Headphone Upgrade suggestions (Personal Use)

[stoopid]

Funny you'd mention that because it's the headband that's absolutely in the worst shape on my A-Ts.

At the risk of jinxing it, it just occurred to me that none of what I'm currently using has suffered from my previous biggest complaint: Audio connections that gave out entirely or became unreliable. The Shures work around that by having a very easily-swapped cable, but the others don't.

The headband cover I use looks identical to this: Amazon.com

One of the benefits IMO of the M50 design is there's only one cable going into the headphones. More connections/wear points, the more likely one of them will fail.

 

[atrocity]

The headband cover I use looks identical to this: Amazon.com

Thank you! Just before you posted this I ordered what appears to be a clone.

 

[jefe1]

Thanks @Bob Romano and @stoopid
Good info. $60 is fine for me. I only used Bluetooth buds at the gym occasionally out but mine have low grade sound. For exercise I was ok with sq compromise.

 

[M-K]

My needs have changed as I exit recording and enter the 'listening' leg of my musical journey. 8 years ago I tried a bunch of headphones, some still available, with the intent of finding a compromise between something I could daily drive for casual music listening and tracking, and something more detailed for getting mixes most of the way there/fine tuning (before moving to the studio monitors for the final tweaks). I'm parting ways with my Sennheiser HD600 open back headphones, used only for that detailed mixing stage. I still have the same Audio-Technica ATH-M50 from many years ago, and these have been very good overall headphones. I like the solid bass delivery and of course the relatively bargain-level price. But they're weaker in the mid and high frequency response, which I'm looking to improve with the purchase of a new set of primary headphones for 99% personal use.

I realize selecting headphones is a very personal process, but finding someplace local with a good selection even in Las Vegas isn't going to suffice. So I'm going to turn to HR.com and other online sources for suggestions and reviews, then make a pick from there. Worse case I'll possibly have to return something as I plow through a short list of contenders. But hoping my due diligence can help me avoid that.

Today being the start of the process I have a blank slate of contenders. I'd prefer closed back, there's times later at night I like to jam out a bit and play things loud, and open back might allow for too much bleed. I'm not opposed to in ear solutions (IEM, earbuds). I have a mid tier pair of BT earbuds that are fairly good, impressive really for what they pack into such a small design, and that's certainly a possibility. But I don't find earbuds as comfortable and certainly not over an hour or two straight wearing them. I'm not opposed to a wired set of earbuds, and they might be the better long term solution because they don't have batteries that will eventually die (planned obsolescence anyone?).

My primary requirements "put into words"...

• Under $500, preferably $300-ish but willing to splurge for something I may use for the rest of my days
• Good bass response is a must, improved mid-upper end response over the ATH-M50s is where I'm focusing the most
• Closed back (for when I like to crank 'em), and these usually provide tighter bass response
• Comfort - some smaller ear cup designs are not comfortable. I'm also not a fan of leather/plether for long listening sessions. Earbuds tend to fatigue after an hour.

I have a headphone amp, so just about anything on the market I could sufficiently power.

Difficult indeed!

I use three different Beyerdynamic:

DT770Pro (studio)
DT770M (recording in loud environment)
DT990Pro (studio and living room)

All are more than 10 years old. I bought 4 or 5 years ago a second DT770Pro. It sounded complete different to my old one.
And it sounded so bad - very harsh - that I sent it back.

If the DT990Pro is sounding as mine sounds I could recommend this one to try. But as I know it uses the same drivers as the DT770, I assume it will sound bad as well. May be they have fixed that, but not sure.

What I can recommend: choose a piece on music that is well recorded and mixed, sounding excellent and that you know very well. And listen to different headphones that fit in your budget. As Stephen W. T. wrote: ...it is totally personal taste.

 

[stoopid]

What I can recommend: choose a piece on music that is well recorded and mixed, sounding excellent and that you know very well. And listen to different headphones that fit in your budget. As Stephen W. T. wrote: ...it is totally personal taste.

Almost impossible to do this as there's few places on the planet with a good selection of headphones to try. Guitar Center only has stuff comparable to the M50s I already have. The tl;dr was that I have a pair of new headphones on the way so hopefully they're a good fit. Scroll up a few posts.

 

[JediJoker]

Thanks @Bob Romano and @stoopid
Good info. $60 is fine for me. I only used Bluetooth buds at the gym occasionally out but mine have low grade sound. For exercise I was ok with sq compromise.

