[MacedonianHero]

Thanks! If you'd like to send me your SRH1540s, on a loan, I'd be happy to add them to the listing.

I think you'd really like the T51ps; plus they're 1/3rd the size of the Shures.

 

[62ohm]

Thanks! If you'd like to send me your SRH1540s, on a loan, I'd be happy to add them to the listing.

I think you'd really like the T51ps; plus they're 1/3rd the size of the Shures.

 
I don't have the SRH1540, I am heavily considering them as I currently have no portables 

 
But yeah, their size may bother me. I did consider the SE535, but I've just read your post in the "SE535 vs P7" thread that they are not any good, so I'm back to square one.

 

[MacedonianHero]

At least we have a lot of choices!

 

[Wildgift]

Fwiw, the clamping force of the stock Mikros is pretty intense. But the headband can withstand some serious bending, which greatly reduces the clamping force and increases the comfort. They will never be as comfortable as those others, but it helps a lot. I can wear them for hours without issue.

Agreed. They are tight out of the box, but a good healthy bend of the headband is a one stop solution. The pads are very soft and the unit as a whole is extremely comfortable and the quality is really top notch. The sound is balanced and crisp and I can listen for hours. They will really reveal flaws in the source but well recorded and properly mastered material sounds great. The case is excellent and at 90 bucks or less they are an underrated high value item. Newegg often has them on sale. I paid 60.00 and these are my go to portables.

 

[Trunks159]

I agree. The source and recording and the seal are extremely important factors.

 

[Madmollusk]

What a timely and useful thread!

A few months back I purchased The Focal Spirit Professional. These headphones are amazingly neutral, dynamic and transparent folks. The bass is incredibly taut and impactful. Really, the FSP’s sound-signature is nigh perfect (I can't say that about any other headphone I've owned at any price point, including the HD800). But the longer I own the FSP, the more frustrated I become. Yeah, that’s right, I said “frustrated.”

Why? Well, the FSP could easily have qualified as my mid-fi endgame (I'm not joking), were it not for the torture devices Focal calls ear-pads.  I have suffered the pain with these headphones and their cramped ear-pads with a grim sort of satisfaction, and will continue to do so (yeah that's how much I like the FSP), until I can find another portable headphone that reproduces their exquisite sound.

And so, that is why I’m here.  Of all the headphones mentioned in this thread, the one that piques my curiosity the most is the B&O H6.  I've read through much of this thread and have gleaned enough clues to convince myself that these headphones possess at least some of the qualities of the FSP with the added bonus of great comfort.

And yet, their $400 dollar price tag gives me pause.

Unfortunately, I can't demo the H6 in my neck of the woods, so maybe someone could help clarify a few things for me.

Here's what I think I know about these headphones:
(1.) The H6 is less dynamic than the FSP, which is ok, because, presumably, they provide an improved sound-stage with slightly better detail. I would consider that a worthwhile trade-off for sure.
(2.) The H6 is another admirably neutral pair of headphones, but I think someone on this thread likened them to the AKG K 550 (Gaah! The K550 sound dull and boring compared to the FSP. Not good at all.) So, please, someone, tell me this is not true!
(3.) I love transparent sound. The FSP is exquisitely transparent. Presumably, the H6 is also transparent. Would anyone care to confirm this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks folks!  And thanks MacedonianHero for starting such a useful and informative thread.

 

[subguy812]

  What a timely and usefully thread!

A few months back I purchased The Focal Spirit Professional. These headphones are amazingly neutral, dynamic and transparent folks. The bass is incredibly taut and impactful. Really, the FSP’s sound-signature is nigh perfect (I can't say that about any other headphone I've owned at any price point, including the HD800). But the longer I own the FSP, the more frustrated I become. Yeah, that’s right, I said “frustrated.”

Why? Well, the FSP could easily have qualified as my mid-fi endgame (I'm not joking), were it not for the torture devices Focal calls ear-pads.  I have suffered the pain with these headphones and their cramped ear-pads with a grim sort of satisfaction, and will continue to do so (yeah that's how much I like the FSP), until I can find another portable headphone that reproduces their exquisite sound.

And so, that is why I’m here.  Of all the headphones mentioned in this thread, the one that piques my curiosity the most is the B&O H6.  I've read through much of this thread and have gleaned enough clues to convince myself that these headphones possess at least some of the qualities of the FSP with the added bonus of great comfort.

And yet, their $400 dollar price tag gives me pause.

Unfortunately, I can't demo the H6 in my neck of the woods, so maybe someone could help clarify a few things for me.

Here's what I think I know about these headphones:
(1.) The H6 is less dynamic than the FSP, which is ok, because, presumably, they provide an improved sound-stage with slightly better detail. I would consider that a worthwhile trade-off for sure.
(2.) The H6 is another admirably neutral pair of headphones, but I think someone on this thread likened them to the AKG K 550 (Gaah! The K550 sound dull and boring compared to the FSP. Not good at all.) So, please, someone, tell me this is not true!
(3.) I love transparent sound. The FSP is exquisitely transparent. Presumably, the H6 is also transparent. Would anyone care to confirm this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks folks!  And thanks MacedonianHero for starting such a useful and informative thread.

