| Notes |
| Grado GS3000x | Superb from the mids up (~250Hz and above). Sublime tone. Planar-like separation, speed, transparency, and layering. Expansive soundstage. Impeccably taut, textured, and quick bass. This is the live music experience. |
| Hifiman Edition XS | Excellent tonality and technicalities. Hard to fault for its price. Mild U-shaped tuning. Treble can be a tad crispy, depending on upstream equipment. Bass has surprisingly plenty of authority and impact, and wonderful extension, texture, and control. As a nitpick, they lack a certain je ne sais quois tonally, but more than make up for it with their near-impeccable tuning and strong technical capabilities. |
| ZMF Auteur Classic | This is perhaps my open-back dynamic of choice, taking into account tuning and technical competence. I would take it over the Sennheiser HD 800 S and Grado GS3000x and NDH 30. If the NDH 30 is the HD 600 on steroids, then the Auteur Classic is itself the HD 600 on steroids. To be sure, the gap between the Auteur Classic and NDH 30 is far greater to my ears than the gap between the HD 600 and NDH 30. Tuning is nearly faultless to my ears. Bass is remarkably deep, well-extended, well-defined, and authoritative, and deserves special mention. One thing: the weight and comfort. |
| Focal Radiance | My favourite Focal by far, compared to the Bathys, Elex, and Stellia. Superb blend of tonal response and technical competence. With the Gustard X16 & Drop + THX AAA 789, soundstage is well above-average for a closed back, though certainly not quite on the level of the MDR-Z1R or even the entry-level DT 770. But let’s talk about the sound: it’s very well-balanced, open, clean, clear, refined, with a healthy amount of body. Tonality a touch to the warmer end of things, but just a touch. Certainly not lean, dry, or analytical. Overall clarity and detail retrieval are excellent for a closed-back dynamic, and minimally match the Denon D9200 to my ears, and easily outperform the MDR-Z1R. Closed back design aside, the Radiance is also one of the best open or closed dynamics I’ve heard. I think it’s more coherently tuned, refined, and resolving than the NDH 30, although the Radiance costs almost twice as much. Slam is somewhat neutral, and I do wish for more, especially after having heard the Stellia and Elex. |
| Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Noire | Above-average soundstage, but certainly far from the most spacious I’ve heard in a closed-back. Sorely lacking in slam and macro-dynamics. Otherwise, technicalities in terms of clarity, transparency, detail retrieval, transient response, and speed are excellent, and far exceed the Focal Stellia, Denon D9200, and Sony MDR-Z1R. Tonality leans very much to the lean and dry side of things, and there’s a distinct emphasis in the treble that I could not satisfactorily mitigate despite various filter tuning combinations. |
| ZMF Aeolus [ Universe Perforated Suede ] | The HD 600 upgrade. Very close tonally to the HD 600 to my ears. Vast, open, spacious soundstage. Effortless, expressive, vibrant, and euphonic. Nary a trace of muddiness, bloominess, or boominess. Bass is tastefully done. Not quite planar levels of extension, texture, or speed, but very palatable and pleasing. This is what I had hoped the NDH 30 would be. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 150 [ EDT 100T pads ] | The good: with the DT 100 velour pads, they measure near-linear. Tone is incredibly natural, with a somewhat organic character. At its best, it’s reminiscent of a closed-back HD 600 with a wider soundstage, and better extension at both ends. The bad: it’s certainly not the last word in clarity or detail retrieval, which shows with its age. Bass, while well-extended, is very much average when it comes to definition and texture. Staging is rather flat and lacking in depth with the DT 100 pads. It’s a relatively intimate and forward staging, but with a strong sense of scale (I.e. images appear large). |
| Sennheiser HD 800 S | Meh. Let’s just get this out of the way: these are studio monitors. They’re deliberately tuned for a more analytical sound than the more euphonic HD 6-series. Soundstage, layering, imaging, transparency, and detail retrieval are the name of the game. But that tone. It’s awful. I fed it with a Feliks Echo II and Schiit Bifrost 2 and well… For musical enjoyment, I would probably reach for any of the other cans in my collection. Sub-bass extension and presence is pitiful. There’s a jarring mid-treble (6kHz?) peak. |
