Rank the Headphones that You Own.
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They're good but they're not.... that good lol. You get what you pay for.
treys1
100+ Head-Fier
For the poors, here's my ranking:
- Meze 99
- DCA Aeon RT Closed
- DT 700 Pro X
- DT 770 Pro
- ATH-M40X
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Alright, I've been reading some absolutely nutty rankings in here, and some will no doubt see these as nutty, so take this all with a grain of salt. But I had to jump in and give my experiences with headphones I've owned over the course of the last 10 years.
Remember: This is my opinion. Just ranking headphones I owned, not "heard at a meet" or anything else.
Ranking headphones is a matter of personal taste. Don't go by other people's impressions as if they have any weight, just use to help you decide how to pick or rank choices based on your experiences and to calibrate your experiences and subjectivity with others.
I didn't put them in tiers because I don't really believe tiers exist for personal rankings that span multiple price ranges. Also it strikes me as Gatekeeping, telling people what's hifi and what's not. That's up to you !
1.) Empyrean with Elite Hybrid Pads. Powerful, Liquid sounding bass. Good imaging. Warm. Rich Mids/Vocals. Wide. Relaxed. Elite Hybrid Pads improved confusion in upper mids with Stock Leather pads at the cost of making bass more punchy. Don't think these are as bad detail retrieval wise as their reputation says, they're just not as analytical as many top level headphones are, which often is good for long listening sessions. If you have very detailed headphones tho, you may notice something "missing". Likewise on analytical headphones they wont' have this liquid, deep bass most of the time. Good complement to Hifiman type headphones, if you want a slower, warmer, more relaxed vibe. Highly non-fatiguing.
1.) (tie) Arya V3 "Stealth Magnets". Neutral. Very Fast. Tall. Very flat planar bass with good extension. Solid imaging. Airy. Really comfortable despite "No Frills" Build. Build is rather frail/cheap feeling but engineered pretty well. Good Detail for more Analytic type headphone. Can come close to being harsh on some chains/tracks. Somewhat cheap plastics (compare the plastic/compsosite/fiberglass materials on this to what was used on the Senn HD700/800... no contest.)
3.) Sennheiser HD 800 - Widest headphones I've ever heard. Missing Bass response compared to other headphones. Detailed, technical, great for classical or metal, can be harsh. Only headphone I regretted selling. Bass performance keeps them out of being keepers.
4.) Focal Utopia. Better detail than HD800. Punchy and Dynamic Bass. Very HD600 like in terms of "intimate" soundstage/presentation. Not Wide/Tall. Great imaging. Sometimes could have some edginess depending on chain/track. Not worth retail price.
5.) Grado RS1. No bass compared to modern headphones, but that really nicely tuned Grado house sound that can hang in there. Great for Rock or Live instruments. Mid-forward.
6.) Sennheiser HD600. Great Mids. Great Vocals. Sounds Closed in by modern standards. Something special with vocals tho. Ultimately, the market has moved on. Too much clamp for comfort.
7.) Sennheiser HD700. Can be sibilant / harsh on tracks. Better bass than the HD800. Some good detail retrieval reminiscent of HD800 but not quite as good. Not as wide. Never understood why these were maligned. Really nice Alcantara on headband and build quality. Comfortable. High Quality plastics.
8.) Audeze LCD-2 Rev 2.1 Non-Fazor "Rosewood". Holographic Sound. Liquid bass. Planar characteristics. Less detail retrieval than modern TOTL headphones. Veiled. Heavy.
9.) Audio Technica ATH-R70x. Lightweight. Incredible Imaging at their price range. a bit lightweight/thin sounding. Not the best Bass. Not great for mobile devices despite coming with 3.5 jack. Uncomfortable. Limited Range of Adjustability. Have a special something, but they're still 300 dollar headphones.
10.) Grado SR-325i - Better detail than normal grados. Grado House Sound. Can be bright. The finish is embarassing in the 2000's. Something you'd expect to find in the 1960s. Still, better than others on this list.
