[stpope]

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 fitted in-ear monitors. I used several different digital-to-analog convertors and headphone amps, and a broad selection (rock/pop, acoustic/folk, jazz, classic/romantic, contemporary/experimental, renaissance, world, etc.) of CD-quality and HD 24/96 source material in the evaluation. I also tested several software packages for headphone correction, mainly the Sonarworks Systemwide and ToneBoosters MorphIt filtering software (see Attachment 2).

This note summarizes the findings that are detailed in the accompanying documents:
1. A spreadsheet of the listening comments and subjective evaluations
2. Screen shots of the measured frequency responses and correction filters
3. Photographs of the headphones and DACs

The background for this project is that for over a decade I had exclusively used Sennheiser HD-series headphones (HD-600, -700 and then -800) and Westone in-ear monitors. During that time, I was almost hospitalized several times due to bass starvation stemming from the Sennheisers (only joking). I had also read about a whole collection of new-comers making planar magnetic and/or electrostatic headphones, and several other respected companies (Beyerdynamic and Audio-Technica) whose microphones I work with every day, but whose headphones I'd never tested for longer than a few minutes. This all lead me to buy several new pairs of 'phones and start keeping notes on my comparative listening sessions. After a while I'd sell the ones I decided I didn't like and try others, leading to the results summarized here. At the end of the process, I rated each of the candidates on a scale of 1 - 10 according to their sound, fit and value, leading to the numerical ranking shown below.

The bottom line for the impatient is that I kept the following 3 sets:

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x - Open-back, dynamic
Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon - Semi-open-back, dynamic
Westone W30 - In-ear (fitted)

The tested hardware (in alphabetical order)

AKG Q701 "Green" - Semi-open-back, dynamic
Audeze LCD-X - Open-back, planar magnetic
Audio-Technica ATH-R70x - Open-back, dynamic
Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon - Semi-open-back, dynamic
Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition - Semi-open-back, dynamic
Etymotic HF3 - In-ear (fitted)
HiFiMan HE400i Special Edition - Open-back, planar magnetic
Massdrop Noble Luxe - In-ear (disqualified because they fell apart during testing)
MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed - Closed-back, planar magnetic
Polk UltraFocus 8000 - Closed-back, dynamic, active noise cancellation
Westone W30 - In-ear (fitted)

The DACS and Drivers (in alphabetical order)

Antelope Orion Studio - multi-channel Thunderbolt audio interface
Chord Mojo - battery-powered stand-alone USB/optical DAC/amp
Fiio Q1 MkII - battery-powered stand-alone USB/optical DAC/amp
Focusrite Clarett 8PreX - multi-channel Thunderbolt audio interface
Mytek Brooklyn - stand-alone USB/optical DAC/amp

The results (in order of rating, see the attached spreadsheet)

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x
Westone W30
Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon
MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed
Etymotic HF3
Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition
Audeze LCD-X
HiFiMan HE400i Special Edition
Polk UltraFocus 8000
AKG Q701 "Green"
Massdrop Noble Luxe

Comments on the best-scoring 'phones (in order of rank)

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x
Sound 9
Fit 10
Value 10
Total 29

I had bought these on a lark because I found them cheap and have used and loved Audio-Technica condensor microphones for some time. As it turned out, these relatively simple, unassuming dynamic 'phones blew me away and are now my favorites, even compared to models costing up to 4 times as much! They have a unique flying-wing suspension system with spring-loaded padded arms that touch your head to keep the 'phones in place (see the photos in the attachments); the mechanism works better for me than any other form of adjustable band. It also helps a lot that they only weigh 210 grams (that's really light for full-size over-ear 'phones). The cables go to both sides, and they're both TRS plugs, so it doesn't matter which cable goes to which side; what a novel idea! Lastly, the measured frequency response is the flattest I've ever seen in headphones (±3 db from 40 - 20,000 Hz according to the Sonarworks measurements), and hence the required correction filters are the gentlest. The high impedance might be a challenge for some drivers, though, the the slight mid-range suck-out means that vocal recordings sometimes need some help.

