I’m looking to finally migrate to higher quality open back headphones. I’ve spent a lot of time recently reading and watching reviews and I think I’ve gotten to the analysis paralysis phase and need to get out.
Budget - $1000 to $1500 range
DAC/AMP - None for headphones on hand. All my builds have been home theater / passive speaker lately. Time to build this side up. I like to support Made in America so I’ve been looking at Schiit and JDS Labs. Long term, I’d like something like an Asgard 3 with a Bifrost 2, but need something available now that will migrate to my work office later (hence the more reasonable budget) when lead times aren’t 2-3 months. Thinking of an Element 2 or El 2 stack (love the pot form factor, big hands) or maybe Magni 3+ or Heresy with Modi3+ because available now as well.
Music - Kind of all over the board - Mostly Rock/Metal. Lately I’ve been leaning more into the Prog sub-genre’s for each more than the standard stuff. Been favoring a lot of Jinjer, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage lately. I also like a lot of things like Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, Pink Floyd, mellow and chill etc. Rarely I’ll dip into things like Deadmau5 and Daft Punk.
I’m looking for something that has clean detail so fast or arpeggiated guitar work isn’t muddy. I also don’t want anemic bass (not basshead, but balanced like intended in the mix). I’m not sure where I fall on soundstage because I haven’t tried much. Most reviewers I watch seem to like classical / soundtrack type music which I love in my home theater, just not what I listen to at the desk, so I haven’t heard many reviewers discuss the genres I lean towards.
This isn’t an open back headphone but my emu teaks are my favorite headphone for metal. The slam and weight of the bass makes them very fun to listen to. They never get muddy and have good timbre, pretty resolving also. Bass is still pretty boosted so some albums with bass emphasized recordings like the Effigy of the Forgotten album by Suffocation can sound a bit boomy even off of my Lyr 3 and Asgard 3. The Macro album by Jinjer sounds very good on them.
The Focal Elex could be a good alternative if you think the bass of the emu teaks will be a bit too much. I’d say the Elex is a more balanced version of the teaks. you still get that bass slam but is not as weighty.
As for the dac/amp I’m a little bit of a Schiit shill so I highly recommend the Lyr 3/Modius stack. The Lyr 3 can drive any headphone really well even some amp picky headphones like the hd800 pair well with the lyr 3.
hmmm if you are considering the EMU teak I would also consider the Dennon D5200 as I personally find it more nuanced and balanced(maybe boring to some) over the raw slightly muddy bass of the teaks. But if you like Bass its had to compete.
Another option if you want to go full american is the shure 1540. Its basser then what I normally like but it works very well with rock and syth with the bass being on the tight dry side.
Btw is this setup going to be trasfered to a public noisy office? Closed backs might be better if thats the case but if its quiet then yeah go ahead with semi open backs like the emu teak or D5200.
I have an office with a door for the foreseeable future. I have a set of Sony WH1000XM4’s for work if I’m somewhere where that becomes a concern or if I’m using my standing desk and walking around while on calls (I can go all the way to the coffee pot without dropping my meeting conveniently enough).
And to be clear if I wasn’t. I don’t necessarily want heavy or exaggerated bass. Just not rolled off too early. Something where I can hear the kick drum and bass sufficiently balanced.
Also heard some like the LCD-X (Top of budget, but could make it work).
In terms of availability, a Modi/Vali stack would be a fun one for now. Paired with Sundara (fast). I love guitar on planar and enjoy the synergy that they have with a lot of hybrid tubes. Bank the rest of the budget for the next round with enhanced experience.
I do like the form, build and heft of the midsize Schiit chassis. Modius available, A3 (great pot) on long wait.
Less informed on JDS timing and line generally, but I love the look of that top pot Element
I absolutely love my LCDX on my EL2 stack. The pairing is nice and open while providing all the detail that the LCDs are known for.
The other open backs or even closed backs that I would suggest are Dan Clark Aeon RT for a little more base or the Aeon 2s for a technical ability that can rival the LCDs.
Definitely one to look at down the line. The nice thing is that my job has this recognition system that people can put you in for. The points you earn can get redeemed for stuff. Most of said stuff is garbage, but they have gift cards as well. Unfortunately, Amazon isn’t in the list. But Walmart is (so anyone selling via their etailer site) and Crutchfield was just added. So I have places I can dump those points that don’t come from my paycheck for the hobby.