[ferraro25]

What do you consider to be your best and worst headphone purchases so far?

WORST: Sennheiser HD-595 (50 ohm) Also my first "good" headphone purchase (early September of 2005). As a gamer and fan of all kinds of music genres, new to headphones and head-fi, I read the praise these headphones got for gaming and as good "all-around" performers for music, and ultimately decided that they would make a great purchase.

When I got them, I was initially dissapointed with the somewhat (to my unexperienced ears) "non-hifi" sound they produced. My prior headphones were some random crappy Sony's (have since given them away -- can't remember model #, but I know they were not any of the lower-end Sony's recommended here), and while I realized that the HD-595s were better, at first I was not sure if they were much of an upgrade. Of course, after a few days, I compared them to the Sony's and realized how they totally beat the crap out of them, but I was still bothered by the overall sound signature.

Throughout this whole time I was doing heavy treble (~90%, up from a default of 50%) and bass (~75%, up from 50%) boosts, leftover from my use of the Sony's, until I read here that treble and bass boosts "should not" be used on quality headphones. So, I got rid of the treble and bass boosts, and found the sound to be absolutely horrible, at first. I slowly acclimated to it, but at this point the HD-595s sounded really muffled and I couldn't fully get myself to go without any treble boosting. Around this time I read about a deal from Creative's Store on EBay for KSC-35s ($17 including shipping - $10 for the headphones; they jacked up the price of shipping), so I decided to give them a try...

BEST: Koss KSC-35 I put them on, not expecting much, but as soon as I heard music out of them, I was AMAZED at how they sounded much, much better than the HD-595s to me.

By now it was way too late to return the HD-595s, and listening to the KSC-35s, all I could think of (besides "wow") was what a waste of money the HD-595s had been. But I thought, "Well, maybe they aren't this good, I haven't compared them to the HD-595s directly, yet." Of course, once I went back to the HD-595s, I realized that, yes, indeed, to me, the KSC-35s are much better.

Since that point my opinion has wavered, and at some time in the past I got myself to "appreciate" the HD-595s as "better" than the KSC-35s. However, at this point, there is no doubt that I prefer the KSC-35s to the HD-595s. To me, the HD-595s have more detail, better instrument separation, and more refined bass and treble, but that is about it. For me, none of those things matter if I find the sound muffled.

Ultimately, the KSC-35s are my best purchase so far because they: 1. have incredible sound for the price (at least 3 times a better deal [at $17] than any of my other headphones); and 2. Made me realize I don't like the Sennheiser (or at least, the HD-595) sound signature (led to getting the Grado SR225s, which are my favorite headphones). As far as the overall order of how much I like my headphones, they are in 3rd place, ahead of the HD-595s, but given their miniscule price, that is a very good ranking.

Now, I will be getting a Zhaolu 2.0 with the discrete amplifier upgrade, so I'll see if that gets rid of the muffled sound, but I think that there is about a 0% chance of that occurring, given that most people don't even think the HD-595s need an amp to sound good (I have a portable amp).

So, what are your best and worst headphone purchases?

 

[RedLeader]

BEST - DT990 Pro. I bought these blind because neither the senn or grado sound really did it for me (Heavy 555, 580 and MS-1 listening/ownership). I read reviews and picked up a deal, and LOVE them. They are the perfect can for me. Every can I get I compare and these just blow them away. Perfect cans for me, I could never part with them.

WORST - most of my headphone purchases have been awesome, but I would have to say UM1. I got them after I got rid of my er6i because the etys were bass-lean to my ears. Got the UM1 after reading impressions and wow... how muddy can you get? No detail at all, and the bass seems sloppy. I was set to love them, but listened to them for no more than an hour or 2. Super-disappointing, I guess its time to bite the bullet and get the E4 I want!

 

[Cyrilix]

BEST - A900 LTD. The right tonal character, the same bass I love on the DT880s but more authoritative, excellent at introducing me to some good rock songs, closed and comfy.

WORST - MDR-EX71SL. Harsh, bright, veiled, flimsy cable. Good isolation and the ability to comfortably sleep in them are its saving graces.

 

[kramer5150]

Best:

KSC75 - For $15 how can I NOT vote for this monster?
RS1 - A gift from my wife really. She sold knitted scarfs over the hollidays to fund my addiction

.

I could very easliy sell ALL my other cans, and live happily with only these 2.

Worst:
EX51 - An total turd of a headphone for $40.

 

[Sugano-san]

BEST:

Stax Omega II set with tube energizer.

