Hello all. I’m a little stumped where to go with my next headphone to keep my collection well rounded. I’m running these on a JDS Atom, and have a THX 789 on order, so balanced or SE both work.
So…with the goal of having a well rounded collection that covers a variety of sounds, what’s my next set of cans?
Senn HD6xx
Fostex TR-X00 Mohagony
BeyerDynamic DT770
ModHouse Argon
Just to clarify, the list of headphones you listed are headphones you already own or headphones you are considering?
Everytime on that list is laid back
And most of them have “veiled” highs which makes it hard for you to make out the details in songs
My recommendation would be the Beyerdynamic DT1990s
It’s more detailed than anything you currently own while also being smooth enough to daily
If those listed are cans you own, it looks like you have enough closed backs. How about upgrading past your 6xx? Maybe the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro? Klipsch HP3? ZMF openback? to name a few.
Those are the cans I currently own, thanks for the clarification!
The 1990s are in consideration . Also is the new Neumanns.
Thank you all for the replies. I should also say that, so far, analytical seems to be something I enjoy.
Go get the Neumanns then, hands down.
Looks like you have a good selection of closed back. HD6xx is great but has a small soundstage for an open headphone. Maybe something with more soundstage to mix things up? Something from Hifiman like Sundara or one of the Audeze LCD range.
Would be remiss to not mention the Sendy Aiva. Not sure what your price point is, but the amount of detail coming from these bad boys is insane. I did upgrade to the SU-8/SH-8 stack at the same time I got these headphones, so I can’t be for certain what they sound like being pushed by anything else. A lot of people were dogging on the Aiva for their recessed mids, but I have no problem with what they offer in mids, and I loooove my mids. They also have fantastic low-end extension.
I should mention that my headphones before the Sendy Aivas were AKG K7XX and 553 mkII, HE4XX, and Cascadia Talos.
I disagree. I would not consider the Aiva to have “fantastic low-end extension”. Especially compared to the likes of other headphones such as the new Neumann’s. They have a hyped upper midrange which leads people to think these cans are super detailed. I call it fatiguing high end and annoying ringing in my ears after prolonged duration.
Can’t go wrong with a 6xx but that’s my own biased opinion 
Thanks all very much for the suggestions. The idea of getting as close to “wire with gain” has always appealed to me. I love discovering little details and nuance (good or bad) in music, so I went for the Neumanns.
I’ve also had my eye on the BeyerDynamic 1990 pro for some time. Their long record of performance is impressive. So I also ordered those.
I plan to put them through their paces and send one back…maybe.
Yeah I’m curious about how those two specifically compare. I’d would think the 1990 would be the winner but you never know. Be sure to post your thoughts once you’ve evaluated them.
I will! The Beyerdynamics actually arrived just now and the Neumanns tomorrow (Amazon is amazing sometimes) I certainly don’t have high level analytical ability but I certainly can share my impressions!
I also have the same setup THX 789 | SMSL SU 8 but for headphones I have LCD 2C and Argon MKIII I would also love to get something detail oriented and I was really thinking about Focal Elex although very hard to come by in the UK!
I wish you could order one as well as the oder two so we could have a comparison between all three LOL
would love to here your opinion about the two you ordered 
Some people dislike the veil of those headphones. And some people insist the veil doesn’t exist. So it could be a bad choice for some people.
The veil is essentially a myth. It’s no secret that it needs good ampage to bring its potential out, but it also came out at a time when super bright treble cannons were all the rave and the warmth and gentle treble of the 650s was seen as less detailed.
Supposedly those earlier 650 models with the black silk were much warmer than the newer models, but I wouldn’t know as I only have the silver one.
The Neumanns came today. I only got a few minutes with them,so more feedback tomorrow, but they sounded really interesting, and then made me queasy and dizzy. Another try tomorrow , but if this persists this will make the decision for me.
That’s odd. Is it the bass or treble levels causing your issue? For me personally, an excess of either is headache inducing.
I’ve had enough time yesterday and today to go back and forth and gain a decent impression. The dizziness didn’t return, so we’ll chalk that up instead to the heavy lunch I had prior to the first listen.
Construction - Both are attractive, but if the Beyerdynamics are a Mercedes Benz, then the Neumann is a Tesla S. All aluminum and sleek functionality, with Mclaren orange accents. Just sexy, sexy cans. Based on appearance I want the Neumanns.
Comfort - The higher weight of the Neumanns is noticeable, as are the smaller earpads. The pads do press against the top of my ear slightly but that didn’t end in any real discomfort in my 3 hour comparison session.
Sound- Let me get this out of the way first. I do hear more bass in the Neumann’s. Whether this is a function of closed vs open or maybe a perceived difference due some other factor, I won’t speculate. I am using the analytical pads on the BDs.
The bass in both is extremely tight and precise. I can hear fingers on bass strings in Steely Dan’s Jack of Speed. And electronic bass notes have a highly defined starts and finishes. I noted this level of control in both, but the higher bass levels in the Neumanns make it more noticable.
The most interesting thing is the detail/resolution. My first impression was that the BDs have much more detail. Much. I perceived more separation between instruments, and more detail in tones like string vibration.
However, did a close listen of a couple familiar tracks and found that I was mistaken. The Neumanns actually have more ability to resolve small details, to me. In Paul Simon’s Diamond on the Soles of her Shoes at 1:03 there is a set of bongos or other hand drum adding ambiance and texture at low volume. A close listen and I can resolve individual beats and the texture of the drums more than in the BDs. And in the first 30 seconds of Alice in Chains’ Nutshell, there are a couple very quiet instances of fret buzz that I can hear begin and then be silenced more clearly. If it was my job to record, mix or master or otherwise hunt down every detail of audio I would absolutely reach for the Neumanns.
That said, my gut and heart told me the BD’s music reproduction was “higher quality,” even as my head told me otherwise, if that makes any sense. Certainly the open backed nature of the BDs give a sense of spaciousness and separation that isn’t actually technical detail. So…I may have found the limit of my preference for “analytical.” I’m going to do another comparison session, but so far BDs are the favorite so far based on pure pleasure.