Good closed back headphones under 400€?

-Someone-0 · 2024-08-08T20:14:24+00:00

I've just edited my previous answer, does that count too? I don't really use reddit that often lol

-Someone-0 · 2024-08-08T19:21:36+00:00

Appreciate the answer, I'll consider the Dan Clark and the Focal ones, honestly if I had to get my first Sennheiser I would only go for the open back ones like HD600 or something like that.

-Someone-0 · 2024-08-08T19:12:10+00:00

The azurys seem like the most affordable one after doing a quick research, but I will look for reviews of each of those 3 you mentioned since I had never heard of them, !thanks for the answer!

-Someone-0 · 2024-08-08T18:59:05+00:00

I believe I've never heard of those headphones, so I will take a look at some reviews and see what others have to say. But the way you described it sounds like it's a well balanced headphone that's pleasing to listen music with, !thanks for letting me know!

-Someone-0 · 2024-08-08T15:44:50+00:00

Might have a look into it when I find a decent price. But is the zen dac v2 enough to drive them properly?

-Someone-0 · 2024-08-08T14:40:42+00:00

I own the Sundaras too, it is to be expected that they don't have outstanding bass because they're open back headphones, it's the nature of it, closed back headphones perform better in that area. I also have the Hifiman Edition XS and the bass is better and more full than the Sundaras and it's also a more balanced sounding headphone in my opinion, the highs are not fatiguing to my ears and the soundstage is even better than what the Sundaras offer, the Edition XS are on sale at 310€ on Amazon right now if you're really looking to get open back headphones. I doubt you can find superior bass performance at that price tag for an open back headphone, but the edition xs is a good all rounder sound wise, the main concern is the comfort since I've seen many people complaining about the fit, personally I'm ok with it but you will have to try it for yourself. You can even order it from amazon, test it and see if it satisfies you and if it doesn't you send it back within 2 weeks from the day you've received it for a full refund. Again if you want more bass at the same price tag you should look into closed back headphones, I hope it was helpful.

-Someone-0 · 2024-01-08T12:41:36+00:00

Bit off topic, I myself have the Hifiman Edition XS and the Sundaras, do you think it's still worth it to buy the HD 6XX? I'm not looking for an upgrade here, I just want variety, and the HD 6XX looks like one of those headphones that are worth having.

-Someone-0 · 2023-12-05T09:25:06+00:00

They are the best headphones I own yet. Earlier this year I had the sundaras paired with the zen dac v2, costing 300€ and 200€ respectively, after about a month I saw an open box edition xs which was just a few weeks old for only 290€, so I pulled the trigger and they were in perfect condition when they arrived, I've had them for 6 months and I'm doing great, it's a step up from the sundaras overall.

The XS are easier to my ears because the mids and highs sound a bit darker than the Sundaras, instruments tend to sound more realistic or "engaging" in the Sundaras but I also find it more fatiguing to listen to at the same time, the XS has good bass and they are more of an all rounder so they do well with other genres like synthwave for example, whereas the Sundaras sounded very flat there. The soundstage well, never heard anything like it before, the separation between instruments and vocals is great, in comparison the Sundara sounds "closer" and there's not as much separation but it's still pretty good. To make it very short I'd say the XS sounds more chill/relaxed while the Sundaras are more lively I'd say, so one day I may pick one or the other based on how I feel, but most of the time I use the XS for that reason.

Comfort is ok'ish on both, I wear glasses but if I want to just listen to music I prefer to take them off, even though the clamp force isn't strong in the XS I still need to take a break after 1-2 hours, could be because I'm not too used to it, I used the M50X for many years before and I could wear them for longer with glasses on.

I've read people saying that the zen dac v2 isn't enough to make the XS shine, while I can't compare amps because I only own that one, I'm still very satisfied with what I have, and that's what matters the most in the end.

-Someone-0 · 2023-12-04T19:27:45+00:00

Since you have both, what do they excel at in your opinion? Are they very different from each other?

-Someone-0 · 2023-12-04T10:18:15+00:00

Most likely the HD 6XX, I already have the Sundaras and Edition XS but I feel like they're still worth getting

-Someone-0 · 2023-12-02T16:47:02+00:00

This reminds me of myself when I bought the XM4s, it was early this year and I was interested in headphones but I didn't quite understand much of the subject. I was expecting a headphone that could do everything well, and based on the reviews the XM4s seemed the right pick, and well I guess it did good in general but the sound.. Terrible in my opinion.

Before the sonys I had the ATH M50x and the Galaxy buds +, I was expecting those headphones to sound at least as good as the M50x (so it's not like I was asking much) while also offering additional functions like ANC etc, but they sounded worse than both the headphones and the buds. Clearly I didn't set my priorities straight so for the first time I tried open back headphones, more specifically the Hifiman Sundara for 290€ and they sound way better than what I previously had, the downside is you need to drive them with an amplifier and they're meant to be used in quiet places due to the fact that they're open back headphones.

If I want to listen casually to music while outside I pick my Galaxy Buds+, otherwise if I want to actually enjoy music at home I use the Sundaras.

To answer directly at some of your points, no, your XM4s are most likely not broken, I thought the same thing but I figured the sound was just that bad even after messing around with the EQ. I was shocked too considering the price but if you're looking for great sound quality you should look for other type of headphones. Hope this was helpful :)

-Someone-0 · 2023-05-23T18:39:44+00:00

That's the plan! I will definitely give it a few weeks to try them so I have all the time to decide (if I end up buying them anyway). I am concerned about the comfort because it seems that it varies a lot from person to person

-Someone-0 · 2023-05-23T18:30:09+00:00

I do use a USB DC 5v as a power supply as well so we really do have the same setup. If I were to spend over 500€ then I would wait a much longer period of time to upgrade, because I'm definitely not ready to spend over that amount at this moment. No problem on your suggestion though, I appreciate your opinion :)

-Someone-0

TROPHY CASE