Rank the Headphones that You Own.

[Blindranger]

1. Audeze LCD-5 (S tier)
2. T+A Solitaire P (A+ tier)
3. Focal Utopia 2022 (A tier)
3.5 Focal Utopia OG (A tier)
4. RAAL CA-1a (A- tier)
5. Audeze LCD-R (B tier)
6. Audeze LCD-3F (B tier)
7. Hifiman Susvara (B tier)
8. Hifiman HE-1000v2 (B tier)
9. Hifiman HE-6SEv2 (C tier)
10. Sennheiser HD800 SDR mod (C tier)
11. Sennheiser HD650 (C tier)
12. Denon AH-D7000 (C tier)
13. Grado RS1i (C tier)
14. Audeze EL-8 Closed (D tier)
15. Beyerdynamic DT770 (D tier)

Hifiman Susvara (B tier)... You're a hard grader; I love it!

 

[unnamable]

In regular circulation:
1 JM Audio XTC-O warm & detailed (peerless all-rounder, best customer service on the planet aka John himself, supercool business model)
2 Kennerton LSA HP-1 (A forgotten gem, sadly buried in the rubble of geopolitics. Stunning clarity, seamlessly driven.)
3 Kennerton LSA HP-2 (Love the eccentric horn-loaded sound; bassy but not too bassy)
4 Avantone Pro Planar (severely underrated)
5 Audeze Sine (My travel portable despite THE CLAMP. Love the classic planar sound despite one-hour listening limit due to the vise grip.)

Gathering dust and looking to unload:
6 ZMF Bokeh (great HP, endearing small family business aesthetic, just too thick and blankety for my taste)
7 Audeze LCD-1
8 Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm
9 Sennheiser PX-200

DAC/amps are all portable: Apogee Groove, Woo Tube Mini, Questyle M12i, JDS Labs Atom (with Groove as DAC), Fiio E10K, Centrance Dacport Slim. I have neither space nor patience for amp-fussy phones. More or less an amp agnostic. 90% of an efficient HP's capabilities with one of these portable amp/dacs is good enough for me.

 

[iamoneagain]

Here’s ranking of headphones I own or have owned. Currently only own ZMF Caldera Open and Grado SR-60.

1. ZMF Caldera Open
2. AT L3000
3. Focal Utopia OG
4. Grado PS-1
5. Grado RS-1
6. Senn HD-650
7. Grado SR-225
8. Grado SR-60
9. Grado GS-1000

 

[sennfan83261]

Hifiman Susvara (B tier)... You're a hard grader; I love it!

Funny, I'd flip the grade between the LCD-5 and Susvara (my current no. 1), but hey everyone has their preferences.

 

[cwoo]

Hifiman Susvara (B tier)... You're a hard grader; I love it!

I've never loved the Hifiman sound signature (of course I own 3 different Hifiman headphones, LOL) and have basically upgraded my entire headphone system to make the Susvara sound amazing... It does sound great, but all those upgrades did, was to make my other headphones sound even more amazing than I would have imagined.

@sennfan83261 I totally get it, everyone loves the Susvara... I enjoy it too. It just lacks what the LCD-5 can do when properly EQ'ed and sourced in my opinion. Gotta EQ that guy. PS. From your signature: A Cavalli liquid glass? That must be awesome, so rare, enjoy that badboy!

 

[Chaotic]

1. 7th Acoustics Supernova
2. Nightjar Singularity
3. Sennheiser HD6XX
4. Symphonium Meteor
5. Aful Performer 8
6. AirPods Pro 2

 

[Shane D]

My tri-annual check in.

1) Focal Clear OG's. Took over the #1 spot from the Elex's, seamlessly. My favourite all rounder with Amazing bass for an open back.

2) Grado GH2's. My oldest set of headphones that I still use regularly. About six and a half years old. Need to be re-cabled and I have worn out a pair of Beautiful Audio pads.
A little bass light, but mids for miles.

3) Sennheiser HD660S2. These were like the seventh pair of Sennheisers that I bought and I was not overly impressed with the first six?
I Really liked these, but even more so with removal of the foam "filters".

4) Focal Radiance. Although I am not really a fan of closed backs, I do love the Focal sound and these are just beautiful.

5) Aune AR5000's. These punch way above their weight, to me. Very balanced sound and great comfort. Huge value, IMO.

6) CFA Cascades. Huge amounts of bass. Always puts a big smile on my face. REALLY switches up the sound of jazz. Big fun.

7) HarmonicDyne Eris. Another bass monster, but much lighter and more comfortable. And how can you not love purple headphones?

8) Koss KPH30i's. Never used in my "system", but my go to mobile phone. Working out, on the treadmill or just out and about. A GREAT sound for $40.00 (Canuck bucks).

9) and 10)HiFiman Arya's (V2) andGrell OAE-1's. I am lumping these both together because they are both up for sale currently, although I will probably take them off today/tonight.
I traded a set of Meze 109 Pro's for a set of HiFiman Arya V2's. Didn't like the 109's and the V2's don't blow me away. Kind of a wash, but I give the edge to the V2's. The pads are Beat, so I might just upgrade the pads.
I really liked the Grell's at first. Unique sound, but then it stopped (to me), projecting a different/unique sound. Maybe I just need to play around with positioning. With the new run being cheaper, these are a tough sell unless you want lose almost 50%.

And that is where I start 2025.

 

[Davidzak64]

My updated ranking for 2025.

