[HwangMiHee]

Hello

I love my 1964-Ears V3. I wear them all the time. But sometimes it becomes a little uncomfortable sitting with them all day. (I study almost all the time)
I really do not like heavy bass headphones. I liked the ATH-M50. But I like the soundstage of  the V3's much more.

- Are there any closed headphones that can offer this kind of sound or is it impossible without an open design?
The reason I need closed is that there is a lot of noise around me.

Thank you for previous help and future

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean here - petty much every headphone has a flat soundstage thanks to lack of space for the right reflections, one ear hearing only one side, and other factors that affect positional cues. The exemptions would be Grados Prestige series for example which if worn smack over the ear canals produces a trident-shaped soundstage where you have a strong L-C-R pushed towards your face with sound between L-C and C-R behind; this is a lot like how "forward" speakers create an illusion of a 3D soundstage by having the vocals for example pushed forward while "laidback" speakers just push the other instruments backwards (which requires a lot of space from a treated back wall).
 
If anything open headphones can have a tendency to be less flat but that's not simply because they're open designs. Such a design on top of preventing reflections within the earcups that can negatively affect the soundstage also tend to be for reference use, so with due consideration that they'll be used in a quiet environment, it will also be expected that size (and to a lesser extent even weight) isn't a problem, so manufacturers can integrate a toe-in angle in how the drivers are mounted in the chassis (like the HD800, T1, a bunch of Ultrasones, etc) or use angled earpads that are thicker on one side (AKG K7xx).

 

[HwangMiHee]

Hi
Thank you for repying
Yeah I noticed it is wrong what I wrote. Thank you for pointing that out, I was just tired I don't know.
I love the sound my HD555 (modded) and my V3 make. But I don't like the bass heavy-ish sound of my ATH-M50 in comparison. I do like the ATH-M50, don't get me wrong. But I really wish I could get a pair of closed cups that had similar sound like my V3 or HD555. (Or HD600 in  your case)
But of course I don't know if that is even possible.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Hi
Thank you for repying
Yeah I noticed it is wrong what I wrote. Thank you for pointing that out, I was just tired I don't know.
I love the sound my HD555 (modded) and my V3 make. But I don't like the bass heavy-ish sound of my ATH-M50 in comparison. I do like the ATH-M50, don't get me wrong. But I really wish I could get a pair of closed cups that had similar sound like my V3 or HD555. (Or HD600 in  your case)
But of course I don't know if that is even possible.

 
Did you mean flat frequency response, instead of flat soundstage? It's been a while since I heard the HD555, but the AKG K550 is pretty flat, though it's far from perfect. The bass is actually too flat and the highs have a tendency to sound a little plasticky, at least straight off my phone. I thought it was all just a matter of using the right source and a high-current amp, as it works fine out of the DX100 and X3 with just minor adjustments to the headband to make them fit a bit tighter (for a portable like the K551 version I used on the X3, I'd rather have the light-feeling comfort than the tighter fit) and make the bass sound deeper (from both the compression+seal on the earcups themselves as well as putting the drivers closer to the ears). Then I heard a modded one with some kind of dampening material inside the earcups, and the sound was close to the HD600 - better actually when you consider that you can get loud enough off a smartphone with this without a lot of distortion.
 
You might want to check out reviews on the K545 also - I've heard it sounds better than the K550 (maybe even with the headband adjusted for smaller heads). I haven't heard it yet so I'm going by that review and from a local, reliable source (who also owns a K550). If anything, I'd wager the improved bass on the K545 is likely also due to dampening, maybe the earpads also (that linked review says the soundstage is a bit smaller, so maybe thinner earpads); plus also the possibility that the K550 driver wasn't so well designed. There were off-hand remarks before about it being a slightly modified K701 driver or something stuffed into a closed earcup, although I can't recall if this was confirmed in any way by AKG). From my own listening using the same smartphone vs DAC-HPamp (with that smartphone as a transport) the 701 scales a lot better with the latter set-up over the smartphone than the K550.

 

[HwangMiHee]

Yes I meant frequency response
I especially like the sound when the bass is low, precise and not intimidating. This is the feel of my V3 and HD555.
Basically crystal clear mids and highs.
I will look them up as you said.
Appreciate your help