Home Cinema headphones - Worth upgrading to Sennheiser 165/185?

mattius1989 · 5 Dec 2017 at 12:02

I'm currently using a set of Hyper X cloud headphones running off a long cable extension from my LG OLED TV's line out. These being a rated budget set at the time, would I get a much better movie listening experience upgrading to either the Sennheiser 165 or 185? They seem to lose their way at full whack.

The 185s are open backed but a lot more expensive. Does being open backed help much for movies? I don't have to worry about people hearing the sound around me so leakage isn't an issue.

I'm basing my choice off of the Rtings recommended Home Cinema headphone list so I'm open to any other suggestions.

mattius1989 · 7 Dec 2017 at 16:30

Thanks for the detailed response.

I think I should explore a DAC before I splash out on a new set of headphones. Do you have any other DACs you can recommend longisde the SMSL? Thanks.

mattius1989 · 12 Dec 2017 at 11:16

Marsman said:
Well you need one with a headphone amp, otherwise you'll have no way to alter the volume. You'll just get line level signal, which will be pretty loud. That rules out the cheap DACs for around £10. You also need optical, which rules out the FiiO E10K, which is a good DAC/amp. That's USB only.

The SD793 II seems to have gone up. I'm sure it was £40 at one point. I don't think there's much else that doesn't cost more money, which is unnecessary really for TV use. Remote control would be handy, but I don't think there's anything below £100 that comes with one.

I decided to order one you originally recommended and it's arriving today.

As a rule, would you max volume the DAC and control the headphones with their cable volume control or max out headphones and control the volume with the DAC? Had a look on a few forums and can't find a definitive answer.

Thanks for all your help.

mattius1989 · 12 Dec 2017 at 13:24

Thanks very much.

It came with a long inline volume control section with a female line out for the headphones to into.

On that note: I use an extension cable my to reach my TV's headphone port. I envisage using it to reach the DAC and it is really long and of fairly basic quality. Will I see a benefit in moving to a shorter high quality cable?

mattius1989 · 12 Dec 2017 at 13:30

Simmz said:
If it helps can get the RS175 for £179.99 or the 185's for £219.99 =][/QUOTEch

Cheers. I'm going to see how I get on with these headphones through a DAC to try and get a fair baseline before I move to an expensive headset.

mattius1989 · 12 Dec 2017 at 22:34

Well, having tested the DAC this evening, I can safely say there has been a marked improvement. Whilst obviously louder, it sounds cleaner and a lot more detailed.

Thanks for the help.