[peter123]

During the last couple of years I've acquired quite a few full-size headphones in the $200+ segment. I've only made full reviews of a couple of them and I thought that I'd make a comparison thread rather then make full reviews of each of them.

The intention with this thread is to share my experiences and thoughts with the headphones that I own. I will also do my best to answer any questions that may come up about these headphones and about how they compare to each other.

This thread will be a work in progress and I will use the time necessary (and available to me) to, hopefully, make it valuable for others so please bare with me.

The headphones that I own in this segment are the following:
AKG Q701
Fischer Audio FA-011
Grado SR325is
Hifiman Edition S
Hifiman HE400i
Hifiman HE560
Meze 99 Classic
Onkyo A800
Philips Fidelio X2
Sennheiser HD558
Sennheiser HD598
Sennheiser HD650
Sennheiser HD700
Sennheiser HD800S

 

[peter123]

Reserved 2

 

[peter123]

Reserved 3

 

[slowpickr]

Nice thread. You need to get the Monoprice M1060 and do a little modding just for kicks.

 

[peter123]

Nice thread. You need to get the Monoprice M1060 and do a little modding just for kicks.

Yeah, those does most definitely have me interested. Maybe when I go to NYC in the spring time

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I'm really looking forward to this thread. I am thinking about my next step-up headphone and you have nearly everything that is on my radar. (DT880 is conspicuously absent) Thanks for your (future) contribution.

 

[peter123]

I'm really looking forward to this thread. I am thinking about my next step-up headphone and you have nearly everything that is on my radar. (DT880 is conspicuously absent) Thanks for your (future) contribution.

Thanks, hopefully I'll get some more information up today and also during the Christmas holidays

I owned the DT880 for over a year but eventually sold it (the only headphone I've ever sold) as it wasn't to my liking at all. It's a great headphone but for me the natural sound is very important and I felt that the DT880 was just too metallic and artificial sounding. I pretty much use all my headphones from time to time but when I haven't used the DT880 for more than six months I decided to let it go.

 

[bronxers]

Looking forward to this comparison. Curious as to where the Onkyo A800 stands now that you've owned it for a bit. I prefer them to the HE560 and easily prefer them to the HD6XX and X2.

 

[peter123]

Looking forward to this comparison. Curious as to where the Onkyo A800 stands now that you've owned it for a bit. I prefer them to the HE560 and easily prefer them to the HD6XX and X2.

Yeah, I totally enjoy them as well. Personally I'd rate the HE560 higher but apart from them and the HD800S the A800 are my third most used pair of headphones.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem as if this thread will be happening as this new, wonderful, site doesn't allow to insert tables and that's the way I've done the initial part of the comparisons.

To top things off it's almost impossible to write anything in here with the Samsung S8 as the autospell gets completely messed up. Boy did they ruined this great site with this useless crap of an "upgrade" , makes me really sad......

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Yeah, I totally enjoy them as well. Personally I'd rate the HE560 higher but apart from them and the HD800S the A800 are my third most used pair of headphones.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem as if this thread will be happening as this new, wonderful, site doesn't allow to insert tables and that's the way I've done the initial part of the comparisons.

To top things off it's almost impossible to write anything in here with the Samsung S8 as the autospell gets completely messed up. Boy did they ruined this great site with this useless crap of an "upgrade" , makes me really sad......

Bummer....I hate to complain about things like this, but I don't notice any improvements over the old version, and I really miss the feature where you could scroll through all of the pictures posted to a particular thread...why would you delete a feature that is so useful? When threads can go on literally for years and for hundreds of pages, forcing the user to troll through countless pages to relocate a picture that they may have seen one time is asinine.

 

[peter123]

Bummer....I hate to complain about things like this, but I don't notice any improvements over the old version, and I really miss the feature where you could scroll through all of the pictures posted to a particular thread...why would you delete a feature that is so useful? When threads can go on literally for years and for hundreds of pages, forcing the user to troll through countless pages to relocate a picture that they may have seen one time is asinine.

Yeah, therest several features that I miss from the old layout. I don't like to complain either but the result is a mess. The activity on this site has decreased significantly since the change and most reviewers has established other options to publish their reviews as well so unfortunately it seem to be a lot more people than us that's frustrated.

 

[trellus]

I love how you have your headphones on display, visible, but with some basic protection. I've purposed to do the same as right now I have a few out and the rest all in cases in my closet.

 

[peter123]

I love how you have your headphones on display, visible, but with some basic protection. I've purposed to do the same as right now I have a few out and the rest all in cases in my closet.

Thank you!

 

[Baycode]

Hi Peter!!!

I recently came across your thread!

Great setup and cabinet!

Don't you still have the AKG K240 Sextett? You knew how much I love my modded one. But recently I have plugged my AKG K340 Electrostatic-Dynamic on my Darkvoive TH336SE and I thought I had to give it another try. So I started modding it for the 3rd time! In the end I have killed the dynamic drivers in them So I have started my search and bought a very lightly used K340 recently! Its now my favorite full sized headphone and I didnt even mod this one yet (because it already sounds great). This K340 is the later production version (Its called as bass heavy version by some headfiers but It is neutral IMO - compared to Fostex T50RP and K7XX).

I can see the Fidelio X2 on your list too. Are you liking them? Which full sized is your favorite right now?

All the best my friend! Cheers!

 

[peter123]

Hi Peter!!!

I recently came across your thread!

Great setup and cabinet!

Don't you still have the AKG K240 Sextett? You knew how much I love my modded one. But recently I have plugged my AKG K340 Electrostatic-Dynamic on my Darkvoive TH336SE and I thought I had to give it another try. So I started modding it for the 3rd time! In the end I have killed the dynamic drivers in them So I have started my search and bought a very lightly used K340 recently! Its now my favorite full sized headphone and I didnt even mod this one yet (because it already sounds great). This K340 is the later production version (Its called as bass heavy version by some headfiers but It is neutral IMO - compared to Fostex T50RP and K7XX).

I can see the Fidelio X2 on your list too. Are you liking them? Which full sized is your favorite right now?

All the best my friend! Cheers!

Hi Baybars,
Long time no see my friend

I'm so sorry to hear about your K340 but glad that you find a new one. I've never had a chance to listen to them but I hope that some day I will. Yeah, I've got the Sextett's still (I've actually got two pairs now because of a mistake). I enjoy them a lot but I really should try to change the rubber strings on both as they fit a bit look on my small head.

The X2's are still my favorite sub $300 headphones and probably the headphones that I've used the lost for the last couple of years.

On the second half of last year I did several great purchases though and got the HD800S, HE560 and Onkyo A800 which I enjoy even more than the X2's (but they're also a lot more expensive) and I prefer them in the order they're listed. The A800 is really the sound from the X2's in perfection imo. Not quite the same soundstage width but more refined and with less midbass. They're my favorite "relaxed listening headphones" (I prefer them to the HD650 by quite some margin) and a perfect complement to the HE560 and HD800S.

I'm honestly so satisfied with my gear right now that I starting to lose interest a bit, quite ironic given all the time and money I've spent to get hear ha ha. I kind of know that upgrading from where I'm at right now will be very expensive and given how satisfied I am with my current stuff I just can't see myself using that kind of money now.