Are there headphones like this under $500 USD?
Dec 26, 2017 at 11:18 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 34

Tech22

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Hello! I looking for a pair of headphones and I am wondering if there are headphones like this: a mostly neutral sound but with more emphasis on bass. It would have to be closed back.

Thank you!
 
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:40 PM Post #3 of 34
The Audeze SINE is the best closed-back I have owned in your price range.

Since planar magnetics tend to have linear bass, it would be a more accurate sound, but you can easily boost the bass to whatever crazy level you want with a parametric equalizer.

There are also 3D adapters available that let you swap the ear pads for different fit and sound combinations.
 
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:48 PM Post #4 of 34
Sennheiser HD250 Linear 1 or 2
Absolutely sweet,neutral-ish sound with gobs of extension on both ends.They pre-date this forum which is why you never hear about them.
 
Dec 26, 2017 at 12:55 PM Post #5 of 34
Oppo PM-3 might meet what you're looking for from what I've heard, I have no experience with them though.
Looking at reviews, the faux leather ear pads seem to fall apart after a bit, is this true?

The Audeze SINE is the best closed-back I have owned in your price range.

Since planar magnetics tend to have linear bass, it would be a more accurate sound, but you can easily boost the bass to whatever crazy level you want with a parametric equalizer.

There are also 3D adapters available that let you swap the ear pads for different fit and sound combinations.
Aren't those Over Ear?

Sennheiser HD250 Linear 1 or 2
Absolutely sweet,neutral-ish sound with gobs of extension on both ends.They pre-date this forum which is why you never hear about them.
I sadly am unable to find them at a retailer I trust.
 
Dec 26, 2017 at 1:00 PM Post #7 of 34
I sadly am unable to find them at a retailer I trust.

True.your only hope is buying from eBay.
FWIW i got my pair for 75.00 usd and prefer them to my 1300.00 Atticus.
 
Dec 27, 2017 at 7:03 AM Post #9 of 34
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/two-strike-zone-focal-spirit-professional-and-spirit-classic

Focal spirit pro

Not sure if enough bass if you are looking for something extra fat down there

Punchy, vibrant and neutral. Potentially a bit too sharp up high at times if you are sensitive to that
(Then perhaps look at the focal spirit classic)

I preferred them to the oppo pm3 as I found the pm3 a little too lifeless

Innerfidelity’s write up reads about right

If your ears are on the bigger side then the ear pads may be too small.
My ears are not large but more average and no way on the smaller side and I have no issue

I am a huge fan of these but again if you are going to have them on for a few hours at a time ( say at work) then you may finding them uncomfortable when used that long in a hit

Currently on Massdrop I believe for $200, or just less

Good luck in your search
 
Dec 27, 2017 at 7:07 AM Post #10 of 34
Also maybe the TH610 is worth listening too.

That could work well under the parameters you’re working with
 
Dec 27, 2017 at 10:07 AM Post #12 of 34
The Focal Spirit Professional is quite warm and dark; not even close to neutral, and certainly not bright. (I owned it twice.)

Click here to see compensation curves superimposed over the InnerFidelity measurements. The green line is my neutral reference for headphones, the diffuse field curve. (Just about all planar magnetic headphones follow this curve in the bass, and they are nearly universally regarded as having the most neutral bass. This curve is also the one most high-end headphones generally follow.) Notice how the bass follows the black line (Harman curve) instead. This is considerably more bass than neutral. (And yes, I know what accurate sounds like, as an experienced musician and audiophile.) Once you get into the higher frequencies, it's obvious that it's rolled-off to an extreme extent. That spot between 3 and 4 kHz where it isn't rolled off can create the illusion of there being a peak there, but it's only that way because practically all the other high frequencies are far lower in volume than they should be.

This can be fixed with EQ, but that can only do so much to help the sound. It also has serious build quality issues (the headband can literally break) and is uncomfortable. The pads are pretty small. The only reason it's over-ear for me is because, like I mentioned, my ears are on the smaller side. Many others have reported it being on-ear for them. You can't easily swap or replace the pads, and the drivers are smaller so they don't facilitate this either.

The Audeze SINE sounds much better than the Spirit Pro regardless of EQ and I don't know of any build quality issues.
 
Dec 27, 2017 at 10:11 AM Post #13 of 34
The Focal Spirit Professional is quite warm and dark; not even close to neutral, and certainly not bright. (I owned it twice.)

Click here to see compensation curves superimposed over the InnerFidelity measurements. The green line is my neutral reference for headphones, the diffuse field curve. (Just about all planar magnetic headphones follow this curve in the bass, and they are nearly universally regarded as having the most neutral bass. This curve is also the one most high-end headphones generally follow.) Notice how the bass follows the black line (Harman curve) instead. This is considerably more bass than neutral. (And yes, I know what accurate sounds like, as an experienced musician and audiophile.) Once you get into the higher frequencies, it's obvious that it's rolled-off to an extreme extent. That spot between 3 and 4 kHz where it isn't rolled off can create the illusion of there being a peak there, but it's only that way because practically all the other high frequencies are far lower in volume than they should be.

This can be fixed with EQ, but that can only do so much to help the sound. It also has serious build quality issues (the headband can literally break) and is uncomfortable. The pads are pretty small. The only reason it's over-ear for me is because, like I mentioned, my ears are on the smaller side. Many others have reported it being on-ear for them. You can't easily swap or replace the pads, and the drivers are smaller so they don't facilitate this either.

The Audeze SINE sounds much better than the Spirit Pro regardless of EQ and I don't know of any build quality issues.
It seems the SINE is uncomfortable to some, is this true?
 

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