Thanks again. I will keep it in mind once I decide which to keep T1 or VI
Just wanted to add my own experience with the Pandora Hope VI/Sonorous VI. Earlier in my audio journey, I was obsessed with collecting a lot headphones to experience all the "house sounds" of different manufacturers. However, when funds got tight, I sold everything except the Sonorous VI and a pair of Grados that I really enjoyed.
I see the PH/Sonorous VI go around $300-$400 used, and I really do believe they're one of the best competitors at this price range. Although I wouldn't describe them as the best at any particular frequency, what they do bring to the table is an incredible cohesiveness of sound. What I mean by that is that nothing feels recessed or artificially boosted, and music just sounds proper. I was in band/jazz band for 4 years, so I find the tonality of certain instruments lacking in certain headphones. This is not the case with these headphones. No driver will ever perfectly replicate the sound of a live instrument, but these get you pretty darn close.
As an example of an excellent headphone lacking in tonality, I bought the LCD-2F as my "end game" headphone, but upon acquiring this, I noticed just how recessed the highs and hollow the mids of the LCD-2f sounded. If you disagree, I dare you to strum a guitar chord or blow into a flute, and try to replicate those sounds using the LCD-2s.
If you can get over the uncomfortable pads and heaviness of these headphones (It actually feels heavier because the pad do not distribute the headphone that well), they are still my top recommendation sub $500.
Honestly, I sold them because of their low impedance, which made me foolishly think that they do not scale well with gear. As I upgraded my chain, I sold these, and since then, have yet to hear a headphone that sounds this good at their market price (I have owned the HE-400i, TH-X00, Beyer DT1990, MDR-Z7, AKG k712, Ultraone Pro 900i, and others around this price).
Note: When I currently owned these, the SRH1540 pads were the recommended pads. They did affect the sound, but the stock pads are just so bad that I was unable to use them (had them in the summer, and I'd be sweating within 10 minutes). If more favorable ear pads have been found, I'd highly recommend everyone to give these an audition.
I've bought, sold, and swapped many headphones since I've started my audio journey. These are truly the only ones I've sold that I want to one day own again.
Edit: I've never heard the T1 or the HD800, so if anyone could offer some comparisons to the Pandora/Sonous VI, that'd be awesome.