11.) AKG 7xx - Wide... second widest headphone I heard. Comfortable. Veiled. Non-Fatiguing. Decent imaging. Lack of transparency. Okay. but you aren't going to get the best detail out of them. They are super wide tho. Did I say they were wide ?
12.) Oppo PM-2. Small, portable, flat planars. Neutral. Nothing special.
13.) Grado SR-80e/ Grado HF-1 (tie). The HF-1 is an SR-80 with mahogany cups jammed in them. Weird pieces of headphones history that are still Grados and therefore listenable. The SR-80e is worth the price still if you are a rock fan, it's cheap, no frills, and sounds decent.
14.) Meze 99 Classics. Boomy bass, U shaped, otherwise decent. Moddable build with classy materials. You can do better.
15.) Fostex / Drop TH-X00 Purple Heart. Soured me on Fostex/Denon type cans forever. Extremely ridiculous Bass power, turns brain to jello quickly. U shaped and unlistenable. Couldn't make it an hour through them on a few different occassions. Pretty wood tho.
IEMS: Not big into IEMs but I have a couple to use with lower power devices like my minidisc players, cassette players and Sony DAP.
1.) Moondrop Blessing 2: Dusk. Wide, detailed, light and airy. good imaging. Not sure I've ever had an IEM that was great at Bass, that's their weak point IMO.
2.) Moondrop Starfield. While they are budget IEMs (~100 dollars) they're pretty good, there's something about the simple 10mm Carbon Fiber dynamic in these that's nice over all the BAs and ESTs in modern higher end IEMs that give these a sound that's enjoyable. A touch on the thin side.
Remember: This is my opinion. Just ranking headphones I owned, not "heard at a meet" or anything else.
Ranking headphones is a matter of personal taste. Don't go by other people's impressions as if they have any weight, just use to help you decide how to pick or rank choices based on your experiences and to calibrate your experiences and subjectivity with others.
I didn't put them in tiers because I don't really believe tiers exist for personal rankings that span multiple price ranges. Also it strikes me as Gatekeeping, telling people what's hifi and what's not. That's up to you !
1.) Empyrean with Elite Hybrid Pads. Powerful, Liquid sounding bass. Good imaging. Warm. Rich Mids/Vocals. Wide. Relaxed. Elite Hybrid Pads improved confusion in upper mids with Stock Leather pads at the cost of making bass more punchy. Don't think these are as bad detail retrieval wise as their reputation says, they're just not as analytical as many top level headphones are, which often is good for long listening sessions. If you have very detailed headphones tho, you may notice something "missing". Likewise on analytical headphones they wont' have this liquid, deep bass most of the time. Good complement to Hifiman type headphones, if you want a slower, warmer, more relaxed vibe. Highly non-fatiguing.
1.) (tie) Arya V3 "Stealth Magnets". Neutral. Very Fast. Tall. Very flat planar bass with good extension. Solid imaging. Airy. Really comfortable despite "No Frills" Build. Build is rather frail/cheap feeling but engineered pretty well. Good Detail for more Analytic type headphone. Can come close to being harsh on some chains/tracks. Somewhat cheap plastics (compare the plastic/compsosite/fiberglass materials on this to what was used on the Senn HD700/800... no contest.)
3.) Sennheiser HD 800 - Widest headphones I've ever heard. Missing Bass response compared to other headphones. Detailed, technical, great for classical or metal, can be harsh. Only headphone I regretted selling. Bass performance keeps them out of being keepers.
4.) Focal Utopia. Better detail than HD800. Punchy and Dynamic Bass. Very HD600 like in terms of "intimate" soundstage/presentation. Not Wide/Tall. Great imaging. Sometimes could have some edginess depending on chain/track. Not worth retail price.
5.) Grado RS1. No bass compared to modern headphones, but that really nicely tuned Grado house sound that can hang in there. Great for Rock or Live instruments. Mid-forward.
6.) Sennheiser HD600. Great Mids. Great Vocals. Sounds Closed in by modern standards. Something special with vocals tho. Ultimately, the market has moved on. Too much clamp for comfort.
