Question new headphones wanted

nugget2014

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currently have b&w p5 series 2 wireless and looking to upgrade purely for home use at my pc. i have fiio e17 amp dac which will be used with the headphones i decide to get.

ideally i am looking for a headphone with a low end boost as i like my bass, a good soundstage and good comfort.

i have two sets i am looking at. sennheiser hd700 and the b&w p9 signature.

the p9 look amazing. and seem to be the better option but would like some guidance.

pros and cons of each?

would i need a new amp dac to make the most of the hd 700s? this would be added cost..

it would be good to see what music sounds like with a really nice pair. i hear things about premium headphones that are spacious and every instrument sounds like it comes from a different area around you.

this is what draws me to the p9 with its drivers angled differently which makes the music sound like its coming from in front of you. almost like you're listening on a pair of speakers.

any other cans that are worth looking up? i did see the oppo pm-3 and pm-2.

what are the advantages of Planar magnetic drivers over dynamic? i think i read in the past that they arent as good for low end compared to dynamic.
 
If it was up to me I'd get either the HD600 or HD650 over the HD700. I think both of those are held in higher regard.

Haven't heard the P9's yet but they are reviewing well. I think @McCol has thrse so he may be kind enough to give his opinion here.

I have PM3's and absolutely love them but as you have noted are closer to neutral than you would probably like. The bass is excellent on them just not enhanced. HTH
 
If it was up to me I'd get either the HD600 or HD650 over the HD700. I think both of those are held in higher regard.

Haven't heard the P9's yet but they are reviewing well. I think @McCol has thrse so he may be kind enough to give his opinion here.

I have PM3's and absolutely love them but as you have noted are closer to neutral than you would probably like. The bass is excellent on them just not enhanced. HTH

not interested in 600 and the 650s open back which isnt suitable. hmm..

wonder if theres any other alternatives
 
just seen a new audeze product. the el-8. more affordable. sound promising. might have to demo them and the p9.
 
not interested in 600 and the 650s open back which isnt suitable. hmm..

wonder if theres any other alternatives
The 600, 650 & 700 are all open back. If you want a wide soundstage then you'll want open backed headphones.
 
just seen a new audeze product. the el-8. more affordable. sound promising. might have to demo them and the p9.
Yeah, the EL8's might do the trick for you. Do give any you might buy an audition if you are thinking of spending north of £500.

It might be worth having a listen to the PM3's paired with a HA-2 DAC/Amp too. The HA-2 has a bass boost function and they are pretty much madefor each other [emoji106]
 
I've had the P9's for a week now and I'm very impressed with them so far. Worth pointing out though that my headphone experience is limited compared to my experience with IEM's. I've owned the B+O H6(still have these), the B+W P5, P7, Senn Momentum and the Nad Viso.

I've been using the P9 with an Iphone 7+ connected to an Oppo HA2/SE Dac/Amp using a mixture of Spotify tracks at 320 and Flac/Alac/DSD files through the Onkyo HF app.

The build quality of these is astounding, lovely soft leather cups and leather on the band that is not as soft but comfortable on the head, the cups cover the ear nicely. These look and feel amazing, have premium product look and touch to them.

Soundwise - these sound better than any headphone I've owned in the past. The bass response is deep and gives a slam when the track requires but never overwhelms or sounds boomy, has a great texture and a rumble (again when the track demands it) that adds a great depth to the sound. The mids and highs are detailed without ever sounding harsh or brash. Vocals are lush and so far have yet to find any genre in my collection that they struggle with vocal wise.

