Rank the Headphones that You Own.
Dec 11, 2012 at 6:25 PM Post #2,521 of 8,131
Quote:
 
That's what I am worried about also. I don't know if I can live without this "cheap-phones-buying-addiction" lol.
 
 
And the right amp seems to be the Lyr, so there's another $400
eek.gif
   Maybe I will instead just stay addicted and continue going broke nice and slowly. Somics... here I come lol!

 
That's the best way to go broke really. It softens the blow and the shock of it all. 
 
Dec 11, 2012 at 11:48 PM Post #2,522 of 8,131
Quote:
Quote:
 
That's what I am worried about also. I don't know if I can live without this "cheap-phones-buying-addiction" lol.
 
 
And the right amp seems to be the Lyr, so there's another $400
eek.gif
   Maybe I will instead just stay addicted and continue going broke nice and slowly. Somics... here I come lol!

 
That's the best way to go broke really. It softens the blow and the shock of it all. 

Exactly why I buy vintage cans, that and general fascination with old ****. Lol.
 
Dec 12, 2012 at 12:37 PM Post #2,523 of 8,131
well my friend has the K601 which i actually like which is weird given how much i like the HD650. I struggle to like the sound of the beyers (personal prefs), so yea im looking for a second set of headphones, might check out the audio technica lounge tomorrow


I think the K701 are a nice compliment to the big Senns - brighter, more spacious, faster, but less musical. They go well together. The K701 being much less expensive kind of messes with that perception though (people tend to want to place it in "entry level" or "mid-fi" because obviously price tells us everything :rolleyes:).

Personally I don't have a solid 1-8 (or is it 1-10?) ranking of all of my cans, but I can say that recently my top four in terms of actual usage are:

- Koss ESP/950
- Ultrasone PRO2900
- Bose AE2w
- Grado RS-1i

The Bose are scoring "high" because I enjoy them for gaming and watching TV (they isolate, are very comfortable, and have a sufficient soundstage - also the kind of rolled-off top-end makes them among the least fatiguing headphones ever conceived (so listening to lots of explosions and gunshots, while less visceral, is also less obnoxious after 6-7 hours)), but I don't find myself using them for music that often (and inversely, the Grados score "lower" because I don't use them for gaming or TV, so all of their usage is music related (and I haven't had a lot of listening time this month)). The Koss and Ultrasone are very good at both roles. This isn't to say that the Grados cannot game, they just aren't...particularly awesome at it (dialog and some SFX sound uncanny good and they're very comfortable, but they fall short to most of my other cans in terms of soundstage size, and the lack of isolation can be bothersome too). Very much "built for music" these ones are.

This isn't really "engineered" either - it's just what I've been reaching for in the last few weeks. I still like the RS-1 best for music, the PRO2900 best for gaming, and the ESP/950 best all-around. In writing this I feel like I should give the MDR-F1 and TBSE some more headtime though. :xf_eek:
 
Dec 13, 2012 at 4:42 AM Post #2,524 of 8,131
I recently purchased the RE-ZEROS, and I'm so in love with them, i can't see myself loving another dynamic driver IEM the way I love these. They simply vaulted to the very top of my list of IEM's. They easily vaulted over my Sennheiser IE 80's, TF 10's, UE 500's, and MEE A151's. I'm looking into getting the Monster Miles Davis Trumpets (2nd gen), to compare to my ZEROS, but I have little faith in any other dynamic driver IEM touching the sweet smooth beautiful sound signature of my RE-ZEROS.
 
#1 HiFiMan RE-ZERO
 
#2 UE TF 10's
 
#3 Sennheiser IE 80
 
#4 UE 500
 
#5 MEE A151 
 
Dec 13, 2012 at 5:59 AM Post #2,525 of 8,131
1. Audio Technica ATH-W1000X Mmmmm smooth and relaxing. Lovely forward mids, decent enough bass and smooth highs. They also look sexy.

2. Sennheiser Momentum Portable loveliness, ok not that portable as they don't fold or anything but they sound great unamped from my S3.

3. Klipsch Image X10 (I think it's x10 anyways, their first IEM) my first 'serious' pair of headphones. Superseded by the Momentums which give a much more relaxing detailed sound.

4. AKG K702 I don't like these, have very little bass, almost never use as not very satisfying to listen to, still here as I haven't got around to selling them over the last 2 years.
 
Dec 13, 2012 at 6:34 AM Post #2,526 of 8,131
Thought I might just add my input here...
 
