Rank the headphones that you've heard
Jan 18, 2008 at 10:37 AM Post #31 of 56
K1000/SR-007A

SR-Ω/HE90

TakeT H2/HE60
 
Jan 18, 2008 at 1:13 PM Post #33 of 56
1 = Ultrasone HFI-2200
2 = Futuresonics Atrio
3 = Ultrasone ProLine 750
4 = Sennheiser HD595
5 = Audio-Technica M40fs
6 = Sennheiser HD25-1
7 = Futuresonics FS1
8 = V-moda Vibe (first batch)
9 = Sennheiser HD555
 
Jan 18, 2008 at 2:38 PM Post #35 of 56
I don't have a fair comparison to put ranking order of these because alot of cans i've heard were on different sources but i can desribe my experiences.

AKG 240 Sextetts [Very uncolored and neutral, range is as flat as ive heard other then from the 320ohm monitors.]
AKG 240 Monitors 320Ohm [Very similar to the sextetts but take ALOT of good power to drive them to high volumes, great reference can if you have the power]
Sennheiser EH150 [Good punchy sealed can with quality mids, highs struggle to keep up, i used them for pc gaming with great success ]
Sennheiser HD500 [BASSY, oringally when i bought these i thought they were broken they were so bass heavy especially for an open can, after tweaks and adjustments i was able to control them properly and they can sing but have the same problem as i find with most lower end sennheisers, distortion comes into play at higher volumes]
Sennheiser Hd595 [Better control and bass then the 500's little smoother across the full range, at the right price used they are a good can, retail doesnt reflect value]
Sennheiser HD600 [Good for me as i like dark backgrounds with low noise floors however the vail effect is there if you compare them to akg or grados, but for smooth liquid mids and and overall quiet can, these are fantastic highly recommend them for classical and jazz listening]
Sennheiser HD650 [Basically the 600s without the vail, superb can would recommend for anyone with good amped power]
Grado Sr60 [Good can for the money but without good source these things will reveal way more flaws then youd like, very unforgiving can especially in the highs, great potential though]
Grado Sr80 [Now some people figure its not worth the jump in price for the "same can" totally disagree, this is where you should start your grado journey if you are going to take it IMO, music comes alive and live albums are nearly impossible to tell its not right there, i got up and turned around in the room 3 times looking for people listening to patty barbers xrcd, just floored me, keeping in mind it was being used with a pathos amp :p]
Allesandro MS2 - An improvement on the sr80s different sound, i prefer the bass of these but the highs of the sr80s myself maybe because these are a little more forward, also these are pretty heavy cans and i find them rather uncomfortable in long listening sessions where the sr80s are very comfortable, mostly due to weight i suspect, still ms2 is a great can for the money]

I havent got a chance to audition anything really superb yet as i am a deal hunter and i find it hard to spend the amounts of money some people spend on here for headphones. However i think this is largely due to the uses of the cans in my case. I have very good 2ch and multichannel speaker systems and it is not necessary for me to hook up cans to either very often, so most cans for me are portable, very hard to swallow the pride and walk through the mall with hd650 space pods strapped to your head trust me
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However, the instant i have an opportunity to audition better cans at a good price, i always hop on it
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Feb 17, 2008 at 4:43 AM Post #36 of 56
This is what I remember at the moment. This will change not doubt about it.
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1) Stax SR-303
2) Stax SR-Lambda
3) MB Quart Phone 85
4) Yamaha YH-100
5) Yamaha YH-1

6) Fostex T20 v2
7) Jecklin Float 2
8) Stax SR-001MK2
9) Etymotic ER-4P
10) Koss A/250
11) Audio-Technica ATH-A900
12) AKG K340
13) Magnavox 1A9217
14) Sennheiser HD-600
15) Stax SR-X Mk3
16) MB Quart Phone 70
17) AKG K280
18) Realistic Pro 30
19) Stax SRD-4 & SR-40
20) Sennheiser HD500
21) Audio-Technica ATH-SJ5
22) Audio-Technica ATH-EM7GM
23) MB Quart Phone 15
24) Sennheiser HD-433
25) Koss ESP-6
26) Grado SR60
 
Feb 17, 2008 at 5:40 AM Post #37 of 56
AKG K1000
Stax SR-404/Stax SR-202 (I couldn't tell them apart)
Stax SR-Gamma
Sennheiser HD650
Sennheiser HD600
Sony MDR-SA5000
Alessandro MS2i w/C-pads
Alessandro MS2i w/414 pads

