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Amusable
2
Mar 7, 2018
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I don’t know if I can get any help on this, I’m looking for a wired open back set of headphones. I like my sound to be clear but with a little more pronounced bass. I currently run the Sony xb950n1 and love them but I feel like I could have better sound quality within that 200-300$ price range. I'm open to just about any suggestions so anyone that has some, go ahead and tell me. I'm willing to look at closed back as well. Also would like a good quality set of earbuds, as I just rock a pair of skullcandy method blue-tooth ones which are okay for running around but could always stand to have something with better sound.
Mar 7, 2018
Eli35
653
Mar 7, 2018
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AmusableThose Sony you have are closed back and have noise canceling, with an open back you won't get any isolation, are you aware of that? Now, for $200 I'd say MD x Sennheiser HD6XX are a great starting point in open back headphones. You'll probably need an amp for them, but even a cheap one will be ok and these are staple headphones that any audiophile should listen at least for a while in his life.
Mar 7, 2018
Amusable
2
Mar 7, 2018
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Eli35I do understand that. I want to experience a pair of open backs that are well respected and also break away from my battery for a while. An amp is no problem, I’ve been looking into the schiit fulla and most likely would use that to pair with the headphones I get.
Mar 7, 2018
Eli35
653
Mar 7, 2018
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AmusableThen go for the 6XX, no doubt. They'll sound good from the fulla, and if eventually you upgrade to something better (let's say a schiit stack) you'll notice the improvement. I got them, and initially got dissapointed coming from closed back M50x (they lack sub-bass impact and sound dark and veiled in comparison) but now I really love them, everything sounds great on them and not just hip-hop/edm/trap and stuff like that, and you can listen to them for hours without any listening fatigue.
With the 6XX I often find myself rediscovering old songs, being able to appreciate the nuances and minor details that I couldn't hear before. And they're somewhat forgiving with low-quality recordings too, while being just enought detailed, a great compromise IMO. Perfect all-rounders if you're not a basshead, and even if you are (like me) you'll eventually appreciate their sound. They do not excel with any genre, maybe rock, but literally almost everything sounds really good and enjoyable.
Mar 7, 2018
Amusable
2
Mar 7, 2018
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Eli35I'll start looking into them, then. I've never been into the audiophile scene and have traditionally just used blue-tooth earbuds, once I got my hands on the 950n1 it just sparked something and now I just want more. I also forgot to mention that whatever I do get will likely also be used for gaming so that has a bit of importance as well. I don't expect a cinema on my head but nice sound is a plus.
Mar 7, 2018
Eli35
653
Mar 7, 2018
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AmusableIf you don't wanna spend $200 on the first try, you can buy some cheap chi-fi well known open back headphones: Superlux HD668b. I got them too, they're a AKG K240 rip-off, but for the price they sound really great and offer soooo much value, they're well worth the money (specially if you get a discount, which is quite common). I got my pair for around $25 and another pair for $30, both work great. They sound kinda bright and detailed, great for classical music, but also lack some bass (sub-bass is nonexistent) and clarity, but for this price they sound amazingly good. Comfort is not good with stock pads, but you can buy some cheap chinese velour pads for $5-10 and get that fixed too. Build quality is ok, they don't have any fancy details but you get two detachable cords (they're 3.5mm extension cables in fact).
Mar 7, 2018
Amusable
2
Mar 7, 2018
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Eli35I think I’ll spend a bit more for quality. The 6xx drop ended, do you know much about the AKG k7xx?
Mar 7, 2018
Eli35
653
Mar 7, 2018
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AmusableK7XX is quite different from HD6XX: much larger soundstage and better imaging, much less bass, they lack the "musicality" of the HD6XX. AKG K701/K702/K7XX are better than HD600/HD650/HD6XX for classical music (and competitive FPS gaming, if you're into it) and worse for anything else, due to their sound signature. I'd suggest you to get the HD6XX over them, hands down.
You could also consider the Beyerdynamic DT880/DT990, both open back and well known. I suggest you to get either 80 ohm or 250 ohm versions, maybe 600 ohm if you have a capable amp. You can read some more info here: https://homestudiobasics.com/dt-990-vs-dt-880-no-more-confusion/ https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones https://homestudiobasics.com/beyerdynamic-dt-770-vs-880-a-lot-to-cover/
Mar 7, 2018
Amusable
2
Mar 7, 2018
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Eli35Thank you for all the recommendations and your patience with someone who knows pretty much nothing about audiophile hardware.
Mar 7, 2018
m425
94
Mar 7, 2018
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AmusableWelcome to Massdrop community.
Mar 7, 2018
Cyrthazil
2
Mar 7, 2018
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AmusableId like to mention that you shouldnt ask for open earphones. They tend to sound better, because they dont cause internal reflection of sound. But if a closed back can sound as good, then why would you not want one? personally i value the isolation a pair of well sealing headphones privides because for most people they live with background noise. Also this is for portable audio. I recommend the AKG k553 pro. I customised the cable because its normally 3m. now its a perfect 1.2. I run it from my LG G6 with quad dac. Also, If you want sub bass, look for a closed back. They also have the advantage that they can produce accurate sub bass, where almost all open backx roll off pretty rapidly below 100-150Hz. The k553 have very beautiful and well balanced bass the whole way off the chart :D I love them to bits (literally i have dismantled them before to solder the cable)
Mar 7, 2018
Eli35
653
Mar 8, 2018
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AmusableNo problem man, that's part of what this community is about, welcome :) Feel free to ask anything else.
Mar 8, 2018
Arkysparky
5
Mar 8, 2018
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AmusableThe hifiman 400i is superb for the cost. I like them much better than the Sennheiser HD 600s. They are pretty easy to drive too. They have a relatively flat frequency response but the bass extension is really good.
Mar 8, 2018
Sloblo
409
Mar 10, 2018
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AmusableAKG 7xx fits your description very well, jut make sure you have the amping to feed them properly.
Shure 215s are my go-to recommendation in IEMs . You won’t find sound nearly as good for the price and you can wear them while laying on your side which is a huge plus in my book.
Mar 10, 2018
Sloblo
409
Mar 10, 2018
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Eli35Worse for everything else is a bit of a generalization, where the k7xx shines is it’s accuracy. To the point where it makes the music a bit tiresome, but it’s great for editing and mastering work (And amazing for popping fools through walls to the screams of HAXOR)
I have a few friends which prefer it to my senns though it gets a lot murkier when they try on the hd800 as they actually are quite similar in terms of sound.
Not that I’d use either for portable audio, since they both bleed sound like a mofo.
Mar 10, 2018
Eli35
653
Mar 12, 2018
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SlobloYeah, I just tried to make it simple. I never meant they're bad headphones by any means, just not as "musical" as some other like senns.
Mar 12, 2018
Arkysparky
5
Mar 16, 2018
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SlobloAre you saying that the HD800s are murkier than the k7xxs?
Mar 16, 2018
Sloblo
409
Mar 17, 2018
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Arkysparkyno, just that their preference gets murkier, I find the headphones to be the opposite with the HD800s being more transparent, but at 4x the price point you'd expect as much.
I guess my wording was awkward. I might go as far as to say soundstage is comparable or better than the 800s, but only marginally if that.
Mar 17, 2018
Arkysparky
5
Mar 19, 2018
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SlobloGot it.
Mar 19, 2018
red_hawx13
15
Apr 6, 2018
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AmusableI am actually getting a Hiby R3 and a balanced cable for my HE4XX. I will let you guys know how it goes!
Apr 6, 2018
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