[milosz]

What I mean by "critically revealing" is, which of the headphones that you own are the most revealing in terms of allowing you to hear differences in upstream gear?  For example, with which of your headphones can you hear differences between DACs most clearly?  Amps?
 
While you may not be equipped to do true A/B tests of amps or DACs on a given set of headphones, please try to do some listening to the "A" and "B" (two different DACs for example) through the 'phones in fairly quick succession, in order to bring a measure of objectivity into the discussion.
 
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In my experience, my Sennheiser HD800's seem to show DAC and amp differences more clearly than my other headphones. I am wondering if the well-known high frequency emphasis of these phones allows these subtle differences to be highlighted.  Also, my LCD-2's sometimes reveal subtle differences in bass quality that I can't hear with other phones; I assume this is because of the flat response, low distortion and transient accuracy at low frequencies of these headphones.
 
 
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[In fairness, I have recently bought some Stax electrostatic phones, but I have not done any A/B stuff with them yet, I have been too busy just listening to them.  So, maybe the Stax's are the most "critically revealing" of my collection, but I haven't checked that out yet.]

 

[Mkubota1]

I just got me one of these to do some 'for fun' A-B comparisons:
 

 
 
I think my K1000s are quite revealing in the midrange on up.  But since their low end just isn't there for a lot of things, I can't really consider them for reference or testing- not completely anyway.
 
I'm comparing DAPs and amps for now.  My monitor of choice (not a headphone, I know) is my UE Reference Monitors.  For me, I can't imagine a more revealing tool for the job.  There *might* be better out there.  But if it can make it past my RMs, then I don't really care!  I recall reading how people said the Etymotic ER-4Ps are very revealing.  Well, (I'm bursting at the seams trying not to invoke hyperbole here...) let's just say the RMs are a bit more revealing.  In someways and for some material, I actually like my ER-4Ps more than the RMs.  But for analysis?  The RMs are 'it' for me.

 

[FearSC549]

Quote:

I just got me one of these to do some 'for fun' A-B comparisons:
 

 
 
I think my K1000s are quite revealing in the midrange on up.  But since their low end just isn't there for a lot of things, I can't really consider them for reference or testing- not completely anyway.
 
I'm comparing DAPs and amps for now.  My monitor of choice (not a headphone, I know) is my UE Reference Monitors.  For me, I can't imagine a more revealing tool for the job.  There *might* be better out there.  But if it can make it past my RMs, then I don't really care!  I recall reading how people said the Etymotic ER-4Ps are very revealing.  Well, (I'm bursting at the seams trying not to invoke hyperbole here...) let's just say the RMs are a bit more revealing.  In someways and for some material, I actually like my ER-4Ps more than the RMs.  But for analysis?  The RMs are 'it' for me.

Lol, why would you use that when you can only wear one headphone on your head? It's not like it's speakers lololol

 

[Mkubota1]

For comparing amps and DAPs.  C'mon... gimme some credit here. 

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

For comparing amps and DAPs.  C'mon... gimme some credit here. 

Wouldn't it kill the current if plugged in? More jumps the current has to make, the worse the SQ will be
 
Anyways, I never understood why people have more then one amp or DAC. I just have my modded receiver and I can drive anything less then electro and planar. I had even AKG K1000 on my system sound great before.
 
But then, I modded my receiver past being a receiver. It's a MONSTER