The Truth About "Studio" Headphones

[cluelessgenius]

no good examples? like i gt they are al crap but are there no good ones at all?

[Max_Settings]

7 hours ago, cluelessgenius said:

no good examples? like i gt they are al crap but are there no good ones at all?

No none of them are necessarily crap. They just have a narrowly defined usage. If you want to listen to music for enjoyment those are not what you want. If you actually want to use them for monitoring they are fine.

[ACAVS]

On 1/23/2019 at 4:53 AM, Max_Settings said:

Well TBH I don't like the term "Studio headphones" I don't think there is anything that makes a headphone for studio use. I just explained that they look for cheap and durable. As for neutral, I should probably write another thread about how people greatly misunderstand what that means and how most people will not like that. As for recommendations, I can recommend on a per person basis given a budget. 

 

Could you help me with choosing a pair of headphones, because I'm really a noob to the whole 'audiophile' segment. I currently have Astro A40s, which I suspect are terrible, but I have nothing to compare them with. I'd like a pair of closed-back, neutral headphones with great audio quality and a detailed sound stage (idk if I'm using the term correctly). My budget is €400. Do you also have a good amp/dac to pair them with?

[AndrewB121]

On 1/23/2019 at 3:53 AM, Max_Settings said:

Well TBH I don't like the term "Studio headphones" I don't think there is anything that makes a headphone for studio use. I just explained that they look for cheap and durable. As for neutral, I should probably write another thread about how people greatly misunderstand what that means and how most people will not like that. As for recommendations, I can recommend on a per person basis given a budget. 

Can you recommend good headphones for around £100-150? Currently considering DT990 Pro, Sennheiser HD 598SR, HD 58X Jubilee and HD 6XX, Audio-Technica ATH AD500X and M50X, as well as a couple of others. Will be using for music (mainly rock), entertainment and gaming.

 

EDIT: Do any of these require a DAC/AMP? Considering getting something like the FiiO E10K in the future.

[Max_Settings]

8 minutes ago, ACAVS said:

 

Could you help me with choosing a pair of headphones, because I'm really a noob to the whole 'audiophile' segment. I currently have Astro A40s, which I suspect are terrible, but I have nothing to compare them with. I'd like a pair of closed-back, neutral headphones with great audio quality and a detailed sound stage (idk if I'm using the term correctly). My budget is €400. Do you also have a good amp/dac to pair them with?

Ok so first off are you sure you want a neutral sound?

 

[Max_Settings]

5 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

Can you recommend good headphones for around £100-150? Currently considering DT990 Pro, Sennheiser HD 598SR, HD 58X Jubilee and HD 6XX, Audio-Technica ATH AD500X and M50X, as well as a couple of others. Will be using for music (mainly rock), entertainment and gaming.

DT990 is really bad, if you want Beyers get the DT880 which is quite good. HD598 is ok but doesn't make sense with the 58X, 58X is ok but doesn't make sense if you can afford the 6XX and an amp, AD500X is not that great, and M50X is one of my least favorite headphones of all time.

 

Do you have any idea of like open or closed, sound signature, the type of music you listen do, if you can use a DAC/Amp, anything like that?

[ACAVS]

4 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

Ok so first off are you sure you want a neutral sound?

 

 I just want to hear the music like the composer meant it to be heard. Or is that not possible? Maybe I'm a bit naive. Anyway, I just do not want my sound to be 'coloured'. Not heavy on bass, not heavy on treble.

[Max_Settings]

Just now, ACAVS said:

 I just want to hear the music like the composer meant it to be heard. Or is that not possible? Maybe I'm a bit naive. Anyway, I just do not want my sound to be 'coloured'. Not heavy on bass, not heavy on treble.

I explained in that thread why, "Hearing it as the composer intended it" is not really a thing.

[AndrewB121]

1 minute ago, Max_Settings said:

DT990 is really bad, if you want Beyers get the DT880 which is quite good. HD598 is ok but doesn't make sense with the 58X, 58X is ok but doesn't make sense if you can afford the 6XX and an amp, AD500X is not that great, and M50X is one of my least favorite headphones of all time.

 

Do you have any idea of like open or closed, sound signature, the type of music you listen do, if you can use a DAC/Amp, anything like that?

It's so confusing haha, you say dt990s are bad, others say they are amazing lol, and that the dt880s have too much bass. Can I ask what music you listen to?

Are you saying you would rank the Sennheisers as HD598 at bottom, then 58X, then 6XX? Does the HD6XX require an AMP? Also I'm open to other suggestions, doesn't have to be the ones I mentioned.

 

I have no idea whether I prefer open or closed, as I haven't had the chance to compare them. I expect open as that provides better sound(?) and I'm not too worried about it affecting other people.

 

I listen to lots of different genres, but mainly rock along with some pop/electronic.

 

Won't be getting an AMP/DAC yet, maybe in the future.

 

Thanks

[ACAVS]

 

3 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

I explained in that thread why, "Hearing it as the composer intended it" is not really a thing.

Sorry, yes just read it.

