Thank you for your advice. I have heard good things about Grado and they are on my list of brands to try.
Yes, I generally like the AKM chip models also, but don’t mind the ESS implementation. It is my portable model, use a tube OTL amp and other equipment in fixed locations.
I also have a few GRADO headphones and can’t recommend the cheaper ones for your use case. Starting with the RS-1 and the flagship ones, yes, but the foam pads are a bit off with glasses. Buy a set of Beautiful Audio custom ear pads for the GRADO, and the sound smooths out, you are better with glasses, and you have better bass extension, which helps with acoustic bass, any electronic instruments, and drums with low fundamentals.
ZMF will not be readily available to try as they are a low production boutique brand. However they hold value very well so you can resell or find on used market. The Auteur Classic is above entry level but not flagship, and is actually the newer Auteur. You will pay extra if you buy a limited or stabilized wood version. Check their website, they are craftsmen in wood.
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Based on your indication of (possibly) large ears, you might look at some of the HiFiMan offerings that make use of their egg-shaped ear cubs. Personally, I love my Arya Stealth, and they are supremely comfortable. But as was mentioned earlier, your budget gives you a lot of leeway… many options!
Good luck!
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Thank you for your helpful reply, Mark. I will add these to the list of things to consider. I probably won’t buy new headphones until I have time to go to Toronto’s Bay Bloor Radio and do some listening, which might not be for a couple of months.
Thank you. It looks like I will definitely be auditioning some Grado’s when I next visit Toronto’s Bay Bloor Radio but, since I live some distance away it might not be for a month or two. I did look at the ZMF store and will definitely consider some (although I’m not so keen on the aesthetics). Perhaps if I don’t love the Grado or anything affordable at BBR, I might try the ZMF. While I’m at BBR I’ll also audition the more expensive Sennheisers, Grado’s, and Meze’s and some others… but the danger is that I might end up spending more if I do that… 
We shall see.
Now I’m expecting my K17 today… perhaps there is a forum on this site for it; I will look.
This forum is much smaller than it was a few years ago. @Lothar_Wolf is the expert on GRADO, I’ve just called his attention to this, he may weigh in. He also has a wide range of other headphones.
Of Senns, you should probably look at the 600 and 650 or try 6xx from what is left of drop on the low end and 800 on the high end. I don’t have 800s so can’t give personal experience. They all have excellent midrange, the 6xx and 650 are a tad warm with less deep bass, the 600 is considered the most balanced. 800 is smoother overall, maybe @Lou_Ford or @NickZ or @Nuance will have more to say.
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Hi, I’m new to this forum, not entirely sure if this is where to post, but I would just like some help making a decision. I plan to get an open and a closed back headphone, with the closed back being likely more focused on bass, but I still do enjoy bass.
The type of headphone I am looking for is open-backed and closed backed
My price range is: up to $250
I like to listen to: hip-hop, OSTs, other assorted random genres, just not classical
I will be using them for: Gaming and listening to music at home at my desk/PC
thanks in advance for any advice
One headphone that may fit the bill is the Verum 2. Great for classical and jazz. Neutral midrange, and plenty of room for the ears.
IMHO, they are better than the 2 to 3 offerings in planar cans from most other companies.
Do you plan on driving them directly from your pc, or do you have a dac/ amp?
Is your budget $250 each or for both?
What have you already listened to?
The headphones on your list span a pretty large range of sound signatures.
I’m going to throw an idea in the hat that might seem crazy at first but has some sense behind it.
The Sennheiser HD600 has been a respected headphone for many years and one that many headphone people are familiar with. Its strength is a natural midrange, where most of the music lives.
In the US it’s $270 on Amazon.
You could consider buying the HD600 knowing it will be well suited to accoustic music. But more importantly it will give you a frame of reference to talk to other headphone people.
If you spend a few months with the HD600 you might find you don’t feel a need for a different headphone.
Or, if you find it doesn’t quite hit what you are looking for you will be able to get focused suggestions by describing what you feel is missing, because many people know the HD600 and will be able to relate to what you are looking for.
