Looking for the best open-backed headphone for at-home listening. Budget is around $200 CAD which is about £115 or $160 usd.
I will NOT be using an Amp/dac. My listening is generally 90% on my iPad and 10% PS5.
These will be used mainly for YouTube, Movies, Spotify.
Hifi-guides gives me a recommendation for Fidelio X2HR’s. I can get those for about $180 CAD ($144 USD).
My Sennheiser Momentums Gen 1 (2013) have finally kicked the bucket, and I’m needing a new set. Compared to my AtH m40’s that I gave away, I’d say the sound of the momentum’s was much warmer and certainly much louder due to their 18ohm and 110db sensitivity over that of the M40’s 35 ohm and 98db sensitivity (especially when docked to my controller). They had better base and handled mids much better. A fun sounding set of cans none the less.
In terms of music preference, I have none. I have an eclectic taste in music and listen to any genre so long as I find it catchy. I listen to EDM, bluegrass traditional folk, 60’s/70’s/80’s rock, Gaelic new age, alternative rock, and trip hop from the 90’s, etc, etc.
This will not be taken out of the house and so portability is a non-factor for me. Open-backed is desired.
Looking for an all around capable headphone instead of a specific master of a particular genre, as the type of music I listen to comes and goes in stages.
Not looking into getting an amp/dac anytime soon.
Anyone have a recommendation that would be a better option for my use and budget?
The X2HR is a solid choice.
2 other choices that you might want to look into are the 58X drop or Grado SR80E with a pad swap if you want to go full wide open, both are very solid options, they are within your budget and can run fine without an amp/dac.
a third option is the Helios which if very fun and warm it has its flaws but i personally like it (also its really comfy), but it’s just on the edge of your budget (170-180 i think)
I’ve heard mixed opinions about running the HD58x without an amp. Some people people say you lose out on volume, making them sound more quiet with portable devices, which I use 90% of the time.
104db is better than the x2hr’s, but having never used an amp and not looking to at this time, that 150 ohms seems high for a tablet.
Iv’e tried my 58x with my laptop (a 2015 XPS), desktop, and my old phone (POCO F1) without an amp and had headroom to spare so i cant say volume is any sort of issue, though it is true you wount get 100% of the prefomance you can from them.
As far as sensitivity, be careful only looking at numbers without knowing what’s behind it or trying out different gear, there is a reason reviewers don’t talk too much about sensitivity, they focus on “is it hard to drive or not” because numbers in some cases don’t tell the whole story, they are a reference point but the user experience is key.
True. Came across a comparison by Olav’s Gadgets on Youtube where he compares running a Hd600 (300 ohms) off a mobile phone and an amp. He does quick edits between the two when the headphones are on a headphone mic so you can hear the difference, and the differences were quite small.
Sure, the amp sounded better, but the difference was very negligible and considering that the HD58X’s are far easier to run, it’s really pushing me towards picking up a pair of 58x’s……
If an iPhone 6s can play the HD600’s that well, then surely my tablet can handle the HD58X’s at a reasonable level.