What headphone(s) do you own ?

[F1308]

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?

Proud owner of a Parrot Zik. First version. I tried it at the shop and Vangelis 1492 sounded so well I cannot tell you. I like the sound inmensely. But only when noise cancellation is on, otherwise they sound awfully, really bad. Still looking for a replacement for my keyboard...V-Moda M200...? Philips Fidelio X3 ?

 

[AlexFNYC]

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?

Well if the house is on fire I probably already have the AirPods in my jeans pocket

But in the spirit you are asking - probably Denons...
Focals are better headphones by but they are also more demanding - much more in-your-face sound that demands attention and they really do like better amplification (even though both sets are easy to drive). Denon are more laid back and while you loose some detail and range extension they still are excellent headphones.

Keep in mind I just got Focals so I am not really used to their sound yet. Its possible that once I get used to them they will be the only choice. But right now I would choose them to concentrate on music but I would choose Denon to play music while working....

He400i is not as good as either set - except when I want a very mid centric/warm sound or when playing low quality recordings (they smooth things over).

 

[XeNoNF50]

Think I've settled on my pairs for the foreseeable.

Focal Utopia
Focal Stellia
Verum One - so much bang for buck here
Audeze Mobius
FiiO FH7 as my IEMs

 

[gfx_1]

Think I've settled on my pairs for the foreseeable.
Focal Utopia
Focal Stellia

These are a bit eyewatering pricewise how do they compare to more affordable ones?

 

[XeNoNF50]

These are a bit eyewatering pricewise how do they compare to more affordable ones?

Yeah it stung a little to purchase but I am delighted with it. I managed to get both as ex-review sets with warranty from a UK distributor for £4k in total which is not much more than just the Utopia new so it could have been worse money-wise.

I'm not well travelled on the headphones front. Went straight from Verum/K712/Mobius to the Utopia then Stellia as my closed back (lockdown means girlfriend is always around making some sort of noise). The difference moving from that tier to this is marked. I feel kind of blessed that I've managed to own both of these and of course experiencing such a jump in quality probably feels more awesome than slowly stepping up. I can imagine the gains may be more incremental from the mid tier options I was considering.

I know all too well what I usually do is buy mid tier (was considering Audeze LCD-X and Hifiman Arya) then go all in later having spent the mid tier money. Thought I'd just save myself the money and go straight to what is my summit.

 

[xhattan]

Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO 80ohm using an old Creative SoundBlaster Z soundcard.
Paired with Edifier R1800T iii active speakers.
Gaming and music mostly.
Ordered yesterday a Toppng DX3 Pro v2 dac/amp.Also planning to order DT990 PRO 250....Still lthinking about it.
Glad to hear any recommedations!

Don´t go for the 250 ohm model, the 600 ohm is much better. I own both and the difference is noticeable.

 

[xhattan]

At the current prices for the Beyer T1.2 ($650), I really don´t see how anyone could choose another set in that price range. This headphones are absolutely incredible! I still have my Beyer A1 headphone amp and that pairing is heavenly.

 

[Rayman30]

At the current prices for the Beyer T1.2 ($650), I really don´t see how anyone could choose another set in that price range. This headphones are absolutely incredible! I still have my Beyer A1 headphone amp and that pairing is heavenly.

Would you say the Beyer has hot or shrill treble? that is an issue I had with some of the lower end ones.

 

[xhattan]

Would you say the Beyer has hot or shrill treble? that is an issue I had with some of the lower end ones.

Not at all. Bass, which to my ears was present in the .1 version, has been improved and greatly refined on the v2. The highs are present of course, wouldn´t be a Beyer if not, but it´s not fatiguing. I am very sensitive to treble but I can hear with this for hours without any strain at all. I have the T5p v1 too, and although the detail is incredible, I can´t stand them for more than 30 minutes. Totally anemic set of cans, you won´t get bass from these, not even a rapper could do it.

