Best Headphones for lossless playbacks

[JTPOTATO]

Hi there, apologies if i've posted in the wrong place.

 

I'm looking to get into a bit more high quality/fidelity lossless FLAC audio listening through headphones, i currently have some bose QC25s from when they first came out, and they're great, but i know there are much better options now.

 

If someone maybe could recommend some headphones around the £250 ($320) price point. I'll be listening through my PC, through a Focusrite scarlett 2i2/ I'm up for open or closed back headphones not too phased by that.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[geo3]

One of these:

AKG K712

Sony MDR CD900ST (get aftermarket pads though)

Sennheiser HD 650 probably too much impedance for your 2i2 

Monolith M1060

[The Flying Sloth]

The 2i2 can't power 250 ohm beyers or anything more demanding so be careful but before even going into that,
Are you sure you can hear the difference in lossless files? I've done extensive phase inversion analysis between 320kbps MP3s, WAV and FLAC files and really there's almost no difference. Try this link, I compared a FLAC I had laying around with a 320kbps MP3 (that I created from the FLAC) and phase inverted one, the differences are so minuscule that to really hear them you have to turn your volume way up. 

This link lets you test your hearing against lossless and lossy files to see if you can hear a difference. Try that too

Now, I'm no expert on headphones so take the following with a pinch of salt.
The best headphones in that price range for critical listening are likely the HD6xx but your 2i2 won't be powerful enough to drive them, a standalone amp is likely necessary (good thing there's room in the budget for one), if you just want to power the headphones from your interface 80 ohm DT990 probably aren't a bad choice though they are well under budget. Beyond those two recommendations I'm not too sure and would probably defer to one of our headphone recommendation regulars like Rice Guru.

[JTPOTATO]

3 minutes ago, The Flying Sloth said:

The 2i2 can't power 250 ohm beyers or anything more demanding so be careful but before even going into that,
Are you sure you can hear the difference in lossless files? I've done extensive phase inversion analysis between 320kbps MP3s, WAV and FLAC files and really there's almost no difference. Try this link, I compared a FLAC I had laying around with a 320kbps MP3 (that I created from the FLAC) and phase inverted one, the differences are so minuscule that to really hear them you have to turn your volume way up. 

This link lets you test your hearing against lossless and lossy files to see if you can hear a difference. Try that too

Now, I'm no expert on headphones so take the following with a pinch of salt.
The best headphones in that price range for critical listening are likely the HD6xx but your 2i2 won't be powerful enough to drive them, a standalone amp is likely necessary (good thing there's room in the budget for one), if you just want to power the headphones from your interface 80 ohm DT990 probably aren't a bad choice though they are well under budget. Beyond those two recommendations I'm not too sure and would probably defer to one of our headphone recommendation regulars like Rice Guru.

thanks for this!

I think my plan to listen to lossless files might not be the answer in the end, I think it's more of that I'm looking for a better sound quality over my current headphones.

Getting an amp is not a problem... I'm aware of some of the Schitt audio stuff LTT have used before, or maybe some recommendations on that too...

I have looked at the Sennheiser ones, both the 600 and 650 and 6XX massdrop ones before but never committed... I'm thinking that might be the answer then... might need some help on picking a good enough amp?

 

Thanks,

[The Flying Sloth]

Just now, JTPOTATO said:

thanks for this!

I think my plan to listen to lossless files might not be the answer in the end, I think it's more of that I'm looking for a better sound quality over my current headphones.

Getting an amp is not a problem... I'm aware of some of the Schitt audio stuff LTT have used before, or maybe some recommendations on that too...

I have looked at the Sennheiser ones, both the 600 and 650 and 6XX massdrop ones before but never committed... I'm thinking that might be the answer then... might need some help on picking a good enough amp?

 

Thanks,

I might not be an expert on headphones but I know nearly nothing about consumer headphone amplifiers.
All I can say is that Reddit recommends the SMSL Audio M3, Monoprice liquid spark and Objective2. I haven't used any of them and I don't know if they're any good and really think you should wait for Rice to chime in but that's what Reddit told me.

