[monkey4054]

Thankyou for the detailed impressions. Can you please share your test tracks to get a better idea?

Hey, yes no worries. The test tracks I used are all songs I know well and like and not chosen because they are especially well recorded or anything like that:

My Curse - Killswitch Engage
Broken Hands, In Your Words, Blood of the Scribe - Lamb of God
Symbolic, Crystal Mountain, Spirit Crusher, Voice of the Soul - Death
Mordecai - Between the Buried and Me
Of Mind - Nocturne - Tesseract
Replica, Demanufacture - Fear Factory
Crossing the Rubicon - The Human Abstract
Inertiatic Esp - The Mars Volta
Toxic Garbage Island, Backbone - Gojira
Blinded by Fear, Slaughter of the Soul - At the Gates
Scoop - Nasum
Diamond Eyes - Deftones
Sugar Coated Sour, Prancer - The Dillinger Escape Plan
What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse - The Black Dahlia Murder
Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine
Davidian - Machine Head
Media C*nt - Modern Life is War
5 Minutes Alone - Pantera
Six - All That Remains
One Armed Scissor - At the Drive In
The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports - Glassjaw

 

[shotormotor]

Hi everyone, I went to a headphone store today and tried a bunch of different headphones, made some notes and comparisons below:

Equipment used: Simaudio Moon HPA 430 and Tidal

Final Audio D8000 – Natural timbre and tone, fantastic powerful bass (think TH-900 level), non-fatiguing treble, dynamic/impactful/fast, fairly forgiving to poor recordings, makes you want to head-bang, a convincing upgrade to the Fostex TH600/900 (my benchmark headphones for metal listening), pads are ok but not amazing, resolution/detail could be better for the price, over-priced

Final Audio D8000 Pro – Better clarity/resolution/detail than D8000 and better pads, , but weaker and less satisfying bass, combine the bass of the D8000 with everything else from the Pro and that would be damn near perfect for metal listening! Over-priced as well

Sennheiser HD800S – great overall sound, very wide-soundstage, too similar to the Focal Clear which I already own, well-priced, best headphone on the market up to 2k along with the Focal Clear

Sony MDR-Z1R – Warm and lush sound but still detailed, decent bass, non-fatiguing except for a treble spike, comfortable, great closed-back, lacks in technical abilities compared to the others, should be cheaper

Grado G1000e – Excellent top-tier clarity, detail and resolution, a bit too bright and sibilant though and will be fatiguing to a lot of people, beautiful, sweet, and full mid-range, probably the best overall mid-range of all the headphones I tried, I'd like more bass quantity and dynamics/slam though, the earpads are a bad joke, I mean truly awful, why do you use the cheapest foam possible Grado?

Hifiman HE-6SE – Superb mid-bass and overall bass detail/texture, excellent clarity, detail, and resolution, best dynamics/slam in the Hifiman line, a little bright and probably fatiguing over a long listening session, a beast to drive

Hifiman Arya – The BEST imaging that I have EVER heard on any headphone, superb overall sound, great value, a little more bass quantity, dynamics and slam and these would probably be my favourite! If you have been eyeing-up the Arya then my only question would be "Why haven't you bought it yet!?"

Hifiman HE1000se - great overall tone and balance. The resolution, clarity, and detail is top-tier, lacking in slam/impact/dynamic range, a bit too flat and lacking the ‘balls’ for metal, should be good for most other genres I would imagine though,

Hifiman Susvara – Get the Arya or HE6 instead unless you are a millionaire and MUST have it, even then I would buy it second-hand, it's a mix between the HE-1000SE and HE6-SE sound wise, calling it over-priced would be an immense understatement, a beast to drive

Audeze LCD-3 – Better clarity, detail, and resolution than the D8000, but has an off-sounding mid-range, good planar bass, good speed and impact, dynamics/impact not as good as D8000 and others

Audeze LCD-4 – A more resolving/detailed version of the LCD-3 sound with the same mid-range tonality issues, could be end-game, I’d like a little more bass quantity and slam but that’s more of a nit-pick, would get heavy and uncomfortable after a few hours, EXTREMELY over-priced

Fostex TH-909 – A more balanced version of the TH-900 with less treble and bass but maintaining a similar tone and timbre, excellent overall sound, not sure if it’s worth it if you already own a TH-900 though, great for all genres, especially vocals

