[IEMagnet01]

Quote:

@IEMagnet01
The SR60i is what I'd recommend, It very clear, pretty balanced sound sig (a bit trebly, not much bass), although Grados are not known for their comfort. They can be great DIY projects too

thank you. i'm looking into them.

 

[IEMagnet01]

Quote:

Thanks HolyCheese I will look into them. My Bose are falling apart by the minute!

I had the Koss Porta Pros before I gave them to my brother in law as a gift. He'd borrow them every time I'd go visit, and keep them the whole time, listening to classical music. They are very nice value/budget phones, and definitely better than falling apart Bose. 

 

[tdockweiler]

1. Koss Pro DJ100 / TBSE
 
Sounds better than my HD-650 with the same setup if you ignore the fact that the HD-650 is open (which is a slightly unfair advantage). As much as I love my HD-650, it doesn't really sound technically better in any way. Yeah I know about all those wonderful measurements. What holds the DJ100 driver back is it's enclosure. Koss could do so much more with this one. This one seemed to benefit more from equipment upgrades than my HD-650. About the same as my Q701. This thing is so revealing of every single change in your setup. Feel free to call me nuts if you want! Like the K701, it's easy to hate this with the wrong setup. It's best with very neutral gear to my ears. I want to see an open HD-650 killer from Koss

 
2. AKG Q701
 
No clue why I put the HD-650 above this last time. This thing got even better when I did some upgrades recently. I think it pretty much couldn't possibly sound any better, but it did. This headphone with my setup is not too forgiving anymore of poor recordings, but yet is still not fatiguing at all ever. It's treble is really smooth.
 
As much as I hate to say it, but the DJ100 sounds often more detailed and clearer. It's sometimes easy to get confused because the DJ100 is warmer/bassier. When my DJ100 sounds less clear than my Q701, it's the fact that the recording is what's not clear! No joke. I didn't realize stuff like this until I tried gaming.with my KRKs and the soundtracks were more muffled on very revealing CLOSED headphones.
 
3. Sennheiser HD-650
 
I love this headphone. It's not boring, but is slightly laid back at times. I didn't think so at first until I compared it to my other headphones. It's nice and full sounding and very well balanced. Mine is even more balanced sounding in the bass than my HD-580 and 600! Makes no sense right? It doesn't seem dark to my ears. It has slightly less treble than my HD-650. No huge mid-bass hump on this pair.
 
Despite sounding very smooth it's almost too forgiving and makes nearly everything sound almost too good.
 
I tend to hate this with warm sounding sources. It was awful when I tried it with the Clip+ to amp (not that I'd use that setup).
 
None of my other headphones have gotten any use in a long time. It's safe to say that these are not going anywhere and will be use for many years.

 

[smcginni]

HE-500
HD700
HD650 (upgraded silver cable)
HD25-1 II (upgraded copper cable - really helped)
DT770/80
monster ccoppers
klipsch S4i (with Accudio app to balance them)
 
Just got the HE-500 and I'm listening to them exclusively before I compare them to my 700 head-to-head. I love the 700 for jazz and classical, but the 500s are doing very well, too.  It'll be interesting to see what happens in a couple of weeks when I sit down to compare.
 
i think it would be good to list amps in the context of the headphones as well.  Pairings matter.  Here, I use my Vamp 90% to an appletv/magni 10%.

 

[eucariote]

LCD-2
RS-1
Ultrasone Edition 8
SE535
Monster coppers
SRH940
purple Sony MDR-EX10LP
ibuds

 

[obobskivich]

tdockweiler,

Random thought on the TBSE - you had said the TBSE drivers were 1:1 with Grado drivers, right? So what about dropping a pair in a Jaben AluMod enclosure? I mean, you'd have a big open enclosure and around-ear pads and all that; should work, right?

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

tdockweiler,

Random thought on the TBSE - you had said the TBSE drivers were 1:1 with Grado drivers, right? So what about dropping a pair in a Jaben AluMod enclosure?

I mean, you'd have a big open enclosure and around-ear pads and all that; should work, right?

 
It'd be really expensive just to try. I did this once by destroying a DJ100 and installing it in the open HD-497 shell. It required a pad mod though and it lost most of it's warmth. It ended up sounding like a much clearer HD-598, but with more treble. It wasn't worth the hassle though, but it was portable! I never heard such a small headphone with such a huge soundstage. It was larger than the HD-598, but nothing ever sounded too distant.
 
Too bad the HD-497 is discontinued.
 
If you install it in the XB500 shell it's a bass monster due to those pads. Pretty funny though, but sounded AWFUL. I think a ton of the bass from the XB500 is from the pads! No joke.
 
