Here’s my mid-fi collection:
- Focal Elex
- Focal Elegia
- Sennheiser HD660S
- Sennheiser/Drop HD58X
- Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X
- FiiO FH5
- Apple AirPods Pro
- Aftermarket cables from Audiophile Ninja, Hart Audio, and Periapt
A few random thoughts:
The Focals are very dynamic, with great slam and detail. The Elex sounds more natural, but the Elegia has more punch. I find both fun to listen to and reasonably comfortable for up to a couple of hours.
The two Sennheisers are quite similar, though to my ear the 660 is cleaner across the spectrum than the 58X. Both are comfortable enough for working at the computer all day. Even though the Focals are more exciting, I find myself listening to the 660S more than the others due to their better comfort and smooth tonality.
I primarily use the Beyers for checking mixes. As you know, they’re terribly bright, but that can be advantageous when you’re hunting down little anomalies in a mix. I also sometimes run them through Sonarworks which smooths the FR and makes them much more tolerable for longer sessions. I prefer the balanced over the analytical pads.
The Audio-Technicas are pretty terrible for normal listening, but I keep them around for monitoring in live performance situations where I need a rugged and cheap closed back for throwing around.
I find most IEMs uncomfortable so I don’t end up using the FiiOs much. I find the Airpods Pro mostly tolerable, and because they’re so incredibly convenient I end up using them a lot more than my other IEMs.
I do most of my listening at a desk, so I prefer a cable in the 4’-5’ range. The stock Sennheiser cables are OK but too long, the Focal cables look great but are too stiff and feel terrible. I‘ve tried aftermarket cables from Periapt, Hart Audio, Audiophile Ninja, and some cheapies from Amazon and Ebay. The Periapt are well made, but the design of the junction is such that it easily gets caught on the desk (quite annoying after a while). The Hart Audio have a clever modular design that’s nice if you need both 1/4” and XLR plugs, though they seem a little more fragile than the others. Overall, my favorites are the Audiophile Ninja cables, which check all of the boxes and appear to be the highest quality of those that I’ve tried.
I started using Roon last year and dove into EQing all of my headphones. Every one was pretty dramatically improved with EQ, with the 660S perhaps benefitting the most. I’ve had great luck with Oratory1990’s Harman Target EQs.
Thanks for taking a look.