Needing new headphones but which one's ?

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I am in the market for new can's, I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH A700s and umpteen pairs of even shittier ones and an ungodly amount of earphones.

So I need some help, I would be willing to spend 2-£400 on a good set of cans but I dunno which ones to get, I have read a good few reviews regarding different cans but I still dont know which ones to get.

So in the range of 2-400 pounds, is their a specific set of cans that most people would agree would be the best value for money for that price range ?

They must be over ear and closed back and ofcourse they must sound good.

Any suggestions ?
 
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One can to rule them all? Sony MDR-Z7, easy. Check the headfi threads. In the US you can get used Z7's for under 300 lbs, 400 should get you a new ones.
 
Yea, I was looking at the sony's, they seem to be very well liked.

Its just once I start reading reviews over at head-fi I cant seem to stop and I want them all :(

Thanks
 
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If I bought them I wouldnt want to mod them for a couple of years, but once the warranty was over then I could see me doing something like that.

Knowing my luck though, I would kill them by accident :(
 
I'd recommend the LucidSound LS30 Wireless Universal Gaming Headset, I have not yet tried them, but when my current pair breaks I will probably get them. The price is not too high, and the reviews are great.

Here is an article that could maybe give you other choices. https://exposegaming.com/best-gaming-headset/

Good luck on your search!
 
thesmokingman said:
One can to rule them all? Sony MDR-Z7, easy. Check the headfi threads. In the US you can get used Z7's for under 300 lbs, 400 should get you a new ones.
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Nice, but pleather pads suck in the summer. For comfort and good sq I would probably go Senn HD600 or HD650.

The Shure 1540 looks to be very comfortable too.

Never overlook comfort when headphone shopping.
 
Some good recommendations here, keep em coming ;)
 
I demoed the 1540s against the Mr Speakers Ether C, C Flow, and Sony MDR-Z1R in a private listening room and for what its worth, I didn't feel the price increase were worth the difference. Then again I might have the same problem Tyll has, which is just a general apathy regarding the performance level of closed back headphones.
 
Me cant afford focal utopia's that tyll loves :(

The reason I said closed back was because my buddy has a set of grados and when I listened to them, I dunno they seemed to be very tinny, the bass wasnt there and it seemed the high end was far too pronounced for my liking.

It could of just be me and the few minutes that I had them on probably wasnt enough to really test them, but my initial impression of open backed cans wasnt a good one, but I am open to the idea of them if I like the sound they produce.
 
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If your issue is with bass you ought to look into planar magnetic headphones like the Hifiman HE-400i or if you are interested in hunting for used cans, maybe a used LCD-2/3 or Hifiman HEX.
 
Going by what you said definitely check out the Senn HD600 and HD650. They are open backed but have good bass going by what I have read. I've never heard them myself but have read a lot about them and I do use HD558. If you want more bass then I would say check out beyerdynamic DT990 or DT880. There is always the equalizer to get a bit more bass too. Closed tend to get warm and have a more boomy bass. I do have 2 closed headphones, Shure 840 and Creative Arvuna Live.
 
Oh, dont get me wrong I am not a bass head, its just every now and then I like to listen to bassy shit but I wouldnt buy a set of cans that had crazy overpowering bass.

My perfect cans would be ones that had decent but not overpowering bass and ones which had nice clear midrange and same with the highs, has to be pronounced but not to trebly like my buddies grados were ( could of been his setup that caused that, I cant recall as it was atleast 5+ years ago ).

Closed or open backed is both good.

The shure 1540s is looking good, £399 at muziker.com where most other places have them roughly £100 dearer.
 
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EVIL-SCOTSMAN said:
Oh, dont get me wrong I am not a bass head, its just every now and then I like to listen to bassy shit but I wouldnt buy a set of cans that had crazy overpowering bass.

My perfect cans would be ones that had decent but not overpowering bass and ones which had nice clear midrange and same with the highs, has to be pronounced but not to trebly like my buddies grados were ( could of been his setup that caused that, I cant recall as it was atleast 5+ years ago ).

