tldr: I've had these for 2.5 weeks now. Sometimes these headphones are purely excellent. They are inconsistent though. Sometimes the bass is too much. Sometimes the treble is either too shallow and/or too shrill. Sometimes instruments and the depth behind them are muted. Sometimes my ears hurt from them resting against the inner pad (only after super long use). I want different closed back headphones. Price range doesn't matter too much (not looking to spend more than 500). Removable cable is necessary. Bluetooth and mic are a great plus but not necessary. What should I get? end tldr
I really wish I could like these headphones. I'm talking about wired, not the bluetooth connection. When they're good, they sound amazing and I'm just purely immersed and blown away with my purchase. I think "Wow, my music sounds this good??". The problem is when they're bad. They sound awful. Not even less-than-average, like to the point where the song just straight up isn't enjoyable and I stop listening to it. It feels like a camera that's phenomenal at taking pics 20ft away but fails at 18 or 22 ft. They sound good often but I can't justify keeping headphones that sound really bad sometimes.
One problem is the bass. Previously I never had super bassy headphones but I've grown to appreciate bass a little more with these. However, sometimes it's too overbearing. Sometimes it's just too dominant as a singular instrument, sometimes the whole thing sounds muddy overall, other times it's physically uncomfortable, like tickling my ears almost. When it works well, it sounds nice and full with fun control but I could still tolerate having less overall.
The other problem is vocals/other sounds in this range. I feel like there's a certain depth missing behind this 'treble' (idk if this range is considered treble but I'll use this word). It's as if I hear vocals picked up by just the singer's lips and can't hear the power in their chest, like just the refined tip of this range without the swelling power behind it. When it works well, it's clear and sharp. It's like a glistening gem in a whirlpool of the other instruments. Not very nuanced but crystal clear. I still wish there was more depth though. When it doesn't work, there's something just very shrill about it or unclear. And this isn't just in songs, it's in voice chat too. Like it's focusing on the wrong part of their voice and focuses on the higher part and the lower parts mics pic up.
I'm no pro with equalizing but with some fiddling around, this helps with some of the treble and bass problems. And I know equalizing is something people do with headphones, but the problem is that this setting sounds bad with other songs. I have another setting where everything is default but 16000 and 18000 are lowered a bit too to stop the shrillness. I don't want to have to keep bouncing around EQs just to make a pair of headphones sound not-horrible sometimes.
Song examples:
•Good:
Troyboi - Flamez
Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now
Radiohead - Karma Police
•Bad
Lil Dicky - Save Dat Money (Snare is too shrill, something is just off about the sound overall and I can't get into the groove)
Odesza - All We Need (vocals way too shrill, instruments mid/hi range are lost and shallow)
Kid Cudi - Heart of a Lion (way too muddy and unclear)
Louis the Child - Love is Alive (same problem)
Flume - Sintra (bass too overbearing, melodic parts sort of lost)
I could provide more examples or whatever but these are the things that came to mind. Thanks for reading.
I really wish I could like these headphones. I'm talking about wired, not the bluetooth connection. When they're good, they sound amazing and I'm just purely immersed and blown away with my purchase. I think "Wow, my music sounds this good??". The problem is when they're bad. They sound awful. Not even less-than-average, like to the point where the song just straight up isn't enjoyable and I stop listening to it. It feels like a camera that's phenomenal at taking pics 20ft away but fails at 18 or 22 ft. They sound good often but I can't justify keeping headphones that sound really bad sometimes.
One problem is the bass. Previously I never had super bassy headphones but I've grown to appreciate bass a little more with these. However, sometimes it's too overbearing. Sometimes it's just too dominant as a singular instrument, sometimes the whole thing sounds muddy overall, other times it's physically uncomfortable, like tickling my ears almost. When it works well, it sounds nice and full with fun control but I could still tolerate having less overall.
The other problem is vocals/other sounds in this range. I feel like there's a certain depth missing behind this 'treble' (idk if this range is considered treble but I'll use this word). It's as if I hear vocals picked up by just the singer's lips and can't hear the power in their chest, like just the refined tip of this range without the swelling power behind it. When it works well, it's clear and sharp. It's like a glistening gem in a whirlpool of the other instruments. Not very nuanced but crystal clear. I still wish there was more depth though. When it doesn't work, there's something just very shrill about it or unclear. And this isn't just in songs, it's in voice chat too. Like it's focusing on the wrong part of their voice and focuses on the higher part and the lower parts mics pic up.
I'm no pro with equalizing but with some fiddling around, this helps with some of the treble and bass problems. And I know equalizing is something people do with headphones, but the problem is that this setting sounds bad with other songs. I have another setting where everything is default but 16000 and 18000 are lowered a bit too to stop the shrillness. I don't want to have to keep bouncing around EQs just to make a pair of headphones sound not-horrible sometimes.
Song examples:
•Good:
Troyboi - Flamez
Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now
Radiohead - Karma Police
•Bad
Lil Dicky - Save Dat Money (Snare is too shrill, something is just off about the sound overall and I can't get into the groove)
Odesza - All We Need (vocals way too shrill, instruments mid/hi range are lost and shallow)
Kid Cudi - Heart of a Lion (way too muddy and unclear)
Louis the Child - Love is Alive (same problem)
Flume - Sintra (bass too overbearing, melodic parts sort of lost)
I could provide more examples or whatever but these are the things that came to mind. Thanks for reading.
