luyairis
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
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1. Mr. Speaker's Mad Dogs
2. HD600
3. HE-400i
4. irrelevant
2. HD600
3. HE-400i
4. irrelevant
Rank the Headphones that You Own.
- Thread starter Yikes
- Start date
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- akg-k-271-studio akg-k1000 akg-k501 beyerdynamic-dt-250-headphones-ear-cup etymotic-research-er4s-micropro-reference-earphones etymotic-research-er6-isolator-in-ear-earphones-black grado-sr125i-headphones grado-sr225i-headphones headphones nighthawk sennheiser-hd-280-headphones sennheiser-hd-580 sennheiser-hd-600 sony-mdr-v6-monitor-series-headphones
rattledaddy
New Head-Fier
Alclair RSM Quads
Sennheiser HD 595
Eytomotic ER4
Eytomotic ER4S
Grado 125
Sure 215
Sennheiser 280
Sennheiser HD 595
Eytomotic ER4
Eytomotic ER4S
Grado 125
Sure 215
Sennheiser 280
takato14
Headphoneus Supremus
Finally got some stuff back! All of these are modified, some more than others. All are being driven from a Geek Out 450.
1: Sansui SS-100:
Most transparent by far. Distorts a bit compared to the HE-6 (especially in the upper midrange) but cleaner, smoother, and far more natural sounding. My absolute favorite of anything I've ever tried, the midrange is truly something special and they maintain fantastic extension into both bass and treble. By far the best seductive characteristic of my gear; these are fantastic at sucking you into the music. Really comfy too, the headband cushioning is spot on despite being thin and they don't clamp at all -- they just kinda float there. I did have to switch them to over ear pads to achieve this though. Not very nice feeling stock. I love them, a lot, though not as much when it's loud in my room due to how open they are -- noise cuts through the bass like a knife and makes them sound thin. I usually turn the aquarium filter off when I use these. Not suitable for meets!
2: HiFiMAN HE-6:
A one word descriptor for these would probably be "huge". The way this thing presents its sound is very... huge, I don't know how else to put it. The closest thing was listening to the speaker system in a small auditorium. Their bass is very punchy and these slam harder than anything I've ever heard if you give them the right material. However, they have a slight shelving of the treble and upper midrange -- about -8dB at 1kHz. I'm happier at around the 5dB mark. The imaging also doesn't seem as precise as the Sansui, but I'm still waiting on the speaker amp for these, so that will probably change. Headphones that need extra power have always sounded slightly "cloudy" to me -- likely a side effect of the source equipment not responding well to the load or not pushing enough juice for it. Though, the fact that they already sound as good as they do is very, uh, promising... and almost frightening. A side note, these were modded by someone else, so they're not necessarily entirely to my taste. This also means they use Audeze vegan earpads and the headband is slightly stretched out -- so even despite being the heaviest headphone I've ever held by far, these are still just as comfortable as the Sansui. Well, maybe the pads retain a little more heat...
3: Pioneer Monitor 10-II:
Absolutely my favorite closed headphone and the best I've heard thus far. They provide one of the most amazing bass presentations I've ever heard. According to my measurements, they actually distort less than the HE-6 in the bass and midrange -- yes, really!! The bass distortion is actually so low that it melds into the midrange perfectly and doesn't stand out at all. They also extend very well to bass and treble, which makes for a very complete listening experience. It is very very rare for a dynamic to do this so well! It's actually slightly above the HE-6 in this regard as of writing despite this being an area that planars excel at. They also get to listenable levels out of anything and they can take some serious cranking -- I've had these things up to 120dB and the bass never crapped out. Definitely one of the most unique headphones in my stable. Unfortunately, they are mostly reserved for monitoring and quiet listening, as they have a very sharp spike at 16kHz that rings violently when you turn them up loud. They also have a bizarre characteristic in the upper midrange -- they peak slightly at 1.5kHz (with some ringing) and take a 25dB nosedive into 4kHz. In most cases this is a measurement artifact, with some ringing showing up on the CSD immediately after the dip, but this is not present here. While there is still adequate treble to balance this out, I've heard them as simultaneously sounding slightly dull and shouty on many occasions. Did I mention they're comfy and provide great isolation?
