Rank the Headphones that You Own. - Page 7

1. RS-1 with flats
2. RS-1 with bowls

Impossible.

I use the following phones most frequently with equalizer adjustment in bracket

1) Stax 3030 (+6db bass)
2) Grado SR-325 (-3db treble)
3) Senn HD-600 (-2db treble)
4) Senn IE3 / Futuresonic EM3 (+12db treble) (incredible bass!)

Used not often:

5) AKG K340 (+4db treble, moddded)
6) Senn HD-595
7) Yamaha HP-1 (+8db treble)
8) Senn PX-100

LOL come on it wouldn't take too long to rank your 30-40 headphones or however many your up to these days

It's not that it would take too long (I'm retired.....I got plenty of time), it's the fact that I actually enjoy all of them. For example, today I listened to the Sharp D33 (comfy), the Sony D66 Eggos (balanced), and the ATH EW9 (detailed). Each one did something better than the other.........tough to rank. Same goes for my full-sized cans. I really do enjoy each of them for what they do. None of them are perfect.

I own a few cans, my honest 2 cents, in terms of sound (for my ears)...

1.) Sony Qualia010
2.) Sony MDR-CD3000
3.) AKG K240DF
4.) Philips HP890
5.) ATH W100
6.) Senn Evolution EH-2270
7.) Sony D66 eggo
8.) Senn HD-600

Nice cans, Mr. Sun. I see you ranked the D66 Eggos above the HD-600s. Interesting.

I am not a Senn guy every now and then... Plus, I simply enjoyed the D66 when it goes with an umamped rig. HD-600 just can't do that kind of stunt.

^_^

1) Koss SportaPro
2) Sennheiser HD600 (stock)
3) Sony MDR-V6
4) Grado SR-60
5) Etymotic ER-6

Headphones I've owned long enough to compare here. The first four reviews in the list were all based on listening via my Pimeta w/OPA637's. Pictures of most of my audio setup are here.

There is no real clear winner here at this point because they each have their own strengths and weaknesses as well as I haven't had enough listening time on the first two in the list. Headphones #5 - 7 were just thrown in because I've owned them.

1. Philips HP1000 w/cable mod by PinkFloyd (easily the best $75 I've ever spent on a headphone). I just received these 'phones brand new and they are still burning in. So far they do everything better than my HP890's (look at that review below) except that the bass does not extend quite as low, it is tighter overall however so the HP1000 wins out. The soundstage on these is simply wonderful, it is huge with so much seperation, detail and dynamics. They beat the HD600 in the soundstage department IMHO. The vocals and highs are quite a bit improved over the HP890's. The vocals on the HP890's often had the tendency to sound somewhat recessed which I can say without a doubt that the HP1000's have fixed!! These are crisper and somewhat brighter than the HD600's. The HP1000's are as comfortable as the HP890's and they contain a higher build quality. The ear pieces (which are a tad smaller in thickness and width compared to the HP890's) on these should not ever sag on your ears which was a complaint by a minor amount of people about the HP890's. The build quality is high, a little higher than the HP890's but I haven't owned them long enough to know for sure. I would rate them as equal to HD600's for comfort while laying down in bed. The HD600's are smaller in overal size by a fair amount but they get a little hotter around my ears because of their cloth material and can tend to give a irritating feeling vs the HP1000's softer velvet material that doesn't irritate, but the HP1000's are larger on your head, the HD600 uses a two-sided cable and the HP1000 uses a one-sided cable, so there are going to be tradeoffs on the two. It would come down to personal preference on that issue. The HP1000's look almost as silly on your head as the HP890's, the difference is these look a lot more futuristic! They do have a classy look while wearing them like the HD600's but while the HD600's have a classy understated look while being worn, these tend to make you look like a futuristic space cadet. These use the same great silky no snag material headphone cable as the HP890's did as stock. A replacement cable can be had for both of the Philips since the Sennheiser HD590 cable is fully compatible with them. I would never want to switch cables because I love the feel of the stock one. Come with a pretty awesome full size velvet storage case. A headphone amp is required on these. High sound leakage from the drivers.

