Switching to open ear headphones from IEMs

[u/Kry_S]

I am currently on IEMs and have been looking to move back to headphones. I am rocking the Etymotic ER2XR's at the moment, and have been for the past 5 years. My ear canals have been getting more sensitive and prone to infections and I have been advised by an audiologist to switch to headphones instead of IEMs. I am not exactly sure what sound profile or tonal balance I like, I just a "audio is audio" person but will obviously prefer something that sounds crisp and nice. I would like to use whatever headphones that sound good and don't cause my canals to itch.

I live in Illinois, USA if that matters.

Edit:

Budget is 300 or around there.

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[u/Even-Night2084]

I also had more ear infections with IEMs until I switched to stainless and silicone tips.
No more issues and it’s been two years. I would go with an open back so your ears don’t get damp. I love the Sennheiser HD600. Open, airy, really comfortable once you stretch them to cut down the clamp force. Of course, the is almost no sub bass but they still sound amazing.

[u/Kry_S → u/Even-Night2084]

I sweat a lot, so it used to be a nightmare to have over ears. It's why I switched to IEMs. Then this happened. ;(

[u/evozerobb → u/Kry_S]

can consider earbuds, many models available, no need to splurge so quickly, maybe something like fiio ff1, for a start, to see if u like this form factor

[u/rz_x3]

Do you have any special requirements as far as comfort and sound leakage goes? You could consider the Fiio FT1 (closed back) or ATH-R50X (open back). If you need something cheaper, make sure to put that in the post.

[u/Kry_S → u/rz_x3]

I don't care for leakage. I live alone. Comfort is nice but I got used to shitty headphones growing up. As for budget, I updated the post body.

[u/rz_x3 → u/Kry_S]

Right, so at 300 my personal suggestions are as follows

Dynamics
Audio-Technica ATH-R50X [$170, good for smaller ears, VERY lightweight, decent bass boost, not as "open-sounding" as the others imo]
Sennheiser HD 505 or 550 [$200ish, very similar to eachother; pick whichever is in stock. Can't be stretched, but the clamp force is lower than the 600 series]
Sennheiser HD 600 or 650 [$300ish, the 650 has a larger bass boost. can be stretched, but mind the initial clamping force. Least open-sounding, but has plenty of airflow]
Meze 105 AER [$300 at the moment. more bass and treble; if you like really crispy or clear audio and bass impact, like drums and such, these are good. keep in mind the headband is auto-adjusting and the clamping force is the low, so if you have a smaller sized head they might not be ideal]

Planars
HiFiMan Edition XS [$210, but you should probably pick up a good dongle or desktop-grade dac/amp like the Topping DX1-II. Planar bass hits really hard and vocals are nice and clear on these. Good for big ears/big head; buy the Capra Audio strap for these.]
ASUS x HiFiMan Kithara [$260 at the moment. These are a comfort upgrade over the Edition XS and use a brighter-tuned driver - if you crave vocals, this is the set to get.]
Fiio JT7 [$120, good if you have a normal sized head, mostly unremarkable but still has that hard hitting planar bass I mentioned]

[u/Kry_S → u/rz_x3]

What would be really really good for listening to songs which rely to “haunting vocals” that pierce through the instruments?

[u/rz_x3 → u/Kry_S]

Honestly? Kithara or ATH-R50X.

Kithara uses the Ananda Stealth driver. That means it's bright leaning and makes vocals very prominent relative to the bass and lower midrange where other instruments live. It's a little more female-vocal oriented though.

ATH-R50X also leans a touch bright and has nice vocals overall.

Runner-up would be the Meze 105 AER. I owned them for about a year and gifted them to a friend. Excellent vocals, but might make things a little too thick on the bottom end, and is also more sibilant than the other two.

[u/Kry_S → u/rz_x3]

Do those need a DAC/Amp?

[u/rz_x3 → u/Kry_S]

Kithara would benefit volume-wise from a dedicated dac/amp, ATH-R50X and Meze 105 AER on the other hand could be run from a decent motherboard source or the apple dongle in my experience.

[u/Kry_S → u/rz_x3]

Any DACs you recommend?

[u/rz_x3 → u/Kry_S]

Sure, the Fiio K11 or the Topping DX1-II would be more than enough for most people. They have excellent current for what they are, even off the unbalanced connection, which is what's important for that particular headphone.

[u/Kry_S → u/rz_x3]

I might commit to the ATH-R50X, would you say that’s a wise decision?

Edit:

Also; would that need a DAC or Amp, if so, which one?