| Massdrop x Focal Elex | Well-tuned and versatile. Tonally, a jack of all trades but master of none. Solid overall technicalities, certainly a step up from the HD 650 in terms of clarity, detail, and precision. Soundstage is on the smaller side. Strong macrodynamics, but lacks a sense of effortlessness and openness. |
| Denon D9200 | I wish I had a more enthusiastic response to these, given my love for the E-MU Teak and the Fostex TH900. Unfortunately, staging is much more intimate than the TH900. Separation and transparency are also just about average for its price point. Bass lacks the slam, definition, impact, and speed of the TH900. Mids are pleasantly plump and a touch warmth. Treble has very good extension and presence, and, to my ears, essentially mitigates the treble spike of the TH900. In the final assessment, it simply lacks a ‘wow’ factor for myself to justify its cost. |
| Klipsch HP-3 | A refined, masterfully tuned basshead can for grown ups. For those that find the tuning of the TH900 too extreme for their tastes, think of the HP-3 as a tonally-perfected TH900. It's still a V-shaped headphone, but with the lower mids pushed forward, the treble toned down, and the bass dialled back. You sacrifice the cavernous soundstage of the TH900 for a much more forward presentation, albeit with a large sense of scale. Much more refined and open sounding than the Teaks, and a resounding step up in terms of clarity, separation, transparency, and bass definition. |
| Neumann NDH 30 | Here is the HD 600 upgrade you’ve been looking for. It’s the HD 600 but with soundstage + bass. Bass extension and impact deserve special mention. What to does well: natural, realistic tonality; conveying of ambient and spatial cues; masterful balance between neutrality and musicality and engagement. Here’s the thing: while it sounds much better than the HD 600 / HD 650, it is far superseded even by mid-fi planners such as the Edition XS in terms of conventional technical metrics: clarity, transparency, detail retrieval, soundstage, separation, transient response, etc. Still, if you’re a fan of dynamics and the Sennheiser HD 6-series, but can’t cough up for the ZMF Auteur Classic, this is your can. |
| Focal Stellia | Frankly, I don’t know if I just couldn’t get the fit right due to the angled drivers. The good: isolation is superb, almost… vacuum like. Superb slam and macro-dynamics. The bad: it sounds incredibly dense and compressed to my ears, in the worst possible way. This is the polar opposite of “open sounding”, even for a closed-back. Clarity and detail retrieval were mediocre for the price, and there’s a distinct lack of transparency to my ears. Bass, while authoritative, weighty, and impactful, lacked a great deal of texture. Otherwise, the tuning is very palatable: reserved treble, warm, full-bodied mids, strong, well-extended bass. |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | Superb via the Monolith Liquid Platinum with Genalex Gold Lion tubes. |
| Fostex TH900 MK1 | Vast soundstage. Sculpted, sledgehammer bass. Intense V-shape. Incendiary clarity. Extreme lower-mid suck out. Searing treble. Hard to beat for rock and electronic music. |
| Sony MDR-Z1R | Big soundstage. Big bass. Meaty, warm, and full-bodied. The bad: wonky, uneven treble. Transparency is below-average for the price. Separation and imaging could be better. This is not a reference headphone: it’s an unapologetically consumer-tuned headphone for the audiophile. |
| Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X | A smoother, punchier, more fun, and vibrant, albeit less technical version of the Aeon 2 Noire. Hard to fault for the price, except for the slight lack of slam, and need for a powerful amp. |
| Sennheiser HD 650 KISS | Masterfully tuned. Sublime mids and rich tone. Steep sub-bass roll-off. Bass lacks definition and slam. Soundstage and imaging are just average. Clarity, separation, and transparency fall short of the Sundara 2020. |
