[AetherDrive]

There are so many posts about wanting The Best, Reference, Neutral etc. gear. When I first started in HiFi I also thought that I wanted those things but now as I’ve become more experienced I’ve found that I vastly prefer the more interesting, different and “fun”sounding gear. We can talk about measurements and the science behind our gear all day, which is important don’t get me wrong, but ultimately when I’m done with work I just want to relax and enjoy myself.

So I ask you, what gear do you own that objectively could be considered bad and whatnot but subjectively you enjoy? What do you consider to be fun gear in this wonderful hobby that we share?

 

[msing539]

Some things I've considered fun are the Letshuoer S12, Ikko OH10, KB Ear Rosefinch, Empire Ears stuff, TR-X00 Mahogany, TH900mk2, Denon D7200, Meze 99 and Empyrean, Ultrasone Edition Eleven, ATH MSR7b. I guess for the most part, I equate fun with warm or bassy.

 

[Monsterzero]

I equate fun with warm or bassy.

Yup. Fun isn't inherently "bad" , it just doesn't appeal to those who crave neutrality at all costs.
My Lampizator TRP DAC is hella fun as is the ZMF Atrium closed. Bad? No. Fun? Absolutely.

 

[HWB3]

I have my Schitt Stack. Magni 3+, Vali 2++, ModiMultibit2, Loki Mini. Into my headphones. Sundara's, K702's, 6XX's and Grado SR 225x's. Not fancy, but fun.

 

[hoofman]

To me fun gears are the ones that emphasized some aspects a little bit more than others to make sound presentation more standout and easier to notice. The most fun gear I have may be the IEM Oriolus Szalayi, followed by Sony XBA-A3, XBA-N3, Hifiman Ananda, Sennheiser IE600, HD660S, and even HD650, in that order. Amp/DAC are more subtle but still can be fun like Cayin RU6, Cayin C9, may be also Walkman WM1Z. Off the top of my mind some of the fun ones that I demoed but haven't owned yet are Fostex TH900mk2, Final E5000, Denon AH-D7200, Acoustune HS1750CU.

Personally, to call some gears fun I also need them to have a certain audio performance level so I can have fun with them. That's why I may not call Grado SR80, Sony MDR-XB920, or Queen of Audio QoA Vesper etc. fun, although they are quite "fun".

 

[Neweymatt]

There are so many posts about wanting The Best, Reference, Neutral etc. gear. When I first started in HiFi I also thought that I wanted those things but now as I’ve become more experienced I’ve found that I vastly prefer the more interesting, different and “fun”sounding gear. We can talk about measurements and the science behind our gear all day, which is important don’t get me wrong, but ultimately when I’m done with work I just want to relax and enjoy myself.

So I ask you, what gear do you own that objectively could be considered bad and whatnot but subjectively you enjoy? What do you consider to be fun gear in this wonderful hobby that we share?

Hmmm, it's hard to say if something could be considered objectively bad, because how can that be measured?? That said, I do have a few things that could perhaps be considered 'polarising' , which I definitely think are fun sounding. To me, 'fun' equates to a very coloured, warm and usually mid-bass-heavy tuning, that may or may not be strong technically.

These are definitely in the "you either like it or you don't" category, and also at wildly different price points:
-Campfire Cascade
-Campfire Onyx
-Fir Xe6

Other things I have that are also pretty fun, but less controversial would be the BLON BL-Mini and Meze Empyrean.

So yeah, fun-sounding gear can be cheap-and-chearful, mid-range or TOTL.

 

[GREQ]

So I ask you, what gear do you own that objectively could be considered bad and whatnot but subjectively you enjoy? What do you consider to be fun gear in this wonderful hobby that we share?

JVC HA-DX1000 - it measure's like a roller coaster, but it's just as fun as one too.

JVC HA-SZ2000 - the only headphone ever made with a subwoofer. Need I say more?...well, it also sounds horrendous out of the box and needs insane amounts of EQ... but then becomes the undisputed king of bass.

Sennheiser M2 AEBT (or "Momentum 2") - often regarded as one of the worst 'hifi' ANC bluetooth headphones, I've slapped on some aftermarket leather pads, then EQ the hell out of it, and it's just sub-bass for days.

 

[UntilThen]

Ultima.

 

[jasonhf]

Currently enjoying the fatfreq maestro se as something more heavy on the bass side. The upcoming scarlet mini supposedly has an even heavier emphasis and would likely fit the "fun" category. I'm defining "fun" as something fit for a niche market that sounds great and is enjoyed by the target audience, even if the target audience is a very limited population.

 

[AetherDrive]

Hmmm, it's hard to say if something could be considered objectively bad, because how can that be measured??

Oh man, if only everyone believed that. I know people who definitely think they can determine whether something is good or not simply by reading the data around a piece of gear. Don’t get me wrong, the science, data, graphs etc. behind it all is extremely important and can inform us of what to expect, however I don’t believe we are at the point where we can measure all relevant aspects of sound to make a truly educated opinion as to whether it’s good, in fact I'm not sure we ever will as I'm not sure its possible to quantify an individual's preferences as hard data. Subjective experiences should be considered over objective data not the reverse, imo. However, I digress

As for what I consider to be fun

JVC HA-XM20X: Picked them up as a last minute addition to a trip as I had forgotten my daily driver for a trip. The only redeeming quality was the bass, very musical and in extreme quantities while the rest of the FR spectrum was inoffensive. I had way more fun with these things than I should've and ultimately I gave them to my little nephew who was using school loaned headphones at the time, he's still enjoying them today.

Razer Nari Ultimate: These things are a gimmick and I love them for it! They have haptic feedback drivers attached to the earcups which can add or detract to what you are listening to depending on the content. I don't use these for music but for content consumption they can be a hell of a time though I do keep the feedback at a lower level than stock as it can be distracting.

Cayin RU6: They apparently measure poorly but I think they have a rather natural and musical presentation even if the effect is slight, certainly not for everyone.

Also, it seems that the consensus so far is that more bass equals more fun as well as boutique love-it-or-hate-it house signatures.

 

[MisterMudd]

To me fun gears are the ones that emphasized some aspects a little bit more than others to make sound presentation more standout and easier to notice. The most fun gear I have may be the IEM Oriolus Szalayi, followed by Sony XBA-A3, XBA-N3, Hifiman Ananda, Sennheiser IE600, HD660S, and even HD650, in that order. Amp/DAC are more subtle but still can be fun like Cayin RU6, Cayin C9, may be also Walkman WM1Z. Off the top of my mind some of the fun ones that I demoed but haven't owned yet are Fostex TH900mk2, Final E5000, Denon AH-D7200, Acoustune HS1750CU.

Personally, to call some gears fun I also need them to have a certain audio performance level so I can have fun with them. That's why I may not call Grado SR80, Sony MDR-XB920, or Queen of Audio QoA Vesper etc. fun, although they are quite "fun".

Was gonna mention Grado but you have already. A fun warm headphone would be the Philips X2HR. Koss KPH40 is a lot fun for the money. Ifi Audio dacs for me. Good luck on your journey!

 

[hoofman]

Was gonna mention Grado but you have already. A fun warm headphone would be the Philips X2HR. Koss KPH40 is a lot fun for the money. Ifi Audio dacs for me. Good luck on your journey!

I know right? May be not the typical V-shape fun but that sparkling treble is definitely fun to me. I will try to look around if I can demo the Philips X2HR and may be the Koss one as well. Thank you for recommending.