[PointyFox]

(Added ZMF Verite Open, Hifiman HE1000SE, Focal Clear MG Professional, and Hifiman Arya, reordered a little, added recommendations)

*=Highly recommended

Tier 1 - Almost like the headphones aren't there
Stax SR-009 (Has increased imaging and separation over the SR-007. Dynamics seem slightly better. Unmodded has "Stax fart" similar to modded SR-007A and I assume the original MK1.)

Tier 2 - Near perfect
*Stax SR-L700MK2 (VERY similar to Focal Clear. Has slightly more mid-bass impact, midrange is not quite as thick. Instruments seem slightly more separated. Soundstage slightly wider. Very similar to SR-007. Soundstage is a little wider on the SR-007 and it has more lower bass until you do the Blu-Tack mod which evens it out.)
Stax SR-007MK2 with Blu-Tack mod (like the SR-007A but with less "Stax fart" for some reason.)
Stax SR-007A with Blu-Tack mod ("Stax fart" a little annoying.)
ZMF Verite Open Kind of like a smoother, more musical estat with excellent bass. Pads are easy to swap and good quality. Nicely layered sound.

Tier 3 - Excellent
*Focal Clear Professional (Not the widest soundstage but excellent tonality, dynamics, and extension. Treble could use a little boost.)
*ZMF Eikon (Similar to the MDR-Z1R but with more even frequency response but less bass extension.)
Sony MDR-Z1R (Closed headphones with great transparency and better bass than HD800S. Amazing for a closed back. Similar to ZMF Eikon but with slight peaks in freq. response that sound a little unnatural at times and better bass extension.)
Hifiman HE1000SE (Detailed sound with good bass and transparency. Almost electrostatic-like speed. Soundstage a little narrow.)
Sennheiser HD800S (Super transparent with more bass than Stax SR Lambda Pro. Lightweight but ear pads are large and don't conform well. Great soundstage.)
Nectar Audio Hive (Similar to Stax SR-009 except is more forward sounding and not quite as "ethereal". Slightly more bass impact. Requires at least 400 V RMS energizer.)

Tier 4 - Excellent with minor imperfections, beginning of summit-fi
*Koss ESP/95X (Very natural sounding with wide soundstage and great transparency. Mid-centric. Fantastic for easy-listening and voice. Bass and treble could use a boost. Lightweight and comfortable.)
*Sony IER-M9 (A little uncomfortable. Sounds nearly perfect if you can get the fit right. Has more lower-midbass than Z1R which increases impact.)
Sony IER-Z1R (A little uncomfortable. Sounds nearly perfect if you can get the fit right. Could use a little more bass impact.)
Focal Utopia (Slightly wider soundstage than the Clear. Sounds very similar. A little too thick sounding for me resulting in a "wall of sound" and less instrument separation.)
Sennheiser HD820 (Comes close to the HD800S but isn't as tonally even and soundstage is slightly smaller. Has better comfort, isolation, and bass volume though.)

Tier 5 - Great with slight annoyances
Focal Clear MG Professional (Not quite as clear sounding as the original. Slightly warmer. Soundstage seems smaller than original.)
Hifiman Arya (A little lacking in dynamics, sounds a little flat. Soundstage could be wider.)
Campfire Andromeda (Rivals HD800S / MDR-Z1R in transparency and very even sounding. Good everything, except bass is a bit light. Sound stage is a little smaller than with over ear headphones.)
Audeze LCD-4 (Best bass, good but not great transparency, very heavy, prone to driver failures with pressure changes. Mine had a driver failure.)

Tier 6 - Very good but not quite impressive
*Sennheiser HD600 (Slightly more realistic frequency response than HD650.)
Sennheiser HD650
*Audeze Mobius (Some of the best bass I've heard but soundstage is small.)
SendyAudio Aiva (Great build quality, looks good, good frequency response except bass extension is lacking.)
Stax SR Lambda Pro (Super transparent.)
Audeze LCD-2 closed back (Heavy, bass extension and impact are lacking, isolation is poor for a closed back.)
AKG K7XX (Great value. Elastic may go bad over time.)
Razer Opus (Very good timbre and frequency response. Treble and bass are could use more clarity.)

