[Chris Kaoss]

Wish y'all the best for a new year of greater musical enjoyment then before.

 

[Malevolent]

Well, what do you think about the past year, and the year ahead, in terms of headphones, both closed and open?

1. What have you bought in 2020?
2. What's your favorite headphone of 2020?
3. What do you regret purchasing in 2020?
4. What are you hoping to buy in 2020? (could be a new or rumored product)

Let's see those responses! It would be interesting; a recap of the year, of sorts.

 

[Malevolent]

Here's mine -

1. What have you bought in 2020?
   Quite a lot, actually. Since 'Work From Home' started in early April, I've been liquidating my IEMs, and channeling the funds into headphones. The most notable of my purchases include the Denon AH-D9200, the Sony MDR-Z1R, the ZMF Vérité Closed, and the Kennerton Gjallarhorn GH50.
   
   
2. What's your favorite headphone of 2020?
   This is a really tough question.. but I think it has to be the Denon AH-D9200. It's (almost) everything I want in a headphone that's suited for my favorite musical genre, EDM.
   
   
3. What do you regret purchasing / regret not purchasing in 2020?
   Mmmm, I didn't regret a single purchase, to be honest. However, I had an opportunity to buy a brand-new AudioQuest NightOwl, but I passed on that chance. Now, the local distributors no longer stock this headphone. Thus, I regret not buying something instead.
   
   
4. What are you hoping to buy in 2021? (could be a new or rumored product)
   Only 2 come to mind - the Kennerton Rögnir and the successor to the MDR-Z1R (if it ever comes around). I'm also moderately interested in both versions of the HE-R10 from HiFiMan. That price, though.

 

[Terriero]

Happy new year to all of you. Have a good saving in 2021 to buy audio things (Rögnir...)

1. DT 1990 Pro (sold, want to re-buy), Amiron Home (returned, want to re-buy), DT 150 (sold), T 1 rev 3 (returned), Sony Z7 (second hand), Denon AH-D9200.

2. Soon to say, but probably 9200, also I love Sony Z7.

3. DAC/AMP, but I'm still investigating about and waiting for the release of Flux lab Volot.

4. DAC/AMP and some mid-budget headphones... and if my economy is strong: Z1R and Rögnir from which I'm falling in love...

 

[Chris Kaoss]

My 2cents

1. What i've bought in 2020
Not that much, i guess. ^^
Pioneer SE-Monitor 5, Etymotic ER2XR, Denon D7200 and D9200, Chord Mojo

2. What's your favorite headphone in 2020?
Struggling between D7200 and D9200 with tendency to D9200.
(Yes, will write my comparison to that soon ^^)
It's a tough race, imo.

3. What do you regret purchasing in 2020?
Hmm.
The Dekoni Elite Sheepskin pads for the Denons.
It's not worth it bc the sound seems to get muddied to some degrees, imo.
The oem pads are better in every way.
But hey, it's all about hearing yourself, right?

4. What are you hoping to buy in 2021? (could be a new or rumored product)
Hopefully nothing.
But have an eye on Heddphone and Empyrian.
Oh, and a good set of TWS Anc phones (Android) for work, bc i can't stand over ears (sweating issues).

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Happy new deer indeed
Fun little exercise...and a little scary considering how many headphones I’ve plowed through...

1) HE5XX, K371, HE400i, D2000, HD58X, HD580, K245, K612, Aeon Flow C RT, Sundara, K712, K702, LCD-2C as well as a couple of coconuts I’m forgetting this minute. A fair few of these were cans I’d already owned before...and I funnily enough ended up selling many of them off yet again

2) Hard to say really but speaking as someone who probably spends 90% of his listening time with openbacks, I gotta say that I have been completely spellbound by the old Denon D2000 ever since I got it a few weeks back. Getting back the Sundara was also quite the experience...’now how on earth did I ever even think about selling this badboy?!??’

3) The HE5XX most of all...perhaps a little unfair but still I was pretty stoked about a succesor to one of my absolute favourite cans, the HE500...and well ended up with a black Deva....which is an unbelievably comfortable headphone with an aggressive edge to the presentation that genuinely made minced meat out of some of my favourite recordings. Too much zing for my tastes and wholly unbefitting of a can supposedly heralding Hifiman’s arguably best achievement to date.

