Headphone recommendations for N272?

There is so much to recommend.

Focal Utopia - if you like the ultimate headphone for the money. Great performance overall, might require a separate headphone amp to sound best.

Senheiser 800 a price level down but very good

Ultrasone Edition 8X if you want great sounding closed headphones, also still quite expensive

On a reasonable price level I would recommend the Senheiser 600

Thanks for the ideas Bert...you've outlined the problem too..there is so much to choose from and most dealers seem reluctant to demo!

Hello,i think you go too high with headphones, 272 have a headphone amp but doens't mean can drive expensive headphones, isn't the main function,in my opinion sennheiser from hd600 up need separate headphone amp to make them really sing, some memebers tried focal elear  with 272 and they are ok, but try listen to dedicated headphone (not expensive ones) amp and then 272. I woldn't buy expensive headphones in this combination. 

I have hd650 with SN2, I believe built-in headphone amp is the same as n272 - they sound ok, but not impressive really, and I need to crank up volume to get the dynamics, still far away from proper listening via speakers.

So my plan currently is to get a resonably priced dedicated amp, I've read a lot of good things about tube based Littledot mk3 and Bottlehead Crack (latter one is a DIY kit), will likely try one of these two options

I have the 272,and I have just ordered the Focal utopia's,as Bert recommended...but I have no intention of running them directly from the 272,it simply is not good enough for them.I will be using my Chord Hugo at first,and possibly upgrading to a Chord Dave in the future.I am moving from a house to an apartment next week,thus the need for a good headphone rig,for late night listening.

if you don't want to spent crazy money immidiate, i can recommand sennheiser hd700 to start with ( or to finish with )

Pros: 1. Price / quality ratio nice 2. Easy to drive 3. Fun to listen 4.  Light weight 5. Good and good looking. Soundwise, a bit less wider than 800, but they share the soundsignature. 

I upgraded from hd650..and always liked the 650. But hd700 is clear newer generation with really much more transparancy, detail and powerfull dynamics. 

Good fun on your search

With a half descent amp of 272 go for a fostex massdrop, audioquest nighthawk

Ör invest in a headphone amp and go for a Elear Focal, Utopia iş very expensive end game type of headphone...

As a headphone amp there are mamy choices with good prises freek, arcam ör violectric200 

I have hd650 and little creek obh21, source ndx, and i feel it's a good match, other headphone amps violectric, woo, schiit, chord, arcam rhead, i choose creek vs arcam rhead. 

HD 650's sounding fine with my 272. Really miss my Stax Lambda/Lambda Pro's. SRM-T1 blew up though. Nothing presents music quite like Stax Earspeakers.

Try the Shure 846. (I think that is the latest model) They are IEMs so they don't really need a dedicated amp. I would definitely not go with Sen 800's. I have them and my SN2 does them no favors. IDK about the 650's.

The real problem with headphones is that they will not be a satisfactory replacement for speakers unless you use a computer program with DSP cross-feed. I use JRiver -> V1->HD 800's and the crossfeed makes the experience so much more enjoyable. My Hugo died so I had to move the V1 to my bedroom. I find I don't enjoy them sans DSP.

Bert Schurink posted:

There is so much to recommend.

Focal Utopia - if you like the ultimate headphone for the money. Great performance overall, might require a separate headphone amp to sound best.

Senheiser 800 a price level down but very good

Ultrasone Edition 8X if you want great sounding closed headphones, also still quite expensive

On a reasonable price level I would recommend the Senheiser 600

 

I was big into headphones 15 years ago and recently returned after a lengthy absence.

I echo what Bert just said re the Focal Utopia's.  The headphone market has dramatically changed and grown since my last foray all those years ago.  The Utopia's, released this past summer, have completely rocked the industry and shaken it to the core (are you listening Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic?).

Quite simply put they are a game changer.  External headphone amp required - whether you are using Utopia's or others.  Recommended is Simaudio Moon 430HA or Headamp GSX Mk 2.  Sennheiser has just introduced a new headphone amplifier at the Munich show.

Stax 009's are still considered in the top echelon - however being electrostatic they require their own separate amplifier - non Stax brand preferred.

I have owned a lot of headphones. With the 272 I absolutely recommend you give the Grado PS500e's a listen. To me no other headphone sounds closer to live music than these, they can be stunning and mate extremely well with the 272.

Hi I use HD800s .... and can confirm is does sound very good ....but you do get a sense it is holding back....at times. So I tend to agree ... there is a limit.....my little Beyer DT511's are driven really well....by the 272....

If you fancy something a little different then take a look at the Meze 99 Classics which are superb value for money and very well reviewed everywhere they have been used.  I have a set that I occasionally use with my SN2, where they sound pretty good, and on my Hugo where they sound amazing.  Plenty of reviews and feedback available on line but from personal experience I can confirm that they sound and feel well well above their cost