You can get relatively inexpensive TWS earphones with good sound. The AKG N400NC goes on sale for ~$50 every so-often. Bought mine at that price and am very happy with them, including the noise cancelling performance for air travel. It's not best-in-class, but it's good enough.

 

[stoopid]

And as luck would have it, while reviewing some LCD-2 listings on eBay I stumbled on the Monoprice 'knock-off' of the LCD-2 closed back, for significantly less ($225 after shipping and tax, new).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374979485106
The reviews I could find were all positive, in line with similar performance and weight as the LCD-2. So I ordered a pair, at worse I can return them only costs me return shipping. But it looks like I may have stumbled on my solution AND stayed within budget. Now the question is -- is this the beginning, middle, or end of the hunt? lol

We have a winner!!

Monoprice's Monolith M1070C are excellent headphones. Solid (but not boomy) bass response, good detail without sounding thin, papery, or harsh. Accurate mid range response. These might be the perfect fit for exactly what I was looking. Headphones feel durable, even premium, and came with a nice hardshell case and quality cable. They are not feeling in anyway cumbersome after 20+ minutes. But they are big and 'bulky'. The leatherette ear cushions are surprisingly comfy. I was using aftermarket Velour cushions with my ATH-M50s, and found them superior to the stock leather-like cushions. I'll try the velour cushions with these new headphones but they look thinner and I read in a couple reviews that they change the sound profile due to decreasing the distance from driver to ear.

Insight into testing with my "first songs on the cans" playlist, just in case anyone's curious how an oldish rocker like me sorts this out in (only?) three tracks...

1) Gojira "New Found" Been playing a ton of this album, and more metal than usual lately. The headphones sounded good but the mix is 'modern' and other than a wider soundstage, I didn't think the improvement was night/day. Very solid but no 'wow'.

2) Rush "Freewill" [HD Tracks 24/96 mix] Immediately recognized the headphones were superior. Guitars, vocals, drums all spread out across the stereo field with a level of precision I have not heard in quite some time. One of the things I was looking for in the new headphones were "revelatory" moments where they invigorate and elevate the enjoyment of the music. The bass tone during the guitar solo is out of this world on these headphones.

3) Steely Dan "Hey Nineteen" [from the Citizen Dan boxed set] Gaucho isn't my favorite album but this might be my favorite SD track. Exceptional detail, I have a copy of the 5.1 DVD Audio of this album and have heard this one some good systems including my studio monitors, and these headphones are a comparable experience. Crisp crisp crisp without being at all fatiguing.

Unbelievable really for $227 shipped.

Thanks to everyone who replied and made suggestions. Every recommendation was looked into, some sent me down long rabbit holes, some helped nudge me on the path that landed me stumbling onto these headphones. I was ready to spend $600+ for a used pair of LCD-2 closed backs, and that would seemingly be silly at this point with the 'knocks off' knocking it out of the park.

The ATH-M50s are really solid everyday and tracking headphones, but I see them in the dust bin from lack of use.

 

[stoopid]

Quick update for future eyes that might come across this topic...

The Monoprice Monolith M1070C are really, really good. A bit heavy (weight on head) but I'm not spending more than an hour at a time with them on, so it's not an issue just something worth noting. I found some aftermarket replacement pads and promptly installed them, saving the originals as replacements for someday down the road. With the low rate of use overall, it could be a decade before I need to swap the pads.

Last week there was a no interest credit promo at Best Buy and browsing I found the Sennheiser Momentum 3 True Wireless earbuds were $179.99 (list is $279). I liked being able to pickup local and return local, but worth noting Amazon had the same earbuds for $169. I was using a cheaper pair of earbuds for random times not at my computer/where the larger headphones get used. The new headphones got me spoiled and the quality drop-off with the cheaper earbuds had me thinking about upgrading those. With the savings found buying the Monoprice brand I justified the splurge for the Momentum 3. Very nice earbuds, very well rounded sound with good bass when I want it and a decent soundstage despite being earbuds. Having an app ('Smart Control') on my phone to further tune things is a nice bonus.

Ended up staying under budget for the headphones and earbuds (combined), and now have a full upgrade to my primary music listening experience.

 

[CWillCalho]

I use Sennheiser 800 S headphones with a Sennheiser HDV 820 Headphone Amp. I would highly recommend both.

I continue to be amazed by this combination. I can’t imagine anything sounding better.