Westone W30
Sound 9
Fit 10
Value 7
Total 26

I've owned these for years and have fitted in-ear plugs so that they seal well, and therefore deliver prodigious clean clear bass and crips but never shrill highs. These are pro models where the cables wrap around your ears so they're less likely to get snagged on things and pulled out. They also don't stick our as far as many ear-bud style monitors. Due to the sealed plugs, these also give almost 30 dB of isolation, which can be great (or dangerous; it depends). The cable is cloth-wrapped, making it less fragile and much easier to untangle. There's a reason Westone is the most popular brand of IEM for live musicians. These are my go-to in-ears for mixing and long-term listening, but it's a pain to put them on/off quickly.

Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon
Sound 9
Fit 8
Value 8
Total 25

These were a late arrival to the tests, and I'm really happy I decided to try them out. On the surface, the drivers are typical dynamic drivers, with a fancy molded enclosure and strange-looking suspension. They're a bit heavier. than I'd like, and the stock (Audioquest, of course) cable is both heavy and stiff. They also arrived with a warning to burn them for 150 hours (over 6 days) before any critical listening! Well, all I can say is that I'm glad I obliged; their sound opened up and softened significantly after the burn in, and they're pretty much tied with the ATH-R70x as my favorite. They sound sweeter and have a deeper sound stage, but they're a bit heavier and more subject to cable noise. The sound-stage is so good that I still find myself taking them off to make sure my speakers are turned off. About the construction: the headband is a single piece of stiff cable with a padded stretch band attached to the ends, and the ear-pieces are attached to the headband by 4 thin pieces of plastic. The first time I examined it, I said to myself, "I'm really going to miss these when they break." (Stay tuned...)

MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Closed
Sound 7
Fit 8
Value 8
Total 23

After being pretty disappointed by the first 2 pairs of planar magnetic 'phones from new companies I tried (see below), these were a welcome piece of good news; I liked the closed-back design, though it did constrict the soundstage somewhat (I'd love to hear their open-back siblings). The Aeon's sound was great, but they tended to be shrill without the correction filters (see the measurements of the weird peaky highs). They were quite comfortable, but I worry about the resizing band getting loose after a while so that they always slip down. I almost kept these, but they're also not cheap.

Etymotic HF3
Sound 6
Fit 8
Value 7
Total 21

These are my other pair of fitted in-ears, and I love their sound, but they're fragile (esp. the cable) and stick straight out of your ears so they're ugly and the cables tend to flap. They have great frequency response, but aren't quite as clear as the (much more expensive) Westones. My pair has a microphone for use with a cell phone, so these are my standard on-the-road 'phones.

Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition
Sound 6
Fit 8
Value 6
Total 20

These had been my intermediate station after leaving the Sennheiser domain (but remaining in Germany). I always liked the sound and found them comfortable and light, but their sound is just a bit unclear, lacking in definition, and the frequency response is a bit hard to correct for (cutting the shrill highs without making it sound filtered). The high impedance might also be a challenge for some drivers. I also missed a removable (and upgradable) cable on these, and the stock cable is 9 ft. long.

Audeze LCD-X
Sound 8
Fit 5
Value 6
Total 19

The Audeze LCD-X is one of the most celebrated recent 'phones, and I can hear why; super-up-front snappy bass and wide/deep sound stages. Unfortunately, these were just too heavy and loose for me, by a lot. Weighing in at well over a pound, they are loose and tend to slip off if you turn your head too quickly or even look down (e.g., at the desk). I had serious thoughts of suspending them from the ceiling by a bungee chord. ...but the bass was to die for!

The rest scored less than 19 and are not discussed in detail here; see the comments in the spreadsheet in Attachment 1.

DAC/amp comments

My work (mixing and mastering music) entails listening to my Antelope Orion Studio or its predecessor Focusrite Clarett 8PreX (both multi-channel Thunderbolt audio interfaces) much of the time. The Mytek Brooklyn (stand-alone USB/optical DAC/amp) had been in my living-room system until this testing. The Fiio Q1 MkII (battery-powered stand-alone USB/optical DAC/amp) had been my "travel kit" for long plane flights, and the Chord Mojo (battery-powered stand-alone USB/optical DAC/amp) was acquired (based on a friend's recommendation) during this testing; it is my favorite portable DAC and rivals any computer interface I had before the Antelope Orion.