2. Sennheiser HD600 w/HD650 cable. Just to note, I've only owned these a week before my Philips HP1000's arrived so I'm still getting used to the sound on them. They do most everything right, the midrange is the best part, it's quite rich and detailed. They are laid back however compared to the HP1000's. They contain a SMOOTH open sound, allows you to hear all of the little nuances of the original recording. These have a sweet rich buttery midrange detail, more so than any other headphone I own. The HD600's have a more relaxing sound to them compared to the Philips, they would be easier to fall asleep to - that isn't a bad thing. Bass freaks will shy away from these, it just does not extend deep enough for the bass-heads but what it has is good. Sometimes I feel that the treble could be improved somehow but I couldn't put my finger on it exactly. The HD600's are comfortable headphones but they are smaller and tend to have more clamping force compared to both of the Philips. Also I find that the cloth material on the ear pieces gets hotter than the velvet material of the HP890/1000's. The carbon fiber headband looks really cool! A headphone amp is absolutely required for these, more so than any other headphone I own. The HD600's are the best looking phone while being worn compared to all of the others here, they contain an understated classy look and the carbon fiber really adds to that while barely any plastic is seen at all. The HD600's are tied with the HP1000 for comfort while laying down in bed, there are tradeoffs on both but I'd still say they tie. The stock cable has to go though, at the very least replace it with a HD650 stock cable for both the much thicker cable (more than twice as thick) and better looking and thicker earpiece connectors! High sound leakage from the drivers.

3. Philips HP890 w/cable mod by PinkFloyd. I've owned and put listening time on these headphones for two years longer than the two 'phones above. Quite easily the BEST sub $65 I could have ever spent on a headphone. Discovered them on Head-Fi, they were not available for sale in US. This is the most comfortable headphone I think I've used for extended wear, although the HD600 is not far behind it. The huge velvet ear pillows are a big part of the comfort factor. They have the best stock cable I've ever had, the covering on it is silky smooth and lightweight yet durable. My cable was modded to terminate in a 1/4" connector instead of 1/8". It is a joy to use and is a one sided type of headphone cable. The sound signature is quite a bit different than the headphone above, even though they get compared to each other, one thing that the HP890's certainly have is a high fun factor. The bass goes deep but can sound wooly. They contain a nice open sound with high seperation. The treble is the main thing that lets it down, it can be too bright and sometimes gets a bit shrill. Vocals have the tendency to get recessed which is something that the HP1000's definately fix! One of the least fatiguing sounding phones I've listened to. It is behind the HP1000 and HD600's for comfort while laying down in bed because of its larger/thicker earcups and the alien looking double band at the top of the headphone extends far above your head (sticks out). These guys sound a LOT better on a good headphone amp, I would not bother with them without one. Some have suffered from cracking around the drivers but mine have been just fine after two owners. Come with a nice full size upright headphone stand to store them on. High sound leakage from the drivers.

4. Sennheiser HD535 w/HD650 cable. I bought these new at Good Guys way back in 1998 for around $200. I have had to replace an entire driver on them because I tried to fix a loose cable connection problem and ended up ruining an entire driver (very delicate to work on). Contains the classic Sennheiser sound signature but it is not as mature as the HD600's sound. Very comfortable to wear but they give off somewhat of a flimsy plastic feel because of the headband and area surrounding the drivers. The bass is different I think it can go deeper but it is not as controlled, midrange and detail is not as good as the HD600.

5. Sony MDR-CD780. Something about the treble on them annoyed me, it got fatiguing. The stock cable that came with these was very stiff and course which I just could not get used to at all (I hear there were two types of cables made for the CD780's, one smooth and one course). The worst thing about the cable that these came with was that whenever the cable moved on your body it was very audible through the headphones! The cloth earpads got quite warm after only 30 minutes of use. I only kept these for a few days, the comfort was not there.

6. Sony MDR-7506 (same as Sony MDR-V6). The treble was far too fatiguing, didn't do much well unless you count bass. They may have some deep bass but I don't think it was tight & controlled bass. Somewhat muddy midrange and poor treble, lack of detail. These could make a fairly good portable phone. Has a well put together feel and might look better on your head than a lot of portable phones. They got too hot for me on the ears indoors.

