Rank the Headphones that You Own.
May 12, 2019 at 8:02 AM Post #6,586 of 8,115
Full-Size:

Sony MDR-Z1R

Sony MDR-Z7

Denon AHD7000

AKG-k701


IEM:

Sony IER-Z1R

Noble K10 Encore

Sony XBA-Z5

qdc Anole V3

BGVP DM6

Sony XBA-N3

Magaosi K5


I used to like full-size headphones more.......... but have graduated over to IEMs?
No shame there! IEM's have come a long way, and the good ones can really hang with full sized cans.
 
May 12, 2019 at 8:06 AM Post #6,587 of 8,115
Updated list as some things have changed.



1. Abyss Diana Phi
2.LCD 4Z (sold)
3. Noble Khan
3. Campfire Solaris
4. Focal Clear (with utopia pads)
5. LCD X
6. JH Roxanne (sold)
7. HD 6XX
8. Shure e5c

These are all great but the top honors go to my current 2 channel system.
Dynaudio confidence c1 platinums paired with a hegel h360 (metrum onyx will be added shortly if that sounds good maybe a pavane level 3)

damn i hate that i can't bear to splash the 4k on Diana because idk if it sounds twice that of LCD X or even Ether 2 for that matter
 
May 12, 2019 at 8:48 AM Post #6,588 of 8,115
I don't keep many headphones at the same time , returning to full-time university late in life and having to stay home with my daughter rather than work ensured I had to sell things off.

My two current headphones are locked in a wonderful tie, Klipsch HP-3 and Pioneer SE Monitor 5. Both sound different, but I can equally enjoy their sound signatures. I EQ the bass up just a smidge with the SE Monitor 5 and sometimes EQ the bass down a little with the HP-3. Really love having both and from this point forward I intend to keep these two and only add to my collection (once I'm finished school and working again).
 
May 12, 2019 at 10:07 AM Post #6,589 of 8,115
damn i hate that i can't bear to splash the 4k on Diana because idk if it sounds twice that of LCD X or even Ether 2 for that matter


Which diana did you hear. The Phi sounds different than the original diana. More bass and better treble to me. I don't find the treble splashy on the phi. I actually enjoy it coming from the 4z.

Also if you work with a good local dealer you can probably find them for less than $4k. Maybe closer to $3,400.
 
May 12, 2019 at 1:49 PM Post #6,590 of 8,115
Man this is so tough. As redundant and cliché this may sound it's so true for me...…. I like them all A LOT. That's the reason I have them. If I don't like a headphone, it goes bye-bye. Some that I'll list are so close to each other for my likes that it's almost impossible to rank. But here goes nothin!

ZMF Aeolus
Ebony Klipsch Heritage HP3 (it's "almost" a tie with the Aeolus)
Focal Clear (it's right there)
ZMF Ori Purpleheart (again, it's right there with the above mentioned)
Denon AH-D2000. These are so heavily modded that they don't sound like any D2000 I've ever heard. Just phenomenal and unique.

Audeze LCD-2C (this is where there's some disparity with the top 4)
Meze 99 classic
Sennie HD 650
Fostex TH-X00 Prupleheart (modded)
Sony MDR-Z7 (modded)
Sennie HD 58X
Grado Nhoord Red drivers w/Rholupat wood cups
1More Triple Driver on Ear

I'm kinda weird as I literally use every headphone and don't sit on just 1 for a week. It's a different flavor every day. Love it!
 
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May 12, 2019 at 2:15 PM Post #6,592 of 8,115
Which diana did you hear. The Phi sounds different than the original diana. More bass and better treble to me. I don't find the treble splashy on the phi. I actually enjoy it coming from the 4z.

Also if you work with a good local dealer you can probably find them for less than $4k. Maybe closer to $3,400.

I never tried either. There are no dealers for Abyss in New Zealand. The closest is Australia but i’d have to pay 15% duty

It’s ridiculous in NZ =\
 
May 12, 2019 at 4:14 PM Post #6,593 of 8,115
I never tried either. There are no dealers for Abyss in New Zealand. The closest is Australia but i’d have to pay 15% duty

It’s ridiculous in NZ =\


Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you were saying 4k in regards to the frequency response. I think they are better than the lcdx.and ether 2. There are much more resolving and a different presentation. They are a good compliment to the lcdx and clears .
 
May 12, 2019 at 4:31 PM Post #6,594 of 8,115
Man this is so tough. As redundant and cliché this may sound it's so true for me...…. I like them all A LOT. That's the reason I have them. If I don't like a headphone, it goes bye-bye. Some that I'll list are so close to each other for my likes that it's almost impossible to rank. But here goes nothin!

