[Kukuk]

It's been a while since I popped in here. My Woo Audio WA2 has sorta reshuffled my ranking.

1. Koss ESP-950 - Still top dog. For kicks I run the energizer out of the headphone out on the amp. Picks up a little bit of the tube sound, but the effect is pretty minimal. The headphones themselves have the most godly mids I've ever heard. Not a huuuuge soundstage, but still nice, and imaging that can't be beat. Maybe lacking in bass extension just a little, but still a fantastic all-rounder.

2. Beyerdynamic T5p Rev 1 - Again, another great all-rounder. Huge soundstage for a closed headphone, great imaging, and tonal balance is overall pretty even. There's small peaks and dips across the spectrum, but the WA2 fills in the most noticeable dip: the lower mids. They are just a touch thin down there, but the WA2 really smooths that out. Some stuff can still be a little too bright for relaxed, easy listening, but that translates into a really dynamic and energetic listening experience when I'm just wanting to jam out.

3. Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 - This headphone, far and away, got the largest gains from the WA2. It's almost a different headphone. It's sorta reminiscent of an Audeze with this amp. From top to bottom it's a more refined experience. Bass picks up the amp's beautiful texture, the upper bass transitions a little more smoothly into the low mids, and even soundstage opens up a little. It's such a lively and engaging experience with basically anything I throw at it now, even softer material. It would be silly to recommend the WA2 to someone who solely owns the DT770 Pro, but if you have the opportunity to audition a WA2, definitely bring them along!

4. Sony MDR-CD900ST - I still love this headphone, and I'd recommend it to any mid-head who's looking for end-game quality, but my taste in music is expanding out from my small rock and folk arrangements. It also picks up remarkably little from the amp, which is somewhat of a disappointment. Might give it a little more love in the coming days though, as it got precious little outside of an initial audition.

5. Ultrasone HFI-580 - Another one that picks up very little of the amp's sound. Still a fantastic headphone for those wanting a big, bassy sound.

6. Koss Pro DJ100 - Has seen almost no ear time lately, but initial impressions on the WA2 were still impressive. Really picked up on that bass texture, and maybe a little more open sounding.

7. AKG M220 - A solid 7/10 headphone. Upper mids are a little too recessed, treble is really odd, in that some frequencies are really high, some are really low. Decent imaging and soundstage.

8. Koss Porta Pro - Not the biggest fan. Way too dark for my tastes. Bass is a little loose. I think the KSC-75 is a superior sounding headphone.

9. Sennheiser HD-25 - I used to really like this headphone. Build quality is fantastic, isolation is very good, bass and mids are fairly competent, but the treble just really kills me. It's really unpleasant with a lot of my music. Soundstage and imaging also kinda suck.

 

[gryphon1911]

2 categories for me:

Headphones:
Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250 ohm) / Grado SR225e (tie depending on what I'm listening to)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 (80 ohm)
Audio Technica M50x

IEM:
Dunu DN-2000J (with Comply Comfort tips)
1More Quad Driver
Bose Soundsport Free
TFX Exclusive 5

 

[bagwell359]

Top to bottom (owned in 2018-2019)

Hifiman HE-6 (six screw, no mods); Not owner, but on loan. Slightly smaller image size than my modded HE-500 (mild surprise). Needs more control (felt, code sex, EQ) for the treble. It can get a little bit wild. Mids have it all. Definition. Detail. Gestalt. Music is not molested. Bass potent (when it came out it must have been the bass can - no longer, but still nice impact). They do get a little one note at times, but not frequently. Treble has lots of def and color, but can also be subtle. They need fuzzor mods at least IMO. 2nd best can after the Voce I have heard. (9.7/10).

Hifiman HEX V2; Arctic Cables Cardas xlr cable; line them up so the highs get in to your ears. Big image, don't like to play too loud. Sound like Maggies w/o ribbons, IE frame the music well, not ultra definition can. Great late night or early morning can (relaxing). Good deal at $650-725 used. (9.3/10)

Hifiman HE-500; fazor mod, Ether Angled pads, 1/2" mesh screen, black dragon xlr cables, dynamat, felt; fine mids, uneven but expressive treble, big juicy sound; bass can be a little thick, enough juice helps thin it out and increases dynamics. Good down to 45 Hz. It is heavy. At $360-425 used, it's a (9.1/10).

