Sennheiser HD560s has received really good reviews. I have HD600 and those are kind of “standard” for mixing engineers. If I would be buying headphones now, I would definitely go for the The HD 560s.
1 Like
Let’s help this guy out people.
So, I told him my 2 cents:
Ditch Hifiman, ditch Sivga, ditch Audio Technica, ditch Monolith, ditch Koss, ditch V-moda, ditch Philips, ditch Takstar, and unfortunately… ditch Drop collabs (rip HD6XX). He does not want to invest over 100-150 euros for an amp, so planars are a no no. Audio Technica, Koss, V Moda, and Philips cans are just not on the same level as some good deals he can find from AKG, Sennheiser, and Beyerdynamics.
So. It comes down to the 3 companies: Beyerdynamics, AKG, and Sennheiser. We can narrow it down to 2 companies by throwing out Sennheiser - though I don’t feel too comfortable about that. I love my HD598’s, they sound great. However, they are on the lighter side of bass, so he might be able to find something better. If only he could get the HD6XX, that would be it… but customs and taxes =)
I think that nobody should buy Beyerdynamic headphones without listening to them first. And he would need a good hour to three to judge whether they are fatiguing or not. I simply cannot imagine somebody buying Beyerdynamics for music listening without actually listening to them in person first. Sounds insane to me.
I am all in for the AKG phones. Personally, never heard a single one. I am not sure if they have the same problem as the Beyerdynamic 'phones. I would focus on three models from his list:
K712 Pro (msrp ~500 bucks, released around 2013.)
K701 (msrp ~450 bucks, released some time around in 2008)
K702 (msrp ~540 bucks, released some time around in 2008)
From my quick research, he should be focusing at K712 Pro model which he can get at a pretty “attractive” deal. The other two models are more recommended for studio use, and they also tend to suffer from ear fatigue like beyers do to some people.
Since I am no Beyer expert, this is the space some other community members can help you out. AKG’s K712 Pro has good quality, those mini XLR plugs (which are great), and sounds like they sound good. Beyer’s will probably sound less open, but will have other qualities - I consider a fixed cable a large disadvantage, but idk, that’s my two cents. If the guy will be sitting at home and just listening to his cans, I’m pretty sure he won’t have problems with the cable, but who knows.
I put my 2 cents out, I’ll leave the rest to the community 
Have a good one, hopefully you get down to the best headphone for you =)
1 Like
Go get these even though it will be not your main headphones. But the value that you get from these $15 Koss KSC75s is so insane that it blew my mind on wtf levels, therefore now I hate myself for buying these late instead of earlier. Just get some Yaxi pads with these and the Part Express headband part, you will get yourself a potential endgame piece right here.
3 Likes
The reason why I exclude Koss’s phones is that they will probably not last him. Ordering anything to Serbia is quite expensive, as customs will charge you very high fees for anything over 50 euros in value. I had numerous times when customs were as high as 40%-50% of the packages real value. No joke.
The amount of money it will take him to buy new pair of Koss’s every time that they break will not be worth it in the long run. I get that they sound good, but they are not the highest build quality, same goes for drivers - they are prone to breaking, on a much higher level than normal phones.
If these are available under 30 euros in Serbia, I think it’s a fun product to buy, but any higher than that and he will be throwing money - and earning money here is not easy. That’s why I am genuinely trying to help the guy
2 Likes
So after all that, you recommend AKG’s even though you yourself have never tried them? Doesn’t make any sense.
K4sh1ma is right, OP should get the KSC75’s decide what aspects he likes, and go from there.
1 Like
No, I took into consideration several factors - those AKG’s are the best out of the AKG models he has listed.
Doesn’t make sense to compare the KSC75 to full-sized headphones. I am not saying they are bad, far from it, but you simply cannot compare the over-ear headphones to the on-ear Koss’s
I could easily recommend HD598’s from personal experience, but perhaps OP wants a little more bass?
But also, if you read OP’s description you would know that he cannot acquire any Koss headphones - the shipping would probably cost more than the headphones themselves
1 Like
Plugged my K712’s into my 2i4. It makes them make sound, and may be okay when there is an Amp coming later.
What?
I like mine specifically for that purpose. The “increased” bass response (over the AKG-typical signature that is) helps fill the sound. Not ideal for electronic music, great for instrumental (not sure I like them for Blues).
AudioTechnica ATH-M40x have the bass for electronic music. Comfort is… not great.
Thomann.de has them for 350€, shipping may bring you up to 400 anyway. Can’t comment on sound.
Why? Audiotechnica builds good headphones. Same as Koss and Hifiman.
Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic usually have a very house-sound signature. I for my part do not like DT-770 (given that was before I got a good headphone amplifier).
Why not? The PortaPros impressed me (and others) a lot.
1 Like
As much as I shill Koss, it is only because I have the luxury of convenient warranty. Build is very cheap and unless you can DIY repair or deal with build quirks, it’s good to stay away (except maybe the Pro4S, which is pretty un-Koss-like in build).
My Porta Pro is already having driver issues 2 months in. Let alone headband adjustment is already very loose.
My KTXPRO1 that I use rarely already rattles on its hinges with bass (lol)
My ESP/95X has left driver noise issues.
On top of that, KSC75 are known for early driver failure due to wiring flaws, the KPH30i can easily snap at the headband adjustment, SP330 drivers pop off their swivel, etc.