7.) Sennheiser HD700. Can be sibilant / harsh on tracks. Better bass than the HD800. Some good detail retrieval reminiscent of HD800 but not quite as good. Not as wide. Never understood why these were maligned. Really nice Alcantara on headband and build quality. Comfortable. High Quality plastics.
8.) Audeze LCD-2 Rev 2.1 Non-Fazor "Rosewood". Holographic Sound. Liquid bass. Planar characteristics. Less detail retrieval than modern TOTL headphones. Veiled. Heavy.
9.) Audio Technica ATH-R70x. Lightweight. Incredible Imaging at their price range. a bit lightweight/thin sounding. Not the best Bass. Not great for mobile devices despite coming with 3.5 jack. Uncomfortable. Limited Range of Adjustability. Have a special something, but they're still 300 dollar headphones.
10.) Grado SR-325i - Better detail than normal grados. Grado House Sound. Can be bright. The finish is embarassing in the 2000's. Something you'd expect to find in the 1960s. Still, better than others on this list.
11.) AKG 7xx - Wide... second widest headphone I heard. Comfortable. Veiled. Non-Fatiguing. Decent imaging. Lack of transparency. Okay. but you aren't going to get the best detail out of them. They are super wide tho. Did I say they were wide ?
12.) Oppo PM-2. Small, portable, flat planars. Neutral. Nothing special.
13.) Grado SR-80e/ Grado HF-1 (tie). The HF-1 is an SR-80 with mahogany cups jammed in them. Weird pieces of headphones history that are still Grados and therefore listenable. The SR-80e is worth the price still if you are a rock fan, it's cheap, no frills, and sounds decent.
14.) Meze 99 Classics. Boomy bass, U shaped, otherwise decent. Moddable build with classy materials. You can do better.
15.) Fostex / Drop TH-X00 Purple Heart. Soured me on Fostex/Denon type cans forever. Extremely ridiculous Bass power, turns brain to jello quickly. U shaped and unlistenable. Couldn't make it an hour through them on a few different occassions. Pretty wood tho.
IEMS: Not big into IEMs but I have a couple to use with lower power devices like my minidisc players, cassette players and Sony DAP.
1.) Moondrop Blessing 2: Dusk. Wide, detailed, light and airy. good imaging. Not sure I've ever had an IEM that was great at Bass, that's their weak point IMO.
2.) Moondrop Starfield. While they are budget IEMs (~100 dollars) they're pretty good, there's something about the simple 10mm Carbon Fiber dynamic in these that's nice over all the BAs and ESTs in modern higher end IEMs that give these a sound that's enjoyable. A touch on the thin side.
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1. STAX SR-009 BK with a modded SRM-T1
Tried too often to bring myself to sell them because they are just too expensive to have. But everytime I put them on - no way. I haven't heard anything yet which sounds so correct, fast, "airy" and open. Crash cymbals don't pierce my ears like the HE1000v2 do (over exaggerating), very dry. Female vocals just sound like they should.
Everything is so dry and comes with ease out of thin air. They lack just a bit of bass, they have a nice kick to them, but sometimes I apply a few dB to the low end. Right now they only come out on special occasions though for preservation. I haven't heard the SR009S or X9000 though. These are the very TOTL headphones I have tried up to now.
2. Hifiman HE-1000v2 and Sennheiser HD800S
In my opinion they are pretty similar. For sure the HE1000v2 are more energetic and have more bass extension, but with a bit of a bass shelf the HD800S perform there just fine as well. The HD800S seem more steril and much more controlled, so if I want that I go for the HD800S on my TA-26, if I want more feeling and a bit more chaos I go for the HE1000v2.
Sometimes I watch live concert blurays with my speakers and subwoofer and HD800S playing simultaneously and it is quite the presentation if volumes are adjusted correctly, I love it.
3. Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire
They are my go-to closed back headphones and also respond very well to EQ (rumbling kicks for my Hardstyle sessions). Also with the black felt inserts they already sound pretty much perfect to me, which is why I sold my LCD-X. Funny thing is in the beginning I did not like them at all and thought about returning them many times - needed a bit of head burn in I guess.
