What headphone(s) do you own ?

[UpTo11]

1more triple driver over ear ( very u shaped often the bass is just to much for me, like its highs.) now trying to eq it myself

Never been satisfied with EQing "by ear" of these HP (or even by eye, using FR curves as a reference).
I tried AutoEQ parametric settings and now it's my default for these cans. I find them way better EQed this way.

 

[A Surfer]

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.

No way, get a decent closed back headphone. If I remember correctly, stuffing things into your ear canal while for some results in wonderful sound increases the risk of ear infections, wax buildup deeper, and places you at increased risk for hearing damage if you like to turn the volume up. For me, the tradeoffs of external mounted headphones are well worth it and I still do not believe that IEM are as realistic sounding. Some of how we perceive sound is the outermost ear being stimulated by moving air. A larger driver mounted externally should create at least some stimulus of this nature which contributes to the perceived scale of the sound. Those are just some of my musings, I am sure others will differ.

 

[Dmitri]

Very rarely use them, as my system is well isolated from my early to bed bride for my nighttime listening, but I do like my old HD 580’s. Speaker pads are still OK, a testament to how little use they really get, but just replaced the head pads.
As stated many times, it’s a completely different listening experience, and it takes a few minutes to adjust to the “in your head” affect, but I love catching the little detail nuances that aren’t so obvious with my speaker system.

Nothing huge to offer...I find them with a warm presentation and a clear, but not overly bright high end.
They beat the hell out of the old vinyl padded Koss phones and the Realistics
with their noisy volume pots that I owned as a kid!

 

[phrwn]

No way, get a decent closed back headphone. If I remember correctly, stuffing things into your ear canal while for some results in wonderful sound increases the risk of ear infections, wax buildup deeper, and places you at increased risk for hearing damage if you like to turn the volume up. For me, the tradeoffs of external mounted headphones are well worth it and I still do not believe that IEM are as realistic sounding. Some of how we perceive sound is the outermost ear being stimulated by moving air. A larger driver mounted externally should create at least some stimulus of this nature which contributes to the perceived scale of the sound. Those are just some of my musings, I am sure others will differ.

Agreed on all fronts. I've finally made my mind up and am ordering (from four different places) the following:

• Modhouse Argon MK3's, balanced mode
• Periapt balanced cable
• iFi Micro iDSD Signature

I'm aiming for fun over technicalities. I'm not producing, mixing or mastering, so have realized I don't need reference headphones. I mostly listen to electronic music so I think the above combination is going to be great.

 

[A Surfer]

Agreed on all fronts. I've finally made my mind up and am ordering (from four different places) the following:

• Modhouse Argon MK3's, balanced mode
• Periapt balanced cable
• iFi Micro iDSD Signature

I'm aiming for fun over technicalities. I'm not producing, mixing or mastering, so have realized I don't need reference headphones. I mostly listen to electronic music so I think the above combination is going to be great.

Yes, it sounds like you are in for a treat. Update the thread if you can. I would be curious to know how the combination works for you. I love electronic music, any suggestions?

 

[phrwn]

Update the thread if you can. I would be curious to know how the combination works for you. I love electronic music, any suggestions?

Will do! PM'd some stuff I've been listening to recently, to save trashing the thread.

 

[lsferro]

Hi ASR. This is my first post here. I am a recent member, though a regular visitor for years.

These are my headphones:
AKG K240 mkII
AKG K702
Stax L300

And these are my IEMs:
Fiio F3
Sony MHC1
Etymotic HF5

For critical listening of well recorded/mastered pieces, specially classic, I prefer the L300 (with SRM-252S). On other occasions I use the K702, mostly with Anniversary pads. In both cases the DAC is the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, which is also the amp for the K702. The K240 are now part of another system, powered by an Objective 2 (assembled by Walter from Head’n’HiFi), with a Fiio E07K as DAC.

Regarding IEMs, the HF5 are those that I prefer, connected either to a Fiio X3 (2nd gen.) or directly to the ADI-2, replacing the L300/K702 on those occasions when a closed headphone is needed.

