Axe-Fx III and Headphones

I just bought a pair of HD660s, after finding that the 600 model was discontinued. I haven‘t spent more than a couple of hours with them, but liked what I heard so far. I plan to spend several hours with them, playing and dialing in tones, tomorrow and Wednesday. I’ll report back.
Thank you.🤘
Wow. I’ve been using the Sennheiser HD 660s for a week or two now, and can’t believe the difference it makes, especially in the low end. My Axe FX iii rig stays at work (church), so in past weeks I’ve been dialing in tones on my FM3 at home (on studio monitors, in a treated room) and then importing them into the Axe when I get to work.

Since getting these headphones, I’ve redialed my presets while at work, using these headphones, and I feel like they are as good for dialing in tones (maybe better?) as my studio monitors at home. Again, the difference is especially apparent in the low end, and my mix room at home is too small to be super accurate in that lower range.

I’ve owned several flavors of $100 headphones (HD280, MDR7506, SRH440), but the HD660s are next-level.
 
Over the last month I’ve tried and returned the Blue Sadie, Blue Lola and Sony MDR7506. The Sadie’s sounded the best to me, but the form factor was too heavy as mentioned here by others. I also didn’t need the built in amp so they just felt like overkill.

The Lola’s sounded sterile and the Sony’s sounded thin for presets with gain. Once again, I can’t really comment on which are flatter and I think with even the best headphones it’s too hard to tweak presets due to not being able to properly level the bass with headphones.

Most recently, I found a pair of Beyer DT990 Pros (250 ohm open back) that I am really liking. $100 used on Amazon which I think is a great deal. The sound seems very balanced and the comfort is the best of any I’ve tried. I’m also really digging the sound spread of open back cans. I had music playing on both my studio monitors and the 990s. Switching back and forth I almost couldn’t tell a difference whether I had headphones on or not given the sonic spread and the comfort of the Beyers.
 
Wow. I’ve been using the Sennheiser HD 660s for a week or two now, and can’t believe the difference it makes, especially in the low end. My Axe FX iii rig stays at work (church), so in past weeks I’ve been dialing in tones on my FM3 at home (on studio monitors, in a treated room) and then importing them into the Axe when I get to work.

Since getting these headphones, I’ve redialed my presets while at work, using these headphones, and I feel like they are as good for dialing in tones (maybe better?) as my studio monitors at home. Again, the difference is especially apparent in the low end, and my mix room at home is too small to be super accurate in that lower range.

I’ve owned several flavors of $100 headphones (HD280, MDR7506, SRH440), but the HD660s are next-level.
IMO Sennheisers have been making superior Headphone product since I first listened, way back in the mid 70s..in all price ranges.
 
..... just sold my beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohms
So i need to do right choice this time , as the impedance of the beyer did not convince to me ...
Sooooo .... i m stil a bit lost , don t want the same to happen
... the Blue Saddie , the senheiser hd 650 ....
Blue Lola , blue Mo fi
Blue products seem to be very heavy and hard to support for hours .... the Beyer sound was great !!!!
I like the same quality neutral sound but with more power ... there’s the DT 770 pro in 80ohms
....
Any advises ...???
 
..... just sold my beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohms
So i need to do right choice this time , as the impedance of the beyer did not convince to me ...
Sooooo .... i m stil a bit lost , don t want the same to happen
... the Blue Saddie , the senheiser hd 650 ....
Blue Lola , blue Mo fi
Blue products seem to be very heavy and hard to support for hours .... the Beyer sound was great !!!!
I like the same quality neutral sound but with more power ... there’s the DT 770 pro in 80ohms
....
Any advises ...???
I have the Beyer DT880 250ohm, and while they're certainly quieter than some other headphones (such as Shure SRH840), they get uncomfortably loud with Output 1 volume anywhere close to full. I wouldn't want to run them at those volumes for more than a few seconds for fear of damaging my hearing. I also don't level my presets as high as some people (trying out Pete Thorn's artist pack was a bit of a shock!).

If you're intent on your headphones being louder than the DT880 can produce with everything turned up to 11, none of us can stop you, but you will damage your hearing.

If you need to use the headphones with other devices that can't drive the headphones as well as the FX3, then that's a different story. My phone certainly doesn't do a great job of running the DT880s, for example.
 