Focal Radiance – gorgeous design aesthetic, sound quality wise it sits somewhere between the Elegia and Clear, not worth the price considering they are only slightly cheaper than the Clear and the Clear is significantly better sounding IMO (unless you MUST have closed-back)

TL;DR:

Overall Preference based on sound quality:

D8000 > D8000 Pro* > HE-6SE = Arya > TH-909 > Susvara > LCD-4** > LCD-3 > HE1000SE > HD800S > G1000e > Radiance > MDR-Z1R

*D8000 Pro is the best sounding overall, but the increased bass on the D8000 is incredible!
** Would probably be the best overall once they fix the f**ked mid-range!

Best bass: D8000

Best mid-range: G1000e and Arya

Best Treble: D8000 Pro and Arya

Best overall sound: D8000 Pro, second Hifiman Arya and third LCD4 (except for the wonky mid-range)

Best value overall: Hifiman Arya

Most comfortable: HD800s

Best aesthetics: Focal Radiance

Hope this was of some value to you guys!

Can anyone compare D8000 to Vérité Closed

 

[vonBaron]

Yes, D8000 are better overall

 

[frozenOx]

I'm looking for some lower mid level cans that are over 50ohms, maybe planars, for whisky listening. Really on the cusp of purchasing the m1570.

Current gear and past gear:

• dt770 250s - don't like the V shape. modded with detachable cable, selling to a friend
• 58X - don't like the loose mid-bass, doesn't handle complex stuff well still. think I'd prefer the HD600s. giving these to my sister
• KZ Zax - ****ing hate these. I sealed the vents, and EQ'd and they're OK now for jazz/classical/synth but still have weird mids that make guitars sound awful
• KBear Believe - on the way. if i don't like I'm getting the LZ A7 IEMs
• Koss PP/KSC75 - love both, a more refined portapro would be perfect really as crazy as that sounds. With EQ, I basically prefer these most of all these for comfort and tone. 75s are my CSGO/FPS gaming cans now too
• HE4XX - did not like the treble at all. soundstage was wide but very left / right
• 6XX - great for everything BUT metal. Just too slow for anything fast, but my god did they sound good for old analog recordings off my vintage receiver, might need to get a pair again for non-metal

I basically listen to all metal, I live on bandcamp. Don't listen to much tech death like Archspire but something more melodic like Ne Obliviscaris or Mors Principium Est is fair game. LIsten to a lot of doom, Mournful Congregation esque. Thrashy black metal like Immortal, not so much Darkthrone lo fi black metal though. Also listen to a lot of ambient synth, modern jazz, and classical like Barber/Mahler/Scriabin.

I'm basically sold on the m1570 since these aren't gonna be daily drivers and they're cheap enough to just replace the stupid crappy headband. $500 is my ceiling. I really have no interest in going over that because I've never heard any cans better than my monitors, even in a store.

 

[Vruksha]

I'm looking for some lower mid level cans that are over 50ohms, maybe planars, for whisky listening. Really on the cusp of purchasing the m1570.

Current gear and past gear:

• dt770 250s - don't like the V shape. modded with detachable cable, selling to a friend
• 58X - don't like the loose mid-bass, doesn't handle complex stuff well still. think I'd prefer the HD600s. giving these to my sister
• KZ Zax - ****ing hate these. I sealed the vents, and EQ'd and they're OK now for jazz/classical/synth but still have weird mids that make guitars sound awful
• KBear Believe - on the way. if i don't like I'm getting the LZ A7 IEMs
• Koss PP/KSC75 - love both, a more refined portapro would be perfect really as crazy as that sounds. With EQ, I basically prefer these most of all these for comfort and tone. 75s are my CSGO/FPS gaming cans now too
• HE4XX - did not like the treble at all. soundstage was wide but very left / right
• 6XX - great for everything BUT metal. Just too slow for anything fast, but my god did they sound good for old analog recordings off my vintage receiver, might need to get a pair again for non-metal

I basically listen to all metal, I live on bandcamp. Don't listen to much tech death like Archspire but something more melodic like Ne Obliviscaris or Mors Principium Est is fair game. LIsten to a lot of doom, Mournful Congregation esque. Thrashy black metal like Immortal, not so much Darkthrone lo fi black metal though. Also listen to a lot of ambient synth, modern jazz, and classical like Barber/Mahler/Scriabin.

