Modartt user forum - Which headphones make Pianoteq come alive?

Re: Which headphones make Pianoteq come alive?

2026-07-14T18:38:54Z

I'm going to recommend you take yourself off to a Hi-fi dealer if it all possible?
listen to multiple pairs of headphones with piano music. A big part of the headphone experience is also in the long-term comfort. What is comfortable to one person is very different for another. You may find you prefer one headphone's sound but find yourself having to go for a different pair because the other pair make your ears too warm, or the clamp your ears in an unpleasant way.

I'm very happy with Sennheiser HD800 and HD600. You may prefer a Planar design, or Grado or Audio Technica for instance.

Re: Which headphones make Pianoteq come alive?

2026-07-14T11:31:14Z

Hifiman Edition XV

Re: Which headphones make Pianoteq come alive?

2026-07-14T09:21:35Z

I have HD600, the blue marble one (from more than 20 years)
Very great sound, spatial, timbre, etc but lack of bass on the 3 lower octave compared to my speakers.
Very confortable (with new pad of course, parts available everywhere)
The pad are hot when it's french summer.
Good to pratice daily.
I don't want to change, never, they are great for the piano.

"Feeling like the piano is in front of me, in the room, rather than inside my head."
For me, it's more a Pianoteq setting with mic position, reverb, binaural, etc than good headphone issue.

Re: Which headphones make Pianoteq come alive?

2026-07-14T08:48:39Z

fav wrote:

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for a pair of headphones that will give me the most realistic experience of playing a grand piano with Pianoteq, rather than simply sounding the best for music listening.
I've been on a long journey tweaking Pianoteq in every possible way until I realized that my headphones might be the biggest bottleneck—not the piano itself.
I'm currently using the DT770 Pro 32Ω, and one thing I've always struggled with in Pianoteq is a slightly metallic/icy character. I also felt that the piano never quite came alive for me. After trying an open-back headphone (not even a particularly high-end one), I suddenly heard much better depth, keyboard imaging, and a much more natural, lively piano.
I'd especially like to hear from people who have experience with both the original ATH-R70x and the HD650 (or HD6XX).
My priorities are:
Rich, natural, colorful mids with body and weight.
Smooth upper frequencies without an icy or metallic character.
A natural, spacious presentation with realistic piano imaging (feeling the keyboard extend naturally from left to right).
Hearing microphone distance and depth.
Feeling like the piano is in front of me, in the room, rather than inside my head.
Has anyone here actually owned both the original ATH-R70x and the HD650 (or HD6XX) while playing Pianoteq or another high-end piano VST?
Of course, if you think another headphone would fit what I'm looking for even better, I'd really appreciate hearing your recommendation as well.
I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thanks!
Note: Amplification isn't an issue, as I already have the iFi ZEN CAN Amp.

I like my Sennheiser HD560S. Great price too.

They compare really well with much more expensive ones (but more plastic build).

https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/

Also check my other thread on getting the low resister to sound better

Which headphones make Pianoteq come alive?

2026-07-14T01:33:07Z

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a pair of headphones that will give me the most realistic experience of playing a grand piano with Pianoteq, rather than simply sounding the best for music listening.

I've been on a long journey tweaking Pianoteq in every possible way until I realized that my headphones might be the biggest bottleneck—not the piano itself.

I'm currently using the DT770 Pro 32Ω, and one thing I've always struggled with in Pianoteq is a slightly metallic/icy character. I also felt that the piano never quite came alive for me. After trying an open-back headphone (not even a particularly high-end one), I suddenly heard much better depth, keyboard imaging, and a much more natural, lively piano.

I'd especially like to hear from people who have experience with both the original ATH-R70x and the HD650 (or HD6XX).

My priorities are:
Rich, natural, colorful mids with body and weight.
Smooth upper frequencies without an icy or metallic character.
A natural, spacious presentation with realistic piano imaging (feeling the keyboard extend naturally from left to right).
Hearing microphone distance and depth.
Feeling like the piano is in front of me, in the room, rather than inside my head.
Has anyone here actually owned both the original ATH-R70x and the HD650 (or HD6XX) while playing Pianoteq or another high-end piano VST?

Of course, if you think another headphone would fit what I'm looking for even better, I'd really appreciate hearing your recommendation as well.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thanks!

Note: Amplification isn't an issue, as I already have the iFi ZEN CAN Amp.