So, I’m not a hobbyist. Not an ‘experienced audiophile’ or such. I -DO- on the other hand spend a ridiculous amount of time in my headphones. It wasn’t always so, but hey, there it is. I have the luxury of being able to listen to whatever I want while working from home, so I spend most of the day listening to music at my desk. My taste in music is incredibly varied. I do mean VERY varied.
Then, after hours, when I’m not working, I watch movies, TV series, or play games. All in my cans. It isn’t uncommon for me to spend 13+ hours a day with these things on my ears.
When I first decided to improve my audio experience about 3-4 years ago iirc, I looked into some of the basics. I ended up with a Fiio E-10 and a pair of Audiotechnica ATH-M40X. This setup has served me well, but with a couple of complaints.
Complaint 1: These headphones aren’t as comfortable as I would like. They can make my ears feel a little claustrophobic. I replaced the pads about a year ago with a softer hybrid surface memory foam pad which has helped, but the opening for my ears still feels a little crowded. I also added a knit headband pad which helps the top of my head a little, but after a few hours they really do wear on me.
Complaint 2: The sound is a little close, and a little tiring sometimes. I use equalizer APO with plugins for my mic, so I decided to look into what EQ could do for the ear parts. I found some presets that attempt to correct the frequency response of different headphones to closely match the Harmon curve (a compromise in and of itself, being constructed out of the frequency response preferences of a bunch of different people) and demo’d two different presets for my headphones for a couple of weeks each, often switching back to no EQ to really suss out what I liked. One of those presets does help with ear fatigue, and helps add some fullness and presence (especially at the lower end) without sacrificing the rest of the sound at all. I like it, and have been using it since.
I am about ready to take the next step, and want to make a real, noticeable improvement on all fronts. It is really REALLY hard to figure out where to go from here! Since this post is already turning into a book, I’ll try to summarize:
1: Closed, or maybe semi-open at best are the only real options for headphones. My wife who works with me does not share many of my tastes in music, and is easily annoyed if she can hear my music too loudly. Also, the room is sometimes noisy and chaotic, and I prefer the isolation of a closed back
2: I will have a total budget of roughly $1000-$1200 or thereabouts. This will need to include a DAC, an amp, and one set of headphones.
3: I am most concerned with not losing ANY imaging. While I don’t fancy myself “competitive” I really DO rely on my ears in games to give me reliable positioning cues. These headphones have been a blessing in that regard, and am looking for something at least as good, hopefully better.
4: My next priority is probably a bigger soundstage. I know this can be a challenge with closed back cans, but these M40’s are REALLY intimate with my eardrums!
5: Comfort for all day listening. A bigger space for my ears (the actual radius of the inside of the pads is a bigger problem right now than the distance from my ear to the driver, but that could be a little bigger too), while being comfortably light to wear, and not pressing down harshly on top of the melon.
Obviously, I don’t want anything that wouldn’t sound noticeably better than my current 'phones while listening to music all day. Sufficient bass, clarity, and separation with AT LEAST as much detail
Given the budget, I don’t think that should be particularly difficult.
I’ve been TRYING to learn all I could. I’ve been all over youtube for about a year, and exercising my Google-fu, in an effort to settle on some products. The current theory looks something like this:
Headphones: T-60 Argons or DT770. I am leaning towards the T-60 Argons, as a balanced setup is beginning to appeal to me the more I learn.
Amp: THX 789, Schiit Magnius, or Topping A-30 Pro. I kinda want to spring for the A-90, but am not sure I can fit it into the budget.
Dac: Schiit Modius, S.M.S.L M300 MKII, or Geshelli J2.
My biggest problems at the moment are twofold: With so many options, and so little opportunity to demo them myself, how in the hell am I supposed to tell which among them would suit my needs? Also, with audio being so subjective in the first place, it gets very circular to read or watch reviews when different reviewers all disagree about even fundamental differences in devices.
So if you’ve made it this far, thank you for your patience with my rambling. If you have thoughts, observations, or advice, I sure could use your help. If the gear I put forward in the current theory would be a big disappointment given my pretty demanding use case, I would sure love to know it BEFORE I spend the money. On the other hand, if there’s a better option I didn’t list that would fit the budget, I would sure love to know that too!
and get more HP and iem later 