What headphone(s) do you own ?

[\m/]

Beyerdynamic DT880 (600 Ohm) - for gaming @ pc

Beyerdynamic T1 (2. Gen) - for music @ pc

Beyerdynamic IDX 200 IE - @work

Beyerdynamic Xelento Remote & Wireless - all other outdoor activities


At home they are driven by a Beyerdynamic A2 headamp, outdoor driven by a Huawei Mate10 Pro .
[still searching a easy to use small mobile usb-c dac for the sensitive Xelentos :-( ]

 

[odyo]

Hifiman Ananda: stock tonality meh, kinda unusable to me. With eq, it's superb and sounds very real however lacks a bit of impact and fun factor.

Beyer DT 770 250 ohm: long time favourite however Ananda killed these for me. Sounds very artificial and filtered compared to Ananda.

CAL: well its not high quality sound and form factor sucks but the bass and overall sound is not bad. It's 10+ year old. Surprisingly durable.

What i wanna try:
Emu Teak
LCD 2F
LCD X 2021
Focal Elex/Clear
Senn HD800S/8XX
Beyer T1.2/T1.3

I wanna sell my Ananda and try other headphones but these Hifiman's build quality sucks which makes it hard to sell. My Ananda have some cosmetic issues due to poor build.

 

[\m/]

T1.3 are a step backwards in my opinion - T1.2 sounds for me much better and dont get stressy at long listening sessions. T1.3 bass is enjoyable for very short sessions, overall more for "audiophile bassheads", rly missing the beyerpeak on T1.3

 

[Jave]

Audio Technion ATH-M50x
Sennheiser HD650
HifiMan RE-400
HifiMan RE-600
Ora GrapheneGQ
Samsung Buds Pro

Had the HD800 long ago, but sold them for the HD650 since they felt like a worse and more expensive version

 

[qec]

Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Philips SHP9500
HifiMan HE400i
Samsung Level (bluetooth)

The Philips are used exclusively for Zoom calls (hours a day). Most comfortable I own. Don't use the ATH-M50x much any more now that I have the HE400i

 

[paolomo]

I feel you. Ananda are on the way

I eventually returned the Ananda. I liked them a lot, but IMHO they get a lot of things right in view “mobile” usage (high sensitivity, great sound even without EQ etc.) and you pay for that. I don’t need that part and I can’t justify the expense. I’ll miss them, for sure.

 

[Hammeredklavier]

AKG 701s - looking somewhat second hand now, but still sound fine. Perhaps a little bit bright and thin, but that very pure, finely etched sound is appealing.
Sennheiser 650s - I've had them a good few years now and still haven't decided whether I like them or not. I think I do!
Focal Spirit Pros - get a lot of use, since I like good isolation. A/Bing with something like the 701s reveals rather a lot of colouration, but without A/Bing my ears seem to filter it out. Easy to drive and good sounding, but certainly not the last word in comfort and they're quite cheaply made. Although the 650s are distinctly plasticky as well.
Neumann NDH 20s - only had them a few days, but these are excellent. Isolation is actually better than the Focals, which is already very good. They're supposed to be designed for absolute neutrality, but subjectively I'd say the bass had a bit of a 'lift' and the top end seems to have been softened a little. I've no way of knowing whether they're dead neutral or not, but certainly any complaints about the sound quality of these things is well into trivial, nit-picking territory: they sound fantastic. They're a bit heavy though, and if I was in a perfectly silent room (which I rarely am) then I might find myself preferring the 650s. Build quality blows my other cans out of the water, they're robustly built of aluminium.