4. Hifiman Arya Stealth (although I am selling them at the moment)
Was deciding between them and the HE1000v2. The Arya were my go to open back allrounder until I got the HE1000v2, they are not really worse than the HE1000v2, just a bit different. Both have their sibliant areas, the Arya is a bit crispier and more intimate, while HE1000v2 has cleaner bass and is more open.
Also 4. STAX SR-404
Just my go-to estat headphones if I need a bit of electrostatic love. They were a really good deal, so I just had to get them, turns out they are awesome!
ZMF Verite Open and Sash Tres I can't really rank yet since I only have them for a week now. The Verite are definitely much darker and warmer sounding than what I am normally used to but there are days I really prefer that sound. The Sash Tres sound really crisp and are currently a lot of fun with Metal. At the moment I am looking for Atriums and Auteurs to try and compare. I really want to keep one ZMF headphone, they are just too beautiful. My HE-500 still need more tuning/modding.
IEMs:
1. Thieaudio Monarch MKII
They are almost perfect for me. Such natural timbre. Just the midbass is sometimes a bit much for me it makes the sound a tiny bit muddy sometimes I feel.
Really fitting for all kinds of genres. Great allrounder.
2. Moondrop Variations
They feel a bit colder, but with an insane lowend. My IEMs for blasting electronic music.
They complement the Monarch MKII really nice in my opinion.
That's how I feel about it.
I have and had other headphones and IEMs, but these are my top picks for now.
Tried too often to bring myself to sell them because they are just too expensive to have. But everytime I put them on - no way. I haven't heard anything yet which sounds so correct, fast, "airy" and open. Crash cymbals don't pierce my ears like the HE1000v2 do (over exaggerating), very dry. Female vocals just sound like they should.
Everything is so dry and comes with ease out of thin air. They lack just a bit of bass, they have a nice kick to them, but sometimes I apply a few dB to the low end. Right now they only come out on special occasions though for preservation. I haven't heard the SR009S or X9000 though. These are the very TOTL headphones I have tried up to now.
2. Hifiman HE-1000v2 and Sennheiser HD800S
In my opinion they are pretty similar. For sure the HE1000v2 are more energetic and have more bass extension, but with a bit of a bass shelf the HD800S perform there just fine as well. The HD800S seem more steril and much more controlled, so if I want that I go for the HD800S on my TA-26, if I want more feeling and a bit more chaos I go for the HE1000v2.
Sometimes I watch live concert blurays with my speakers and subwoofer and HD800S playing simultaneously and it is quite the presentation if volumes are adjusted correctly, I love it.
3. Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire
They are my go-to closed back headphones and also respond very well to EQ (rumbling kicks for my Hardstyle sessions). Also with the black felt inserts they already sound pretty much perfect to me, which is why I sold my LCD-X. Funny thing is in the beginning I did not like them at all and thought about returning them many times - needed a bit of head burn in I guess.
4. Hifiman Arya Stealth (although I am selling them at the moment)
Was deciding between them and the HE1000v2. The Arya were my go to open back allrounder until I got the HE1000v2, they are not really worse than the HE1000v2, just a bit different. Both have their sibliant areas, the Arya is a bit crispier and more intimate, while HE1000v2 has cleaner bass and is more open.
Also 4. STAX SR-404
Just my go-to estat headphones if I need a bit of electrostatic love. They were a really good deal, so I just had to get them, turns out they are awesome!
ZMF Verite Open and Sash Tres I can't really rank yet since I only have them for a week now. The Verite are definitely much darker and warmer sounding than what I am normally used to but there are days I really prefer that sound. The Sash Tres sound really crisp and are currently a lot of fun with Metal. At the moment I am looking for Atriums and Auteurs to try and compare. I really want to keep one ZMF headphone, they are just too beautiful. My HE-500 still need more tuning/modding.
IEMs:
1. Thieaudio Monarch MKII
They are almost perfect for me. Such natural timbre. Just the midbass is sometimes a bit much for me it makes the sound a tiny bit muddy sometimes I feel.
