For the past two years I’ve been using the DT770 pro 250ohm and they’ve been holding up great. But lately I’ve been thinking a lot about getting some open back headphones in the 150€ range.
The headphones I’ve been looking at are the Sennheiser HD560s and Hifiman HE400se.
Though I’ve mostly been leaning towards the HD560s.
Any advice would be appreciated.
welcome to HFG, ClW!
The HE400se are an excellent entry into the planar sound…I have them and I buy them for my friends to introduce them to hifi audio.
that said, have you considered the DT880, which are semi-open or the DT990, which are open?
Thanks for replying,
I have also considered the DT880 but they seem to be kinda missing bass and peaking in the highs (Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 Ohm Review (Headphone) | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum)so I kinda put them to the side but I would still consider them If they’re really worth it.
And I’ve personally tried the DT990 250ohm from my partner and I found them sounding off in a weird way and didn’t really like them. Heavily prefer my DT770.
About the HE400se. Do you think the HD560s sound better? In terms of build quality, the HE400se actually seem to be better but was wondering if the slightly lower bass compared to the HD560s is really noticable. As of now I’m mostly just deciding between those two unless there are other good recommendations or if the DT880 are worth it.
Good advice. Whichever headphones you get. Don’t judge them from a few hours of listening. You need to use it continuously for a week or so on the same gear to let your brain adjust to the sound.
You are coming from the dt770 250ohm a closed back with a V-shape and good sub-bass response. Open-back will sound weird or different at the beginning. Especially the He400se if it is your first planar
Yeah, I noticed that when I got new IEMs before. At first they sounded weird but after a while I started loving them and heavily preferred them over my old ones.
Either way, the HE400se seem to be the way to go so far even though I was heavily leaning towards the HD560s before. Especially because they’re only 120€ at the moment. (For reference the HD560s are 150€)
Also is the difference between planar magnetic and dynamic really that big? I’ve heard a lot that it sounds “faster” than dynamic.
You will need to be prepared for a significant decrease in bass output with this open-back choice, by comparison. What amp will you run them off of? Also - what applications would you like to use them for and listen to on them?
I would understand wanting to deviate from BD family of headphones, despite your ownership and assuming enjoyment of the DT770.
I do think planars in this price category can really ‘pop’ by presenting things differently. A good transient speed and instrument separation making them feel fairly lively and airy. The 400SE/X4 deliver a huge amount of bang for the buck. They also have solid bass extension, good spatial performance and just generally agreeable tuning for most. It’s a low-cost exploration.
I’m using the SMSL SH-6 as amp and will mostly use it for listening to music and watching videos/movies and stuff. Though I’ll probably switch a lot between the DT770 pro and whatever open back headphones I’ll get as I listen to all kinds of music.
And yes, I love the DT770 especially for electronic music but found them lacking in other genres and generally wanted to try different kinds of headphones, which is why I’m trying to go with more neutral open back headphones.
The 400SE seem pretty compelling from what I’ve heard so far and trying planar would also be really interesting.
I say ‘go for it’!
I’ll wait until tomorrow and unless I found something better I’ll buy em. They seem really nice.
Try the R70x; sounds like exactly what you’re looking for.
You don’t have to compromise bass.
I started off with 770 250s and loved them. They would pair well, although the r70x is a step up.
I’d want more amp than what’s on-hand for R70x.
Upon further review, I agree with you.
Sadly out of budget for me. They seem nice but yeah, they cost around 300€.
But it seems as if the HE400se are the best choice for me then.