Music Headphones thread

[MoonMind]

No durabiltity issues for me whatsoever, and besides, the P5 S2 are supremely serviceable (almost all parts are exchangeable) - but I admit I may no longer be considered a power user, so you best make up your own mind - and those Sennheiser definitely are prime choices! My most comfortable headphone still is the Sennheiser HD560 - three sets of pads later (or rcushions, rather ).

I checked the HD25 again - it was as I remembered. Which means that if you're more into a clear sound, they're still a great choice. I prefer the P5 S2 for longer sessions or outings, but YMMV.

M.

 

[Coksic]

Warm without being fat, clean without being sharp, with a little emphasis on lower mid tones that makes voices smooth and full-sounding. All while being overall true and reliable - not too analytical, but far from muddy. A pleasure to listen to for hours on end - much more so than even the very well rounded Sony.

I don't know what you have access to - but I find the B&W P5 S2 a specific and very worthwhile upgrade over a classic favourite of mine, the Sennheiser HD25 - a monitor pair with exceptional precision I trust over almost everything else. The Sennheiser is just a little stricter and cooler - without any major downsides all by itself. But it doesn't inspite the same level of emotional well-being into listening for longer periods of time. Unfortunately, I find the HD25 also hard to keep on with both ears covered for longer periods of time. My glass are the real culprits here - the tight fit of the Sennheiser tends to make them dig into the sides of the head.

Anyway, just used the P5 S2 again - as well as the Sony and the Sennheiser HD560. Yes, the Sony is my best stand-alone solution, very good - but a bit technical, a bit harsh by comparison, not as musical. Quick and clean, though. The HD560, however - man, I don't know what it is, but I love it, in spite of the lack of bite and bass compared to other models. It's just transparent and crystal clear - at low to medium volumes, that is, but I'm fine with that. Still, not a headphone that travels well, so I'm all the happier with the P5 S2 (and the Sony).

I guess I have to have a listen to the HD25 next - I'm afraid I may have to return to this thread a few times

M.

Thank you!

 

[Grinsaround]

Only one of my myriad of headphone solutions (as for others, I guess headphones were my first GAS station ), though the most satisfying one on the whole:
Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 via Chord Mojo/Poly - mobilising HiFi in earnest:

View attachment 314865

I also love to use the old, but somehow still wonderful Sennheiser HD560 with the Mojo/Poly combo.

All that said, the device that impressed me most in the last couple of years was - a Sony, the WH1000X III. It's a noise-cancelling bluetooth behemoth, but it sounds really convincingly nice. Not as musically pleasing as either of my wired favourites on the Mojo(/Poly), but the stand-alone performance is seriously good.

The discussions in this thread took me way back - and rekindled my almost forgotten pleasure in listening to good music via good electronics. Thanks!

M.

You are generating some serious GAS here too with that mojo/poly. I had the chance to play with one for a few days and was stunned at how far things have come. Selectable bit rate even on display. Who‘d have figured that in a tiny box? Amazing.

 

[gryphon1911]

I would not classify myself as an audiophile either but I did get bit a bit by the headphone bug not too long ago. I've always prided myself as being a person that could find the best bang for the buck, so to speak.

I agree also that there is a point of diminishing returns and spending thousands to get that last little bit of 1 to 2 % fidelity just didn't appeal to me. I also agree that there I find there are specific headphones I like for different genres of music, so have no one size fits all.

Like most though, I probably went through way too many headphones to find the ones that I love. Unlike most of you, I found out that as much as I would have liked to love the Sennheisers, I found them not to my liking. Having tried both the HD600 and HD650.
Wasn't sure why at first, until I realized the type of sound that I prefer. I'm more of a metal/rock kind of person and I prefer to have a high and mids more to the forefront. The Sennheisers, while having a quality sound seemed to have the mids too recessed and not enough of a sparkle in the highs for me.

It wasn't until I was able to hear some Beyerdynamic cans that I realized what I was looking for. So far, the DT880 has been my absolute favorite open back set. I did dabble in Grado for a minute and have a pair of SR225s.

For closed backs, I do really like the Audio Technica ATH-M50x and use them as my studio mastering cans. In closed backs for bass heavy music I like the Beyerdynamic DT770 but also have a set of planar headphones, the HiFiMan HE400i. I find them pretty interchangeable, but for longer listening sessions, the Beyerdynamics are lighter and more comfortable. The Hifiman's also have a higher resistance, so need to have a good amp to power them.

