel1mrussel1 Posts: 28,621
    dudeman said:
    I've thought about it a lot. Most of the time, I use the headphone out on my Marantz 2215b. It has been fully recapped and restored and it is cleaner sounding than the 2245. The 2215b drives all of my cans well but I don't have any with impedance over 50 ohms. It has a pretty easy life.

    Since I have gotten into listening with headphones more regularly, I have been looking at Sennheiser HD650s and Hi-Fi Man Sundaras. I know they are much harder to drive so I've been checking out some HP amps.
    My little guy is a Music Fidelity,  not Music Hall.  On my setup,  I had it after the external phono stage, but before the Marantz. It was much cleaner but my Marantz was not recapped,  so yours may sound much better. This has 47Kohms input impedance.  There are also 3 gain settings. It was more than enough for the 650s. 


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