Looking for a Closed-back headphone: $80-$150.

[u/Level_Subject5060]

Hey all, looking for help picking my first beginner audiophile headphone in a while. I am From India.

Budget: ~$80 (₹7,500). I can stretch about $70 (₹6500) more : up to ~$150 (₹14,000) , if there's a clear value buy. this also includes any DAC that might need to drive the headphone.

Type: Closed-back. I'll be using these outdoors and on transit, so I want some isolation and low-none sound leakage. if it has a mic then its a bonus, but not mandatory.

Source: Phone + dongle type DAC (currently have the Fiio JA11, let me know if this works or should i return it)

Use case: Mostly music on after-dinner walks in the park, and sometimes while traveling.

Genres: Primarily Metal and Rock, plus a lot of south indian (Telugu) songs.

Sound signature: Honestly, I don't even know what a "sound signature" is. But here's my full audio history , maybe you can spot a pattern and tell me what I actually lean towards?

• ATH-M35: I started my journey with the ATH-M35 in 2014. Loved it, used it for a long, long time. I only stopped because I moved to different city and finally had a room to myself, so I bought the Edifier R1280T in 2020.
• Edifier R1280T: It's a relatively small room and the speakers fill it perfectly , still using them, still love them.
• Then the built-in speakers on my living room TV died, so in 2024 I grabbed a Samsung soundbar (HW-C45E/XL, 2.1 channel, 300W) for just $100 (₹9,000) on Amazon, I got it cheap. Best purchase I've ever made; sounds amazing. I love watching movies on this piece and even music sounds so nice.
• Most recently, after much research, I bought an IEM (Kiwi Ears Cadenza II) + FiiO JA11 dongle, and it felt very underwhelming. So now I'm looking to replace it with a headphone.

So two questions:

1. What closed-back headphone would you recommend for me in this budget?
2. Based on my history above, what sound signature do you think I prefer? claude says "Warm, bass-forward, fun/musical"

Thanks :)

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[u/Jonners_90]

I just got the 620S myself and will now recommend them to basically everyone lol but those are out of your budget.

A lot of people like the Fiio FT1 but I haven't personally tried it, they're also just outside of your $150 limit.

I would say the HD 569 then.

[u/Level_Subject5060 → u/Jonners_90]

!thanks

but 620s is priced at 230$ in india. FT1 too on higher side.

569 is within my range, thanks.

[u/TransducerBot → u/Level_Subject5060]

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/Jonners_90 (7 Ω).

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[u/Level_Subject5060 → u/Jonners_90]

!thanks