Headphones with forward vocals but not laid-back?

I'm a long-term IEM user, but I've been on the look out for some headphones to use with my digital music system and PC. I have a nice pair of speakers, but sometimes I want to listen to music at night without being a nuisance. The issue I have is all the headphones I have demoed so far have been energetic but vocals have been recessed or in line with the music. On the other hand, the ones where the vocals pop out and are more forward tend to be too laid-back and smooth for my tastes. Is there anything that is fairly dynamic but also has vocals at the forefront without being shouty? I would prefer something which doesn't require a separate amp. Thanks.

 

This one may fit the bill
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/audio-technica-ath-ad2000-redux.617/

 

That was my first thought as well. I owned the AD2000 and also the AD2000X for a number of years. The AD2000 is the better headphone overall, imo.

Vocals at the forefront. Not laid back. Energetic and quick. A little lacking in sub bass. Sounds almost as good from a phone as it would from a decent amp.

 

Thanks to you both for the recommendation. The only thing that concerns me is the lack of sub bass, because I do listen to quite a lot of music that relies on that. What is the difference between the AD2000 and AD2000X? The former seems to be out of stock everywhere I looked.

 

It may be considered to live in a ridiculous price range, but believe that buying a lightly used Focal Utopia could fit the bill in these regards...

Their other model which I liked a lot - the Clear - are close, but I find the (shouty-zone) upper-midrange on them to be a little bit emphasized to my ears. So as addictive as that sweet mid detail was, you might find them a bit shouty. Many people praised Clear's tonal balance however. I personally find Utopia to do a better job, save for it's narrow treble emphases.

Vocals on the "Utopes," have a certain weight that I typically only have heard in high-end planars. It is highly tangible and vivid in how these elements of the mix are presented, and in this way Utopia can be a pretty thrilling experience for all sorts of music indeed.

The tonal balance is otherwise very good, with a slight tilt towards the treble frequencies, while also offering an incredibly deep and linear bass, which is close to the great planars in depth and extension. If you need bass quantity, you may find yourself let down, especially if you come from more bass-heavy IEMs (it would be helpful to list what ones you've used). One thing I like is that despite being dynamic drivers, neither of these sets of transducers are lacking in sub-bass reproduction.

Furthermore, I find the metal drivers of the Focal cans are highly engaging, and present an awesome capability for micro-dynamics. In other words the gradation of volume from note-to-note is excellently pronounced, really making the music really feel alive. It is almost hyper-realistically so. I consider this a major strength, but some may find such a presentation to be overly technical and perhaps tiring.

Having said that, I strongly recommend that you audition both of these headphones, if the cost is not a deterrent. It takes a lot, lot more money to get similar sound quality from a high end studio-monitor set-up in a good room, than it does than simply getting the Utopia and calling it a day. As for the Clear, you just might prefer them anyways. Hope you find a suitable headphone.

 

I second @slankoe Utopia suggestion (never heard the Clear so can’t comment). The Utopia is considered sometimes too forward (too in your head) for the vocals, putting too much separation between the vocals and band on some tracks, but it’s really individual preference. I actually like the forwardness BUT I use a HRTF (AstralStorm VST so far is my favorite) to get rid of the “in your head” sensation.

Give them a demo first. They are extremely dynamic, with a heck to punch and good bass weight, really the opposite of laid-back. But I will warn it has a tonality that’s different (not just metallic sounding due to Be drivers, but also something else hard to describe).

 

A +1 vote for the Utopia. They aren't flawless for everyone, including me, but what they do well they do extremely well. There are some recordings that have literally had me at the point of tears with those HPs. They can be too much of a good thing at times, but if you want to hear every nuance in the voices, I personally haven't heard better. There is little about them that is laid-back, but with some tuning (e.g., picking the right tubes), they can be tamed. I do not hear any major flaws either, like sibilant S spitting. The do have a minor flaw for me, a touch of a metallic tonality, some call the Be sound (Beryllium sound), which is true, but that's the trade off.

One advantage of headphones is you don't have to be limited to one pair due to space (maybe $, but not space). What works for me is to switch to my planars when I want a more euphoric, dreamy sound.

 

Just get a loki and make all of your headphones have forward vocals. And you can turn up the bass while you are at it

 

Thanks. I really like what I've read about the Utopia. Unfortunately, it is out of my price range, but if I ever win the lottery...