Really fitting for all kinds of genres. Great allrounder.
2. Moondrop Variations
They feel a bit colder, but with an insane lowend. My IEMs for blasting electronic music.
They complement the Monarch MKII really nice in my opinion.
That's how I feel about it.
I have and had other headphones and IEMs, but these are my top picks for now.
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MalinYamato
100+ Head-Fier
1 Audeze LCD-5
-- better than anything Meze and DC may offer
2 Denon AH-D9200
3 Argon Fostex T60RP
-- quite a bit better than Sundara
4 Sundara Stelth
5 koss kph40x Drop
-- great and superportable
6 Koss Kph75x Drop
-- only USD 20 plus USD 5 for a headband
7 Senheiser Momentum 2
-- will leave my life. Koss sounds much better and is my on the go now.
Previous
Denon AH-5000, AH-D5200, AH-D7200, B&W P7 -- I did not enjoy B&W P7 at all
Mabye next
DC Aeon 2 Noire to use on the go
-- better than anything Meze and DC may offer
2 Denon AH-D9200
3 Argon Fostex T60RP
-- quite a bit better than Sundara
4 Sundara Stelth
5 koss kph40x Drop
-- great and superportable
6 Koss Kph75x Drop
-- only USD 20 plus USD 5 for a headband
7 Senheiser Momentum 2
-- will leave my life. Koss sounds much better and is my on the go now.
Previous
Denon AH-5000, AH-D5200, AH-D7200, B&W P7 -- I did not enjoy B&W P7 at all
Mabye next
DC Aeon 2 Noire to use on the go
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I've undergone some changes in my headphone lineup and wanted to give an update to how I hear them:
1) Final Audio D8000 Pro: Detailed, resolving, airy, with great imaging and textured bass
2) Hifiman HE-R10P w/ Invictus Quad Metal: The most open sounding closed headphone on the planet. Great bass response with excellent bass layering and depth, fast transients, detailed, and great clarity
3) Audeze LCD-24 w/ Norne Vygarde: The most balanced Audeze headphone in my opinion and I've owned them all. Impactful and dynamic sounding, nice transparency and resolve
4) Hifiman HEKse w/ Norne Vygarde: Fast, open, nuanced, with nice sub bass
5) Focal Utopia OG w/ Danacable Lazuli Reference: Still the best dynamic headphone after all these years.
6) Hifiman HEK V2 w/ Forza Audio Work Noir Hybrid: Big bass, holographic, excellent depth and imaging, lacks some technicalities in comparison to my other TOTL headphones but just as engaging if not more.
7) Focal Stellia w/ivipQ Litz Silver/Palladium: Could be ranked higher if I didn't have the HE-R10P's. Not as open sounding as my R10P's, but just as fast and even more dynamic sounding. Bass hits hard with a full bodied midrange and extended treble
8) DCA Ether 2 w/ Wywires Platinum: Musical, warm, and lush. Maybe the best midrange of the bunch. The warmth doesn't overshadow the details or clarity of this headphone. Bass is deep and textured, with a nice sub bass boost
9) Meze Audio Phoenix Empyrean w/ Invictus Quad Metal: Same as the Ether 2 but with more bass impact. Just behind them in overall technicalities. Could be ranked higher, but the competition in my collection is fierce
10) Hifiman HE-500 w/ Forza Audio Work Noir Hybrid: One of my favorite Hifiman headphones. Incredible timbre and musicality with a creamy midrange and a nice bass response to go with it. Treble is nicely detailed to maintain a balanced sound
11) Campfire Audio Cascade w/ Wywires Red: Seriously underrated headphones that is more than just bass. The bass is indeed enormous, but with the help of the beryllium driver the overall sound has nice clarity, it's detailed, with surprising nice imaging and instrument separation. To me it's the ideal on the go headphone when paired with my Mojo 2/Poly
12) Hifiman HE-560 V4 w/ Forza Audio Work Noir Hybrid: For the price these are seriously good headphones, but require some power and a bit of EQ.
