What headphone(s) do you own ?

[Ilkless]

Computer crashed and I never backed up the EQ profile I completely dialled in for my 2022 Audeze LCD-2F. Took me the better part of this month to try and recreate it and finally succeeded. So keeping it here for posterity. And in case the image dies,

50Hz +1.5dB LOW_SHELF
105Hz +1.5db LOW_SHELF
260Hz -1db Q1.4 PEAK or 260Hz -0.8db Q1.4 PEAK for a bit more forward imaging
1300Hz +0.8dB HIGH_SHELF
4200Hz +1.1dB Q4.2 PEAK
6000Hz -2.5dB Q2.6 PEAK
7000Hz -0.5dB Q3.7 PEAK
7900Hz -1.7dB Q4.8 PEAK
9100Hz -1.2dB Q2.2 PEAK
10000Hz -4.3dB HIGH_SHELF

Let me know what you think. Started with Oratory but reduced the number of bands, tweaked some Qs and centre frequencies. It should be basically Harman in shape with less extreme bass shelf and a very specific pinna gain. It is very important for me that any headphone tracks Harman from 800Hz to 2kHz but peaks about 1.5-2dB below Harman at 3kHz, before slowly converging again past 6kHz and maybe with a bit more >10kHz extension.

For my HRTF at least I get tonality + externalisation as good as it gets with a PEQ profile. Totally tuned out the occlusion effect as well but retaining bass extension and lower midrange body. If you are anywhere close to my HRTF and preferences this should be very enjoyable.

 

[physicsplace]

je possède Sennheiser HD 660S2 pour moi sont les meilleurs

 

[tamtam]

Current headphones - Massdrop 6xx - fair price, unlike many other headphones comfy for long periods of time, balanced sound overall except for weak sub frequencies.
Beyerdynamic dt 770 - a disappointment, sold them after few weeks.

 

[herr.jemine]

OE:

Koss KPH30iK
AKG K712 Pro
Sennheiser HD6XX
Philips Fidelio X2HR
HIFIMAN Sundara


TWS:

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro
Moondrop Space Travel

IEM:

ARTTI T10
HIDIZS MP145
7Hz Timeless AE
7Hz Sonus
7Hz Zero2
CCA Hydro
KZ Zax
KZ Castor
KZ AS24 Tuning
KZ AS24Pro Tuning
truthear x crinacle zero red
Moondrop ChuII
Moondrop Blessing 3 + Moondrop FreeDSP
Simgot EW300 (DSP) + Moondrop EVO BT Earhooks (nice Combo)

 

[JOCoin]

Sennheiser HD600, HD800S.
Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X. (Upgraded to the Senny's and never use these anymore so should sell them.)

Plus a few pairs of TWS buds, AirPods Pro 2, Sony wf-1000xm4, and Sennheiser momentum.
Never buying any more TWS buds will go wired for IEMs in the future.

 

[Soandso]

After enjoyably restoring a 1976 USA made electrostatic on ear headphone set I recently bought more modern used Japanese made in ear electrostatics. Getting a STAX Sr-003 (under U$150) I then saw at fleaBay auction Stax's portable SR-002 with it's amplifier (got at just over U$150; came with separate product exterior domes for better outdoors isolation), decided on a used Stax "energizer" SRD-7/mK2 (around U$350; tested from Iceland) for running the SR-003 off my old amplifier-graphic equalizer and even picked up an auctioned Stax audio extension cable (about U$60). For the Sr-002's portable amp I got (4; uses 2 at a time) KentLi 3,000mWh AA batteries plus charger (about U$30) and picked up a used 4.5V 0.4Amp output wall adapter (about U$20) for non-battery operation of portable amp. Only 1 set of headphones came with ear tips and getting tired of swapping those around bought set of new Stax ear tips with soft retention hooks (under U$60; air packet shipping from Japan was more than item cost). [Looking at just the core electrostatic headphone gears' options I think the price points for my patient Stax forays were favorably opportunistic. Probably was better than any blind buying of used Stax gear from Japan using a proxy where I calculated getting it to my USA door adds 25-33% extra on to the item's buying price.]

Sound wise the in home Stax Sr-003 and portable Sr-002 are going to be similar, since aside from their connecting audio cable they are internally the same product. These are not actually deep insertion ear monitors and by happenstance I have different ear tips on the different models; so that for the portable they seat relatively deeper allowing me to use them on 3 mile walks without falling out and otherwise the in-home are shallowly just nesting against the ear cartilage restrained with a headband and soft hook. The sound ports are angled forward from the plastic housing and direct music quite uniquely. As for comfort: once settled in place I can listen to them for hours without annoyance (apparently unlike predecessor Stax Sr-001's port design).