This segues me into my other items in the setup. I listen to music mostly when I am post processing or at work....so my source material comes from the PC. I did try at first to run the audio from the high end audio card I have in my PC, but there was too much internal interference. I got a FiiO E10k DAC and feed that into a Little Dot Mark II Tube amp. Absolutely love the sound coming from those 1960's Soviet tubes. The Little Not Mk II has enough power to drive all those demanding cans and gives that little bit of extra oomph to the less impeded cans as well.

I set a limit on myself and there is nothing in my setup I paid more than $250 for each component. Honestly, I think the amp was the most expensive component coming in at $250 and I bought it new. I was very selective and patient and got a lot of the headphones used or via a trade from others. Even the Grado's I got used from someone very cheap because they changes the factory cable to something shorter. Most people didn't want to deal with that, but I was OK with it and got those for a stellar price. Same deal with the HiFiMan's. Traded one of the Sennheiser cans (I think it was the HD650) for those, so no additional money out of pocket.

I really enjoy the experience and fun of researching and learning about the audio stuff. There are many parallels between camera gear and audio gear, so it is an interesting and familiar journey. I've had the same headphones and setup now for a few years, so I think I'm good as far as gear goes. There are still a few that I'd love to check out and experience but nothing that I have to do so with in the near future.

 

[MoonMind]

You are generating some serious GAS here too with that mojo/poly. I had the chance to play with one for a few days and was stunned at how far things have come. Selectable bit rate even on display. Who‘d have figured that in a tiny box? Amazing.

That'll be the Mojo 2 to boot ... Sorry for sparking this, but yeah ... I'm just glad that I'm happy enough with my original Mojo (and don't own much by the way of high bit rate music - yet). Things may change once I have more time for listening again, though. For the time being, the Mojo/Poly combo's way ahead of all comparable devices I've tried (a couple ...). It's actually somewhat hard to go back to listening without it. Even my - aging, but trusted - Fiio X3 II is left in the dust (yes, I know it was a midrange product - but it's a very good performer nonetheless). And that's while using my *phone* as a source!

Anyhow, Fiio has always offered a very nice entry point to portable headphone amplifiers - but I'm completely out of touch with recent models, so can't recommend anything in particular. However, looking at their flagship product for bluetooth connectivity (not streaming, but anyway), you're paying about a fifth of what the Mojo/Poly will cost you ... Maybe worth a look? I have to say that this is tempting even for me because of the Mojo/Poly's bulk, battery life and heat management: Carrying the thing in a pants pocket is inadvisable - at least that's true for the original Mojo, I read the Mojo 2 solved that.

M.

 

[gordo]

Only one of my myriad of headphone solutions (as for others, I guess headphones were my first GAS station ), though the most satisfying one on the whole:
Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 via Chord Mojo/Poly - mobilising HiFi in earnest:

View attachment 314865

I also love to use the old, but somehow still wonderful Sennheiser HD560 with the Mojo/Poly combo.

All that said, the device that impressed me most in the last couple of years was - a Sony, the WH1000X III. It's a noise-cancelling bluetooth behemoth, but it sounds really convincingly nice. Not as musically pleasing as either of my wired favourites on the Mojo(/Poly), but the stand-alone performance is seriously good.

The discussions in this thread took me way back - and rekindled my almost forgotten pleasure in listening to good music via good electronics. Thanks!

M.

Cool little setup.

All I have mobile right now is a lower-end HiRes player from Sony and the ATH-M50S. Of course just music ripped from the aforementioned CDs, no actual HiRes music yet. I need to find the box in storage with my older headphones, may try to dig through the storage room next week if I'm feeling up to the task.

 

[gordo]

I would not classify myself as an audiophile either but I did get bit a bit by the headphone bug not too long ago. I've always prided myself as being a person that could find the best bang for the buck, so to speak.

I agree also that there is a point of diminishing returns and spending thousands to get that last little bit of 1 to 2 % fidelity just didn't appeal to me. I also agree that there I find there are specific headphones I like for different genres of music, so have no one size fits all.

Like most though, I probably went through way too many headphones to find the ones that I love. Unlike most of you, I found out that as much as I would have liked to love the Sennheisers, I found them not to my liking. Having tried both the HD600 and HD650.
Wasn't sure why at first, until I realized the type of sound that I prefer. I'm more of a metal/rock kind of person and I prefer to have a high and mids more to the forefront. The Sennheisers, while having a quality sound seemed to have the mids too recessed and not enough of a sparkle in the highs for me.

It wasn't until I was able to hear some Beyerdynamic cans that I realized what I was looking for. So far, the DT880 has been my absolute favorite open back set. I did dabble in Grado for a minute and have a pair of SR225s.