| E-MU Teak [ Lawton pads + driver damping ] | |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro | Like the Elex, sounds somewhat strained and compressed, and lacking the same sense of effortlessness as the HD 650 or Edition XS, or even the classic Beyer DT series. Semi-open design lacks the same sense of air and openness as full open-back headphones. Bass is weighty with plenty of slam and a propulsive quality, but lacks somewhat in terms of speed and texture. Upper-mids can be somewhat grating. |
| Hifiman Sundara 2020 | Highly competent entry-level-to-mid-fi headphones. Hard to fault tonally. Best in class separation, clarity, and transparency; certainly much better than the HD 650 or even DT 1990 Pro or Elex in this regard. Detail and resolution are just average, however. For $200 more, the Edition XS are a resounding step up. |
| E-MU Teak | My default mid-fi basshead recommendation. Much better tuned than the Fostex TH900. Tasteful U-shaped response. That special biocellulose tone. There is a lot of bass, but it’s very solid, hard-hitting bass, and mainly boosted in the sub-bass region. Still, it doesn’t display the same level of definition and texture that you find in planars, and the sheer quantity can be overwhelming and distracting, genre-depending. |
| Grado Hemp | Grado, but warm, still crunchy, and with a much more palatable top-end. Also now with a healthy mid-bass presence! (Though I would note that the PS500 and MS2e that precede the Hemps both offer pretty good bass too, at least as far as Grados go). Smoother and fuller-bodied than the SR325x. Still, the MS2e remain my Grado of choice |
| Alessandro MS2e | Perhaps my favourite Grado of the SR80x, SR325x, Hemp, and PS500. I prefer these to the Hemp, too: larger soundstage, better clarity, and an even more palatable tonality. Mids are full-bodied with plenty of bite and crunch, treble is well reined in, and there’s a surprising amount of mid-bass that makes the MS2e more than serviceable for modern genres. Bass is very tight and fast, with a great sense of tactility. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro | Heavily recessed mids. Heavily emphasised treble. Heavily emphasised bass. The tonality is just wonky. Additionally, it lacks the staging, openness, transparency, and vibrancy that made the original a classic. Decidedly dense and congested sounding. Noticeable bass distortion at higher volumes. |
| Grado SR325x | See comments under Hemp. |
| Onkyo A800 | The de facto upgrade to the Philips Fidelio X2HR. Very special, warm, organic, nostalgic tonality. Strong, well-controlled bass. Non-offensive treble. Intimate presentation, but with a fairly large sense of scale. Much more technically capable and resolving than the X2HR, with a more even tonality. Within its price segment, I’m hard pressed to think of another warm, bassy, open-back dynamic can, save for the DT 900 Pro X. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X | The classic Beyer DT series receives the Sennheiser treatment. You get a much more linear and palatably tuned headphone compared to its predecessor, the DT 990. Gone is the lower-mid suck out. Mids are surprisingly thick, warm, and full-bodied. Bass has much more weight, heft, and body versus the DT 990, at the expense of the speed, texture, and definition of the latter. There’s still an upper-treble peak, but it seemed narrow enough in practise to be of any cause of concern in my listening. The downside: these sound semi-closed and significantly more compressed and and boxed-in than the DT 990. Bass also lacks some definition and texture. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X | As with the DT 900 Pro X, the DT 700 Pro X is a departure tonally from its predecessor. The DT 700 Pro X opts for a warm, weighty, full-bodied, darker, bassy sound, a sharp departure rom the energetic, aggressive, vibrant V-shape that defines the DT 770 Pro. It is a decidedly more laidback, polite listen. You lose a good deal of speed, definition, and tightness in the bass compared to the DT 770, however. Again, as with the DT 900 Pro X, the DT 700 Pro X is decidedly compressed and boxed-in sounding compared to the DT 770 Pro, with the latter's famously expansive and airy soundstage. Bonus points for its gloriously comfortable ear pads, superb build quality, and class-leading isolation. |
| Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany | The default mid-fi basshead recommendation, before being supplanted by the E-MU Teak. Less refined tonally and technically than the Teaks, with a narrower sondstage. |
| Audio-Technica R70x | Very good tonality, tuned warm-neutral, with good sub-bass extension and low-end presence. That’s kind of where the good news end. Staging is incredibly forward and intimate. Bass distorts quickly at higher volumes. Weak instrument separation and below-average clarity leave most tracks sounding like a cluttered mess. |
| Sennheiser HD 560S | The entry-level benchmark. Decent tonality and technicalities. Strengths are a largely neutral tuning with good low-end extension, control, and impact, and strong surface clarity. Marred unfortunately by a somewhat grating and coarse lower-treble. Microdetail is just average, despite its strong appearance of clarity. I think the DT 900 Pro X are the more palatably tuned headphone, but you give up the more open and effortless presentation of the HD 560S. |
| Shure SRH1540 | This was my first closed-back upgrade to the M50x. This is a really nicely tuned headphone, somewhat reminiscent tonally of the T5p G2: clean, full-bodied, somewhat warm, but with a softer treble, and a more polite, buttoned-down presentation. Soundstage is just average however, perhaps somewhat wider than the K371, but narrower still than the DT 700 Pro X or E-MU Teak. As observed by Stereophile, bass quickly distorts at higher volumes. Bass is also relatively skewed to the mid and upper regions, and lacking somewhat in terms of control, definition, rumble, and slam. Like the T5p G2, it hits rather soft. Clarity and detail are about on par with the MDR-1AM2. For a warm, bass-boosted neutral closed-back, I would pick the DT 700 Pro X. |
| AKG K371 | Very good tonality: safe, versatile, palatable. Lacks that certain ‘special sauce’ though, making it a less than engaging listen, although this is more of a subjective nitpick. Soundstage is on the smaller side, and par for the course for portable closed-backs. Clarity and detail retrieval are decent for its class. Unfortunately, I personally struggled to get a good seal with the K371, whether with or without glasses. Caveat emptor: the build quality on this is frankly dismal and there is little isolation to speak of. |
| Beyerdynamic T5p 2nd Generation | This was a disappointingly ‘meh’ headphone technically. Tonality is actually quite nice: clean, rounded, full-bodied mids and low-end. The Beyer peak is present but I would not describe it as a grating or jarring in any way. But it simply sucks technically, particularly for its price. I would easily place the DT 1770 Pro and E-MU Teak a class above the T5p G2. Let’s start with the bass: it’s soft, flabby, lacking in extension, control, and definition, and hits like a soft pillow. Soundstage is just average, and certainly more intimate than both the DT 1770 Pro and Teak. Separation is also just average, again falling behind the DT 1770 Pro and even the DT 770 in this regard. Clarity and detail are decent, but nothing to write home about. The newer DT 700 Pro X is arguably a much more attractive offering to my mind. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohm | Disgusting tonality. Blinding speed and clarity. Remarkable separation, air, and transparency. Extremely taut, quick and defined bass, but lacking in weight and heft. Exaggerated upper treble. Lean, cool, dry, brittle mids. Steely, metallic tone. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 990 600 ohm | An even more V-shaped iteration of the DT 880 600 ohm. Most of my comments regarding the DT 880 can be transposed to the DT 990. |
| Hifiman HE400se | Exaggerated upper-treble with a distinct metallic sheen. Mids are somewhat lean and dry. Despite how they graph, I personally found the low-end extension dismal, no matter how I adjusted the headphones or pressed them against my head to get a good seal. For what it’s worth, I had no issues getting a proper seal with the Sundara 2020 or HE-4XX, and both units have much greater bass presence than the HE400se. However, for the price, their clarity, resolution, and speed are commendable. Presentation is remarkably open and airy, although there also seems to be a slightly hazy quality. As an all-rounder and at its price point, I would give the nod to the HD 560S however. |
