The most unforgiving headphone?

[OCC7N]

When sitting and listening to studiomonitors, I have started to like the more correct/honest approach. Not that I dislike my Hifimans HE400SE or Susvara. I like both very much. However sometimes I wanna have a very clear/distinguished, less forgivable headphone that shines when the productions are good viceversa when they are bad, it has to make me wanna throw out the headphone in the trashbin.

I imagine I could really enjoy/hate my Kali Audio IN8V2 -> build into dynamic headphone.

As much as I like this speaker, I hate it equally.

Do you have a headphone that does the same to you?

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

DT1990 Pro. Can be fantastic on stellarly produced albums…but on anything less? Earhole assault.

 

[OCC7N]

DT1990 Pro. Can be fantastic on stellarly produced albums…but on anything less? Earhole assault.

Are they fully closed? - Do not like the closed(vacuum) feel that much.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Nope it’s an openback headphone. Please be aware that I am talking about the original DT1990 Pro - not mk 2.
I think you can get the original quite cheaply these days.

 

[DonaldM]

you could try a decent electrostatic headphone, like Stax. I am using a Jecklin float for years for the same reasons. In fact they were developed by Jurg Jecklin who needed true to live headphones for his studio work. He was ‘Tonmeister’ = record producer and worked for the Swiss radio when he developed those headphones. Later in his life he became professor in acoustics in Vienna. A variant of the Jecklin floats are still produced in Germany.

 

[OCC7N]

you could try a decent electrostatic headphone, like Stax. I am using a Jecklin float for years for the same reasons. In fact they were developed by Jurg Jecklin who needed true to live headphones for his studio work. He was ‘Tonmeister’ = record producer and worked for the Swiss radio when he developed those headphones. Later in his life he became professor in acoustics in Vienna. A variant of the Jecklin floats are still produced in Germany.

But can it also punch or same as planars?

To be honest, I do not want one more unit in the setup if the Stax demands its own box - does it?

Usually electrostats do

 

[2leftears]

I think you mean unforgiving, not unforgivable

Anyway, I have that experience with the Sennheiser HD800. Its overall sound balance is quite similar to its much older Sennheiser HD540 Reference predecessor, but whereas the HD540 is a jack-of-all trades that sounds well across all genres and most recordings, the HD800 is not nearly as forgiving of poorly mixed sources.

 

[John Buchanan]

But can it also punch or same as planars?

To be honest, I do not want one more unit in the setup if the Stax demands its own box - does it?

Usually electrostats do

Both the Jecklin Float and Stax electrostatics need a special "box"to power them. The Stax generally are far better. The Jecklin literally has no bass, but what is there has great dynamics.

 

[OCC7N]

Both the Jecklin Float and Stax electrostatics need a special "box"to power them. The Stax generally are far better. The Jecklin literally has no bass, but what is there has great dynamics.

Yeah thats what I thought. I consider a dynamic headphone for the task I am looking for.

 

[dunring]

For me it's fit. The FIIO FT3 350ohm sounds great, but you need ears the size of an elf to be comfortable. Also anything with too much swivel or weighs more than 500 grams feels like a motorcycle helmet no matter how nice it sounds.
I love the Hifiman Edition XS but hate the bar headband. Another pair is coming next week and I already got the Custom Cans stretchy comfort strap, can't wait to try them with it.

 

[sygnus21]

I think you mean unforgiving, not unforgivable

Agree.

Anyway, I have that experience with the Sennheiser HD800. Its overall sound balance is quite similar to its much older Sennheiser HD540 Reference predecessor, but whereas the HD540 is a jack-of-all trades that sounds well across all genres and most recordings, the HD800 is not nearly as forgiving of poorly mixed sources.

Agree but would change the headphones to the Sennheiser HD800 S - they don't do well with bad recordings on bright systems. And why I avoid both

That said, I don't have a candidate for the most unforgivable headphone, because many of us could say the same about a lot of phones. It's just a matter of opinion.

 

[Bingturong]

In my experience the most unforgiving headphones I own and heard are the Beyerdynamic DT-48.

Absolutely ruthless of bad recordings and masterings, even more so than my Stax SR-Xmk3, but unfortunately they're out of production and they're closed back but they're not that difficult to find.

Apart from the aforementioned HD800 and HD540 there's also the Sony MDR-SA3000/5000. Both have the same driver and essentially sound the same but the SA5000 is much better built. Again though also out of production.

There's also the Sony MDR-CD900ST which is fantastic for its price point on accuracy and revealing of bad recordings, but also closed back

 

[Bingturong]

Im trying to think of more unforgiving headphones that are open-back, but its not easy due to the fact that a lot of headphones with that signature tend to be closed back for studio/broadcast applications

 

[Kevintj604]

Quite a few people here have already mentioned this but my vote goes for HD800S.

It can sound phenomenal on specific source chains and downright unlistenable on others.

I'd personally steer away from them but I've also heard them on higher end OTL's and they're transformative.

 

[csch92]

delete please