[TWerk]

The rules of this thread are simple, Head-fi.
 
You must take each of the headphones in your collection and explain why it is in your collection.
 
I am mostly interested in your CURRENTLY owned headphones, not ones you plan on buying or ones you have sold off.
 
There's got to be reasons why your collection is as it is, so let's hear them!

 

[TWerk]

I'll start. 

 
1) Ultrasone Pro 900
 
Mid-bass and Electronic music king. One of my first headphone purchases, and I've always loved the bass punch they provide. I also love the excellent imaging and PRAT of these headphones.
 
2) Ultrasone Pro 2500
 
Similar reasons to the above. Slightly more balanced with more midrange. Provides more "body" to the music than the PRO 900. The soundstage is pretty unique and holographic too.
 
3) Bayer DT770 (32)
 
Lovely sub bass. Excellent treble sparkle and detail. Clean, clear and stellar for the cost. Also the most perfectly comfortable headphones ever. Bought some velour pads to hopefully keep them from warming up too much.
 
4) Bayer T51i
 
Oh boy. Didn't think on ears could sound so great. These are again amazing in the bass response and very musical. Midrange comes through really nicely on these, and they have just the right amount of treble. I still prefer over ears, but for On-Ears, these things kick butt.
 
5) Yamaha EPH-100
 
The perfect IEM. Seriously. Once I got these, I was done buying other IEMS. The separation, bass punch, and warmth make these things shine. Perfect little buds for EDM.
 
6) Creative Aurvana Live
 
I paid $25 for these. Fun bass response, warm sounding and easy to throw on to listen to anything. Would recommend to anyone new to the hobby who wants a solid VERY CHEAP headphone.
 
7) Yamaha HPH-200
 
One of my only open backs. I enjoy the wide open soundstage, it's another bargain for the price. Slightly sibilant at times, but otherwise enjoyable. I always like headphones that have velour pads, since they are less prone to creating lots of heat.

 

[Malfunkt]

Hey Twerk, was reading some posts you had made on the TH900 and as you had a lot of experience with closed headphones I checked out your posts and came across this thread. Sounds like you enjoy your electronic music so I can relate.

In order of date of purchase (oldest to newest)

Sony MDR-7550 - in the past had sold a pair of similar Somy EX600s in favour of using an Amperior as a portable. Realized it wasn't quite the same and when then chance came to get these for a low price of $150 I jumped. While the EX600 have a higher treble amount, the 7550 is a notch above in overall refinement. Designed for stage/studio they have quite a long cable which can get in the way a bit when using it outdoors.. Ultimately, these are my hiking portables. In the summer it's too hot for closed cans and in the winter these are ergonomic enough to be worn under a toque (Canadian climate). I also use them at the office periodically as they are easy to keep in my laptop case. Sonically, they are bassiest and most deep sounding of my headphones. These are killer for electronic music, but their clarity works well for almost any genre. Very high sound quality from this 16mm (!) dynamic driver IEM

Audeze LCD2 (early revision still has wooden connector housing and exposed foam headband) - I have this as I had the opportunity to get this for a very low price. It was damaged slightly, cracked wood at the connectors, but in otherwise perfect sonic condition. This replaced my first HD650 which I had no intent on replacing - so beware of good deals! Probably my least used, but it always appreciated. It's stiff cable and modest headphone weight makes it more involved for listening. Mostly use it at my home desk with my O2/ODAC. I've listened to a number of Audeze, and apart from a classic LCD3, I have a sense that I have a very special version of this headphone - in that it sounds weighty, very detailed, clear with vast depth into its background. Sounds alive with jazz, solo and small chamber classical, acoustic and electronic (mostly in the glitch/ambient/ minimal techno vain).

HD650 - own this one for its natural sound and comfort. My interest in the 650 goes way back, and I knew it would make a good studio headphone as well. I do compose now and then so the 650 is a good reference as I am so familiar with its sound plus I trust its midrange. Recently, I've been more focused on piano, and the 650 is perfect for my digital Yamaha piano. I just plug the 1/4ijch jack in and the cable is long enough to not get in the way. Sound is perfect for solo piano. Of all my headphones it renders binaural sound recordings the most naturally. I can put the 650s on, play any music and tune out. On my second pair. This one I purchased for $250. At that price had to pick it up

MDR-7520 - after owning many closed cans, i hunted for one of these for years. regarded highly by those who are professional mix engineers, I sought it out for both mix engineering, DJing as well as portable use. In many ways this is my everyday driver. Rugged magnesium cups and quality build makes this easily transportable. Replaced its studio cable with an MDR-1r cable and now it makes a great outdoor can providing that it isn't too windy. Bass is among the best from Sony that I've heard. So easy to drive and can handle a lot of power load as well. I use this all the time, at office, at home directly from my PS4 and driven by my amp at my desktop.