1a. Akg K340 bass heavy
1b. Akg K340 bass light
2. Hifiman Ananda Stealth v3
3. Grado RS-1 buttons
4. Martin Logan Mikros 90
5. HiFiman HE560 v1
6. Focal Elex
7. Koss pro 4AAA w/ pads mod
8. Akg Sextett Lp
9. Akg Q701
10. V-Moda CFW1

 

[Wildcatsare1]

In regular circulation:
1 JM Audio XTC-O warm & detailed (peerless all-rounder, best customer service on the planet aka John himself, supercool business model)
2 Kennerton LSA HP-1 (A forgotten gem, sadly buried in the rubble of geopolitics. Stunning clarity, seamlessly driven.)
3 Kennerton LSA HP-2 (Love the eccentric horn-loaded sound; bassy but not too bassy)
4 Avantone Pro Planar (severely underrated)
5 Audeze Sine (My travel portable despite THE CLAMP. Love the classic planar sound despite one-hour listening limit due to the vise grip.)

Gathering dust and looking to unload:
6 ZMF Bokeh (great HP, endearing small family business aesthetic, just too thick and blankety for my taste)
7 Audeze LCD-1
8 Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm
9 Sennheiser PX-200

DAC/amps are all portable: Apogee Groove, Woo Tube Mini, Questyle M12i, JDS Labs Atom (with Groove as DAC), Fiio E10K, Centrance Dacport Slim. I have neither space nor patience for amp-fussy phones. More or less an amp agnostic. 90% of an efficient HP's capabilities with one of these portable amp/dacs is good enough for me.

The LSA-1 is a gem, sadly Imperialism killed that JV.

 

[timb5881]

Here is my new list as of February 2025:

1: Stax Sr-002 tied with Stax Sigma pro

2: Stax L300

3: Koss ESP-950

4: Nectar Pollinator

Now it gets tricky as the rest are old but I do like cycle through every now and then.

5: Stax SR-x mrk 3 normal bias

6: Koss ESP10, the 6 and the 9b Realistic HP100

7:Monoprice Electrostatic

And others that are in disrepair or just not used

 

[jdmeyers77]

Focal Utopia OG
Focal Elegia

 

[Lx3A]

Focal Utopia OG
Focal Elegia

This matches the ones I currently own but with an HD600 sandwiched in the middle!

 

[pataburd]

ROUND 1:

Source: Holo Audio Spring 2 KTE
Amplifier: Hagerman Audio Labs TUBA [w/2x Amperex Holland EL84|Euro-dampers and iFi Elite power supply]
Cable: NeoTech NEMOI 1220

[Based on the 4 sets auditioned over the last few weeks.] All headphones PEQ'ed, except the Diana TC.

#1.0: Abyss Diana TC [w/Ted Allen-built 4x 22AWG NeoTech UPOCC solid core silver hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] broad and beautiful tonality with exemplary resolution
#1.2: HEDDphone One [w/Ted Allen-built 4x 22AWG NeoTech UPOCC solid core silver hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] natural sense of pace and credible spatiality
#2.0: AKG K812 [w/Arctic Cables DEFINE UPOCC copper hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] impeccable overall balance and coherency with superior dynamic nuance
#3.5: Sennheiser HD8xx [w/Full Screen Mod, Audio Envy ToneKraft hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] captivating midrange and large-scale soundstage

Will be exchanging the Hagerman TUBA for the Feliks Euforia EVO later today. As-for the TUBA, I cannot say enough good things about this extremely capable--and ridiculously affordable--[tube-hybrid] amplifier(!).

 

[Davidzak64]

ROUND 1:

Source: Holo Audio Spring 2 KTE
Amplifier: Hagerman Audio Labs TUBA [w/2x Amperex Holland EL84|Euro-dampers and iFi Elite power supply]
Cable: NeoTech NEMOI 1220

[Based on the 4 sets auditioned over the last few weeks.] All headphones PEQ'ed, except the Diana TC.

#1.0: Abyss Diana TC [w/Ted Allen-built 4x 22AWG NeoTech UPOCC solid core silver hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] broad and beautiful tonality with exemplary resolution
#1.2: HEDDphone One [w/Ted Allen-built 4x 22AWG NeoTech UPOCC solid core silver hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] natural sense of pace and credible spatiality
#2.0: AKG K812 [w/Arctic Cables DEFINE UPOCC copper hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] impeccable overall balance and coherency with superior dynamic nuance
#3.5: Sennheiser HD8xx [w/Full Screen Mod, Audio Envy ToneKraft hpc] . . . [highlight(s)] captivating midrange and large-scale soundstage

Will be exchanging the Hagerman TUBA for the Feliks Euforia EVO later today. As-for the TUBA, I cannot say enough good things about this extremely capable--and ridiculously affordable--[tube-hybrid] amplifier(!).

Round 2?

 

[pataburd]

ROUND 2

(w/Feliks Audio Euforia EVO)

#1.00: HEDDphone One [w/teknorob23-built 4x 22AWG NeoTech UPOCC solid core copper hpc, Oratory 1990 PEQ]
#1.25: Abyss Diana TC [w/teknorob23-built 4x 22AWG NeoTech UPOCC solid core copper hpc, PEQ Off]
#2.00: AKG K812 [w/Arctic Cables DEFINE hpc, Oratory 1990 PEQ]
#3.50: Sennheiser HD8xx [w/Audio Envy ToneKraft hpc, Oratory 1990 PEQ]