Upvote Upvoted 0 Downvote Downvoted
Another Headphone Recommendation Thread
posted in Hardware
1
#1
0 Frags +

I've had my HD6XX's for a year and am getting a bit bored of their sound so I guess it's time for a new pair of cans.

I'm looking for phones which are:

  • Neutral/slightly bright in sound signature (though I'll consider something dark if the quality justifies it)
  • Wide soundstage is a must
  • No Sennheisers please
  • Must be open back, over-ear
  • My budget is €600. If it's absolutely necessary, I will fork out the extra for something really good

So far I've looked a bit into the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro for it's acclaimed clarity, though the Audeze LCD2C also really intrigues me because of how much people praise it's soundstage. I'd appreciate if anybody who's tried these phones gave me their two cents on them, aside from any other recommendations.
ty c:

I've had my HD6XX's for a year and am getting a bit bored of their sound so I guess it's time for a new pair of cans.

I'm looking for phones which are:
[list]
[*] Neutral/slightly bright in sound signature (though I'll consider something dark if the quality justifies it)
[*] Wide soundstage is a must
[*] No Sennheisers please
[*] Must be open back, over-ear
[*] My budget is €600. If it's absolutely necessary, I will fork out the extra for something really good
[/list]

So far I've looked a bit into the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro for it's acclaimed clarity, though the Audeze LCD2C also really intrigues me because of how much people praise it's soundstage. I'd appreciate if anybody who's tried these phones gave me their two cents on them, aside from any other recommendations.
ty c:
2
#2
0 Frags +

I had the DT1990's for about a month. I loved everything about them except that the clamp was too much for me with glasses. I have 6XX's too and the clamp on those was about the same amount (though I've loosened my 6XX's clamp), but it had pressure in different places. My roommate said they were the most comfortable headphones he's ever tried though so YMMV. They were a little bright at times on certain tracks, but not overbearingly so. They've been on some crazy sales lately here in the US on Amazon/Ebay ($100-200 off). Not sure if they're that low in EU, but for that price they're very hard to beat.

Haven't heard LCD2C's, but from what I've read they're definitely warm/dark and may not be enough of a change from the 6XX's.

As for other suggestions, the Focal Elex have been getting a ton of praise, but they're slightly out of your price range and I've heard they're hard to get outside of the US because Massdrop.

I had the DT1990's for about a month. I loved everything about them except that the clamp was too much for me with glasses. I have 6XX's too and the clamp on those was about the same amount (though I've loosened my 6XX's clamp), but it had pressure in different places. My roommate said they were the most comfortable headphones he's ever tried though so YMMV. They were a little bright at times on certain tracks, but not overbearingly so. They've been on some crazy sales lately here in the US on Amazon/Ebay ($100-200 off). Not sure if they're that low in EU, but for that price they're very hard to beat.

Haven't heard LCD2C's, but from what I've read they're definitely warm/dark and may not be enough of a change from the 6XX's.

As for other suggestions, the Focal Elex have been getting a ton of praise, but they're slightly out of your price range and I've heard they're hard to get outside of the US because Massdrop.
3
#3
0 Frags +
_brian

How would you compare the soundstage of the 1990's to the 6XX? Right now the 1990's are £400 from Amazon UK which is over €150 cheaper than the asking price on the Beyerdynamic website. Only thing stopping me from just getting them now is the worry that I'll be disappointed with their soundstage.

[quote=_brian][/quote]
How would you compare the soundstage of the 1990's to the 6XX? Right now the 1990's are £400 from Amazon UK which is over €150 cheaper than the asking price on the Beyerdynamic website. Only thing stopping me from just getting them now is the worry that I'll be disappointed with their soundstage.
4
#4
0 Frags +

I bought myself the Monoprice Monolith M1060 and I'm super happy with them. Judging from what you say above I think they fit your sound profile. Unluckely you have to buy them from the US but they are well worth the price! Moving to planar magnetic was the best decision I ever made. From what ive heard the M1060 are supposed to be very similar to LCD2S but alot cheaper. What has to be said though is that the build quality isnt great on them. But I've brought them to 3 lans and had them for over a year and no issues so far.

