It's worrisome that vastly differing measurements of well-known headphones lead to corrective filters that don't sound at all alike. See the attached figure for the Sennheiser HD660S headphones. The top figure is from Tyll Herstens' InnerFidelity measurements; the middle one from the...

That's quite true about the HD650s, and the early HD800s were terribly shrill in the high-end. I agree with you that it's always good to swap out once in a while.

(Update another year later, May 2022) Hi all, It was a busy year, working from home and on the road, and I continued trying out in-ear and over-ear headphones, and, guess what: I have new over-ear and in-ear models (and DACs) to report on. I had heard Grado cans several times over the years...

My price limit is around $2000, so I haven't auditioned the Susvara or the SR-007.

I'd like to chime in again to say that after trying over a dozen alternatives, I'm back with Sennheiser HD650s. It's easier to apply a little bass boost with them than to repair all the problems with the "modern" planar or electrostatic cans. stp

(Update a year later) Hi all, I've tried a couple of new headphones over the last year, but stuck with the Audio Technica ATH-R70x and Westone W30 as my "daily drivers." Then... I saw a pair of the Sennheiser HD650 (Massdrop 6XX version) real cheap and bought them. Well, after starting this...

As a follow-up, I ended up selling the Audioquest Nighthawk Carbons and using the ATH-R70x exclusively.

Hi all, I went through the same process a while back and wrote up my evaluations. See https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530/ The bottom line is that I now use Audio Technica ATH-R70X and Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon. stp

Yes, the optical output cable is important for any Mac user; you really don't want your audio gear sharing a ground with the computer.

Hello, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

Hello, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

Thanks for your response; I've been waiting for someone to pick a fight here...

Hello, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

Hello, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

Hello, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

I can say that the FiiO Q1 Mark II is quite a decent amp, though I've switched to the Chord Mojo. stp

In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 Based on that, my recommendation to you would be a Chord Mojo DAC/amp and...

Fiio and LG phones.

Hello all, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

Get a used Chord Mojo

There are 2 opinions generally: TOSLINK has worse jitter because of the characteristics optical/electrical transducers, but S/P-DIF means there's an electrical connection between the devices (esp. bad if the source is a computer). I tend to use optical TOSLINK with a DAC with a good clock...

I had a V30 and now upgraded to a V40; they sound truly great for smartphones, but I can still hear the difference when I use a Chord Mojo as DAC/amp with good cans. stp

Hello all, In case you haven't seen it, I posted an in-depth comparison of 10 (11 actually) sets of headphones called "A Tale of 10 Cans" in a parallel forum; see, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530 stp

A Tale of 10 Cans Stephen Travis Pope - Jan-March, 2020 Introduction This documentation represents a subjective, personal comparison of a diverse collection of headphones and in-ear monitors ranging from relatively expensive new-technology over-ear headphones to old-school dynamics to...

Hi all, I've been doing some shopping around and critical listening to mid-level audiophile headphones (MSRP in the $350-500 range), and after some reading, I settled on the following list of candidates: -- Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium Edition (which I already owned) -- AKG Q701 Quincy Jones...