[mrjimmybob]

  Ok, I've been reading the whole thread , and tried to count how much each headphone are regretted. This is not a rigorous counting , because:
- some guy posted multiple time that they disliked a headphone (bilavideo, with bose in ears for instance). I  tried to disregard duplicate.
- I tried to skip  post from people that have already posted.
- some statement were ambiguous, about if they were  happy/unhappy, about a headphone, I  skipped.
- sometimes it's hard to make distinction between variation of model , because no detail is provided. For instance when someone disliked the dt880 , he doesn't always precise if it's the 250 or 600 ohm version. In this case, I  assimilate models to a single headphone.
 
I  only kept models, with at least 4 regrets.
So here's the list with decreasing number of regrets. Regrets number indicated after model.
 
...
 
And the winner , is ... hd595.
I really hope the hd598 is significantly better, it is so hyped !

 
Thanks extrabigmehdi, nice work.
 
And my only hi end pair of phones are,... of course, the Sennheiser HD 595. Bugger. Trust me to buy the most hated, unsatisfying, disappointing, overrated, hyped headphones around. 

 
To my ears I guess they sound OK, but I don't find music that exiting any more, not sure if it's due to my depression or the phones themselves. I haven't got anything better to compare them to. Trying to research for something not a step down, but a bit more fun to listen to and not over 200€.
 
After reading most of this post I don't think there is a single headphone I can buy. Can't afford one too expensive or to go wrong.
 
My addition to the list must be:
 
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 - The sound was good, but the fit was so bad and uncomfortable that I could not listen to them for more than a few minutes. Awful waste of 210€.
I am now pretty happy with a pair of Sennheiser CX 980 I picked up for about 70€.
 
I seem to spend far to much on sport IEM's because I can never get a good fit (running) with a decent sound. 
 
Keep up the thread. And happy listening to all.
Mark.

 

[StoneJack]

Sennheiser HD202II.
Clamping force caused me headache.
Otherwise, nice sound and price.

 

[elee31]

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros.  Used them for only a couple of weeks and sold them off.

 

[gelocks]

From all that I've tried, the most I've "regretted" buying:
 
House of Marley Rise Up --> (just like their looks and wanted to try them since I liked their previous on-ear Exodus)
 
That doesn't mean that I've liked ALL of the headphones I've tried, but none of those I regret.

 

[groovyd]

so far the HE-6 are actually taking the prize here... neutrix connector is loose in the socket, connectors to the headphones are embarassingly fragile and fickle, the XLR adapter in the middle of the cable has an intermittent pin connection and is loose, and both sides of the cable have an 'L' on them (is there no right?).  Relatively heavy and the earpads are pretty hard foam, not entirely comfortable.  Sound isn't bad when it is working though but taking so much power to drive will need upgraded amp to put them to their best... is a pretty long checklist of issues already.  definately going to have to return them because of the cable and connection issues but not sure the sound justifies the cost and the fact that it is now clear they have considerable quality issues would I feel good about spending $1300 on them even if the replacement seemed to work?  Doesn't offer too much confidence in it being a worthy purchase.  You spend that much you just expect a basic attention to detail and when you see a number of issues like this the appreciation of quality never returns.

 

[Errymoose]

HE-400... not that I think they're bad or anything, just the way they're coloured doesn't really appeal to me.  I thought I wanted something more bass heavy for certain types of music, but the HE-400 just wasn't right for it (for me). so they got very little use.

 

[rodweb]

V-Moda M100... too much overhyped, sounded bad with 90% of my songs.

 

[negura]

Beyerdynamic T1. I regretted 28 days and made sure to return before window closed. I knew immediately it's not a flagship AND that it was horribly overpriced at the same time. That did not change through burn-in. I realise there is sample variance too, but that's that.

 

[barid]

Beyerdynamic T1. I regretted 28 days and made sure to return before window closed. I knew immediately it's not a flagship AND that it was horribly overpriced at the same time. That did not change through burn-in. I realise there is sample variance too, but that's that.

Blasphemy!!!

I like the T1 as a jack of all trades. If i had to only keep 1 full size hp that would probable be it.

 

[GearMe]

Gotta be the Koss DJ100's.  Paid full price ($79) based on the 'budget king' hype. In fact, I think it's the only set I've paid full price for. Hands down, the worst value purchase I've made since joining Head-Fi.  To put in perspective, I've since got M80s for half that price and KNS-8400s for 7 bucks less than the DJ100s.

 

[marone]

Besides the 6 very mid-fi Taobao cans I bought on speculation, it would have to be the JVC HA-S500 @ $50. It just doesn't have any audiophile qualities even when compared to any of the Superlux'. 2-D instruments that are big circles of blobs, no soundstage, no depth, muddy lower-mid and upper bass, rolled off highs. It does have some deep bass, and when playing older lo-fi punk rock tracks its euphonia works well with those tinny, bass-less tracks.

Like another poster upthread, I agree that the hype and huge fan thread seems very unjustified.

Good travel can to give to your mid-fi friends. A good upgrade from mid-fi buds and such.

 

[Kukuk]

Not a buy, but I greatly regret trading my CD900STs for a pair of AKG K501s. Probably the most disappointing headphone I've ever heard. I expected a smooth sound with refined mids. What I got was, besides the MDR-ZX700s, the harshest mids I've ever heard in a headphone. They made music I love an absolute drag to listen to.
 
Ended up trading them for a pair of Ultrasone PRO 750s, and didn't regret it for a second. While the mids were "worse", they were more enjoyable to listen to.

 

[Tony1110]

Beyerdynamic T1. I regretted 28 days and made sure to return before window closed. I knew immediately it's not a flagship AND that it was horribly overpriced at the same time. That did not change through burn-in. I realise there is sample variance too, but that's that.

+1. They disappointed me too. They're not bad headphones but they should cost £500 less than they do.

 

[xanlamin]

+1. They disappointed me too. They're not bad headphones but they should cost £500 less than they do.

And perhaps that is the reason why they are getting cheaper! You really need a proper amp to let it shine but then the setup would be too expensive...

 

[marone]

+1. They disappointed me too. They're not bad headphones but they should cost £500 less than they do.

Do you think it could be system chain specific, in that they require a certain amp/dac combo to sound their best?