4: KOSS PRO/4AAA:
This beast is unique, the bass is hugely emphasized (almost +15dB) and thick but the midrange and treble, though pretty rough, stay flat and balanced throughout with only the slightest rolloff at the last octave (16-20KHz). The bass can pound the hell out of your skull and they isolate amazingly well due to how the pads are designed -- I've successfully used these as hearing protection while mowing the lawn! While definitely not UNcomfortable for me, they are still the least comfortable headphone here, and they don't quite sound as balanced as the Pioneers; very slightly dark by comparison. They do still resolve well though, which (coupled with the isolation) is why I've held onto them for so long and will continue to do so. One of the more difficult to drive headphones here though; I've had these sound wonderful from one amp and awful from the next.
A couple permanent residents that don't see head time:
5: Pioneer SE-500:
This was the first headphone I bought with my own money and is in very, very rough shape. They were my favorite for a very long time; I always thought there was something "special" to how they sounded. They're modified and have a very nice, clean, lush midrange with bass roll off and good treble extension. Kind of like an electret in that they provide excellent midrange and transparency, but they can be driven from a normal headphone jack. Comfy. Less sensitive than the HE-6... so they're out of use for quite a while. Worth noting, even with the HE-6 and Sansui in the database, they possess the best transient response I've ever measured. So... yeah.
6: BEYER DT48S (5 ohm):
These have an issue with one of the drivers that makes them cut in and out. They were also a gift from a close friend. These resolve far better than they should, honestly up to par with the Sansui in this regard, but the FR is extremely nasty and the distortion behaves oddly. Note: some people call the DT48 thin sounding, but they don't really sound that way to me as long as you get a good seal (which is extremely difficult, but whatever). These are also the only unmodified headphone on this list.
A note: I talked about measurements a lot didn't I? I'll get around to posting some of my squiggly lines soon so you guys can get a look. Right now I just need to find a suitable solution for doing square waves and I'll be good.
1: Sansui SS-100:
Most transparent by far. Distorts a bit compared to the HE-6 (especially in the upper midrange) but cleaner, smoother, and far more natural sounding. My absolute favorite of anything I've ever tried, the midrange is truly something special and they maintain fantastic extension into both bass and treble. By far the best seductive characteristic of my gear; these are fantastic at sucking you into the music. Really comfy too, the headband cushioning is spot on despite being thin and they don't clamp at all -- they just kinda float there. I did have to switch them to over ear pads to achieve this though. Not very nice feeling stock. I love them, a lot, though not as much when it's loud in my room due to how open they are -- noise cuts through the bass like a knife and makes them sound thin. I usually turn the aquarium filter off when I use these. Not suitable for meets!
2: HiFiMAN HE-6:
A one word descriptor for these would probably be "huge". The way this thing presents its sound is very... huge, I don't know how else to put it. The closest thing was listening to the speaker system in a small auditorium. Their bass is very punchy and these slam harder than anything I've ever heard if you give them the right material. However, they have a slight shelving of the treble and upper midrange -- about -8dB at 1kHz. I'm happier at around the 5dB mark. The imaging also doesn't seem as precise as the Sansui, but I'm still waiting on the speaker amp for these, so that will probably change. Headphones that need extra power have always sounded slightly "cloudy" to me -- likely a side effect of the source equipment not responding well to the load or not pushing enough juice for it. Though, the fact that they already sound as good as they do is very, uh, promising... and almost frightening. A side note, these were modded by someone else, so they're not necessarily entirely to my taste. This also means they use Audeze vegan earpads and the headband is slightly stretched out -- so even despite being the heaviest headphone I've ever held by far, these are still just as comfortable as the Sansui. Well, maybe the pads retain a little more heat...