Closed or open backed is both good.

The shure 1540s is looking good, £399 at muziker.com where most other places have them roughly £100 dearer.
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None of the cans above are bassy except the DTs but those are overly bright and super V'd to the tee. I really suggest you read at headfi, and zero in on a few cans that fit your needs.

rezerekted said:
Nice, but pleather pads suck in the summer. For comfort and good sq I would probably go Senn HD600 or HD650.

The Shure 1540 looks to be very comfortable too.

Never overlook comfort when headphone shopping.
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WTF? You never heard any of these cans but have the audacity to clown the Z7s? The Z7's build qualities are end game level and their sound is a level higher. They are one of the top 10 most comfortable designs made. To get better than Z7 on Sony you'd move up to the Z1R. At the OP's price point, I don't see much out there in the same range.
 
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thesmokingman said:
WTF? You never heard any of these cans but have the audacity to clown the Z7s? The Z7's build qualities are end game level and their sound is a level higher. They are one of the top 10 most comfortable designs made. To get better than Z7 on Sony you'd move up to the Z1R. At the OP's price point, I don't see much out there in the same range.
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Blah blah, I don't care how good they sound and I bet they are only comfortable when the weather is nice. I have a few headphones here with pleather pads and they all make my ears sweat. I just say no to pleather by default and was not saying they are bad headphones.
 
Look at Oppo PM-3.

EVIL-SCOTSMAN said:
The reason I said closed back was because my buddy has a set of grados and when I listened to them, I dunno they seemed to be very tinny, the bass wasnt there and it seemed the high end was far too pronounced for my liking.
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You've made a bad assumption. You heard the Grado sound, not the open-back sound.
 
Mchart said:
HE-400i's are $300 on headamp right now.. Most would rate them higher then 600's or 650's.
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IMHO they are very competitive with the HD 600/650s, and have that distinctive planar touch (some like that, some don't). I actually like the 400i's build quality over the 600/650. Unfortunately, they aren't closed (as per OP's instructions).
 
If you're not set on closed-back, I highly recommend the DT880s. I've had a pair for a few years and they're easily one of the nicest sounding (to me, but I prefer a neutral sounding can) and most comfortable headphones I've ever used.
 
At the top of your price range: Fostex TH-X00? They are on Massdrop every month, it seems. $400, closed, and well regarded.

Personally I wouldn't want to spend a bunch of money on closed cans, as I prefer open can sound. DT770's are honestly great for closed cans and they are pretty cheap for what they are, which is great sounding phones. I have a pair in my office.

V-Moda M-100's are also very fun closed headphones. Bassy, if you enjoy that. But not overly so. The DT770's are also good with bass but can get a little harsh, the V-Moda's don't have that issue.

598c's are closed versions of the Senny 598, which is a hugely popular & affordable quality headphone. I have not personally tried the 598c myself, but give them a look too.

If you did consider open, I'd second the 400i recommendation. My favorite cans.
 
EVIL-SCOTSMAN said:
My perfect cans would be ones that had decent but not overpowering bass and ones which had nice clear midrange and same with the highs, has to be pronounced but not to trebly like my buddies grados were ( could of been his setup that caused that, I cant recall as it was atleast 5+ years ago ).

The shure 1540s is looking good, £399 at muziker.com where most other places have them roughly £100 dearer.
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I have never heard the Shure 1540s, but my 440s are extremely neutral.

However, reading your post about your perfect cans, I would suggest the Beyerdynamic DT-770s. Get whatever impedance suits your amp - the differences between them aren't really noticeable. The DT-770s can deliver excellent bass, have a decent midrange and very good highs. Best of all, they are pretty cheap and my most comfortable set of phones.
 
Great, this is what I was needing, a good selection of cans that people here have got and or used.

It wont be til mid-end april that I will be buying as thats when chord poly module is released for my mojo dac.
 
And here I am sitting with koss porta pro thinking its end of the world of headphones for me :p

Checked Audioquest Nighthawk ? It's closed and about Your price
 
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