I have the Beyer DT880 250ohm, and while they're certainly quieter than some other headphones (such as Shure SRH840), they get uncomfortably loud with Output 1 volume anywhere close to full. I wouldn't want to run them at those volumes for more than a few seconds for fear of damaging my hearing. I also don't level my presets as high as some people (trying out Pete Thorn's artist pack was a bit of a shock!).

If you're intent on your headphones being louder than the DT880 can produce with everything turned up to 11, none of us can stop you, but you will damage your hearing.

If you need to use the headphones with other devices that can't drive the headphones as well as the FX3, then that's a different story. My phone certainly doesn't do a great job of running the DT880s, for example.
... thanks for your answer ,
Believe me I have no intention to be in trouble with my hearing but lots of headphones which g have impedance lower like the Blue products which are 42ohms if I m correct or others which are 80ohms sound more powerful than any 250 ohms headphones .....
 
... thanks for your answer ,
Believe me I have no intention to be in trouble with my hearing but lots of headphones which g have impedance lower like the Blue products which are 42ohms if I m correct or others which are 80ohms sound more powerful than any 250 ohms headphones .....


..... just sold my beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohms
So i need to do right choice this time , as the impedance of the beyer did not convince to me ...
Sooooo .... i m stil a bit lost , don t want the same to happen
... the Blue Saddie , the senheiser hd 650 ....
Blue Lola , blue Mo fi
Blue products seem to be very heavy and hard to support for hours .... the Beyer sound was great !!!!
I like the same quality neutral sound but with more power ... there’s the DT 770 pro in 80ohms
....
Any advises ...???

I used a pair of DT 770 PRO for almost 10 years and I loved them. They broke recently and I ordered the same ones because I got used to their sound and I love them. However, the new pair sounded nothing like the previous one. Waaay too much bass, and there was an annoying peak that I couldn't get used to. Then I got the Saide which I already explained. I could have gone to the 880 I heard they are more bright. A had bright headphones before SHR940, which was fairly bright, lacked of bass and its material was poor. It fell apart within 2 years. So I knew I don't want bright headphones, I don't want lack of bass and I don't want too much bass.
I had to move up to the $400-500 ish area. I read good things about the HD660s but again I heard it was more on the brighter side and hard to listen for a long period. HD650 was very popular. Many mixer engineer uses them as reference. It's smooth and balanced. Maybe not the latest, but I know many people will hear my presets the same way as I do, from now on.
 
I used a pair of DT 770 PRO for almost 10 years and I loved them. They broke recently and I ordered the same ones because I got used to their sound and I love them. However, the new pair sounded nothing like the previous one. Waaay too much bass, and there was an annoying peak that I couldn't get used to. Then I got the Saide which I already explained. I could have gone to the 880 I heard they are more bright. A had bright headphones before SHR940, which was fairly bright, lacked of bass and its material was poor. It fell apart within 2 years. So I knew I don't want bright headphones, I don't want lack of bass and I don't want too much bass.
I had to move up to the $400-500 ish area. I read good things about the HD660s but again I heard it was more on the brighter side and hard to listen for a long period. HD650 was very popular. Many mixer engineer uses them as reference. It's smooth and balanced. Maybe not the latest, but I know many people will hear my presets the same way as I do, from now on.
Thanks again for these words ... I ve take a look at the HD 650 after your answers yesterday , in Europe , in France they are about 350€ ... more important budget thank Beyer 880 so if the Blue Sadie are inconvenient because of their weight , i haven’t abandon the idea of them ...
so difficult when you can t try a product ....
 
Thanks again for these words ... I ve take a look at the HD 650 after your answers yesterday , in Europe , in France they are about 350€ ... more important budget thank Beyer 880 so if the Blue Sadie are inconvenient because of their weight , i haven’t abandon the idea of them ...
so difficult when you can t try a product ....

I am not trying to pressure you in any direction, I just explained my story and the reason why I chose the 650. You have to figure out what is best for you!
 