 

[Robbo99999]

AKG 701s - looking somewhat second hand now, but still sound fine. Perhaps a little bit bright and thin, but that very pure, finely etched sound is appealing.
Sennheiser 650s - I've had them a good few years now and still haven't decided whether I like them or not. I think I do!
Focal Spirit Pros - get a lot of use, since I like good isolation. A/Bing with something like the 701s reveals rather a lot of colouration, but without A/Bing my ears seem to filter it out. Easy to drive and good sounding, but certainly not the last word in comfort and they're quite cheaply made. Although the 650s are distinctly plasticky as well.
Neumann NDH 20s - only had them a few days, but these are excellent. Isolation is actually better than the Focals, which is already very good. They're supposed to be designed for absolute neutrality, but subjectively I'd say the bass had a bit of a 'lift' and the top end seems to have been softened a little. I've no way of knowing whether they're dead neutral or not, but certainly any complaints about the sound quality of these things is well into trivial, nit-picking territory: they sound fantastic. They're a bit heavy though, and if I was in a perfectly silent room (which I rarely am) then I might find myself preferring the 650s. Build quality blows my other cans out of the water, they're robustly built of aluminium.

NDH 20 is massively bass heavy, and a little V-shaped in it's frequency response. I did an EQ for someone based on Oratory's measurement of the NDH 20, you can try it if you like:

 

[Hammeredklavier]

NDH 20 is massively bass heavy, and a little V-shaped in it's frequency response. I did an EQ for someone based on Oratory's measurement of the NDH 20, you can try it if you like:
View attachment 124154

Thanks, I'll have a go!

They sound very nice anyway, but yeah, the bass perhaps sounds slightly 'hot'. I think with headphones, some softening of the treble region may be desirable. I haven't got round to a direct comparison yet but the overall presentation of the sound is probably similar to the HD650s - maybe slightly warmer and softer than neutral.

I chose them mainly for their build and excellent isolation, but I might have a go at EQing them, as you suggest!

 

[Robbo99999]

Thanks, I'll have a go!

They sound very nice anyway, but yeah, the bass perhaps sounds slightly 'hot'. I think with headphones, some softening of the treble region may be desirable. I haven't got round to a direct comparison yet but the overall presentation of the sound is probably similar to the HD650s - maybe slightly warmer and softer than neutral.

I chose them mainly for their build and excellent isolation, but I might have a go at EQing them, as you suggest!

If you find that you like that EQ I showed you, then you're probably a fan of the Harman Curve....because that's an EQ to the Harman Curve.....and the good thing about finding out that you like the Harman Curve means you can do the same for any headphone that has been measured on a GRAS measuring device (measured by Oratory, measured by Crinacle, measured by Amir, those are the ones I know use GRAS).

 

[AdamG]

Here is a master list of PEQ settings recommendations.
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results

 

[Robbo99999]

Here is a master list of PEQ settings recommendations.
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results

The thing to be careful with that list & resource are a few:

• not all those headphones have been measured on a GRAS device, and headphones that haven't are not compatible with the Harman Curve, therefore making those measurements invalid or certainly less valid.
• jaakkopasanen who created that website you linked, he doesn't use the full Harman Curve bass in the EQ's on that site
• The EQ's that are listed on that site use sharp filters above 10kHz which is a bad idea, also I think there is sometimes harsh EQ below 10kHz for example EQ'ing sharp dips that shouldn't be EQ'd for example (or at least should not be EQ'd completely).

The best thing to do when it comes to EQ'ing a headphone that has been measured by Oratory is to use his own EQ's that he creates which he publishes here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/wiki/index/list_of_presets
In my opinion & experience they're the best EQ's on the net.

Then for the headphones that have been measured by Amir, then use his EQ or develop your own EQ from his measurements.

Re headphones that haven't been measured on a GRAS device, then jaakopasenen has created a "Calibrated Target Curve" that is supposed to simulate a proper Harman Curve Target, but it's an approximation and there's reasons for why it wouldn't be totally valid....but it is better than nothing, it's worth using if that particular headphone has not been measured on a GRAS device......always look for GRAS device measurments first (Oratory / Crinacle / Amir).

 

[Nango]

Sennheiser Urbanite XL blind purchase. Hingucker. Eye-catcher.

 

[factory2nd]

Hifiman he400i & Tin audio T2 with balanced cable!

 

[mkarikom]

dan clark e2
senn hd280
noble k10 sla
shure se215

 

[Rayman30]

Updated List:

Hifiman Ananda
Sennheiser HD650
Sennheiser HD497 (Was my first pair from High School)
Sennheiser PX100ii
Meze 99 Classic (Being delivered monday)
Tin T2
Klipsch Image S4
Apple Airpods

 

[Repentant subjectivist]

Stax SR-L500 is the only headphone I own now! I'm done with multiple headphones, I have no need for it.