I listen almost exclusively to jazz streamed CD quality from Deezer playlists on mobil devices and these "baby" size Stax sound electrostatic superb and I say that as an ardent fan of planar magnetic headphones. Even the one (Sr-002) from it's portable little amplifier using a short reducing adapter plugged into my old amp's headphone-out jack sounds excellent [meaning my Sr-003 + "energizer" outlay is redundant; but acquired that headphone first]. According to web commentators the Sr-003/002 does not have the assorted musical frequency quirks that different model Stax headphones are prone to and during my EQ adjusted listening I find these little guys deliver fine bass despite electrostatic headphones' reputation for weak although precise bass.

Pardon this long post - thought might provide orientation to somebody.

 

[TheKongoEmpire]

• FiiO FT1
• Philips SHP9600

 

[davmol]

Currently:
Open: Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro
Open: Hifiman Ananda
Closed: Hifiman Sundara Closed
Wireless ANC: Sony WH1000-XM4

Aiming to find open back for desk use when no one else home, closed back for desk use when my wife is also working from home, and ANC for when I'm out and about / in the office.

Recently sold off my HD6XX and probably will sell off the DT1990 Pro in the near future. I'm in a happy place right now, I love the Anandas, the XM4 are also keepers, and in time I may look for a better closed back, but the Sundara with EQ is already pretty good to my ears.

 

[Robbo99999]

Currently:
Open: Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro
Open: Hifiman Ananda
Closed: Hifiman Sundara Closed
Wireless ANC: Sony WH1000-XM4

Aiming to find open back for desk use when no one else home, closed back for desk use when my wife is also working from home, and ANC for when I'm out and about / in the office.

Recently sold off my HD6XX and probably will sell off the DT1990 Pro in the near future. I'm in a happy place right now, I love the Anandas, the XM4 are also keepers, and in time I may look for a better closed back, but the Sundara with EQ is already pretty good to my ears.

You've already got two open backed headphones, but you asked for recommendations anyway - I'd recommend Sennheiser HD560s particularly if you want to use them without EQ, they're really well balanced for me without EQ (the new version of the HD560s which has been out over a year now). See following post of mine for a quick understanding of roughly how the new version measures vs Harman Curve:

New version of Sennheiser HD 560S (!)

The older ones were just a bit brighter sounding, a bit too bright IMO. The newer ones were less bright and needed less correction to sound good to me. That's perfect, I think if there was a subtle change to make, it'd been to make them a little bit less bright so I'd be happy. My 2024 pair...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Hifiman HE400SE is another recommendation, and that is great with an Oratory EQ (or in my case a slightly tweaked version but using his measurement) - I think his measurement is spot on for that headphone, it's made the most sense for me out of all my headphones, Oratory EQ for that headphone was the most complete & neutral sound experience out of all my headphones when EQ'd using Oratory EQ. Following is a post of mine where I measure, EQ & assess HE400SE if you want some more detail:

Hifiman HE400SE Review (Headphone)

I bought mine brand new in a sale from Amazon themselves (UK) for £69.30 delivered. They came with the same black cable that my Edition XS use. I must say I am delighted with the HE400SE. I actually bought two of them at that price. That was on August 2nd. Amazon were also selling brand new...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[herr.jemine]

new stuff: Sennheiser IE 600

 

[DEF]

new stuff: Sennheiser IE 600

I like your nick. It's fun.
How are the Sennheiser IE 600 tonally?

 

[herr.jemine]

I like your nick. It's fun.
How are the Sennheiser IE 600 tonally?

I use them on the go with a FiiO KA17 and the Wavelet app and have loaded an AutoEQ preset - they have an amazing amount of bass for being so tiny, and only a small driver is installed,

I haven't listened to them long enough to be able to describe it.

I compare them with the Moondrop Blessing 3, I can say that the Blessing has stronger (better?) separation and sounds very holographic more airy(I notice this with some other hybrid/multi-ba's) very fat sound (wall of sound), in comparison the IE-600 sounds completely different

IE-600 slightly finer, more detailed more accurate sound, also a wide stage, but a little narrower, very analytical sound, the blessing 3 is more of a fun maker
without EQ both are missing something, the blessing 3 lacks the subbass and somehow female voices sound a little stressful on the ie-600 without EQ

 

[DS_Construct]

Headphones: Focal Utopia and DCA Aeon 2 Noire
IEMs: EE Legend X, Beyerdynamic Xelento, Thieaudio Prestige, Empire Ears ESR 2, Senn ie900, Oriolus MK2, AKG n5005

 

[PiedroPieretto]

I'm admittedly a bit partial to Sennheiser products. When I bought the iPhone 3G in 2008, I wanted to treat myself to my first pair of "high-end" earphones and picked up the Sennheiser MM 50 iP at an "outrageously expensive" price tag of € 79.99.

Seeing how I wish to protect my blissful memories, I hope I will never ever listen to them again.

But I really got hooked on the brand just for the "it works" quality of their products. A couple of months ago, I picked up the IE 400 Pro and I love them. Like. So much. So much, in fact, that I got ear pieces fitted for them.