Senn HD-600 - wired balanced w/ custom cans xlr cables, felt, dynamat; flat and clean, colorations don't fatigue, but ultimate detail not there in upper mids, and bottom 1 3/4 octave MIA. But what bass there is is very fast. Doesn't quite move enough air, or set ones heartbeat racing. Very ascetic sound overall. A classic. (9.0/10)

HFM HE5-LE: removal of tape/felt, change screen to 1/2" mesh, add dynamat, felt. Small image size, potent bass when asked to produce it. Likes chamber music, when too many instruments playing in same freq range, the image and sound starts to collapse, and distortion goes up. Impossible to tame treble due to ringing and varying music. All that being said, it can and does rise to the level of sublime in about 30% of what I listen too. Need at least 2 watts to run. (8.0/10).

Mass Drop HE-4xx; from 60 Hz. up uneven, but charming can, not last word in detail, but somehow the music comes through well - howver never rises to levels of HE-5LE. However in AB testing it can be exposed. Too much midbass. Seductive in the mids. Highs can be too much at times. Also make nice mobile cans. (7.8/10)

Fostex TH500RP - soft relaxed sound, changes of damping, pads, and adding white tack to the back of the can, bring the bass up to being nearly decent, without that mod bass is quite weak. I have never once heard anything unpleasant from these, but, never heard magic either. Female voices a top attraction. Highs a bit grainy and lacking detail but not harsh at all. (7.1/10)

Grado SR-80e - for under $100, a deal, Ragnarok makes them kick. Still, can't make you think it's really music, and the treble is grainy and annoying. Low bass not there as one could expect. (6.2/10)

Mass Drop Fostex FH-X00, fatiguing IMO. :15 min at a time enough for me. Balanced makes them swagger. Does tamp down a bit of woolyness in the bass. The treble will probably never have enough detail to please me, these could be tamed in the bass with EQ or pad changes. Very lively sound which is a good thing. Imaging is poor. (5.8/10)

Audeze LCD-2 Fazor '14: Built like a tank, and that's what they weigh. Pad removal a big pain. If you like bass above all, a defensible choice. Lacking upper mids and upper 1/2 octave in a big way - add to pumped up bass gives a smudgy dark picture into the sound. (5.7/10)

 

[geoffalter11]

It has been awhile since I have updated on here and much has changed.

1. EnigmAcoustics Dharma D1000 - still my favorite. The clarity and voicing is spot on to my preferences. Not sure I will ever part with it.
2. Sennheiser HD660S - loving this headphone. The detail is fantastic. Smooth and syrupy.
3. ZMF Blackwood - I have the Cocobolo cups with a pure silver ZMF cable. Coupled with my Wells Milo, these are a beast.
4. Hifiman Sundara - I am falling in love with these slowly. Treble is near perfect.
5. ZMF Ori - Should probably be rated higher, except the midbass hump isn't my favorite. Otherwise, I love them.

 

[Rhamnetin]

1. Koss ESP-950 - ... imaging that can't be beat.

I bet it can be beat.

 

[spacequeen7]

1-SENN HD 58x Jubilee
1a-Audeze LCD-2 no fazor
1b- SENN HD 650 (OTL)
2- HiFiman HE 400

 

[Hyp0xia]

deleted

 

[koover]

Full size
Atticus
AFO
LCD2-C
HD650
Sony MDR-Z7 (modded)
Fostex TH-X00 Prurpleheart (modded)
Denon AH-D2000 (modded)

Portable
Meze 99 Classic
1MTDOE
Meze Neo

 

[Mhog55]

1-SENN HD 58x Jubilee
1a-Audeze LCD-2 no fazor
1b- SENN HD 650 (OTL)
2- HiFiman HE 400

Some serious praise for the 58X. Who am I kidding, it's my top dog as well. That being said, I haven't spent over 200 dollars on a set of cans, and the 58X solidified this decision.