 

[Alu]

1. Sennheiser HD650
 
This is the one I always go back to, it has never disappointed me.
It sounds wonderful with my current setup and I actually sent it off to a friend of mine to be woodified (but left open, with a potential optional closing mod, let's see how it goes).
 
2. Denon AH-D2000
 
I bought these to use at my old workplace.
They served me well, but currently they're somewhere in my garage and I can't find them, which is the main reason for why I still have them.
We're going to buy our own house in the next couple of months soon and we'll sort everything out then, at which point I will most likely sell them.
 
3. Focal Spirit Classic
 
I wanted a closed headphone to focus on my work (I am now fortunate enough to be able to work full time from home), and the Classic seemed to fit the bill.
I also added a modmic to it for the odd gaming session with my friends.
They're genuinely decent and much overlooked closed headphones, but they need a bit of stretching out to be comfortable enough to wear over long periods of time.
 
4. ATH-W5000
 
I saw a pair of more or less brand new ones for around 490 pounds.
That is literally the main reason for me buying these.
Luckily, this has probably been the best decision of my life, as I'm enjoying them more than I enjoyed any other headphone I've ever owned.
There's just something exciting about these.
The HA5k is on its way.

 

[GimmeCans]

  1. Sennheiser HD650
 
This is the one I always go back to, it has never disappointed me.
It sounds wonderful with my current setup and I actually sent it off to a friend of mine to be woodified (but left open, with a potential optional closing mod, let's see how it goes).

+1 on the HD650. Dissing this particular headphone is practically a subgenre of the hobby but more than 10 years after its release, it can still go toe to toe against more expensive cans. Although frequently maligned for the supposed 'Veil', the high-end range of these headphones is actually one of its stronger points IMHO. Many more expensive headphones don't deliver high frequencies anywhere near as smoothly. The 'veil' disappears completely with just a little bit of  EQ when needed.

 

[GimmeCans]

My current collection:
 
Full size open:
 
Sennheiser HD 650 as you probably could've guessed from my reply to Alu.) A classic that can still hold its own against many newer 'deep-end' priced cans. As indicated in my previous post, a little judicious EQ when needed and the 'veil' is gone.
 
Sennheiser HD 555 which I've spent maybe 10 minutes listening to since I bought my HD 650s. A decent mid priced headphone in their day but that's about it.
 
Full size closed: None. I don't like full-size closed headphones as a general rule. My prejudice probably stems from my experience with the Koss Pro-4AA years ago. They weighed a ton and I had to take them off every 10 or 15 minutes to drain the sweat out. I have heard many closed full-size headphones that I liked, but except for the Beyers with the velour ear pads, I wanted to take them off almost immediately. I tried a pair of Mr. speakers alpha dog headphones and they sounded great but I wanted to take them off after 45 seconds.
 
IEM / earbud
Shure SE535 These are my best of category. I have sort of had a love/hate relationship with these headphones. Bought them back in January and love the sound but had trouble getting a good combination of seal and isolation. I tried every tip you can think of including from Etymotic and Westone. Found them very awkward to put it in and, especially with the triple flange tips, getting the isolation and comfort right (including 'tweaking' the triple flanges) was like trying to hit the hole in the Death Star. But DAMN, do they sound good. The fit and isolation issues were eventually solved by spending even more money and getting the silicone custom sleeves from Sensaphonics. They are still somewhat awkward to put it in in my opinion, largely due to the memory wire, but apparently some have reported better results by slicing the memory wire and just letting the wire drape around the ears.
 
Etymotic hf
Bought these on the recommendation of a coworker. I have been very pleased with these. They are very neutral and all around I would be hard pressed to complain although they are not as detailed as the Shures. They are more 'forgiving' of compressed material like Internet streams though, and they are good enough to 'step up' with quality source material. Have custom tips for these also although these are easier to insert than the Shures are. I could probably have gotten along fine with the stock tips but both the customs and the Comply foam tips are better, and you can buy years worth of the comply tips for the price of the customs. The customs are just easier and faster to insert and to keep clean.
 
