Clear MG

get open ear headphones, you'll stop overheating your ears. i run focal clear mgs and they sound amazing

Koss porta pros better than clear mgs. Saved a ton thanks!!!! 🙏

If you’re willing to EQ for impact the Arya is a good bet. Clear MG probably better tuning for you out of the box. Bit of a left field suggestion but check out the ZMF Bokeh Closed. Seems to fit your criteria. Not sure about shipping/pricing to the EU though.

Interesting question because I would consider $1-2k about the same in terms of performance class. Not an exact science, of course, but here’s how I break out price ranges by performance class (and I have stuff at every level): <$300 = budget / economical $300-$500 = entry level $500-$1000 = mid range $1000 - $3000 = premium +$3000 = flagship / exotic So I’m going to answer with respect to upper mid range into premium territory : Meze 109 Pro - excellent “all rounder” for multiple genres and excellent value for money. Easy to drive and versatile. Big stage like listening in IMAX. More artisan than neutral sound - warm and sparkly. Physically unique design (may or may not be your taste). Sennheiser HD660S2 - standout technical performer, also good all rounder, though slightly lean on sub bass and requires some power, as it’s a high impedance headphone. Smaller stage as is typical for Sennheiser, right in your face, but with excellent imaging. Slightly technical sound while still being musical. Sennheiser HD800S - very big and wide stage, excellent for symphonic and natural instrumentation. Excellent imaging. IMO less good as an “all around” headphone. Lacks bass definition and overly analytical for many modern genres. Also requires a bit of power as it’s high impedance. LCD-X - only recommend if you’re willing to EQ. Can be an absolute bass cannon, and responds exceptionally well to EQ, so you can make the frequency response fit your liking. Excellent presentation that is wide and puts you right in the middle of the stage. Focal Clear MG - similar to the Meze but with less brightness, a bit smoother and a bit more of a dynamic thump in the bass. 109 is the better value IMO. ZMF Verite closed - outstanding staging and technical performance for a closed back headphone, rivals some opens. Holographic imaging. Wonderful lush vocals and excellent detail retrieval, very energetic, gorgeous design. Great all around genre performer. Ever so slightly light on bass for some genres but not enough to be a deal breaker, plus can be EQ’d. Needs a bit of power to shine. Tube amp kicks is up a couple notches, near god-tier IMO for a closed. Customizable in terms of pads to tweak the sound to your liking ZMF Atrium - slightly above your range but all of the excellence of the Verite but even better staging and holographic imaging because it is open, darker tune - more bass, more relaxed treble. Slower speed in exchange for lushness and tonal richness. Often considered a direct upgrade from the Sennheiser 6X0 line. Also tweak-able with pads. Absolute God tier on a tube. Artisan design. Sennheiser IE900 IEM - great all around IEM with a very balanced tonal response. Neutral - musical. Everything you’d expect from Sennheiser in terms of technical performance. Most comfortable IEM I’ve ever owned. Single dynamic driver shines and brings a very high quality analog sound. Audeze Euclid IEM - similar to the IE900, in terms of versatility and tonal balance (slightly more neutral) but it is a planar IEM, so a more planar sound - smoother, faster, plus a wider stage. Still excellent Audeze imaging. Great for gaming and movies. Biggest stage I’ve experienced on an IEM except for the Campfire Trifecta (above your price range). Me personally, I’m a collector, currently own 20+ pairs and have owned more. All of the above I have owned personally (most still do). I am an all genre guy, biggest being electric/EDM, R&B, pop, hip-hop, classic rock, alternative, symphonic, jazz - so I like headphones that can serve many purposes. Happy to answer any questions. Good luck!

Clear MG has a weird mid-forward eq, but with Oratory eq applied they sound incredible! Still has all of Focal’s strengths but with a Harman eq

If your preference is V-shaped then the 600 series isnt for you, kind crazy though that you find the 800S "boring". Coming from a mid-range headphone like a 1200€ Clear MG to a mid-range 300€ headphone is obviously going to be disappointing without factoring in the price. Think about it the other way, how close to the Clear MG does the 660S come for a quarter of the price?

The build is weird and changing the pads is\\was impossible. They are heavy and clunky. I didn't mind the way they sounded, but I found the Clear MG to be very similar while being lighter and easier to wear. So I sold my LCD-X and kept the Clear MG. I use ZMF Auteur headphones for mixing and critical listening. They are OK for casual listening, but better if you EQ them.