I cannot comment on those....I would steer you towards the top 2 selections on MH's list.

 

[Madmollusk]

 
I cannot comment on those....I would steer you towards the top 2 selections on MH's list.

Unfortunately, I already own the NAD HP50, and yes, I love those headphones, but the crazy looking headband and dubious build quality prevent me from using them on the go. I also own the Beyerdynamic DT 1350, which I love for so many reasons, but I don't consider them the most neutral pair of headphones. And if I were a betting man, I'd bet that the Beyerdynamic TP 51's have the same sound-signature, with added refinements, of course. That leaves the P7 and the B&O H6. I've auditioned the P7 but, frankly, I just wasn't smitten with the tuning on those cans. I didn’t dislike the P7, but I didn’t feel a burning desire to own them either. So now, I'm down to one option: the B&O H6, number 3a on MacedonianHero list.  Based on MH's descriptions alone, I'm almost ready to buy them, but I have a few pestering reservations that I can't banish.  Anyway, thanks for your advice Subguy812...

 
And oh, I almost forgot: GO SAINTS!!!!!

 

[krayziehustler]

Unfortunately, I already own the NAD HP50, and yes, I love those headphones, but the crazy looking headband and dubious build quality prevent me from using them on the go. I also own the Beyerdynamic DT 1350, which I love for so many reasons, but I don't consider them the most neutral pair of headphones. And if I were a betting man, I'd bet that the Beyerdynamic TP 51's have the same sound-signature, with added refinements, of course. That leaves the P7 and the B&O H6. I've auditioned the P7 but, frankly, I just wasn't smitten with the tuning on those cans. I didn’t dislike the P7, but I didn’t feel a burning desire to own them either. So now, I'm down to one option: the B&O H6, number 3a on MacedonianHero list.  Based on MH's descriptions alone, I'm almost ready to buy them, but I have a few pestering reservations that I can't banish.  Anyway, thanks for your advice Subguy812...


 
And oh, I almost forgot: GO SAINTS!!!!!

Actually the T51Ps have a totally different sound signature than the 1350s to me.

 

[Leander7777]

Have you tried any of the Ultrasone Signature headphones? Just as a comparison to the 17 you listed, as they are also pretty portable.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  Have you tried any of the Ultrasone Signature headphones? Just as a comparison to the 17 you listed, as they are also pretty portable.

I haven't. I've heard some good things about them (and not so good things). I used to own the Ed. 8LEs a few years back and if I had to rank them here, they'd actually have a hard time cracking the top 5 for sound. 

 

[maricius]

The headphones I am excited to see in your list:
 
Over-ear:
 
Focal Spirit Classic
Focal Spirit Pro
Sony MDR 7520
Yamaha HP-MT220
 
 
On-ear:
Aedle VK-1
Sennheiser HD25 Aluminium (generally considered the best in the HD25 series)
Sennheiser HD26 <- the design looks far from portable… far from practical
 

I would honestly love to see these relative to the rest of the headphones already in your list. The numerical rating just makes everything so much easier. I know it must be hard to get a hold of all these headphones but compared to the rest of us, you're quite close. Good luck to expanding the list!!
 
I would have added the Philips Fidelio L2 into my list of things I'd love to see here but they're rather hard to find, portable but semi-open. That being said, I find them slightly better than the two Focals except compared to the Pro for neutrality and the Classic for mids and bass with more body. Soundstage on the L2 is so much better that it has to be cheating (it kinda is being semi-open). These being said, your rating for the H6's soundstage has got me curious.

 

[MacedonianHero]

  The headphones I am excited to see in your list:
 
Over-ear:
 
Focal Spirit Classic
Focal Spirit Pro
Sony MDR 7520
Yamaha HP-MT220
 
 
On-ear:
Aedle VK-1
Sennheiser HD25 Aluminium (generally considered the best in the HD25 series)
Sennheiser HD26 <- the design looks far from portable… far from practical
 

I would honestly love to see these relative to the rest of the headphones already in your list. The numerical rating just makes everything so much easier. I know it must be hard to get a hold of all these headphones but compared to the rest of us, you're quite close. Good luck to expanding the list!!
 
I would have added the Philips Fidelio L2 into my list of things I'd love to see here but they're rather hard to find, portable but semi-open. That being said, I find them slightly better than the two Focals except compared to the Pro for neutrality and the Classic for mids and bass with more body. Soundstage on the L2 is so much better that it has to be cheating (it kinda is being semi-open). These being said, your rating for the H6's soundstage has got me curious.

 
I've got the DNA on-ears to still write up, but I think with now my main rig being up for about a year since I had to take it down last summer (home renovations), I'm going to slow down on any new purchases. That said, some very helpful members (dweaver and beagle) have loaned me headphones to add to this, and I'm open to continue on in that regard. 

 
The Focal Spirits though have me really curious to hear them!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Well, I'm back to thinning out my collection again, so in case anyone is interested, I've listed my most excellent NAD HP50s. Please see my sig if you're interested. Thanks!

 

[krayziehustler]

  Well, I'm back to thinning out my collection again, so in case anyone is interested, I've listed my most excellent NAD HP50s. Please see my sig if you're interested. Thanks!

Which one is your main portable now?