 

[Vini darko]

Yes, it sounds like you are in for a treat. Update the thread if you can. I would be curious to know how the combination works for you. I love electronic music, any suggestions?

I've been enjoying Kryptic minds and Biome alot lately. Here's a lively tune from both

 

[A Surfer]

I've been enjoying Kryptic minds and Biome alot lately. Here's a lively tune from both

Thanks for the recommendations and links! I'll be able to listen soon.

 

[TheGhostOfEugeneDebs]

Hi ASR. This is my first post here. I am a recent member, though a regular visitor for years.

These are my headphones:
AKG K240 mkII
AKG K702
Stax L300

And these are my IEMs:
Fiio F3
Sony MHC1
Etymotic HF5

For critical listening of well recorded/mastered pieces, specially classic, I prefer the L300 (with SRM-252S). On other occasions I use the K702, mostly with Anniversary pads. In both cases the DAC is the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, which is also the amp for the K702. The K240 are now part of another system, powered by an Objective 2 (assembled by Walter from Head’n’HiFi), with a Fiio E07K as DAC.

Regarding IEMs, the HF5 are those that I prefer, connected either to a Fiio X3 (2nd gen.) or directly to the ADI-2, replacing the L300/K702 on those occasions when a closed headphone is needed.

I don't know if you've done this, but the L300 benefits *tremendously* in both comfort and bass extension if you swap on some L700 pads and put some bluetac around the edges to create a seal.

 

[lsferro]

I don't know if you've done this, but the L300 benefits *tremendously* in both comfort and bass extension if you swap on some L700 pads and put some bluetac around the edges to create a seal.

Thank you for your suggestion. I read about it on HeadFi but didn’t try it yet. Regarding any bass correction that might be needed, for the moment I prefer to EQ rather than pad changing (this is one of the reasons I chose the RME ADI-2 DAC).

There is however a well-known comfort issue with the L300 and that concerns the ear tips touching the grids that protect the drivers. Although not a deal breaker for me, after a couple of hours I do have to take off my L300 to give my ear tips some rest.

I tried to solve the problem by adding 12mm Socas spacers and it worked very well for my ear tips without noticeable change in SQ. However, probably because I wear glasses, after another couple of hours the extra pressure caused by the spacers on both sides of my head becomes uncomfortable or even slightly painful and again I have to take off the L300. So, I solved a comfort issue by creating a different one.

Given all this, I now have the following options:

• Accepting to live with the original pads;
• Adding 6mm Socas spacers instead of 12mm;
• Doing the bluetac mod with L700 pads;
• Changing the original pads for L700 or the L500 pads without doing the bluetac mod (by the way, is there any reason to prefer the L700 pads over the L500’s?)

I welcome any opinions from the ASR community. Not sure if this is the right thread to discuss it, though.

 

[TheGhostOfEugeneDebs]

Thank you for your suggestion. I read about it on HeadFi but didn’t try it yet. Regarding any bass correction that might be needed, for the moment I prefer to EQ rather than pad changing (this is one of the reasons I chose the RME ADI-2 DAC).

There is however a well-known comfort issue with the L300 and that concerns the ear tips touching the grids that protect the drivers. Although not a deal breaker for me, after a couple of hours I do have to take off my L300 to give my ear tips some rest.

I tried to solve the problem by adding 12mm Socas spacers and it worked very well for my ear tips without noticeable change in SQ. However, probably because I wear glasses, after another couple of hours the extra pressure caused by the spacers on both sides of my head becomes uncomfortable or even slightly painful and again I have to take off the L300. So, I solved a comfort issue by creating a different one.

Given all this, I now have the following options:

• Accepting to live with the original pads;
• Adding 6mm Socas spacers instead of 12mm;
• Doing the bluetac mod with L700 pads;
• Changing the original pads for L700 or the L500 pads without doing the bluetac mod (by the way, is there any reason to prefer the L700 pads over the L500’s?)