Tier 7 - Good, beginning of hi-fi
Grado SR-80e with L cushions (L cusions improve sound quite a bit, kind of uncomfortable, tons of midbass, good transparency.)
qdc Neptune (Good value, sounds like the Andromeda, but a little more muffled and more bass and bass extension).
Beyerdynamic DT880 (Annoying treble peak, ~8.5 kHz.)
AKG K702 (Painful headband.)
Beyerdynamic DT990

Tier 8 - Pretty good
Denon D2000
Shure SE846 (Terrible value. Sounds similar to the IE80.)
Sennheiser IE80 (Good value, but sound a little muffled compared to higher end stuff.)
Etymotic ER4XR (Good as earplugs. Sound not very impressive.)
Sennheiser HD598 (A little muffled sounding.)
Bose Triport (Good 3D sound positioning. Lightweight. A bit muffled overall.)
Koss Porta Pro (Very light weight. Sound is good for price. Open back design.)

Tier 9 - Slightly better than average
Westone W30 (All mid-range. Not very good for listening to music.)
Grado SR-60i (Poor fit, comfort and bass. Decent transparency. Would probably sound better with L cushions.)
KZ ZS6 (Treble is peaky.)
VJJB-V1S (Sound is very good for price.)
ViSang R02 (Sound is very good for price.)

Tier 10 - Average, but not bad
Panasonic RPHJE120S
Panasonic RP HT355

 

[tudedude]

1. Hifiman Arya
2. Focal Radiance(with Dekoni hybrid pads, last place with factory pads)
3. Audeze LCD-2
4. Hifiman Deva
5. AKG k371

Above based on sound quality, not taking into consideration build and materials.

Edit: Updated rankings based on a/b testing and a new addition.

 

[jwbrent]

My top three:

D8000
Utopia
LCD-XC

 

[MisterMudd]

1. Hifiman Arya
2. Hifiman Deva
3. AKG k371
4. Focal Radiance(last place with default pads - 3rd place with dekoni hybrid pads)

Above based on sound quality, not taking into consideration build and materials.

Hey Dude. How do you like the AKG? Been seriously eyeing those as I have no closed back.

 

[tudedude]

Hey Dude. How do you like the AKG? Been seriously eyeing those as I have no closed back.

I like them, good tonality and FR, but it's the bass regions that makes them amazing closedbacks, for the price, in my opinion. They're not cannons, but "audiophilish" in the way the lows detail and image.

The main thing I don't like about them is the build and design. They look and feel so cheap that they're hard to take seriously. At the same time they are portable and unassuming so they would be good phones to wear in public places and travel.

 

[425455]

1. T+A Solitaire P

 

[OspreyAndy]

1. Etymotic ER4SR (79 Ohm Balanced)
2. AKG K52 (166 Ohm Ultramodded Balanced)
3. Monolith M565c (54 Ohm Modded Balanced)

 

[thatoneheadphonedood]

1. Etymotic ER4SR (79 Ohm Balanced)
2. AKG K52 (166 Ohm Ultramodded Balanced)
3. Monolith M565c (54 Ohm Modded Balanced)

What mods did you put on your akg’s. i want to mod mine like yours.

 

[OspreyAndy]

What mods did you put on your akg’s. i want to mod mine like yours.

It's all described here : https://www.head-fi.org/threads/akg-k52-from-36-to-360-performance-the-makeover-mods.957060/

 

[bloop]

1) Audio Technica ATH-AD700
2) Sony WH-1000XM4
3) Koss Porta Pro

Thinking of getting Sundaras as my next headphone. I want a good portable amp/dac to use with my phone too since all of these are straight out of the jack with the lightning dongle or (in the case of the Sony’s) Bluetooth.

 

[betula]

1. Meze Empyrean
2. Arya/LCD-X
3. LCD 2 Classic

 

[MisterMudd]

I like them, good tonality and FR, but it's the bass regions that makes them amazing closedbacks, for the price, in my opinion. They're not cannons, but "audiophilish" in the way the lows detail and image.

