What headphone(s) do you own ?

[NCX]

Beyerdynamic T90 (bought 2015)
Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 ohm (wife; bought 2017)
Sennheiser HD6XX (bought 2020)

I owned and sold Denon D2000's and AKG K712's (sold after getting a new replacement for the original which suffered from the infinite bass issue) before settling with the T90's. I tried DT 880's first but didn't like the lack of bass or sibilance, and I found the T90's vastly superior to the AKG K712's both fit and sound wise.

I bought the JDS Labs O2 amp for the T90's a few years ago, but the sibilance was horrific with some high notes, the O2, and the AMP + DAC combos (Audio Lab M-DAC & original Essence HDACC) I own do not provide enough power for games and movies (especially blu-ray), nor tamed the highs enough. Next I tried the Gustard H10 which provides tons of power, but did not tame the T90's highs until I swapped the OP amps. I can't remember which op amps are in the Gustard now, but I did tame the highs and love the sound after trying 6 different sets. The T90's also sound great in my Lake People G109 with music, but the G109 suffers from distortion and causes sibilance when using high volume with games and media.

I paid a premium for the Jubilee T90's a few years after release and regret it since I know that if purchased first, I would have been happy with the DT 990's which were vastly cheaper and suffer from far less sibilance than the T90's. I do prefer the T90's though when paired with the right amp.

I like the HD6XX's comfort and fit superior the Beyerdyamic's, but HD6XX sound obviously veiled in the Gustard and Lake People G109. The HD6XX sound great and not nearly as veiled in the Essence, and have more bass than the T90's, but I still prefer the T90's even though they're more fatiguing with loud music.

 

[ferrellms]

Shure SRH1840

From Sonarworks who get many examples of identical model headphones from around the world and measure them to create custom corrective filters.

 

[ninetylol]

HD598 and HD660s.

I use the SMSL SP200 and M200. If anyone can recommend a couple of headphone options I can drool over for 6 months and save up for I'd appreciate it. Ta.

Sundaras

 

[ReaderZ]

One of the best closed headphones I've ever heard. Very comfortable. The isolation approaches IEM level. Those last two are the primary reasons I bought it, based on previous experience with the Aeon 1. I was planning to buy a nice pair of closed 'phones at Axpona this year but after they canceled it for this year I just went with what I was already leaning towards.

From memory (and listening notes) compared to the Aeon 1 it has a larger soundstge and the bass is shelved up a bit. The soundstage is much appreciated as that's the reason I didn't go with just another pair of IEMs. The treble may have a couple narrow resonances in it which the 1 didn't have or I may need to play around with the included damping kit some more. Even with that it does way better on my usual 'cringe' tracks than most other headphones.

Overall, Dan has a fairly consistent house sound which is more or less half way between the newer "wish-they-were-actually-'stats" HiFiMans (HiFiMen?) and the bass focused Audezes.

Isn't the entire planar tech "wish they were stats"?

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

I own a lovely Focal Clear professional for critical listening.
My spine does not like it as much as I do, so I can wear it up to a maximum of 3 hours before pain sets in.

I have my trusty old Beyerdynamic DT-880 (250Ω) Edition for general purpose use, that one I can wear 24/7.
I often tend to forget it's on my head when nothing plays.

For outdoor use, I have a pair of rugged ATH-M50.
Light, foldable, not too expensive, considering I subject it to the elements on a daily basis.

 

[JazzGene]

I have a bunch from Grado, Sennheiser, Stax, AKG, Audio-Technica, etc. Just picked up Topping NX4DSD and Etymotic ER4XR and very pleased of this combo!

 

[maverickronin]

Isn't the entire planar tech "wish they were stats"?

Nah. Planar magnetic's strength is in their bass. Like a 'stat it's inherently clean and linear, but unlike a 'stat it can have a ton of impact as long as you don't make the membrane too light for it's own good.

 

[Jimbob54]

Focal Clear
Meze 99

I prefer the Clears.

I honestly do not get the Meze. Nothing unpleasant, but I cant listen to them without thinking of the kind of sound one gets from the cans on demo in consumer electrics stores. Oh, and the "not quite" over ear cup/ cushion size might not help that view.

 

[ReaderZ]

Nah. Planar magnetic's strength is in their bass. Like a 'stat it's inherently clean and linear, but unlike a 'stat it can have a ton of impact as long as you don't make the membrane too light for it's own good.

Omega 2 did not lack in base, I have not heard Stax's newer ones though, they are not for bass head for sure.

What I meant is not how we like the end product, but the tech itself is just better. Everything Planar trying to achieve can be or is already done better on estats.

 

[maverickronin]

Omega 2 did not lack in base, I have not heard Stax's newer ones though, they are not for bass head for sure.

What I meant is not how we like the end product, but the tech itself is just better. Everything Planar trying to achieve can be or is already done better on estats.

I'm not talking about just the acoustic frequency response. The actual moving mass of the diagram is important when it's mechanically coupled to your head. The heavier a diagram is the more it functions as a bass shaker and 'stats are as light as you can get which gives planar magnetics an advantage in that area.