 

[maverickronin]

Would you say the Beyer has hot or shrill treble? that is an issue I had with some of the lower end ones.

They all have a pretty similar house sound. If you didn't like the lower end ones then you probably won't like the T1 either.

 

[solderdude]

The DT880 Black edition seems to have no treble peak and a bit more lows/warmth. Need to audition/measure one of those days.
I did notice the black DT770 velourspads sound/measure different from the grey ones.

 

[raistlin65]

The DT880 Black edition seems to have no treble peak and a bit more lows/warmth. Need to audition/measure one of those days.
I did notice the black DT770 velourspads sound/measure different from the grey ones.

Aren't people saying a similar thing about the T1 2nd Gen Ninjas? Have there been any good measurements to confirm that yet?

 

[solderdude]

Don't know about those.
Thinking of buying DT880 black editions. Currently on sale for E 139.-. The jokers... they charged added shipping costs and charged extra E 158,- Can always return them or sell them 2nd hand.
I have a sneaky suspicion Beyer produced more black DT880s than needed for the Drop and is now selling them off.
I know the Beyerdynamic pads are the biggest parts of the treble peak issue.
As soon as I fit Beyerpads on other headphones the treble peak pops up.
The EDT770VB pads measure (and sound) differently from the regular EDT770 pads.

 

[TungstenC]

Aren't people saying a similar thing about the T1 2nd Gen Ninjas? Have there been any good measurements to confirm that yet?

The black edition is definitely warmer, confirmed with measurements from oratory1990.
DT880


DT880 Black Edition

 

[solderdude]

The peak still seems to be there but can also be measurement error.
Will know in a few days.
Graphs would indicate the is closer to a honky DT990 than a neutral DT880.
Will experiments with pads etc.
I like the black looks

 

[3125b]

I really liked my DT880 Edition 250 Ohm. They have way less of a treble peak compared to the (almost) painful 990 Pro.
Used them almost exclusively for 6+ years and out of necessaty switched over to HiFiMAN HE-35X just yesterday. Though they sound quite different, I find myself liking the HE way more now than just yesterday evening.
I'm of the opinion, that between most decent headphones, the perceived "sound quality" is to a lage part just habituation.

 

[solderdude]

The DT880 Edition differs from the discussed DT880 black edition. How much and how much this is due to the pads or other trickery I will find out soon.

I'm of the opinion, that between most decent headphones, the perceived "sound quality" is to a lage part just habituation.

Yes, I call this 'brain-in'. A wordplay on break-in which in most cases isn't break-in at all but just the brain getting used to the presentation. All headphones have a sound signature. Some people adjust better to certain signatures then others. Then there is personal taste compounding the issues and recording quality as well.

 

[3125b]

Alright, so there are two "Black Edition" DT 880s, one based on the "Pro" model and one based on the "Edition" model (that one is called "Black Special Edition"). I'm already confused.
I've never heard either one, just saw the "Black Special Edition". The headband is a lot nicer than on the regular "Edition" model.
For ~150$/€ it´s a pretty well done headphone.
Beyerdynamic says on their website that the "Black Special Edition" (of wich there is also a "Chrome Special Edition") sounds the same as the regular "Edition", the "Pro Black Edition" seems to be more bass-heavy indeed.

 

[solderdude]

I suspect it's only a difference in pads but maybe (also) a difference in materials around or over the driver (acoustic paper/felt etc)
Only measurements, experiments and looking inside can tell. That's what I intend to do. Not just listen and/or measure.

 

[3125b]

There is a lot of felt in the regular DT 880 Edition, two layers (white) behind the driver and one (brown) stuck to the front, if that helps.
I'm not so sure about the pads, there are a number of different velours pads for the 770/880/990/Custom Studio etc. models, but the regular "EDT 990V" and "990VB" should be pretty much identical exept color (Beyerdynamic recommends them as replacement pads for both the regular and the Black Edition, so no change there). But maybe they included some other pads and unfortunately, I don't think they specify that anywhere.