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What headphone(s) do you own ?

_thelaughingman

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Headphones:
Sennheiser HD555 - Have had these for ages, bought them primarily for my Counter Strike gaming sessions back in the day. Daily Driver. Modded with no foam and aftermarket pads. It is my reference pair for all my music gear to be tested with and onboarded.
Sennheiser HD400S - Gifted at work, hardly use them due to being closed back and lack of good tone.
V-Mode Crossfade - Used these for mixing, when I used to DJ. Retired now that I do not actively mix.

IEM:
Westone UM-1 - Reference IEM's for my tastes. Upgraded ear tips and provide great isolation.
Thinksound Rain - Hardly use these due to their piercing and harsh treble, still have them around when I need to listen to something different or measure dynamics in a track.
KZ AS12 - First set of IEM's in Chi-fi genre, surprisingly these are very good and like to use them when I travel for work. Great isolation on these after upgrading factory ear tips.
 

Martin

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I just added HIFIMAN Aryas to my setup. They join my Audeze LCD-3 and Focal Clears. I can’t believe I’ve spent over $3k on headphones. :facepalm:

Over the next two weeks I’m going to doing some serious comparative listening using my Topping DX7 Pro. I have chosen 9 songs I know very well and will be listening both unEQed and EQed using oratory1990’s parametric EQ settings. The plan is to choose a single pair and sell or return the others.

Should be fun :)

Martin

Call me crazy but I just added a pair of HEDD HEDDphones to the comparison... I'm still going to test the three I have this weekend, then I'll pit the HEDDphones against the winner. Look for a write up thread.

Martin
 
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win

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I have hd280 pros that I've had for over a decade. I've become used to them to the point that anything else sounds weird now, which is probably wrong.

I also have 6XX massdrop headphones that are pretty good, and open too.
 

SpinifexV

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Current lineup
- Hifiman Sundara: pretty good, bright-neutral headphone with good technicalities (soundstage, imaging, detail). Can be fatiguing sometimes, really need some swivel in that headband.
- Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Closed Re-tuned: the Aeon Flow Closed with a small bass boost that has been on sale this year. Very comfortable, but it gets hot. Great sound, with good soundstage and clarity for a closed headphone. I'm alternating between the black felt (more treble energy and clarity, but a bit too bright) and the white one-notch felt (warmer tuning, but slightly muffled) for tuning.
- LCD-2 (pre-fazor): my old stalwart. Pretty good headphone with a laid-back sound, but technology has improved since I bought it, what, ten years ago or so? Comfortable if heavy.
- Koss ESP/95x (with Vesper pads): Very detailed, well extended sound, if mid-centric. Extremely light, a favorite for summer. I think it's my best headphone for critical listening since it never gets congested and there's no bass thump to distract you (you hear the bass with the ESP/95x, you don't feel it).
- Sennheiser HD-600: never really like them: they seem to lack detail and separation. Maybe it's just my pair... I'm keeping them for the TV thanks to their long cable.
- Beyerdynamic DT-1350: Small on-ear headphone to take with me. Very good isolation, but heavy clamping. Pretty good but I don't really use them anymore.
- AKG K361: for the office. Cheap, good frequency response and light enough to use all day.
- Weston UM3x: IEM for the gym and planes.... yeah, no more of that....

Just sent back
- Avantone Planar: new "reference grade" planar headphone. Very good, mostly neutral sound (if missing that last bit of treble), very comfortable even if weight and clamping is a bit on the high side. Sits in that sweet spot between the Hifiman (Bright) and Audeze (Warm) tuning. Unfortunately, I have no confidence about their durability: the build quality and QC have too many problems.
- Ollo S4X: another "reference grade" headphone. Good, semi-open (practically closed) and well-extended sound with a ton of bass thump. More bass than the Planar, with less treble presence. Love the build quality (except the ringing headband) and the looks, but the pads were too small to fit around my ears. If they make a bigger or a oval model, I'll be there.

Incoming and curious about
- Focal Elex: shipping on the 11th, hope it will be my main headphone, since those reviews are very nice.
- Hifiman Ananda and HE-6se V2: I don't find the Sundara particularly comfortable, so its oval brother would be interesting, as well as the the new Adorama-exclusive HE-6se V2 with their new headband with swivel. If the HE-6se's special price lasts until boxing day, I might jump. If not, I may wait for Hifiman's 2021 models.
 
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Vini darko

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Call me crazy but I just added a pair of HEDD HEDDphones to the comparison... I'm still going to test the three I have this weekend, then I'll pit the HEDDphones against the winner. Look for a write up thread.

Martin
Look forward to that
 

SeaNNyT

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- Hifiman Ananda and HE-6se V2: I don't find the Sundara particularly comfortable, so its oval brother would be interesting, as well as the the new

Same reason I am returning my Sundaras for Anandas. Hopefully more comfortable at the loss of a little bass impact.
 

dimitri830

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HIFIMAN Sundara, most used recently, newly purchased, better soundstage and resolution than the HD58X, and still probing
Sennheiser HD58X, with modified cable, used when need tight and concentrated bass performance
Beyerdynamic DT990Pro, first headset owned, collecting dust...for knowing it well enough
 
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Martin

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You can post those test songs too, if you can :). I know it's a HP thread and not songs related, but for fun.

All 16bit/44.1 FLAC:
Liberty - Annette Askvik
I Love You - Sarah McLachlan
Bad Guy - Billie Eilish
Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits
Crime Of The Century - Supertramp
Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Reasons Why - Nickel Creek
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
When They Ring The Golden Bells - Natalie Merchant

Martin
 

SpinifexV

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Follow-up

- Hifiman HE-5LE: The counterpart to my LCD-2. Better balanced than the LCD-2, and better bass extension and more comfortable than the Sundara, but it loses to the latter on treble, details and instrument separation (first generation Hifiman planar vs current generation after all). Unfortunately, the right driver became very weak a couple of months back...

