[PointyFox]

1. Focal Elear
2. Sennheiser HD650
3. Meze Classics 99
4. AudioQuest NightHawk Carbons
5. Sony WH-1000xm3
6. Audeze Mobius
7. Audeze Sine (Brainwavz Pads)
8. Grado SR80i

What don't you like about the Mobius? Have you tried it with a wired connection?
I've heard every one of those headphones and I'd put the Mobius at the top without reservation.

 

[donedj]

Westone 3
Sennheiser hd800
Ath-1000mx
Sennheiser hd-25ii
Westone w40

 

[Double C]

What don't you like about the Mobius? Have you tried it with a wired connection?
I've heard every one of those headphones and I'd put the Mobius at the top without reservation.

I think its one of things where its not so much that the headphone is inferior. Its more like i do not use it to its full potential. I dont game and listening to music in the 3d setting wasnt for me for some reason. Cant pinpoint why exactly. I could turn off all of those features but then it gets a bit to fiddly for me. Its an excellent headphone for sure.

 

[PointyFox]

I think its one of things where its not so much that the headphone is inferior. Its more like i do not use it to its full potential. I dont game and listening to music in the 3d setting wasnt for me for some reason. Cant pinpoint why exactly. I could turn off all of those features but then it gets a bit to fiddly for me. Its an excellent headphone for sure.

I actually like the 3D setting for music and have the Waves NX program so I can use it with my other headphones too. Music sounds too flat to me now without it.

 

[robo24]

Leaving out my bluetooth headphones.

1. HD 820
2. Verite
3. HD 800 SDR
4. Atticus
5. HD 700
6. Elex
7. Koss ESP 95X (with Stax SRM 323A & custom pads)
8. HD 58X

3-6 are all very close for me and even #8 I consider excellent, especially for the price.

 

[Davesrose]

What don't you like about the Mobius? Have you tried it with a wired connection?
I've heard every one of those headphones and I'd put the Mobius at the top without reservation.

I think this is another case of different strokes for different folks. This is reminding me of the cross-feed thread in Sound Science: where cross-feed proponents can't understand why others can't perceive a complete frontal image...while those who can take it or leave it, might find some tonal issues with their perceptions. To date, the best 3-D surround effects I've heard through headphones are the most recent Dolby Atmos/DTS X headphone tracks (note: tracks that are mastered for headphone, which is few and far between). I also was blown away with a Sennheiser Dolby Pro Logic surround processor years ago: which made you do a lot of parametric adjustments to sound "right" for your preference/physiology. While there are improvements with DSPs, I think we're still limited to people having variations in the shape of their ears and making it more difficult to make a headphone that is "neutral" and a great all in one for all applications. Selecting a headphone is really hard without demoing for yourself. Transfer functions with headphones is very intimate and individual for everyone's physiology, and everyone has different preferences.

 

[zazex]

Just had a few quiet days...perfect for (re)-evaluating headphones.
Grado RS1i
Grado GH-4
Grado PS500e
Grado RS2e

Shure SRH 1840: These are very good indeed. Tonality, soundstage,
spatial location - they're even comfortable although with a somewhat boffo design.

Sony MDR 7M2

Beyer DT880 (250) - I've had these the longest - not the exact same ones, but
this same model.

Audio-Technica ATH R70x

Shure SRH 1540. Very good closed headphones. Bass is a touch too present,
but it's hard to complain about anything else. I guess if they were open headphones,
they'd sound the same as the 1840's (above). I greatly prefer open headphones.
Greatly. I'm not saying they're "better"...it's a preference thing.

Philips Fidelio X2HR - very good, very likeable sound. Just not that comfortable,
and lack fine detail. This becomes obvious especially when comparing them
to any one of the Grado's above.

Sennheiser HD 25 i ii (modified: original wiring replaced with Oyaide (Japan) wiring.)

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.
I wanted/needed some reasonably decent closed headphones for some times & places
where I didn't want to bring my Sony's. (And anyway, the Sonys' attenuation of outside
noise isn't great.) They serve their purpose well.

Philips SHP 9500 - for months I'm seeing these get very high marks. Then they
suddenly disappear from the market.
"Oh well"
Then they reappear! $59.00! I buy them! And
they're underwhelming!. I just don't like them
very much at all. Back to "Oh well".