| Sony MDR-1AM2 | Fun, consumer-tuned headphones. Moderate V-shaped response. Treble is a tad boosted with a slight metallic tint, but there’s also plenty of sparkle and air. Mids are clean, open, and vibrant. Bass has a healthy boost, and shows fair extension, control, and definition. Clarity and detail are surprisingly decent, and minimally on par with the AKG K371 to my ears. Build is somewhat underwhelming for its price, though still much better than the AKG K371. Isolation is also appreciably better than the K371. Sonically, the K371 is the better tuned headphone, but I would pick the MDR-1AM2, if only for its superior build quality and isolation. |
| Hifiman HE-4XX | Surprising bass presence, impact, and definition. Good clarity and detail for its class. Marred by a jarring mid-treble peak and a steely sheen in its timbre. More evenly tuned than the HE400se, but also slower and less open and airy sounding. As with the HE400se, at its price point, I think it has been supplanted by the HD 560S. |
| AKG K7XX | Kind of a meh headphone tonally and technically. Standouts are its expansive soundstage, strong imaging, and above-average bass presence, making it a decent choice for general entertainment purposes. Clarity and detail are just okay within its class, certainly falling sort of newer releases such as the HD 560S or HE400se. They don’t do anything particularly wrong in any region tonally, but then they don’t anything especially well either. If you’re looking for an open-back headphone with a wide soundstage, precise imaging, and a good amount of bass, the Sundara 2020 would be the clear upgrade to my mind. |
| Fostex T-X0 | Pretty decent technically, but tonally wonky. Energetic, U-shaped tuning. Transients are fast. Soundstage is above average for a closed back, larger than the SRH1540 and K371 from memory, but certainly not anywhere near as vast as the DT 770. Clarity and detail retrieval are quite good, I’d say on par with the DT 1770 Pro. Bass lacks a fair amount of control and definition however, coming across as rather loose. Mids tilt to the lean and dry end of things. Treble can be a bit spicy. Marred unfortunately by a distinct metallic sheen. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 80 ohm | The classic entry-level closed-back studio headphone. Kind of like baby Fostex TH900. Strong V-shape. Vast soundstage. Good clarity and detail in its class. Fast, dynamic, energetic, aggressive, engaging, fun. Yes, the lower mids are recessed. Yes, the treble is hot. But dat bass. Tight, defined, well-extended, fast, and hits like hammer. The DT 700 Pro X are the more mature offering tonally, but there’s a real fun factor to the DT 770 Pro that has made it a perennial favourite. Build quality, comfort, and isolation are also superb. Downside: I’ve owned four pairs (including the 250 ohm variant), and all four pairs quickly developed a distortion in the bass at higher volumes. |
| Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 ohm | See comments for the DT 770 80 ohm. |
| Creative Aurvana Live! SE | These are something of a marvel tonally and technically for their price. Well-tuned, lightly U-shaped, with that distinctly inviting bio-cellulose tone. Technicalities are surprisingly decent for the price. |
| Grado SR80x | Fun, fun. So-so technicalities, but for an affordable pair of beaters for rock and acoustic music, these are pretty hard to beat. No, they’re not tuned to be linear or 'reference class'. They’re made to do one thing and one thing only, and that is to make you rock out with your c0ck out. Energetic, exciting, colourful, fun. |
| Philips Fidelio X2HR | I owned the X2HR thrice and frankly found it sorely underwhelming given its hype. Great soundstage and serviceable tonality, but that’s about it. No, they’re not anywhere close to the HD 6XX or or AKG K7XX or DT 990 technically. They fall far short even of the entry-level closed back DT 770 Pro. I imagine back when the HD 650 / HD 6XX was the primary contender in the entry-to-mid-fi segment, the prospect of an open-back headphone with a wide soundstage and strong low-end—the very two qualities lacking in the HD 650—made the X2HR a compelling offering. In 2023, I struggle to recommend them for any particular use case. |