My initial assumption (based on my experience with other professional studio-oriented multichannel audio interfaces from the likes of Apogee, Universal Audio, Focusrite and RME) was that the headphone amps in the Antelope Orion were not really "hi-fi" and would not stand up well in comparison to "audiophile" gear such as the Mytek Brooklyn. Much to my surprise, I was able to clearly hear the difference between CD-quality and HD 24/96 source material with the Orion with most of the 'phones under test, something I can't say about mid-fi the Fiio Q1 MkII (or most of the other studio interfaces I've used).

The big revelation during this test was switching between normal computer DAC/drivers and the Chord Mojo, running on batteries and connected by an optical TOSLINK connection from my Mac host (i.e., no electrical connection to the rest of the system at all). There are several important design features that are unique to the Chord family of DACs, especially the DAC structure and reconstruction filter (ask your favorite search engine), as well as the multi-stage discrete headphone amplifier. This was especially effective on music with extreme transients (e.g., finger-picking and electroacoustic music) and very dense textures (e.g., Mahler's Symphony of a thousand, other large choral pieces, and electroacoustic music). It has a couple of strange quirks (like the UI), but I'll be keeping the Mojo within arm's reach for the foreseeable future (like until I can spring for the Chord Hugo).

Summary

There were several major surprises in this process, and I ended up revising my opinions and expectations several times. While I started out expecting to hear great things from the new class of large planar magnetic headphones, I was generally pretty disappointed. The most comfortable ones (MrSpeakers Aeon) sounded pretty good at best, the best-sounding ones (Audeze LCD-X) were nearly impossible to wear due to their weight and poor fit, and the best-value ones (HiFiMan HE400i) almost fell apart in my hands. In the mid-range of prices (for musicians, these are all cheap by hard-core audiophile standards), I liked the Beyerdynamic DT880, though they were a bit timid in the low bass and lacked in clarity, and I didn't like the AKG Q701s at all, though I expected to be thrilled with them since I use their microphones and cheaper 'phones all the time in the studio. I ended up liking the cheapest of the old-school dynamic 'phones the best (a real eye-opener), and am keeping the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x (which were also the only Japanese 'phones in the test) and the equally wonderful Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon.

With the in-ears, there were fewer surprises; nothing I've heard beats the mid-range Westone W30s IMHO, though I should add that I always use custom-fitted ear-pieces because I have quite non-circular-cross-section ear canals, so regular ear buds rarely seal well enough to deliver any bass at all. The Etymotic HF3 is a close runner-up (less soundstage definition), but the housing and cable are just a bit strange and fragile. There are some new products in this field coming on line (NAMM was last week as I write this) so stay tuned for easier and cheaper fitted in-ears using optical scanning (see pro.meeaudio.com).

I also did a good bit of cable-rolling during the testing, and bought cable upgrades (to silver-plated OFC balanced cables with premium connectors) for several of the premium 'phones. Sometimes it helped, sometimes not. Interestingly, with the Audio-Technica ATH-R70x, the stock cable is AOK.

In summary, this was a gas; I've settled for a while and have some projects that will keep me real busy for the next few months, but I just might try some other planar magnetics or electrostats or new fitted multi-actuator IEMs over the Summer.

Attachments

1. A spreadsheet of the listening comments and subjective evaluations
2. Screen shots of the measured frequency responses and correction filters
3. Screens of the correction software packages
4. Photographs of the 'phones and DACs

 

[ricksome]

Thank you for all of your work. On the headphones that you listed and I am familiar with, I would agree with your findings.

 

[stpope]

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

 

[scottcw]

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x... The cables go to both sides, and they're both TRS plugs, so it doesn't matter which cable goes to which side; what a novel idea!

Because right and left channels don't matter.

 

[stpope]

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

 

[stpope]

(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 whole journey looking for an alternative to the Sennheiser HD600s that I had used for years, I'm back "home" again with the 650s as my new/old favorites. I use them with the Sonarworks correction software and a slight bass band-boost in the region 40-120 Hz. I can wear them all day.

