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What headphone(s) do you own ?

goldark

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Below are what I have. Sometimes I feel like I need to get rid of a couple.

Headphones:
Focal Elex - My love and hate headphones. Heavy (I may need some neck training), but the sound! SMH
Sennheiser HD650 - Used to be my main headphones. Never going to sell it.
Sennheiser HD560s - Pre-ordered it and using these for past few days. I think I like these a lot.
Beyerdynamic DT 177X GO - I needed a closed back for night time.
AKG K712 Pro - I love the soundstage of these, but that is it sadly. Currently my gf's daughter is using it.

IEM:
Tin T4 - Bought it due to hype train. Not a bad IEM but I like ex800st more.
Sony MDR-ex800st - I am gonna use this until it breaks lol

How does the 560S compare to the Elex and HD650?
 

ksw1843

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How does the 560S compare to the Elex and HD650?

Hmmm.... HD560s is definitely brighter than both. HD560s is quite flat except small spike in high, but not harsh. It is clean and fast. HD560s has different tonality than both. It kinda has Senn house sound, but doesn't have HD6 series' warmth. I don't know if it is right way to put it. It has better bass extension than HD650 but HD650 is clearly warmer headphones. Elex is better than both in almost every way in my opinion . Due to HD560s is being brighter headphones, it feels like I am hearing great amount of details. But you can hear more details from Elex. Possibly the driver difference. It doesn't mean that HD560s isn't good. You know Elex is 3x times more money than HD560s.

To my ears, if I can listen to a music with enough volume Elex > HD560s > HD650. If I have to turn the volume down, Elex > HD650 > HD560s. My gear is Toping E30 + THX789. Both Elex and HD650 with balanced output, and HD560s with SE output.
 

kkeretic

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AKG K712 Pro - I love the soundstage of these, but that is it sadly. Currently my gf's daughter is using it.

I got a pair of K712 a several years ago to drive them with an Asus Xonar ST sound card. Never loved them. They sounded most of the time as if someone has put a cloth over the speakers. Got the Topping A50 hp amp last January and things actually started to sound better. Until a few weeks ago when I started to mess with parametric equalizer. To be honest, the equalized K712 are now so much different beast that I am planning to order another pair for future use. I simply fell in love with those headphones after a years watching them resting in the dust. Compared with HiFiMAN Sundara I got two weeks ago, I have to say I enjoy the K712 significantly more, at least for now. Who would say.
 

3125b

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Recently added a pair of Focal Elear to my collection and been using it as my main stay since.
It may be heavier than the typical dynamic headphones, but it distributes that well and is pretty comfortable to wear.
 

Jose Hidalgo

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Mid-Fi cans :
- Hifiman Sundara
- Sennheiser HD600
- Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon
- Sony MDR-CD1000 (old, with brand new pads - I wish I could find a decent EQ preset for it, fingers crossed !)

Noise Cancelling cans :
- Bose QC15 (found them on a train, never found the owner so I kept them)
- these SOTA noise-cancelling cans

Lo-Fi cans :
- OneOdio Studio Pro
- Marshall *don't know the model*

Wireless cans :
- Novero Rockdale (broken, I sat on them)
- Some sh*tty chinese BT cans that never really worked

Misc :
- A bunch of crappy in-ear cans
 
Last edited:

overkilly

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Hello! Been lurker for a while, thought I'd finally join the head-phun!

My HPs:

STAX SR-009
HD800S
HD800
HD6XX
HD598
ZMF Ori
Sony XB1000
TH900 (modded with Lawton and Spalted Maple cups)
Verum 1
Probably my most used is the Bose QC35 as I constantly use it with my phone for calls, youtube, etc. For music, Stax is reference, for travel it's usually the HD800S.

And for in-ears:

UE Mavericks - my favorites
Triple-fi pros
Moondrop Blessing
Heir Audio 8.0
InEar Prophile-8 (with Plussound bluetooth cable) - probably my most used for mowing lawn and other noisy environs.
 

ksw1843

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I got a pair of K712 a several years ago to drive them with an Asus Xonar ST sound card. Never loved them. They sounded most of the time as if someone has put a cloth over the speakers. Got the Topping A50 hp amp last January and things actually started to sound better. Until a few weeks ago when I started to mess with parametric equalizer. To be honest, the equalized K712 are now so much different beast that I am planning to order another pair for future use. I simply fell in love with those headphones after a years watching them resting in the dust. Compared with HiFiMAN Sundara I got two weeks ago, I have to say I enjoy the K712 significantly more, at least for now. Who would say.