 

[Mhog55]

Just picked up the Thinksound On2. What a detailed can. Wasn't sure what to expect, but these are just wonderfully musical. Here's my updated list
1)Sennheiser HD 58X
2)Thinksound On2
3)Hifiman Edition S
4)B&O H6
5)1 more triple driver over ear
6)M-Audio Q40
7)Sennheiser Hd 25

 

[PDC3]

1. Top: MassDrop HiFiMan 4xx Open yet satisfying bass impact without excessive bleed into the mid-bass. Perhaps a shade too soft in treble, yet pleasingly wide soundstage. Not neutral, but greatest enjoyment.
2. Oppo PM-3. Closed, neutral. Awesome with the Oppo HA-2 from the iPhone (as long as using the supplied USB-Lightning cable). However, some tracks I’ll add the HA-2 bass boost. Relatively intimate soundstage.
3. AKG Quincy Jones Q701: Semi-open and sounds it. Unexpectedly a go-to for walking the dog in my relatively quiet suburb, when attached to the A&K Bluetooth receiver, which drives them perfectly well. Can hear the traffic without being suddenly shocked by its nearness to me and pooch. Not as much bass presence as I’d like for critical listening, but they live by the HD Radio and we have fun finding new music.
4. Grado RS-1i. Open, VERY open. Wide soundstage. Bass is tight yet not impactful, so a lean, analytical listen. Great for strings, woodwinds, brass choir, acapella.
5. 1-more Triple Driver IEM w/ Lightning connector: easiest way to travel and yet get great sound out of iPhone 7 onwards. Requires fitting carefully to allow the bass to be properly aligned with neutral. Even then, an analytical sound. My response to IEM is always “closed in” soundstage so I say the same for these but that may be the way my ears are wired.
6. Sennheiser On-Ear Momentum. Closed on-ear. Fun, most comfortable ever Alcantara" fabric ear pads in my Florida heat, but headband required stretching on my 71/2” head and still can’t say they’re comfortable after 45 minutes. When they’re off my head I think I should sell them but I put them on with 1970s rock or 1950s jazz and just smile at how bouncy they are, with some mid-bass bleed that makes them seem as if they’re punching above their weight. Take ‘em out gardening and have fun.
7. Oontz Bluetooth ear buds. Listenable, particularly with Comply earbud tips
8. Zagg ear buds. Same, with world’s strangest cable system. (Supposed to come from behind your head and then, I think, through your armpit and out a nostril…whew. I only listen to them in bed so I can just throw the cable tangle on my chest.)
9. Mee Matrix Bluetooth Wireless HD. Heard good things about Mee as a value choice. Well…truly inexpensive for the feature set but nonetheless a disappointing sound with iPhone, so probably doesn’t decode AAC files. (Could sound better with Android/AptX which it purports to do, I wouldn’t know.) Not worth wiring up either, given what else I own. For me, disappointing but not unlistenable

Hoped for future acquisitions: MrSpeakers Aeon Open and also Closed. Heard ‘em, loved ‘em for both sound and comfort.

 

[Davesrose]

Joining Head-fi again after looking to invest in a closed headphone. I decided to get Mr Headphones Aeon Closed because of its reviews for being one of the best sub $1000 headphone. Glad to see Sennheiser HD6xx still remaining a popular open back headphone. One of my oldest headphones is a HD-580 that I've heavily modded: gave it HD650 metal back, have stocking material instead of foam, etc....even though it's 300 ohm, I find it still sounds good with portable systems. With my desktop setup, I've had it tailored for HD650s. An analytical Benchmark DAC and now museum piece Single Power amp (bought it when it was a good name in this forum, and the amp has served me well). The setup was just right for the HD650: giving me good bass extension for electronic and classical symphonies, as well as fast transients for other genres. Now I'm in an office environment that demands closed headphones. I can't pass final judgement on the Mr Speakers yet since I'll need to change out my NOS tubes with my headphone amp. With initial impressions, I am surprised that I've read folks saying these do OK with any source. I'm finding they're very demanding and have just opened up with my dedicated desktop amp. They sound very compressed without an amp, and even though the resistance is less then the HD650, I see their sensitivity is pretty low. I do have to raise the volume quite a bit higher then my Sennheisers. I'm looking forward to getting them to zing though...I agree with Tyll's review that they have great imaging and their vocal range/presence is really great. They're not bass heavy, but they do have some good bass extension. Since I like all around music (IE classical symphonies and jazz that can use some more bass), I'm thinking these will sound even better with some other NOS tubes I have (namely GE). So my number one spot will probably go to the Mr Speakers when I have it tailored....After listening to it, the HD650s soundstage sounds very compressed (even though for now it has larger tonality). I have HD595s that I use for my *any source*: it still gives me good Sennheiser sound with the cheapest sound source. My HD-580s, I use with some now vintage Sony Discmans....and the Grado 325s I have for some specific rock.

