Closed back headphone recommendations [Archive]

colinB

29-06-2012, 21:40

Due to flat sharing at the moment im using a headphone rig. I just bought a FiiO e17 which is working nicely and has a lot of headroom but i cant get on with my Grados. They have this echo sound i dont like and i would prefer a bit more bass.
Im looking for closed backs that have a bit of space about them and my budget is £250 max. Ive given up the fags so i think i deserve a new pair :)
Any suggestions please.

howardc1951

29-06-2012, 22:09

I bought a pair of Ultrasone Pro 550 closed back. Prior to them I was using a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pro and there's no way I'm going back. They don't work in the same way as conventional phones as instead of having the driver opposite to the ear canal so they feed the sound straight down the ear canal they offset the driver so that the sound is fed into the ear canal using the outside of the ear so you get the impression of hearing speakers rather than headphones, but you get all the detail etc. you would get with normal headphones.

colinB

29-06-2012, 22:26

They sound interesting and tick my boxes. £129 on amazon.

southall-1998

29-06-2012, 22:48

If your on the cheap, the Sony MDR V6. Careful, there are fake ones out there.

howardc1951

30-06-2012, 07:44

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ultrasone-PRO-450-Headphones-/200783146823?pt=UK_AudioVisualElectronics_HomeAudi oHiFi_Headphones&hash=item2ebf9baf47

I don't think these are in the current range - which would account for the price.

technobear

30-06-2012, 18:37

Audio-Technica ATH-M50

Plenty of bass in those!

Alternatively the Beyerdynamic DT770 or the Denon D2000

wee tee cee

01-07-2012, 10:50

The superlux 440 or 660 are both closed back. Both about £40 from Thomann in germany. Great value for money and sound very respectable. A set of AKG velvet pads fit both and improve the comfort/sweaty ear factor.

Pete The Cat

01-07-2012, 18:51

Denon AH-D2000. In my humble opinion any future headphones you buy after these will need to be >£500 to better them.

Pete

colinB

01-07-2012, 20:33

I forgot about the denons. Heard them in HMV a while back and was struck by the clarity and soundstage. Thanks for the reminder.

AlfaGTV

01-07-2012, 21:52

Agree with the recommendation of Denon AH-D2000!
Own, and use, these daily along with AH-D7000 and a pair of Senheiser HD-650. I would say the 2000's are the most bang for buck ive heard and liked on this side of £500!
A little crude perhaps, but partnered with a good HP-amp they make most satisfying music!
Br Mike

Giubanix

02-07-2012, 15:53

Agree on the Denons. Bought a pair a month or so ago since they were £100 off in HMV. I don't normally like closed back 'phones, but all the reviews said they were unusually "airy" for a closed design and I've certainly found them very nice to listen to with a Graham Slee Novo amp. Very detailed with just the right amount of bass for my liking, not too pronounced.

colinB

02-07-2012, 20:40

Russell Turner

02-07-2012, 20:51

I use Beyerdynamic's new(ish) portable headphone the DT1350 with my FiiO E17 driving a HiFiMan EF2A, they are just in your budget and are excellent both in build quality and sound quality and you get the added bonus of them looking "street kred" as well:-

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/beyer_dt1350_photo_main.jpg

colinB

02-07-2012, 23:20

Ive been looking at those to. The e17 isnt powerful enough to power the phones?

technobear

03-07-2012, 06:45

The DT1350 puts out 109dB for 1mW.

The Fiio puts out 30mW into 300ohms and 250mW into 16ohms.

The DT1350 is 80ohm.

The FiiO's power isn't linear with impedance but I'd guess we're looking at more than 60mW on tap. That's enough to get the DT1350's up to their maximum volume of about 129dB (and seriously damage your hearing in the process).

colinB

03-07-2012, 19:01

Thanks for the clarification Chris. Im not to hot on the maths with amps.
I still dont know why he uses the hifiman amp when he already owns a FiiO.

Russell Turner

03-07-2012, 20:18

colinB

03-07-2012, 21:17

How is the FiiO connected to the HiFiman?

Russell Turner

04-07-2012, 06:36

Using the FiiO L7 adapter to get a proper line out signal, then a 3.5mm to two phono lead into the Hifiman.

