[Hifiearspeakers]

You might be surprised how high the HD650 can fly with the right amplifier 1A and 1B for me!

Im just messing with you. I own the 650 also and love it as well.

 

[L0rdGwyn]

Im just messing with you. I own the 650 also and love it as well.

I am mortally offended and will be filing a formal complaint with Head-Fi...



I whittled down my collection and now just have those two headphones. Maybe I will add the ZMF Vérité Closed at some point

 

[Malevolent]

from these I would deduct you like close-back, closer-to-you sounding HPS.

Come back in 5 years your assessment could change. (overtime as you travel in this audio listening journey)

Or he could simply be someone who really enjoys closed-back headphones?

 

[KPzypher]

At the moment.....

1) AKG K712 Pro - great value, sense of air, good soundstage/imaging, comfort, good balance
2) ZMF Verite Open - lush but excellent resolution, organic, fun sound with excellent balance
3) Sony Z7M2 - airy for a closed back, smooth and inoffensive sound, comfort, excellent for long sessions
4) Beyerdynamic T1.2 - clarity, sharp imaging, comfort
5) Sennheiser HD650 - Nostalgia!
6) Focal Stellia - speed, accuracy, excellent balance, metallic HF
7) Hifiman HE6SEV2 - way off timbre, avg. transient response for a planar
8) Sony WH-1000XM4 - excellent ANC mediocre sound
9) Bose QC35 - years later still excellent ANC, fake sparkly treble
10) Phillips Fidelio X3 - intense and sibilant
11) Denon AH-D5200 - meh all around

 

[Deolum]

The more i listen to the more i think that these rankings are quite not helpful. The variables of
1. The setup
2. The music
3. The preferences of the listener

are just too big.

One example: On the vast majority of setups i'd always rank the Grado GS1000e very low. On my recent setup they've just become my no. 1.

So without information about the setup (low, mid, highenend) and the preferred genres i'd be very careful to take these too serious.

 

[KPzypher]

The more i listen to the more i think that these rankings are quite not helpful. The variables of
1. The setup
2. The music
3. The preferences of the listener

are just too big.

One example: On the vast majority of setups i'd always rank the Grado GS1000e very low. On my recent setup they've just become my no. 1.

So without information about the setup (low, mid, highenend) and the preferred genres i'd be very careful to take these too serious.

They're absolutely for fun and should be completely meaningless to others. Thought that was given?

It's just personal preference, no more, no less.

It's just interesting to read what others like and dislike and how they differ compared to my own list.

 

[ultraman31]

They're absolutely for fun and should be completely meaningless to others. Thought that was given?

It's just personal preference, no more, no less.

It's just interesting to read what others like and dislike and how they differ compared to my own list.

I agree with both, but if ones can also put the source, setup, and music preference, then it'll make more sense to why they ranked the headphones such way. But agree, it's for fun and I enjoy and get urge to try something new after seeing the ranking lol

 

[KPzypher]

I agree with both, but if ones can also put the source, setup, and music preference, then it'll make more sense to why they ranked the headphones such way. But agree, it's for fun and I enjoy and get urge to try something new after seeing the ranking lol

Fair enough.

Desktop = Roon/Tidal -> Topping D90 MQA -> A90

Main = Roon/Tidal -> SMSL M400 -> Focal Arche/ZMF Pendant/SP400

Genres I like are 70s rock, electronic, folk, soft/ALT rock, vocal jazz, folk/country rock, contemporary pop/rock, Americana, ambient, experimental techno, singer/songwriter, avant-garde, 90s hip hop

 

[kman1211]

I like every headphone on this list, I don’t view any of the headphones on the list as bad. I tend to have very long listening sessions and listen to all sorts of music, play games, and watch shows on the headphones.