 

[EnsisTheSlayer]

Rank your headphones. Please rank your headphones that you own and use regularly. Please don’t list or rank headphones that you use to own or that you have tried. My goal here is to have a positive outlook ranking, not a product bashing list. I figure that if you own and use them, you must like them. Right?

My list.

1)AKG K1000
2)Etymotic ER-4S
3)AKG K501
4)Grado SR-125 (looking to upgrade these to SR-325i)

1) Hifiman HE-400I
2) Sony MDR-1A
3) Sennheiser HD558
4) Sennheiser IE60

I love almost everything about the HE-400Is, in how clean, energetic, tight, thumpy, and airy it sounds. I only dislike it when it comes to the vocals (I like my vocals to be more forward and to have more body, while the HE-400Is sort of "dissipate" in all directions, and seem a little recessed to me), and when I want BASS.

Then I have the MDR-1As. They have so much bass, it blankets all of the other frequencies. Some may call this "muddiness" which I guess is technically true, but I love the way it makes many genres sound. In others, especially old and poorly recorded rock music, it's too muddy for me. But they also sound super smooth and natural, with lots of detail in the vocals, and in instruments in classical/instrumental OST music. Maybe I'd like the highs to be brought out a little more, and to have a bit more bite, but the 1A do their own thing VERY well IMO. Those are my favorite headphones that I use on a daily basis (the HE-400Is are my daily drivers for when I play games/watch stuff too), the HD558s and IE60s I don't really use. They're really quite good headphones though.

The HD558s have quite forward vocals, especially the sort of "rumble" in the throats when people talk/sing, which I once really loved, but after listening to the HE-400Is I realized I liked "colder" vocals better, that emphasized the "air" of the vocals rather than the low rumble. They also have a decent bass bump. Enough to make them satisfying in EDM music where the HE-400Is are a bit lacking, but also little enough to keep them from being muddy. And I liked the bite they had in the upper mids/highs, which made jazz especially sound really good. They were my first pair of "oh sweet Jesus headphones can sound this good?!" headphones. Before I had the CB-1s which were my first decent pair of good sounding headphones (which you can read about below). The detail they had when I played the A New Hope OST... I think that was one of the very first times I listened to an album from start to finish.

And the IE60s were very impressive for their price. For $117, you got a pair of really natural sounding IEMs, which may even be a bit cleaner and more natural sounding than the HD558s (but of course not as airy as a complete open back). They were very forward, as expected from IEMs, which I loved when it came to vocals (especially ones that were right up in the mic), but had quite artificial sounding bass in quite a few songs. Ironically, they're forward nature I once loved is the reason why I got the MDR-1As, because I recently found them too fatiguing to listen to for very long, so I decided to stick with full sized portable headphones (I use plural because I'm considering picking up a pair of M60Xs since they're cleaner and more neutral than the MDR-1As, have a bit more edge to them and a bit more highs, and more forward vocals if Zeos' sound demo and the current M60X reviews are anything to go off of).

I'm actually planning on selling my HD558s and IE60s at some point, but first I have to get appropriate box sizes for them, a task which had kind of eluded me for quite some time (damn you laziness!).

[Warning, "product bashing list" below]

Technically I also own the Status Audio CB-1, but since it's worth so little and is broken due to it's horrible build quality it's basically became my "screw whore", where if I'm taking apart some of my headphones and drop a screw, instead of spending dozens of minutes finding it I just take one from the CB-1s. I also own the MEE Matrix 3s, but they buzz in the right side, and sound on-par with the other headphones I own, the AKG K182, which is terrible because they both sound significantly worse than the CB-1s, which I actually liked in terms of sound quality. And since this is supposed to be a positive outlook ranking, I decided not to have those on the list.

