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Moorekom
6
Mar 9, 2018
I'm trying to find a good headphone for fiio x5 iii that I recently purchased. Came down to hifiman he 400 ( bummed I missed that deal), akg 7XX and sennheiser hd650 ( 300 ohm will require amp). Also, any advice on focal elex drop here ? Can anyone give some insight on these three or any other better alternatives? I'd say the budget would be $200-$300. Thank you
Sloblo
409
Mar 10, 2018
MoorekomLets start with the ELEX. Focal makes amazing headphones and I’d say those are probably well worth it. That being said it’s a fairly big jump in your budget, so I assume that’s just your inner audio nerd drooling.
I love my k7xx like a lot, it’s very different than my HD600. If you told me I had to pick one I’d take the hd600 since they’re more fun and a bit less fatiguing. I’d save a few bux on the 650 and go for the 600 if you’re leaning that way since I actually preferred the sound of the lower model.
If if you’ve got the wiggle room, the fostex th-x00 is a super fun headphone and with some pad rolling have become one of my go-to for home listening. It is however the polar opposite of the AKG which is a transparency monster - it‘s up there with some very nice cans, but man it makes you cringe at every poor sound mastering and issue with your source.
Moorekom
6
Mar 11, 2018
SlobloThank you. I should have been more clear about the budget before. I've mostly been using portables before with my previous fiio x3 ii such as Creative aurvana live, Beyerdynamic Dt1350, sennheiser amperior and onemore triple driver. I mostly listen to Instrumental, R&B, jazz. Rock, pop to a lesser extent. Creative aurvana ( shares the same oem as the renowned Denon AH-D1001k) and dt1350 are my go to. The former mainly because of its comfort, warmth and fairly good soundstage. Dt 1350 can sound a bit tinnish. I've heard fiio x5 3 is warm in itself. I've also heard that th-x00 is a lot like cal. Even though I can afford it, compared to the price of the previous head phones, I didn't want to jump to $500+ immediately and thought I should pace myself. But all the reviews and advice I've heard are pointing to fostex th-x00 and elex. Based on the genre I listen to, which one of these do you think would be better?
Sloblo
409
Mar 11, 2018
MoorekomWaiting on the x5 iii as we speak here so I cannot speak to it's sound yet.
Thee thx00 is one of my go-to sets at home. Easily modify able you can tune it how you want. The elear, to my ears, had a fairly unique sound (amazing, but not as fun to me) and was way out of my price range. The elex is a very tempting proposition however and if I didn't go nuts on iems I may have ended up with another set of cans - hahaha
Moorekom
6
Mar 12, 2018
SlobloComing from x3 ii, I can say that the x5 3 sounds better. I've read that the former is a bit analytical but the latter is more fun. But my experience has only been with the head phones I mentioned previously, so take it with a grain of salt. I believe you would like it.
Sloblo
409
Mar 12, 2018
Moorekomyup, I tend to gravitate towards a shallow V/U shaped sound curve, with a slight emphasis on low-end. The value was quite compelling @ 250$ I couldn't really pass it up. I demo'd the x7 and actually slightly preferred the updated x5 in shop, but that was far from ideal conditions. Based on your preferences there I'd say you may want to lean towards the Sennheisers from your list, though again I'll give a bit of a shout for the thx00 as you can find them for 3xx$ on the bay periodically and they seem to hit a real sweet spot for us V-shape lovers
Morpheus318
0
Apr 22, 2018
MoorekomI use a fiio x5 3rd gen with a pair of Sennheiser HD600's and it sounds sweet. When at home I use a Schiit Valhalla 2 tube amp, which opens up the sound stage and puts more depth in male vocals, but if your on the road travelling, the Fiio and Senns are all you need.
Moorekom
6
Apr 22, 2018
Morpheus318Thanks for the reply. Are you using any amps with your setup? 600s have 300 ohms right? Any idea how focal elear (or elex) might sound in comparison?
Morpheus318
0
Apr 22, 2018
MoorekomFiio on high gain. No other amps. Drives it more than reasonably and is all you need for a basic set up. There will always be a benefit if you use an amp but it all adds to cost. For home use it would be benficial to get a dedicted headphone amp. The Valhalla is the only one I've used. Haven't used any of the other headphones you've suggested. Tried some from Audio Technica, AKG, JBL, Bose etc but all at the cheaper scale. I have HD600's and 6xx's and preferr the 600's. Only other pair I have are a pair of Bose noise cancelling for plane flights. Sound can be very personal.
Moorekom
6
Apr 22, 2018
Morpheus318Thank you. I've ordered the focal elex and it being considered as a super hd600/6xx, I was wondering if you had any idea about how they compare. I'll definitely try out the 600s down the line and will update how they do compare. My issue is that I want to keep my rig portable as I move around a lot.
Sloblo
409
Apr 23, 2018
MoorekomLol, so much for the budget.
Moorekom
6
Apr 23, 2018
SlobloHa ha... We're at the wrong place to even contemplate it.
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