Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
I am wondering what kind of improved quality listening is there with Sennheiser HD 6XX and/or the Fostex TH-X00. I have read comments and a lot comes down to sound preference, i.e. warmth, base, etc. and the 6XX type is the standard that all phones are compared or measured from and the Fostex are a step up further, both requiring appropriate DAC and Amp to get the full benefit from these audiophile phones. I don’t have direct access to these phones to test so I am looking for some opinions on this with some logical reasoning behind your suggestions. My question is, in my situation having the PC37X phones, is it worth having a second pair on top for what will probably end up being about $700 + CDN more. I don’t have an issue with the wait for the 6XX or spending an extra 200 for the Fostex, but is one, the other, or both really worthy to spend the extra money on. Does anyone here have the PC37X and 6XX/Fostex phones and/or is an experienced audiophile that can clearly recommend/guide me on this?
Reading reviews on your suggestions you made, people are really happy with them. I checked on Amazon Canada and see the Sony's for almost 900 here, and the ATH 1000X going for 480, and of course the Fostex going for 500 American here. My budget was considering the amp and dac as a necessity (thinking of the HD6XX initially), as I kept reading that you absolutely need those both in most cases to really get the sound quality out of the phones. For example, for the HD6XX some recommend the Jotunheimwith the Modi Multibit or Modi 2 Multibit with the Valhalla 2.... the point I am trying to make is - to budget in the DAC/AMP right away to get the best sound performance out of them right away. If I purchase a phone 700, then sink in for DAC/AMP to get that phone to it's optimum output listening quality I will feel obligated to still get the DAC/AMP which will put me past the 700 budget.
HD598 VS HD6XX VS TH-X00 HD598 definitely has more treble presence than the HD6XX, but the HD6XX is overall more detailed (assuming both are properly amped) and just a better set of headphones. Both are amazingly comfortable to wear. The TH-X00 in comparison, has a noticeably more recessed midrange but significantly more mid-bass presence. Actual bass extension can be a wash depending given as there are times where the boosted mid-bass slam of the TH-X00 muddies up it's own bass.
HD6XX VS TH-X00 HD6XX are better headphones (one of the best) for songs with vocals. The TH-X00 are still good, but the HD650 is noticeably better. Both are lightweight, but the HD6XX wins out again here in terms of overall comfort. The HD6XX is open however and really do need a proper amp to break through the infamous veiled sound however. In this regards, the TH-X00 shoots up way ahead as it is able to be used in an office environment due to it's semi-closed nature and high efficiency (does not need an amp to still sound very good). That said, it's high efficiency and design does take a hit with Fostex's decision to make the cable non-detachable and super long. HD6XX are safe, laid back headphones that work well with all genres where as TH-X00 are fun and lively, therefore more polarizing.
Amps and Stuff While the TH-X00 do benefit from proper amping, it actually still does very well without it. The HD6XX on the other hand, sounds very muted without proper amping and pairs up very well with tube amps like Bottlehead Crack, Lyr/Vahalla, or Little Dot. The TH-X00 is much less picky about amps, though I tend to prefer pairing it up with warm amps to further smooth over the trebles.
I haven't heard the Jot myself yet, though I tend to find non-tube Schiit amps a bit on the bright side. The Bottlehead Crack on the other hand, is very warm and smooth. There are people who will build it for you, but if you build it yourself, you could call it your own. Keep in mind though, that the Bottlehead Crack is an OTL tube amp, meaning it's primarily form high impedance headphones like the HD6XX. While it would with other more efficient headphones, the pairing wouldn't be what one would call ideal. For the HD6XX, I would say that it is a significant improvement as the two pair very well together.