ZMF Aeolus
Ebony Klipsch Heritage HP3 (it's "almost" a tie with the Aeolus)
Focal Clear (it's right there)
ZMF Ori Purpleheart (again, it's right there with the above mentioned)
Denon AH-D2000. These are so heavily modded that they don't sound like any D2000 I've ever heard. Just phenomenal and unique.

Audeze LCD-2C (this is where there's some disparity with the top 4)
Meze 99 classic
Sennie HD 650
Fostex TH-X00 Prupleheart (modded)
Sony MDR-Z7 (modded)
Sennie HD 58X
Grado Nhoord Red drivers w/Rholupat wood cups
1More Triple Driver on Ear

I'm kinda weird as I literally use every headphone and don't sit on just 1 for a week. It's a different flavor every day. Love it!
Some dandy cans. What mods have you done with the Mdr-z7?
 
May 12, 2019 at 6:39 PM Post #6,595 of 8,115
Some dandy cans. What mods have you done with the Mdr-z7?
Thanks.
Actually I bought them off of Head-fier Peterek who has his own modding business on Etsy. This is straight from his ad.

“These have been modified to accept Audeze cables via a dual mini XLR connection instead of the dual 3.5mm connection they have from the factory. This connection is more secure and just looks better in my opinion. This is only one of 3 that have been modified to use this connection.
The wire between the connectors and drivers has been upgraded and the dampening discs in front of the drivers have been removed to increase the treble clarity and widen the soundstage”

Then I had him make me a 5 foot Silver Plated OCC Copper Litz cable that uses a 3.5mm connection.
It sounds quite a bit different then the stock Z7.
 
May 12, 2019 at 8:23 PM Post #6,596 of 8,115
I listen mostly to the Grado RS1i, the Grado PS500e, Audio Technica R70x, Sony MDR Z7,
Shure SRH-1840. Just ordered the (new-ish) Sony MDR Z7M2, which I hope will move into
this category also.

Some others I have are the Senn 600, Yamaha 500 Pro, Senn MDR 25, Grado 325e, Shure 1540,
which i like in no particular order.
 
May 12, 2019 at 8:56 PM Post #6,597 of 8,115
1. Sennheise hd 540 reference gold 600ohm
2. Sennheiser hd 540 reference gold 300ohm
3. Sennheiser hd 540 reference 600 ohm
4. Senheiser hd 540 reference 300ohm
5. akg k500

I am jealous. You have 2 of the greatest heaphones ever! Have you ever heard about the Sennheiser hd 250 linear II? Or AKG k240 600 ohm
 
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May 12, 2019 at 9:28 PM Post #6,598 of 8,115
Used both for mixing and casual listening, so with strong leaning toward natural/neutral tunings:

1: DT1990 (A pad)
2: Sundara
3: HD600 (Dekoni sheepskin)

This. I've yet to find a headphone I enjoy more than the DT1990, but I do keep the HD650s around for tubes.

1. DT1990
2. LCD-2
3. HD650
4. HD660

I'd love to try the Sundara one day.
 
May 12, 2019 at 10:40 PM Post #6,599 of 8,115
This. I've yet to find a headphone I enjoy more than the DT1990, but I do keep the HD650s around for tubes.

1. DT1990
2. LCD-2
3. HD650
4. HD660

I'd love to try the Sundara one day.

I find all 3 more alike than not, overall, but the DT1990 just seems to have More of everything, and for acoustic pieces especially, eg cello. Build quality and comfort are top whack as well.

Sundara is currently my only planar, and my latest acquisition, but I'm liking it a lot and I doubt for the new asking price there's anything comparable. Deceptively easy to drive hard, too.

The 600 is my baseline, and still my favorite for mixing. The pads I have on them bring up the bottom just a touch. I've tried rolling pads on the Beyers, but it never quite worked.

I drive them all with Schiit, usually Valhalla, just now with a NOS pair of 6N3P-DR, which just slightly soften my Bifrost, without giving anything up.
 
May 13, 2019 at 5:55 AM Post #6,600 of 8,115
I am jealous. You have 2 of the greatest heaphones ever! Have you ever heard about the Sennheiser hd 250 linear II? Or AKG k240 600 ohm
Thank you. I have not had a chance to listen to hd 250 2, have not heard either the hd 250 or hd 250 2, kind of cos. I all ready got the golds. I do have plans to acquire hd 250's though, Id probably go for the 600 ohm ones and not the hd 250 II. In my opinion the 600ohm version of this line is far superior to the 300ohm versions. They lost most of the magic that made the 600ohm versions so special once they made the move to 300ohm, guess even back then saving money was becoming a priority. I have heard the k240 df, could not compare to my beloved hd 540 rg 600ohm, they are just way more.
 
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