Best headphones to use unamplified?

If you can afford them the HEX are amazing straight out of an ipod and sounds like HD650 on steroids.

 

Agree about Edition X

 

What about built-in amplification? Like the Blue Mo-Fi or the Audeze Sine?

 

After spending some time with the Sine, I've gained new appreciation for my DT1350s. I'm hard pressed to think of any headphone that can produce the sub bass of those Bayer portables, while still not sounding overly thin in the mids, all while unamplified...

I've been a bit underwhelmed by the Sine unamped, but I'm willing to bet the Cypher cable out of an iDevice would do the trick. I'm not sure if that counts as unamped, because the cable is an amp. And then you get the benefit of fit/finish and comfort. Plus, they make a great seal on the ears...

 

I'm pretty sure a lot of the fostex lineup could do subbass very well unamplified, namely the TH series....

 

You forgot to quote my part where I then said "while still not sounding overly thin in the mids, all while unamplified".

Keep in mind 99% of my "Fostex TH-..." experience is with my TH600s. But at iPod/phone power the treble side of the V shape is more forward then any of the bass. I won't argue that the TH600/900/xxx has a higher potential with just a little amplification...

But I'm still impressed with my dinky little DT1350...

 

I would say the Mezze 99 sounds great out of a phone. It's very sensitive, more sensitive than some IEMs I have.Not as damped as the HD650, but it's has a very similar tonality. I preferred them over the NAD HP50, although those where good as well.

 

PM-3 is pretty solid, I didn't notice a significant change in SQ when driven by my phone vs Magni 1. I ultimately sold mine because the sound was a bit too flat in the bass and veiled in upper-mids for my taste, but it handled EQ well and was otherwise the perfect portable can from a comfort, durability, and connectivity standpoint.

I tried the SINE at CanJam SF with the standard cable and couldn't get it to listenable volumes from my Sony Xperia Z3, which has a pretty weak amp even for a phone, but I listen at relatively quiet volumes and was only getting 60% of what I needed. When amped through a Questyle QP1R on high gain it sounded much better though.

I tried the Meze 99 Classic briefly and thought it sounded decent for the price. It's sensitive enough to be driven from my phone and was very light wearing. The pads are on the small side which is why I didn't spend much time with them, but reports from CanJan London indicate that they're increasing the size from 55mm to 64mm in the next production batch.

 

The new pads for the Meze 99 a definate improvement comfort wise.

 

iPad and RCA connectors of CD player drive my HE1000 very well.
I think it is one of the best ways to drive modded HE1000 without amp.

 

NAD Viso HP50 is by far the best headphones for unamplified / portable use in my experience. I use them mainly straight out of MacBook/iphone hp jack. I can't remember if they really benefited from decent amp. Gotta try some day.

 

I'm a huge fan of the Oppo PM-3 for this case.

I like it's comfort, design and portability. But foremost I love the sound. It's natural sounding in a most non-fatiguing way.
It's the headphone I grab first whenever I search or listen to new music. For Classical or Jazz, I will go through the effort to connect the Hugo to my iPhone, but most of the time I just go straight into the iPhone 6S Plus. The PM-3 is really easy to drive.

My other headphones have 'special purposes'. None managed to kick off my Oppo's allrounder crown.

Other than that, I'd also clearly go with (C)IEM, especially if you're asking for the best audio from a mediocre source.
I often grab the Jomo6 V2 because they sound great when not hunting for details too.

 

It's too bad that the 1350 has abhorrent quality control. They're probably my favorite looking cans.

 

My HEX v2's are (from my experience) the best headphone unamped from a phone. The nice thing about over ears is that you don't hear too much of the noise floor - that's a disadvantage here compared to the IEM's I've used.

 

A good quality DT-1350 is my first choice for work. Have had them for quite some time and I never get tired of the sound the way I do with some of my other cans. It is too bad about the quality control. Buying used from an honest seller is the best way to go IMHO. They would sell a lot more if they got a handle on that.

Now, back to my cave!

 

Suggestions and support :
Support :

• NAD HP50, warm sound and makes also my ear warm after some time, it's a plus in winter, a minus in summer
• Audio Technica MSR7, more on the medium/treble side with not well defined lows (to my tastes) but still really enjoyable
• Sennheiser Momentum, I recommend the second version because I have sealing issues with the first, but it's also very good apart from a small lack of medium sometimes. I find trebles very good to my taste (cymbals of the drummer are always delicious)

Suggestion :

• I recently reopened the AKG drawer : AKG K267 Tiesto edition. Rather comfy, you can tune the bass to your taste. I don't feel upper medium and trebles well defined, but if you are tolerant you get use to it. For me this choice is a taste point of view but it makes the job for me.

 

If you don't want to use IEMs I'd say that the VModa M-100's are great unamplified. They're really efficient, closed, they fold to a small size, they have a detachable cable, aren't picky about your source, decent soundstage for a closed set, and they have decent resolution. The only downside might be if you don't like V-shaped headphones, because they are nowhere near neutral.

 

@doublea I heard yeah that VMODA could be a good choice, I had not tested one yet though so I didn't mentioned it.

 

Yeah, M100 work fine without amping. I just have problems with the Beats-esque sound sig. Also for me, that boosted bass reaches too high and messes with the mids. But they look nice - my mom likes my old white pair lots!

edit: My favorite unamped (well not really) hp is Sine with the Cipher cable. It's clearly the best portable model I've heard yet. I've yet to hear PM3s though, but I'm pretty sure their very smooth sound sig isn't my thing.

 

^^^ I'm going to assume the Cipher Cable is a mandatory purchase with the Sine. My listening experience was lackluster at best. It was mid-bloated and underwhelming. There has to be some super synergy going on with the combo...