So you’re totally not a geek watching the Lord of the Rings 4K remaster. You reach for a pair of headphones that give you chills when Gandalf slams down his staff on the bridge of Khazad-dum. The bass rattles your head. The epic scores sound great. The headphone is comfortable enough to watch the whole series in one go (j/k…unless?).
Which pair do you grab?
For me, it’s the LCD-GX through my new Lyr 3/BF2. Only ding is for comfort. Something about this headphones clamp or cup angle makes them fall of my head if I look down. Only fix is to make the strap angle behind my ears. So if ear to ear is 90 degrees, the strap has to be at 70. Watch the LTT review to see what I mean.
I’m not a fan of watching movies with headphones, but I’d probably grab my AKG K712 Pro. Still the best compromise between comfort and performance for me with good bass extension.
I’d also consider the 1More Triple Driver Over-Ear as they have a separate tweeter near the front of the ear cup that may help with stereo imaging. But I haven’t had a chance to try these personally - yet.
Great perspectives. I would never prefer a headphone over a speaker setup, but necessity and all that. I have the Audeze iSine 20, I wouldn’t watch a movie or play a game with those unless, actually no I just wouldn’t lol.
Yes, you would. @voja is right. The Dekoni foam tips (small) for extra comfort and the big ear clips for comfort. An adult beveridge. I was just thinking that although the HIVE’s would be my pick for sound, and the Grado RS1e for comfort in a headphone, they both leak significant sound. Also, the STAX amp for the HIVE isn’t very portable. The Grados work fine either with the DFC or the iFI xDSD, (Gandalf would get the 3D and Xtra Bass buttons). I do have the 20’s and the LCDi3, so I’d wear the LCDi3, unless it was a Star Wars movie saga, due to the tie fighter aesthetic.
They are comfortable, they don’t leak too much sound, and I use them with no complaint for shorter videos. They have great space for an IEM, not all inside your head.
(I would say more, but my internal editor just went off and ripped me a new one.)
I do have an OK soundbar and sub. I wouldn’t want to move the TV (I only have a 42 inch one) over the fireplace. But if I did, I could run the sound from the cable box digital out into my TEAC DAC with the Burr Browns, then to the 1000 watt (RMS, class D ICE) amp into the big ol’ Rectilinear III speakers.
I’ll bet @Torq used his LINN setup for video. If I win the lottery, I’ll consider some Wilson Alexias.
I still haven’t made It past an hour of the first Lord Of The Rings, so I have absolutely no idea
I actually don’t watch much TV/Movies so I would just grab whatever I can reach without getting up, 'cos usually if I am watching a movie it is because I have collapsed on the sofa and can’t be bothered to get up
Now there you go. Or, (this might be getting by that internal editor) in my younger days, I just might have melted into a multicolored swirling puddle on the sofa.
I found, the hard way, that I really don’t care much about high-end audio for movie-watching purposes. I did the all-Meridian 8000 series DSP speakers/electronics and so on, D-Box motion seating, pro-grade projectors/screens, fully-treated, dedicated 1,000 sqft room, and so on.
Yet even with that just one flight of stairs away, >95% of what I watched wound up being on, at the time, a 42" Sony LCD, with its built in 5W speakers.
For the last four years, and for the next four weeks, it’s just been a 65" OLED, Sonos PlayBase, a pair of Sonos One’s for the rears, and a Sonos Sub.
When I’ve noticed a deficiency in the sound in that time (which is a LONG way from high-end), it’s invariably because the movie wasn’t gripping enough for me to care in the first place.
There is something to be said for convenience and using what’s at hand when consuming media. That’s why my AirPods Pro (gasp, I know) play a great amount of my music. In my case, the office where I spend most my day is much too small for 5.1(it’s 9x8), so headphones it is.
Even for mixed movie/music use, I’m greatly enjoying the GX. I wouldn’t mind something with a bit more slam.
I’m with you Morgrim for the DAC/amp setup, same here with BF 2/Lyr 3 setup. I would probably reach for my Meze 99 classics for the slam factor in LOTR series, or maybe AKG K7xx for comfort and better soundstage…
I liked the k712 pro when I had them (briefly). Comfort was great, but the low-end absence and $500 price tag didn’t impress me. I’m kinda looking for something with great comfort, but still have a low end. I’ll give those Meze a glance. Thanks for the comment!
The ZMF Atticus. Wide stage (for a closed back), forgiving treble, girthy lower mids, and epic macro dynamics. Played through Gears of War 5 and God of War using them.
My fun headphones are definitely the Sony CD900st. I can throw them on and just enjoy the music. Not a TOTL but gives me just enough detail and engagement that I look forward to using them more than a lot of other headphones.
I guess we have to define fun here.
I’ll go with something obviously not “correct” that’s enjoyable to listen to.
I really like the Kennerton Gjallarhorn for something that sounds like nothing else, has a very Bass Slanted sound, very engaging dynamics, and is a surprisingly good listen across a variety of genres.
Good stuff y’all! I posted this in another thread:
Hey friends,
I picked up a Sony wh-1000mx3 for my son. I listened to it briefly on the Lyr 3/BF2 and was really taken back by that low-end! I think it did leak a bit into mids, soundstage was small and imaging was difficult. But I still enjoyed them!
Direct comparison with the LCD-GX, the bass is so much more slam. However, there is no separation and you lose the “surround sound” of the GX. Overall though for $229 WOW!
