I found Oratorys to be very good. I had a Cayin HA-2A delivered yesterday and I'm not using any EQ now. Fantastic pairing.

Just a quick addition to earlier... Meze 109 is blooming gorgeous on this. I really liked it before but felt it wasn't quite there on solid state. Now I can't take it off.

I've just joined the HA-2A club. Had a brand new one delivered today. I was going to buy the HA-1A mk2 as I've had it before and it paired nicely with my OG Auteur. But the store I placed the order with in the UK (shout out to Hifonix) gave me a call and suggested either the Feliks Echo or...

Again it's on a par with them. The problem with headphones mid tier and above, they're all similar in quality. It's more about personal preference at that point. No headphones has everything. Is your preference perceived detail, soundstage, imaging, dynamics, bass extension, tuning, comfort...

One headphone I thought I'd mention for you. If you're looking for a headphone that has an excellent tuning, and doesn't need an amp or DAC to sound great. Consider the Focal Bathys. It sounds good over Bluetooth, but when used with the USB cable and run in DAC mode (has to be over USB), it's...

The T5 is a sideways move. I prefer it out of the two, but many others would no doubt say the opposite. If you can find it for a good price then it's worth trying.

Verite Closed by far. Fantastic headphone. I haven't heard any other ZMF closed backs, I've owned several of their open backs. I'm very tempted to try the ZMF Bokeh. I'm fairly confident they're a step above the ones we've discussed. ZMF headphones have a really full sound and wonderful timbre.

I'd say they're pretty even overall. The Denon are good. Probably the slightly more organic. But they're both full and detailed. They feel like they're in the same bracket. The T5 is more spacious to my ears, not much in it though.

I have. Naytte nailed it when it comes to comfort. T5 headband extremely comfortable. Denon not at all. As for sound, the T5 is better balanced. The Denon has very recessed vocals. My one complaint for all the T5 models, I've got small ears. But the earpads hit the bottom of my earlobes...

Hey all, I've just picked up a pair of 109s. Overall, great headphone. At 44 my hearing drops off at around 14200. So just before the treble peak. As a result these are actually are warmer sounding headphone for me. They remind me of the ZMF Aeolus as a result. Sit back on a comfy leather...

Nice plan. I was looking at these before wondering if they could be used... https://customcans.co.uk/shop/product/hifiman-edition-xs-comfort-headband-strap-diy-mod/

2nd gen is the brightest of the bunch but not too bright. 3rd gen is quite a bit warmer, but it lacks the clarity of the 2nd gen. AH-D7200 is very recessed in the vocals. I think the Beyers are both better then the Denon. 3rd gen is the best balance overall (most mass market tuning). 2nd...

I haven't forgotten about you. The new pair turned up today... and they're fully pleather!!! No idea what's going on with their stock, but it seems I had some earpad gold dust on my hands.

If they're un-opened I might just take you up on that. The next pair should be here in a few days. I'll give you a shout when the time comes.

It's a hybrid, the inner is suede. I just ordered another pair. Let's see what I get. I actually wouldn't mind a pleather as it's my preferred.

I almost don't want to tell anyone this and keep it to myself... https://joeaudio.co.uk/products/audioquest-spare-pads-for-nighthawk-earphones A year or two ago, Joe Audio were selling these pads on ebay. I picked up two pairs at the time, without doubt they were official. But although the...

Very much the same here. I can't even stick a mod mic on them. Shame as the tuning is great for gaming.

The cable system was the big problem for me. The X2HR worked beautifully for gaming with a vmoda boom mic pro.

Eikon suede are excellent. I imagine Universe suede are similar to them.

The X 2021 is really nice. Be prepared that it's quite heavy, but it's a great listen.

Good effort. I've owned the T5p twice before and regretted letting go of it each time, so I've just picked it up again. They're getting harder and harder to find in great condition. Well worth holding onto. Give it a few more years and they'll become gold dust to find.

Those are the correct ones. They're very easy to fit. You can either slip them over the rim of the earcups, or use the plastic ring that the stock earcups are attached to. You can easily pop it out and take the stock pads off. Beyer pads are extremely easy to swap.

Very nice. Typically the used prices here in the UK tend to be close to the new price on Ali. No idea why but the price of the SHP models have crept up over the past couple of years. The Rode NTH-100 is also an excellent headphone if you're looking to play around in the same kind of price area.

While you're exploring Philips, try the Philips SHP9500. In terms of tuning they're more balanced. Less soundstage but more clarity. Also much lighter on the head. They're complimentary to the X2HR. You can get them for a very good price on AliExpress.

I've used the Arya Stealth and HE6SE but not the HE1000 v2. Arya was good. Nothing overly impressive when I compared them to my Fostex TH909 (incredible but very v-shaped headphone). I really don't like the earpads on Hifiman. They feel cheap and nasty. But Hifiman headphones EQ extremely well...