3: Pioneer Monitor 10-II:
Absolutely my favorite closed headphone and the best I've heard thus far. They provide one of the most amazing bass presentations I've ever heard. According to my measurements, they actually distort less than the HE-6 in the bass and midrange -- yes, really!! The bass distortion is actually so low that it melds into the midrange perfectly and doesn't stand out at all. They also extend very well to bass and treble, which makes for a very complete listening experience. It is very very rare for a dynamic to do this so well! It's actually slightly above the HE-6 in this regard as of writing despite this being an area that planars excel at. They also get to listenable levels out of anything and they can take some serious cranking -- I've had these things up to 120dB and the bass never crapped out. Definitely one of the most unique headphones in my stable. Unfortunately, they are mostly reserved for monitoring and quiet listening, as they have a very sharp spike at 16kHz that rings violently when you turn them up loud. They also have a bizarre characteristic in the upper midrange -- they peak slightly at 1.5kHz (with some ringing) and take a 25dB nosedive into 4kHz. In most cases this is a measurement artifact, with some ringing showing up on the CSD immediately after the dip, but this is not present here. While there is still adequate treble to balance this out, I've heard them as simultaneously sounding slightly dull and shouty on many occasions. Did I mention they're comfy and provide great isolation?
4: KOSS PRO/4AAA:
This beast is unique, the bass is hugely emphasized (almost +15dB) and thick but the midrange and treble, though pretty rough, stay flat and balanced throughout with only the slightest rolloff at the last octave (16-20KHz). The bass can pound the hell out of your skull and they isolate amazingly well due to how the pads are designed -- I've successfully used these as hearing protection while mowing the lawn! While definitely not UNcomfortable for me, they are still the least comfortable headphone here, and they don't quite sound as balanced as the Pioneers; very slightly dark by comparison. They do still resolve well though, which (coupled with the isolation) is why I've held onto them for so long and will continue to do so. One of the more difficult to drive headphones here though; I've had these sound wonderful from one amp and awful from the next.
A couple permanent residents that don't see head time:
5: Pioneer SE-500:
This was the first headphone I bought with my own money and is in very, very rough shape. They were my favorite for a very long time; I always thought there was something "special" to how they sounded. They're modified and have a very nice, clean, lush midrange with bass roll off and good treble extension. Kind of like an electret in that they provide excellent midrange and transparency, but they can be driven from a normal headphone jack. Comfy. Less sensitive than the HE-6... so they're out of use for quite a while. Worth noting, even with the HE-6 and Sansui in the database, they possess the best transient response I've ever measured. So... yeah.
6: BEYER DT48S (5 ohm):
These have an issue with one of the drivers that makes them cut in and out. They were also a gift from a close friend. These resolve far better than they should, honestly up to par with the Sansui in this regard, but the FR is extremely nasty and the distortion behaves oddly. Note: some people call the DT48 thin sounding, but they don't really sound that way to me as long as you get a good seal (which is extremely difficult, but whatever). These are also the only unmodified headphone on this list.
A note: I talked about measurements a lot didn't I? I'll get around to posting some of my squiggly lines soon so you guys can get a look. Right now I just need to find a suitable solution for doing square waves and I'll be good.
GREQ
Headphoneus Supremus
Ooh squiggly lines! Yes please!
I doubt I'll ever hear a Monitor 10-II but my RP18 and HE-500 should come pretty close to the SS-100 and HE-6 respectively, so it should be a close comparison.
Even out of my FiiO E17 the HE-6 sounded stunning and eerily similar to the HE-500 (had to crank it up nearly to max output
Shure SE846
Grado PS500e
Senns HD650
Grado SR325e
Senns HD600
Shure SRH1540
Grado PS500e
Senns HD650
Grado SR325e
Senns HD600
Shure SRH1540
richardfugh
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2015
- Posts
- 22
- Likes
- 11
ATH L3000
FOSTEX TH900
ATH W3000ANV
ATH W1000Z
AKG K3003
SHURE SE846
ATH ESW9LTD
ATH EW9
ATH IM03
AURVANA AIR
FOSTEX TH900
ATH W3000ANV
ATH W1000Z
AKG K3003
SHURE SE846
ATH ESW9LTD
ATH EW9
ATH IM03
AURVANA AIR
Bob A (SD)
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 11, 2003
- Posts
- 1,485
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- 337
(1) HD580 w/HD600 grills & NewFantasia 2m cables
(2) HD600 w/ CustomCans 1.5m ultra low capacitance braided litz cables
first two are extremely close
significant gap here in overall performance
(3) SHP9500 w/ 4' Mediabridge cable
(4) SHL5500
(2) HD600 w/ CustomCans 1.5m ultra low capacitance braided litz cables
first two are extremely close
significant gap here in overall performance
(3) SHP9500 w/ 4' Mediabridge cable
(4) SHL5500
droido256
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2010
- Posts
- 656
- Likes
- 258
forgot to update this.
