Oh, interesting that they've moved the connector from the frame to the wood cups now!

Had excellent experience with buyer, communicative and very easy to work with. Highly recommend!

Yes, I've heard them. The mids are fine, but might be a bit lean compared to the HD598. They're more similar to the mids on the X2HR.

The Edition XS would probably be my recommendation for your use cases. But it's a lot less warm than the HD598 from my recollection. IMO, the HarmonicDyne Zeus was closer in tonality and also had good soundstage, though I'm not familiar with the new Elite version.

Selling some beautiful wood cups from the Fostex TH-900 headphone with the red urushi lacquer. In general, they're in excellent condition. There are some minor scratches on the finish for one cup (which you can see in the second-to-last picture) but they're pretty much unnoticeable from a...

From what I remember, it fit along those lines. I enjoyed the R70x much more than the HD560s. I pretty much had the same issues with the HD560s as you did, the treble was peaky where I was sensitive to it and the imaging was kind of weird despite the soundstage being pretty good. The R70x had...

I know it's already been recommended in this thread, but just wanted to add another endorsement for the Accessory House Global Denon pads. I got a secondhand Denon AH-D5000 (EDIT: on closer inspection, it's actually an AH-D7000!) and the pads were wearing out. I had minor issues with the sound...

I actually had a suspicion that maybe the AHG pads are the sheepskin pads that E-MU offers. Since according to Chan, they just use OEM Fostex pads for the Teak, but I don't think Fostex makes any OEM sheepskin pads. From the pictures I've seen, the AHG model looks almost identical (down to what...

You basically just take the plastic ring out and put it in the ZMF pads, then you're good to go. That said, the Eikon/Auteur pads are a little large, so they're quite loose on the plastic ring. It makes it tricky to lock in, but once it's set, it's not a big deal. That might be the reason people...

That's surprising to hear about the Focal Clear. While they slam pretty hard, I felt the bass response was pretty linear. But I heard them off a solid state amp. I agree with the Clear and Elex being "upgrades" of the HD650 just because both have more intimate presentations. But tonality-wise...

In terms of perceived resolution and detail, yeah I'd say the Elex is an upgrade. But its sound presentation is more intimate like the 58x, imo. In terms of the R70X's tonality and sound presentation, the ZMF Auteur is the closest I've heard. For me, the big appeal of the R70x is having a...

From what I remember: Soundstage is a bit smaller on Avantone Planar and slightly more intimate presentation. As a result, Edition XS sounded a bit more spacious and separated. But Avantone Planar's ability to separate the layers in the mix was better. Tonality-wise, Edition XS sounds clearer...

Some additional suggestions that I think would probably meet the comfort/isolation requirements are the Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X, Sony MDR-1AM2, Focal Elegia, and the Meze 99 Classic/Noir. Tonality-wise...not so sure about, but yeah lol.

Had a smooth transaction with seller, quick to communicate and very accommodating! Highly recommend!

If you're in Seattle, I'd check out Definitive Audio and maybe the Best Buy in Northgate. Definitive Audio has some flagships you can demo like the HD800S and Focal and Best Buy usually has Sennheisers up for demoing. I agree about the JM XTC Open, imo exploring boutique options is something...

My recommendation would be two pairs. IMO, the more expensive headphones are worth it if you know what you want in your sound preferences. This is even more important if you're going for a single purchase and they'll be your main driver. But if you're not sure about your sound preferences, I...

I agree with some of the others, I would recommend listening to them exclusively for a time so you can get used to the sound. Then see which of the two you prefer. I have the OG Aeon Flow Closed with Noire pads and found them to be a bit lean and bright despite the great bass extension and...

I've only heard the RR1 Conquest on that list and agree, you're better off getting a similarly-priced planar after factoring in the cost of an energizer. It is really cool-looking and fairly comfortable, but something like an Audeze will be comparable in performance/tonality and be more...

Someone else asked before in the thread, I measured around 60mm x 30mm on my pair for the inner hole dimensions.

Holy cow, really impressed by the Truthear Nova. I expected it to sound too lean like the Galaxy Buds2 Pro based off measurements, but it ended up sounding much more natural to me. Well-balanced and very smooth sound. Their resolution was no slouch either, definitely punches above their price...

Could just be how your brain interprets the stage and/or the effect of your ear shape. I know that whenever there's a reddit thread on this, people describe their perception of soundstage in surprisingly different ways. Personally, the "height" of the soundstage is something that's hard for me...

Had a great transaction with seller, trade went smoothly and had a good chat as well. Would definitely do business again!

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Depends on your ear shape, but for me personally, I had no comfort issues with the Sundara's pads. In comparison, the Avantone's pads were just barely on the edge of feeling cramped. The weight of the headphones is more of an issue for me though than the pads.