Headphones (sorry)

[TX1]

d_a_n1979 said:

I've had my brothers SR125s all week whilst he's been away; I've just treated myself to an SMSL DL200 DAC and wanted to treat myself to some headphones as well, when using my studio monitors in my office isn't the right thing to do; they're not exactly subtle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GRADO-SR125x-Prestige-Ope...

They've been superb in all honesty... I've had the SR60s and 80s before; never these and they showed me that they're a good upgrade with a better, overall sound

However; these Hifiman Sundara's cans have been highly recommended to me:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BF58RZQK/?coliid=I4L...

As have these Sennheiser's

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-560S-refere...

I'm undecided which to go for yet; but didn't want to spend much more than £150 TBH as they'll sit more than they'll get used probably...

Do not know if you are aware but there is another Sundara which seems to be their most popular of the two, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077XDWT7X/ref...
Tried them a while back and they are pretty good however my Hiby DAP could not run them properly as they are pretty power hungry however your dac/amp should run them no problem.

[d_a_n1979]

TX1 said:

d_a_n1979 said:

I've had my brothers SR125s all week whilst he's been away; I've just treated myself to an SMSL DL200 DAC and wanted to treat myself to some headphones as well, when using my studio monitors in my office isn't the right thing to do; they're not exactly subtle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GRADO-SR125x-Prestige-Ope...

They've been superb in all honesty... I've had the SR60s and 80s before; never these and they showed me that they're a good upgrade with a better, overall sound

However; these Hifiman Sundara's cans have been highly recommended to me:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BF58RZQK/?coliid=I4L...

As have these Sennheiser's

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-560S-refere...

I'm undecided which to go for yet; but didn't want to spend much more than £150 TBH as they'll sit more than they'll get used probably...

Do not know if you are aware but there is another Sundara which seems to be their most popular of the two, https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077XDWT7X/ref...
Tried them a while back and they are pretty good however my Hiby DAP could not run them properly as they are pretty power hungry however your dac/amp should run them no problem.

Yes I'd seen them too and way over comfortable with what I want to spend currently; if I do at all. I'm still in 2 minds whether I want cans or not etc

[TX1]

Yes the headphone hobby can become a very expensive one unless you stick to your budget.

[d_a_n1979]

TX1 said:

Yes the headphone hobby can become a very expensive one unless you stick to your budget.

Exactly! Another reason why I've steered clear of vinyl too

[stevoknevo]

d_a_n1979 said:

I've had my brothers SR125s all week whilst he's been away; I've just treated myself to an SMSL DL200 DAC and wanted to treat myself to some headphones as well, when using my studio monitors in my office isn't the right thing to do; they're not exactly subtle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GRADO-SR125x-Prestige-Ope...

They've been superb in all honesty... I've had the SR60s and 80s before; never these and they showed me that they're a good upgrade with a better, overall sound

However; these Hifiman Sundara's cans have been highly recommended to me:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BF58RZQK/?coliid=I4L...

As have these Sennheiser's

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-560S-refere...

I'm undecided which to go for yet; but didn't want to spend much more than £150 TBH as they'll sit more than they'll get used probably...

I've had a pair of HD560s for a couple of years although I picked mine up for closer to £100 - they seem to be generally accepted as excellent for the money based on the amount of reviews I read/watched and user reports, and some Youtubers saying it was hard to justify the HD600 over them.

As long as you're okay with them being open backed and sound leakage isn't a concern, and your SMSL will power them nicely (I've got an ifi Zen DAC V1 fed from a RPi4, listening to the latest Deathcab for Cutie album just now and they're something you could listen to for hours without fatigue...and I say that as someone with bad tinnitus...) plus they EQ easily, sound good across a variety of genres but are not bass monsters, bass is good though, and are very robust.

[d_a_n1979]

stevoknevo said:

d_a_n1979 said:

I've had my brothers SR125s all week whilst he's been away; I've just treated myself to an SMSL DL200 DAC and wanted to treat myself to some headphones as well, when using my studio monitors in my office isn't the right thing to do; they're not exactly subtle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/GRADO-SR125x-Prestige-Ope...

They've been superb in all honesty... I've had the SR60s and 80s before; never these and they showed me that they're a good upgrade with a better, overall sound

However; these Hifiman Sundara's cans have been highly recommended to me:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BF58RZQK/?coliid=I4L...

As have these Sennheiser's

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-560S-refere...

I'm undecided which to go for yet; but didn't want to spend much more than £150 TBH as they'll sit more than they'll get used probably...

I've had a pair of HD560s for a couple of years although I picked mine up for closer to £100 - they seem to be generally accepted as excellent for the money based on the amount of reviews I read/watched and user reports, and some Youtubers saying it was hard to justify the HD600 over them.