13) Audio-Technica ATH-R70x w/ Lavricables Ultimate: Stiff competition pushed these down on my list. The R70x's are what the HD6xx series wants to be. They have the best bass response of any Audio-Technica headphone. The midrange is musical and full. With a silver cable attached, the speed and top end clarity of the is greatly improved
14) Koss KPH40: Possibly the best budget headphone I've heard. Nothing to really complain about.
15) Koss KPH30i: Great sound, but not as comfortable for long term listening as the KPH40's.
16) Koss Porta Pro: Best bass of my Koss headphone, but they have the worst clamp force.
1) Final Audio D8000 Pro: Detailed, resolving, airy, with great imaging and textured bass
2) Hifiman HE-R10P w/ Invictus Quad Metal: The most open sounding closed headphone on the planet. Great bass response with excellent bass layering and depth, fast transients, detailed, and great clarity
3) Audeze LCD-24 w/ Norne Vygarde: The most balanced Audeze headphone in my opinion and I've owned them all. Impactful and dynamic sounding, nice transparency and resolve
4) Hifiman HEKse w/ Norne Vygarde: Fast, open, nuanced, with nice sub bass
5) Focal Utopia OG w/ Danacable Lazuli Reference: Still the best dynamic headphone after all these years.
6) Hifiman HEK V2 w/ Forza Audio Work Noir Hybrid: Big bass, holographic, excellent depth and imaging, lacks some technicalities in comparison to my other TOTL headphones but just as engaging if not more.
7) Focal Stellia w/ivipQ Litz Silver/Palladium: Could be ranked higher if I didn't have the HE-R10P's. Not as open sounding as my R10P's, but just as fast and even more dynamic sounding. Bass hits hard with a full bodied midrange and extended treble
8) DCA Ether 2 w/ Wywires Platinum: Musical, warm, and lush. Maybe the best midrange of the bunch. The warmth doesn't overshadow the details or clarity of this headphone. Bass is deep and textured, with a nice sub bass boost
9) Meze Audio Phoenix Empyrean w/ Invictus Quad Metal: Same as the Ether 2 but with more bass impact. Just behind them in overall technicalities. Could be ranked higher, but the competition in my collection is fierce
10) Hifiman HE-500 w/ Forza Audio Work Noir Hybrid: One of my favorite Hifiman headphones. Incredible timbre and musicality with a creamy midrange and a nice bass response to go with it. Treble is nicely detailed to maintain a balanced sound
11) Campfire Audio Cascade w/ Wywires Red: Seriously underrated headphones that is more than just bass. The bass is indeed enormous, but with the help of the beryllium driver the overall sound has nice clarity, it's detailed, with surprising nice imaging and instrument separation. To me it's the ideal on the go headphone when paired with my Mojo 2/Poly
12) Hifiman HE-560 V4 w/ Forza Audio Work Noir Hybrid: For the price these are seriously good headphones, but require some power and a bit of EQ.
13) Audio-Technica ATH-R70x w/ Lavricables Ultimate: Stiff competition pushed these down on my list. The R70x's are what the HD6xx series wants to be. They have the best bass response of any Audio-Technica headphone. The midrange is musical and full. With a silver cable attached, the speed and top end clarity of the is greatly improved
14) Koss KPH40: Possibly the best budget headphone I've heard. Nothing to really complain about.
15) Koss KPH30i: Great sound, but not as comfortable for long term listening as the KPH40's.
16) Koss Porta Pro: Best bass of my Koss headphone, but they have the worst clamp force.
sennfan83261
500+ Head-Fier
Nice to see the HE-500 getting some love. I felt I short-changed it a little bit in my review. It remains one of my favorite Hifimans that I've heard.
Well there goes my weekend trying this out.
powerlifter450
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2011
- Posts
- 193
- Likes
- 15
1. Sennheiser HD595
2. Koss HV/1
3. Audio-Technica A500
2. Koss HV/1
3. Audio-Technica A500
The HE-500’s have that old Hifiman sound with a lot of meat on the bones. Definitely a worthy addition to any collection.
