As of 2026, what are the headphones with the lowest measured distortion?

[propaganda1]

There was a previous thread with the same question in 2023, and the answer was Audeze, but I was wondering if there have been any additions since that may have dethroned them.

I am aware of the Moondrop Para II having really low distortion, but was unable to find measurements of the Moondrop Cosmo's distortion (their flagship). Also, Moondrop headphones are huge and heavy, so alternatives with similar performance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Chrispy]

You filter through this already? https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/HeadphoneReview/

 

[Soandso]

… am … unable to find measurements of the Moondrop Cosmo's distortion ….

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[Jiraya369]

idk why you're even looking for lowest distortion. Anything under 1% at 94db spl should be completely inaudible.

Bigger and heavier planar headphones tend to have the nicest distortion figures. It's a give and take kind of situation. Big and heavy does not automatically mean uncomfortable as weight distribution is important and most importantly it must fit on your head. A small headphone might not fit you the same way a big headphone would and vice versa. You just have to get cheap ones and experiment.

I would recc the Hifiman ones like the Edition XV, extremely nice set and with eq is a clear endgame. I wore it and it was comfy for me, i like hifiman's big planar shape.

around 1% at 1.5khz at 94 db spl is completely inaudible for me.

Hifiman, Focal, Moondrop, Audeze, all have concerns about QC. Otherwise I'd have recc'd the para 2, utopia, edition xv, LCD-2, etc. depending on which fits you (audezes are too heavy imo)

but the hd800s has been one that has lasted for ages and the sony ones as well, so i'd suggest taking a look at the sony mv1 at least and eq'ing it.

 

[Whatsthephuss]

Lowest distortion for your money is probably Fiio JT7. I’ve sold several more expensive and heavier headphones since getting them.

 

[solderdude]

The Surprising Truth About Headphone Distortion: Most Of It Is Inaudible

This article is about our research into the audibility of headphone distortion, using listening tests. It was co-authored by Dr. Sean Olive.

www.rtings.com

They say the following:

Our detection threshold tests revealed that distortion only becomes audible at 104–112 dBA SPL, which are levels that would be uncomfortable or even harmful for extended listening.

Well I agree that this is loud but when we look at peak levels (thus not average dBA levels) then this is not uncommon to reach at all.
But ... the SPL per frequency band will be much lower than that it is only the combined SPL (so the total excursion) that matters and is what is measured during a sweep.
In other words.... for frequencies below 200 Hz the 104 dB SPL measurement makes sense. The 114dB is more of a 'how far can it go test'.
Just look at speaker tests at 1m and see how many of them behave well above 94dB.
For mid frequencies (300 - 20kHz) the 94 dB is all one has to look at.

Distortion only really becomes an audible issue at high listening levels but there certainly are a lot of models that start to audibly distort at just above sensible levels.
In general the planar headphones (around ear) and many IEMs all have inaudible amounts of non-linear distortion even at high SPL.

 

[propaganda1]

View attachment 524291

The link doesn't seem to work on my end :/

 

[propaganda1]

You filter through this already? https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?pages/HeadphoneReview/

Yes, I had a look and of the reviews done for over ears, Audeze seems to still be on top, but I wanted to see if members had any other recommendations

 

[Soandso]

The link doesn't seem to work on my end :/

Yes, I see and extend apologies because actually I had intended to delete what I was in the process of composing there but apparently I ended up posting something without noticing.

 

[dasherzx]

yeah audeze but out of the box with no further tuning dca stealth/expanse/e3...

 

[thon]

There are not many measurements available of the (not so new, though) Avantone Pro Planar ii.
"Solderdude" measured the MK1 version and distortion was below the limits of his measurement rig.
That being said in terms of clean sound at low frequencies at (short term) high loudness levels my Avantone Planar (EQed - moderately since I don't like Harmann bass levels) performs better than my JT7 (and of course better than my DT1990 pro). Could just as well be related to sealing/pads or so - however, that's what I am hearing.
I think it's impossible to drive the Avantone Planar ii into audible distortion at humanly justifiably levels.

 

[Rincewind42]

Verum 2 is very low distortion. Awesome headphone. Probably the lowest distortion figures published on this site. Here's the review:

Verum Audio Verum 2 Headphone Review

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of Verum Audio Verum 2 planar magnetic open back headphones. It was drop shipped by the company and costs US $425. As you see, this is a "high bling" headphone when it comes to design with so much intricate details. It is a bit...

www.audiosciencereview.com

I find it a joy to use for music production; very easy to hear 0.5 dB EQ moves across the whole spectrum from 20 to 20k 14k (well, getting close to 50, I'm virtually deaf above 14 kHz, so there's that ). Also very easy to hear compressor pumping, transients, etc. (with a good powerful amp that doesn't smear/soften transients).

It's my no.1 mixing tool now.