As long as you're okay with them being open backed and sound leakage isn't a concern, and your SMSL will power them nicely (I've got an ifi Zen DAC V1 fed from a RPi4, listening to the latest Deathcab for Cutie album just now and they're something you could listen to for hours without fatigue...and I say that as someone with bad tinnitus...) plus they EQ easily, sound good across a variety of genres but are not bass monsters, bass is good though, and are very robust.

Yup no issues with open backed as I'll be on my own in my office listening to music when it's not the right time to have music through my JBLs etc

I still haven't decided though whether I'll actually use them enough or if they'll be another 'thing' to sit in my office and gather dust!

I might look for a 2nd hand pair of Grado 60's and see how I fair with them and if I don't use them; then back on eBay they can go etc

[toon10]

The Grado's always seem to review well. I'd avoid Sennheiser personally. I took a punt and bought a pair on eBay and quickly sold them on. I don't like music as the artist intended but prefer a more forward, warm sound and they really lack dynamic punch and are pretty weak in the bass department. I thought it may have just been a bad pair, but I've tried a few different models in shops and their sound isn't for me.

[d_a_n1979]

toon10 said:

The Grado's always seem to review well. I'd avoid Sennheiser personally. I took a punt and bought a pair on eBay and quickly sold them on. I don't like music as the artist intended but prefer a more forward, warm sound and they really lack dynamic punch and are pretty weak in the bass department. I thought it may have just been a bad pair, but I've tried a few different models in shops and their sound isn't for me.

Thanks

I enjoyed the older Grado 60s I had a good few years back and TBH my brothers 125s were superb; but not sure I want to jump in at that level

The Grado 60s currently can be had on eBay for c£75-£80 new... So may go down that route

They're more for casual listening rather than all the time; so they will be gathering dust in between etc

[richhead]

shirt said:

Another what cans thread sorry….

Limited choice local to me so looking for ideas/suggestions and then see what I can get hold of.

Over ear, and sound quality are the only stipulations. Prefer wired, they’ll only be used in the house for listening to music. Don’t care if they’re leaky sound wise. Budget ideally sub £300 but could stretch a little. Use case is that I am currently without any home stereo but not wanting to spend on one either. Cans will be driven by a chord mojo via iPhone / Apple Music HD.

Options so far are:

Grado sr325x. I had some sr80’s aeons ago as my first decent headphones. These seem very well reviewed. Sold out at my local dealer but they do have the 225x in stock.

Sennheiser md600. In the mix as I can listen to them locally and everyone raves about them.

Hifiman he-r10d. On sale from $1200 to $350 which kinda got my attention. I had some he-400i’s when they first came out. They were good, not stellar. Hifiman do tend to do mega sales to clear out old gen stock, I just wouldn’t be able to try these out so would be a total punt.

Any others?

Edited by shirt on Wednesday 15th May 21:12

I use headphones alot, and my go to has always been wired over ear sennheiser, i find for the cost to sound / comfort, they seem to work, i tend to run off a dac tho.

[TX1]

stevoknevo said:

I've had a pair of HD560s for a couple of years although I picked mine up for closer to £100 - they seem to be generally accepted as excellent for the money based on the amount of reviews I read/watched and user reports, and some Youtubers saying it was hard to justify the HD600 over them.

As long as you're okay with them being open backed and sound leakage isn't a concern, and your SMSL will power them nicely (I've got an ifi Zen DAC V1 fed from a RPi4, listening to the latest Deathcab for Cutie album just now and they're something you could listen to for hours without fatigue...and I say that as someone with bad tinnitus...) plus they EQ easily, sound good across a variety of genres but are not bass monsters, bass is good though, and are very robust.

Not had much luck with the Zen stuff myself, had both the iFi audio - ZEN Signature Range & iFi ZEN CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp, both sounded good but could hear a slight hum between tracks, so both were returned. New amp I am using is 0 noise, cannot tell it is on even at full blast.

[stevoknevo]

TX1 said:

Not had much luck with the Zen stuff myself, had both the iFi audio - ZEN Signature Range & iFi ZEN CAN Balanced Desktop Headphone Amp, both sounded good but could hear a slight hum between tracks, so both were returned. New amp I am using is 0 noise, cannot tell it is on even at full blast.

My tinnitus stops me detecting any silence nevermind in between tracks
I only paid fifty quid for it and can't fault it for my use, however you do see regular complaints/issues with a few of their products (being aware that people tend to complain/problem solve rather than praise online of course - I was never a fan of the shape of the Zen stuff and thought they looked cheap, in hand I was surprised at the build quality compared to an equivalent Topping DAC I had previously, like you I would've returned them for the same reason in your shoes )