Which headphones are the SHP 9500 comparable to in terms of sound quality?

[KyberKylo77]

As a bonus maybe throw in some gaming headsets too? Just to see how to compare against regular headphones. 

 

Im thinking of getting a pair after my Hyper x cloud alphas died RIGHT after the warranty ended. Plus I've tried some DT 990s and those sounded pretty good even  without an amp so  just wanna know how they compare.

[Tigerleon]

3 hours ago, KyberKylo77 said:

As a bonus maybe throw in some gaming headsets too? Just to see how to compare against regular headphones. 

 

Im thinking of getting a pair after my Hyper x cloud alphas died RIGHT after the warranty ended. Plus I've tried some DT 990s and those sounded pretty good even  without an amp so  just wanna know how they compare.

DT 990 pros sound horrible without an amp. They sound sloppy and undetailed. I can confirm because even with the best built in realtek DAC/amp on my motherboard it sounds bad. The cable on the 250ohm version is horrible imho on the 990 pros. The sound is fine and they have really good imaging but to me they are too bassy in the 100-200hz region and a bit harsh.

 

To actually get something comparable which is a bit better, The X2HR from Philips are great in many aspects. They are the big brother of the SHP 9500's and has less harsh treble and better bass. The pads are better, they are also memory foam unlike the SHP 9500.

 

What you could definitely do if possible, is to get a cheap DAC/amp for 50$ and you can drive even more headphones without leaving out their potential. The Sound Blaster G3 is a great example because it is pretty versitile and can drive most headphones.

 

I would definitely not get gaming headsets after owning non gaming headphones. So use your money on a DAC/amp instead because it really does matter for many headphones.

[Tigerleon]

1 minute ago, Tigerleon said:

The Sound Blaster G3 is a great example because it is pretty versitile and can drive most headphones.

There are DAC/amps on Amazon which have more amplification at the same price so definitely worth checking out amps on Amazon. I don't know if you're in the US or EU so just gonna link some from Amazon.com

 

https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-Digital-Decoder-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B07TW2JQNN/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=dac%2Famp&qid=1631362143&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSVgyVFNDMTFCVTZBJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTI3NTg0UFpCWUQ0SEhCOTIwJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwNzkxNzExM1c2WjZHM1BSR0c4JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-Headphone-Digital-Analog/dp/B07VDQQY95/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=dac%2Famp&qid=1631362143&sr=8-6

 

 

[KyberKylo77]

2 hours ago, huilun02 said:

I've never bought gaming headsets or those made by gaming oriented brands. What they make tend to lean in favor of sound detection and spatial awareness, instead of delivering sound 'quality' for music listening.

 

To that end, I have use the SHP9500 before. The treble can get pretty harsh, and bass is rolled off. Otherwise it sounds pretty good. In terms of comfort, the pads are huge and soak up sweat easily. The clamping force is weak.

 

Just so you know, the HyperX cloud alpha is closed back, while both SHP9500 and DT990 are open back. There are also multiple versions of DT990 and I believe most or all of them do not have a removable cable. The DT990 should cost a lot more then the SHP9500

Ohh thats good to know thanks  

 

And yep,  I really  wanted to try  some good open backs so i  got  the DT 990 for a  while then  returned it  cuz  it was pretty  expensive lol. I enjoyed it though and it did sound quite a bit  better than my hyper xs

[KyberKylo77]

57 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

DT 990 pros sound horrible without an amp. They sound sloppy and undetailed. I can confirm because even with the best built in realtek DAC/amp on my motherboard it sounds bad. The cable on the 250ohm version is horrible imho on the 990 pros. The sound is fine and they have really good imaging but to me they are too bassy in the 100-200hz region and a bit harsh.

 

To actually get something comparable which is a bit better, The X2HR from Philips are great in many aspects. They are the big brother of the SHP 9500's and has less harsh treble and better bass. The pads are better, they are also memory foam unlike the SHP 9500.

