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re. The Inner Fidelity ‘wall of fame’ now that you budget is creeping up for the right product. It might be worth looking at https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/boss-philips-fidelio-x2
£153 at on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-X2-Headphones-Over-Ear-Cushions-Black/dp/B00MRUPSHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534932880&sr=8-1&keywords=philips+fidelio+x1
Had to include the guys review again, as the intro made me laugh.
https://youtu.be/_y2ZZxcBZ88
Cheers re the fidelio x2's idea - to be honest though, I think I might back down closer to the £100 mark after all. Liking what I hear re the AKG K702's - but would I find them too light in the bass? Also Sennheiser HD 598 seem a good buy on Amazon at the mo - but maybe a bit too smooth and a little lacking in detail resolution? Also the Grado SR80e's - a more upfront, involving listen some say, but also some say not the best for a spacious soundstage. The confusing world of headphone choosing, hmm...
So, this leaves me still in a quandry - I did like a lot of things I read re the AKG 702's, but the bass is not at all strong they say. I'm currently toying with the idea of pushing the budget a tad more still, and going AKG 712's. Also perhaps the Beyerdynamic DT 880 semi-open (mentioned by someone earlier) merit consideration. Hope I'm not becoming too tedious...
edit - just to add, yes, in time I will be looking at DAC and dedicated headphone amp - I do want to have a great-sounding listening setup to use with my computer-stored music files. It occurs to me I've invested a lot of dosh on guitar gear over recent years (no regrets) but have been a bit stingy when it comes to my music listening, which thinking about it, is important to me also.
Hooray!
So did you order the X2 or X2HR ?
Also, from what I understand, there’s nothing or very little in difference between the X2 and the X2HRs. It may very well be a case of rebranding and/or marketing technique. Even if there is a difference I suspect it will be negligible.
In in terms of getting a DAC etc, then you’ll benefit hugely in doing so. I had my X1s for a few years before buying a DAC/headphone amp and thought they were bloody good then. I took a punt on a Soundblaster E5 of this forum last year not really sure what to expect. Plugged it in, pressed a few buttons, and the difference bordered on the absurd! Seriously, it was one of my better purchases and I wouldn’t listen to music through my headphones in any other way.
Re the laptop/DAC/headphone amp setup, something of a new world for me, having got into hi-fi with vinyl and cds, not to mention cassette tapes and all that dobly malarky during the 80s and 90s. I can still use my new headphones with my hi-fi setup of course, and I'm assuming that will be very good. But now I seem to have a fair amount of digital music files - flac and mp3, plus I can rip my CDs to flac if I want, and it really makes sense that I sort out a setup for listening from the laptop. So yes, I will be checking out DAC/headphone amps also, once my wallet has recovered from buying the X2's.
...they are not going back. I just went zooming through a selection of favourite cds that were to hand through my old hi-fi system (Sony CDP-XB740E cd player, Marantz PM4000 amp if you're interested, decent but not super hi end stuff) and bloody hell, they are extremely impressive headphones. Certainly the best I've ever owned or used for that matter, and I'd say by some distance. Some recordings fared better than others, but in all cases, I can hear things I hadn't before. Vocals are natural and lovely, acoustic guitars amazing, electric guitars also in fact - I could hear plectrum noise on some Prefab Sprout tracks for example, also fret buzz beautifully conveyed on some bass guitar... Cymbals - that's a wow too. Also highly enjoyable is the wide soundstage, and sense of air and the space in which the recording was made. Also the separation between instruments, and the way they sit in distinct places in the stereo field - it's really easy to focus in on a single instrument.
I'd say the bass response is just a tad more than ideal for my taste, but on the hi-fi, that seems easily corrected by backing the bass control down a notch or two. They do reveal the limits of some recordings - I tried a 70s recording of Murray Perahia doing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 for example, also the electronic drums/synth sounds on some 80s recordings don't always fair too well - there just wasn't the detail there in the first place I think. However, Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love album is a huge wow to listen to, they were doing something right with that one. In general, it was hair on the forearms standing up stuff though - for a music lover, getting kit like this is definitely very worthwhile.
I have a pub gig tonight, which is annoying, as I want to listen to more recordings. I'm about to try them listening from the laptop, which I doubt will be quite as good, but interesting to find out. Will have to get a good DAC/Headphone amp before long... Cheers again for all the help and advice everyone - the process did steer me towards a very good result in the end.