Qualifying sound impressions...

I have always had a difficult time knowing what I like about the sound of different speakers, amps, headphones, etc. I've usually just known that I like something better than something else. So I'm wondering if some people could give their descriptions of the sound of some things to maybe help me understand terms a bit better.

Things I own in order of when I bought them, earliest first:

FiiO E5

Grado SR125i

Audeo PFE 112

FiiO E11

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80ohm

I think the Audeo earphones are 'accurate' with a pretty flat response. I've always heard Grados described as 'musical' which I take to mean less accurate.

Here is a list of those items listed in order of preference:

1. DT 770 + E11

2. SR125i + E11/E5

3. SR125i

4. PFE + E5

5. DT 770

6. PFE

I'm hoping that maybe someone could take a stab at what characteristics might influence my listening preference based on these headphones. It's obvious that I prefer to have an amp on everything, though the PFEs and Grados really only see improvement in lower bass response. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by BotByte 

I'm not sure what your asking

 

Are you:

 

What kinda of listening do I enjoy?

or

What's wrong with me?

 

1. I believe all your headphones do not need an amp, I might be wrong with the Beyer though

 

2. When you add an amp, it messes with the sound. My grados sound different with my E5 also, but they also sound different to my ears and are more distorted. So I don't amp them at all. 

 

3. You're just learning to love one of your cans more then the others. Simple as that.

 

My list is:

T50RP

HD598

SR80i

M1

PortaPro

MDR-V6

 

I use my E5 only for my M1's and I amp all my fullsized, but my Grado are only for potable usage, so they take my Cowon S9

I think the DT 770's most definitely need an amp(at least the 80 ohm version does.) The others, not so much.

You're certainly right about me learning to love my DT 770's over my Grados and my little PFE's, but I'm interested in why I prefer them. I was hoping that maybe someone here might have 2 or more of the same headphones as myself and could tell me what they think the differences are. I know it's an odd question and I probably have not posed it as clearly as possible! Maybe someone will understand what I'm trying to ask?