Best Headphones You've Heard (Open Dynamic, Open Planar, and Closed)

[TWerk]

Interested in starting a thread in asking peoples favorite headphones for 3 separate major headphone categories.

You can explain why for each or just list them if you want. It can be ones you've heard or instead hopefully ones you own.

This is actually easy for me as below three headphones all blow me away and I am confident in my pick for each category.

I'll start -

1) Best Open Dynamic - Focal Clear MG

2) Best Open Planar - HE-500

3) Best Closed - Ultrasone Edition 8 EX

 

[DTgill]

1 Best Closed AGK K340, hides nothing from my ears, and loves to be turned up

2 Best Open Grado GS 1000 easy to drive, almost as revealing as the AKG, very comfortable

3 Best Open ATH R70X, excellent all-around listening ear to brain delivery device...

 

[DeweyCH]

Best open dynamic: Veritè Open
Best open planar: Susvara
Best closed dynamic: Veritè Closed
Best closed planar: Rognir

 

[jonathan c]

• Best open dynamic: ZMF Auteur (Stabilised Takwin);
• Best open planar: Audeze LCD-4;
• Best closed dynamic: ZMF Eikon (Camphor Burl);
• Best closed planar: N/A.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

1) Best Open Dynamic - Sennheiser HD800 SDR mod

2) Best Open Planar - HE6SE V2 (same as OP )

3) Best Closed - Fostex TH600 (modded with wooden cups)

4) Best IEM (out of few I've owned) - Dunu SA6

 

[tutetibiimperes]

• Best Open Dynamic: Beyerdynamic T1.2
• Best Open Planar: Audeze LCD-4 (heard) tie between HE6se V2 and LCD-3 (own)
• Best Closer Back: DCA Ether CX
• Best IEM: Final Audio A4000

 

[Dawgfish]

1. Best open dynamic - ZMF Auteur Cocobolo

2. Best open planar - DCA Aeon Open X (I would like to get back to planars but I'm enjoying high impedance dynamic phones on OTL tube amps too much right now)

3. Best closed back - modded Monolith M565c (I don't have a real need for closed backs as I have my own office at work and can listen to my open back phones)

 

[voja]

1. Best dynamic driver — iBasso SR2
2. Best IEM — MMR Thummim

I can't really comment on open-back/closed-back, as though I don't think I've heard enough comments to make that judgement. The same goes for planars.

However, I can say that iBasso SR2 blew me away more than any other dynamic driver headphone, and I pretty much explained why in my review. It's incredibly versatile and easy to fine-tune.

 

[tm4347]

1) Best Open Dynamic - ZMF Verite Open epoxy resin stabilized Hinualt 2

2) Best Open Planar - AUDEZE LCD-MX4

3) Best Closed - ZMF Verite Closed

 

[Ciggavelli]

1) Best Open Dynamic - Focal Utopia

2) Best Open Planar - Abyss AB 1266 Phi TC

3) Best Closed - Hifiman HE-R10P

 

[Jingle525]

1) Best Open Dynamic - HD800 with a warm amp

2) Best Open Planar - HE6SE V2

3) Best Closed - Denon D7000

 

[Zenifyx]

1) Best Open Dynamic - Focal Utopia

2) Best Open Planar - Hifiman Arya (Stealth)

3) Best Closed - Focal Stellia

 

[Malevolent]

Hmm, there are some categories missing here. For example - Best Open Electrostatic, Best Closed Planar, Best Closed Dynamic, et al.

Anyway, here are my votes. These are my favorites; not technically "the best" in their respective categories -

Open Headphones
Best Dynamic: Focal Utopia
Best Planar: Audeze LCD-4
Best Electrostatic: STAX SR-009S

Closed Headphones
Best Dynamic: Denon AH-D9200
Best Planar: Audeze LCD-XC

 

[Tex Irie]

The best I've heard:

Open Back Dynamic: Focal Clear MG
Open Back Planar: Audeze LCD-5
Open Back Electrostat: Audeze CRBN
Open Back IEM: Audeze LCD-i4
Closed Back Dynamic: Focal Celestee
Closed Back Planar: DCA Stealth
Closed Back IEM: Audeze Euclid

Honorable mention for Hifiman's Arya SE, HE1000se, and Susvara

 

[shaylin3]

1) Best Open Dynamic - Focal Utopia

2) Best Open Planar - D8000pro

3) Best Closed - ATH-L5000