I already have DT1990 and Audioquest nighthawk carbon but I want something new, refreshing in my collection.
I’d love to get Aeolus but they are 1350€ here in Germany which is a bit expensive for me at the moment.
My budget would be 800€ maximum and I want something that’s different to my other headphones.
It shouldn’t be too harsh in the treble since I mainly listen to Kpop and classical music and my dt1990 can already sound harsh in the top end with certain tracks.
I was mainly looking at LCD2c and NDH20 but I’m open for other recommendations.
I feel like there aren’t many outstanding headphones in the 500-1000€ range.
What would you pick?
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Check out some of the kennerton headphones. Maybe the vali or magni might be pretty sweet. They seem to be gaining some popularity lately, I’m looking at getting a gjallarhorn soonish myself.
they look interesting but I would like something thats easily accessible in europe without importing
have you looked at Focal or Sennheiser?
and for fun, if you can buy out of the UK, check the UK Audio Mart used site:
https://www.ukaudiomart.com/
Sorry they are pretty easy to import here in the states so I figured it wouldn’t be an issue for someone in Europe.
Hello,
Take a Look to the Dan clark Aeon 2 closed or open.
Kennerton is a good choice 
.
Maybe a Denon D7200,Quad Era.
The Emu Teak with the option to buy seperatly Cups to change the Soundsignature must be say it.With good benefits.
Can be it a good peace wirh the Lawton cups specially adapt for classical Musical.
The Emu cups are not so expensiv as the Lawton cups and are more specific in Sound.
Just like most people recommended in here, that’s about as many options as you have.
You have the much less known Cleer Next which are known to be very detailed and clear. These are also among the best designed headphones on the market (IMO), and also have a very good build quality
Kennerton are very unique and interesting. You could check them out if you are feeling curious
Dan Clark is from USA as far as I know, so getting them will be more expensive. I think this also goes for Clee Next - don’t quote
+1 for Quad cans (ERA-1). Definitely worth looking into
You are in Europe, why not check out Hyland Headphones? Handcrafted and made to order - so you have a lot of flexibility to get exactly what you want. And you also have a lot of space in the budget, these are around 440 euros. Definitely worth checking out
Phonon is releasing a new set of cans (but it’s aimed for audio engineers and studio use), that headphone will be no cheaper than 400 euros - but it still hasn’t released so I doubt this should interest you
Ultrasone has two headphones (I think) that are 900 euros - that’s 100 euros above your budget - so this is another skip, but I am just bringing it to your attention.
I can personally recommend iBasso SR2 which goes for around 500 euros. It’s a semi-open headphone which feels like a closed-back headphone (isolation is crazy, nothing like i have experienced before). Build quality top-notch, crazy that they are just 500. You also get what is (IMO) the best stock headphone cable, especially at this price range. It’s a braided silver-plated cable.
Sivga makes some more expensive planar-magnetic headphones, but they don’t even have model names, which means no reviews. If you are feeling really really curious, these could be in your consideration. Also, because there is no model name, you will probably import them without any customs fees.
Then, if you are feeling particularly fabulous, you can completely switch it up and buy electrostats. You can buy Kingsound (French company) headphones from France for 560 euros… but you will have to buy an amp =)
You also have the Japanese company Final Audio. You can grab the Sonorus VI from a UK dealer for 620 euros.
I basically stated every headphone worth mentioning on the market - this excludes headphones from large companies like Audeze, Hifiman, Sennheiser, Focal, Audio Technica, Pioneer, etc. I think you could look into some Audio Technica cans, but you will be looking at the same audiophile-grade tuning that you will find in the majority of the market. Pioneer cans aren’t talked about much and are hard to acquire, so I guess that’s also a pass.
tl;dr =
If you are asking me, you are looking for something different, I think this would be Quad ERA-1 (extremely well machined headphone), Cleer Next, Final Audio Sonorus VI, (you are looking at a very well built headphone that has a different driver and everything, which seems like what you are looking for - different) and iBasso SR2.