If there is one disadvantage to the setup is that the Hifiman EF2A has a shit load of gain on tap and I can rarely get past the 9 o'clock setting....

I would to be able to alter the gain on the unit.

Also you can do a bit (or a lot) of tube rolling with the Hifiman I have some 1952 valves in there at the moment.

roob

09-07-2012, 16:49

Was a bit tempted by thesehttp://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSre7A8X_juYPn71NxNiBE8Y9Qvn37MV cqRvOSMbKhB0jbQ97Jr

AKG k550. The build looks great. Lots of metal and all black. Read mixed reviews though so im going for the Denons at HMV.
Colin I have just replaced a set of AKG701's with these and I find them excellent, better than the 701's in my system.
Got them from here
http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k_550.htm

colinB

10-07-2012, 16:04

Thanks andy but I bought the denons on Sunday from hmv. I think the Akg build would have been better, no way could you use the denons on the street, they easily fall of your head. The bass sounds a bit flabby too but I haven't tested with the FIiO yet . That may tighten it up. On holiday at the moment and left the phones at home as they are to big for the suitcase. Good news is they are a pleasurable listen with no nasty distortion and no sign of the reassessed mids I read about. Punchy drums and nice presentation with voices. very happy
Nice birthday present ( 47 today ). :cool:

colinB

16-07-2012, 18:51

Testing them with the FiiO amp this evening. These headphones are lovely.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations.

Pete The Cat

16-07-2012, 19:32

Your previous post had me worried for a moment but I'm pleased they're hitting the spot :)

Pete

colinB

16-07-2012, 19:55

Getting used to the bass now. Found it strange at first deep but little extension if that makes sense. I have never heard phones with this much clarity and they have a lot of life to them. Im getting this strange cross channel thing every so often that sounds like the effect you get when you have the headphone plug out half way and not fully home in the socket. Im guessing its the amp rather than the phones. Tried tugging the wires on the cups and no loss of signal.
I have heard quality control issues on the E17. Plus im using a optical splitter so i can use an input to the hifi and the Headphone amp from the same source so it could be faulty.

technobear

16-07-2012, 21:51

Im getting this strange cross channel thing every so often that sounds like the effect you get when you have the headphone plug out half way and not fully home in the socket.

That's the result of idiot mixing engineers who forgot that some people might listen to music on headphones. You don't notice it with speakers because each ear hears both speakers. With headphones you have total channel separation so if a sound comes only from one side it sounds unnatural as the other ear can't hear it.

Some headphone amps have a feature called crossfeed to lessen this effect. There are two or three crossfeed DSP filters for foobar. I use one for recordings that annoy in this way but I don't leave it in all the time as it does affect the frequency response and also the clarity.

colinB

16-07-2012, 22:35

That's the result of idiot mixing engineers who forgot that some people might listen to music on headphones. You don't notice it with speakers because each ear hears both speakers. With headphones you have total channel separation so if a sound comes only from one side it sounds unnatural as the other ear can't hear it.

Some headphone amps have a feature called crossfed to lessen this effect. There are two or three crossfeed DSP filters for foobar. I use one for recordings that annoy in this way but I don't leave it in all the time as it does affect the frequency response and also the clarity.

Crikey. Never heard that before. And that was playing a remaster of Simple Minds new gold dream.

DSJR

17-07-2012, 07:50

The Crown IC150's "Panorama" control does just this and can be invaluable for just this aspect. Multi-mono mixed sounds panned hard over to one side can sound incredibly strange and some "bleed through" can help.

technobear

17-07-2012, 08:13

Crikey. Never heard that before. And that was playing a remaster of Simple Minds new gold dream.

Ah! Another simple minds fan. Clearly a man of impeccable musical taste. Did you see them in concert last year? Fantastic! http://www.technobear.btinternet.co.uk/emoticons/geekdance.gif

colinB

17-07-2012, 19:01

Missed it unfortunately but im enjoying looking back on their legacy after buying the X5 boxset. Great musicians and perfect hybrid of rock and dance. Pity they went all "Breakfast Club".