I know how you feel, I went through 9 pages of thread before I could decide. 🤔 🤪. My Blue Mix-Fi's do sound really good with the Axe though, even though they're a little heavy. Much better than my open back cans which are just to bright.
Hi and Thanks , i think i ll go for the Blue Sadie also as the situation has evolved and buying it in the US is possible now ....
unless i would have go for Senheiser HD 650 but it s fairly pricy ....
hope i ll be as pleased with the sadie as you are .....
 
Hi and Thanks , i think i ll go for the Blue Sadie also as the situation has evolved and buying it in the US is possible now ....
unless i would have go for Senheiser HD 650 but it s fairly pricy ....
hope i ll be as pleased with the sadie as you are .....

Have you looked at these, I was seriously considering them b4 I got a great deal on my Phillips open back. They also come in ebony, mahogany, and maple. May sound like snake oil but I read a lot of great reviews. 😉

https://www.headamp.com/products/meze-99-classics?variant=28220732309568&msclkid=24b39a20f21418d5b6bac4fb5461045a&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=**LP - Shop (USA) - Closed Back Headphones&utm_term=4587574830735853&utm_content=24860 | Meze 99 Classics Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones Walnut Gold | $309

Also 32 ohms with a 103 dB sensitivity = plenty loud enough.
 
i ve Taken a look , it would be great if anyone had tested them with the Axe ...... i ve heard of this Brand ...Meze , really quality products ....how do they sound ....
 
i ve Taken a look , it would be great if anyone had tested them with the Axe ...... i ve heard of this Brand ...Meze , really quality products ....how do they sound ....

That I don't know, I'm only going on reviews but what I have read really good.
 
Just a couple of things to add since my last post about the Meze 99's. I recently read their quality has gone way down and the bass is out of control. There are several reviews on Amazon that mention this, enough to cause concern, so if you're thinking about them research them thoroughly.

I changed my tune about the open back Philips Fidelio X2's, I prefer their brightness to the darker Blue Mix-Fi's plus while still somewhat big and heavy they're about half the weight of the Blue's. The X2's have also mellowed a bit and have burned in nicely, imo sound fantastic now. They've also come way down in price and I heard they may sell for as little as $99 Black Friday (I would put these up against any cans under $200). They have a bit of a bass bump but it's tight and not mushy, also not overbearing. The mids and highs also have great detail and a nice soundstage. They are also built like a 🤔...... Mac :p!

I thought I could improve on the X2's and bought a set of Sennheiser HD-599 SE (open box $149). They are flatter than the X2's, subjective if that's good or bad. I suppose the 599's are good for the AxeFx whereas the X2's are more enjoyable for music. Anyway the Senn's are "burning" in really nicely and I'm quite pleased with them, well worth the price. I could have gotten a good deal on a set of HD 600's for $200 but opted for the 599's because I've often heard the 600's are a bit dark (Sennheiser veil). The detail is probably much better and the build, it was a tough decision. Note, overall, I like the Senn 599's best with the AxeFx, they are super light, super comfortable, and sound great, very similar to my studio monitors.

Then one day I'm surfing the WWW and came across Superlux, I thought ahh just another junk maker like OneOdio (to each their own). Anyway the Superlux HD 681 EVO's "Semi-open back" had outstanding reviews for the most part and I thought ahh, I just bought these Senns, then I found a great deal on the white ones 😎 and said I wudn't gonna buy it........ bought it. I don't know how to describe as they aren't quite broken in yet but I like what I'm hearing so far. Not as detailed as the X2's but for less than 1/3 of the price, definitely worth it if you're on a budget or need a cheap yet decent set of cans for a customer to use.

I haven't mentioned any of the above $200 range (even though the Blue Mix-Fi and the X2's retailed for $299 when I bought them 2 years ago). I did not pay that much however, some searching found me a set of Blue's "used but never used" for $125, and the X2's for $140, which is around what they sell for now new. Highly recommend them for that price. I also haven't spoke of the above $200 range because you're getting into pro engineer/audiophile territory and if you're looking at those you're going to want to look at more than what's written here. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask though, obviously there are a few very knowledgable forum members that know there cans 😉.

I know I learned a lot about headphones since starting this thread and would like to thank again all who shared their input and experience, It is much appreciated, I have a new appreciation for headphones and all the engineering involved. I've never seen a single category with so many options, except maybe guitars...




and amps.
 
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