That said, I'm of the opinion that no headphone can do bass "right" because of the lack of full body impact anyway, so I personally prefer 'stats but I understand why other people don't like them compared to planars or conventional dynamics.

 

[Robbo99999]

Well I own the AKG K702 for a long time now, but today I ordered the NAD HP50 triggered initially by @mitchco 's comprehensive review he linked, combined with other talk about them in this thread and also after seeing the extremely close match to the Harman curve from Oratory1990 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/mjbp2dau2o3m680/NAD Viso HP50.pdf?dl=0 ). I'll be applying the Oratory1990 EQ to them and will be testing them with & without EQ to see which I prefer. The headphones will arrive on my doorstep the beginning of June, imported from the US (cheaper than buying new locally). The other decisive factor in the purchase was that they aren't as expensive as the Sennheiser headphones eg HD650 HD660s whilst being a lot closer to the Harman curve as well. And the final reason for this kinda trigger (although somewhat researched) purchase was that availability seems to be decreasing, they no longer make them I don't think so didn't wanna let it pass!

I have EQ'd my old AKG K702 to the Harman curve too, using Oratory1990's K702 Anniversary Edition EQ, but I don't have the Anniversary Edition, so my EQ is only based on the Anniversary Edition EQ as I had to try to adapt it to fit my K702...definitely sounds better with the EQ but I also wanted to buy some headphones that I knew the exact model had been EQ'd by Oratory1990, so the HP50 fits that bill too.

 

[WondrousHippo]

Just bought some AKG K371-BT the other day, came in today. Really impressed with the tuning. Wish the Bluetooth supported anything besides SBC/AAC but it doesn't sound that bad in SBC for casual listening. Weirdly, it uses mini-XLR4 so other AKG headphone cables aren't compatible.

Otherwise, I've got some Sennheiser HD580 and my big boy Audeze LCD-2C, along with some Sony WH-1000XM3 for traveling but there ain't much traveling happening soon!

On the IEM front, I love my Moondrop A8, also digging my Drop x JVC HA-FDX1, and I've got some AKG N5005s for away from my PC. Along with a bunch more stuff.

 

[mt196]

AD1000X with ZMF Labskins pads
Modhouse Argon with ZMF Auteur perforated lambskins pads
Sony WH-1000XM3 for mobility

In the past I owned Philips 9500 and K712Pro

 

[murraycamp]

I honestly do not get the Meze. Nothing unpleasant, but I cant listen to them without thinking of the kind of sound one gets from the cans on demo in consumer electrics stores. Oh, and the "not quite" over ear cup/ cushion size might not help that view.

Yes - I can see how you could have that impression. I have yet to hear any sub $500 closed cans that I thought sounded great. I think the Mezes sound better that you do, but I see your point. I thought they were the best closed cans at that price point, but, again, that's not saying much. I needed closed cans for my home office system for noise suppression at that price point.

 

[Jimbob54]

Yes - I can see how you could have that impression. I have yet to hear any sub $500 closed cans that I thought sounded great. I think the Mezes sound better that you do, but I see your point. I thought they were the best closed cans at that price point, but, again, that's not saying much. I needed closed cans for my home office system for noise suppression at that price point.

At least I'm not going daft then. I've got a few closed cans, none (other than Meze) below $500 RRP. I buy used mostly. The Denon 7000 are fun, I assume the same applies to the rest of that Fostex woody family.

 

[murraycamp]

At least I'm not going daft then. I've got a few closed cans, none (other than Meze) below $500 RRP. I buy used mostly The Denon 7000 are fun, I assume the same applies to the rest of that Fostex woody family.

Never heard the Denons but look forward to hearing the at the next opportunity.

Trade offs are challenging. I'm budgeting for a pair of f208s and a corresponding Hypex of Purifi amp, so I was limited on budget for that particular purpose. The epidemic hasn't helped either.

 

[Jimbob54]

Never heard the Denons but look forward to hearing the at the next opportunity.

Trade offs are challenging. I'm budgeting for a pair of f208s and a corresponding Hypex of Purifi amp, so I was limited on budget for that particular purpose. The epidemic hasn't helped either.

Yeah, definitely buy food and essentials before closed backs. Although, food can be had cheap.

 

[MalinYamato]

Headphones have been a negligible small part of my life limed to Denon headphones and a momentum 2. I lived with them in belief that it wont get better than that. That was before I listen to a planar for the first time, a Sundara, which become my choice for classics and Jazzz, yet I still love my AH-D7200. It is a different kind for those who want fun, Japaneses Drums.

 

[AlexFNYC]

Denon AH-D5000
Hifiman he400i
Focal Elegia
Shure se535
Apple AirPods Pro

Used to own at one or the other:
AT M50s
Grado sr-60,80,125,325
a few different IEMs.

 

[Jimbob54]

Denon AH-D5000
Hifiman he400i
Focal Elegia
Shure se535
Apple AirPods Pro

Used to own at one or the other:
AT M50s
Grado sr-60,80,125,325
a few different IEMs.

Which set, past or present, would you rescue from the fire (ignoring price)? Or, put another way, if you could only listen to one of them forever, which?