1. Sennheiser HD800
2. Sennheiser HD650
3. Audio Technica AD1000
4. Sennheiser HD25-1 II
5. Alienware TactX (Rebranded Steelseries 5Hv2)
 
I would say the AD1000s and the HD25s would be very close if I were to rank them. Even though the AD1000 does have rather problematic highs, it is leaps and bounds ahead of the recessed nature found in the HD25s which bothers me. Fortunately though, I really do like the way the bass is presented and even though I don't approve of the sparkly highs on their own, I find that the combination of the 3 attributes makes it amazingly fun to listen to.
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 6:07 AM Post #2,527 of 8,131
I recently bought the UE 700's, which have replaced my RE-ZERO's as my favorite workhorse IEM. Sold my Sennheiser IE 80's, so my top 3 now goes something like this...
 
1. UE 700
2. HiFiMan RE-ZERO
3. UE TF 10
 
recent fun factor IEM with AMP : V-Moda Bass Freq Metal
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 10:21 AM Post #2,528 of 8,131
It's really hard for the top 2, but here it goes
 
1. Grado Sr-80i WITH L-cush pads
2. Sennheiser HD518
3. Grado Sr-80i with S-cush pads
4. Sony MDR-XB500
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 10:25 AM Post #2,529 of 8,131
LCD-2 > HD 650 > Westone um3x rc > ATH M50... Probably not a groundbreaking ranking...
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 7:32 PM Post #2,530 of 8,131
I'm quite curious about the Westone um3x...how do they stack up against the TF 10's and 700's?
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 8:55 PM Post #2,531 of 8,131
Quote:
I recently bought the UE 700's, which have replaced my RE-ZERO's as my favorite workhorse IEM. Sold my Sennheiser IE 80's, so my top 3 now goes something like this...
 
1. UE 700
2. HiFiMan RE-ZERO
3. UE TF 10
 
recent fun factor IEM with AMP : V-Moda Bass Freq Metal

Surprised by your high rating of the UE 700, especially since it's actually quite cheap(for head-fi). Might go pick one up if I see it in the new year sales, or maybe the UE 900...hmm.
 
My top 5 would probably go like this:
1. Denon AH-D2000 with MarkL mod
2. Audio Technica ATH-A900X
3. Personally modded T50RPs(needs a bit more detail)
4. Shure SRH840
5. KRK KNS 8400
 
None of my IEMs really give me the same level of satisfaction as my headphones, but I don't have any flagship or near flagship IEMs yet. 
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 9:19 PM Post #2,532 of 8,131
1. Grado sr325is (stock pads)
2. Sennheiser HD650 and AKG K702 65th Anniversary (these get the most play time)
3. Sennheiser HD25-1 II (also love the fact that parts are owner serviceable/replaceable)
 
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 10:31 PM Post #2,533 of 8,131
This is tough.

1. Sennheiser HD598   -  Bass is not as recessed as I thought it would be. Highs and mids are fantastic. Soundstage obviously very wide and good. A very relaxing, non fatiguing, enveloping    headphone. Some slight sibilance, I expect this to get better with burn in. I'm only about 8 hours in, and the fact they already sound fantastic is saying something.
 
2. V-Moda M80             - Really really smooth and digestible. Also, very warm to my ears, but that's not a bad thing. Bass extension is superb, and impact is adequate and non fatiguing. Mids are otherwordly. As mentioned before, highs are definitely the weakest, but not recessed. Relaxed maybe. Slightly congested because the mids and bass are forward, but then again, a lot of headphones sound congested compared to the HD598. Very fun. Easy to groove, headbang, chill. Awesome awesome headphones.
 
3. Sennheiser HD439   -  Obviously a league below the above, but still great nonetheless. Decent clarity and soundstage. I actually thought the bass was weak when I first heard these, which is funny cuz they advertise these as bass emphasized. Perhaps, because these were my first quality headphones, my tastes were still bass heavy. At any rate, I did the tape mod and the bass improved a lot. 
 
 
My next purchase will be something a little sharper/brighter than the above. Crystal clear. In your face. Any recommendations?
 
Dec 26, 2012 at 10:38 PM Post #2,534 of 8,131
-snippity snip-

My next purchase will be something a little sharper/brighter than the above. Crystal clear. In your face. Any recommendations?

The obvious answer is Grado. You'll either love it or hate it, I know I love mine already.
 

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