It's a bit difficult to explain fully how much I like the sound from these as I suspect they are still burning in and will probably improve with more hours on them, they are however a step up from the P7. More depth and detail to the sound with a bigger soundstage. Compared to the PM3 I find them an all round better headphone in all respects, I often found the PM3 lacking in detail but these are a big step up in quality. Expensive but worth it for me.
 
great thanks all. will demo and see what i like the most. but already owning the p5 the p9 looks to be the most appealing and it also looks superb. excited to try them out!
 
was really looking into open backed variety of the el-8, but they just aren't going to be viable. gaming for example. the sounds will leak out and be picked up by the microphone which is 2ft away, my friends voice too. that alone ruins the idea.

so my only 2 options are the closed back el-8 or the p9. i heard the p9 are semi-open back? which shouldn't be a problem if so. just wanting to know for sure.

how is the soundstage on a closed back set of high end headphones such as the el-8? would it still be improved over cheaper headphones even though they wouldn't be open back?
 
i heard the p9 are semi-open back?
Where did you hear this? As far as I am aware the P9's are closed back.

Soundstage varies between headphones, and I haven't heard the EL-8's so can't really offer you an opinion.

At the end of the day you have to compromise somewhere. If you want the isolation that a closed back offers then you are going to lose out on the soundstage. Higher end closed headphones will generally do a better job of giving you some width/depth, but if you want a good soundstage then no closed back will compete with an open backed headphone.

As I said earlier, if you are going to drop a decent amount of money then you owe it to yourself to audition them first. Try listening to the open back against the closed back and see if there is a big difference to you.

The P9's seem to be getting positive comments regarding the soundstage.
 
I've had the P9's for a week now and I'm very impressed with them so far. Worth pointing out though that my headphone experience is limited compared to my experience with IEM's. I've owned the B+O H6(still have these), the B+W P5, P7, Senn Momentum and the Nad Viso.

I've been using the P9 with an Iphone 7+ connected to an Oppo HA2/SE Dac/Amp using a mixture of Spotify tracks at 320 and Flac/Alac/DSD files through the Onkyo HF app.

The build quality of these is astounding, lovely soft leather cups and leather on the band that is not as soft but comfortable on the head, the cups cover the ear nicely. These look and feel amazing, have premium product look and touch to them.

Soundwise - these sound better than any headphone I've owned in the past. The bass response is deep and gives a slam when the track requires but never overwhelms or sounds boomy, has a great texture and a rumble (again when the track demands it) that adds a great depth to the sound. The mids and highs are detailed without ever sounding harsh or brash. Vocals are lush and so far have yet to find any genre in my collection that they struggle with vocal wise.

It's a bit difficult to explain fully how much I like the sound from these as I suspect they are still burning in and will probably improve with more hours on them, they are however a step up from the P7. More depth and detail to the sound with a bigger soundstage. Compared to the PM3 I find them an all round better headphone in all respects, I often found the PM3 lacking in detail but these are a big step up in quality. Expensive but worth it for me.

I'm going to be checking out the P9's soon! for late night listening. How much do they leak sound?
 
I'm going to be checking out the P9's soon! for late night listening. How much do they leak sound?

They leak a little but my missus says she can only barely hear them and it doesn't keep her awake!!
 
They leak a little but my missus says she can only barely hear them and it doesn't keep her awake!!

Good, good :)
Mine are arriving tomorrow! managed to get a pair for £612 on amazon on a daily deal, they went back up to £653 after I bought them, and now back to 699 on the site, so im happy with the saving
 
@McCol you keeping the P7 or others then
 
@McCol you keeping the P7 or others then

Sold the P7's a while back. Kept the B&O H6 (very underrated headphone) and will be keeping the P9, they just sound so lush. Still got a wee collection of in ears, they are still the ones I use most esp the Fidue A91.
 
I own a pair of HD700 headphones and like them very much. I believe the bad rep they have is because of having a high MSRP for their performance. I bought mine for about $457 (US) in June of 2016 from amazon. As the price of the HD700 declines many are reconsidering their opinions of it.

Here is a headphone I recently purchased for $300 that is worth considering, the Monoprice Monolith M1060. Available at Monolith M1060 Planar Headphones - Monoprice.com . These are orthodynamic headphones that sound terrific and may be used directly with a smart phone or similar device or with a headphone amp.
 

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