cossix
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2017
- Posts
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Thanks to a few absolutely wonderful Head-Fi members, I've been able to finally get my ears on some of the most popular headphones on the market, AKG k3003, ie800, HD700, HD800, HD800S, ZMF Atticus and Eikon, etc.
As much as I loved every single headphone I've come across this way, I still prefer the sound of the LCD2 out of my Jotunheim. It has clarity, detail, low reaching bass, ample amount of low frequency impact, present and smooth mids, and has an overall "engaging" sound to me. The only issue I face is the comfort. I find myself opting to listen to my LSR 305 more than my Audeze and I think I it's due to the LCD2 comfort/weight.
Factoring all of this in, what would you say the next step up is? Here is an abbreviated list of how some of the popular headphones I've tried stack up with my tastes.
LCD2 (favorite): Has just the right amount of bass for me while retaining the ability to sound impactful but not overbearing. Mids are in a great spot and not too recessed. I hear them slightly further away than I'd like but it's not a problem at all. Highs are crisp and detailed. I would not want anything with sharper highs than this.
HD700: Bass and mids are completely overshadowed by the amount of treble. It isn't harsh treble to my ears, but there is simply too much of it. The headphone sounds like somebody boosted the treble by a ton in a software EQ which makes the other frequencies quiet in comparison. I didn't like this one at all, no matter how long I listened in an attempt to get used to the sound. It was hollow and unexciting. I also heard weird added reverb which added to the tinny hollowness of the sound.
HD800: Bass reaches much lower than I expected and this headphone surprised me every single time I listened to a song with sub bass. Mids were plenty clear but didn't have the emotion to them that I like. Highs were not painful to me, but I found myself concentrating on them a bit too much for my liking. They distracted me from the music on some tracks.
800S: Better than the 800 in just about every way, but not enough to justify the difference in price. I appreciated the relaxed treble (in comparison) and everything sounded more musical. Still a bit analytical for my tastes.
Atticus:
Bass: Midbass
Mids: Midbass
Treble: Midbass
If you haven't already guessed, this headphone has a ton of mid bass. It drowns out every other frequency about 3 times more than the HD700 treble does. It bleeds into the mids and makes vocals seem heavier than they should be. The treble is also far too rolled off to work well with the mid bass. It literally sounds muffled and thumpy. I can only listen to EDM on this headphone because any other genre sounds like I'm listening to music with a pillow between my ear and the headphone.
Eikon: This came the closest to my preferred sound. Good sub bass but not overpowering, good impact, mids are smooth and present, highs are relaxed (although a bit too relaxed) and the soundstage is remarkably wide for a (ported) closed back. I consider them closed back anyway because putting the earcups together isolates 95% of the music even at high volume, 5 inches from my head. The only thing I would change is the treble roll off. The physical design is my favorite out of anything so far.
Extra stuff: If I were to replace my LCD2 I would love to have something that looks similarly classy. I love the use of wood in headphones and my top 3 favorite designs are the LCD2/3/4, Eikon, and TH900.
Does anything exist that ticks all my boxes? I was also considering getting the LCD2 upgrade headband from Audeze but 200 bucks for a headband is not on my to-do list at the moment. It would, however, make sense if it would fix my comfort issue.
As much as I loved every single headphone I've come across this way, I still prefer the sound of the LCD2 out of my Jotunheim. It has clarity, detail, low reaching bass, ample amount of low frequency impact, present and smooth mids, and has an overall "engaging" sound to me. The only issue I face is the comfort. I find myself opting to listen to my LSR 305 more than my Audeze and I think I it's due to the LCD2 comfort/weight.
Factoring all of this in, what would you say the next step up is? Here is an abbreviated list of how some of the popular headphones I've tried stack up with my tastes.
LCD2 (favorite): Has just the right amount of bass for me while retaining the ability to sound impactful but not overbearing. Mids are in a great spot and not too recessed. I hear them slightly further away than I'd like but it's not a problem at all. Highs are crisp and detailed. I would not want anything with sharper highs than this.
HD700: Bass and mids are completely overshadowed by the amount of treble. It isn't harsh treble to my ears, but there is simply too much of it. The headphone sounds like somebody boosted the treble by a ton in a software EQ which makes the other frequencies quiet in comparison. I didn't like this one at all, no matter how long I listened in an attempt to get used to the sound. It was hollow and unexciting. I also heard weird added reverb which added to the tinny hollowness of the sound.
HD800: Bass reaches much lower than I expected and this headphone surprised me every single time I listened to a song with sub bass. Mids were plenty clear but didn't have the emotion to them that I like. Highs were not painful to me, but I found myself concentrating on them a bit too much for my liking. They distracted me from the music on some tracks.
800S: Better than the 800 in just about every way, but not enough to justify the difference in price. I appreciated the relaxed treble (in comparison) and everything sounded more musical. Still a bit analytical for my tastes.
Atticus:
Bass: Midbass
Mids: Midbass
Treble: Midbass
If you haven't already guessed, this headphone has a ton of mid bass. It drowns out every other frequency about 3 times more than the HD700 treble does. It bleeds into the mids and makes vocals seem heavier than they should be. The treble is also far too rolled off to work well with the mid bass. It literally sounds muffled and thumpy. I can only listen to EDM on this headphone because any other genre sounds like I'm listening to music with a pillow between my ear and the headphone.
Eikon: This came the closest to my preferred sound. Good sub bass but not overpowering, good impact, mids are smooth and present, highs are relaxed (although a bit too relaxed) and the soundstage is remarkably wide for a (ported) closed back. I consider them closed back anyway because putting the earcups together isolates 95% of the music even at high volume, 5 inches from my head. The only thing I would change is the treble roll off. The physical design is my favorite out of anything so far.
Extra stuff: If I were to replace my LCD2 I would love to have something that looks similarly classy. I love the use of wood in headphones and my top 3 favorite designs are the LCD2/3/4, Eikon, and TH900.
Does anything exist that ticks all my boxes? I was also considering getting the LCD2 upgrade headband from Audeze but 200 bucks for a headband is not on my to-do list at the moment. It would, however, make sense if it would fix my comfort issue.