I was using it with Atom mostly. It isn't bad headphones. I just felt it is missing something. I liked it but not as much as others.
 

Blujackaal

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ER4SR - Pretty much endgame worthy, Have mine EQ'd to mimic a ER4XR with 2 dips fixed.

DT 770 pro 250ohm - Not tried any music on it yet but the comfort way better than the Shure 1540's i had.
 

odyo

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Did anyone compared Emu Teak to DT 1990 in the dynamic drivers realm ?
 

ReaderZ

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Used to own: HD650 and quite a few IEMS, but save that for another day.

Recently owned: LCD-3, HD800s

Owns now: Koss KSC75, HD598, DCA Aeon 2 closed, Focal Elex.

Some random impression on current and recent ones, not meant to be full reviews:

KSC75 is surprisingly good for the price. Super easy to drive.

HD598: Not that great, bass is really lacking, vocal is fine though. Very easy to drive. Overall not bad deal as I got it on sale for about USD100

LCD-3: Very good, sound on warm and full side, very smooth and laid back, excellent bass with great texture, mid is smooth and relaxed. Not the most detailed consider the price. Good on vast majority of musics, very little weakness sound wise. Very heavy but very comfortable pad, sound is not fatiguing but usable duration is limited by weight. Somewhat hard to drive, need an amp.

HD800s: The headphone with most characters. Amazing at some area, lacking in others. Sound is lean and clean, one of the most detailed headphones, best sound stage and imaging of any headphone I have heard. I have read some say sound stage is great but imaging is not precise or accurate as it could be, I completely disagree. It's so good I once thought I had turned my speaker on because a explosion in game sound just like it came from my front right speaker. Bass is really lacking though, need EQ, and after EQ it also only sound right on some of the songs. On the other hand, for some of the songs it does work, it can take them to a whole new level for me, such as most sounds from 孟庭苇. Super light and super comfortable, unlike most new headphones, ear pads aren't meant to create a seal which IMO is what make it super comfortable on top of being light. Somewhat hard to drive, need an amp.

Aeon 2 closed: Sound isolation is amazing. Overall sound a bit "dry" and a bit too laid back to the point vocal can sound too laid back or veiled, EQ can open up the sound but won't help for the "dryness". For pure sound it clearly loses to LCD-3, HD800s and Elex, but noise isolation and comfort is great. Does get a bit hot and systematic leather pad is not as comfortable as the real thing. Somewhat hard to drive, need an amp.

Elex: Very little weakness, very speaker like sounding. Sound is smooth but with good energy and punch. Weight and comfort is good but not great. Performance/Price is very high. Easy to drive, no amp required.

Impression other than KSC 75 is based on usage with Topping DX7 Pro to A90, reference speaker is KH310. Note none of them sound as good as KH310 overall, and only HD800s have some songs I would prefer it over the speakers for critical listening. However, both Elex and LCD-3 are good when I am tiered and want to relax, as KH310 has a bit too much energy for that purpose.
 

Alcides

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New guy here:

Stax L700 MKI
Stax SR007 MK2
ES-Lab Sigma (Stax 404 drivers)
Audeze LCD-X
Audeze LCD-2C (closed)
Sennheiser HD580, HD600, HD5XX(drop)

JH Audio JH13V2

I'm a recording engineer (classical). I use the Audeze and JH audio to monitor on location and in the studio (the Sennheisers are for artists/producer and checking and comparing how things translate). I use the Stax for fun.
 

jaco61

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Audioquest nighthawk with brainwavz hybrid pads.. Love them the most. Some hate them... what I can understand.
Sold: Akg 702, thx00, emu teak, hd650, hd58x, verum 1, hifiman sundara, 4xx..
Different ears.. Different tastes.. Seems no truth fitting for all.
 

