Your favourite headphone experience yet.
Jan 23, 2011 at 12:31 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 40

Windsor

1000+ Head-Fier
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Hey guys,
 
I really enjoy having fun listening experiences and it occurred to me that creating a thread for members to share their own most enjoyable headphone-based listening experiences could be a really fun and inspiring thread for all involved.
 
So, what's been your favourite headphone experience yet?
 
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Jan 23, 2011 at 12:32 PM Post #2 of 40
In no particular order, here are a few of my favourite headphone experiences so far.
 
- Listening to Led Zeppelin's Kashmir shine with the Beyerdynamic T1 and a tube amp - the phase effect on the drum set, and the raspy trumpet textures and vocals of Robert Plant really stood out.
- Being able to hear musical details that I've never heard before, such as musicians (or the conductor) in classical recordings shuffling their sheet music as well as instruments tuning up in the background, or hearing the squeaky bass drum pedal in the intro to James Brown's Sex Machine. 
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- Getting a DAC and hearing the noise from my laptop's headphone output completely disappear was pretty awesome. 
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Also, posting on these forums and travelling to various places to try out headphones and amps, meeting beautiful people on the way, has been sheer delight. 
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Jan 23, 2011 at 12:38 PM Post #4 of 40
I had 3 HUGE experiences in my headphone career.
 
1. Putting on the KSC 75s with low expectations.
2. Trying the Denon AH-D2000 for the first time.
3. Sitting at the Headroom table and listening to the HD800 for the first time.
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 12:40 PM Post #5 of 40
Putting some extremely muddy, brutal, layered death metal on the setup in my sig -- and all of a sudden, I realized that it didn't sound as muddy as it did on previous headphones and speakers - I could make out the layers of the rhythm and all the rest of what the guitars were trying to do. Gone was the sheer wall of sound, resolved perfectly into actual, distinct layers of harmonies and dissonances all working together to create the epic Death Metal sound of Immolation: Close to a World Below. 
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 2:22 PM Post #6 of 40
1) First night of playing games with my Audio Technica ATH-AD2000. I only used headphones 25% of the time with games, but because of these I now never go without using a headphone. Right now it's a mix between the HD-598 and ATH-AD2000. ATH-AD2000 and the DJ100 are still the only headphones that have "Wowed" me. A few have come close. I guess I'm not easily impressed and usually too picky. I used to think that headphones past say $300 are only going to be "slightly" better, but the ATH-AD2000 has definitely proven me wrong. Unlike most here, I don't think I could ever justify the purchase of an $800+ headphone. I guess I don't like music enough to do that. Maybe if I had listened to music for hours and hours each day or had thousands of albums. If I actually hear a $800+ headphone I may think differently. Who knows.
 
2) Probably the first week of hearing the DJ100. I just couldn't believe how good they sounded for $80. My near perfect sound signature. Everything sounded crystal clear and natural. As if that was how everything in "real life" would sound. I find it quite funny how an unknown $80 headphone can be far better for my ears then anything else under $150 (or maybe even $200!). It's the one headphone that makes music just fun to listen to. Kind of makes me wonder why I spend so much more money on other headphones that sound half as good. Sorry, went into fanboy mode there.
 
My worst yet.....
 
Trying to replace an old Koss headphone's cable. I didn't know how to solder at the time so it was all a learning experience. I spent hours trying to get the silver cable working only to find out the driver was blown. All that money wasted. What made it worse is that the wiring inside was so confusing because of a stereo/mono switch. Then another problem was attaching a plug with super thin silver cable that seemed to break. If that wasn't bad enough the plug eventually just fell apart. Oh and to make everything twice as bad, the soldering iron would only work 25% of the time. Some defective battery powered iron. Those things are a joke. Two defective Radioshack items in one night! Never had something like this happen before!
 
So now I had some silver wire that I had wasted money on, so what did I do? Attached it to a KSC75 for my own amusement! It was stupid easy luckily, but it ruined them. Sounded terrible, but did add a ton more detail. Un-sleeved silver cable for a headphone is the most annoying wire in the world. Sounds and feels like thin metal coat hangers when you move them.
 
Another...
 
Accidentally blowing up my Total Airhead amp because of plugging in the wrong AC Adapter and smelling fried electronic parts. Oops! $100 down the drain. I ended up buying the same one and actually LABELED the adapter this time.
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 2:36 PM Post #7 of 40
i will always remember the time when i was in the backseat of my sister's truck on my way to mexico listening to "camera obscura" for the first time ever along with my newly-purchased hd 280 pros. everything sounded so clear and the music was flawless. now, every time i listen to them, i always try to "go back" to that day. sadly, i have outgrown the hd 280 pros. 
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also, anytime you listen to music when you're a little tipsy sounds amazing!
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 2:43 PM Post #8 of 40
Listening to a live performance of the Eagles, "Hotel California" and "Tequila Sunrise" on my LA2000. I was simply blown away by the immense soundstage, bass and clarity these phones possessed. I could literally hear individuals clapping in the audience, my best experience by far. 
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 2:56 PM Post #9 of 40


Quote:
1) First night of playing games with my Audio Technica ATH-AD2000. I only used headphones 25% of the time with games, but because of these I now never go without using a headphone. Right now it's a mix between the HD-598 and ATH-AD2000. ATH-AD2000 and the DJ100 are still the only headphones that have "Wowed" me. A few have come close. I guess I'm not easily impressed and usually too picky. I used to think that headphones past say $300 are only going to be "slightly" better, but the ATH-AD2000 has definitely proven me wrong. Unlike most here, I don't think I could ever justify the purchase of an $800+ headphone. I guess I don't like music enough to do that. Maybe if I had listened to music for hours and hours each day or had thousands of albums. If I actually hear a $800+ headphone I may think differently. Who knows.
 