4) The Focal Elegia and ESP/95X..both of which are on their way. The former was a big surprise as I have listened to this twice before - one where I a/b’ed with my K371, and while I dug the sound and clearly heard the superior drivers working in the engine room of the Focal...it was still the tuning of the AKG that came out on top.
Fast forward to..well a couple of days ago and yours truly trying on yet another Elegia.
‘Well shiver me timbers! This sounds different...and I really like it!’
Turns out that this indeed was a brand spanking new coconut..with fresh pads...and it immediately dawned on me how extremely soft/deflated the pads on the Elegia I previously had auditioned were. So yeah..I must be crazy...but I am waiting on yet another closedback headphone
The Koss is more for an experimental fly-trap I am trying to set up..by way of estat voltages and a little electronic music. Everybody knows that flies go mad for Shpongle

 

[ADUHF]

Well, what do you think about the past year, and the year ahead, in terms of headphones, both closed and open?

1. What have you bought in 2020?
2. What's your favorite headphone of 2020?
3. What do you regret purchasing in 2020?
4. What are you hoping to buy in 2020? (could be a new or rumored product)

Let's see those responses! It would be interesting; a recap of the year, of sorts.

Happy holidays to you all!

1. Alot actually! For me. See my sig.

2. So far, my Beyer 250 ohm DT-770+EQ. AKG's new K371 has some potential as well in the same price range. Though I'm not a fan of their hinge and extender design. And don't find the pleather pads on the K371 as plush and comfortable as the velour pads on my DT-770.

3. Nothing, so far. (knock wood)

4. You mean in 2021, I assume... Not sure. I could probably use a better DAC to replace the cheapy off-the-rack job I'm currently using from Best Buy. $$ are very tight right now though. And it gets the job done. So I really have no complaints.

Headphone-wise, I'm not sure either. But probably nothing. I have flirted with the idea of getting the AKG K371. But I spent quite a bit of time and energy arranging for my other HP purchases in 2020. And don't really need another headphone for portable use at this point. So right now, I'd just like to get the sound tweaked a little better on what I've got. After I've done that, then I'll think what I else I can maybe add into the mix.

There are alot of things I'd eventually like to try though, including some open-back headphones, planars, and dynamic headphones with better quality drivers like the Denons and Focals, among others. I need a better paying job though first.

I have enjoyed checking out, and hearing about all of the nice closed HP gear here this year btw. So thank you especially to Malevolent for starting this topic!

 

[Mink]

What have I bought in 2020?
Sennheiser HD650, Philips Fidelio X3, Philips Fidelio X2HR and Avantone Pro Planar Black

What's your favorite headphone in 2020?
AudioQuest NightHawk, closely followed by Philips Fidelio X3

What do you regret purchasing in 2020
Philips Fidelio X2HR. I bought them out of curiosity to compare them with the Fidelio X3s. Most people shat on the X3s and claimed the X2HRs are the better pair. They are wrong. For music the X2HRs are my least favorite headphones. Their mids are just awful, very grainy and thin sounding. It is the big bass that desperately tries to compensate for the lack of body, warmth and weight. Tracks or passages in a track with little bass sound thin and lifeless. With movies they are great, but I like the NightHawks and Sony MDR-Z7s just as much or better for this.

What are you hoping to buy in 2021? (could be a new or rumored product)
What am I hoping not to buy would be the question. All my purchases in 2020 were not needed. Yes, I love the Fidelio X3s, but I can live without them. I already owned the NightHawks, Owls and Sony MDR-Z7s to keep me satisfied.

 

[Terriero]

Happy new year to all of you. Have a good saving in 2021 to buy audio things (Rögnir...)

1. DT 1990 Pro (sold, want to re-buy), Amiron Home (returned, want to re-buy), DT 150 (sold), T 1 rev 3 (returned), Sony Z7 (second hand), Denon AH-D9200.

2. Soon to say, but probably 9200, also I love Sony Z7.

3. DAC/AMP, but I'm still investigating about and waiting for the release of Flux lab Volot.

4. DAC/AMP and some mid-budget headphones... and if my economy is strong: Z1R and Rögnir from which I'm falling in love...

I missinterpreted the question number 3. I thought it was "What do you regret not purchasing".

My answer is: I regretted sell DT 1990 Pro and returned Amiron to buy T 1.3 (I wanted (and hoped) that the T 1.3 aglutinate the best of both).

 

[Malevolent]

4. DAC/AMP and some mid-budget headphones... and if my economy is strong: Z1R and Rögnir from which I'm falling in love...

Typically, I'm a bigger fan of dynamic bass than the ones generated by planar magnetic drivers; however, a well-tuned planar can produce some alluring lows, too. Headphones like the LCD-XC and AEON 2 Closed prove this point rather well.