[Dr0y]

3 hours ago, The Flying Sloth said:

This link lets you test your hearing against lossless and lossy files to see if you can hear a difference. Try that too

wow really interesting.  I have a hard time hearing the difference between lossless and 320 compression with my dac, amp and speakers.  It might not help that I have a fan blowing right beside me and 2 ac unit working at max power in the house but honestly I don't think that my pc setup is high quality enough for me to hear the difference.  Heck maybe even on high end equipment I would probably not hear any difference between 320 and lossless. 

 

 

As for headphones I've heard only good things about the sennheiser HD280Pro and I'm starting to consider them for myself. 

https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-280-PRO-Headphone/dp/B00IT0IHOY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26BKWRV5E3ZK0&dchild=1&keywords=sennheiser+hd280pro&qid=1594520804&sprefix=sennheiser+h%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-1

[The Flying Sloth]

29 minutes ago, Dr0y said:

wow really interesting.  I have a hard time hearing the difference between lossless and 320 compression with my dac, amp and speakers.  It might not help that I have a fan blowing right beside me and 2 ac unit working at max power in the house but honestly I don't think that my pc setup is high quality enough for me to hear the difference.  Heck maybe even on high end equipment I would probably not hear any difference between 320 and lossless. 

That first link has three files, a FLAC, a FLAC that's secretly a 320kbps MP3 and then a file of every single difference between the two. 
I haven't changed volume on any, take notice of how small the differences are.

[rice guru]

First of all what do you listen to? We can reccomend a lot of Headphones but ultimately the genre and taste kind of matters

[JTPOTATO]

On 7/13/2020 at 9:57 AM, rice guru said:

First of all what do you listen to? We can reccomend a lot of Headphones but ultimately the genre and taste kind of matters

Hi there,

 

I do listen to quite a few genres, the ones I’d use these headphones for are more lofi then to more pop music like ODESZA etc.

 

i think I’ve realised it’s not about best headphones for High fidelity. But more about the headphones themselves.... I’m sure more open back designs around that price range will be better than my QC25s

 

i have been looking at the Sennheiser hd6xx massdrop editions, then looking at an amp to pair with it... but these might be good, but not the best for my kind of genre, completely new to all this.

[rice guru]

48 minutes ago, JTPOTATO said:

Hi there,

 

I do listen to quite a few genres, the ones I’d use these headphones for are more lofi then to more pop music like ODESZA etc.

 

i think I’ve realised it’s not about best headphones for High fidelity. But more about the headphones themselves.... I’m sure more open back designs around that price range will be better than my QC25s

 

i have been looking at the Sennheiser hd6xx massdrop editions, then looking at an amp to pair with it... but these might be good, but not the best for my kind of genre, completely new to all this.

Yeah I personally wouldn't recommend it for your yastes. If you want an open back headphone for your tastes. I would go with maybe a akg k712, hd58x ,beyerdynamic tygr, or Fidelio X2 he all pretty differrent headphones but all worth looking at

[Hasbrouck]

I second the k712 as long as you have the space around your head. They are bulky so may not work well in a hammock for instance. They are however very light and comfortable and sound amazing. Great sound stage which is nice for music but even better for gaming. I personally use them mostly for gaming and listening to music at my desk at home. They also have decent frequency response at low volumes in case you need to turn it down to keep an ear out for something. The only other downside I've run into is the long ridged plug from the cord coming down can bump my shoulder if I move certain ways. If you switch directions and decide on closed back I have really enjoyed my AT M50s with aftermarket Brainwaves sheepskin and memory foam ear cups. That combination fixes the sweaty stiffness of the stock ear cups for a really comfortable and great sounding setup. 

[HumdrumPenguin]

@JTPOTATO If you can get your hands on a Hifiman Sundara, it may be worth looking into it. One of the best sub $500 headphones in my opinion. As for amplification and source, I kind of like the way stacks look, so I'll recommend two: JDS Atom and JDS Atom DAC ($200 combo), or Schiit Asgard 3 and Schiit Modius. ($400 combo). If you don't care about matching looks, I'd consider the Schiit Heresy + Topping E30 for the lower budget combo.