Sennheiser HD 560S vs FiiO JT3 vs ATH-R50x (Purchase advice)

[Sirius Black]

Kinda new to the headphone journey and wondering how these 2 open backs compare to one another? I listen to a variety of genres from folk, country, to rock, electronic and classical.
How do they compare comfort wise and SQ wise? I'm using them directly with my laptop and iPhone 6S.
My foremost concerns are price (I can afford both, i think), comfort, and sound quality (good with the most genres out of the box without EQ), and build quality.
I specifically don't want bluetooth or noise-cancelling (as I have another headphone with that capability).
Are there better options for this kinda modest price range? I also considered the FT1 but was dissuaded after reading the review thread on here (after the praise on most other audio sites).

 

[staticV3]

The JT3 has much more bass than the 560S, as well as a recessed midrange and a nasty treble spike at 6K:



If you want neutral playback, I'd suggest you look elsewhere.

 

[solderdude]

JT3

back to Jade Audioback to measurementshome Published: Nov-26-2025 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons flat’ sharp peaks and ‘…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

vs

HD560S

back to Sennheiserback to measurementshome published: Sep-24-2020, updated: Nov-24-2024 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons f…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

and for completeness the closed FT1

FT1

back to FiiOback to measurementshome Published: Sept-03-2024 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons flat’ sharp peaks and ‘wiggl…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

These are totally different sounding open headphones.

If you like a warm/full sound (some would say bloated) and comfort as well as low price JT3 is fine (with EQ even better).
If you want 'accurate' out of the box with a little less comfort the HD 560S is a better idea but more expensive.

 

[Sirius Black]

Just ordered the HD560S this morning. The availability of replacement parts was what swung it for me. I don't want to be left in the lurch down the line when it comes time to replace something like pads, etc.
I can't wait for my new headphones to arrive!
So excited. Thanks for the help everyone