Hence, the Rögnir feels like a halo product that's worth waiting for - the Gjallarhorn has given me (good) reason to believe that the company is ready to take on the big guns in the closed headphone space. There aren't many top-end closed-back planars available on the market - Audeze makes a couple, Dan Clark Audio has a handful, and there's the HE-R10P from HiFiMan, too. I sincerely believe that Kennerton has the technical chops to produce a planar that will rule them all. Fingers crossed; it'll be an exciting 2021, I hope!

4. What are you hoping to buy in 2021? (could be a new or rumored product)
Hopefully nothing.
But have an eye on Heddphone and Empyrian.
Oh, and a good set of TWS Anc phones (Android) for work, bc i can't stand over ears (sweating issues).

Well, well, that's quite a list you've got there, my friend! Good luck on your headphone quest!

 

[Malevolent]

Happy new deer indeed
Fun little exercise...and a little scary considering how many headphones I’ve plowed through...

1) HE5XX, K371, HE400i, D2000, HD58X, HD580, K245, K612, Aeon Flow C RT, Sundara, K712, K702, LCD-2C as well as a couple of coconuts I’m forgetting this minute. A fair few of these were cans I’d already owned before...and I funnily enough ended up selling many of them off yet again

2) Hard to say really but speaking as someone who probably spends 90% of his listening time with openbacks, I gotta say that I have been completely spellbound by the old Denon D2000 ever since I got it a few weeks back. Getting back the Sundara was also quite the experience...’now how on earth did I ever even think about selling this badboy?!??’

That's quite a lot of headphones, indeed! And speaking of closed-backs.. how did you manage to get your hands on an AH-D2000? Was it a used item? Those things are practically extinct right now. Well, I'm not saying that they are bad, though. They are, in fact, pretty darn good - I have one myself. I still use my AH-D2000 occasionally, in fact.

The AH-D2000, and its brethren, the AH-D5000 and AH-D7000, provided one of my first tastes of a grand bass presentation. I've been hooked on that Denon/Fostex sound ever since.

Happy holidays to you all!

1. Alot actually! For me. See my sig.

2. So far, my Beyer 250 ohm DT-770+EQ. AKG's new K371 has some potential as well in the same price range. Though I'm not a fan of their hinge and extender design. And don't find the pleather pads on the K371 as plush and comfortable as the velour pads on my DT-770.

3. Nothing, so far. (knock wood)

4. You mean in 2021, I assume... Not sure. I could probably use a better DAC to replace the cheapy off-the-rack job I'm currently using from Best Buy. $$ are very tight right now though. And it gets the job done. So I really have no complaints.

Headphone-wise, I'm not sure either. But probably nothing. I have flirted with the idea of getting the AKG K371. But I spent quite a bit of time and energy arranging for my other HP purchases in 2020. And don't really need another headphone for portable use at this point. So right now, I'd just like to get the sound tweaked a little better on what I've got. After I've done that, then I'll think what I else I can maybe add into the mix.

There are alot of things I'd eventually like to try though, including some open-back headphones, planars, and dynamic headphones with better quality drivers like the Denons and Focals, among others. I need a better paying job though first.

I have enjoyed checking out, and hearing about all of the nice closed HP gear here this year btw. So thank you especially to Malevolent for starting this topic!

Oops, yes, I meant 2021. I've amended the post!

The DT 770 Pro has some of the nicest, plushest pads; it's especially great when you consider the price tier the headphone resides within. It's not a TOTL, but a sub-$200 can. I've tried headphones that cost over a $1,000 that utilize less-than-ideal stock pads.

Anyway, if you want to avoid a deeper hole in your wallet, it's best to avoid this place. Otherwise, you might soon find yourself a proud (and happy) owner of an AH-D9200 or a ZMF Vérité Closed.

 

[Malevolent]

What are you hoping to buy in 2021? (could be a new or rumored product)
What am I hoping not to buy would be the question. All my purchases in 2020 were not needed. Yes, I love the Fidelio X3s, but I can live without them. I already owned the NightHawks, Owls and Sony MDR-Z7s to keep me satisfied.

Well, 'hoping not to buy' was always my original intention. I keep telling myself that I already have enough - why do I need (yet) another headphone? But, well, here I am. So much for willpower, huh?

I missinterpreted the question number 3. I thought it was "What do you regret not purchasing".

My answer is: I regretted sell DT 1990 Pro and returned Amiron to buy T 1.3 (I wanted (and hoped) that the T 1.3 aglutinate the best of both).

I've amended the question to reflect either option - "What do you regret purchasing?" or "What do you regret not purchasing?"

 

[AudioDuck]

Well, 'hoping not to buy' was always my original intention. I keep telling myself that I already have enough - why do I need (yet) another headphone? But, well, here I am. So much for willpower, huh?