For closed backs, I do really like the Audio Technica ATH-M50x and use them as my studio mastering cans. In closed backs for bass heavy music I like the Beyerdynamic DT770 but also have a set of planar headphones, the HiFiMan HE400i. I find them pretty interchangeable, but for longer listening sessions, the Beyerdynamics are lighter and more comfortable. The Hifiman's also have a higher resistance, so need to have a good amp to power them.

This segues me into my other items in the setup. I listen to music mostly when I am post processing or at work....so my source material comes from the PC. I did try at first to run the audio from the high end audio card I have in my PC, but there was too much internal interference. I got a FiiO E10k DAC and feed that into a Little Dot Mark II Tube amp. Absolutely love the sound coming from those 1960's Soviet tubes. The Little Not Mk II has enough power to drive all those demanding cans and gives that little bit of extra oomph to the less impeded cans as well.

I set a limit on myself and there is nothing in my setup I paid more than $250 for each component. Honestly, I think the amp was the most expensive component coming in at $250 and I bought it new. I was very selective and patient and got a lot of the headphones used or via a trade from others. Even the Grado's I got used from someone very cheap because they changes the factory cable to something shorter. Most people didn't want to deal with that, but I was OK with it and got those for a stellar price. Same deal with the HiFiMan's. Traded one of the Sennheiser cans (I think it was the HD650) for those, so no additional money out of pocket.

I really enjoy the experience and fun of researching and learning about the audio stuff. There are many parallels between camera gear and audio gear, so it is an interesting and familiar journey. I've had the same headphones and setup now for a few years, so I think I'm good as far as gear goes. There are still a few that I'd love to check out and experience but nothing that I have to do so with in the near future.

One reason I like the Senns is the sound. I find the more to the front mids and his become, the more fatiguing the listening, even with a really good source. One of those differences that drive differing choices.

One of the things I'll be looking for is a tube headphone amp, the Little Dot is on the list to consider.

I've bought new, but I always wait for a sale or price drop/ heavy discount before purchase.

 

[iamknudsen]

I sold high end audio equipment for a number of years during the golden years, was a studio musician for a while, and owned a recording studio in a previous life. The only headphones I would ever use was Sennheiser HD 414x, the first open air design phones that started it all. For me, it was all about transient response and accuracy along with the ability to wear them all day everyday. Went through many, many pairs and even after they were discontinued I wore the remaining pairs I had stashed away until they literally rotted off my head (about six years ago!).

These days I just get by with Bose Sport buds because they are comfortable and easily connect to most any source. Times change…

SOOT (Sort Of Off Topic): Hey Glenn, have you ever seen David Gibson's "Art of Mixing?" Fun to watch. I still can't make bad sound good. I can make good sound bad

 

[Grinsaround]

SOOT (Sort Of Off Topic): Hey Glenn, have you ever seen David Gibson's "Art of Mixing?" Fun to watch. I still can't make bad sound good. I can make good sound bad

Haven’t seen that Jon but thanks for the link. I’ll give it a watch!

 

[Carbonman]

One thing that has knocked a lot of headphones out of contention for me is the stiff headband; I have a crowned head and a lot of headphones, including the DT-880 have given me a sore head after wearing for an hour or 2. I don't know why designers don't manufacture headbands that accommodate those of us with less than smoothly curved skulls.

 

[mike3996]

One thing that has knocked a lot of headphones out of contention for me is the stiff headband; I have a crowned head and a lot of headphones, including the DT-880 have given me a sore head after wearing for an hour or 2. I don't know why designers don't manufacture headbands that accommodate those of us with less than smoothly curved skulls.

Ollo Audio, some older AKG headphones for some have a metal structure that keep the cups together but the metal hovers above the head. There's just a thin piece of leather instead that rests on the head.

 

[iamknudsen]

Ollo Audio, some older AKG headphones for some have a metal structure that keep the cups together but the metal hovers above the head. There's just a thin piece of leather instead that rests on the head.

@Carbonman I just checked my newish (5 years old? 7 years old?) AKG's. Both have pliable plastic instead of leather now. The K240s, described as semi-open, comply very well when lifted by one finger. The closed back K92's are a bit less compliant, but have soft padding. Both have metal bands. The K240's have plastic coated round metal bands, while the K92's are gold tone flat metal bands. Neither show any wear at this point. Hard to say if you would like the sound, but if you can find something with this type of suspension in a store, it would be worth trying them on.

K240 STUDIO | Professional studio headphones

The K240 Studio professional over-ear, semi-open studio headphones are designed for professional applications such as mixing, mastering and playback.

www.akg.com

K92 | Closed-back headphones

Mix and master your tracks with uninhibited clarity with the AKG K92 over-ear, closed back headphones.

www.akg.com

Glancing through headphones | Sweetwater I see:

Mostly AKG has this design.

