[EYEdROP]

Aside from comfort, aesthetics, cost, amp, etc.., Which flagship -on average- would have the most appealing sound signature for your average Joe with tin ears and their 128kbps streaming Taylor Swift? Which model would be the safest bet? Can be older used or recent models...

 

[FrostyP]

I suppose the Sennheiser HD650/6XX counts since once upon a time it was a flagship. it's the closest to a perfect all rounder I've heard besides the Focal Clear and it's significantly cheaper than that headphone. But Audio is such a personal thing that the only surefire way to figure out what you want is to try the product for yourself. Check to see if you have a store not too far from you that sells headphones and has demo units.

 

[Henrysharoop]

I'd say ZMF Atticus. Its got relaxing, dark treble, a mid bass hump, and a very smooth mid range. Perfect for your average Joe.

 

[Kukuk]

My vote would be the DT1770 Pro. The bass in particular would really appeal to the average Joe (or anyone, really). It's boosted, but also has unbelievable control and extension.

They're also very forgiving of poor quality recordings.

 

[qazxsw80]

The AKG K812. They are easy to drive, very cheap now, very-well made almost completely out of metal, very comfortable (for me more so than the Sennheiser Hd800), have very durable earpads that last years (much longer than the earpads on all the Beyerdynamic headphones, the Sennheiser hd650/800). And they have an excellent headphone stand in the box.
In terms of sound, they are very neutral, but can be a little bright for some people. But it can be fixed with a little of equalization while keeping all its amazing flagship qualities - great bass, excellent resolution, and big soundstage.

 

[lugnut]

The AKG K812. They are easy to drive, very cheap now,

Not doubting the quality, unless I am missing something, I see the price as $1499.00. I don't see that as cheap.

 

[qazxsw80]

Not doubting the quality, unless I am missing something, I see the price as $1499.00. I don't see that as cheap.

Probably you are.) They were 1500 dollars in 2013, but now they can be bought much cheaper. For example, they are 750 euro on ebay and there are even cheaper places.

 

[lugnut]

Probably you are.

So I ask a honest and your first reply is to insult me with name calling, what's up with that ?

 

[qazxsw80]

So I ask a honest and your first reply is to insult me with name calling, what's up with that ?

Sorry if it offended you, I am not a native speaker and it doesn't sound offensive to me at all. More like a joke or sarcasm.

 

[SonyFan121]

I've seen AKG K812 on Amazon UK for less than £500 ($650) quite a few times.

As for the original question, I would say Denon AH-D2000 but those weren't a flagship. Fun sound signature to suite all tastes, can be used to dissect/analyse every detail from recordings whilst simultaneously being fun to listen to no matter whether it's a 128kbps file or an uncompressed .WAV file.