I've amended the question to reflect either option - "What do you regret purchasing?" or "What do you regret not purchasing?"

Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to 2021 being far better than the horrible year we are leaving behind.

1. What have you bought in 2020? -- I have changed up my signal chain completely! I bought a Schiit Gungnir Multibit and am running it via a balanced Straightwire Virtuoso R into an SPL Auditor. These replaced two Bursons: The DA-160 and HA-160, both excellent products. In addition I sold my Focal Elears (with Moon Audio Black Dragon Premium) to move to a closed solution that was matching in detail level and range.. the pandemic has meant I needed better isolation! I ended up with Audeze LCD-XCs, which are excellent but need the polish of an aftermarket cable to add some warmth and midrange body for older/lower-fi recordings. And I just pulled the trigger on a Norne Drausk cable to do just that!
2. What's your favorite headphone of 2020? — I have to say the Elears. They are truly amazing, bringing high-end performance well below the $1000 mark. Once the XCs have better cables, I expect next year’s answer to be “LCD-XCs”.
3. What do you regret purchasing in 2020, — Fortunately nothing, though I was disappointed that the Auditor wasn’t a better immediate match with the XCs. It was phenomenal with the Elears, and powers the XCs very well- but the transparency of the Auditor coupled with the XCs can be a little cool for my taste with some recordings.
4. What are you hoping to buy in 2020? (could be a new or rumored product) — I may bring back a high-end open-back set of cans... we will see!

 

[DenverW]

1. What have you bought in 2020? Plenty, I seem to have an audio addiction! But the highlights are the ZMF Auteur Ambrosia Maple (b stock), Hifi-man He-500 (which I promptly modded with fuzzor and Zmf pads), Moondrop Blessing 2. I also got some new cups for my closed back Emu-teak, and sold my modded bottlehead crack to buy a Crackatwoa!
2. What's your favorite headphone of 2020? A lot of my new gear came towards the end of the year as I stabilized from Covid, so the SDR HD800 got the most head time this year.
3. What do you regret purchasing in 2020? Why can I never seem to resist MrSpeakers? Their headphones look beautiful, but I always regret it and end up selling.
4. What are you hoping to buy in 2020? (could be a new or rumored product) Tubes and capacitors for the Crackatwoa! I'd also like to try a Borealis at some point. The lure of e-stats is also beginning to itch a bit. I'm beginning to reach about as high as I'm going to go, however; I've tried most of the things I wanted to try in my price range (under 2k). Perhaps a complimentary ZMF headphone during NEXT years November sale?

 

[Malevolent]

Happy New Year, everyone! Here’s to 2021 being far better than the horrible year we are leaving behind.

1. What have you bought in 2020? -- I have changed up my signal chain completely! I bought a Schiit Gungnir Multibit and am running it via a balanced Straightwire Virtuoso R into an SPL Auditor. These replaced two Bursons: The DA-160 and HA-160, both excellent products. In addition I sold my Focal Elears (with Moon Audio Black Dragon Premium) to move to a closed solution that was matching in detail level and range.. the pandemic has meant I needed better isolation! I ended up with Audeze LCD-XCs, which are excellent but need the polish of an aftermarket cable to add some warmth and midrange body for older/lower-fi recordings. And I just pulled the trigger on a Norne Drausk cable to do just that!
2. What's your favorite headphone of 2020? — I have to say the Elears. They are truly amazing, bringing high-end performance well below the $1000 mark. Once the XCs have better cables, I expect next year’s answer to be “LCD-XCs”.
3. What do you regret purchasing in 2020, — Fortunately nothing, though I was disappointed that the Auditor wasn’t a better immediate match with the XCs. It was phenomenal with the Elears, and powers the XCs very well- but the transparency of the Auditor coupled with the XCs can be a little cool for my taste with some recordings.
4. What are you hoping to buy in 2020? (could be a new or rumored product) — I may bring back a high-end open-back set of cans... we will see!

I don't want to be guilty of being "that guy", but if you enjoy the LCD-XC, the upcoming Rögnir from Kennerton might pique your interest. In many respects, it can be seen as a contemporary to the LCD-XC; the Rögnir is also closed-back, uses planar magnetic drivers, and features (beautiful) wood cups. It's certainly on my "must-try" list for 2021. I'm enjoying my LCD-XC a lot more these days, but I'm also interested in seeing the ways companies advance and improve upon the (high) performance bars set by top-level closed planars such as the LCD-XC and the Ether C Flow 1.1. Certainly, good times ahead.