..until today! After posting my list, I decided to bring it out of its box, attach the cable, give it a couple of whacks for shits and giggles, and it's back to life! Best guess was that one of the diaphragm might have become stuck on one of the magnets.

20201204_183342.jpg

My Zombie HE-5LE with my old Gamma2 DAC and current Sundara.
 

SeaNNyT

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Just got the Anandas to day. Enjoying them a bit more all around over my Sundaras. Except the materials used in the build. The earpads seem like complete trash compared to the Sundaras.
 

Colonel Bogey

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Ollo Audio S4X: got them a couple of days ago, a keeper! Its an open, very easy to drive and (as I perceive it) quite neutral design. Will use them at work.

The rest of the list is:

Focal Clear Pro (for most of my music listening at home, eq:d in my RME ADI-2 DAC)
Sennheiser HD 650 (some music listening in our living room, eq:d in my RME ADI-2 PRO that usually feeds my Genelecs)
Sennheiser HD 600 (in the winter cabin)
Sennheiser PXC 500 II
Shure SRH 1540 (when I mix/edit film, used with a Topping DX7 Pro)
Hifiman HE400i 2020 (not sure I'll keep them)

7 pairs :facepalm: I'ts good to know that many members here have a lot more :)
 
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Red_Negan

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I downgraded from owning

Arya
Ananda
LCD-2
LCD-3
LCD-4
Utopia

my main flagships had many more

Sold them all to purchase

DT990
HD560S
HE-5XX

It's easy to become a gear hoarder in this hobby but I feel I've broken out of it finally, I came to a conclusion that in the end there really is no, A is better than B, it's a massive pool of flavours. I used to love darker sounding headphones but tend to favour headphones with better dynamics due to superior range.

The HE-5XX has been one of the best buys' in audio for me recently, and the HE560S one of the most mixed bag phones that turned out being pretty damn good.
 

phrwn

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It's easy to become a gear hoarder in this hobby but I feel I've broken out of it finally

I've found climbing out of an end game state in several rabbit hole hobbies that I've gone down over the years to be incredibly rewarding. The mental equity you regain is priceless.

I have done this with photography (Leicas, Hasselblads, Nikons and Canons all replaced with iPhone), espresso (La Marzocco and Olympia machines replaced with single-cup Technivorm), computers (Mac Pro, Hackintosh, custom gaming PC replaced with laptop) and audio (U12t and Elegia replaced with T50RP, currently lost in the mail on their way to Mod House).

Audio in particular took me a while because I couldn't work out why you wouldn't want reference/neutral sound reproduction. I mean, hearing it like the producer recorded it made sense. But then I realised music production has, or at least should, be recorded as neutral as possible so that it sounds reasonable on the infinite spectrum of playback equipment and scenarios. Finding your own equipment that adds a flavour you enjoy, as you said, is the key, not just making a run at the end game and expecting it to be perfect. The stock T50RP's with an ifi Micro Signature have been a revelation to me - best thing I've heard. I like all the science and appreciate this site for avoidance of snake oil products, but the best metric I've found is head-bobs-per-minute. I'm not listening for absolute audio fidelity, I just want to enjoy my music.
 

spittiz

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computers (Mac Pro, Hackintosh, custom gaming PC replaced with laptop) .

How does that work out? Unless you just stopped having "power user" needs I don't see how you can benefit from going to laptops from proper custom built PC's, a lot different scenario than say audio.
 

Red_Negan

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I've found climbing out of an end game state in several rabbit hole hobbies that I've gone down over the years to be incredibly rewarding. The mental equity you regain is priceless.

I have done this with photography (Leicas, Hasselblads, Nikons and Canons all replaced with iPhone), espresso (La Marzocco and Olympia machines replaced with single-cup Technivorm), computers (Mac Pro, Hackintosh, custom gaming PC replaced with laptop) and audio (U12t and Elegia replaced with T50RP, currently lost in the mail on their way to Mod House).

Audio in particular took me a while because I couldn't work out why you wouldn't want reference/neutral sound reproduction. I mean, hearing it like the producer recorded it made sense. But then I realised music production has, or at least should, be recorded as neutral as possible so that it sounds reasonable on the infinite spectrum of playback equipment and scenarios. Finding your own equipment that adds a flavour you enjoy, as you said, is the key, not just making a run at the end game and expecting it to be perfect. The stock T50RP's with an ifi Micro Signature have been a revelation to me - best thing I've heard. I like all the science and appreciate this site for avoidance of snake oil products, but the best metric I've found is head-bobs-per-minute. I'm not listening for absolute audio fidelity, I just want to enjoy my music.
It's a crazy crazy position to be in. There's so many points during my audio journey where I look back and think, I could've been happy. HE-500 stands out to me as that headphone. I think of all the Audeze phones I've owned and without EQ, to me they sound just wrong now. I did feel good getting something new but there had to be a point where enough is enough, I'm chasing gear and I'm forgetting to enjoy music like you mentioned, bobbing your head, having fun is what it's all about.

I see all these ZMF headphones, which I've owned most before and while some may not agree with me, they're not natural. they're tuned warm, mushy with a spikey treble, nothing wrong with that per say but many headphones already do that without the fancy wood housing etc. I was a big fan of Garuspik from Verum before he committed career suicide and decided to be an idiot, hope he gets back on the horse and overcomes it. He had a good vision and a good ear for tuning a headphone. When you go to high end and back, I really do believe all the fun, head bobbing is right in that midrange category.
 
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