[tdockweiler]

1. Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro

Perfect comfort and the sound is really good to me. Not bass overload or huge treble spikes (I wear glasses though).
To my ears it feels like it has more low bass than my other open headphones.
When I listen to this, my music doesn't sound dramatically different than how it does on my other headphones.
Slightly more recessed mids at times.

2. AKG Q701

Bass mod has been installed for 1-2 years. It may increase distortion but it sounds fine to me.
I actually think this sounds better than the AKG 712!
I use the DT-990 Pro more due to better comfort.

3. Koss Pro DJ-100 with M50 pads

By far my #1 favorite closed headphone. IMO it sounds better than the Shure SRH-840, Audio Technica ATH-M50 and AKG K371 (which was terrible due to wearing glasses). I wish Koss had a similar headphone with the exact same signature but with even better comfort and memory foam pads!
Maybe they do?

4. Sennheiser HD-650

Sounds a bit slightly muffled at times and somewhat closed in sounding. I prefer it to the HD-600 though.

5. Anker Soundcore Q20

I bought this as my first bluetooth headphone. Why? Mowing the lawn and for blocking out the sounds in my computer equipment room. It has boomy bass, but generally I find the sound acceptable for this price. Maybe 7/10 sound quality overall for a headphone in this price range. Cost me like $50!

I wish someone sold a similar priced headphone that was neutral and had all these features. I bought it for it being wireless and blocking out noise.
Anker keeps release more and more Q versions but each with even more bass. WHY?!
I guess that's what sells these days.

Isn't there a cheap JBL headphone with the Harman curve that's around $70 and has the same features?

 

[frictiongg]

I prefer the Clear. Resolution seems the same to me. The Arya is lacking dynamics/slam compared to the Clear. With some brain burn-in the soundstage gets better on the Clear and with a good tube amp it gets even bigger.

probably just depends on what music you listen to

arya doesn't have as you said the slam for certain music but clear also doesn't have the presentation that arya does in say orchestra

unfortunately though the presentation on arya only works in certain music like orchestra when I had it but not others

 

[SpeakerBox]

4. Sennheiser HD-650

Sounds a bit slightly muffled at times and somewhat closed in sounding. I prefer it to the HD-600 though.

I find this to be true of the HD-600 also. When listening I have the treble cranked all the way. So many people impressed with these and I just don't see it.

 

[DenverW]

I find this to be true of the HD-600 also. When listening I have the treble cranked all the way. So many people impressed with these and I just don't see it.

I found the amp pairing to be very important with them. On a good otl tube amp I was very impressed, especially for the price.

 

[r343]

1. Utopia. If HD650 was Jedi Knight with healing and kindness, Utopia would be Sith with lightning bolts and force choke. Somewhat bright yet liquid at same time, superb dynamics (sometimes too much) details and vocals, above rest in my ranking. Soundstage is quite tall? even its often described as small and same with bass lightness...not.
If i want to be impressed i will reach for Utopia, not choice for relax sessions.

2. TH900mk2. visceral, vivid, slamming, edgy. These are made to rock, they were 1 my for long time but couldn't stand up to Utopias.

3. HE-500. My laidback headphones, natural sound with excellent vocals and good soundstage + precise imaging, planar equivalent of HD650 w/o venturing to "boring" territory which HD650 at times crosses.

4. Hifiman Arya v1. Most massive soundstage of all here, if it was thicker sounding and had "heft" of HE-500 who knows where it could be.
5. HD800. Classics with too much treble, most song picky headphones which becomes annoyance, however top tier resolution and vocal clarity + soundstage and quite natural sounding.
6. Focal Clear. balanced and unoffensive sound yet great clarity and imaging, never pressing skip when using Clears. Wished it would have had more present vocals like Utopia.
7. ZMF Aeolus. Very organic, warm and easy sound, some haziness and average imaging.

8. HD650. Smooth sound and superb comfort, sometimes sounds like you hear only 85-90% of song cause high treble and bottom bass is missing. Most natural timbre here.
9. DT-1990. Has ok properties but treble is messing things up too much.
10. HE6-sev2. wanted to like these more but can't. For "heavy" planar soundstage is surprisingly small? Vocals were bit thin and cold, bass quantity and dynamics not that great. They start to get better with high volume but meh.

11. ZMF Atticus. Unfortunately mids came too shouty.

12. Fidelio X2. My first step to hifi headphones many years back, HD6XX slaps them pretty hard in ~ price category.

13. HD700. Initial impression wasn't that bad and preferred them over HD650. More i listened worse they turned. Some hard "glare" is hidden in frequency response which cannot be unheard. I hear some of the same glare in HD800 but much lesser extend.