If you do have the budget to afford the Kingsound H-03 + an amp - that could be an interesting way to try out some electrostats.
If you feel like exploring blindly, try Sivga planar-magentic headphones that go for 900$ (you’ll find them on sivga’s website under the planar-magnetic section) or the yet to be released Phonon SMB-01L, or Kennerton cans
That’s just about everything on the market 
Hopefully I didn’t just make your choice making more difficult…
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Somebody needs to get the Magni and try it out so they can tell me if it’s worth looking at. Because I’m pretty curious about that one.
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So i believe @XyleFBB owns or has owned a magni… He might be able to give you some impressions
Edit; also pretty sure @Nick_Mimi has one now, if I remember correctly
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Hey, yes the Magni, top notch, love it. There is nothing negative I have to say about it BUT I have not played it with all varied genres so there may be weaknesses that I am not aware of.
Ask me what you specifically want to know and I’ll try to answer.
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What sort of sound signature does it have? For point of reference my closed back daily drivers are currently the Elegias (which I love). I am wondering if something like the Magni would be a good complement. I would want something with a more authoritative bass response than the Elegia. Bass on the Elegia is nice, tight, and detailed but not as powerful as I would like for genres like metal or EDM. If the Magni had a warmer signature with stronger bass I might be interested. I’d also be interested in a comparison to the Fostex biodyna family because I think you have experience with them and that’s another headphone I’m considering. Thanks!
@Mr_Makua,
No the Kennerton Magni Headphone is NOT a compliment to the Focal Eligia. It plays a bit cleaner with a less “metallic” flavor, it is brighter, crisper, more “open sounding” with a discernible difference in bass quantity and quality in my opinion for the better. NEITHER headphone will wiggle my ears with bass quantity but i prefer that of the Kennerton Magni a bit more over the Focal Elegia. Dollar for dollar my own preference is for the Magni it is an enjoyable headphone, but there is NOT enough of a different sound signature or quality to get it as a companion piece IMO.
Just for you I went and set-up a short head to head so that I could speak to both of these tonight. I must preface all of this by first telling you that I have blown the right driver on the Magni and I believe the left is on its way out. Despite this fact the headphone is still somewhat operational, at least enough to remind me clearly of its sound signature for this short review. I have been going back and forth with the good people at Kennerton for several weeks now trying to determine if the HP was blown or I had a wild imagination, I went ahead and finally ran the headphone for several hours and whatever was hanging on inside by a thread finally let loose and blew itself up so that It repeats its bottoming out now with most music. I will update the status on how many months and at what cost a replacement comes in, I think that will go a long way in helping folks on the fence about purchasing these from all the way in Russia. My unit was used and that should also play a role to see what kind of service they offer anyone other than the original owner.
Anyway, Head to head via Roon > RME ADi2 fs > Sugden Headmaster class A amp.
2 songs only, Rebecca Pidgeon, Spanish Harlem and Beastie Boys, Brass Monkey.
The focal has a tiny bit of sibilance and a small hint of a metallic taste on the high end. The midrange is focused deep behind my eyes and the bass is present and clean but not particularly authoritative. Good strong showing, very capable headphone that is comfortable and easy to wear in my opinion. You know all this because you own one.
The Kennerton Magni is flat out more musical, in the midrange with a wider soundstage. The top end is cleaner, crisper and brighter. The low end is a tiny bit more authoritative and detailed but also does NOT wiggle my ears.
Purely in a head to head comparison based on a similar cost my own preference is for the Kennerton Magni. I enjoy the Elegia very much but find the Magni more to my sound signature preference, more relaxing to listen to with better detail and a quality to the midrange that I simply prefer for many of the genres i preference.
Its a shame the drivers are blown on my Magni, I hope I can get them replaced for a reasonable cost and sometime within the next year…Hope this helps, I am sorry that I am not particularly good at reviewing these things i tried hard this time.
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You went above and beyond! Thanks so much for taking the time. That is definitely helpful. Sorry to hear about your Magni. I hope they get it resolved for you in short order. I am still curious about them. Hopefully I get a chance to hear them in the near future.
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