7. Sony MDR-V600. These did not do anything right as far as I can remember.

I currently only own the Philips HP1000, Grado 325i, Senn PX100, and AKG K24P:

1. Philips HP1000
2. Grado 325i
3. Sennheiser HD595
4. AKG K240s
5. Beyerdynamic DT440
6. Sennheiser HD25-1
7. Grado 225 woody
8. Grado 225
9. Sennheiser PX100
10. Philips HP910
11. AKG K24P
12. Grado 325 silver
13. Sharp MD33
14. Philips HP170
15. Sony CD780
16. Koss Pro4AAT
17. Ministry Of Sound DJ1000
18. AKG K271
19. Sony D66
20. Sony E888

-hp2

-HD650 + Ohelback cable
( turning on XLR someday )
the most cohesive and nice sound across a lot of genres , the better right tone across many instruments / voices , but somewhat tiring on the long listentings because of their bulkiness and weight , and a unfortunately touch too warm . 380$

-modded Akg k501
(mods = tapes , angled drivers , smashed pads )
A good alternative to HD650 when i don't want any weight on the head, very smooth and involving sound. 150$

-Panasonic RP-F400
( you have to try them , i don't know why no one ever noticed them here )
My first pair of serious? headphones; they rock between the grados and the akg k501, when drived from ppa their performance are so good you can't stand their low price, and they weight less then k501. Great on portables too.
Don't get the F500 or the F800 as they are not any better . 50$

-Westone UM2
( the right performers on portable )
If you can spend a bit of money on canalphones , these are a no brainer. 300$.

-Ksc35 / Sportapro
headphones that started my portable head-fi journey , which i still use and like. 30$

EDIT : some martian products have landed in my mail ( their name is HP2 ) ...

I own and used to own number of headphones, but I will only rank what I do own now.

1) Sennheiser HD-650 w/ Zu Mobius or Silver Dragon (9.5)
2) Sony MDR-CD3000 w/ Headphile Wooden Earcups and Moon Audio Silver Cable (9.2) - tie
2) AKG K1000 (9.2) - tie
3) Sennheiser HD-650 w/ Equinox Cable (9.0/10)
4) Sennheiser Baby Orpheus (8.8)
5) Sennheiser HD-650 stock (8.5) - tie
5) Sennheiser HD-580 Jubilee w/ Equinox (8.5) - tie
7) Sony MDR-CD3000 stock (8.3)
7) Sennheiser HD-600 w/ Zu Mobius (8.1)
8) Senn HD-580 Jubilee stock (7.8) - tie
8) Shure E5C (7.8) - tie
9) Senn HD-600 stock (7.6)
10) Grado SR-325 (7.6)
11) Audio Technica AT-A100ti (7.0)
13) JVC HA-D990 (6.5)
13) Sony MDR-E484 (6.3)
14) Shure E2C (6.0)
15) Sony MDR-E888 (5.8)
16) Koss KSC-35 (5.5)

In general:

1. Sennheiser HD650 w/ Zu Mobius
2. Grado RS-1
3. Etymotic Research ER-4P/S

Eh, what the hell, I'm bored, so I'll post again including all the cans I've owned, borrowed, or heard at meets:

1) Sennheiser HD650 + Zu Mobius
2) Grado HP-2 w/ Reference cable
3) AKG K340 (tie)
3) Grado RS-1*** (tie)
5) Grado SR-200***
6) HD600 (any cable)
7) HD580 (any cable)
8) HD555**
9) AKG K401***
10) Grado SR-225
11) Koss Porta-Pro 2**
12) Senn HD497*
13) AKG K271S
14) Senn PX100*
15) Koss KCS-55**
16) Philips HP170
17) Ipod stock buds
18) Aiwa HP-X222 (ugh, these are a sonic abomination)

* = Used to own, but but not anymore
** = Borrowed and listened to extensively
*** = Heard at a meet