Comfortable Closed Back for the office

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
1

Hey there lads!

I recently started an office job, and I can’t really use my Senny 600s there because it would annoy the shit out of my coworkers, so I had to use IEMs so far. As much as I love my SSRs and Starfields, though, I am preeeettty sure a decent closed back would be much more to my taste.

Requirements:

-Comfortable: I’ll be sitting in it for hours a day
-Decently easy to power: I plan to use my BTR5 at work for now. I could bring my Zen Dac there if I upgraded my home DAC, though
-Resolving: I’m a detail whore, much more than anything FR-related I care for hearing every pluck of a string and having great imaging

The options I have been considering so far are the Mozo 99 Classics, Beyer DT 1770 Pro and DCA Noire.

I have demoed all of them, but since that was months apart, it’s hard to draw conclusions.

I demoed the 1770 first and absolutely loved the soundstage on those (they felt wider than the 1990, curiously), but that was also before I had heard my HD600, and I think I listened VERY loud back then.

The Noire, I absolutely adored the detail and soundstage in those, as well as the “Harman but good” tuning. The only downside I see is the price: I could buy the Meze or the DT 1770, the Sundara AND a Blessing 2 for less than just the Noire.

The Meze I definitely liked the least. They sounded more closed in, although the detail was quite decent. My biggest problem with them was some weird resonances in the bass that made it feel like an echo chamber of sorts, but a friend of mine says that can be solved by swapping pads.

Does anyone here have experience comparing some of those headphones head to head? Or maybe y’alls have some other suggestions for me? Let me know!

2

Have you tried a Focal Elegia? Really is a nice headphone, closed back and actually does an excellent job of keeping your music from leaking out and the outside from getting in. They are built we’ll enough to handle traveling and are able to be found new often at the 400 usd sometimes less for a good used set. They Don’t need a ton of power either. Your btr5 should be fine I’d think.

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what about the HE-R7DX?

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Agree about the Elegia, i love my set.
I have the Meze 99 Neo,i dont recall haven’t any particular issue with sound but i didnt keep the stock pads so i swamped them out for Oval hybrid which improved both the sound and the comfort substantially IMO.

The Elegia and the Meze 99 are both great but very different, Meze is more relaxed and dark while the Elegia is more energtic and clear.

Another option is the AKG 361, which sound pretty awesome, true they dont have the swagger of other headphones but they sound great they are compact and cheap so if anything happens its 100$ so no big deal.

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As soon as I read your sonic and power requirements, my brain screamed, “FOCAL ELEGIA!”

Meze 99’s are bassy as hell and not that detailed. Strike one.

Beyer DT 1770 Pro are detailed but the big question is whether you can handle Beyer’s crispy treble.
Perhaps strike two.

DCA Noire need a good amp. Very power-hungry planar. Only a portable like an iFi Gryphon could power them. Strike three.

You can buy the Elegia new for $380 at Adorama if you’re in the U.S. Link: https://www.adorama.com/fofelegia.html?sdtid=15265996&emailprice=t&sterm=RgEShb2OCxyIW%3A%3Az-U1k-y9GUkGxFZWUN24E3w0&utm_source=rflaid62905

The Elegia are detail monsters, can run straight from a phone and are very comfortable. FANTASTIC if you like vocals, acoustic, piano jazz, strings, classical. Fun with EDM and some pop. Not great with rock or metal because of tuning that doesn’t really fit those genres.

I am selling my DCA Aeon 2 Closed with Noire pads, which basically are the same thing as the Noire but in red-and-black colors of the A2C. PM me if interested, as I’ll sell them shipped for $500.

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