Compared to the Audio Technica ATH-R70x, the HD650s are just better (IMHO) - clearer soundstage and more articulated instruments, better ability to hear background instruments/voices distinctly, scale better from soft to loud listening levels, more linear reverb tails.

Looking for an explanation, I compared the measurements of the 2 cans, and noticed that the Sennheisers have really quite low distortion -- less than 0.2% over the all-important central decade of the audio spectrum (200-2000 Hz). The attached document show this comparison in the middle row of spectra.

The HD650 is also better-behaved in the upper-mid-range (2-5 kHz). Look as the bottom graphs in the attached PDF, which shows the response of the Sonarworks correction filters, and note that the curve for the HD650 describes a much simpler filter with fewer changes of direction and gentler slope (group-delay) compared to the ATH-R70x in the same region.

I've also updated the comparison spreadsheet and attached an update; while I still can't give the HD650 a perfect 10 for sound, after listening to the competition, it's tied with the ATH-R70x. After listening to them 1-on-1, I might even demote the ATH-R70x to an 8.5 for sound.

I should also note here that the 2 "winners" in my comparison are among the cheapest ones in the comparison.

I guess I've learned about my own preferences is that:

1. I value comfort a lot; several of the contenders sounded great but were just too heavy, loose or uncomfortable for me to use regularly.

2. Accuracy (spectral flatness and low distortion) across the mid-range trumps extension at either end of the spectrum.

3. I value the soundstage and spatial imaging more than I thought I did at the beginning.

4. Very low distortion leads to a cleaner sound (what a surprise).

5. After-market cables can sound better, even on cans that come with good cables; thick, stiff or noisy cables make a difference.

I'm still using the same DACs in the office/studio, listening about 50% each to the Antelope Orion Studio and (truly awesome) Chord Mojo. In the living room, after an extended side-by-side comparison, I traded my Mytek Brooklyn for a PS Audio Stellar GainCell DAC/pre-amp (cheaper and more flexible, though without a phono stage).

Happy listening!

stp in SB/CA

 

[stpope]

(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, but the popular models are mostly on-ear, and I wear glasses, which presents a problem (pain, that is). Nevertheless, I was certainly impressed by their price/performance ratio. Then I found a pair of used Grado Statement Series GS1000e cans with multiple ear pads (foam and leather) and upgraded Moon Audio Black Dragon cable for cheap, and now love them so much that my Sennheiser have gone back in the box. The GS1000e are very light (11 oz) and suspend the "speakers" a bit away from your hear, creating a space between that absolutely creates a different spatial impression (listening to solo piano [Rameau played by Angela Hewitt] just now).

I won't use the cliche that they sound like being in a room with live musicians, but they're simply really comfortable and non-fatiguing. In terms of the measurements, they're as low-distortion as the Sennheisers (down around 0.2% or less for the mid-range decade) and have a very controlled frequency response (measured as +- 5 DB or so from 50 to 20 kHz). Yes, they're really ugly and totally non-isolating, but it's well worth it. The main down side as I see it is the hard-wired cable; as I mentioned, the ones I have have a cable upgrade, but I can't swap it out or do any "cable rolling."

It's interesting that the headphones I end up keeping the longest (Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AKG or Audio-Technica) all come from well-established (more than 40-year-old) companies whose specialty is actually other transducers -- microphones in the cases cited above, and phono cartridges in the case of Grado. I've a used Grado phono cartridge for quite a while in my aged (1980s) Revox linear-tracking turntable. The exception to this correlation is the Oppo PM-3s that I use for mobile and TV listening; the company has stopped making headphones, but they're by far my favorite set of closed-back planar magnetic cans yet.

Since writing the above, I've procured a pair of Grado GS3000e cans and done the cable upgrade (to Cardas).

We moved mid-2021, and I thought I had lost my beloved Westone W30s, so I was "forced" to upgrade to Westone W60 with fitted earplugs. These are fabulous, well-sealed, full-range IEMs. In the mean time I was able to find the W30s and do some comparative listening. As implied by the product names, the W60s are about twice as good. For some reason, the spatial image is much clearer in addition to the lower distortion. The new round of fitted ear plugs are also more comfortable for long listening sessions (think intercontinental air flights).