TheGhostOfEugeneDebs

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I have my list of random cans in my sig below:
 

Ken1951

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Old guy who now owns zero headphones, but I have fond memories from back in the mid-70s of my Stax SR 5 and SRD-7 running off a McIntosh power amp. Used them for several years before selling them on. The prices for headphones these days totally astound me.
 
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TomB19

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I still need to sell my HD 58X's because they sound like ass to me.

Mine sounded bad also, until I broke them in.

I suggest running them for about a day at medium volume and then listening to them again.
 

TomB19

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I upgraded my whole headphone program early this year, when the pandemic had my department working from home. I figured I'd be listening to them all day.

I was enjoying an ancient pair of Sony closed back headphones from the 1980s (MDR-CD999). They were much to my liking, although a bit bright when loud and the leather pads made my ears sweat on long listening sessions.

Ordered the HD58X and HE4XX from Drop. I also picked up a Topping P50/D50s/A50 early this year that went pretty much unused until the HD58X arrived.

The HD58X arrived first. They sounded awful but I enjoyed the comfort. They do not make my ears sweat, even when listening all day, so I listened to them for hours at a time for a few weeks.

The HE4XX arrived a few weeks later after the Senns. The first HD58X/HE4XX comparisons heavily favoured the Sennheiser. I tried the Hifimans a few times, perhaps for 60 minutes total. Eventually, I sold the 4XX to a buddy at work.

By the time I sold the HE4XX, the HD58X sounded sublime. I fell in love with them and didn't look back. There have been few headphones that are this graceful when playing loud but they are also wonderful at lower volumes.

Four months went by and we are back in the office. My buddy had his Hifimans there and was demoing some folks. Everyone was raving about them. When I gave the headphones another listen from his phone and Fiio dac/amp, I was surprised. These headphones sounded nothing like when I sold them. They sounded were clean, sharp, and beautiful; an absolute pleasure.

We've since swapped headphones for an afternoon. We are both pleased with our respective headphones, knowing what the other sounds like. Either of us would be pleased if we owned the other headphones.

If I had received the HE4XX first, I'm pretty confident they would have broken in first and I would own them right now, with my co-worker owning the HD58X. It would have been fine. I'm glad how it worked out but mostly because I love the comfort of the Senn pads and the smooth vibe that comes from being a wee bit less bright on the high end. Either headphone, in my opinion, are bloody fantastic.

I had intended to order the HD6XX and sell down my less favourite of the HD58X/HD6XX pair but they are said to be brighter and I'm so pleased with the HD58X, there is no need to search further. Those who like their headphones a bit more forward should look past the HD58X.
 

vagii

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Current Setup: Laptop - Topping E30/L30
IEM:Moondrop Blessing 2
Planar: Hifiman Ananda
Dynamic: Audio-Technica ATH-R70X

Owned:Grado SR80, Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm, Beyerdynamic T50p, Beyerdynamic T1 2nd G.
 

phrwn

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Previously
Technics RP-DJ1200
: ~1997-2004. Kind of stupid DJ headphones, but I liked them at the time. Lots of bass and you could swivel one earcup independently so yeah, that was a feature...

Alessandro MS-2: ~2004. I think I only tried these for a few hours, couple of days at most. All I remember is they sounded awful and I didn't like them at all.

Sennheiser PXC 300: Active noise cancelling from the late 90's/early 00's. Took two AAA batteries in a nice hefty battery pack someone along the cable. The ANC definitely did 'something' if you were on a plane. I don't remember anything else about these, so not sure musical enjoyment ever factored in. Foldable too I see... cool.

Sennheiser HD25-2 II: ~2010-201?. Never liked the split headband, but these were fine. I can't remember anything outstandingly good or bad, sound or comfort-wise. I sold them in the end because I decided IEM's were easier for travel, which is what I mainly used them for. Sometimes feel like giving up and just getting these again for everything.

Audio-Technica ATH-A900: ~2007-2015. Loved these for the entire time I owned them until I got the TH-X00's and then realized I'd been listening to the inside of two tin cans for eight years. Supremely comfortable though.

Fostex TH-X00: 2015-2020. I enjoyed these (hence five years), but in the end felt like everything was a bit soupy with some tracks presenting some horrible treble peaks or something like that. Fatiguing and aggressive in that respect. The stock pads weren't very comfortable either - Yaxi Alcantara were much better. I did the Lawton DIY mod, but didn't find it helped much, if at all. The massive heavy cable was the final irritation, after switching from a desktop to laptop setup.

