Source
r/HeadphoneAdvice•
RealmObliv

Looking for a closed back headphone around $200

Headphones - Closed Back

Budget:

My budget is $200 usd, but I'm willing to go up if there's a significant jump in quality. I live in the US, if that affects any choices.

Source/Amp:

This will be plugged into my pc or my monitor's headphone jack.

How the gear will be used:

This will primarily be used in my home, but I genuinely need closed back headphones, as my house gets very loud at times, and I'd prefer for others in the house to not hear my audio. I tend to use my headphones for 12, so I'd prefer a durable headphone. I use these to listen to music, watch youtube and play games. I'm not a hardcore gamer so things like surround sound are largely irrelevant to me.

Preferred tonal balance:

I don't really know what I like for audio, but I'd prefer neutral, as I can adjust it with EQ.

Preferred music genre(s):

I primarily listen to j-pop, but I listen to pop as well.

Past gear experience:

I don't have much experience with headphones, as my previous two have been pretty cheap.

I'd prefer to have an over-ear pair of headphones. I also have a largish head and ears, so I'd like headphones that wouldn't cramp much and don't hurt my ears.

Looking at some other posts, the AKG K371 seems to be a popular recommendation, but I'd like to not buy them as I dislike how they look. I was personally looking into the Meze 99 Neo, and the Beyerdynamic DT 770. I'm not too sure about the DT 770's, because I don't really know if I can run it without an amp+dac, even the 32 ohm version. My friend recommended the DROP + HIFIMAN HE-R7DX, and the SIVGA SV021 to me.

Edit: I usually listen to music in low volumes. Usually 20 on the Windows volume mixer and 2-5 on the music application. Typically 10-20 for listening to youtube videos. Example: Image 1

Posted May 3, 2022, 9:28 AM UTC · edited

118
raistlin65896Ω•

and apparently AKG has been going downhill since their acquisition.

I don't know where you heard that. But that's not true, and I would ignore that source of information about headphones.

3
RealmOblivOP•

Thank you for the information! I really did think that AKG was bad, so I ignored any recommendations that recommended AKGs. I read too much into DankPods comment at 4:32. I heard "We miss you AKG," and then found that they were bought out in 2016, and assumed it was your classic case of corporate mismanagement.

1
OhHenryCentral138Ω•

I don't own them, but I'd go with the 770's over the Neos. I do have the 990's and 880's, as well as the Neos. The 80 ohm 770's should run fine off your computer (my 80 ohm 990's do), and especially if you get a BTR5 or some such.

2
RealmOblivOP•

Thank you for the advice. I thought that high impedances couldn't be driven off of regular headphone jacks, I just bought the dt 770s pro 80 ohm and a kiio btr5.

1
OhHenryCentral138Ω•

I hope you enjoy them. They should be quite good.

2
No-Context547954Ω•

The Meze 99 have a lot of midbass bloat

2
RealmOblivOP•

Thank you! I'm new to audio, so I mainly relied on Amazon reviews to search for headphones before this. Is midbass bloat a bad thing?

1
No-Context547954Ω•

Depends on who you ask but mid bass bloat doesn't bode well for low midrange like male vocals and some stuff... The Meze is fine but as a recommend, try them out before making a purchase decision... Maybe they're for you but the midbass hump that muffles male vocals and midrange sitting instruments is definitely something to look at before dropping cash for it... You need mid bass but in responsible quantities

2
No-Context547954Ω•

So if anything I'd tell you to look for an audio shop near you? I don't know where you live so I can't guess and try these out

Shure SRH840A, AKG K371, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros and the Meze 99 Neos.

If you could demo test all with tracks you're familiar with in an A/B test then you'd know what you want but my recommend based on what I've heard are the Shure SRH840A or the AKG K371

2
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1
gerch321•

Beyerdynamic dt 770

1
RealmOblivOP•

I don't have a dac or an amp yet, so I don't think I can drive these.

1
neverenoughcans1Ω•

Buy one. Doesn't have to be expensive. Start with something cheap and good like fiio k3

2
RealmOblivOP•

If I were to buy a FiiO BTR5, would your answer change at all? The shop on the official website says that it would take nearly a month to reach me, but it also has an Amazon page, which should arrive in a decent timeframe.

1
RealmOblivOP•

Thank you! I just bought a dt 770 pro 80 ohm, and the fiio btr5!

1
gerch321•

And how are they

2
RealmOblivOP•

They're pretty good but the btr5's didn't really feel necessary for me. My computer could drive it off of it's onboard audio, and connecting it to the btr5 didn't really change the sound. The DT 770's sound pretty good, but the earpads are only ok for me. There is a lot more space for my ears than my previous headphones so my ears hurt less.

1
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Thanks for your submission to r/headphoneadvice. We have employed a "thank you" system for submissions. It's very easy to use - if a comment on your post is considered helpful, please reward them by using the term !thanks. This will add a thank you count (in the form of Ω) to that users flair. You can only award one per comment section. Thanks very much and good luck on your search for headphones!

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AutoModeratorMOD•

Thanks for your submission to r/headphoneadvice. We have employed a "thank you" system for submissions. It's very easy to use - if a comment on your post is considered helpful, please reward them by using the term !thanks. This will add a thank you count (in the form of Ω) to that users flair. You can only award one per comment section. Thanks very much and good luck on your search for headphones!

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1