I'm basically sold on the m1570 since these aren't gonna be daily drivers and they're cheap enough to just replace the stupid crappy headband. $500 is my ceiling. I really have no interest in going over that because I've never heard any cans better than my monitors, even in a store.

Sundara does wonders for me

 

[frozenOx]

Sundara does wonders for me

Want something darker. Those are neutral bright and then there's the Hifiman QC lottery

 

[YtseJamer]

Want something darker. Those are neutral bright and then there's the Hifiman QC lottery

The new Grado Hemp sound great with Metal. It's like a more refined version of the Koss Porta Pro's mixed with the timbre of the HD6XX and the old RS1. They are dark, fast, punchy and very dynamic.

Just to give you an idea of how much I like them, I also have the Verite Closed, the Aeolus and the HE-6SE with me, but now I'm listening to the last Witherfall album (A Prelude to Sorrow) with the Grado Hemp.

 

[frozenOx]

The new Grado Hemp sound great with Metal. It's like a more refined version of the Koss Porta Pro's mixed with the timbre of the HD6XX and the old RS1. They are dark, fast, punchy and very dynamic.

Just to give you an idea of how much I like them, I also have the Verite Closed, the Aeolus and the HE-6SE with me, but now I'm listening to the last Witherfall album (A Prelude to Sorrow) with the Grado Hemp.

LMAO they're $420

 

[Fsilva]

I’m quite happy with the Heddphone/RME ADI 2 Dac Fs combo, for metal, and other genre.

 

[shuto77]

The new Grado Hemp sound great with Metal. It's like a more refined version of the Koss Porta Pro's mixed with the timbre of the HD6XX and the old RS1. They are dark, fast, punchy and very dynamic.

Just to give you an idea of how much I like them, I also have the Verite Closed, the Aeolus and the HE-6SE with me, but now I'm listening to the last Witherfall album (A Prelude to Sorrow) with the Grado Hemp.

They sound like fun. I'm going to look into them too.

 

[YtseJamer]

LMAO they're $420

Yes, best deal of the year in my opinion. It's a limited edition, so easy to resell if you don't like them.

 

[YtseJamer]

They sound like fun. I'm going to look into them too.

Yes, they are fun like my Aeolus. I had zero expectations because I have been disappointed by pretty much all the Grado headphones that I have purchased in the last 10 years, but the Hemp have restored my faith in Grado.

 

[frozenOx]

Yes, they are fun like my Aeolus. I had zero expectations because I have been disappointed by pretty much all the Grado headphones that I have purchased in the last 10 years, but the Hemp have restored my faith in Grado.

What about the GH4? A bit more though at 550.

These would be much comfier than the 650g m1570s, just not sure if they're much of an upgrade on the 58X.

How is the bass on the Grados?

 

[YtseJamer]

What about the GH4? A bit more though at 550.

These would be much comfier than the 650g m1570s, just not sure if they're much of an upgrade on the 58X.

How is the bass on the Grados?

My recommendation for you is to go with the Hemp. I have owned all the GH versions and the only one that I would recommend with Metal music is the GH2. But overall, the Hemp would still be my choice versus the GH2. The GH4 are slightly more refined than the Hemp, with better treble extension and details, but trust me your ears will bleed with bands like Immortal.

Another thing that I like about the Hemp is that they are coming and have been tuned with the TTVJ flat pads. (I don't like the comfort of the L cushions pads.) To answer your other question, the Hemp is a big upgrade versus the HD58X. The bass is fast, very punchy, tight and surprisingly they can reproduce a little bit of sub-bass.

You should check the review from Steve Guttenberg. I don't always agree with Steve, but what he said about the Hemp is 100% true.

 

[frozenOx]

$420 and no detachable cable. Still thinking the m1570 would be a better deal here, but definitely less comfort.

To answer your other question, the Hemp is a big upgrade versus the HD58X. The bass is fast, very punchy, tight and surprisingly they can reproduce a little bit of sub-bass.

They sound like they'd be perfect for metal, appreciate your input. I have never heard Grados before. If they were a bit cheaper or had a detachable cable I'd order them right now. I'll need to think on this some more : (