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Argh nuts! Been trying to do some kind of listing of my coconuts yet always manage to end up at: impossible?
I don’t know..maybe it’s just me and the way I feel about my cans, but each and every one of them serves as ‘the best’..when I wear it...but then again I know my headphones very well by now, so I also know what kind of presentation will suit me the best at any time of the day...and why would I keep around supposedly ‘inferior-sounding’ headphones anyway? Nahh I love em all equally. I really do. Some times the 600 is the king...other times it’s the R70x..or the all-embracing K712 or the K245..and right this minute it’s the Sundara because it does air like a real bird..tomorrow it’ll most likely be the HE400 because it does electronic music like The Future Sound Of London like an absolute champ of champs and chimps...but then I put on the HD660 and remember how wonderful it renders Susanne Sundfør’s luscious and rather sensuous vocals and think to myself ‘the favourite/best/most excellent/etc etc’...well it rather depends on the mood of the listener aka the upstairs compartment and what it feels like on any given day.
Today I felt a little beaky, wavering sort of birdy-like (much to the enjoyment of the autist kids I work with, mind you) and found myself doing some rather spontaneous sax bits off of Zappa’s Hot Rats whilst dancing in a sandbox with a little guy that chanted me on like a regular Navajo medicine man.....so yeah why wouldn’t I go for that extra bit of air with the Sundara when I got back home? I’ve always wanted to fly and having a little Navajo seance serve as warm-up...hell that might just do the trick!
Conversely, give me a day in the woods with greasy brown soil and trees as far as the eye can see..and I reach for the most natural sounding headphone of the lot..which is the 600..no the R70x..the HD670x!..ermm...you see???

 

[kman1211]

Some changes to headphone rankings, spent more time with my newer amp/dac. I enjoy listening to all of these headphones and don’t view any as low quality.

1.) Beyerdynamic DT 480 - 200 Ohm (modded): Slightly dark sounding and non-fatiguing, while simultaneously resolving a lot more detail than my other headphones and has a wonderfully physical presence to each individual sound. I easily hear things I can’t on my other headphones. Huge sound image. Very effortless, gets incredibly dynamic at louder volumes and I can listen to these notably louder than my other headphones without obvious fatigue, so I have to be careful about the volume. This is a league or two above the other ranked headphones. Heavy and very isolating.

2.) Beyerdynamic T1.2 Black Edition: Nice warm, smooth, and slightly dark sound signature with a slightly emphasized upper treble. Great imaging and the mids have a nice rounded body to it. Genre-master and does everything good to great. My most comfortable headphone.

3.) Beyerdynamic Amiron Home: Has some similarities to the T1.2 but the mids aren’t near as rounded and the treble isn’t quite as refined nor is bass as tight. Can sound clearer than the T1.2 on lower-end systems, though the clarity advantage goes away when better systems come into play. Overall seems like a lower-end and easier to please T1.2. Very comfortable.

4.) Sennheiser HD 6XX: I enjoyed this more at first but like HD 650’s in the past they lose their luster. They’re slightly dull at times. Nice forward mids, very pleasant treble, and smooth tuning but has a bit of brashness/hardness in the upper midrange.

5.) Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon (microsuede pads): Almost no aural fatigue but takes a bit to adjust to. Very comfortable. Sound has a bit of bite at times and is a bit uneven. Cable is too short and I find I mostly appreciate it the most with longer listening sessions.

Unknown rankings:

?.) Kaldas Research RR 1 Conquest: Just received these, won’t be ranking them for a while due to holidays and won’t have an electrostatic amp for a couple months. Have yet to listen to them.

?.) Beyerdynamic DT 480 - 25 Ohm (modded): This headphone is a work in progress. Needs it’s own set of new pads, a new cable, and it’s driver sounds very different than the 200 ohm so is going to have to be modded differently.

 

[geardoc]

Now down to (< $800 for full size, <$1.2k for IEMs)

1. Senn HD650
2. Grado RS1
3. Campfire Andromeda
4. AKG K701
5. Shure 835s

 

[geoffalter11]

Current list:

1. Quad ERA-1 - love this headphone. Everything about it is just right. Loves power.
2. Focal Elegia - after struggling to enjoy the Elear, I have grown to love the Elegia. No harsh edges whatsoever and an extremely balanced tuning that scales beautifully. Sings thru my Pathos Aurium.
3. Meze Rai Penta - extremely detailed and balanced top to bottom. Easy on the ears.
4. Audio-Technica ATH AD2700 (ad700 housing with ad2000 drivers) - Extremely clean with wonderful vocal presentation. Bass tends to be a bit one note.
5. UE5 Pro Custom - my travel choice, although the Rai Pemta sounds way better.

 

[xeizo]

It's hard to rank as they fill different purposes, I like most of my cans. It's easier to tell the ones I dislike.

But the Sennheiser HD600 is the one i compare all the others with, so I guess it's my favorite, if any of the others sounds similar I say they are good

 

[pataburd]

Focal Utopia [open]
KingSound H-03 [open]
Martin Logan Mikros 90 [closed/portable]
Focal Clear [open]
Audio Technica ATH-AD900X [open]
Ultrasone PRO2900i [open]
Audio Technica ATH-A900X [closed]
Ultrasone Proline 2500 [open]

 

[Death_Block]

Easy, I only have one IEM. Campfire Solaris. But have the IER Z1r in the post so looking forward to seeing who wins

 

[robo24]

Updating since I have 2 more ZMFs now.

1. HD 820
2. Verite (really kind of a tie with the 820)
3. Auteur
4. HD 800 SDR
5. Atticus
6. Aeolous
7. HD 700
8. Elex
9. Koss ESP 95X (with Stax SRM 323A & custom pads)
10. HD 58X