If you are putting a lot of money towards headphones then buying a DAC/amp is a must and I can't stress it enough. It improves the sound alot because MOBO dacs are crappy generally. Do you have one currently? I'll leave a link below for the one I use and are super happy with.

https://www.amazon.com/Monolith-16050-Planar-Magnetic-Headphones/dp/B01N32N5DD/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1547124659&sr=8-3&keywords=monoprice+monolith+m1060

https://www.amazon.com/Aune-X1S-384KHz-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B014FBZCCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547124672&sr=8-1&keywords=aune+x1s NOTE: it requires usb 2.0 and will be very buggy if connected to USB 3.0

The review that made me buy the m1060: https://youtu.be/hrr-GAlHzLQ

Edit: I forgot to mention I modded mine slightly by removing the foam behind the "grill" on the outside so to speak which improved the sound quite a bit. If you would be intrested in that hit me up and I'll help you out.

I bought myself the Monoprice Monolith M1060 and I'm super happy with them. Judging from what you say above I think they fit your sound profile. Unluckely you have to buy them from the US but they are well worth the price! Moving to planar magnetic was the best decision I ever made. From what ive heard the M1060 are supposed to be very similar to LCD2S but alot cheaper. What has to be said though is that the build quality isnt great on them. But I've brought them to 3 lans and had them for over a year and no issues so far.

If you are putting a lot of money towards headphones then buying a DAC/amp is a must and I can't stress it enough. It improves the sound alot because MOBO dacs are crappy generally. Do you have one currently? I'll leave a link below for the one I use and are super happy with.

https://www.amazon.com/Monolith-16050-Planar-Magnetic-Headphones/dp/B01N32N5DD/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1547124659&sr=8-3&keywords=monoprice+monolith+m1060&tag=teamfortresst-20

https://www.amazon.com/Aune-X1S-384KHz-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B014FBZCCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547124672&sr=8-1&keywords=aune+x1s&tag=teamfortresst-20 NOTE: it requires usb 2.0 and will be very buggy if connected to USB 3.0

The review that made me buy the m1060: https://youtu.be/hrr-GAlHzLQ

Edit: I forgot to mention I modded mine slightly by removing the foam behind the "grill" on the outside so to speak which improved the sound quite a bit. If you would be intrested in that hit me up and I'll help you out.
5
#5
0 Frags +
alba

Thanks for your recommendation alba :) As much as I really really want to give planar magnetic phones a shot, I'm a bit hesitant to go for the M1060's because a lot of other reviews suggest that it suffers from a lack of clarity. Whilst I enjoy watching Z's reviews, I always have to take them with a pinch of salt since I really feel he overhypes a lot of the products he just likes.

Also yes I do have a DAC and seperate AMP :) If you're interested, I'm currently I'm using an SMSL M8A for a DAC and a Burson Soloist SL MKII for a headphone amp. Couldn't really be happier with this setup as things stand :)

[quote=alba][/quote]
Thanks for your recommendation alba :) As much as I really really want to give planar magnetic phones a shot, I'm a bit hesitant to go for the M1060's because a lot of other reviews suggest that it suffers from a lack of clarity. Whilst I enjoy watching Z's reviews, I always have to take them with a pinch of salt since I really feel he overhypes a lot of the products he just likes.