Lastly, I found a pair of cheap Oppo PM-3 planars, and they're now my preferred mobile/TV/etc. cans; the ear pads needed to be replaced, but it was cheap and simple (non-OEM replacements). Of course, Oppo doesn't make other transducers, so my comment above falls apart, but they are a well-established company and I have used their universal disc players for ever. The PM-3s are as effortless and light-sounding as the other closed-back planar magnetic I tried, but they're much lighter, simply cabled and je ne sais quoi better-sounding. Similar to the Sennheiser and Grado cans, they're pretty flat (up to about 7 kHz) and very low-distortion (0.1% in the mid-range).

In terms of electronics, I've been experimenting with DACs, and, after auditioning several (including the latest Chinese R2R types), sold the PS Audio Stellar (noisy) and traded my Mytek (broken) for a Chord Qutest in the living room system. In the office/studio I ditched my Chord Mojo for a Grace M900 DAC/Amp -- a great move, plus it has a normal volume knob! (The background for this is a sad story that involves Mytek not being able to repair or replace my Manhattan II, and me burning out 2 Chord Mojo2 units in the space of a month.) For mobile use, I switched from the Chord Mojo to an AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt and love it, plus it's smaller and simpler than traveling with the Mojo.

In terms of the things I learned last year, I'll repeat:

1. I value comfort a lot; several of the contenders sounded great but were just too heavy, loose or uncomfortable for me to use regularly.

2. Accuracy (spectral flatness and low distortion) across the mid-range trumps extension at either end of the spectrum.

3. I value the soundstage and spatial imaging more than I thought I did at the beginning.

4. Very low distortion leads to a cleaner sound (what a surprise).

5. After-market cables can sound better, even on cans that come with good cables; thick, stiff or noisy cables make a real difference.

To close, I started this whole odyssey expecting to love one of the many newcomers and the new technologies, and ended up (for the most part) with the standard technology from old and well-established manufacturers. I also did some swapping in the living room system and now have a Bel Canto pre-amp (instead of one from a newer German company), Chord DAC (instead of a new Chi-Fi R2R DAC) and Focal active speakers replacing my Adams. Here I was trying to drag my system into the new millennium...

Happy listening!

stp in Ojai/CA

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530
https://gearspace.com/board/so-much...-best-mixing-headphones-145.html#post14614886
https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/head/messages/5859.html

 

[jonathan c]

(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, but the popular models are mostly on-ear, and I wear glasses, which presents a problem (pain, that is). Nevertheless, I was certainly impressed by their price/performance ratio. Then I found a pair of used Grado Statement Series GS1000e cans with multiple ear pads (foam and leather) and upgraded Moon Audio Black Dragon cable for cheap, and now love them so much that my Sennheiser have gone back in the box. The GS1000e are very light (11 oz) and suspend the "speakers" a bit away from your hear, creating a space between that absolutely creates a different spatial impression (listening to solo piano [Rameau played by Angela Hewitt] just now).

I won't use the cliche that they sound like being in a room with live musicians, but they're simply really comfortable and non-fatiguing. In terms of the measurements, they're as low-distortion as the Sennheisers (down around 0.2% or less for the mid-range decade) and have a very controlled frequency response (measured as +- 5 DB or so from 50 to 20 kHz). Yes, they're really ugly and totally non-isolating, but it's well worth it. The main down side as I see it is the hard-wired cable; as I mentioned, the ones I have have a cable upgrade, but I can't swap it out or do any "cable rolling."

It's interesting that the headphones I end up keeping the longest (Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AKG or Audio-Technica) all come from well-established (more than 40-year-old) companies whose specialty is actually other transducers -- microphones in the cases cited above, and phono cartridges in the case of Grado. I've a used Grado phono cartridge for quite a while in my aged (1980s) Revox linear-tracking turntable. The exception to this correlation is the Oppo PM-3s that I use for mobile and TV listening; the company has stopped making headphones, but they're by far my favorite set of closed-back planar magnetic cans yet.

