[Germancub]

I know we all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to brands of headphones. But I noticed most headphone brands have a certain house sound. Which ones do you dislike/annoy you the most?
 
Is it Grado's in your face slam, or maybe Sennheiser's dark veil? Is it AKG's really punchy but very very light bass, or maybe even Audio Technica's completely inconsistent house sound (as in, most of them really dont sound alike, not that their sound is bad or inconsistent)?
 

 

[Acix]

HD-650, and there is no amp or DAC that can save them.

 

[Anaxilus]

I've heard only maybe 3 Sennheisers in my life, the most recent being 3 years ago.  Haven't heard one I liked yet.  Most of the Shure IEM line is underperforming and overpriced IMO.  I do want to hear the 535 though.  

 

[Cankin]

I've heard many Beyers (DT770/880/990/250/770m/T1) and I don't think there is one generic house sound for them. They sound quite different from one another but all of them sounded equally bad.

 

[Germancub]

Quote:

I've heard many Beyers (DT770/880/990/250/770m/T1) and I don't think there is one generic house sound for them. They sound quite different from one another but all of them sounded equally bad.

I think if I had to come up with a house sound for beyerdynamic it would be bright or treble centric usually. Every single beyer i've heard had extremely clear highs which sounded great on acoustic music but anything complex like rock or indie sounded so bright it literally hurt.

 

[khatch]

Quote:

HD-650, and there is no amp or DAC that can save them.

x2.  I was very glad to see them go.
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

I burned out on the Grado house sound.  Really loved it for awhile, but eventually got tired of the coloration.  There are some fond memories, though.
 
On the other hand, I never did like the K-701, which I find atypical of AKG's usually natural, excellent mids.

 

[Germancub]

I actually agree with you Uncle Erik about the Grado house sound. I loved Grado for the longest time and bought everything from the SR60 to the RS-1. Ended up selling all of them. For the first time in 10 years, as of last week, I'm Grado-free. Haha.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

I actually agree with you Uncle Erik about the Grado house sound. I loved Grado for the longest time and bought everything from the SR60 to the RS-1. Ended up selling all of them. For the first time in 10 years, as of last week, I'm Grado-free. Haha.

For me the RS-1 and most of the AKG;s are under classic hps sound.

 

[KingStyles]

For an overall line I would have to say Beyerdynamic. None of them really do it for me.

 

[stevenswall]

Grado... "extremely over-efficient at treble reproduction" as my uncle would say.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I own one each AKG, Sennheiser and Grado, and will get a K701 or K601, and an ATH-Ax00* if I find one used at a low price, and I like them all. Have to say the Sennheiser is usually third, but I bought the HD600 for its synergy with my current gear over the K701. None of them really annoys me though, it's just a matter of where I'll put my money first.
 
As for the observation that ATs have a less distinct "house sound," it's easier if you isolate the mass-market products from the audiophile/proaudio products. The latter does, and they excel with the treble.
 
 
 
*Always loved the A-series treble, problem is, I never liked the rest of the audio spectrum from them, that's why they're last on my list

 

[MacedonianHero]

Ultrasone house sound for me. Bass that encroaches on the mids like no other...and yet they are still bright with hot treble.

 

[rhythmdevils]

Ultrasone and Beyerdynamic.  They both sound equally bright and lifeless to me.  Like they spent too much time measuring and not enough time listening.

 

[K_19]

I haven't liked any of the Beyer's I've tried so far (DT770, DT880, DT990).  I like everything about them except for their sharp 9-10k peak - something I can be extremely sensitive to.  Ultrasone and some Denons as well for similar reasons.