2) Probably the first week of hearing the DJ100. I just couldn't believe how good they sounded for $80. My near perfect sound signature. Everything sounded crystal clear and natural. As if that was how everything in "real life" would sound. I find it quite funny how an unknown $80 headphone can be far better for my ears then anything else under $150 (or maybe even $200!). It's the one headphone that makes music just fun to listen to. Kind of makes me wonder why I spend so much more money on other headphones that sound half as good. Sorry, went into fanboy mode there.
 
My worst yet.....
 
Trying to replace an old Koss headphone's cable. I didn't know how to solder at the time so it was all a learning experience. I spent hours trying to get the silver cable working only to find out the driver was blown. All that money wasted. What made it worse is that the wiring inside was so confusing because of a stereo/mono switch. Then another problem was attaching a plug with super thin silver cable that seemed to break. If that wasn't bad enough the plug eventually just fell apart. Oh and to make everything twice as bad, the soldering iron would only work 25% of the time. Some defective battery powered iron. Those things are a joke. Two defective Radioshack items in one night! Never had something like this happen before!
 
So now I had some silver wire that I had wasted money on, so what did I do? Attached it to a KSC75 for my own amusement! It was stupid easy luckily, but it ruined them. Sounded terrible, but did add a ton more detail. Un-sleeved silver cable for a headphone is the most annoying wire in the world. Sounds and feels like thin metal coat hangers when you move them.
 
Another...
 
Accidentally blowing up my Total Airhead amp because of plugging in the wrong AC Adapter and smelling fried electronic parts. Oops! $100 down the drain. I ended up buying the same one and actually LABELED the adapter this time.


Are you sure that old pair of Bose you used to own isn't up there?
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 4:28 PM Post #11 of 40
I had a couple that were pretty darn good.
 
First was with the Bel Canto DAC3 --> Schiit Valhalla --> K701.  This combo sounded better with Jethro Tull's acoustic music (some of my favorite stuff) than any other setup I've yet heard.  Listening to "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die" or "Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of the New Day)" was an outstanding experience -- Ian Anderson's acoustic guitar just sounds so quick and clear.  Like an idiot, though, I recently sold my K701 again.  I'll probably end up picking up yet another pair again in the future (for the third time)...
 
Second was with the Bel Canto DAC3 --> DNA Sonett --> HD800.  To me, this combo handled live music better than anything else I've heard.  Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live album was a real treat with this setup.  The soundstage was so expansive, imaging was great, and even the dynamics were pretty strong.  Everything was so clear and airy, bringing the listening experience well outside my own head.  The crowd noise was so realistic and immersive that it was almost like being there.
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 4:56 PM Post #12 of 40
Listening to this on my HD558. I never got how open cans were supposedly better than closed ones and this is my first fullsize open pair..
 
It was simply sublime. The end was just a massive slab of distorted guitars, synths and an ugly bass drum which became a lot more. The poster way above me put it much better. Some songs just require definition or they'll scare you away.
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 5:53 PM Post #14 of 40
@zmd: The right headphones and amp can make all the difference to enjoying music with clarity. I recently acquired the HiFiMAN RE-ZERO and they allow me to clearly hear the musical conversation in certain performances such as slightly boomy sounding live acoustic jazz recordings. Last night I used the RE-ZERO to listen to Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams et al; it was a pleasure. 
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@Uncle Erik: I've not yet tried the K1000, but I'd love to. 
 
Jan 23, 2011 at 6:00 PM Post #15 of 40


Quote:
I had a couple that were pretty darn good.
 
First was with the Bel Canto DAC3 --> Schiit Valhalla --> K701.  This combo sounded better with Jethro Tull's acoustic music (some of my favorite stuff) than any other setup I've yet heard.  Listening to "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die" or "Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of the New Day)" was an outstanding experience -- Ian Anderson's acoustic guitar just sounds so quick and clear.  Like an idiot, though, I recently sold my K701 again.  I'll probably end up picking up yet another pair again in the future (for the third time)...
 
Second was with the Bel Canto DAC3 --> DNA Sonett --> HD800.  To me, this combo handled live music better than anything else I've heard.  Peter Gabriel's Secret World Live album was a real treat with this setup.  The soundstage was so expansive, imaging was great, and even the dynamics were pretty strong.  Everything was so clear and airy, bringing the listening experience well outside my own head.  The crowd noise was so realistic and immersive that it was almost like being there.


 
I came into this thread thinking "Jethro Tull". My K271's do Jethro Tull so incredibly well, I swear Thick as a Brick was made for these.
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