I recently went on a bit of a purchase spree to upgrade my aging audio setup. I imported a pair of Philips SHP9500's and sourced a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80ohms locally so I could compare them and resell the ones I didn't like.
The SHP's are amazing for their price and quite possibly the lightest and most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. However they have a sibilance on highs that I find really fatiguing to listen to for long periods, and they seem to have over-emphasised treble - at least to my ears.
The Beyerdynamics have no sibilance to speak of, have great bass in comparison (I'm not a bass head, but I have to admit it sounds great) but I've realised I prefer the sound stage of open headphones to closed. They also have a vice-like grip on my skull which I understand is a necessity for closed headphones, but I need to take a break from often.
So I'm looking at selling and re-investing the combined cash into a higher end, open set of headphones. I've been doing some reading and it seems good options in my price range at the Philips Fidelio X2's and the Sennheiser HD600's. Although from reviews I've gathered the X2's may suffer from the same light bass, sibilant high syndrome as the SHP's.
Can anyone with experience with either the X2 or the HD600's weigh in and give me your impressions - especially if you've listened to either of the set of cans I currently have before? Also if I'm missing other options in this range, I'm open to suggestions.
Many thanks
EDIT: Forgot to mention I have a JDS Labs "The Element" AMP/DAC, which should be capable of driving pretty much most headphones.
The SHP's are amazing for their price and quite possibly the lightest and most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. However they have a sibilance on highs that I find really fatiguing to listen to for long periods, and they seem to have over-emphasised treble - at least to my ears.
The Beyerdynamics have no sibilance to speak of, have great bass in comparison (I'm not a bass head, but I have to admit it sounds great) but I've realised I prefer the sound stage of open headphones to closed. They also have a vice-like grip on my skull which I understand is a necessity for closed headphones, but I need to take a break from often.
So I'm looking at selling and re-investing the combined cash into a higher end, open set of headphones. I've been doing some reading and it seems good options in my price range at the Philips Fidelio X2's and the Sennheiser HD600's. Although from reviews I've gathered the X2's may suffer from the same light bass, sibilant high syndrome as the SHP's.
Can anyone with experience with either the X2 or the HD600's weigh in and give me your impressions - especially if you've listened to either of the set of cans I currently have before? Also if I'm missing other options in this range, I'm open to suggestions.
Many thanks
EDIT: Forgot to mention I have a JDS Labs "The Element" AMP/DAC, which should be capable of driving pretty much most headphones.
