Wow. I wish I'd found this thread much earlier. I've been trying to find the cause of my headphones (HD660S, HD599S) crackling for a while now.
I've tested listening to the tracks mentioned in this thread and it's exactly the issue I've noticed too. It happens on so many recordings that I was convinced it had to be something with my gear! I mostly notice it in rock and heavy metal recordings, but I assumed that was something to do with the frequencies of the recordings. It's both a relief and a huge disappointment to find out it's not my gear! I've probably come across literally hundreds of examples of it. I guess there are not too many audiophiles who are into heavier rock and metal!
A couple of tracks to test are:
Immortal - Beyond the North Waves
The first minute is full of crackling that makes me grimace every time I play it. An amazing track that's ruined by the production.
open.qobuz.com
White Zombie - Children of the Grave (a great Black Sabbath cover).
From about 5:00 when that strange metal door sound happens.
open.qobuz.com
Something that's not metal (which did make me wonder a bit).
Dead Can Dance - Agape. The fade out from about 6:36
open.qobuz.com
I notice it more at the beginning or end of tracks as they are ramping up or down. I guess they often compress the dynamic range most in these parts?