I welcome any opinions from the ASR community. Not sure if this is the right thread to discuss it, though.

I'll be honest, I don't like software EQ for headphones because I have so many of them and actually enjoy the different sound signatures to mix things up for myself.

That said, the L300 has a physical problem with seal that makes low bass next to impossible. I sincerely doubt that a software EQ can fix that without sounding off. You may not need the L700 pads, those are more for comfort, though the thickness will alter the FR in favor of bass response. The bluetac mod though, should be done to ensure the driver is providing you with everything it's capable of. It will likely be easier to EQ bass if it's not leaking out the sides of the earcups.

 

[gorman]

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.

Yes, I have HD800, equalized them with Oratory's settings. Sometimes this happens to me. After a while I forget about wearing them (so comfortable) and there are music passages where I have to remind myself I'm listening through headphones.

 

[lsferro]

I'll be honest, I don't like software EQ for headphones because I have so many of them and actually enjoy the different sound signatures to mix things up for myself.

That said, the L300 has a physical problem with seal that makes low bass next to impossible. I sincerely doubt that a software EQ can fix that without sounding off. You may not need the L700 pads, those are more for comfort, though the thickness will alter the FR in favor of bass response. The bluetac mod though, should be done to ensure the driver is providing you with everything it's capable of. It will likely be easier to EQ bass if it's not leaking out the sides of the earcups.

We have different approaches to headphone EQuing, of course, although I understand the charm of owning a large collection of headphones with different sound signatures to choose from, which is not my case.

IMO the L300 is not seriously lacking in the bass department. Crinacle FR graphs seem to confirm this. According to them there is indeed a roll off at 40Hz but less severe than with the other Lambdas and not much different from that of the SR-007. For the music that I listen most often the L300 bass is perfectly acceptable in quantity and quality, which of course doesn’t mean it cannot be improved. At the moment, I am adding 3db at 40 Hz with 1.5 Q.

I may try the bleutac mod someday, but something puzzles me about it. Its goal is to improve the seal but, from the photos on HeadFi, it creates some gaps between the pad and the adapter. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that this should increase the overall leaking, not decrease it. Could you please show me where I am wrong?

 

[TheGhostOfEugeneDebs]

We have different approaches to headphone EQuing, of course, although I understand the charm of owning a large collection of headphones with different sound signatures to choose from, which is not my case.

IMO the L300 is not seriously lacking in the bass department. Crinacle FR graphs seem to confirm this. According to them there is indeed a roll off at 40Hz but less severe than with the other Lambdas and not much different from that of the SR-007. For the music that I listen most often the L300 bass is perfectly acceptable in quantity and quality, which of course doesn’t mean it cannot be improved. At the moment, I am adding 3db at 40 Hz with 1.5 Q.

I may try the bleutac mod someday, but something puzzles me about it. Its goal is to improve the seal but, from the photos on HeadFi, it creates some gaps between the pad and the adapter. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that this should increase the overall leaking, not decrease it. Could you please show me where I am wrong?

It shouldn't stick up above the line in the groove the pads sit in, so it just allows the pads to seal to the cup. I sold my l300, or I'd take pictures, I'm sorry.

 

[lsferro]

It shouldn't stick up above the line in the groove the pads sit in, so it just allows the pads to seal to the cup. I sold my l300, or I'd take pictures, I'm sorry.

Thank you, TheGhostOfEugeneDebs. I see you own a SR-007MK2.5 with a Ifi Pro iESL as energizer. Are you happy with this set? The so called Stax Mafia doesn’t seem to appreciate the Ifi Pro iESL, but then they rarely praise other energizers outside those from Kevin Gilmore/Spritzer.
Also, may I ask what music genres you prefer? I am asking this because I think that it affects our subjective perception of the headphones SQ.
In my case, I listen mostly to classical music, jazz, classic rock and some acoustic 'world music' (portuguese, brazilian, latin american, greek, 'celtic' and african, but also 'chanson française', for instance...).