OnlySoMany
500+ Head-Fier
Oh god, this may take a while 
1. ZMF VO/VC. Are my favorite go-to headphone. Just the absolute best "jack of all trades." It gets me closer to the "art" part of music, which for me, is why I listen to music in the first place. On tubes it's just magic, especially with suede pads.
2. ZMF Atrium. See above, just a bit darker sound signature. Deeper than verite, but not as energetic imo. Likes powerful amps to fully shine.
3. Hifiman Susvara. Fantastic at pretty much anything, but for me loses a bit of the emotional side of the music. Technically superior to all others. Will blow you away when listing for the specifics. Fast, tight sound that also has great decay.
4. Focal Utopia. In your face sound, is incredibly clear. Great bass and tonal accuracy. Best headphone for rocking out.
5. ZMF Auteur LTD. Big, bold, simple, beautiful sound. Pairs well with many amps and dacs.
6. Hifiman HE1000v2. Clean, soundstage, great value after recent price reduction. Pairs well with many amps, tube or solid state.
7. Rosson RAD-0. Killer headphone for edm. Bass is something to appreciate. Heavy tho, with tight clamp force. Beautiful construction. Well made.
8. Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Ragnarr. Best rock headphone in my opinion. Soundstage is incredible.
9. Abyss Diana TC. Great when you get the (very expensive) upgrade cable. Very, very, very clear. Loses a bit of emotion due to others on this list.
10. DCA Ether C Flow. Good overall. Clear, good bass. Pairs well with multiple amps.
11. Meze Empyreans. An oldie, but a goodie. Fun headphone, not the best for faithful reproduction as it adds a lot of bass. Good EDM headphone, easy to drive. Upgraded cable is worth it.
12. Sennheiser HD660S2. Worthwhile upgrade, but a bit pricey. Very comfy fit.
Any others in sig are just ok. Still good sets, but nothing really noteworthy that stands out.
1. ZMF VO/VC. Are my favorite go-to headphone. Just the absolute best "jack of all trades." It gets me closer to the "art" part of music, which for me, is why I listen to music in the first place. On tubes it's just magic, especially with suede pads.
2. ZMF Atrium. See above, just a bit darker sound signature. Deeper than verite, but not as energetic imo. Likes powerful amps to fully shine.
3. Hifiman Susvara. Fantastic at pretty much anything, but for me loses a bit of the emotional side of the music. Technically superior to all others. Will blow you away when listing for the specifics. Fast, tight sound that also has great decay.
4. Focal Utopia. In your face sound, is incredibly clear. Great bass and tonal accuracy. Best headphone for rocking out.
5. ZMF Auteur LTD. Big, bold, simple, beautiful sound. Pairs well with many amps and dacs.
6. Hifiman HE1000v2. Clean, soundstage, great value after recent price reduction. Pairs well with many amps, tube or solid state.
7. Rosson RAD-0. Killer headphone for edm. Bass is something to appreciate. Heavy tho, with tight clamp force. Beautiful construction. Well made.
8. Spirit Torino Twin Pulse Ragnarr. Best rock headphone in my opinion. Soundstage is incredible.
9. Abyss Diana TC. Great when you get the (very expensive) upgrade cable. Very, very, very clear. Loses a bit of emotion due to others on this list.
10. DCA Ether C Flow. Good overall. Clear, good bass. Pairs well with multiple amps.
11. Meze Empyreans. An oldie, but a goodie. Fun headphone, not the best for faithful reproduction as it adds a lot of bass. Good EDM headphone, easy to drive. Upgraded cable is worth it.
12. Sennheiser HD660S2. Worthwhile upgrade, but a bit pricey. Very comfy fit.
Any others in sig are just ok. Still good sets, but nothing really noteworthy that stands out.
Nicsten
New Head-Fier
Focal Clear MG > HD 6XX > UE Triple.fi 10 > Sony WF-1000xm4
as for mow much i use them:
HD 6XX > Sony WF-1000xm4 > Focal Clear MG > UE Triple.fi 10
as for mow much i use them:
HD 6XX > Sony WF-1000xm4 > Focal Clear MG > UE Triple.fi 10
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