Apple In-Ear
Don't laugh. These are very good- shockingly good for the price, actually. (I'm not talking about the el cheapo caca ones that come with their phones, but the two-way balanced armature model.)They use the same Knowles BA elements that the higher priced in ears use. They are actually more detailed and have better bass than the Etys and have a similar neutral, almost analytical total balance. They actually are nearly as detailed as the Shures but less power in the bass. The stock gel tips suck though (they don't seal all that well and have a troubling tendency to pop off, which is a problem because Apple doesn't sell replacements), so I definitely recommend the Comply foam tips for this model. Even with the Comply foam tips they don't isolate nearly as well as the above two even with their own stock tips let alone the customs, but I have lost a couple pair of earbuds in the day and wouldn't be nearly as traumatized if that happened to these $80 headphones as if it happened to my Etys or (God forbid) the Shures (which mostly stay home.)

 

[mtr1]

Sennheiser HD 650.
I was bitten by hifi headphone bug , so these are the best headphones I have ever owned. And of course I like the sound what they bring to my ears.

Sennheiser HD 555.
Before HD 650 I had these cans (now my kids use them). And now I know what I was missing, so much better are HD 650 headphones.

9 euros Sony earbuds (sorry, there are no model mentioned on earbuds).
These are for the way to work music listening sessions. Connected to my Android phone. Sound quality is pretty poor, but enough for the purpose.

 

[TWerk]

Thanks for contributing, guys! These are some quality responses!

Lots of HD650 fans in here already, it's no wonder those are so popular.

Funny enough, I've yet to still try one myself.

 

[GrizzyKreme]

Just only started collecting headphones and getting into quality audio but I still think it would be cool to look here later down the line and see the early days.
 
1) Sennheiser HD 598 SE
 
Got these on sale from Amazon as my first open back pair of headphones. Use them as my daily driver on my PC for music and gaming and plan to keep them around until I get the Hifiman HE 350s I ordered on Massdrop.
 
2) Blue Mofi
 
Use these mainly for mobile listening when traveling or sitting around the house. They are my main closed back and from time to time get some use on my PC for music and gaming but prefer the 598s due to the large size and weight. Originally got these for the built in amp but am debating selling them since finally picking up an actual amp and getting something a bit better.
 
3) Hyper X Cloud II
 
My last pair of gaming headsets before deciding to get a mic and just use normal headphones for a better experience. I enjoyed these quite a lot and most people that are against headsets have claimed these are not as bad as most headsets so I decided to keep them as back ups or for buddies at LAN parties that need a headset last minute.
 
4) Audio Technica ATH-M50x
 
Got these on sale for Christmas a few years back. This was near the point where I realized there was more to this headphone thing then what I was lead to believe by Dr. Dre and these seemed the be the fan favorite at the time. Barely get to use these as my father very quickly heard my pair and no sign of getting them back anytime soon which is fine since he gets more enjoyment from them then I would be.
 
5) Sony Performance In Ears
 
I usually break most of my ear buds since I take them most places I go and toss them around all day. For this reason I refuse to buy a good pair of in ears as I know that they wont survive long enough to justify the large price tags. For what I need, these do the job great and am more than happy with them as far as cheap ear buds go.
 
6) PlayStation PS3 Wireless
 
Got these for free from a local gaming store near the end of the PS3 cycle and kept them around cause sometimes I need a wireless headset on the go or simply for the convenience but these hardly get touched and selling them doesn't even seem to be worth the effort.

 

[Surgut2006]

моя коллекция
 

 

 

[EDWARIS]

ахаха, красавчик) я тоже когда то любил АТ - но лет 10 назад наверное...
 
 
now my headphones:
 
Audeze LCD-4 - for serious instrumental music - blues, jazz, instrumental, vocal, some classic. very detailed, transparent and engaging with my Moon 430HA and PS Audio DSJ. great for listening during reading, thinking and relaxing at home. 
 
Sony Z1R - for my office listening - mostly rock but also blues, some pop and modern genres - very very greaat for such a music with my Burson CV2+. very emotional, warm, great bass, never fatigue - can listen them all day - great for long working hours.  
 