Also yes I do have a DAC and seperate AMP :) If you're interested, I'm currently I'm using an SMSL M8A for a DAC and a Burson Soloist SL MKII for a headphone amp. Couldn't really be happier with this setup as things stand :)
6
#6
0 Frags +

ah nice amp dac stack, I envy you! Yeah I do take Z reviews with quite a bit of salt, I always watch like 10 different vids before buying :D If you remove the foam things the highs truly open up. Crazy how big impact it has. I will probably never go away from planar magnetics :D

ah nice amp dac stack, I envy you! Yeah I do take Z reviews with quite a bit of salt, I always watch like 10 different vids before buying :D If you remove the foam things the highs truly open up. Crazy how big impact it has. I will probably never go away from planar magnetics :D
7
#7
0 Frags +
Snack_brianHow would you compare the soundstage of the 1990's to the 6XX? Right now the 1990's are £400 from Amazon UK which is over €150 cheaper than the asking price on the Beyerdynamic website. Only thing stopping me from just getting them now is the worry that I'll be disappointed with their soundstage.

The 1990's are definitely wider than the 6XX. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 1990's soundstage. That's a good price for them as well. Plus Amazon has a great return policy. I had no issues returning my pair to them.

If you're considering the M1060's at all I'd go with the M1060C's and mod them to open backs. It's very easy and the drivers on the C's are better. That being said I hate the headband on my M1060C's (same on the M1060) and don't use them that much because of it.

[quote=Snack][quote=_brian][/quote]
How would you compare the soundstage of the 1990's to the 6XX? Right now the 1990's are £400 from Amazon UK which is over €150 cheaper than the asking price on the Beyerdynamic website. Only thing stopping me from just getting them now is the worry that I'll be disappointed with their soundstage.[/quote]

The 1990's are definitely wider than the 6XX. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the 1990's soundstage. That's a good price for them as well. Plus Amazon has a great return policy. I had no issues returning my pair to them.

If you're considering the M1060's at all I'd go with the M1060C's and mod them to open backs. It's very easy and the drivers on the C's are better. That being said I hate the headband on my M1060C's (same on the M1060) and don't use them that much because of it.
8
#8
0 Frags +

So my 1990's arrived in the mail today and they're a very welcome change compared to the 6XX's :) Clarity is on point, and (as pretentious this may sound) the elevated highs add a layer of magic to whatever I'm listening to. The soundstage is noticeably wider than the 6XX's, but perhaps it's still just a notch less than what I would have liked. The imaging is extremely precise in these phones, I'm now able to pinpoint exactly where each sound is coming from. The 6XX's managed to have significantly worse imaging with less soundstage.

I think the mids in the 1990's are ever so slightly recessed, still that's a huge change I've got to get used to coming from the 6XX's, since the 6XX's were extremely forward with their lush mids. I must say that whilst the 1990's are a lot more clear and precise, the 6XX's definitely have a smoother sound which is easier to digest. I can definitely see myself switching back to the 6XX's for some genres/albums.

I've yet to finalize my decision on whether I'll stick with the balanced or analytical pads, though so far I think I've enjoyed the balanced pads a bit more because they have just a touch more musicality to them. I think the analytical pads provide that 'boring' neutral sound you see a lot of audiophiles mentioning.

Thanks brian and alba for helping me out in this thread :)

So my 1990's arrived in the mail today and they're a very welcome change compared to the 6XX's :) Clarity is on point, and (as pretentious this may sound) the elevated highs add a layer of magic to whatever I'm listening to. The soundstage is noticeably wider than the 6XX's, but perhaps it's still just a notch less than what I would have liked. The imaging is extremely precise in these phones, I'm now able to pinpoint exactly where each sound is coming from. The 6XX's managed to have significantly worse imaging with less soundstage.

I think the mids in the 1990's are ever so slightly recessed, still that's a huge change I've got to get used to coming from the 6XX's, since the 6XX's were extremely forward with their lush mids. I must say that whilst the 1990's are a lot more clear and precise, the 6XX's definitely have a smoother sound which is easier to digest. I can definitely see myself switching back to the 6XX's for some genres/albums.

I've yet to finalize my decision on whether I'll stick with the balanced or analytical pads, though so far I think I've enjoyed the balanced pads a bit more because they have just a touch more musicality to them. I think the analytical pads provide that 'boring' neutral sound you see a lot of audiophiles mentioning.

Thanks brian and alba for helping me out in this thread :)
Please sign in through STEAM to post a comment.