The main thing I don't like about them is the build and design. They look and feel so cheap that they're hard to take seriously. At the same time they are portable and unassuming so they would be good phones to wear in public places and travel.

Appreciate your input man. Thanks.

 

[Rob the Comic]

Four coconuts, openbacks only, Punk Flute revisited, my personal preferences of the week

Piper At The Gates Of Dawn: HE500/R70X
A Saucerful Of Secrets: Sundara
More: HD580
Ummagumma: R70X/Sundara
Atom Heart Mother: HD580
Meddle: HE500/HD580
Obscured By Clouds: HE500/HD580
Dark Side Of The Moon: HD580/R70X
Wish You Were Here: Sundara/R70X
Animals: HE500/Sundara
The Wall: HD580
The Final Cut: errr..R70X?...it’s been a while
A Momentary Lapse Of Reason: Sundara/HE500
The Division Bell: HD580/HE500

This will most likely change depending on my mood which basically is the point of my post.
I mostly use frequency response as a way of navigating which headphones to purchase and I also find it to be one the best tools to talk about (most) sound specifics...but when I find headphones that please me I don’t think about such things. I just listen to music.
...but generally speaking, what I am attracted to when I reach for my planars is their ultra clean presentation, the effortless bass performance and that smooth and slightly laidback presentation...but perhaps most of all: the very open sound.
The dynamics are for the more natural expression.

Dude, love the list but get some LCD's or Utopias for 'The Delicate Sound of Thunder'. )

 

[Heyyoudvd]

I keep coming into this thread ready to post my list, and every time, I can’t do it because the order keeps changing.

Here’s what I initially wanted to post:

1. Sennheiser HD6XX
2. Apple AirPods Max
3. Audio Technica ATH A900
4. Audio Technica ATH M50
5. Koss KSC75
6. Powerbeats Pro
7. Apple AirPods Pro
8. Grado SR60
9. Koss PortaPro

That was my original order, but mainly because I hadn’t listened to a whole bunch of items on that list in a long time, so I thought they were worse than they actually are.

Now that I’ve spent the past week listening to all 9 of these quite a bit, the only items that stay in their positions are #1 and #2. The rest are all over the place.

For example, I used to love the A900 because they were the most detailed headphones I have, but now that the 6XX have taken that crown, the A900 just sound thin and harsh and echoey by comparison. And so even though they’re more detailed than just about everything else on the list, I’m finding I’m enjoying them a lot less than most, including the SR60. The SR60 has grown on me so much. I absolutely love that Grado sound. It’s just so warm and rich and inviting. Measurements be damned. It just sounds good.

Similarly, I used to hate the PortaPros because they just sounded like a much more bloated, less clear KSC75 to me, but now that I’ve been enjoying the SR60, the PortaPros almost sound like a baby brother to them. The PortaPros have more in common with the Grados then with their actual ‘brother’ in the Koss lineup. I’d still take the KSC75 over the PortaPro, but the gap has definitely narrowed. While the PortaPros are still a little bloated, the KSC75 are starting to sound too thin to me. I think the ideal Koss sound would be somewhere in the middle. I just ordered a KPH30i from Drop, so hopefully that will fill the gap.

Then there are all the Apple headphones. I honestly don’t know where to place them. The APM are #2 because their sub-bass and dynamics are just so good, but I’m torn on the Powerbeats Pro and especially the AirPods Pro. I prefer the APP over the PBP for being more balanced and less bass-heavy, but I do think the PBP are a little more detailed. So it’s a bit of a trade-off. And as far as the APP go, I’m finding that one of their biggest strengths is also perhaps their biggest weakness - they’re inoffensive.

If I had to choose just one headphone to keep on this entire list, I’d probably go with the APP due to their size, convenience, and features, paired with solid sound quality. But as my headphone collections grows and I start to hear more sound profiles, I’m actually liking the APP sound profile LESS because of how inoffensive they are. They‘re not opinionated at all. They’re just kind of smooth and inoffensive. They’re not bad at anything. But they’re not great at anything either. They’re almost like a sound profile designed by a committee. Not in a bad way like how Raycons or old Beats were designed to be a mainstream crowd-pleaser via lots of crappy bass. Rather, i mean that the APP sounds like they’re designed by a committee in that they appeal to everyone and don’t really put a stake in the ground. The detail is too smoothed off, the bass is okay, the highs are decent but not particularly sparkly, the mids are okay. The soundstage and imaging is okay. Nothing is bad. Everything is just okay.