[ACAVS]

What do you think of the Beyerdynamic 1770 Pro?

[Max_Settings]

3 minutes ago, AndrewB121 said:

It's so confusing haha, you say dt990s are bad, others say they are amazing lol, and that the dt880s have too much bass. Can I ask what music you listen to?

Are you saying you would rank the Sennheisers as HD598 at bottom, then 58X, then 6XX? Does the HD6XX require an AMP? Also I'm open to other suggestions, doesn't have to be the ones I mentioned.

 

I have no idea whether I prefer open or closed, as I haven't had the chance to compare them. I expect open as that provides better sound(?) and I'm not too worried about it affecting other people.

 

I listen to lots of different genres, but mainly rock along with some pop/electronic.

 

Won't be getting an AMP/DAC yet, maybe in the future.

 

Thanks

DT990s are really painful to listen to. Their treble is way too much. People who actually have an understanding of headphones and a context of the market will not recommend the DT990. The DT880 has quite a bit less bass than the DT990 and it's treble, while still a lot is bearable. They are also pretty resolving for the price and have nice comfort.

 

HD598 was a good headphone for it's time, but now with the existence of other things it doesn't make a whole lot of sense at it's current price. HD58X is alright, but it is far less dynamic and detailed than the HD6XX which is only $50 more and is worth it. Although HD6XX is a bit harder to drive than the HD58X, and they can really benefit from a DAC/Amp as they scale quite well. If you have a higher end motherboard with decent onboard it should push them, but even at this realm not having a DAC/Amp will bottleneck some sound quality for sure, I always recommend getting one if you are serious enough to care about good headphones. If you didn't want to get a DAC/Amp I would take a AKG K612 over a 58X personally for the same price.

[Max_Settings]

7 minutes ago, ACAVS said:

What do you think of the Beyerdynamic 1770 Pro?

DT1770 is really bad. They are really sharp and the sound signature is also. They also have quite the reputation for breaking.

[ACAVS]

7 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

DT1770 is really bad. They are really sharp and the sound signature is also. They also have quite the reputation for breaking.

Thanks. I find it really difficult to navigate through the market, especially since everything is so subjective. Which closed-back headphones of max €400 would you recommend to someone who mostly listens to classical music and (mostly accoustic) rock and pop?

[Max_Settings]

1 minute ago, ACAVS said:

Thanks. I find it really difficult to navigate through the market, especially since everything is so subjective. Which closed-back headphones of max €400 would you recommend to someone who mostly listens to classical music and (mostly accoustic) rock and pop?

Fostex TH/TR-X00

[ACAVS]

13 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

Fostex TH/TR-X00

All right, thanks!

[AndrewB121]

42 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

DT990s are really painful to listen to. Their treble is way too much. People who actually have an understanding of headphones and a context of the market will not recommend the DT990. The DT880 has quite a bit less bass than the DT990 and it's treble, while still a lot is bearable. They are also pretty resolving for the price and have nice comfort.

 

HD598 was a good headphone for it's time, but now with the existence of other things it doesn't make a whole lot of sense at it's current price. HD58X is alright, but it is far less dynamic and detailed than the HD6XX which is only $50 more and is worth it. Although HD6XX is a bit harder to drive than the HD58X, and they can really benefit from a DAC/Amp as they scale quite well. If you have a higher end motherboard with decent onboard it should push them, but even at this realm not having a DAC/Amp will bottleneck some sound quality for sure, I always recommend getting one if you are serious enough to care about good headphones. If you didn't want to get a DAC/Amp I would take a AKG K612 over a 58X personally for the same price.

Thanks for the info.

 

What would be your final recommendation then, the K612 or the HD6XX, or other? If it's the HD6XX what DAC/AMP would you recommend? The 6XX is a little out of budget, not sure if worth the increase.

[KR8NUX]

Ok so what is your username on headfi and reddit ?

[Max_Settings]

9 hours ago, KR8NUX said:

Ok so what is your username on headfi and reddit ?

Why?

[Nicnac]

here's me thinking my airpods were pretty good lol. I don't think I could even hear what audiophiles are hearing tbh. too much long-term techno exposure I guess

great thread tho and very informative. I once almost grabbed those M5Xs myself due to no knowledge at all.

[Reckless95]

Audeze LCD-X's w/ True-Fi EQ preset is where it's at 

[Max_Settings]

8 minutes ago, Reckless95 said:

Audeze LCD-X's w/ True-Fi EQ preset is where it's at 

If you like a very warm and dark signature. The LCD-X is the darkest of the LCD line. Also the older pairs had massive FR discrepancy between pairs. If you have a good pair they are pretty good, just really dark.

[Reckless95]

49 minutes ago, Max_Settings said:

If you like a very warm and dark signature. The LCD-X is the darkest of the LCD line. Also the older pairs had massive FR discrepancy between pairs. If you have a good pair they are pretty good, just really dark.

 

However, with True-Fi, it boosts the mids/highs slightly, in turn isn't dark. Planar's seem to handle EQ very well.