WORST:

Any of the three Grado headphones I used to own (RS-1, PS-1, MS-2i).

 

[cclragnarok]

BEST:

HD595 - Right now, they are giving me the most balanced, natural, and pleasant sound out of all my headphones. The HD580 is also pretty good, but they are not as balanced to me. I suspect that the K701 will become my favorite after some more burn-in and with a better amp, but they also cost quite a bit more.

WORST:

A700 - I actually think that they are pretty good for a closed pair of headphones at this price, but I liked HD595 much more, and never really used them.

 

[granodemostasa]

The worst: Grado SR60s- you headphone geeks convinced me of this one... well, it has few redeeming qualities.... it has no soundstage, and sounds unnatural....it's pretty good as far as bellow 70SQ wise, but for a person who already had an HD650 it made no sense. Further i bought it for 60 dollars and recently sold it for less than 30 (when shipping is taken into account).

The Best: Grado HF1- long and hard did i search for this can and was finally able to get my hands on it. It's a warmish grado that made my heart melt when i heard it! beautiful sound, and is even great for some forms of classical music (fast baroque, organ and piano).

 

[xxlMusikfreak]

That's an easy one:

BEST: HD650 without a doubt. I liked the HD600 and I love the 650 more than anything else I currently own.

WORST: Koss The Plug. Must have been some kind of fotm-fever. Suddenly I wanted to try them and now they are just laying around and maybe even keep me from buying real inEars.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Best deal would probably be the DT990's that I bought for $75 but before they arrived the seller refunded $45 via PayPal because he found something wrong with them (the foam material on the earpads was flaking off, no biggie).

Best in terms of best? That's hard to say. I probably got more excited about the R10's than I did anything else. I never expected to find an Orpheus system so that was pretty cool too.

Worst in terms of value would be Ultrasone Edition 7. Those flimsy white cables just seemed silly for such expensive headphones (I got those modded quickly). There was also something 'funky' about their sound with a terrible reverb thing going on. Eventually, after being recabled and broken in, they started to sound pretty darn good, but they were still a disappointment overall.

Worst in terms of sound without regard to price? I've been fortuante and haven't really had any major disappointments.

 

[Gaughtfried]

Worst: Sony MDR-XD100
The only headphone that I've ever, and I mean ever, returned. Caved in sound, no frequency response, no thanks!

Best: AKG K81DJ
Love these. Definitly a notch above the ksc75s and their frankenheadphone counterparts. I love how clear these things sound and the fact that they're really closed sweetens the deal.

 

[mulveling]

BEST: AT L3000 - Broke me out of the mindset that there's nothing significantly better than the HD650 in all areas (a mindset created by reading too much head-fi and not trying things for myself).
Runner Up: AKG K340 - Before the L3000, gave me a first taste of how emotional and beautiful headphone listening can be.

WORST: AKG K271s - Found no redeeming sonic qualities to these headphones before I sold them. Sterile and boring to the last note.
Runner up: Grado SR225 - Overpriced for the build and the sound it delivers.

 

[lmilhan]

Tied for worst: Senn HD595, Senn HD590. To my ears, Sennheisers are among the most boring headphones I have ever had in my collection.

Tied for best: Grado GS-1000, and AKG K1000.

 

[apnk]

Best: I dunno yet, all the cans I've had were in some way a upgrade or a side-grade and I seem to like em all.

Worst: Sony ex81- Wow mids were sent to hell...

 

[Alwayswantmore]

Based on my limited experience in head-fi...

Best IEM - Ety 4P, which I love with my iPod (sold my P>S converter, which I didn't need for casual listening)

Best when going to sleep - Apple buds; Won't stick in the ear, minimal $ lost if they accidentally make it into the washing machine

Best phones - Have only heard a handful of cans, but IMO 650s balanced are a great product

Best sound regardless of price or practic considerations - My K1000s running from a high-powered balanced amp (with a balanced CDP and sub woofer). Don't recall where I first read this phrase, but it applies here... "The breath of life!"

Edit: Forgot worst - Found Moon's BDv2 cable to be a bit too tame (for my taste) with balanced 650s (IMO the Zu is a better match)

 

[zachwhite0]

Best: AT a900. Really the only headphones I have purchased and really listened to that are considered better than "normal" retail chain stuff. I love them with all my heart. I use them for games and music.

Worst: Bose Triport. They were free and I still threw them away after I showed a friend the difference between the A900 and these. I took them apart and then threw them in the trash.