[ChoColostrum]

Hi everyone, I do not intend to cause disagreement, this is just an opinion. What brands do you usually see members here have or recommend or often talk about and/or are just popular with other members in this forum? Just Over-Ear Headphones, no on-ears and IEMS.

So here's my top 10
1. Sennheiser
2. Beyerdynamic
3. AKG
4. Audio-Technica
5. Grado
6. HiFiMan
7. Audeze
8. Sony
9. Shure
10. Denon
.
It seems that alot of people love these brands, and even refer to them(especially the first 5) as their reference headphones when reviewing other cans. IIRC there was a time when German Maestro, Alessandro some few where quite popular also.

 

[Nihsnek]

How are Bose not #1?

Kidding.

 

[ADUHF]

Focal... Meze... Mr. Speakers... Fostex... Oppo... I guess it really depends on what you mean by "popular".

Some near the top of your list probably aren't as popular among the audiophiles/enthusiasts here as some of the higher-end brands like Audeze, HiFiMan, Focal, Meze, etc..

I believe Denon is also pretty well-regarded by most enthusiasts, though they don't seem to be discussed as much.

 

[ChoColostrum]

Focal... Meze... Mr. Speakers... Fostex... Oppo... I guess it really depends on what you mean by "popular".

Some near the top of your list probably aren't as popular among the audiophiles/enthusiasts here as some of the higher-end brands like Audeze, HiFiMan, Focal, Meze, etc..

I believe Denon is also pretty well-regarded by most enthusiasts, though they don't seem to be discussed as much.

honestly I don't see Denon being discussed as much, but when I joined this group, they were quite popular. Almost always at least someone would bring up denon if asked for recommendations.

 

[Vitopanch]

Welcome to the group ChoColostrum,
A thought provoking first post.
Vito

 

[SteveM324]

Among the high end can brands, I think ZMF is one of the fastest growing brands.

 

[ChoColostrum]

Welcome to the group ChoColostrum,
A thought provoking first post.
Vito

I know sound is subjective, so I just want to know your thoughts based on what you mostly see people mention, or have in their signatures, not necessarily best sounding.

 

[ChoColostrum]

Among the high end can brands, I think ZMF is one of the fastest growing brands.

sorry, I can't seem to make multiple quotes in one reply, but I've heard only ZMF a few days ago when I tried to make a personal list of headphones.

 

[ADUHF]

sorry, I can't seem to make multiple quotes in one reply, but I've heard only ZMF a few days ago when I tried to make a personal list of headphones.

ZMF is one of the newer boutique makers of higher-end headphones, which has been getting a bit of buzz lately, esp. for it's Verite and Eikon HPs (among others?). It was started by a guy who used to mod Fostex HPs as a hobby. And grew from there apparently.

 

[ADUHF]

honestly I don't see Denon being discussed as much, but when I joined this group, they were quite popular. Almost always at least someone would bring up denon if asked for recommendations.

Alot of enthusiasts seem to like the planars these days. Planar magnetics, that is (aka "orthos"). Hence the popularity of brands like Audeze, HiFiMan, and several other mfrs who make them. Many of these planar mfrs are beginning to come out with some lower-cost products as well, more in the $350-$500 price range, or in some cases lower. Hence the increased interest. There are a couple of budget mfrs who are starting to put out their own planar magnetics as well, such as Monoprice, with it's Monolith series.

The higher-priced Denons, by contrast, are using free-edge dynamic drivers, which have some similar properties to planars. Esp. lower distortion. There's a little more about that here, for anyone who may be interested...

https://usa.denon.com/en-us//premium-headphones

I think the 1More Triple Driver Over-the-Ear headphones may also be using a variation of this free-edge technology for their middle drivers, with a graphene coating on the movable membrane to help stiffen them. They supposedly have very good clarity in the treble and mid-range. (Less so in the bass.).

...And yes, I know you said you're not interested in SQ. But it's often the low-distortion tech which generates the interest and draws new customers to these headphones and brands. AFAIK, 1More only makes this one over-ear headphone. Though they may be working on some other designs.

 

[ADUHF]

One small correction to the above. The cups on the 1More Triple Driver Over-Ear are apparently so small that they're really more like on-ears, than over-ears, despite the name.

 

[ChoColostrum]

I see alot of people having Philips Fidelio X/L headphones.

 

[ChoColostrum]

Alot of enthusiasts seem to like the planars these days. Planar magnetics, that is. Hence the popularity of brands like Audeze, HiFiMan, and several other mfrs who make them. Many of these planar mfrs are beginning to come out with some lower-cost products as well, more in the $350-$500 price range, or in some cases lower. Hence the increased interest. There are a couple of budget mfrs who are starting to put out their own planar magnetics as well, such as Monoprice, with it's Monolith series.

The higher-priced Denons, by contrast, are using free-edge dynamic drivers, which have some similar properties to planars. Esp. lower distortion. There's a little more about that here, for anyone who may be interested...

https://usa.denon.com/en-us//premium-headphones

I think the 1More Triple Driver Over-the-Ear headphones may also be using a variation of this free-edge technology for their middle drivers, with a graphene coating on the movable membrane to help stiffen them. They supposedly have very good clarity in the treble and mid-range. (Less so in the bass.).

...And yes, I know you said you're not interested in SQ. But it's often the low-distortion tech which generates the interest and draws new customers to these headphones and brands. AFAIK, 1More only makes this one over-ear headphone. Though they may be working on some other designs.

I was tempted to put monolith at my list because of how it was being talked about in the past few days, but Denon is more of like a legend here everybody knows of.

 

[TubeStack]

It’s interesting. I was very involved with this site 10-11 years ago (before it was purchased and changed). Bought/sold and eventually found a setup I liked and then completely stopped (and began obsessing over guitars/gear, that’s another story).

Ten years later and I’ve gotten back into the headphone scene a bit, and it’s amazing how much it has exploded/expanded in the past decade. Many brands I don't recognize and some of the ones that were talked about a lot back then are hardly visible at all today. It can be overwhelming, so I tend to just search for the ones I remember, though I have learned about brands like Dan Clark and others.

Still happy with my Grados, but am looking for a closed option and have some Audio Technica MRS7b arriving today.

 

[ADUHF]

I see alot of people having Philips Fidelio X/L headphones.

Forgot Philips! But yeah, some folks like the Philips Fidelios because they...

A. Have a little better extension and elevation in the bass than many other dynamic open-back headphones (esp. the popular Sennheiser HD 600 & 650)
B. Are less expensive than the Sennheisers
C. Have a reasonably neutral to neutral-bright sound signature (IOW, they don't sound too bad to a typical audiophile)
D. Are nice lookin with comfortable pads(?)

Note sure about the last one, but I think those are some of the main reasons. Someone else feel to correct the above though if there are others.