Since writing the above, I've procured a pair of Grado GS3000e cans and done the cable upgrade (to Cardas).

We moved mid-2021, and I thought I had lost my beloved Westone W30s, so I was "forced" to upgrade to Westone W60 with fitted earplugs. These are fabulous, well-sealed, full-range IEMs. In the mean time I was able to find the W30s and do some comparative listening. As implied by the product names, the W60s are about twice as good. For some reason, the spatial image is much clearer in addition to the lower distortion. The new round of fitted ear plugs are also more comfortable for long listening sessions (think intercontinental air flights).

Lastly, I found a pair of cheap Oppo PM-3 planars, and they're now my preferred mobile/TV/etc. cans; the ear pads needed to be replaced, but it was cheap and simple (non-OEM replacements). Of course, Oppo doesn't make other transducers, so my comment above falls apart, but they are a well-established company and I have used their universal disc players for ever. The PM-3s are as effortless and light-sounding as the other closed-back planar magnetic I tried, but they're much lighter, simply cabled and je ne sais quoi better-sounding. Similar to the Sennheiser and Grado cans, they're pretty flat (up to about 7 kHz) and very low-distortion (0.1% in the mid-range).

In terms of electronics, I've been experimenting with DACs, and, after auditioning several (including the latest Chinese R2R types), sold the PS Audio Stellar (noisy) and traded my Mytek (broken) for a Chord Qutest in the living room system. In the office/studio I ditched my Chord Mojo for a Grace M900 DAC/Amp -- a great move, plus it has a normal volume knob! (The background for this is a sad story that involves Mytek not being able to repair or replace my Manhattan II, and me burning out 2 Chord Mojo2 units in the space of a month.) For mobile use, I switched from the Chord Mojo to an AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt and love it, plus it's smaller and simpler than traveling with the Mojo.

In terms of the things I learned last year, I'll repeat:

1. I value comfort a lot; several of the contenders sounded great but were just too heavy, loose or uncomfortable for me to use regularly.

2. Accuracy (spectral flatness and low distortion) across the mid-range trumps extension at either end of the spectrum.

3. I value the soundstage and spatial imaging more than I thought I did at the beginning.

4. Very low distortion leads to a cleaner sound (what a surprise).

5. After-market cables can sound better, even on cans that come with good cables; thick, stiff or noisy cables make a real difference.

To close, I started this whole odyssey expecting to love one of the many newcomers and the new technologies, and ended up (for the most part) with the standard technology from old and well-established manufacturers. I also did some swapping in the living room system and now have a Bel Canto pre-amp (instead of one from a newer German company), Chord DAC (instead of a new Chi-Fi R2R DAC) and Focal active speakers replacing my Adams. Here I was trying to drag my system into the new millennium...

Happy listening!

stp in Ojai/CA

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530
https://gearspace.com/board/so-much...-best-mixing-headphones-145.html#post14614886
https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/head/messages/5859.html

The GS3000e should bring you much musical enjoyment!

 

[Terriero]

Thanks very much for relating your experience with headphones. I valorate each of my headphones (in my avatar pic) for their own characteristics and sinergy with the different genres I like/love to listen to. This afternoon I decided to come back to my HD 800s (which I don't use very often due to it's very open nature that can disturb -or be disturbed- at home when enjoying them) and, although I have thought in several times about selling them, I'm glad I have kept them, I enjoy them a lot the briefly times I can use them.

PS: I love your initial joke about Sennheisers... A little more bass would be marvellous, maybe that's why you prefer the HD 650s.

 

[stpope]

Thanks very much for relating your experience with headphones. I valorate each of my headphones (in my avatar pic) for their own characteristics and sinergy with the different genres I like/love to listen to. This afternoon I decided to come back to my HD 800s (which I don't use very often due to it's very open nature that can disturb -or be disturbed- at home when enjoying them) and, although I have thought in several times about selling them, I'm glad I have kept them, I enjoy them a lot the briefly times I can use them.

PS: I love your initial joke about Sennheisers... A little more bass would be marvellous, maybe that's why you prefer the HD 650s.

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.