There are technically better IEMs out there, but these do their job just so well. I'm editing videos professionally, and they work so great for monitoring and adjusting sound channels. I love their sound signature out of the box, with no EQ'ing required on my end. Their bass is so super snappy and dry and I don't find them fatiguing at all (and if anything, their slightly raised treble serves me quite well).

I've also got the Sennheiser IE 100 Pro as back-up 'phones that I really really like too, but – to my ears – I like the reproduction of the IE 400 Pros better. Are they 3x better than their younger siblings? Nah! Of course not.

 

[Ken Wood]

My first ever Planar headphone has arrived.
Move over my beloved Sennheiser HD800S, let's hear what Hifiman Arya Stealth Magnet has to offer.

 

[Slave IV]

I was pleased to see all the posts about Koss Porta Pros here! I never knew they had such a following until I randomly remembered mine from way back in the day and searched for info on them. I was definitely surprised to see they are still being made because I've ever seen anyone use them except myself. I still remember being at Circuit City shopping for new headphones for my Aiwa Walkman and trying them all out and ending up with those because they had the best sound and comfort at a very reasonable price. Took them to the register, paid for them and turned down the "Protection Plan" and enjoyed those headphones for years. Maybe I'll get another set someday for the heck of it but since then, these are the what I currently have:

Shure E4C - These are the first higher end earphones I ever got and I was really impressed with them. I was just recently messing with the little scooping cleaner and I think I may have accidentally pushed it too far in and damaged them. Too bad because they were still my preferred wired IEM so if anyone knows if there is an easy fix, I'd love to know but they've served me well already.
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 Pro - I got these a couple years after the E4Cs because I wanted something to use during more physical activity and they have a little wire to help hold them on your ears and they are much lighter than the Shures. I also wanted to try out the muti-drivers. They produced more bass than the E4C but overall, the sound is more harsh and I prefer the Shure set so I rarely used these.
Sony WF-1000MX3 - My first and personally only ANC, Wireless headphones. Technology has come a long way and I mostly use these exclusively when I need headphones these days. I was skeptical about the SQ but I was pretty impressed. Definitely more than good enough for casual listening and conference calls.

That's it for my personal headphones. I prefer in ear so I can bring them anywhere easily and I rarely use at home but I have tried several over ear sets for family use:

Sennheiser HD 250BT & 350BT - Both of these felt cheap and not very comfortable. SQ was ok but not worth the money so returned both.
AKG Y600NC - These were pretty good and got a really good deal on them so they've been a family set mostly used by my wife. Max output is low but enough and my wife really enjoys them. They have a design flaw where the folding hinge is metal but the joint that holds it is plastic so they broke after about a year of use. I glued them together so they still work but needed replacements.
JBL Tune 720BT & LIVE 77NC - Harman offered a discount on a new set for the broken AKGs (passed warranty) so I saw they only offer JBL in this market now. Tried both of these and they are really impressive for the money. Out of all the other headphones in this range and slightly higher that I tried, my favorite is the Sony WH-1000XM5 for the comfort and SQ but again, technology has improved a lot recently and these JBLs provide pretty unbeatable value, especially with the extra discounts I got. The JBLs are not as comfortable as the Sony but SQ is on par even though they sound different. From what I remember about the Sony, those were tuned to boost bass and more punchy while the JBLs sound more neutral.

 

[SlowLife]

Most favorite Over-Ear : Moondrop Para + Velvet Pads - More balance than StockPads that Too Bright! (Ask seller to separate the ring.)
- Aune AR5000
- Audio Technica ATH-R70x
- Cooler Master MH752
- AKG K361-BT
- XANOVA Juturna (Takstar Pro 82)

I've tried but no longer have :
- Sennheiser HD 600
- Philips SHP9500 , X1S
- Hifiman HE400SE (Stealth)
- Superlux HD681 , HD661
- VE Supernova
- HyperX Cloud III
- Sony WH-1000XM4

Most favorite On-Ear : Superlux HD572A
- Yamaha RH-5Ma
- Yuin G1A , G2A
- Koss KPH30i , KSC75 , KSC75X , KPH40
- Sennheiser PX-100

I've tried but no longer have :
- AKG Y30

 

[Alexander Gödde]

Sennheiser HE-60, with High-Amp Antares.

Bought the HE-60 a few months back, but they only worked intermittently on a Stax SRM-xh amp. The new amp arrived yesterday and has one headphone out with the correct 530 V bias voltage, so no more issues.

Using EQ settings from AutoEQ for now. Main changes are the increased bass, cut to the 6 kHz peak that made everything sound a bit sharp, and filling in the upper mids around 2 kHz. Need to adapt that for me, but works well enough for now.

First evening of listening was pure bliss.
Effortless resolution, incredible dynamics, with great recordings the headphones project clearly separate sound objects into space. Deeply, deeply impressive.
This is a headphone that Sennheiser should be re-releasing!

 

[herr.jemine]

Topping ArpegEar Hane is doing well:

 

[pogo]

An old companion comes home. I also had the HD430 back in the 80s. It was now a flea market find and is still fun.