64 Audio U12t: 2020. I had these for a couple of months. Easily the best thing I'd ever heard and I thought I was done for a minute. However, practical issues defeated them. I don't sit for long enough to be able to deal with IEM's that need to be put in just right, cable looped over the top of the ear, seals created, etc. I find I'm up every few minutes to get the door, let a cat in, let a cat out, let a cat come halfway in and just stand in the doorway preparing to be instantly displeased with whichever option it picks, make coffe, make tea, eat stupid lunch... And because they sealed, as IEM's do, I can't hear anything else. So the doorbell is registered by my wife throwing desk detritus at me because she's on a Zoom meeting. If she speaks I have to notice, pause whatever is playing, pull an ear out, ask her what's up, and generally get a sigh "NOTHING!" in response by the time I've done all that. All of which to say, I became aware of how important considerations around ultimate sound quality are with this stuff. I also tried to Bluetoothify them with Fiio UTSW1's, which were intensely uncomfortable, introduced BT lag, and possibly damaged the connectors in one unit prompting a warranty repair. Disaster really, but they did sound good.

Focal Elegia: 2020. Just returned these after a few weeks of use. They are good, but I just wasn't enjoying them. I tried adding a Hidizs S8 which made them much better than the laptop headphone socket (big surprise), but still no fun. I'm not sure whether Crinacle's summary of "Severe lack of upper midrange and treble results in a muffled, dulled tone." is right, or whether it just got in my head so that is what I heard, but either way I agree. I got them in an Adorama $400 deal, so was thinking are these good for $400? If I paid $900 for them I don't think I would have given them as long as I did.

Current
Etymotic hf3
: Had these since ~2013. Only good for phone calls these days. They sound fine when out and about, but comparing with anything else I have to hand and it's not good.

Etymotic ER4XR: Bought Nov 2020. I guess like the hf3's but with extra bass, less ear-assaulting highs, and more detail. Better tone and less fatiguing all round.

Incoming
Hifiman Ananda
: Just ordered. I have never once tried open backs. Or planars.

I've got Focal Clears on the watchlist, but can't deal with full price when they go on sale for $899, so they can wait. I was thinking about E-MU Teak's as well, since the TH-X00's were good, but am concerned they'll be too similar - soupy and uncomfortable. I read somewhere they don't do as well with pad swaps either, so the comfort seems to be non-improvable.
 

phrwn

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Hifiman Ananda: Just ordered. I have never once tried open backs. Or planars.
Well they didn't last long. I wondered if I could get away with open backs and was assured by the working-from-home wife, within the first 15 minutes, that I could not. I wasn't listening to anything particularly obnoxious and not very loud and got asked to turn it down.

Things I did notice in that brief time though:
  • They sounded ok - nothing revelatory, but then 15 minutes is not enough to make a proper judgement. Just noting that I wasn't blown away. No U12t obvious quality differences here.
  • The packaging is pretty chintzy. The box is nice, but the ruffled satin inside would be better if it was just foam cutout. I actually don't mind cheap packaging because at least you're not overpaying for the box, in theory. Still, a noticeable difference from the Focal's.
  • They don't feel nice in the hand. Lots of sharp edges and a stiff pleather headband, which would presumably loosen up somewhere past the 15 minutes I gave them. Still, those sharp edges won't. Again, the Focal's were much nicer.
  • I thought the elongated pad shape would be more comfortable than round pads, but I could feel pressure all the way down the sides in front of my ear and they drop so low on my face. Surprisingly warm in there too.
So, I might have to scratch the Clear's from the watchlist and either think about E-Mu Teaks or just stick with these IEM's and stop buying things.
 

Honken

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I just bought the Sennheiser HD 600 to replace my old Philips X2 which were getting worn down from five years of daily use. It's too early to tell but I like what I've heard from the 600 so far using Oratorys PEQ, it's very... inoffensive and easy to listen to. The fit and comfort seems worse, but maybe I'm just not used to them yet.

I'm using an Element 2 to drive them, so nothing overly fancy there.
 
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