AKG K701
AKG K601
Beyerdynamic DT880
Alessandro MS1
Yuin PK2
Audio Technica A900LTD
AKG K271S
Grado SR-60
Stax SR-40
Koss PortaPro
Koss KSC-35
Westone UM-1
Audio Technica ATH-CK5
 
Feb 17, 2008 at 5:08 PM Post #38 of 56
1. Beyerdynamic DT531
Still the most fun headphone I've had the pleasure of owning (THREE times). Shame I sold it. Not the most detailed, not the most bassy, not the most refined. However it just really has a sweet, forgiving sound that is so pleasant. I absolutely stand by that these punch WAY above their weight. They are definitely not a true "hifi" headphone in that sense of the word. They just seem to try and make all your music sound as nice as it possibly can. I genuinely believe that this was the best all-round headphone ever made. It was cheap, comfy, was relatively easy and undemanding to drive, and with a lovely sound. What a combination!

2. Sennheiser HD650
My current can and the second best I've ever heard. In terms of absolute quality. However, I am going to sell it. Its comfortable, and its price in the UK compares well against rivals from Beyerdynamic and Grado. I think it is somewhat overrated at times though. It has a rather laid back, and IMO rather muffled sound which lacks detail. The actual tonality is very good and it definitely suits acoustic music more than electronic to my ears, where it does sound really good. For stuff like electronic though I feel it is a bit dull and lacking in bite and pace.

3. Grado SR80
I absolutely hated the comfort of those itchy pads. They are overpriced in the UK. Despite that though, I felt they were good fun. Very bright sounding, very punchy, very detailed. A little "overhyped", but thats what makes it what it is, it drives excitement into anything you play on it.

4. Sennheiser HD580
Shares the house sound of the HD650. Its a bit less detailed perhaps, and it has more bass. However, IMO the HD580 is actually slightly clearer and faster, so go for the HD600 if you want most of the capability of the HD650 but with a more open sound. I wish I had now.

5. Beyerdynamic DT880
Rather electrostatic like, which gives it lots of detail. On the right system it can be wonderfully smooth with sexy female vocals. However, the bass seems subjectively rather weak. It could be forgiven if it had really on the ball timing, but it doesnt have that either. On the wrong system, it can be incredibly sharp and aggressive in the highs without having any punchy bass to make up for it, making it rather painful to listen to.

6. Beyerdynamic DT931
I think this was a misunderstood and under-rated headphone on headfi. It was one of the fastest, most dynamic headphones I have ever heard. It really scorched along, and gave the impression of hyper detail. However, it was really meant to be plugged into a normal integrated amplifier headphone output. Even though I had an HA-1 with a 120 ohm output, I actually thought it was more pleasing to the ear straight out of the headphone jack of a Rotel amplifier. When you did this, it actually had pretty decent bass, and it was still crystal clear and detailed. I actually think that this headphone holds the DT880 rather close when used this way.

7. Sony MDR-CD1700
For a set of closed cans, these are one of the most detailed, clean sounding headphones I've heard with absolutely zero colouration. They are very electrostatic like. Lack bass weight though.

8. Sony MDR-CD3000
Yes thats right, I rate these BELOW the CD1700. Why is that you may wonder? I think to be honest, these sound very similar to the CD1700, they are *slightly* more detailed, and have *slightly* more bass, but is actually a rather coloured, resonant sound. I thought these sound weird and plasticky. Unbearably bright on the wrong system.

9. Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro
These were a disappointment to me. The bass is thumpy and ill defined, and the treble was bright, not exactly major on detail. Touted as a fun can, but it was dark and coloured to my ears.

10. Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro
Another "fun" can. I can see why some like it, but it wasnt for me. Very boomy, very dark, yet with searing treble. Pretty good when paired with the right amp, I seem to remember them sounding reasonably good through an X-Cans.

13. Goldring DR150
Good build quality and comfort for the price, but make no mistake, these headphones are no giant killers unlike how they are made out. They give a rather hard edged sound and a small soundstage that is an acquired taste. Not as fun as an SR80, nor as detailed, nor does it have the thump in the bass. It tries to be, but somehow fails to be a Grado. Over-rated IMO. Very easy to drive though.