Cans:
God spot: Audeze EL-8 open
1:Audio Technica AD900x
2: Hifiman HE-400
3: Fostex T50RP
4: Audio Technica M50xBL
5: Yamaha HP-2
6:Sansui SS-50
7:Beyer 990pro
8: Beyer DTX-910
9: Yamaha RH10ms
10: AKG K-701 no. 1401
11: AKG K-160 600ohm
12: Shure: SRH840
13: Sony MDR-ZX700
14: AKG K-270
IEM
1: UE triple fi 10
2: Sony XBA-1
3: Apple earpods
MorrisL
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 7, 2014
- Posts
- 421
- Likes
- 80
HD 600 - DT 990 (Close tie. Not real preference; one is more neutral than the other.)
DT 770 (Slightly compromised DT 990, due to closed design.)
PX 100 ii (Surprisingly good for their size. Not sure they're up there with HD 600/650 as the famous thread by Katun claims. Need to A/B more.)
Audio Technica M40x (A neutral version of the popular M50x)
DT 770 (Slightly compromised DT 990, due to closed design.)
PX 100 ii (Surprisingly good for their size. Not sure they're up there with HD 600/650 as the famous thread by Katun claims. Need to A/B more.)
Audio Technica M40x (A neutral version of the popular M50x)
stalepie
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2015
- Posts
- 217
- Likes
- 85
beyerdynamic T 51 i: very good for classical and choral pieces, sometimes they get hot and not actually that comfortable (ears get red after wearing for over an hour).* The cable will likely break eventually and you have to send them in for service. Poor design.
Sennheiser PX100-ii: a smooth, warm sound, easy to listen to, but a bit "small" sounding due to their size. I think the treble extension kind of sucks with these.
Sony MDR-V6: great for analyzing music, strong sound, harsh on the upper end with some music, a bit thin sounding overall. They can sound very harsh when first put on after using darker phones, but your ears can get used to it.
Grado SR60i: also a bit thin sounding, light in bass, but when it finds the right music these sound amazing. great headstage (better than px100-ii or portapro)
Koss PortaPro: sometimes these sound great, and they fit a bit more comfortably on my ears than the Sennheiser, but they're not as full sounding - somewhere in the upper treble there is like a hole in the sound. Maybe I have a bad pair. The dynamics (fun sound) of these easily beats the Sennheisers, which sounds too controlled. Like the difference between wearing a tank top and a buttoned up polo shirt.
Sony MDR-ZX300: pretty strong sound for $30. It actually seems to have a wider, less congested headspace than T51i. But overall sound is just light and "fun," nothing serious.
Sony MDR-EX110AP: surprisingly good sounding for their cheap price. A lot of music comes through crystal clear with them. But they still have a small, in-your-head sound typical of earbuds. Also the treble is too frosty. I prefer the duller sound of a previous cheap model (EX10IP), which got even worse Amazon reviews.
Sony MDR-ZX110AP: did not like these. The ZX100 had a lighter, crisper sound. These have added bass and sound muffled by comparison. But maybe possible to get used to it over time.
Panasonic RP-HT21: a basic, popular $5 headphone on Amazon. Has a nice long cord for such a cheap price. The cord is less annoying than the one on the $300 beyerdynamic. This provides good sound for such a cheap price, but I guess it's what you'd expect. has a bit of an artificial bass bump that weakens over time. Band is prone to breaking where it adjusts, but I've taped them and used them for listening to documentaries while falling asleep. More comfortable than all the other pairs I have too.
*Not sure what I was thinking here -- must have been testing too many headphones the night it happened. These are probably about as comfortable as on-ears get and the leather-like padding feels very soft on the ears..
Sennheiser PX100-ii: a smooth, warm sound, easy to listen to, but a bit "small" sounding due to their size. I think the treble extension kind of sucks with these.