Yamaha CM-500, but they have a mic you might not want or need.

Samson SR-880, SR-950, SR-990

These might be perfect, but you might need to get a 3rd mortgage or sell a kidney on e-bay: Audio-Technica's ATH-R70x Audio-Technica ATH-R70x Open-back Dynamic Reference Headphone

Those two AKG's I currently have are the only of the above I have ever touched. So, I can't say anything about the comfort and sound quality of any of the rest. I will say I would be surprised if any Shure studio headphones sounded bad or were uncomfortable. Best to buy with a good return policy. I'm not confident in Samson and I am not sure why IIRC a budget brand, but I'm not sure about that.

 

[mike3996]

These might be perfect, but you might need to get a 3rd mortgage or sell a kidney on e-bay: Audio-Technica's ATH-R70x Audio-Technica ATH-R70x Open-back Dynamic Reference Headphone

You call this expensive?

 

[Grinsaround]

One thing that has knocked a lot of headphones out of contention for me is the stiff headband; I have a crowned head and a lot of headphones, including the DT-880 have given me a sore head after wearing for an hour or 2. I don't know why designers don't manufacture headbands that accommodate those of us with less than smoothly curved skulls.

I can relate to the headband issue but for a different reason. I wore my Sennheiser 414x for hours on end with the headband around my rear collar And the cord down my back to keep it out of the way. Not because of my head shape but because I always wore a small Petzl headlamp when working over the mixing panel (tended to keep it dim in the control room to stay unobtrusive). If you find good fitting, light, symmetrical ear pads it works a lot better than you would think. Still wear them that way most of the time without realizing it.

 

[Bart J D]

I'm definitely not an audiophile but I do like listening to music and I'm kind of in the same boat as Gordon but I only have a small fraction of Gordons symptoms.
Nevertheless, I like something that gives the full "soundscape" even at low volumes.
For the moment, my headphones are the only way I listen to music.
Started with Sennheiser PX 360 until the headband was more flakes than anything else. Switched to Beoplay H6 from Bang & Olufsen, that I'm still using.
I also added a Bower & Wilkins PX7 because of the noise cancelling when the need arises.

 

[gordo]

I'm definitely not an audiophile but I do like listening to music and I'm kind of in the same boat as Gordon but I only have a small fraction of Gordons symptoms.
Nevertheless, I like something that gives the full "soundscape" even at low volumes.
For the moment, my headphones are the only way I listen to music.
Started with Sennheiser PX 360 until the headband was more flakes than anything else. Switched to Beoplay H6 from Bang & Olufsen, that I'm still using.
I also added a Bower & Wilkins PX7 because of the noise cancelling when the need arises.

I'm hoping to find the box with my headphones soon so I can do some direct comparisons. My impressions at this point are that my Sennheisers can reproduce the quieter portions at an overall lower volume than the ATH-M50S. I think the ATH-AD700 did the same, but not sure. Lower volume but able to hear everything is a wonderful thing.

I've been tempted several times to my a set of noise-cancelling 'phones, but I don't really listen in an environment where I really need them. For now. Might change down the road.

 

[gordo]

One thing that has knocked a lot of headphones out of contention for me is the stiff headband; I have a crowned head and a lot of headphones, including the DT-880 have given me a sore head after wearing for an hour or 2. I don't know why designers don't manufacture headbands that accommodate those of us with less than smoothly curved skulls.

Didn't reply until I took a look at current offerings. Audio-Technica has some 'phones with what some call "wings" - two separate pads, one on each side of the 'phones. Allows for independent adjustment, and they're wide instead a thin strip.

Those 'phones tend to be a little larger and can slide downwards on some people's heads. There was a cheap "mod" some of us did, by stretching a rubber band between the wings to tighten them up a bit. Different size bands applied different tension, so you can easily tailor the tension to your needs. After that mod my ATH-AD700s became the most comfortable 'phones I've worn to date.

AT still makes some models with the independent pads (ATH-R70X, -AD900X, -AD700X, -A990Z, -AD500X, -A550Z). Might be something that works for you.

 

[BosseBe]

My main headphones/headset is the Bose Quietcomfort 35 ii, they are Bluetooth connected and noise-cancelling.
I use them at home for quality listening at my desktop and when I travel (airplanes, for the noise-cancelling).
I can comfortably wear them for some hours, but then I have to take them of, same as for any headphones I have tried.
Noise-cancelling is good and the sound is great to me even at lower volumes and with classical music. I am currently listening to Rachmaninov's piano concertos at a fairly low volume and enjoy it.
I just want them to correct the spelling of my name! It is "Bosse" not "Bose"! My headphones!

