Recommendations for first hifi headphone setup

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
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My brother came to me and asked me to recommend a first hifi headphone setup at his desk for music while working…

He was coming from the airpods max, bluetooth headphones which he uses between office and working at home, and previously asked me for an upgrade on a bluetooth set that is better than the Airpods Max (which he hates - finds them uncomfortable - heavy clamp and he says the pads material are not comfortable, and he doesnt like the sound), for that I recommended to him a Bowers and Wilkins PX8, which he really likes so far. He says the PX8 sound much better and are way more comfortable than the Airpods, good noise cancelation in the office and transparency mode which while not quite as good as the Airpods is decent enough, better than say Sonys… So he’s happy with that rec after demoing them first at my place, he picked up a set discounted off Ebay…

Now he said he wants something that doesnt need to be that mobile but comfortable for long use and sounds a level above, and he asking for recommendations on a good desktop dac amp, and one open back headphone that would completely knock his current bluetooth headphones out, show him what a major upgrade would sound like that doesnt cost a fortune. He prioritizes comfort, likes something lightweight, he also said he wants it to have optional mic input so he could plug it into his playstation controller (which takes a 3.5mm w/ mic input) and have awesome sound

The frontrunners I am thinking to show him (setups I personally use regularly at my desk):

  1. The Meze 109 pro with Schiit Magni Modi stack - in case he is willing to spend a bit more… show him what a solid open back DD playable off almost any device sounds like… Super light weight, super comfortable and plays well on almost any genre, honestly sounds good even on a iphone dongle, but thinking for his desk to just recommend a Magni Modi possibly with a Loki… It doesnt have the mic but he could add a separate mic via cable

  2. Koss Porta Pro headset on a Schiit Hel - Honestly for pretty cheap, this setup I feel is pretty great - I am always impressed by the Koss Porta Pro for sound, easy to drive, sounds amazing and is really lightweight, and that boom mic honestly sounds really good! I have compared to airpods, to Jabra headsets, and his PX8, the mic just sounds way better than any other headset I have heard… Its cheap enough that he could probably even afford an extra pair to keep at work

  3. Hifiman Sundara w Schiit Stack - He hasnt heard a planar before… This was my first headphone, its priced very reasonably and I am sure he will be mind blown as this has a superior resolution and sound quality and sound stage to anything he has heard before coming from bluetooth closed back headphones… Will also show him so higher end hifimans… Maybe show him the HE6SEv2 but he needs more amp for that imho to see its full potential…

  4. Focal Clears… Not sure about this one, I love it but part of me thinks for the price I feel it wants a better amp to get the most of it, will show him, as well as the Radiance…

  5. Senheiser HD800s… This also kindof might not make sense as its probably ouside his price point and but I just love that set… Also kindof want to see what he thinks - Its soundstage would knock his socks off and completely destroy any of his previous bluetooth headphones in sound quality… Might be pretty awesome for his gaming also

Some of these might also all be a bit pricey compared to what he had in mind, might be I should show him some more budget options, but part of me thinks he might as well go big and get the 109 pros and call it done :sweat_smile:

Any other ideas or suggestions?

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Don’t discount the JDS Atom stack either or even the Element ii.
As for headphones, what about iems? For the money you could get a killer set or even several with different flavours… welcome to the mine field that is personal hi-fi

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question: did he set a budget? cause aside from Porta pros most of these headphone are rather pricey (1000+ for a setup is not what i’d start with)

Also if you can have him try out some of your headphones - it might help with not only figuring his taste out in sound but also what he find more comfortable (for example some folks do not like suspension straps like on the 109/Sundara)

The mic i think is sorta of a non-issue since a mod mic solve that issue regardless of headphone and it give decent mic quality audio.

With regards to the AMP/DAC while it does depend on the headphone but unless you are going with a power hungry planar, i’d personally start with the IFI zen dac, its overall a solid amp and dac and has a balanced output so you can easily upgrade to the Zen Can, and the bass boost is awesome.

As far as headphones a lot depends on his musical taste but i’d start him off with something relaxed I havent heard the 109 but most of Meze stuff is very fun so its a solid choice, focal for example are much more “sharp” which some folks bounce off and do not enjoy

If he is considering gaming 2 headphones i’d also throw into the roster are the beyerdynamic tygr 300r and the Harmonicdyne Zues - both are great for gaming but for different kinda - the Zues is much more immersive and very comfy and long usage, it has a “mainstream” and fairly enjoyble sound. On the other hand the Tygr, IMO currently one of the best of gaming, while still being decent in any other aspect.

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as Nm mentioned…budget. also, what kind of music does he like to listen too? and what is his source?

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Thanks for the suggestions. Ya the budget I need to ask him, I think will know once I get him to demo of some stuff to see how into this he is - he basically hasnt ever listened to any of these, his idea of a good headphone was sonys and other bluetooth stuff. Will ask him once he tries some - but given that he has been buying higher end bluetooth headphones I think entry level hifiman or maybe even the Meze 109 is maybe not that much of a stretch? I think sub $1000 total for sure, when I started, I had no amp and put my investment in the headphone first (Sundaras) and then gradually added stuff…

Apart from the Clears and the HD800s I think those setups above could be built sub $1000? Magni Modi stack doesnt really need the Loki… Ya I think to start I will recommend a more budget dac amp combo, will suggest to try the iFi zen dac as an option as well… That might be cool to have the bass boost feature… I do have an iFi hip dac and a iFi go blu here he could try

Genre wise I think he wants something versatile for different genres, including rock, techno and classical, but good question I will ask what he listens to most

I will also let him try a couple IEMs that I have. Also will let him try out the Beyer Tygrs, I have those here as well

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Definitely suggest the seeaudio rinko and truthear zero:red if iems are on the table. Also he can grab a kinear gamer cable and run them right from the controller. Schitt hel would be a great amp for an AIO with decent power and that mic input is a plus.
Headphones imo if you want that wow effect get a big planar like a new hifiman XS or a used Audeze lcd2. Comfort though is really subjective but there’s not much on the market that’s more comfortable and the 109 for less than $1K.