Because of that, I’m really not sure where to place the APP on my ranking. Like I said, if I just had to live with one headphone, even excluding features and convenience factors, I think the APP would be a pretty good sound to have as your only headphone. But when you have multiple headphones, the APP sound signature just becomes kind of boring and forgettable.

That’s my thought process behind all of this.

And so the list at the top of this post is completely wrong. The HD6XX and APM are still my two favorites, but I don’t know how to rank the rest.

I’ve been struggling with this list for a while but I think I’m finally ready to put down an actual ranking (including two more pairs I’ve purchased since this proto ranking):


1. Sennheiser HD6XX: I love these things. Most people here are already familiar with them, so there’s no much else I can say, but the warmth and ‘gooey’ smoothness to them is just so comforting. What’s surprising about them is that they have a fair bit of detail. Perhaps not as much as some of the TOTL headphones people talk about on this board, but the 6XX are more detailed than they’re given credit for. That comforting sound of a warm blanket is deceiving because you’d think it’s a sound signature that trades off technical sophistication for that warm sound, but it doesn’t. For a $220 headphone, I find these very technically proficient. And that’s in addition to the lovely warm sound. These things also feel well built (despite being largely plastic) and they’re deceptively comfortable. When I first put them on each time, they have a decent clamp and don’t feel particularly comfortable, and yet 4 hours later I’m still going with no issue at all. They seem to get more comfortable the longer they’re on, which is the opposite of most headphones. One other point that needs to be made is the power requirements are vastly overrated. I mean, I have to turn up my Topping L30 louder than I do with other headphones I have, but these still manage to sound great straight out of my iPhone with just the Apple dongle.

2. Grado Hemp: These live up to the hype. They’re clear, impactful, surprisingly detailed, and have nice punchy bass, while still retaining the Grado sound signature. I’ve loved my SR60 for nearly 20 years (they were my first pair of real audiophile headphones) and after thinking about upgrading to a wooden pair for a long time, I’m glad I took the plunge. These headphones are exciting. While they’re mid-focused in the same way the 6XX are, the Hemp sound entirely different, in that they’re more upper-mids and they’re extremely forward, as opposed to laid back. The old adage is true about Sennheiser sounding like you’re in a beautiful concert theater and Grado sounding like you’re up on stage with the band. As a friend of mine commented upon hearing my Hemp, these sound like you’re at a music festival. They’re punchy and exciting. They take everything I’ve always liked about the SR60 and supercharge it with more clarity, greater detail, far better bass, and just a more refined sound all around. They’re also beautiful to look at. The two drawbacks for me are comfort (ie. I have to take a break after 45 minutes, as the flat pads can make your ears sore after a while) as well as the annoying kinks in the cord, where because the cups swivel 360 degrees, the Y cord will press against your cheek if not rotated properly. But overall, I absolutely love these headphones. For many genres of music, these beat the above 6XX. Anything with strings or acoustic based music sounds incredible on these. But unlike some other Grados that only sound good with that type of music, the Hemp are far more multifunctional due to their improved low end. And regarding the highs, as forward as they are, they’re never piercing. So even though Grados can be known to be bright, they still manage to be smooth and enjoyable, not harsh at all. I love these things.

3. Apple AirPods Max: These are both overrated and underrated at the same time. On one hand, you have non-audiophiles who may believe these are some of the best sounding headphones around, due to their price tag and the fact that Apple makes them. But then on the other hand, you have people people trying to write them off as merely a gimmick from a consumer tech company. Both of those views are wrong. Can you find better sounding headphones for $550? Absolutely. If your one and only concern is sound quality, there are better options out there. But these are absolutely audiophile grade headphones. They sound excellent. The sub-bass is the real star. It’s powerful and very present without feeling bloated. The bass is good, the mids and highs are decent, and the soundstage is pretty good for a closed back. I find the instrument separation is quite good and the dynamics are excellent, although the detail retrieval is merely okay. The best way I can describe it is that in a multilayered track, you can hear every note, but some of those notes may not have the kind of texture you’d hope for in this price range. The way I’d put it is that the detail is good but the microdetail is merely okay.