12. AKG K240 Studio
Disappointing sound, sounded fake, and not in the remotest bit fun. I thought these were poor for their price and were made to look a joke by the DT531.

13. AKG K271 Studio
Like the K240 Studio. Only worse.

14. Sennheiser HD497
A very easy can to drive and I think the flagship of the HD4XX line? Reasonable sound when used with soundcards and mp3 players. However it doesnt really get any better than that.

15. Sennheiser CX300
A cheapo earbud, but what a cheapo earbud it is! It does not at all attempt to be refined or smooth, it just comes out you like an angry rottweiler, with real thumping bass, and searing treble, this is REALLY full of energy.

16. Sennheiser PX100
Reminds me of a baby HD650 in sound terms. Nowhere near as good though, obviously. And as the HD650 is not really my thing I dont think, I didnt see much in these headphones. Never mind, bought them for my dad anyway and he likes them.

17/ JVC HA-FX55
Cannot match the clarity, bass power or energy of the CX300 and look and feel cheaper. I had problems to get these to stay in my ears, and I've never had any such problems with the CX300.
 
Feb 18, 2008 at 12:10 AM Post #40 of 56
My rough rankings based on sound quality alone and by no means totally accurate due to memory problems on my part
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Sony MDR-R10
Stax SR-007
Senn HE60 = AKG K1000
Stax SR-Lambda Pro = Stax SR-404
AT L3000

Senn HD650
AKG K701
Senn HD600 = HD580
Grado RS-2 = HF-1
Stax SR-202
Grado SR325i
ACS T2

Beyer DT770/80 Pro
Stax SR-003
Shure E500
Ety ER4P/S = Altec iM616
Shure E4c
Senn HD555
Koss PortaPro = Grado SR-60 = SR-80
Koss KSC75
Westone UM-2

Ety ER6i
Bose Triports
Senn PX100
Senn PX200
Senn MX90 VC
Sony MDR-EX90LP
Senn CX300
 
Feb 18, 2008 at 2:04 AM Post #41 of 56
My rankings (always subject to change):

Stax SR-007 (KGSS/DA10/iMac (Lossless)
Stax 4070(KGSS/DA10/iMac (Lossless)
He 1.2B (on order)




Darth Beyer x-deep (Blackmax)(Balanced/SE)
Darth Beyer (closed) Silver (Balanced/SE)
Senn HD650 (Balanced (stock HR cable) (DA10)


Senn HD650 (SE)


Senn PX100
Beyer DT770/80 Pro

Grado SR-60

Senn PX200


Bose Triports
Shure E4c

Apple iBuds (they're "free" whatduyaexpect)
 
Feb 18, 2008 at 4:02 AM Post #42 of 56
1) MS-1
2) KSC-75
3) SR-80
4) HD-280pro
5) Sony V6
6) Marshmellows w/ kramer mod
7) Bose IE
8) MX500
 
Jul 23, 2021 at 6:41 PM Post #45 of 56
1. Sennheiser HD599 ( Great soundstage , a little bit colored sound, not flat response, a little bit emphasized high bass frequencies from 70 hz to 100 hz,good natural mids, veiled treble region from 5 khz to 8 khz).
Overall ranking 3.8 out of 5
2. Status Audio CB1 - (Very good and clean bass response, mostly flat mids, good for all genres and fun sound, treble sounds a little bit emphasized in 7 khz region)
Overall ranking - 4.2 out of 5
3.Sony MDRXB700 - 50 mm drivers (Patented and rewired with DD drivers ) (GREAT SOUND, TRUE hi-fi headphones for every genre, EVERY human on earth).
Overall ranking 5 out of 5
4. Superlux HD381F in ear, 13 mm drivers (flat response, greatest bass response that i have ever heard of in ear cans , great mids and treble, also great for mixing and mastering , cheap killers).
Overall ranking 4.7 out of 5
5. AudioTechnica m40x - ( Good for monitoring, bass is a little bit emphasized and muddy , good mids and harshy on treble in 5 and 7 khz, narrow soundstage).
Overall ranking 3.8 out of 5.
6. Superlux HD662F - ( VERY good bass response ,clean and natural mids, treble problems on 7 khz , but acceptable, fun sound, not flat response , wide soundstage)
Overall ranking - 4.1 out of 5.
 
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