Rank the Headphones that You Own. - Page 9

I've just updated my "rank the headphones that you own" reviews here to include my new Philips HP1000 headphones!

EX-71
MX400
The Plug
Sony Streetware
Philips $6 buds (For the carrying case, it's a good carrying case for my EX71's)

Notice that I don't have any Cans on the list? That's because I own zilch! Well, I make use of the HD-25-1 of my dad. Sometimes.

About time to get started PDream!

Hey, give me a break...Little money I make went into the over €100 of earphones I bought already (Or it it still under a hundred? The Plugs: €25, EX71: €50, MX400: €15, Philips: €6 = €96...Guess so) And I also have to buy games for 180 euros, so I need to find some sh*itload of money somewhere.

Although, PX100's are giving me sleepless nights.

1. Etymotic ER-4P
2. Sennheiser HD-497
3. Koss PortaPro

I've got some old Sony in-ear phones, MDR-A34, but they're not worth mentioning.

Not an extensive list, but I think I'm sure I've got them in the right order.

Ah-ha, my first post!

1. Sensa 2x-s
2. Alessandro ms2-i
3. Original dt990
3. dt531 (seriously, it's a tie)
4. A500
5. er6-i
6. ety 4p/s
7. Alessandro ms-1
8. Koss ksc-35
8. Koss ksc-75
9. Akg 26p
10. Sennheiser px200
11. mx500
12. Philips hs900
13. ath-fc7

Headphone Ranking

I'm finally in a position where I have something to report, based on my preferences (10 point MUST System):

1) Sony CD3000 10 {Amazing freq range, lush quality, & soundstage!!!}
2) Senn HD650 9.5 {Might rate 10 after burn-in; best comfort}
3) Grado RS1 9 {Excellent, but no fan of supra-aural foamies}
4) Sony V600 8 {Impressive bass/treb ext, 24 ohms!, coiled cable}
5) Sony SA5000 7 {Anemic bass, shallow/thin, harsh/shrill timbre}
6) AKG K240EF 6 {Weak bass, 600 ohms!, studio quality}

Looking forward to adding STAX to the list in a few weeks...

Ken

I know you're entitled to your opinion but you've been bashing sa5000 ALOT lately... hasn't it gone a little too far for a headphone you only heard for 2 days? and putting it below v600?!?! come on now...

This is my ranking (no score shall be given):

1) Sennheiser HD 600
2) Etymotic ER-4S
3) Sennheiser HD 555
4) Grado SR-225
5) Grado SR-325
6) AKG K240S
7) Sony MDR-CD2000
8) Grado SR-80
9) Grado SR-60
10) Sennheiser HD 497
11) Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
12) Sennheiser PX 100
13) Koss Porta Pro/KSC35
14) Sony MDR-XD400
15) Shure E3c
16) Sony MDR-7509
17) Sony MDR-7506
18) Sennheiser PX 200
19) Sony MDR-G74SL
20) Shure E2c

Those are my top 20. Anything lower than #20, and I don't want to mention it.

Haha, I can be so fickle. As of today:
1) (tentative) AKG K1000
2) AKG K340 (either flavor)

<medium-sized gap>

3) Grado HP-2
4) Sennheiser HD650

The rest are the same as before. I just got the K1000, so I need to live with it a while longer, though I'm sure it will at least end up in the top 2 along with the K340. I've been on a real AKG kick lately, it seems. Is team AKG in my near future? I'm not sure they'd want me...

Wow, I've heard the V600 before and I can say that the Sony SA5000 has to be awfully bad to deserve such a rating.

...unless you really think the V600 are that good .

I don't know, giving the V600 an eight on a scale of 1 - 10 (with RS1 placed at a nine) sounds like crazy talk to me.

Yes, such a rating is insane, not just unreasonable. I have heard the V600 on numerous occasions. That 'phone just didn't come anywhere close to making my top 20 list, in my judgment. If I still had that 'phone, I would rate it only a three on a scale of 1-10: I've heard worse headphones, but not at a price point that's anywhere near as high as what the V600 sold for. (By comparison, every single headphone on my top 20 list would score at least a six on that same 1-10 scale.)

On the other hand, I have never heard any of the MDR-SA#### series. Thus, I cannot rank the MDR-SA5000 at all yet.

From all that I have left:

1. Ety ER-4S
2. Grado SR60
3. Sennheiser HD 497

There's definitely something missing with the ety's, but nevertheless they have the most detailed treble I've ever heard in my life. I think they are way too analytical for my taste though, especially paired with my gilmore. Perhaps a warmer source will bring out the best in them.

I'll consider where the HD600's shall fall once I get them

Insane or Unreasonable?

Ya know, I started out with that V600 headphone on the bottom of my list; but, honestly, it would have been a snobbery evaluation. Having spent the better part of $2000 in the last month or so on upper end cans, how could a $100 headphone compete? But, I said to myself, in all fairness, you ought to give it another critical listen before assigning it a rank order based solely on perception of price/value.

So, I pulled out both my HD650 and V600 and proceeded to perform A/B switching on the same music passages over and over and over. I have to report that I was astounded at how good they sounded right next to the Senn's. The bass was deep/full/rich, nicely detailed, crisp/clean trebles, and excellent soundstage. After an hour or so of searching for weaknesses and qualities to knock it down, I ended up raising the score to where it actually fit with my testing. I don't appreciate the coiled cable and the headphones were designed for people with bigger noggins than I have; but, sonically, I was and remain impressed. I'm cascading them to my daughter for her IPOD (low impedance is a huge plus!). No way am I getting rid of them although that was the original plan.

So, for the thinner wallets among us, the Sony V600's offer a pretty respectable musical experience. IMO.

Now, I recognize perfectly well that I should be trashing a headphone that costs $100 (soaking wet) compared to these other heavweights, but I'd rather be honest and report what I experienced. Perhaps that does qualify me as insane; but, I'm not being unreasonable. I am completely amenable to being judged incorrect, as well as insane, but PLEASE do an A/B test with your favorite cans before casting that first stone. Don't rely on faded memory. That's what I did, at first, but it would have been unjustified. IMHO.

Ken

Actually, I listened to it very recently. It does not change my judgment of that 'phone. It still sounds as bad as I remember it sounding. The lower midrange is severely overboosted on that 'phone - and the rest of the sound, apart from the peaky, colored mid-treble, is buried in mud.