Of course, that entire description is missing half the puzzle. Aside from sounding good, the APM are wireless, they’re fantastically built, they have the best noise cancellation and transparency modes in the industry, they’re comfortable, and they have all sorts of other great features like ear detection, auto-switching, spatial audio and so on, if you’re in the Apple ecosystem. So if you think about these as a $550 audiophile headphone, there are better options out there. But if you think of these as a $300 audiophile headphone with $250 in awesome and highly useful smart features and convenience factors, these things are incredible. I highly recommend them to anyone in the Apple ecosystem who has the budget.

4. Grado SR60: Initially I ranked these a lot lower in my above quoted proto list, but after spending a lot more time with them, I realized why I loved them to begin with. I picked them up nearly 20 years ago and they still sound great. After listening to them for years and loving them, I eventually ‘upgraded’ to more expensive headphones like the Audio Technica A900, and so my SR60s sat in a drawer for years, with me not going back to them because I thought I had evolved past them. Turns out that view was wrong. They still sound amazing. When I first pulled them out of the drawer a few months ago, they didn’t sound that great to me. I don’t know if there was dust buildup in the driver or if it was purely a mental thing, but the sound wasn’t what I remembered. Then after spending some time with them, they started to sound fantastic to me again. Now that the have the Hemp, the SR60 are clearly not at the same level, but they still sound excellent and I love that Grado sound.

5. Koss KPH30i: I really struggled with this placement. These are super cheap, not well built, and they sound less technically proficient than a bunch of the headphones below on this list, and yet I absolutely love them. The way these things are tuned is just perfect. They strike the perfect balance. Even though they’re lower resolution than something like the A900, I enjoy them far more. I feel guilt placing these so high because they were a whopping $20 from Drop and because I recognize that they don’t have the resolution and body of most others on this list, and yet I can’t help but love these headphones.

6. Apple AirPods Pro: A jack of all trades, master of none in terms of sound. These sound good across the board, but never great. They’re solid, inoffensive performers through and through. Decent lows, decent mids, decent highs, decent soundstage, decent detail, decent dynamics. These are something that everyone can like but no one can really love. The reason so many people do love them is because of their convenience factor. I literally take these with me everywhere I go. You know that small change pocket within the pocket in your jeans? That’s where I put these every time I leave the house. The significance of that is huge. Most people don’t take very many items with them in their pockets when they go places. Wallet. Keys. Phone. That’s pretty much it. The AirPods Pro are the first time since the advent of the cell phone that I’ve added a new object to my pocket at all times. That is positively massive. I now have access to headphones wherever I go, any time of day. That’s a brand new phenomenon in our society. The AirPods Pro are like a step towards bionics, where we, as human beings, have an audio device we have almost constant access to.

If this list wasn’t about sound quality and was purely a question of which headphones I’d choose overall, it would be the AirPods Pro. If I had to get rid of every single pair of headphones I own and could only keep one pair, it would be the AirPods Pro. That’s how good these things are. The sound quality may not be fantastic, but it’s absolutely good enough to pass the threshold of listenability, even for audiophiles. So you combine that “pretty good” sound with the literally life-changing convenience of the AirPods Pro and you have a real winner. There’s a reason these sell so insanely well. They’re worth it.

7. Audio Technica ATH-M50: Like the AirPods Max, these are both overrated and underrated. On one hand, they got hyped several years ago by prominent YouTubers like MKBHD as being true gems of audio quality, but then on the other hand, some people in the audiophile community are faaar too harsh on them. These sound good. Not great, but good. Well, I should say that they do sound great by consumer audio standards. But in the audiophile world. they’re still pretty decent. The soundstage is narrow, there’s a lot of bass, and it can be muddy, but they’re still fun to listen to, decently detailed headphones. They’re also decent for comfort (albeit not fantastic) and they’re extremely rugged, which made them my go-to headphone for public transportation during winter months in the pre-noise cancellation days, as they’re relatively isolating and they double as earmuffs. One nick on them is despite their ruggedness, the headband has begun flaking on my lately, with small pieces of black fake leather coming off.