For other use when I am out and about I recently bought some in ear buds, the Jabra Elite 85T, they are mostly used with my phone as headset and to play music on the go.
They also are noise-cancelling, they come with a nice app that helps you find the right "Eargels" (aka Ear-tips or something, the things you put into your ear) for your ears and then even can try to adapt the sound to your hearing.
When I put them in I can hardly feel that they are there but they seem to sit securely.

Earlier headphones, first was AKG K240 bought in the 70's, still have them but they need some TLC to be used again.

Then I have had some Sennheiser headphones with noise-cancelling first ones was small on-ear type and really worked quit well (PXC 250 IIRC).

(I was flying home from a holiday on Canary Islands and in the row behind me was some women and a baby, I think the baby didn't like the noise in the air-craft and I didn't like the sound of it crying or yelling, what ever it was, so I talked to the women and suggested they let the baby use my headphones without any music or anything but with the noise-cancelling turned on, they accepted to try and the rest of the flight it was just air-craft noise no yelling baby! Well worth it to me!)

Then I got another Sennheiser noise cancelling headphone the PXC 450, the sound is still great and they are comfortable, the noise cancelling worked great almost until the warranty went out, then it stopped working, sent them in for repair and was told the battery had leaked! Hmm, don't think so as I had just used Duracell batteries and I have never seen those leak. I think I paid for the repair and got them back working, but a couple of years later the same problem occurred so I just stopped putting a battery in and used them as plain headphones at home.
I used them with the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS on my PC, worked great!

 

[John King]

@BosseBe Chinese made Duracell batteries leak badly, even when new.

Using hearing aids sort of buggers up using ear buds ... .

 

[gordo]

My main headphones/headset is the Bose Quietcomfort 35 ii, they are Bluetooth connected and noise-cancelling.
I use them at home for quality listening at my desktop and when I travel (airplanes, for the noise-cancelling).
I can comfortably wear them for some hours, but then I have to take them of, same as for any headphones I have tried.
Noise-cancelling is good and the sound is great to me even at lower volumes and with classical music. I am currently listening to Rachmaninov's piano concertos at a fairly low volume and enjoy it.
I just want them to correct the spelling of my name! It is "Bosse" not "Bose"! My headphones!

For other use when I am out and about I recently bought some in ear buds, the Jabra Elite 85T, they are mostly used with my phone as headset and to play music on the go.
They also are noise-cancelling, they come with a nice app that helps you find the right "Eargels" (aka Ear-tips or something, the things you put into your ear) for your ears and then even can try to adapt the sound to your hearing.
When I put them in I can hardly feel that they are there but they seem to sit securely.

Earlier headphones, first was AKG K240 bought in the 70's, still have them but they need some TLC to be used again.

Then I have had some Sennheiser headphones with noise-cancelling first ones was small on-ear type and really worked quit well (PXC 250 IIRC).

(I was flying home from a holiday on Canary Islands and in the row behind me was some women and a baby, I think the baby didn't like the noise in the air-craft and I didn't like the sound of it crying or yelling, what ever it was, so I talked to the women and suggested they let the baby use my headphones without any music or anything but with the noise-cancelling turned on, they accepted to try and the rest of the flight it was just air-craft noise no yelling baby! Well worth it to me!)

Then I got another Sennheiser noise cancelling headphone the PXC 450, the sound is still great and they are comfortable, the noise cancelling worked great almost until the warranty went out, then it stopped working, sent them in for repair and was told the battery had leaked! Hmm, don't think so as I had just used Duracell batteries and I have never seen those leak. I think I paid for the repair and got them back working, but a couple of years later the same problem occurred so I just stopped putting a battery in and used them as plain headphones at home.
I used them with the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS on my PC, worked great!

Nice idea to pass the noise cancellers to the baby, flying is rougher on them. In addition to the noise, they can have issues with equalizing pressure and end up with ear blocks or sinus blocks. Both can be quite severe pain even for adults.

Batteries. I've had so many leak and several items toasted, even with the "better" brands, I've moved to more expensive lithium batteries where I can. Of course some items specifically state to use alkaline cells and not lithium, so it's not a 100% change-over yet.

Years ago my audiologist told me not to use earbuds, stick to better headphones and lower volumes where possible. Since then, open back earbuds have become a thing. Might have to ask the question next time I have to go to audiology (hopefully a long time in the future).