The DJ100 drivers are nearly the same design as the Grado drivers. The DJ100 driver is too difficult to remove really. Same plastic around the driver etc.

 

[IEMagnet01]

I've been selling a ton of my equipment, and buying several upgrade IEM's! I even sold my Senn cans and used it towards my VSonic GR07's! I also bought the JVC HA-FXT90, and the UE 600's. I've got a bid for the Monster Miles Davis Trumpets, which seem to be the highest rated Monster product? Just above the Coppers. I haven't received any yet except my UE 600's, which sound almost identical to my Sony XBA-1's and are not quite up to par treble wise to my UE 700's. 

 

[IEMagnet01]

ranking update (minus the Vsonic GR07 and Monster Miles Davis Trumpets, both which have recently been ordered and are in transit). 
 
1. UE 7 Customs
2. UE 600/JVC HA-FXT90
3. UE 700
4. HiFiMan RE-ZERO
5. Sony XBA-1/Sennheiser CX 215
 
Loving the THICK monsterous sound I get from the JVC FXT90's!! Metal music sounds METAL!! \m/ \m/

 

[brokenthumb]

Latest ranking of all the headphones I've owned.
 
Sound
1. HD700
2. HE-500
3. LCD-2 rev.2
4. HD650
5. HE-400
6. K701
7. SR80i
8. D2000

Comfort
1. HD700
2. D2000
3. HD650
4. HE-400
5. HE-500
6. LCD-2 Rev.2
7. SR80i
8. K701

 

[Fearless1]

My updated top 5 rankings
 
1.  Tie,  Lcd-2 (bamboo)-bass, tone. Love these with rock     W1000x (J$ pads) spine chilling vocals, they sound like a Grado-HD650 love child!
 
2. HE-400(J$ pads) -fun, bass, separation Perfect with EDM, newer music.
 
3. HE-500 (Jerg pad mod) -lovely tone. Great with classical and acoustic
 
4  HD650 (stock!) -addictive, always go back to them. Makes everything sound good
 
5  DT880(J$pads) -accurate, comfort. Movies, gaming.
 
Others receiving votes:
 D7k, Gs1000is

 

[Flisker]

1. HE-400 - These are stunning.

2. Shure SRH940

3. AKG K701

4. HD650

5. CAL!

 
I guess I'll keep only HE-400 and SRH940 because for me they beats others mentioned.

 

[bareyb]

Of the ones I've had recently I can tell you for sure my NEW favorite are these HiFi Man HE400s. I've had 'em on all day.They can do anything.  

 
1. Hifi Man  HE400
2. Ultrasone Pro 900
3. Beyerdynamic DT770
4. Audio Technica ATH M50
5. Sennheiser HD439

 

[devhen]

I think I already posted to this thread a while back but I've picked up some new cans so I guess I'll re-rank them.
 
1. Sennheiser HD600
2. Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro
These 2 are very close and pretty much tied for 1st place. They are both super awesome and put everything else I've owned to shame
 
3. Beyerdynamic DT770 Premium 600 ohm
These were the reason I got the 880s because I absolutely loved them but wanted something very similar sans the bloated bass / recessed mids
 
4. Ultrasone PRO 750
I'm not as happy with these as most Ultrasone users are but I can't deny the awesome punch and texture of the bass on these things
 
5. Beyerdynamic DT 235
Absolutely, hands down, the best budget cans I've ever heard
 
6. AKG K422
I love these little guys. For the $20 I spent on them (Musician's Friend "Deal of the Day") they are superb
 
7. Monoprice 8323 w/ DT250 velour pads
Atrociously uncomfortable in stock form but they are actually quite comfy with DT250 velours. However, they get absolutely no use because of their ridiculously narrow soundstage. Aside from that they are very surprisingly good for the price
 
And the rest of my cans really suck and you should stay very far away from them:
* Sony ZX701iP (ZX700 with the iDevice mic cable) -- These are terrible. I have no idea why people like these. Everything sounds like a 128k mp3 through them
* Denon D310 - Not worth 5 bucks
* Sennheiser HD202 - Not worth 5 bucks
* Sennheiser CX200 earbuds - Meh
* Monoprice 8320 IEMs - Good sound except for a couple frequency ranges that are absolutely atrocious. I was told they were faulty. Got a second pair and they are identical. I was then told it was the tips I was using. Tried a few different tips and they were still they same. Not good at all.

 

[goldtuba]

Westone 4
Audio technica a900
Hifiman re262
Grado 60
Klipsch pro media

Plan on upgrading my cans very soon to something that will overtake the #1 spot