8. Apple Powerbeats Pro: Don’t let the Beats name fool you; these sound good. Beats has come a long way since the Apple acquisition. And while these are still bass-heavy headphones, the bass no longer drowns out the rest of the frequency response. These are solid performers and possibly some of the best workout headphones in existence. These are my go-tos whenever I work out. Surprisingly, I think these may be a tad more detailed than the AirPods Pro and in some ways I prefer them over the APP. They’re better workout headphones not just because they stay in your ears for even the most rigorous workouts, but also because I find the accentuated bass is nice for when you’re working out. For day-to-day non-workout use, they’re still pretty good, but I’d take the AirPods Pro over them due to the convenience factor (ie. the case is much smaller), the noise cancellation, and the flatter frequency response.

9. Audio Technica ATH-A900: I feel bad about putting these so low on the list because they’re Top 3 in terms of technical proficiency, but I’m just not a big fan of their sound signature. They’re detailed, have good bass, and a surprisingly wide sound stage for a closed back. They’re also very comfortable. And yet I find the lack of mids, the echoey resonant sound, and just the general sound signature to be a little disappointing. They’re neither exciting like a Grado nor smooth like the 6XX. They’re laid back, but not in a relaxing, enjoyable way. They’re just a little boring to me. It’s funny because in terms of technicals, these beat the pants off the KPH30i. And yet I have the KPH30i four full spots higher on this list because I just enjoy their sound more. Don’t get me wrong, the A900 are a good headphone. And they were my go-to high end headphone for many years (from when I first put my SR60 in the drawer many years ago until I really got back into audio last year), but I just don’t find their sound signature to be all that enjoyable compared to some of the other items on this list.

10. Koss KSC75: Even though these are low on the list, I still absolutely love them. These were the best deal in the headphone world prior to the release of Koss’s own KPH30i a few years ago. They’re similar technically to the KPH30i, but they’re more focused on the highs, lacking in the lows, and just don’t have that same sense of balance. I also don’t like the form factor as much as I do with the KPH30i, as the KSC75 has those unusual ear hooks that sometimes pop off the headphone, and they’re also quite fragile. I’ve had several pairs die on me over the years, although Koss does have that great lifetime warranty. For under 20 bucks, these are still an absolute steal.

11. Koss PortaPro: These have the same relation to the Koss KPH30i as the KSC75s do, but in the opposite direction. They have similar technical proficiency, but they’re too bassy and bloated. Taken in isolation, these are great sounding inexpensive headphones. But compared to the rest of this list, these are the weakest ones, in my opinion. In some ways, the sound reminds me of a worse SR60. The sound signature is similar in a lot of ways, but they’re less detailed, have more bloated bass, and aren’t as smooth. But they’re similarly warm and give me the same kind of vibe, albeit much worse. They’re also not particularly comfortable, as the earpads are small, the adjustment mechanism is weird, and the metal band snags your hair. Don’t get me wrong, for $35 USD, these are great headphones. But something has to go at the bottom of this list and in my opinion, the PortaPros easily nab that spot.


That’s my ranking. I was thinking of adding Tone/Technical letter grades to each, Crinacle style, but maybe I’ll save that for the next time I update my ranking. Hopefully that won’t be any time soon, as I’ve spent way too much on headphones lately, especially with the 6XX, Hemp, and APM all purchased in the last 4 months! Time to take a bit of a break on my purchases. The plan now is to stick with and enjoy my current collection, and then in the next year or two, I’ll save up and go big with something from Focal or Abyss.

 

[539465]

1. DT1990
2. M570
3. Sundara
4. modded DT990
5. Galaxy Buds Pro
6. Anker Q30
7. 6XX
8. Mixcder E10
9. BT 8323 w/ foam removed
10. Taotronics SS-46
11. Modern Retro W/ XL pleather brainwavz