Upgrade - Analysis Paralysis

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
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I’ll try to be as brief as possible.

Current headphones: Fidelio X2HR, DT770 Pro 80, Jabra 75T Active (exercise), Air Pod Pro.

Source: iPhone 13 (primary), possibly work computer (Dell)

Genres: Hiphop, EDM, classical, movie scores, orchestral.

Looking for:

-tactile bass (thump) and sub-bass; but not necessarily at the cost of sound quality. I don’t need reference quality mids and treble, but I also don’t want pure mud bass.

-open preferred as my ears get really hot with my DT770s.

Budget: up to $600ish. Not the strictest budget, but I had a tendency to overdo things, which is how my apartment home theater went from $500 to $5,000 the more time I spent on forums.

Recent purchases:

-SMSL SP200 ($140 on Drop), I got this because I was looking at planars and figured I’d rather have the power available.

-Qudilex 5K (for Bluetooth, mobility)

Current Considerations

Headphones: HE560 ($229), HE6SE ($600), TH-X00 (used), E-Mu Teak, open to any other suggestions. I’d probably prefer new/open box/b-stock than used for warranty purposes.

DAC: SMSL M200 or anything with a volume knob due to SP200 having linear potentiometer.

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Two suggestions from my listening experience:

– HiFiMan Edition XS. The latest and greatest planar from HiFiMan, resting between the Ananda and the Sundara in the company’s line. These have very nice bass, especially sub-bass. More than the HE-400se, the other HiFiMan in my collection. I haven’t heard Ananda, but the consensus is that the XS have more bass. $500 new.

– Sennheiser HD 6xx. The classic value dynamic-driver can. Present bass. Not booming nor bloated. Rolled-off treble makes this the most easy-to-listen can I’ve heard. $220 new.

Two other suggestions, from my Internet travels, not experience:

– Focal Elex. Dynamic driver, tons of punch and slam. But quality control issues still linger. $700 new. I know that exceeds your budget, but everyone praises the punch and slam of these cans, which supposedly still have terrific detail.

– Harmonicdyne Zeus. These apparently aren’t bass shy but still have solid mids and highs. $350 new.

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Focal is what popped into my head right away.

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Given your current gear, hard skip the HE6se. @pk500 is right with the Edition XS, the bass is insanely well controlled and has a nice bass extension that you can’t really get anywhere else in a planar under $1000 and if you ever upgrade your source gear they scale like crazy for the price. Easiest recommendation I can make currently, they just can’t be beat for the price, IMO.

The Elex are also great but I had 2 in a row with a DOA driver and it was irritating to deal with but eventually got a working one and they’re great. Nice and punchy and all around a great pair of headphones and are super comfortable.

Both headphones have just awful cables and I’d recommend even a cheap XLR replacement. The XS cable was audibly bad and I’m not sure why and Focal cables just feel like shit and I’ve never heard of anyone’s liking them lol.

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I’ll second Pokrog as the Edition XS is fantastic.
Since its on your list the HE560 at $229 could be a consideration as its half the price and should be powered decently off an SP200. The HE560 does do well with deep bass extension, but the XS does everything better. If you can swing it the XS is the way to go.

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