[ChoColostrum]

Amazon sells them directly and offers free returns still. So if you buy any headphone directly from amazon you wouldn’t be out any money if you need to return them.

Speaking of Amazon, did the unfortunate fire hampered their operations?

 

[kman1211]

Speaking of Amazon, did the unfortunate fire hampered their operations?

Not much from what I gather as it’s more for really large items and they have other facilities that carry similar items.

 

[bagwell359]

This is the most dangerous (financially) hobby I've been into so reading through many others' experiences has been saving my impulsive shopping habits.

I bought my first set up about 10 months ago which was HD660s with Ifi Nano BL.

I wasnt amazed but its 10x more musical than my Bose A2 into my laptop.

My first exposure to planars were an eye opener so I bought a pair of Sundaras. A week later I bought a pair of DC Aeon 2 Open.

Ive spent the last 2 weeks living with my Aeons on my head and a while ago I went back to my 660s and theyre darn boring to me now. (Less texture, thump and energy) I think the Sundaras have to go too even though I prefer them to the Senns except for vocals.

Going over the $1k mark for headphones I havent tried is the only thing holding me back from getting some Verites.

But I wonder how many have gone in the deep end and are disappointed for the amount of cash they dropped.

Used is a good way to maximize your money. Afraid of Covid? Leave whatever it is in the box, in the box for two weeks.

I got a new HFM HE-6se, Senn HD-600, used HE-500, used HEX v2 for $2011. New list = $5000.

Also hit local meets, shows, and if you have one - a dealer that has 15 or more $1k+ cans.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

My audio priorities have changed yet again. I am holding off on any closed-back headphones at this time, especially since I now much prefer open-back headphones even for walking and commuting. You see, even walking with too much isolation from outside noises is very dangerous.

The problem with my choice now is that absolutely nobody at all whatsoever is interested in serving my needs. It's either cheap-and-terrible-sounding or too big or too inefficient or blocks out too much outside noises, judging by what's currently available. And Grados are out of consideration due to their thick and unwieldy cords.

So, I am taking a detour and replace my bike instead. I will worry about audio at some future time.

 

[ADUHF]

The Sennheiser HD650 and HD800S. The 650 just pissed bass on everything. It was dark, slow, and just horrible. The HD800S I wrote a long post about which amounted to the lack of joy they brought me. They were technically proficient but that resulted in inconsistent presentation because of how different songs were mastered. They were generally uncomfortable, which was shocking given how much I heard about them beforehand. My 660S in my opinion absolutely destroyed them in sheer Joy factor.

Woah! Interesting take. The 660S appears to have a somewhat smoother, more liquid response in the treble than some of the other Senns, with less sibilance in the 4-7 kHz range. But it also looks fairly dark. I'd be curious to hear your take on the 58x Jubilee as well, as its treble response looks somewhat similar, though perhaps a tad brighter than the 660S. And it appears to have a little better bass extension.

 

[jbarrentine]

Woah! Interesting take. The 660S appears to have a somewhat smoother, more liquid response in the treble than some of the other Senns, with less sibilance in the 4-7 kHz range. But it also looks fairly dark. I'd be curious to hear your take on the 58x Jubilee as well, as its treble response looks somewhat similar, though perhaps a tad brighter than the 660S. And it appears to have a little better bass extension.

I've been thinking hard about picking 58X up. If I do I'll let you know how I feel.

 

[Sandifop]

I've been thinking hard about picking 58X up. If I do I'll let you know how I feel.

One hits a wall of diminishing returns after the HD 58X: My disappointment has been every expensive headphone I bought after. Some have sounded better, none >$1000 better.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

^I feel similarly about my HD58X. I have a friend who owns an Aeolus..his second “open-back” headphone mind you. He started out with a Nighthawk. Anyway I have been visiting him quite frequently since the ZMF turned up
At first it seemed like everything I would ever want out of a headphone, but I am fairly certain my mind played tricks on me. Firstly, the Aeolus looks the part...like many other pricier cans. It looks like a true TOTL contender..and it’s got the bass to go with it unlike most other dynamic driver headphones..but that’s the thing: it reminded me rather a lot of my HD58X in it’s tuning that I just had to bring my Sennie with me the next time I popped by...and wouldn’t you know it - I ended up prefering the cheap plastic coconut. Whilst losing out on bass extension, it still came out on top with regards to midrange and treble clarity. Also surprisingly the more detailed of the two, at least to these ears. Most importantly though the Sennie is an open-back headphone, whereas the ZMF is not, ultimately making it sound that more natural to me.
Long story short: I think we spend way too much money on unnecessary (but in some cases quite beautiful) bling and sadly it often overshadows the real magic. The music.

