Best headphones??

Toolfan66

I am in the market for a set of cans, let's say around $1000 what might be the best I can get?

I have never looked at a hi end set of cans..

AsSiMiLaTeD

Are you looking at $1000 for cans and an amp, or for headphones only?

There's not a pair of headphones over even $500 that won't need a good amp, kinda like how you wouldn't buy the LSiM and run off a cheap AVR

brgman

I have a pair of Audeze LCD-2's I really like.
I have a schitt amp but can use the oppo or benchmark also.
You have the oppo but not sure if the w4s has a jack.

Toolfan66

Well I'm not sure as this would be new ground for me, what do you recommend??

Help me out..

cnh

Good advice above. I'm a midfi guy when it comes to this area so a cheap Chinese H-phone Tube amp and a few hundred on a set of cans will do me.

But things can get pretty esoteric very fast. Audeze and Hifi-Man He 500s and up are orthodynamics, etc. You should listen to those.

The new Oppos have gotten some nice press in that 1000 dollar range.
Grado makes upper level phones.

The new Tesla Beyerdynamic T1s compete in there, etc.

The boys above know this higher end better than I do. But I will add that, as with all audio, there will be diminishing returns. I've heard some reasonably high end phones and have NOT been blown away. In other words I have not heard such amazing sound that I wanted to run home and throw out my AKGs and Sennheisers.

But then again, perhaps, at my age, I just can't "hear" all the subtleties I read about in the "reviews" of these phones? I do believe younger ears are necessary in order to discern the finer details, textures, tightness, spatial air, dynamics, decay, bass layering and so on.

And of course, then there is the amp. Like any field that involves "aficionado" appreciation there will be those who appreciate cans the way others revel in fine wine.

As far as "best", there will always be a difference of opinion. Some love the HD 800s others can't stand them. Some rave about Audeze, others prefer some TOTL Grado? Just as much subjectivity here as elsewhere in the field of audio. And don't forget the "cabling". There are lots of mods and replacement cables for most phones that people swear by.


Good luck on yet another rabbit hole! lol

cnh

AsSiMiLaTeD

Honestly I would not recommend a set of really high end headphones as your first cans. For someone wanting to get a good taste of headphones this is what I'd suggest (this is somewhere between dipping your toes in the water and diving in head first)...

I would start off with a couple pair of headphones that sound different to get a feel for what you like, here are a few recommendations:

Beyer Dynamic DT880 - This is a very accurate and open sounding headphone, nice wide soundstage and great for classical and orchestral, can be bright at times and shreds bad recordings, bass is lean but well extended down low
Sennheiser HD600 - This is a nice and relaxed sounding headphone, lacks detail of the 880 but easier to listen to, more intimate soundstage, great for acoustic and jazz and good for all other genres as well, better bass response but still not what I'd call great
AKG Q701 - These are somewhere between the DT880 and HD600, you get most of the detail and most of the soundstage of the DT800 in a headphone that's more listenable like the HD600, probably not as accurate or detailed as the DT880 and not as much of an airy sound, but they sound more natural and balanced, bass is a bit light on these as well but again extends pretty low, the sound of these can be changed a good bit by adding the pads from the 65th Anniversary cans also from AKG so that adds value IMO
Philips Fidelio X1 - These have a great low end and a sparkly top end as well, aren't quite as open a soundstagre as the DT880 or Q701 but more than the HD600, detail retrieval is also not quite as good as the DT880 or Q701 but better than the HD600, bass on these is among the best I've heard in an open headphone, these headphones don't do any one thing spectacularly but the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and as a result these are the most enjoyable headphone of the bunch

My picks
My favorite of the above is the Philips X1, followed by the Q701. I typically grab the X1 when I just want to sit back and relax and listen, which is most of the time. When I really want to listen critically though I'd grab the Q701 and either pair of pads depending on the genre. If you can swing it my advice would be to grab both of those and start there.

If you know for sure you want a very relaxed and somewhat less detailed sound the HD600 would be a great choice as they're the smoothest sounding of the bunch. If you're doing mastering work or want that absolute last bit of detail then the DT880 are a good choice, get the 600ohm version.

Amp
For the HD600 or DT880 I'd look at a good OTL headphone amp, the Schiit Valhalla is a great place to start with Woo Audio as a great option if you want to spend more, the HD600 in particular scales really well as you upgrade amps. For the Philips or AKG the Schiit Asgard 2 is a good place to start, those two cans are pretty easy to drive and don't need as much of an amp.