 

What you could definitely do if possible, is to get a cheap DAC/amp for 50$ and you can drive even more headphones without leaving out their potential. The Sound Blaster G3 is a great example because it is pretty versitile and can drive most headphones.

 

I would definitely not get gaming headsets after owning non gaming headphones. So use your money on a DAC/amp instead because it really does matter for many headphones.

Oh damn,  i had the dt 990s for a bit and i thought they sounded pretty good (compared to my hyper x cloud alphas) even without an amp. I enjoyed  them  but i had to return it cuz i couldnt afford keeping it  lol. 

 

Oh wow, so  the next step  up from  the SHP 9500 is $150? thats a pretty  big jump ngl. 

 

I always wanted to get an  amp/dac but they seem to cost way more than  the  headphones themselves  to get a good pair so  i never  really could afford them. Ill consider getting  them one  day though but for not i guess i gotta stick to onboard audio.  

[Tigerleon]

3 hours ago, KyberKylo77 said:

Oh damn,  i had the dt 990s for a bit and i thought they sounded pretty good (compared to my hyper x cloud alphas) even without an amp. I enjoyed  them  but i had to return it cuz i couldnt afford keeping it  lol. 

 

Oh wow, so  the next step  up from  the SHP 9500 is $150? thats a pretty  big jump ngl. 

 

I always wanted to get an  amp/dac but they seem to cost way more than  the  headphones themselves  to get a good pair so  i never  really could afford them. Ill consider getting  them one  day though but for not i guess i gotta stick to onboard audio.  

A 50-60$ amp is going to do much much better than onboard. So really consider getting that before getting another pair of headphones. This is my best recommendation. The FX audio DAC X6 is a really good amp/DAC combo for the price for what I've heard.

[KyberKylo77]

10 hours ago, Tigerleon said:

A 50-60$ amp is going to do much much better than onboard. So really consider getting that before getting another pair of headphones. This is my best recommendation. The FX audio DAC X6 is a really good amp/DAC combo for the price for what I've heard.

aight will do soon, thanks!

 

[rice guru]

May be a bit much but I tend to compare it to the really cheap ksc75 pure sound quality wise. I personally prefer the sound of the ksc 75. The trade offs are the ksc 75 has a better and imo more clean treble response that isn't very sharp, the bass has actual punchyness to it thus making the mids sound warmer or more filled out.  What the shop 9500s win in is overall soundstage , imaging , and build quality and some would argue better detail retention. Koss to me destroy them In overall tonality but the shps do win in technicalities and of course build quality. 

[Spuriae]

1 hour ago, rice guru said:

May be a bit much but I tend to compare it to the really cheap ksc75 pure sound quality wise. I personally prefer the sound of the ksc 75. The trade offs are the ksc 75 has a better and imo more clean treble response that isn't very sharp, the bass has actual punchyness to it thus making the mids sound warmer or more filled out.  What the shop 9500s win in is overall soundstage , imaging , and build quality and some would argue better detail retention. Koss to me destroy them In overall tonality but the shps do win in technicalities and of course build quality. 

I'd go further and say the SHP9500's perceived detail retrieval is due to the treble peak; it's creating fake "detail" that didn't exist in the original recording.

 

IMO there aren't any straight upgrades from the KSC75 until the HD58X. Lots of headphones under $150 have more stage, more bass, etc. but they tend to have such poor tonality that it's not worth the tradeoff.

[KyberKylo77]

12 hours ago, rice guru said:

May be a bit much but I tend to compare it to the really cheap ksc75 pure sound quality wise. I personally prefer the sound of the ksc 75. The trade offs are the ksc 75 has a better and imo more clean treble response that isn't very sharp, the bass has actual punchyness to it thus making the mids sound warmer or more filled out.  What the shop 9500s win in is overall soundstage , imaging , and build quality and some would argue better detail retention. Koss to me destroy them In overall tonality but the shps do win in technicalities and of course build quality. 

ooo thats good to know, thanks!

