Auditioned a few cans yesterday via an Audeze Deckard headphone amp with lossless files fed by an Astell & Kern Ak240 II DAP.
All comments are in comparison to my
B&O H6v1:
MrSpeakers Alpha Prime - really disappointing; uncomfortable, definitely not a long wearing headphone; imaging was weaker though the bass was more detailed (more noticeable) but not significantly so.
Audeze Sine - very uncomfortable and fatiguing; imaging not as good; not as detailed.
Audeze Closed EL-8 - horrid sounding, I didn't enjoy them at all; muffled sounding; the bass is much weaker, less detailed; super heavy and uncomfortable just like my open-back LCD-2s (circa 2012) which I recently (and happily) gifted away as they were gathering dust (too heavy; sweaty; poor isolation).
Audeze LCD-2 (circa 2016) - a much newer version LCD-2 which seemed to be a bit stronger in the bass and mids (but still weaker than my H6s) with the same imaging as my older version LCD-2s... imaging which I honestly find is only slightly better than my H6s if not almost comparable! But like my older version LCD-2s these are still way too heavy, hurt within minutes upon wearing, and offer poor isolation.
Audeze LCD-4 - I know open-backs but I couldn't resist trying them out... wow, these are the best sounding headphone I have ever listened to! Marvelous sounding; imaging and timbre was insane; much, much better than my H6s, however they are open-back and unfortunately, uncomfortable (just as heavy and tight feeling as my LCD-2s too bad).
Audeze LCD-XC - very nice, also better sounding in all regards than my H6s, however they are very uncomfortable (heavy and clampy; sweaty)
Oppo PM-3 - surprisingly, I didn't like these at all... not as comfortable (too clampy/sweaty); imaging and clarity was weaker with a narrower/smaller sound stage
B&O H6v2 - just for kicks I compared the new generation model to my old H6s... really couldn't hear much of a difference sonically, maybe they were a tad louder especially in the bass? I too had some difficulty inserting/unplugging my V-MODA cable (an extremely tight fit) into them and upon closer examination I discovered that the input on the headphones is indeed slightly smaller than on my older H6s as reported by another member.
Now awaiting to demo the new MrSpeakers Aeon... but my H6s actually just might be my end game cans which would be great financially if true!
Definitely learned something new today concerning my B&O H6s... that they actually scale well with a nice amp. I will need to think more on that; maybe due to their slight inefficiency (low sensitivity of 97 db)?
What I love about my H6s:
~ Comfort (I can wear them for hours on end without ever noticing them)
~ Balanced Sound (neutral, from the bass across to the treble; though there is something unexplainable about the highs... they seem more there (present) than most other headphones)
~ Imaging & Timbre (open and natural sounding; awesome clarity with excellent instrument presentation and separation; they pretend to be open-backs!)
~ Soundstage (one of the widest I ever experienced with any closed-back; far better than the HD650 and dare I say nearing that of a HD800 in fact!)
~
Isolation (offering just the right amount of isolation for my needs, tastes, travel, and work environment)