Wanna spend more money?
If you want to go ahead and just dive right in then the LCD series by Audeze are great headphones, those start around $1K and go up from there. They are planar magnetic and difficult to drive so plan for an amp. There are differences between the models but they tend to have great low end and a smooth sound. A good starter system would be the entry level LCD-2 and a Schiit Lyr amp but you're somewhere in the $1500 budget for that rig. HifiMan also makes orthos, but I've not yet heard their new models, historically they've been the more forward and detailed counterpart to the LCD series, at least in the world of orthos.

You can probably find a pair of Sennheiser HD800 around $1000 used now, those are super picky about getting the right amp but are my reference for the most revealing headphone. If I did mastering work for a living those are what I'd use.

Hope that helps

Irrenhaus

I have the HD650 they are still in training mode but they sound great. I did went with a small portable AMP/DAC (travel a lot) for them Fiio17 and is doing good.

Cheers

Toolfan66

My OPPO does have a headphone jack, can't I just use that, and try an external amp later?

Thanks for the help guys, gives me something to look at..

The only reason I want a set of cans is there are nights that I want to stay up later then the wife, and listen to music....

Irrenhaus

If you have the Oppo 105 it has a dedicated headphone amp.

Cheers

AsSiMiLaTeD

The headphone amp in the 105 is pretty good, but won't drive the really difficult headphones all that well. It'll drive easier loads like the X1 and Q701 well, medium cans like the HD600 and DT880 decently, with more difficult loads like orthos it'll be enough to give you a taste of the headphone's sound but not really sufficient.

sucks2beme

I'm a big fan of the q701 and a tube amp. And it won't break the bank.
But if you're into big bass, it's NOT gonna cut it.
Go to head-fi and read the meets and get-togethers.
You don't have to join to read it, or go to a meet most of the time.
Head-fi is full of chatter, most of it nonsense. It's gotten hard
to sort out the people who know from newbies and shills.
As always, your ears will tell you. So go listen. Meets are
a great place for impressions. They tend to be a bit load,so
serious listening can be hard, but it will at least put you in the
ballpark.

vcwatkins

I think the Schiit Valhalla-Sennheiser HD600 combo that Assimilated mentioned above sounds sublime and is hard to beat in terms of price/performance. It provides enough detail and bass to keep me happy listening to just about anything.

I love the Schiit Asgaard-AKG701 for jazz and classical. I also liked the 701 on an inexpensive tube amp with nos Mullards. Never tried the Fidelio or the DT880, but if it is brighter than the AKG701, I think I would not listen for long periods. The DT990 is fun for rock and blues as it boosts bass.

I prefer using one of the Schiit amps over any of the built-ins I've tried. Haven't tried Woo.

Craig

voltz

I have the Sen 598'ss & HD650's and the Grado Rs2i & HIfiman HE 400 and the Senn HD650's are my favorite ...I use it with a WOO WA3 tube headphone amp and I think its a killer combo I truly love! there both about $500 a piece for about $1000 total and more when you change out the cable -you do believe in cables

gudnoyez

Larry I own the Sennheiser 598's also, they sound great through the Oppo 105D's headphone amp, and through the jacks on both my Marantz CDP's. I also team them with a JDS Labs C5 headphone amplifier with I-phone or my I-pod's, I'm happy with the 598's, but for a grand there are many to choose from, I would like to get the Sennheiser 600 or 650 for my next pair.

txcoastal1

Wait it out another month and hit the headphone area at Rocky Mountain. That's where you can really get a taste and move the cans around to other amps. I bet you can pick pick an amp and cans you really like for $1k-$1200 total. Probably one hell of a deal on some demo's

Good luck

txcoastal1

Wow you can say **** but not h-e-l-l,

Edit
Well they edited b-o-o-b-s too...saw it on another thread

Edit #2
well now I can see b**bs, I guess now you them now you don't....I like that game

sucks2beme

If you can solder, the Bottlehead crack works pretty darn good with hd600/650.
The SS M^3 is a good choice as well with many cans.
Note: a search for it comes up often with the mini version- nowhere near
as good an amp.

EndersShadow

Larry, like suggested get your ears on some stuff first.