Fostex TH900 - now use occasionally, but in general quite good with different genres, especially jazz probably. still love them despite new headphones technically better. never sell them - really good friend who give me a lot of emotions and great musical experience. 
 
Bayer T1 - good backup just in case and very good to listen something calm before going to sleep. 
 
JH Angie custom - great for sport with bass at max paired with Sony WM1A and rock music - a lot of energy and emotions during marathons. 
 
Noble K10 custom - great for listening in trains, planes ect. but afraid to take them in mountains, hiking ect.
 
Westone ES5 custom - backup for customs just in case, helped me many many years in sport, travels ect. - very very sturdy and reliable. 

 

[whirlwind]

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 

[Surgut2006]

Цитата:

Сообщение от EDWARIS /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  ахаха, красавчик) я тоже когда то любил АТ - но лет 10 назад наверное ...
 
 

 
ну это только АТ. TH900 меня сильно не впечатлили, так же как и HD800 которые так же есть у меня.
Но мне хватает и этих.
В добавок к ним есть ESW10JPN и ESW11LTD
 
Well this is only AT. TH900 I was not impressed much, as well as the HD800 which I also have.
But I have enough of these.
In addition to them there are ESW10JPN and ESW11LTD

 

[EDWARIS]

у меня тоже были кроме больших еще и маленькие ESW9LTD кажется. а может быть 10 - не помню точно, из редкого какого то дерева. очень классный портатив был, я им рекаблинг сделал, несколько лет носил пока совсем не развалились. даже до сих пор кажется где то валяются - хотя обычно все ненужное продаю, дарю или выкидываю. 

 

[Linus1]

Greetings:
 
1) Sennheiser HD 598 (burl). These were my first foray into headphones, and scored these last year on Amazon's Prime Day. Love them, they are my go-to for run-of-the-mill listening. Light and very comfy. I'll always keep these around, just too good at what they do. The colour puts me off a little (worried about dirty hands) but they look good on it's stand, and the sound is wonderful.
 
2) Bowers and Wilkins P7. Wanted a nice pair of closed 'phones, and scored these with Aeroplan points (credit card). Nice sound, comfortable enough too. I'd thought I'd use them for travelling, but will once the weather looks more like Spring than late winter. They might go, if I get the Oppo PM-3s, as I can justify only so many pairs of headphones, but for the forseeable future, they'll stay with my rig.
 
3) Audioquest Nighthawks. When I first saw a photo of these headphones, I wanted a pair, but the price was just out of reach. So, I researched and read about them lots. Lo and behold, they came up on that clearance sale last year, and I snagged a pair. Wonderful - never thought headphones that I could own would be so comfortable, and the sound is lovely. These I use when I want to relax and get into the music. And they take me there. Beautiful looking too - they look gracious amongst my rig.
 
4) Hifiman HE-400i. Well, these just happened to drop on my lap - caught them on sale, about 3 hours before the sale ended. Wow, what a score! These split duty time with the Nighthawks. Wonderful fit, great looks, and the first time I'd heard planar headphones. Really love the sound from them, delightful. As I said, they share listening time with the Nighthawks, and so neither of them really get the love they deserve. Last time I was home I used these a fair bit, this time it'll be the Nighthawks.
 
5) Sennheiser HD 518. Bought these for my wife to wear when out walking the dogs, as she wanted to wander off with my burls. These are nice enough to do deck duty or when washing the car - that is, any time I'm outside and aren't planted on a chair. They are great for walking the pups as you can still hear your music, and most importantly, can hear what's going on around you....you're not  isolated.
 
These are all driven by an Onkyo digital transport, coupled with a Cambridge Audio DacMagic, and powered by a Burson Soloist MkII. Will be moving my 8 year old Sony Blu-Ray/disc player to my headphone rig when my new Cambridge CXU (for my main stereo) gets delivered. I have a NuForce HA-200 amp in the bedroom (was my first amp), but doesn't drive near as good as the Burson.
 
I've been very, very lucky, as everything on my rig had been bought either used, or on a good sale price (or free, like the P-7). So, within a year, I've pretty much gotten what I could have wanted (and more - the -400i and NH weren't even on the radar). I'm at the point where, aside from a music program for the computer, I don't feel the need to expand further.
 
Thanks to Head-Fi, the reading here lead me to the point when something good came up, I was ready to snag it.