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Open, dynamic headphones under $1K


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I am looking for a second pair of headphones to complement and offer something different to Argon Mk3s.

 

So I was thinking of a pair of dynamic and open-backed headphones. Something good for classical music and comfortable. 

 

The Massdrop Focal Elex are pretty well reviewed but I would prefer to get something local I could listen to first. 

 

Any suggestions appreciated. 

 

 

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HD600/650 are intimate and a good compliment to the Argons.

Dt1990 Pro are well regarded too.

You can try the focal elear to get an idea of the elex if you like.

I'm quite jealous of your Argons.

Second hand hd800 is an option too if you're happy to buy used.

 

I have a HD6XX and find them amazing, they punch above their weight.

HD600 might suit classical more.

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That's great, thank you!

 

It doesn't have to be dynamic. Just thought since the Argons are planar I should try something else. I hadn't thought of electrostatics. I didn't realise you could get in to them at that price point. 

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I'm a big fan of the Grado sound, and I think it might suit you if you're looking for something to play classical. I own PS500e, purchased from Addicted to Audio (would recommend going there to listen to different headphones yourself, I believe they have a store in Adelaide and if it's anything like the Melbourne store, they've got a great selection to demo).

 

When I got my Grados, I had to decide between the Grados and Focal Elear, which I believe it similar to the massdrop model you're referring to. The Focal headphones were more comfortable, had a more liquidy midrange, which was really nice, but to me they sounded slightly veiled compared to the Grados. Great headphones, but they lacked the punch, clarity, dynamics and 'liveliness' of the Grados. It really depends what sound signature you're going for, and how important comfort is to you (I find the Grados much more comfortable with the large G cush pads).

 

You might also notice I've got my Grado PS500e's for sale on the classifieds (I'm getting out of headphones for the time being). I'm not trying to talk down the Focals or plug my own sale. The Focals were beautiful headphones and more comfortable than the Grados. Would definitely recommend hitting up some stores to demo them for yourself.

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Thanks for all your input, people. 

 

I happened to look on gumtree today and found a secondhand pair of HD800S being sold locally. So I stretched my budget a bit and picked them up. Very happy.

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Good work. I must say though that if you do get a chance to audition some of the Grado Statement series (GS1000, GS1000e, GS2000e) don't hesitate. I listen to a lot of classical music and find headphones more satisfying for this purpose than my speaker setup at present. And these larger Grados are absolutely wonderful for all things classical due to a very natural lifelike sound. I say that having compared the flagships of most headphone brands - if that's worth anything.

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I had the Allessandro MSPro for a while. Similar to a RS1i I think. They were awesome for rock and roll too, can see how they would do well with classical, such a airy natural feel to them.  Stock comfort sucked though.

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I feel quite mixed about Grados, I loved my SR80e for their price they sounded great but when I demoed the GS2000e with a chord hugo TT, I didn't like them very much, I felt they were bested by the HD 800S and the focal clears which I demoed with it by a large margin. I've recently tried a few of their mid range lineup and while they were more competitive in their price ranges to my ears than the 2000e, they still didn't live up to the talk surrounding them from what I heard.

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If you want "open and dynamic" in sound, I tried a lot of headphones on the weekend, and to my *inexperienced ears, nothing came close to the Grados for their openness and presence, and thoroughly enjoyable, emotionally involving sound. The RS1e though, which were the 'revised' brown banded version with less protruding drivers, didn't grab me. I couldn't put my finger on it - maybe they just weren't to my taste, however they're tuned or whatever. The Grados I loved were the SR125e and SR225e - they sounded slightly different to eachother, but very much similar. The other headphones I tried were various Beyerdynamics up to the T1 and Amiron, and Audeze LCD-2. Personal preference/taste seems to be such a big factor though.

 

*My mate and I kind of gate crashed a listening session in a certain hifi shop in Carlton. The couple who were auditioning speakers were up for a chat and we were having a laugh and sharing our opinion of which speakers we preferred. We were told quite sternly by the proprietor that the 'auditionee' was one of the most experienced and "best listeners" in Australia, and to basically shut up and be quiet. I think he was worried that we were talking him into buying the cheaper speakers. I can understand 'most experienced' listener, but how does one achieve the status of 'best' listener?! Does it have anything to do with having the 'best' wallet?!

Edited by flanders
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  • 1 month later...
On 16/04/2019 at 12:29 PM, benjamin95 said:

I'm a big fan of the Grado sound, and I think it might suit you if you're looking for something to play classical. I own PS500e, purchased from Addicted to Audio (would recommend going there to listen to different headphones yourself, I believe they have a store in Adelaide and if it's anything like the Melbourne store, they've got a great selection to demo).

 

When I got my Grados, I had to decide between the Grados and Focal Elear, which I believe it similar to the massdrop model you're referring to. The Focal headphones were more comfortable, had a more liquidy midrange, which was really nice, but to me they sounded slightly veiled compared to the Grados. Great headphones, but they lacked the punch, clarity, dynamics and 'liveliness' of the Grados. It really depends what sound signature you're going for, and how important comfort is to you (I find the Grados much more comfortable with the large G cush pads).

 

You might also notice I've got my Grado PS500e's for sale on the classifieds (I'm getting out of headphones for the time being). I'm not trying to talk down the Focals or plug my own sale. The Focals were beautiful headphones and more comfortable than the Grados. Would definitely recommend hitting up some stores to demo them for yourself.

Love how ppl on this forum seem to always recommended headphones that they are selling for some reason ;-) I'd suggest anyone thinking of buying a Grado to audition beforehand. It's a very niche sound signature. Just my experience YMMV

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On 03/06/2019 at 6:07 PM, feanorean said:

Love how ppl on this forum seem to always recommended headphones that they are selling for some reason ;-) I'd suggest anyone thinking of buying a Grado to audition beforehand. It's a very niche sound signature. Just my experience YMMV

I definitely agree, I feel like grados are sold through a strange sound signature and aesthetics instead of technical ability and finesse of sound. Other than that if you have older ears that don't pick up higher frequencies as well, grados may be a option.

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7 hours ago, gary chen said:

I definitely agree, I feel like grados are sold through a strange sound signature and aesthetics instead of technical ability and finesse of sound. Other than that if you have older ears that don't pick up higher frequencies as well, grados may be a option.

Grados are more imperfect (especially peaky) than some brands, but in the end few if any headphones are fully satisfactory without EQ. An EQ'd SR325 or PS500 can sound quite good.

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Like every brand of headphone, Grado has fans and detractors, but you can count me as a definite fan. Their latest releases GS2000/3000 have a smooth yet extended treble that has to be heard to be appreciated. Timbre of instruments and vocals is second to none, bass isn't overdone especially in the GS2000, and they have an airy natural sound that only Stax cans approach, plus the comfort factor - they are light on the head. Just a word about A/B demos in shops. This won't tell us the full story, you have to live with something for a while and have long listening sessions to really ascertain the quality of a headphone, or any transducer really. I find sources in shops really suspect, laptops into the DAC of the day, or whatever is going. Just my opinion. 

 

 

 

 

Edited by goldiver
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