Personally my DT-770's are what I am loving. Dont think I will ever sell these, and likely may never upgrade. Not accurate TBH, I am ok with that, normally I am listening at work so I need closed, and I like bass... so it works for me. That and their comfort level and the fact I have worn them for 8+ hours at a time at high volume with no fatigue, sweaty ears or feeling like my glasses are embedded in my head, thats enough for me.

That said I LOVED the Grado RS2 and RS1 I listened too at a local hi-fi store.... Those are within your budget.

Regardless put a bunch through the wringer to see what you like before really dropping the cash.

AsSiMiLaTeD

By the way, if you need a closed headphone then you'll want to ignore my recommendations above as those are all open. There are some decent closed headphones on the market, the DT770 among them, but at any given price point above $200 or so you'll almost always find the best performance in an open design. They're also typically more comfortable and can be worn for longer without getting warm.

cnh

I'll second or third the Beyer DT 770s. Very nice performance and isolation at a bargain price if you get the older models.

I also have to say that I've heard dozens of people talk about powering the Senn HD 600s. But frankly, for 300 ohm cans and compared to ALL the cans they compete with, they are surprisingly "easy" to power to decent levels and sound good with most amps. Can they sound better with better gear? Sure. But they are NOT as picky as most other 3=400 dollar phones, not at all. And I've heard them on a dozen amps or more. 250-600 ohm Beyers are a PAIN to get RIGHT. As are the seemingly much more efficient AKG Q-701s, talk about some PICKY phones. You really have to get your amplification "right' with these or else they will never impress! ---Actually they are much better than the old series K 70X which really needed something behind them to sound decent!

Closed or Open is a factor here. But I assumed since you put up a $1000+ budget you'd be listening at home, so I would disregard that if that is the case!

Getting some used gear at a Hi-Fi meet is a good idea as many of these guys change their phones as often as a fashion model does her clothes. Such a "restless" bunch are they? But that's GOOD for YOU!

cnh

vcwatkins

I sometimes use (80ohm) DT-770s that I bought here from krazymofo24 with a little Dared tube/SS/hybrid integrated MP5 at my desk. They seem to get warm pretty fast, so I usually don't listen for long periods, but I always enjoy them when I do. Good SQ on the cheap with some nos GE ECC85s, about $300 in total. Plus the Dared will also power some efficient speakers in my little 10'x10' study.

I do want to try the MrSpeakers Alpha Dog but haven't been able to get to a meet or find anyone close by who owns them.

Craig

voltz

The thing I do not like about the HIFIMAn HE 400 is they are to bulky & heavy for me and do not fit my head right. but the sound is very good. The Grado's RS2i are very clean & neutral sounding and excellent with certain music but the SENN Hd650's are perfect for me though I do like my 598's their is nothing wrong with them at all but you may want better cans from what you have said. I've not tried much more expensive cans.

And remember the ohms of the Sennheiser's are 300 and the grado 32 and that is why the "Bottlehead Crack or WOO WA3" are great with the Senn 650's but not good for the Grados that are at a lower ohm.

BTW, the Schitt Valhalla 2 is a OTL tube amp that can handle both 300-600ohm cans & 32 ohm cans. and it is only like $350 & its 6n1p's input tubes can be rolled with 6dJ8's not sure about its output tubes.

Toolfan66

Well I have been looking at quite a few of the ones you guys have put out there, but I do plan on going to the RMAS next month so I might just wait till then, and see what I see there...

cnh

Sounds like a plan! I must add that I'm currently wearing my Q-701s, listening to NPR/FM on a Realistic STA-700 (a 10-12 watt x 2 early '80s receiver built for those Minimus speakers) and the little 700 is almost manhandling the AKGs. These old vintage receivers can kick a lot of difficult to power H-phones behinds!

My Onkyo h-phone section can't even touch this little guy! lol

cnh

sucks2beme

My Kenwood ka-7600 does a pretty good job as well with the q701's.
The ASL mg-head does it better, but I could easily live with the Kenwood.
Newer receivers have very bad headphone outs. Like tuners, headphones
weren't a priority for HT.

voltz

Toolfan66 wrote: »

Well I have been looking at quite a few of the ones you guys have put out there, but I do plan on going to the RMAS next month so I might just wait till then, and see what I see there...

Smart!! nothing beats getting your ears on them, and you may find some sweet deals