I love to recommend Koss products for cheap but quality sound, but they all are super quirky and often come with a catch.
2 Likes
Actually I plan to buy the kp30 I or these if I can find them at a reasonable price here in serbia you know when im out and about so I get the recommendation they are on my radar havent found them yet tho.
Thanks for sharing but I take care of my phones and they are an upgrade from buds so it seemed like a no brainer choice after I get my full size phones.
If you do plan to get the KPH, be especially wary of the headband adjustment area. Simple design is quite robust, but I’ve seen multiple photos of KPH30is breaking at that point. Like this:
As long as you take care of them well, I don’t see any other way they should fail unless you somehow get unlucky with a dud.
1 Like
Thanks for telling me if a buss powered focus can run these at any level.
As for music what do you think about whether the akgs 712 the dt 990 pros or the 880s would suit it the best I left some examples of what I like to listen to. ofc its gona be subjective but nevertheless I would like to hear your thots.
the hifi mans are a no go for me 2 experience 2 hard to drive and such.
the 770 are a no go as I stated im looking for my first open back pair and the 40 x es are closed back as well I would consider them if they where much better than their open back counterparts but reading this forum most agree that open back + closed back - .
As for the portapros or the 75s and the 30 is could you compare them to some mainstream headphone I can research like for example the porta pros are 80 % as good as the 712 pros but for 15 bucks or something like that so I can get a feel for them as it stands I dont get how they would stack up to full sized at all so convince me.
And thanks again for the comment much help good info <3 for you.
He right shipping is a B word .
Thanks for for backing up your claim if I do get them I will be careful not to stress the part or reinforce them with something.
1 Like
I was shocked when I saw it on Reddit about a month ago. Apparently this can happen from just taking them off you head by the cups.
I still want to get KPH30i to keep, myself, but this is a big yikes I will keep in mind because I have all the luck with build quality 
They don’t make good hedphones, they make amazing headphones. I just think he is better to go with some Beyers, Sennheisers, or AKG’s - I am specifically commenting on the list of models from OP. With that limited budget, I doubt that he can get some goodies. I already told you about import duties in Serbia. I had a case where the import duties were 90 euros on a package with 100 euro value =)
@Not_Daijoubu made good points. The driver issues are common on “cheap” headphones, and it is 100% expected - it’s like a disposable camera, you don’t expect it to last forever, but if you have the money, then you can afford replacing them as much as you want. OP is not in that situation, he wants something that will serve him for some time. I mean his Sony’s are still holding up after 10 years of use.
I think OP should firmly decide on one of the full-sized headphones, and then buy the Koss’s just as unique headphone. They are like earbuds… but on steroids. But def wouldn’t count on them as a main headphone.
So at this point you should give him your opinion how the Beyer’s compare to the AKG’s. Is there anybody who heard the K712 Pro and some Beyers? If so, help the guy out, share your opinion and experience. Also bring Sennheisers into consideration - they have an amazing mid-range and well extended highs, but they are light on bass - still worth comparing to the other two companies.
The OP isn’t looking for thumping and rumbling bass. He has a speaker setup and isn’t craving for that. He is just looking for “above enough” bass. He told me that he mostly listens to melodic songs, and that he cares more about the melody element than the bass. Which means that he does NOT want a V-shaped headphone. I think he means Lo-Fi or something of that kind, just modern music that has the 808 kick and some instrumental qualities on top of that. He cares more about the instrumental qualities than the pumping bass.
1 Like
@AdvokatusDiabolI read the discussion over here: >$300 headphones for female vocals?
You will see that the AKG K712 Pro gets mentioned.
1 Like
Yeah I suppose so, shipping fees can be a pain in the ass and therefore ruins the overall purchase of the consumer who is looking forward to it for I had been there as well. I agree in regards with the build as well for my Koss KSC75s surely are not for your rough usage, for I have been careful with them most of the time.
Although if he could find a good deal to get the KSC75s, it wouldn’t hurt to have one just like us.
2 Likes
Yup, that’s what I am saying.
So, listen how it works here in Serbia. If the parcel is being sent by one of the big companies (DHL, FedEx, UPS) you are certainly going to be paying >40% of the packages value (if it isn’t expensive).
The problem with these companies is that you must pay a forwarding agency for the package to go through customs. The forwarding agency has a fixed cost of ~36 euros. Besides that, you are paying 10% of the packages real value for the customs, 20% of the packages real value for PDV (tax), and sometimes you pay additional tax on things such as the shipping cost or whatnot. Now, you do the calculation - 30% is just for the customs and tax, you have an additional cost of 36 euros on top of that (for the forwarding agency to get through the customs clearance process), and on top of that you can have the shipping costs… yikes.
So, if you have a package that costs 50 euros, you will pay:
36 euros forwarding agency
~15 euros (10% customs, 20% PDV)
Total cost of importing fees = 45 euros.
When my Hifiman Deva was imported here, I had to pay ~70 euros for importing fees, and that was based on a 120 euro value (I managed to convince the customs to charge it as if the package was worth 120 euros, instead of packages real value which was well over 250 euros)
36 euros forwarding agency
~36 euros importing fees
Total = ~72 euros
So hopefully this puts things into perspective, you quickly realize that you can be paying for importing fees more than the package is actually worth (happened to me once).
1 Like