Best Economy (<$300) Cans for EQ?

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by thune, Nov 7, 2015.

  1. thune

    thune Friend

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    A good headphone for heavy EQ doesn't really need to sound good stock and may have an unfortunate balance. However, a good EQ headphone should have a very smooth response, have very low distortion, and be easy to seat and re-seat without much response variation (positional or seal related). Comfort and reasonable pricing are also good. Ideally, though not necessary, such headphones will have low unit-to-unit variation, so EQ can be communicated to other units of the same model with good results.

    What are some excellent (<$300) headphones for EQ (the cheaper the better)?
    What is your favorite modest headphone for EQ?
    What are some under-the-radar headphones that don't sound so good stock, but take EQ very well?

    Edit:
    Thanks for the responses. Yes, great headphones already have the properties of a good EQ headphone. I'm more interested in the not great ones. IMO, if you have full EQ control, there's no real point in going full TOTL. I'm changing the title and question to be more constraining.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2015
  2. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    LOL! HD6x0s
     
  3. kapanak

    kapanak Canucklehead - Friend

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    HD800's take EQing really well.
     
  4. Griffon

    Griffon 2nd biggest asshole on SBAF

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  5. thune

    thune Friend

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    Thanks for the responses. Yes, great headphones already have the properties of a good EQ headphone. I'm more interested in the not great ones. IMO, if you have full EQ control, there's no real point in going full TOTL. I'm changing the title and question to be more constraining.
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2015
  6. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    HE1060

    If you can't spring for that then go for the Baldoor E100. I hear they're just as good
     
  7. NoStream

    NoStream Acquaintance

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    Yep. After hearing a number of HD800 mods today, I think that EQ provides a much more surgical solution to the 800s problems. (Props to Sennheiser for realising that a Helmholtz resonator would provide a surgical EQ in physical form.)

    You still won't get great transient response, quick decay times, detail retrieval, soundstaging, and pretty much every other quality without them being there in the first place. EQ just fixes tonal balance. And EQ is much better at fixing issues over a broader rather than narrower band. Holes and sharp peaks as well as roll-off remain.

    Anyway, I'm sure you know that. The thing is, the best cheap headphones for technicalities are also often the best cheap headphones for tonal balance. I'd just grab a pair of 650's and be done.
     
  8. Koloth

    Koloth Klingon SBAF Ambassador - Friend

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  9. Maxvla

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    I would imagine the new T50RP MKIII would be a good choice here. Distortion isn't the best, but it's alright, a great base for modding, and well under your maximum budget.
     
  10. n3rdling

    n3rdling Friend

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    If you don't mind going used, you can grab a SR-Lambda and SRD-6 for $200-300. The Smyth guys use a Lambda model for a reason.
     
  11. JewBear

    JewBear Almost "Made"

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  12. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Smyth Realiser is awesome. Rabid fan here. Can't afford it. K carry on....
     
  13. The Alchemist

    The Alchemist MOT: Schiit - Here to help!

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    I wouldn't count out Audio Technica ath-m50x - great headphones for the price, and very EQ-able. I owned a pair and they sounded outstanding for their price point.

    audio_technica_ath_m50xdg_lmtd_edtion_pro_1113993.jpg

    or

    Audio-Technica ATH-M70x

    81h9gfzvwwL._SL1500_.jpg
     
  14. Ice-man

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    The he400s seems to respond to eq fairly well.
     
  15. TMRaven

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    Audio Technica MSR7. I've heard these, so I can vouch for them. I don't like their tonal response too much in particular, but the technicalities are there: seemingly low distortion, good extension top to bottom, and great detail retrieval. Not much ringing for a closed back. Should be a ripe candidate for EQ (although I'm theorizing on that.)
     
  16. Koloth

    Koloth Klingon SBAF Ambassador - Friend

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    http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHMSR7.pdf

    You seem to be correct. Square wave and distortion measurements look very nice.
     
  17. SrdjanM

    SrdjanM New

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    Probably the DT880, in 600 or even in 250 Ohm version.
    Still the best neutral dynamic HP around, was my favorite for basic mixing in my home studio, but also in the rented big ones...
    Easy to adapt to different sources (cheap home audio interface / super-expensive pro studio set-up) and works well with speaker emulation.
     
  18. ulikmadik

    ulikmadik New

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    Used Yamaha YH/HP-1/2
     
  19. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Stax SR-X... which can be had for around $150 - $200 depending on condition. A cheap Stax amp can be $100, so you're looking at squarely $300 for a whole Stax rig, and it takes EQing very well.

    If on-ear ain't your thing, try a 2nd hand Stax SR-002/003. They're in-ears, and kinda more portable.
     
  20. thune

    thune Friend

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    Some really good suggestions here, stuff I never would have looked into otherwise. Thanks. Despite the rough start and obligatory territory marking, I'm happy I asked.

    Keep 'em coming.
     

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