[CJG888]

Decades ago, had a pair of Audio Technica ATH-4 that were stunningly poor.
Also had a pair of "Pickering PH-4955" with "separate woofers and tweeters" in each cup - YIKES!
All those 70's Pioneer and Sansui closed plastic headphones were absolute muffle cannons.

I get a good laugh at those who buy the Vintage 70's integrated amps, and then "swear" by the 'headphone jack sound' in them.
Headphones were "not a thing" back then, and the manufacturers were NOT investing in quality electronics to lurk behind the headphone output jacks!!

.

Many of those old integrated amps use the main output stage to drive the headphone socket, via a resistor network. They produce excellent sound, albeit by accident (or, ironically, because the manufacturers didn’t bother to include a dedicated headphone amp circuit).

Compare and contrast with the cheap and nasty opamp output stages of the 90s…

 

[smegma03]

My worst headphones are audio technica ath m50 and blon 03.

 

[SilverEars]

I can see the Mojnir OG not being good with the 800. However the Gungnir 1 w/ MB chip?. That is a great match I heard for myself.

Maybe referring to delta sigma?

I thought a2 was a slightly aggressive for a multibit. Yggdrasil is soft in comparison. HE-6 sounding softer is proof of that.

 

[DeweyCH]

AKG K240 monitors, 600 ohm. They were fine, but I already had my Sextetts and they didn’t come close to them. I expected like 80-90%, but got like 50%.

 

[bagwell359]

Maybe referring to delta sigma?

I thought a2 was a slightly aggressive for a multibit. Yggdrasil is soft in comparison. HE-6 sounding softer is proof of that.

Yes the D/S is more angular. I always thought the Gumby a1 was a bit more analog/THD than the Yggy. But both were superb in '15 and hold on pretty well even today.

 

[SilverEars]

Yes the D/S is more angular. I always thought the Gumby a1 was a bit more analog/THD than the Yggy. But both were superb in '15 and hold on pretty well even today.

From what I've heard. Gumby a1 is warmer sounding than the a2. Yggy generally images better than Gumby. Gumby a2 is more forward and shaper than Yggy for sure. I found Yggy pretty laid back after I've been used to Gumby a2.

Best D/S I've heard is X-Sabre Pro, but it's quite sharp sounding that can get annoying at times. Some headphones like 800 will likely annoy with it. It's still got the D/S characteristics, although technicalities are better than majority of D/S implementations out there.

 

[bagwell359]

From what I've heard. Gumby a1 is warmer sounding than the a2. Yggy generally images better than Gumby. Gumby a2 is more forward and shaper than Yggy for sure. I found Yggy pretty laid back after I've been used to Gumby a2.

Best D/S I've heard is X-Sabre Pro, but it's quite sharp sounding that can get annoying at times. Some headphones like 800 will likely annoy with it. It's still got the D/S characteristics, although technicalities are better than majority of D/S implementations out there.

I thought you had a1 Gumby... Never heard a Sabre yet I could relax too including the 845 in my v-40.

 

[bagwell359]

Koss $40 jobs from '73. Kept me from cans for 10 years.

Then a pair of AKG-240's good only for VTA adjustments of my cartridges kept me from cans for 20 years.

Then Stax 303's. Nice sound, flimsy build. Another 12 years until the HD-600 - finally a winner.

 

[codeanders]

A pair of on-ear headphones provided by my office. I've never had a headache so quickly in my life, they managed to squeeze my head and ears in just the perfect way to cause instant pain. On top of that, there was an ever present hiss in the background, no matter what source I plugged them into and everyone vaguely sounded like they were underwater, muffled. No idea what the brand was, but it wasn't one I recognized at the time.

 

[cwoo]

So I would say, and keeping with the idea of at least mid-fi to hi-fi headphones, some of my least favorites by far have been Dan Clark Aeons (open and closed), Ether, and Voce. Also, the AKG K-701 and Beyer DT-880 were not pleasing at all. I guess what I am saying is, I am not a super fan of DA/AKG/Beyer sound tunings.

 

[kman1211]

So I would say, and keeping with the idea of at least mid-fi to hi-fi headphones, some of my least favorites by far have been Dan Clark Aeons (open and closed), Ether, and Voce. Also, the AKG K-701 and Beyer DT-880 were not pleasing at all. I guess what I am saying is, I am not a super fan of DA/AKG/Beyer sound tunings.

I'm not that fond of the K701 or the DT 880 either, but those aren't representative of either brand as a whole. Beyerdynamic is all over the place actually in terms of tunings, not quite as extreme as the the wild myriad of tunings that Audio-Technica has though.

 

[cwoo]

I'm not that fond of the K701 or the DT 880 either, but those aren't representative of either brand as a whole. Beyerdynamic is all over the place actually in terms of tunings, not quite as extreme as the the wild myriad of tunings that Audio-Technica has though.

I've never actually listened to a pair of Audio-Technicas after reading about their sound. I know Beyerdynamic has a wide lineup of much better stuff, but I have never had the itch to try them again. Actually, that is not true... I do own the DT-770, but it doesn't get much playing time. But it smokes the DT-880 in my opinion. Now that I work from home pretty much all the time, I don't reach for closed backs anymore.

 

[kman1211]

I've never actually listened to a pair of Audio-Technicas after reading about their sound. I know Beyerdynamic has a wide lineup of much better stuff, but I have never had the itch to try them again. Actually, that is not true... I do own the DT-770, but it doesn't get much playing time. But it smokes the DT-880 in my opinion. Now that I work from home pretty much all the time, I don't reach for closed backs anymore.

Every Audio-Technica I tried was quite different and while some shared sonic traits with each other I’m not always sure what to expect; love some and hate others. Beyer has what is likely the warmest sounding flagship on the market with the T1 Gen 3 and it’s controversial due to that; far cry from the neutral/bright/lean sound of the DT 880.

Worst headphone I tried goes to a cheap AKG I tried early in my journey. The AKG K514 MKII, it was the single shrillest and brightest headphone I ever heard. I feel the ear-piercing pain even thinking about it. A lesson early on to be wary of the overly cheap afterthought headphones.

 

[desertsilver]

Had a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50X for many years and the head band was completely wore out. They are very nice sounding headphones, clean, accurate, lively and with good bass and highs. Got them as well recommended as entry level hifi headphones. The only complaint would be the headband clamping force, they were so tight and hurt my ears even after so many years of use!

My worst experience would go to so many earphones coming along with Nokia or Android phones, guess they are designed for speech not for music; and Plantronics for calls and work LOL.

 

[BournePerfect]

Slightly off topic, but speaking of comfort, the original Akg k701/2 headband bumps were a KILLER on my head. Could on wear them in short bursts because it felt like 2 dull knives being slowly being sunk into my skull. Sucks, cuz I really enjoyed the sound of them at the time...in fact they were what sent me down this headfi rabbit hole many years ago.