 

[tdockweiler]

Haven't posted in the headphone section in a long time. No money and i've been perfectly happy with my setup for the last few years.
My latest addition is the DT-990 Pro about 6-8 months ago.

1) AKG Q701 - bass modded

Lately I prefer to listen to the DT-990 Pro because it's slightly more comfortable and smaller.
My DT-990 Pro also sounds better when I want to use a portable player. It even sounds great from a Sansa Clip IMO.

2) DT-990 Pro
This doesn't sound dramatically different than my Q701 bass modded. No really. Slightly more low bass, but I don't hear any more treble at all.
It doesn't ever sound thin or too trebly. It sounds pretty neutral to me. There isn't any clamp so maybe i'm getting less bass. Not even remotely bassy to me at all.
None of my music sounds any different.
I actually tried the DT-770 and DT-990 in all versions and found I liked this the most. The DT-770 250 ohm version I tried had VERY excessive bass. Sounded bad to me.
Strangely one of the most neutral headphones i've ever heard was the DT-770 600ohm, but maybe I had a strange version (or a defect!).

One thing I've found over the years is that I prefer the DT-990 Pro over the DT-880. The DT-880 is too "boring" to me and not because of my music.
I actually find that even the bass modded Q701 has more bass than the DT-880.

3) HD-650
Pretty good but can often sounds very very very slightly muffled and closed in with some classical music.

4) Koss Pro DJ100 with M50 pads / Tony Bennett Edition

Somehow I haven't listened to this in a year. Hard to believe! My Tony Bennett version has started cracking. Guess I need to try these again. They were once my favorites.
I want to try the new Koss Pro 4S headphones but can't afford them. I asked Koss for a loaner/review pair, but of course they ignored me.
Strange considering I was their biggest fanboy for years

PS my favorite amp over the years has been the Headroom Micro Stack with Astrodyne power supply.
The only thing that came close was the ifi Ican, but that was a little warmer.

I also find the Bravo V2 is pretty impressive with an upgraded tube (even a cheap one). It sounds good with all my headphones now.
Sadly I tripped over it power cable and broke the prong. Doubt I can buy a replacement somewhere.

Oh, forget about these:

5) AKG K52 - it's pretty good for the price. I found the way more expensive K92 to sound bad.

6) AKG K400 LP and EP

Nothing special and I can't think of any reason to use these over the Q701. They also don't have enough bass to make them listenable.
Added the K601 pads helps, but that's not good enough.
I plan on getting rid of these for next to nothing soon. I paid less than $60 per pair. Got lucky I guess.
The EP version I found on Amazon and it still had the original box.

PS someday i'd really like to hear a high end headphone.
Closest i've come is the T90 and Audio Technica ATH-AD2000
I have doubts I'd be impressed with many of them.
I really need to go to a meet sometime.

 

[HBen]

Its been over a year and quite a bit has been happening since then ... seems like time for an update:


Stax SR-007MK2
Sennheiser HD800 SDR
Audeze LCD3F
Hifiman HE1000
Hifiman HE560
Stax SR404
Stax SR202
AKG K872
Beyerdynamic T90
AGK K702
Sennheiser HD580
Grado PS500e
Campfire Audio Orion
Grado/Alessandro MS1
Precide Ergo 2
Bose Quiet Comfort 25
AKG K271S



A few comments to rund it up:

- Around the top it's very hard to make a ranking - because depending on the song, music type, amp and DAC synergy and other factors, all of the top few headphones have their strenghs and each one is better than another in certain attributes that makes it sounding better in a certain situation.

- I am at a point where I - considering my preference as well as my financial and personal (family) situation - find it quite hard to find new headphones that are a significant upgrade or even a great sidegrade over what I have at disposal at the moment without spending amounts of money I'd feel uncomfortable with ... So I guess that will be it for a while ... at least for the open headphones

When it comes to closed headphones I'm just at the beginning of my exploration with the newly aquired K872 ... wondering where to go next Probably if I stumble over a used LCD-XC or MrSpeakers Aeon closed or a Denon 7200 I'll get weak again and wanna go for some "extended testing" .. which will likely end in keeping the headphone for good ^^

Am I already addicted?