 

say i already have an amp/dac, what would be the next big upgrade from the SHP 9500 for me? 

[Spuriae]

28 minutes ago, KyberKylo77 said:

say i already have an amp/dac, what would be the next big upgrade from the SHP 9500 for me? 

Without knowing more about what aspects of a headphone you value the most it's hard to say. You said you liked the DT990, so that's certainly a safe recommendation.

 

Using the DT990 as a reference point, and looking at some comparably priced open-backs:

• Get the HD58X if the treble of the DT990 is too sharp for you or natural timbre is important to you, and you're willing to give up some bass (fixable with EQ) and soundstage. Get the HD6XX if the above is extra-true and you don't mind giving up a bit more bass extension for slightly better timbre. The HD650/HD6XX is also an excellent reference choice since just about everyone has one handy, making it a lot easier for people to recommend things by comparing them to the HD650.
• Get the HE400SE if you want higher quality bass at the expense of some imaging, and are willing to use EQ.
• Get the KSC75 if you want less treble than the DT990, smoother mids, don't mind losing a lot of bass extension and soundstage, and want to save a lot of money. And don't mind looking silly.

[rice guru]

4 hours ago, KyberKylo77 said:

ooo thats good to know, thanks!

 

say i already have an amp/dac, what would be the next big upgrade from the SHP 9500 for me? 

The logical upgrade to me from the 9500s is has always been the 880 600 ohm or the akg k612 pro  and akg k712. The akg k612 pro to.me has always been a good alternative and to me is a better option these days. 

[KyberKylo77]

1 hour ago, Nimrodor said:

Without knowing more about what aspects of a headphone you value the most it's hard to say. You said you liked the DT990, so that's certainly a safe recommendation.

 

Using the DT990 as a reference point, and looking at some comparably priced open-backs:

• Get the HD58X if the treble of the DT990 is too sharp for you or natural timbre is important to you, and you're willing to give up some bass (fixable with EQ) and soundstage. Get the HD6XX if the above is extra-true and you don't mind giving up a bit more bass extension for slightly better timbre. The HD650/HD6XX is also an excellent reference choice since just about everyone has one handy, making it a lot easier for people to recommend things by comparing them to the HD650.
• Get the HE400SE if you want higher quality bass at the expense of some imaging, and are willing to use EQ.
• Get the KSC75 if you want less treble than the DT990, smoother mids, don't mind losing a lot of bass extension and soundstage, and want to save a lot of money. And don't mind looking silly.

aight thanks, looks like ill be upgrading to the HD6XX for my next purchase. I usually look for detail and tight bass in my headphones because thats what i usually notice because im not that much of an audio enthusiast lol so I'm not sure what to look for when listening but those 2 aspects generally stand out to me. 

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write all that, appreciate it 

[KyberKylo77]

25 minutes ago, rice guru said:

The logical upgrade to me from the 9500s is has always been the 880 609 ohm or the akg k612 pro  and akg k712. The akg k612 pro to.me has always been a good alternative and to me is a better option these days. 

aight thanks, will look into those when its time to  upgrade

 

[Spuriae]

9 hours ago, KyberKylo77 said:

aight thanks, looks like ill be upgrading to the HD6XX for my next purchase. I usually look for detail and tight bass in my headphones because thats what i usually notice because im not that much of an audio enthusiast lol so I'm not sure what to look for when listening but those 2 aspects generally stand out to me. 

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write all that, appreciate it 

HD6XX has less "detail" and bass than the DT990.

 

For "detail" more comparable to the DT990 and higher quality (but less) bass I would go with the HE400SE. The DT990 has at least 5dB more bass than every other headphone in this thread so far, so if you're really chasing bass quantity in an open-back (or soundstage) it's a compelling option. If you know how to use an equalizer then there are plenty of other options, as the DT-series bass isn't really that high quality (it just has a lot of it).