Not all i heard but ones i can recall and have spend enough time with.

 

[Blackrao]

1. Hifiman He6 sev2
2. Hyperx Cloud Orbit S
3. Gold Planar GL2000
4. Sennheiser HD58x Jubilee

 

[DeweyCH]

#1 - Verite Closed stabilized

#2 Almond Auteur

#2a - HE6v2 SE

#3 - K240 Sextett LP
#4 - K240DF

 

[hottyson]

#1 - Verite Closed stabilized



#2 Almond Auteur

Those first two photos are gorgeous! Backdrop of albums and strings sets the tone. Wood cups are classy.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Now that I got my iFi Hip-DAC amp, I will re-rank my headphones among those that I have listened to in the past year (note that this is my tiered list, using the S to F scale, with the notation "None" for those tiers in which I do not currently own any headphones, and that a grade of F means that the sound is fundamentally broken, not just bad):

Over-ear headphones (wired and wireless)
S
None

A
None

B
Sennheiser HD 560S

B-
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (250-Ohm)

C+
Sony MDR-7506

C
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Koss KPH-30i

C-
Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Sony WH-1000XM4

D
None

E
Sony MDR-7509

F
None

In-ear (wired and wireless)
S
None

A
None

B
Sony WF-1000XM4

B-
Apple AirPods Pro

C
Apple AirPods (2019, 2nd Gen)

C-
Jabra Elite Active 75t (good for working out but not much else)

D
None

E
None

F
None

 

[amarkabove]

1. CA Holocene
2. Focal Elegia
3. AKG K701
4. Sennheiser HD6xx
5. Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250
6. CA Vega 2020
7. Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (not X)
8. Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 250
9. AirPods Pro
10. Sony MDR-7506
11. Shure SE215
12. AirPods
13. Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 (only used on planes)
14. PowerBeats III (only used for workouts)
15. Sennheiser HD-280

This is for strictly listening. If I’m recording, mixing, mastering, etc. this list changes order drastically.

 

[Spawn300Z]

1. HifiMan Susvara
2. Abyss Diana V2
3. HifiMan HEKSE
4. Audeze LCD-4Z
5. K812 Pro
6. Meze Audio Empyrean
7. AKG K872 Pro
8. AKG K712 Pro
9. Campfire Audio Cascades
10. Audeze Mobius
10. Shure SRH-1540
11. Shure SRH-1840
12. Bose Quite Comfort 35 II

 

[RezLyfe80]

1. Focal Elex
2. Audeze iSine 10
3. Phillips X2HR
4. Sennheiser HD 58x Jubilee
5. Apple AirPods Max

 

[OceanRanger]

1. Susvara (with Moon Audio Silver Dragon) - comfortable, light weight and great sound means that I reach for the Susvaras more often than the 1266 TCs
2. Abyss 1266 TC (with SC) - to me, these headphones beat the Susvaras hands down on sound quality. For critical listening there simply is no substitute.
3. Arya (v1 with Moon Audio Silver Dragon) - bang for the buck it is super tough to beat these headphones, these are awesome cans and I love traveling with them.
4. Lola (JH Audio) CIEM - wonderful isolation and great, organic sound.

Diana V2 and something from Meze are on the "what's next" list.

 

[sebek]

1. Sennheiser HD 600
Narrow soundstage, good but not excellent technicalities, but perfect tonality and such natural timbre and the voices are wonderful.

2. Hifiman Ananda
Clean, fast, precise, with great tonality, but without the magical mids of the HD 600 and less engaging.

3. Sennheiser HD 660 S
Darker than the 660, with more precise imaging and slightly more bass, but I preferred the better balance of the 600.

4. Focal Clear Pro
I thought they might be my endgame, but there was no love. I don't even know why, I found them a bit tiring and with an unnatural timbre.

5. AKG K712 Pro
A great soundstage, but sound not very lively and too swollen in the mid-bass.

 

[HBen]

1. Sennheiser HD 600
Narrow soundstage, good but not excellent technicalities, but perfect tonality and such natural timbre and the voices are wonderful.

2. Hifiman Ananda
Clean, fast, precise, with great tonality, but without the magical mids of the HD 600 and less engaging.

3. Sennheiser HD 660 S
Darker than the 660, with more precise imaging and slightly more bass, but I preferred the better balance of the 600.

4. Focal Clear Pro
I thought they might be my endgame, but there was no love. I don't even know why, I found them a bit tiring and with an unnatural timbre.

5. AKG K712 Pro
A great soundstage, but sound not very lively and too swollen in the mid-bass.

This head-fier knows what he's talking about