Almost everyone finds that where they end up on the headphone journey is not the first “good” headphone they bought.
Starting with a known solid headphone and experiencing a natural sound can pay off in the long run.
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I will be getting a separate dac/amp, and the budget number is for just the open-backed pair. Sadly, I haven’t really listened to anything, as there isn’t anywhere near me that will let me, so I’m kind of going in blind.
Thank you for your suggestion, NickZ, this may be the right thing for me as I liked the Sennheisers I had before. Before the connection-dropping RS 220s (that I had to sell), I had another pair of Senns but it was so long ago that I don’t remember their ID. I do recall that they were light and comfortable. I’ve never listened to any Grado’s or Meze’s, I’m just considering them as candidates for when I can finally get to Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto, which might not be for a month or so. I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to evaluate the different options in a store environment though.
If the $250 is just for the open back, then I will parrot what NickZ suggested for jennachaplin, but slightly different: Massdrop X Sennheiser HD6XX.
Still available on Sennheiser’s website, despite Massdrop effectively “shutting down”.
Similar enough sounding, and just as ubiquitous as the HD600/650 to be useful as a baseline reference, plus you don’t have to wait for a sale to stay within budget.
Hi NickZ,
Yes, it makes perfect sense to start off with a ‘known solid headphone’, so let me ask this: since I already have the B&W P9 and like their sound with my only issue being that they are uncomfortable to wear for any length of time with reading glasses so I really do want to find a more comfortable pair, would those P9s fall into the ‘known solid headphone’ category or do people not generally like them, or perhaps most people prefer other phones?
The other factor, and I realize that this is a bit of a drawback, is that quite often I want to listen to music on my phones while my partner is reading and sound leaking out of open-back phones would be a problem, so I think I’m going to have to go with a closed-back pair.
Thank you.
The HD-6xx is the same as an HD-650. Slightly warmer than the 600. It needs some power to sound its best. Pairs well with an OTL tube amp or moderately strong solid state. What DAC/Amp combo or separates are you considering?
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I hadn’t really come to a conclusion on that part, and I’m still considering a few options. A few were the fiio k11 r2r, the topping dx3 pro+, fosi k7, or the xduoo xa-02, but I would appreciate any suggestions for dac/amps you have.
Thanks, I’m probably going to either just get the 6xx or order it and the ft1 pro and return the one I like less after some testing. The idea of getting a good reference pair does seem like it would be a good idea, especially for asking for advice or making decisions about other headphones later down the line. I know people complain about the soundstage not being large on the 6xx/650, but I really don’t know how much I would be able to tell as someone who hasn’t owned a pair of higher quality headphones.
If you are in the US, I’m partial to Schiit equipment. I use their older Modi multibit DAC at work to drive a good tube amp, and I use the Bifrost 2/64 to drive either a modified STAX amp for electrostatics or a LYR 3 amp (also Schiit) for regular headphones.
If you are not thinking ahead to needing balanced equipment in the future (and by the way the 6xx sounds a bit better to me on balanced, but you will need to buy a different cord, although the difference is small) most of the Schiit entry level stuff works well with no artifiacts that you sometimes get in other brands,
If you are outside the US, both @Lothar_Wolf and I like iFi equipment. With Schiit, the entry level stuff has sufficient power for the 6xx. WIth iFi, their entry level or first notch up desktop stuff usually does, but their fully portable equipment is marginal for the 6xx.
There’s nothing wrong with Fii0, some Topping stuff is good too, I’m not as familiar with it. Regarding tubes - if you go that route, tube hybrid amps are less tubey, but generally find and versitile in the lower price ranges, but good all tube designs often don’t sound good until you are well north of $700, or significantly more if you look for better tubes. Unless you’re a good kit builder (bottlehead crack with speedball).
Hope this helps without being too specific.
Thanks for the help, I’ll look into schiit and ifi, I’ll also look into what else I can find for a price that won’t break the bank but with enough power to drive something like the 6xx.
Out of curiosity, something I had been pointed towards previously was the atom 2 stack from JDS labs or the topping dx5 ii. Do you have any thoughts on either of those for my purposes?