 

[TheGhostOfEugeneDebs]

Thank you, TheGhostOfEugeneDebs. I see you own a SR-007MK2.5 with a Ifi Pro iESL as energizer. Are you happy with this set? The so called Stax Mafia doesn’t seem to appreciate the Ifi Pro iESL, but then they rarely praise other energizers outside those from Kevin Gilmore/Spritzer.
Also, may I ask what music genres you prefer? I am asking this because I think that itaffects our subjective perception of the headphones SQ.
In my case, I listen mostly to classical music, jazz, classic rock and some acoustic 'world music' (portuguese, brazilian, latin american, greek, 'celtic' and african, but also 'chanson française', for instance...).

I think that the design of the iesl concerns the Stax mafia for reasons I don't understand as a lay-person. My experience with it has been amazing though. I've used it with the emotiva and the hypex monoblocks and it really appreciates the clean power of the hypex amps. It's by far my favorite way to listen to the 007 compared to the two Stax amps I had, the 323x and the 252s (which was awful with the 007 - clearly not enough power).

I don't have any specific genre preferences for my music listening honestly. I do appreciate jazz and similar kinds of acoustic music with the 007s in particular though. I usually swap out for the Verite or Grado headphones for rock or metal or something harder.

 

[lsferro]

I think that the design of the iesl concerns the Stax mafia for reasons I don't understand as a lay-person. My experience with it has been amazing though. I've used it with the emotiva and the hypex monoblocks and it really appreciates the clean power of the hypex amps. It's by far my favorite way to listen to the 007 compared to the two Stax amps I had, the 323x and the 252s (which was awful with the 007 - clearly not enough power).

I don't have any specific genre preferences for my music listening honestly. I do appreciate jazz and similar kinds of acoustic music with the 007s in particular though. I usually swap out for the Verite or Grado headphones for rock or metal or something harder.

The 323s/353x and the 252s are two of the few Stax energizers that the ‘Stax Mafia’ consider well designed, though underpowered for the Omega line, specially for the SR-007, which seems to be the less sensitive of all.

Not wanting to monopolize your attention, nevertheless I would like to ask you what else did you find missing on the L300 besides bass? Also, when you jumped to the SR-007 did you ever consider the L700 or the SR-009 as alternatives and what drove you to the SR-007 instead?

Please note that the L300 is the only Stax earphone that I have listened to, so everything I might say about the others is purely by having read about it. That is why your experience is particularly important to me. Thank you for your patience.

 

[SeaNNyT]

I own the ATH AD900x (bought 6 years back)
Briefly owned the Fidelio x2hr last year, returned them, wasn't a fan of the muddy sound.
Bought the Beyer DT 1990 pro last year.

Would I like the Sundara, or would it just be more of the same relative to the DT 1990?

 

[Saeniv]

This is my current headphonelist. Each of these headphones i had owned for at least a few months, to evaluate if i like them or not.

Owned:
AKG 340, AKG K812
Sennheiser HD800, Sennheiser HD58X, Sennheiser HD660S, Sennheiser HD700
Grado RS1, Grado SR225i, Grado SR125, Grado SR60i
Shure SRH1840,
Philips SHP 9500, Philips Fidelio X2,
Focal Elear, Focal Spirit Classic
Audio Technica ATH-R70X,
Fostex TH-X00
Hifiman He-400i, Hifiman Sundara,
Audioquest Nighthawk,

Thinking about selling:
AKG K712, AKG Q701
Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD650,
Beyerdynamic DT990, Beyerdynamic DT880pro, Beyerdynamic DT1990Pro, Beyerdynamic Tygr R300,
Austrian Audio Hi-X55,
Hifiman He-5(first Hifiman), Hifiman He-500,

In Collection:
AKG 240 Sextett,
Sennheiser HD580,
Grado SR325,
Beyerdynamic DT880-600Ohm, Beyerdynamic T1.2(best gaming headphone)
Audeze LCD-2.2

I have a little headphone addiction.