1.) Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 3 - Controversial headphone but my favorite overall headphone and I naturally gravitate towards it. Very unique sound and very warm but hard to listen to other headphones once you settle into it. Great comfort but quite the strong clamp.
2.) Kaldas RR 1 Conquest - Technically probably my best headphone and least fatiguing sound overall. Long-term comfort is the main reason it’s not number 1.
3.) Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 2 - After getting used to the gen 3 I struggle to listen to these much anymore. More treble and upper mid focus than the gen 3 and lacking slightly in transparency, fidelity, and dynamics compared to the gen 3. Would be ranked higher if not for the gen 3. Great comfort and not near as clampy as the gen 3.
4.) Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon (microsuede pads) - Excellent imaging and very low fatigue, nice extension, great body, on the relaxed side sonically, not as fast and detailed as some of my other high-ranked headphones.
5.) Sennheiser HD 560 S - A brightish neutral headphone with great bass extension and no real issues other than it tends to sound thin on many systems on a fair amount of tracks and it’s surprisingly narrow soundstage. Low fatigue and great comfort. Tubes and high output impedance amps do this headphone justice by fixing its tendency towards thinness.
6.) AKG K275 - Still new, rating subject to change. Addicting mid-forward sound, not as even or resolving sounding as some others but enjoyable to listen to. Surprised I liked the closed version more than the open one. Excellent value.
7.) AKG K245 - Still new, rating subject to change. Kinda like the HD 560 S but tilted more towards darkness and warmth and arguably more neutral, excellent sub-bass, seems a bit less resolving than the Senns. Sounds a bit thin in the vocals compared to the K275 and not as engaging but more even sounding with a larger soundscape. Excellent value.
8.) AKG K612 Pro - Better than the HD 560 S in many ways but some issues with sharpness in the treble and what seems like some grain issues hold this headphone back some. Very large soundstage. Mine is in need of some tlc, needs new pads.
9.) Apple AirPods Pro - excellent wireless IEM, don’t use them unless on the go which isn’t that much. Good balance, but somewhat artificial sounding and lacking some fidelity but excellent for what they are.

?.) Beyerdynamic DT 480 - 25 Ohm (modded) - Pads need replacement and can’t find the same pads that I used so currently set aside as a project headphone until I find the ideal pads, but when properly modded its my number 1 or 2 headphone.

 

[BoyNamedSue]

The more i listen to the more i think that these rankings are quite not helpful. The variables of
1. The setup
2. The music
3. The preferences of the listener

are just too big.

One example: On the vast majority of setups i'd always rank the Grado GS1000e very low. On my recent setup they've just become my no. 1.

So without information about the setup (low, mid, highenend) and the preferred genres i'd be very careful to take these too serious.

I actually have the opposite take on this thread. I find these rankings more helpful than stand-alone reviews, which has tendency to over-hype and not provide much insights into a headphones relative standing to others.

I trust that that these rankings come from regular users first-head experience of headphones they own or have owned. In most cases, ownership assumes more time was spent with the headphones compared to meet impressions or a review sample.

Also, FME, after living with my collection of headphones for some time, any bias from the relative cost and initial hype (e.g., popularity) of each headphone dies down, which allows me make comparisons based more on my SQ preference and other intrinsic qualities (e.g., comfort).

Lastly, there is a large enough sample size in this thread that a range of musical preferences are covered across multiple rankings.

I do agree that system matching is important, and find it helpful when folks include their chain for each headphone they rank (e.g., 1. Jade 2 (AGD M7 DAC>KGGG Amp). I sometimes follow-up my review of the rankings with a look at a member's system to provide a context. Enough time on the forum has given me a sense of whose sound preferences match mine.

This is one of the few HF threads I have bookmarked to reference when I am researching a headphone I'm interested in. The search function on this thread is really useful for this purpose.

 

[Canonlon]

1. Audeze LCD-2
2. Focal Elex
3. Sennheiser HD6XX

 

[arielext]

2020 happened:
- LSA HP-1 with Kennerton ECL-02 pads
- Kennerton Magni
- Kennerton Vali 2019
- Westone UM-PRO 50.2
- Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R
- Beyerdynamic DT880 2003, 250Ω

 

[Malevolent]

The more i listen to the more i think that these rankings are quite not helpful. The variables of
1. The setup
2. The music
3. The preferences of the listener

are just too big.

One example: On the vast majority of setups i'd always rank the Grado GS1000e very low. On my recent setup they've just become my no. 1.

So without information about the setup (low, mid, highenend) and the preferred genres i'd be very careful to take these too serious.

I don't think that this ranking thread was supposed to be definitive in any way, shape or form; it was probably conceived to gauge and rank a user's tiered preferences for the headphones within their collection. In any case, it is a fun, and sometimes, educational exercise. It does provide a (small) measure of insight into a listener's aural biases.

 

[Mink]

Current Top 5:
1. AudioQuest NightHawk/NightOwl
2. Philips Fidelio X3
3. Avantone Pro Planar
4. Sony MDR-Z7
5. Sennheiser HD 650

 

[jonathan c]

With BHC 1.1+: ZMF Auteur, HD-600 (custom can mod), Beyerdynamic DT880 (600 ohm), Beyerdynamic DT1770 (250 ohm).
With LP (w/LPS-36): Focal Clear, RAD-0, Audeze LCD-X.