Hi folks
current office system comprises
LP12
Naim NSC222/NAP250
B&W 805
It’s a great set up and I love it, but looking for a set of headphones to enjoy late night listening when the family is sleeping…
I am a total novice when it comes to headphones and also doesn’t help that I can’t find any dealer within 150 miles that sticks any for me to try out
Budget £500 to £800
Advice sought…
Thanks
There is a headphone systems thread. Lots of good info.
First off, do you have a room where you listen, away from the family? If you do you can go for open backed cans, which are generally better sounding. Open headphones leak sound. If not you need closed headphones. I can be in the same room as my wife, and she cannot hear what I am playing with my Shure 1540 headphones.
Do you like accuracy, or lots of bass? Every headphone has its particular tunning. Check out lots of reviews and then read through reader comments on Head Fi. If you like accuracy the Sennheiser HD800S is considered a reference point. I enjoy these headphones. The Hedd D1 has got good reviews. They are almost as good as my favourite cans, the Heddphone 2GT, which are €2000.
Also consider a dedicated headphone amp. Headphones are n endless costly rabbit hole.
Hope this helps.
I have a pair of the Focal Azurys which come in at the lower end of your budget. Worth a demo.
If the OP has headphones with a 1/4 inch terminator then the headphone jack in the 222 should suffice. It is supposedly the same headphone amp as in the Atom HE as regards the 1/4 inch input.
Take your time and source practical demo opportunities; wearability is as important as listening pleasure… for me a number of superb sounding headphones just didn’t make the cut because they were uncomfortable.
Meze 109 Pro; Love mineee and comfort unmatched.
…which is what I chose eventually. 
Hi
Thanks for reply
yes I will have a separate room to the family and I don’t intend to use them away from the house so purely for listening to the office Hifi
I will look into open backed sets…. I was initially thinking on focal, those as I’m assuming a safe bet they should work well with the Naim kit and realistically being unable to demo….
There’s no performance synergy between Focal and Naim, just co-marketing in my opinion.
It really is hard to recommend headphones as they vary so much in terms of a) sound character but also crucially b) individual comfort. If you really cannot demo or get a 14 day return then maybe buy s/h? There’s a healthy s/h or ex demo market for headphones (partly because of a) and b)) and this may limit losses if a pair don’t suit. There’s a huge choice out there, and lots oif threads to explore here if you search too.
So having said all that my personal suggestion (which I have actually owned) in your budget for open backs would be the Quad ERA 1 at about £550. These are planar-magnetic. Nicely balanced sound for the money and not too heavy for planar ‘phones at 450g. Then the Grado RS1x at £800. They are really fun, lively and have a detailed and very natural character, plus they look lovely. The RS2x is £600 but I have not heard those. Grado designs used to have a really hard and uncomfortable ear pad but these new models are far more comfortable. They are also light at 320g.
The Senheiser HD800s is often recommended on headphone threads but it is £1200, and personally I found it technically impressive but actually not more enjoyable than the Quad when I tested them back to back. It is popular though and s/h might fit your budget.
Hope that helps but I’d still always suggest try before buy.
Bruce
All the important things have been mentioned.
My personal view: If looking for best sound then wired open back headphones and a dedicated headphone amp gives a good chance on a good result.
Second hand I have achieved to buy a Lake People G103 MkII headphone amp, open back Sennheiser HD650 and closed back Focal Elegia for a total of 600 euros. All in pristine condition. Not that you should buy the same, but it may give an indication what is possible when looking for second hand.
Downside: No or less guarantee. But so far I’ve been lucky.
Thanks for all the replies so far, it’s very helpful
One more question… what’s the difference between balanced and non balanced leads…. And assuming the benefit of having removable leads is purely to make them easier to store…. Mount on a stand??
Thanks
Some people like to tweak their cans with alternative leads from different companies etc. High end cans often have removable leads for this reason. It can be a bit of a rabbit hole if course!
Balanced vs unbalanced is another debate, but you need the output options to try it. Most dedicated headphone amps have these, but your 222 just uses a conventional (unbalanced) output. A balanced cable in an unbalanced socket provides an unbalanced signal.
Bruce
I wanted a new pair of headphones to plug straight into my SN3 and they had to be closed back as my system is in the main lounge and a lot of my listening is done when the wife is watching rubbish tele.
I consulted the forum and after a lot of deliberation I plumped for a pair of Beyerdynamic Tesla T5’s and I must say I am very pleased, the SN3 has no problem driving the T5’s and they do make a lovely sound and are very comfortable when used for long listening sessions.
Beyerdynamic do an open back version of the same design which I think is the T3 which might be worth a look.
I have the Beyerdynamic T1 MkII which can be had second hand. I refurbished the pads and headband (It is easy if you get Beyer to send you the instructions exactly) The T1 Mk 3 which is the open version is said to be very bass heavy.
I enjoyed the Beyerdynamic Amiron for many years. They are within the PO’s budget range.
My renovated T1. A cheap way of getting a high end headphone. the Mk 2 is more neutral than the Mk 3
While there may be no particular synergy between Focal and Naim, I enjoy the sound of my Focal Elears (open back - no longer available), which I use with non-Naim equipment. On the other hand, I didn’t care for the Focal Elegias (closed back).
I also like my Focal Bathys, but they are Bluetooth and an entirely different kettle of fish. And every so often I consider moving to a higher end pair of Focals (or maybe the Sennheiser 800s), but I have yet to pull the trigger.
All of this is completely a matter of personal taste, of course.