Sony MDR-V6: great for analyzing music, strong sound, harsh on the upper end with some music, a bit thin sounding overall. They can sound very harsh when first put on after using darker phones, but your ears can get used to it.
Grado SR60i: also a bit thin sounding, light in bass, but when it finds the right music these sound amazing. great headstage (better than px100-ii or portapro)
Koss PortaPro: sometimes these sound great, and they fit a bit more comfortably on my ears than the Sennheiser, but they're not as full sounding - somewhere in the upper treble there is like a hole in the sound. Maybe I have a bad pair. The dynamics (fun sound) of these easily beats the Sennheisers, which sounds too controlled. Like the difference between wearing a tank top and a buttoned up polo shirt.
Sony MDR-ZX300: pretty strong sound for $30. It actually seems to have a wider, less congested headspace than T51i. But overall sound is just light and "fun," nothing serious.
Sony MDR-EX110AP: surprisingly good sounding for their cheap price. A lot of music comes through crystal clear with them. But they still have a small, in-your-head sound typical of earbuds. Also the treble is too frosty. I prefer the duller sound of a previous cheap model (EX10IP), which got even worse Amazon reviews.
Sony MDR-ZX110AP: did not like these. The ZX100 had a lighter, crisper sound. These have added bass and sound muffled by comparison. But maybe possible to get used to it over time.
Panasonic RP-HT21: a basic, popular $5 headphone on Amazon. Has a nice long cord for such a cheap price. The cord is less annoying than the one on the $300 beyerdynamic. This provides good sound for such a cheap price, but I guess it's what you'd expect. has a bit of an artificial bass bump that weakens over time. Band is prone to breaking where it adjusts, but I've taped them and used them for listening to documentaries while falling asleep. More comfortable than all the other pairs I have too.
*Not sure what I was thinking here -- must have been testing too many headphones the night it happened. These are probably about as comfortable as on-ears get and the leather-like padding feels very soft on the ears..
Amarphael
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2007
- Posts
- 1,245
- Likes
- 50
Stax SR-007A
Beyerdynamic T90
Audio Technica ATH-E70
Beyerdynamic DT1350
Sony MDR-EX1000
AKG K240 Sextett
Sony PFR-V1
Shure SE530
Philips Fidelio S1
Koss KDE-250
Beyerdynamic T90
Audio Technica ATH-E70
Beyerdynamic DT1350
Sony MDR-EX1000
AKG K240 Sextett
Sony PFR-V1
Shure SE530
Philips Fidelio S1
Koss KDE-250
Kon Peki
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2014
- Posts
- 117
- Likes
- 74
1A) HD800 S
1B) HE-560
2) HD600
3A) TH-X00
3B) DT770
1B) HE-560
2) HD600
3A) TH-X00
3B) DT770
JesseA
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2009
- Posts
- 33
- Likes
- 12
1)Beyer dt990
2)grado sr80
3) Beyer dr770
2)grado sr80
3) Beyer dr770
headwhacker
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2013
- Posts
- 4,763
- Likes
- 770
1. Stax SR-007A
2. Sennheiser HD800
3. Stax SR-507
4. Hifiman HE-6
5. Beyerdynamic T1
6. Mr Speakers Ether C
7. Beyerdynamic DT1770
8. Grado RS2e
2. Sennheiser HD800
3. Stax SR-507
4. Hifiman HE-6
5. Beyerdynamic T1
6. Mr Speakers Ether C
7. Beyerdynamic DT1770
8. Grado RS2e
Ishcabible
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2009
- Posts
- 6,371
- Likes
- 841
Sennheiser HD800
Stax SR007A
ZMF X Vibro MKII
OPPO PM2
Master and Dynamic MH40
AKG K270 Playback
AKG K240 Anniversary
AKG K240 Sextett LP
AKG K270 Studio
Yamaha HP3
Jecklin Float Model II
Stax SR007A
ZMF X Vibro MKII
OPPO PM2
Master and Dynamic MH40
AKG K270 Playback
AKG K240 Anniversary
AKG K240 Sextett LP
AKG K270 Studio
Yamaha HP3
Jecklin Float Model II
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