 

[Sandifop]

^I feel similarly about my HD58X. I have a friend who owns an Aeolus..his second “open-back” headphone mind you. He started out with a Nighthawk. Anyway I have been visiting him quite frequently since the ZMF turned up
At first it seemed like everything I would ever want out of a headphone, but I am fairly certain my mind played tricks on me. Firstly, the Aeolus looks the part...like many other pricier cans. It looks like a true TOTL contender..and it’s got the bass to go with it unlike most other dynamic driver headphones..but that’s the thing: it reminded me rather a lot of my HD58X in it’s tuning that I just had to bring my Sennie with me the next time I popped by...and wouldn’t you know it - I ended up prefering the cheap plastic coconut. Whilst losing out on bass extension, it still came out on top with regards to midrange and treble clarity. Also surprisingly the more detailed of the two, at least to these ears. Most importantly though the Sennie is an open-back headphone, whereas the ZMF is not, ultimately making it sound that more natural to me.
Long story short: I think we spend way too much money on unnecessary (but in some cases quite beautiful) bling and sadly it often overshadows the real magic. The music.

Well said!

I wouldn’t kick a pair of ZMF out of my balanced connector but I do have a hard time talking myself into spending 6x for pretty wood.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

If you want the deliciously warm openback headphone that comes with thump and great extension, then why not opt for the K245? I know...what? But yeah..erm..as hard as it is wrapping my own head around it the fact still remains that this little cheapskate AKG manages to sound like the perfect combination of the HD650 and the D2000: wonderful punchy, extended and detailed bass coupled together with a very linear tuning up through the mids and treble. I hear absolutely no peaks or troughs - just this smooth delivery that honestly questions my sanity a bit. It’s literally that good...and I paid..what something like 77€ for it?!!! Daylight robbery as far as I am concerned.
Anyhoo just a recommendation on my behalf to all of you out there who’d like something that veers in the vicinity of the warm ZMF sound without breaking the bank. Sure you won’t get the stunning looks and handcrafted feel of say an Aeolus...but you are getting sound quality that rivals it imho.

 

[Currawong]

There used to be another thread like this.

Probably my biggest disappointment was some years ago, where I bought my LCD-3s to a meet and compared them with the Sony R10s. Considering that the R10s can only be found for around $5-7000, I felt that they weren't as good.

Other than that, those Grado-like Italian headphones, the name of which I've forgotten, which have dual drivers in each cup, one behind the other. The sound quality was abysmal for what they are asking for them.

A great many IEMs. I had to give up trying IEMs at the Tokyo shows, unless they were recommended to me by certain people, because most were just nothing special. I mostly refuse IEM reviews now because I'm tired of repeated disappointment.

 

[powit]

I have been slightly disappointed by every closed back that I've tried. Now I stick to open back and IEMs. I think for me to really enjoy a closed back I would probably have to jump up to zmf. And I don't need closed backs often anyways.

Every Audeze, Focal, and Sennheiser closed back has flaws. Fostex and EMU headphones are nice flavor cans, but pretty much no isolation and somewhat irritable treble. I would say that those are only the closed backs under 1000 that I don't mind.

 

[jbarrentine]

One hits a wall of diminishing returns after the HD 58X: My disappointment has been every expensive headphone I bought after. Some have sounded better, none >$1000 better.

Yeah the 800S was definitely not $1000 better than the 660/600. I would give them ~$750 total tho. With the layoffs due to covid I can't see Sennheiser doing anything new for a long time.

 

[Spareribs]

I’ve been to some head fi meets in the past have found a lot of popular expensive products underwhelming and over hyped on forums. But I’ve also found a bunch expensive products to be outstanding and underrated. A lot of it is personal taste though.

 

[ADUHF]

I've been thinking hard about picking 58X up. If I do I'll let you know how I feel.

Please do! Distortion looks similar on the Senn 660S and 58x. The 58x appears to have a shade more distortion though in the upper mids...

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#816/4029
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#891/4029

The left and right drivers also look maybe just a little better balanced on the 660S...

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#816/3992
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-4/graph#891/3992