Help for closed back headphone recommendations

Hi all!
I’ve been using a pair of ATH MSR7 with a FiiO Q1 for 3 years now and am looking to upgrade.

Im willing to spend 43’000¥ (400 USD) for headphones, plus extra for DAC/AMP if needed.
Headphones must be closed back and over-ear. They will be used for mainly listening to music but also casual gaming (Immersion with the landscape and music is more important to me than hearing footsteps), a mic is not needed. I tend to use my headphones for long periods at a time so comfortability is a big factor for me.

I listen to a wide range of genres but tend to gravitate more towards bass. Genres include Epic, Orchestral, Instrumental (The type you might hear in a sound track for a movie or game), Electronic (anything from Ambient through to Hardstyle), Jazz and J-rock. As I mentioned, I tend towards music with strong basslines and often female (Japanese) vocals. If it helps, some of my go to artists include Myth&Roid, Camellia, Yunosuke, Gorillaz, Yunomi and any OST such as that from NieR.

I’m not really sure how I can describe my prefered sound signature… I like to hear a detailed, driving low-end, with distinction and clarity in the high-ends (like female vocals). Mid range is also important and I like to feel ‘immersed’ in the music? Not as if the sound is just being blasted at me.

Im aware of the benefits an open back would provide, but unfortunatly due to my living conditions I can’t have a lot of leakage.

I hope this is enough info, I can provide more if needed.
I am currently located in Japan (Tokyo) and would prefer to be able to purchase in store.

Thank you for helping me :slight_smile:

Ah, darn. I was going to recommend the beyerdynamic dt177x go, but that’s a massdrop exclusive. The DT1770 Pro (which you may be able to find) has a fair amount of bass which imo can be overwhelming at times, but the rest of the headphone is pretty good for an all rounder with very good comfort and isolation. Also it has good soundstage and imaging too.

I am not sure what would be stocked in stores near you, is there possibly a link to the inventory of some stores so I can see what is available? If not no problem

Have you ever heard of or looked into Meze? I have and Love the 99 Classic’s. Great sound, lots of bass, great looking and a pretty good price. They come from Europe and so they have pretty wide availability. MSRP is about $299.00US.

99 noirs are excellent and a fun listen

I didn’t mention them because of the MassDrop thing. But I agree with you. Supposedly the same 'phone for a hundred dollars less.

Thanks for responding.
The DT1770 Pro has been at the top of my list, I can buy it used over here in-store otherwise I would have to order a pair.

Here is some links to some stores:
https://www.e-earphone.jp/headphone/
https://www.biccamera.com.e.lj.hp.transer.com/bc/main/?ref=en_index
https://www.yodobashi.com/category/22052/?cate=22052_500000000000000212&word=headphones

You may need a translator for these. The first site probably has the largest range.

I may be able to get a mailing address so I’m not yet completly opposed to ordering online.

An interesting headphone could be the Final SONOROUS VI as I think that would work well for what you seem to listen to imo. The DENON AH-D5200 I also think would be a great idea as well. I saw them on the e-earphone site

I have not heard of Meze before, it seems I can get them in store here too. They definatly have an attractive price but I can’t say that I’m a fan of the gold trimms unfortunatly.
I’ll keep an eye out for them in-store still so I can try and have a listen.

Wow. Both those headphones look amazing, I’ve never considered spending that much on a pair. I might try head to the store sometime today to see if i can try them because im a bit scared to spend so much without any experience with such high end equiptment.
My previous audio setup was probably about 200usd, how much of a jump do you think buying a pair of FINAL / SONOROUS VI for someone like me be? Will I even be able to appreciate them truley? They are quite a bit above my budget but if I try them and fall in love then there will be no going back

Oh, my bad then I didn’t realize that was over budget. I thought it was like 43k yen but I may have messed up there. If you can go and try it, do it and see what you feel, it’s a fun experience. Anyone can appreciate this stuff if they try lol, and it’s more about enjoyment tbh.

Yea they are both 62k yen new, how do headphones perform second hand? that might be an option.

Typically with higher end headphones buying used isn’t an issue as people tend to treat them well, so typically it’s a good way to save some money. You could go and try a bunch of headphones and then look on the used market afterwords for the ones you liked

I like the look, but they are a bit flashy. They used to have silver frames as an option, but I am not sure if they still have that.
Try them out locally and see what you think. They are SUPER easy to drive. My LG V30 does a great job with them. And they’re inexpensive enough to take to work work or wherever without worrying about them.
The only downside, if you want to call it that, is that they don’t scale particularly well with better gear. I am fine with that as that is not what they were built for.

Hi M0N,
I’m currently trying on headphones instore and I’m leaning heavily towards this second hand pair of dt1770. Im using my little portable FiiO Q1 amp/dac to drive them and they are doing a goodjob.
I was hoping you could maybe recommend another amp/dac around 100usd tgat the dt1770 pros would benifit from. it doesnt have to be portable as i have ny Q1 for that.
Thanks for all the help thus far (:

They do have the silver ones which are much nicer for me! I tried them on and they were super comfy too. They sound great aswell. Im really tempted to buy a pair but after listening to dt1770 pros im struggling to decide

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I think that at that price you might want to use your q1 mkii as the dac through its line out to an amp. I’m not sure whats available to you though