Open back headphones advice?

[RöyksoppForever]

Alright

I’m looking for a top quality pair of open headphones for listening to music at desktop/PC. An added bonus for watching movies I suppose but 90%+ of use will be for music listening

I’m not an audiophile by any stretch so thought I would post on here for some advice

I’ve been using the CAL2’s now for years which are a decent set of cans. I like the fact they’re lightweight and super comfortable and have a punchy bass like the original CAL’s. I’m looking for something more high end now though with more clarity and detail, something that will enhance my listening experience

Apart from preferring the sound of open cans, I’ve tried several closed cans before and get some ear fatigue so comfort is a must

I mostly listen to electronic music (stuff like Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Ital Tek, Forest Swords to name a few), I know that’s not super important but my point is I’m not listening to techno or hardcore stuff where bass is maybe more prominent

Ideally I would like a set I can plug straight into the port on my PC tower and not have to buy a DAC or an amp, I’m not really wanting to get too deep into audiophile territory

The top end of my budget would be ~£300


In my brief research so far I’ve identified the following as potential candidates:

https://sites.google.com/view/headphoneadvice/open-back-headphones/hifiman-he400i

https://sites.google.com/view/headphoneadvice/open-back-headphones/sennheiser-hd600

https://sites.google.com/view/headphoneadvice/open-back-headphones/sennheiser-hd650


I like what I’ve read so far on the Hifiman ones, can anyone vouch for these?

Where it says in the Hifiman link, ‘amplifier requirement – yes’, do we take this literally? Will the headphones work perfectly fine just plugging straight into my tower’s audio jack with my onboard sound or will there be any compromise?

Otherwise, any other suggestions?

I appreciate all feedback and responses

Cheers

 

[Deleted member 188533]

So all of those need an amp. The CAL is a great little headphone for the money. Basically a mini version of my favorite cans, the Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Ebony.

HE400i: A good headphone. On the bright side and somewhat bass lite. Up to 20% of the headbands break. They will replace them but new ones ship from China I do believe.

HD600: One of my all time favorites. The neutral reference. Works with just about any music but the bass rolls off pretty early. So they really work best with any music that isn't electronica.

HD650: Similar to the HD600 but with a mid bass hump making them warmly tinted. More bass than the 600 but the same early roll off. Also have a larger soundstage than the HD600s. Very amp dependent. Works best with a Class A or tubes.

Some other options:

The Sennheiser HD599. Still a very good headphone that maintains the Sennheiser mid forward sound signature and much less dependent on an amp than the 600/650.

The Philips Fidelio X2 / X2 HR. Wider soundstage than the 599 and more bass. Timbre isn't as accurate as the ( nearly perfect ) Sennheisers and the treble can be bright for some.

The Sennheiser x Massdrop HD58X Jubilee. Basically a 5xx series driver in a 6xx series chassis. Some people think of it as a poor man's HD660S. Doesn't reward a good amp like the 600/650. Con - Harder to get in the UK/Europe.

My recommendation - The HD599.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORNc3QQ9mc

 

[RöyksoppForever]

So all of those need an amp. The CAL is a great little headphone for the money. Basically a mini version of my favorite cans, the Massdrop x Fostex TH-X00 Ebony.

HE400i: A good headphone. On the bright side and somewhat bass lite. Up to 20% of the headbands break. They will replace them but new ones ship from China I do believe.

HD600: One of my all time favorites. The neutral reference. Works with just about any music but the bass rolls off pretty early. So they really work best with any music that isn't electronica.

HD650: Similar to the HD600 but with a mid bass hump making them warmly tinted. More bass than the 600 but the same early roll off. Also have a larger soundstage than the HD600s. Very amp dependent. Works best with a Class A or tubes.

Some other options:

The Sennheiser HD599. Still a very good headphone that maintains the Sennheiser mid forward sound signature and much less dependent on an amp than the 600/650.

The Philips Fidelio X2 / X2 HR. Wider soundstage than the 599 and more bass. Timbre isn't as accurate as the ( nearly perfect ) Sennheisers and the treble can be bright for some.

The Sennheiser x Massdrop HD58X Jubilee. Basically a 5xx series driver in a 6xx series chassis. Some people think of it as a poor man's HD660S. Doesn't reward a good amp like the 600/650. Con - Harder to get in the UK/Europe.

My recommendation - The HD599.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HORNc3QQ9mc

Thanks for the response mate

On research it appears the Sennheiser HD599's exhibit an impedance of 50 ohms. You think these would be pretty safe then driving straight from the motherboard?

Do you have any thoughts on the Sennheiser HD6xx's? They sit at 300 ohms so not sure if they're out of the equation (considering I'm not wishing to purchase an amp)

Another headphone I've came across in my research is the Grado SR325e's. Do you have any thoughts on these as an overall headphone for listening to electronic music? 32 ohms so no issue there but obviously sound quality and comfort is important too

I think based on what you said about the Hifiman's requiring an amp and also vulnerable to breaking I'm going to rule them out of my list of candidates

Cheers!

 

[Deleted member 188533]

The Massdrop x Sennheiser HD6xx is an HD650 with different paint. Same exact headphone but at a cheaper price. Really one of the better values in the headphone world. Also has the same amp requirements as the HD650. The 600 and even more so the 650 scale like almost no other headphones do with better amplification. The more and higher quality power you give them the better they sound. They also both love a warmish Class A or tube amp.

I don't have much experience with Grado headphones. I find them terribly bright. That would be even more the case with electronic music.

I'd actually love some of the higher end HIFiMan headphones but I just can't bring myself to buy them because of the failure rates. Sound quality is really good to great depending on the model.

Yeah you can drive the HD599s off a motherboard. Or a phone. The HD598 was my gateway to good headphones and I still use them here nearly 10 years later. The 599 is just a slightly revised 598 with better bass and a mild retune.

 

[RöyksoppForever]

Yeah you can drive the HD599s off a motherboard. Or a phone. The HD598 was my gateway to good headphones and I still use them here nearly 10 years later. The 599 is just a slightly revised 598 with better bass and a mild retune.

After much research and deliberation I think I'm going to purchase the 599s!

There's a special edition on Amazon UK now for £180 which seems a great price. I'm not sure what the difference with the special edition is, might just be the colour

Although I'm not going to order an amp, did you ever personally hook the 599s up with an amp and if so, did you notice much of a difference in the sound?

Cheers

 

[Deleted member 188533]

The 599SE is an Amazon exclusive and it's just a different color. It's only $135 here in the US compared to the regular 599 at $199. So it's a great deal.

My 598s are usually plugged into an Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard on my PC. It has a built in headphone amp. I use them for gaming and as daily drivers. I've tried them with a bunch of sources over the years and they will slightly benefit from a good headphone amp but it's really not necessary.