I might buy the remake of the Stax Omega rumoured in the future. Either that or a 009.

 

[Rottmannash]

At least reading others has helped confirm its not just me that has a "problem", in no particular order:

Senn HD6XX - Sometimes I love these, sometimes I hate them
Apple AP Max - Day to day, working from home, best wireless I've heard, used for meetings
Apple AP Pro - For out and about (with comply tips, none of the silicon ones sealed well)
Grado SR325e - Love the sound but fatiguing
Sony MDR1A - Beginning of the rabbit hole
Sony WM-1000XM3 (Wife now has these)
Sony WF-1000XM3 - Struggled to get these to fit right
Ety ER4XR - Current favourite
Moondrop Starfield - Like the sound of these, but struggle with the fit
V-Moda XS - They were very much reduced, fall off all the time, sound good but I don't have a particular use case for them
Bose Soundsport Wireless - Fun sounding, great for running

In transit - Moondrop Blessing 2

Probably missed some...

I just ordered the Blessing 2 as well. Hope it lives up to the hype.

 

[Blank Verse]

Wow, the equipment porn in this thread.

I've got nothing as spectacular as most everyone else, but I've been more than happy with the AKG K271Mkii headphones I've been using for everyday listening. They're comfortable, light, and I appreciate the automatic shut-off. I keep a long cable connected to each the back of my desktop other hard to reach components and disconnect at the headphones. Quite convenient.

Yes, indeed. Tell you what, I was listening this morning on a completely portable setup that cost me less than $100 and it sounds unbelievably good. RCA Lyra mp3 player going directly (unamped) into a Sennheiser HD520.

The RCA Lyra is about 16 years old, and the HD520 is around 30 years old. The Lyra is a magically sounding MP3 player that is driven by one of the mythical Sigmatel DACs (the same generation of Sigmatel chips that powered the iPod Shuffle 1st Generation). It is extremely musical and detailed, and its only flaw is a steady high pitch electronic noise, but this noise can only be heard under some conditions, and for some reason the HD520 is immune to it (probably impedance matching). The result is unbelievably good, which is surprising considering the Lyra runs off an AAA battery and the HD520 is a 300 ohm headphone. Now, if you don't think I am utterly insane, please continue reading...

As I was saying, this setup sounds incredibly good. The only limitation is the maximum volume, though on source material which is normalized, I wouldn't want to have the volume any louder, and sometimes I actually lower it because it is slightly too loud. Just imagine running a 300 ohm vintage Sennheiser off a rechargeable AAA battery for 6 hours with this quality of sound.

So yeah, it's not just about expensive equipment, it is often about finding magical pieces of equipment which have this otherworldly affinity for each other. Experimentation in audio is a lot of fun, specially if you move into vintage equpment.

 

[jhaider]

Update from above, as I've gone on a bit of a headphone buying spree since mid-pandemic. To be more precise, since @amirm started headphone reviews and made me realize that headphones, being single-driver filterless speakers, are generally going to be tonally flawed. (I still think review grades should be based on what's provided.) There's just so much that can be done when the designer has a hand and three fingers from the other hand tied behind her back. Opening things up beyond active headphones and headphones that sound good-to-great out of the box (i.e. Sennheiser 580/650, NAD NP50) has been kind of fun, and exposed me to a degree of soundstage scale and layering I've never before heard from headphones. Here's the current roster.

Home (if not active, either driven by miniDSP 2x4HD as DAC and EQ feeding HeadRoom Desktop Amp, or Qudelix 5k portable DSP-amp):

• Sennheiser HD580, owned since the 1990s, and I still love them. In my 20s I think they and a pair of Koss KSC-35 were my only headphones, so they went all over the world with me with a HeadRoom Total AirHead and for a while a portable CD player! Every continent save Australia! I realize I'm deep in the minority but aesthetically I prefer the plastic lattice grilles to HD6x0 metal mesh;

• AKG K702 vintage Austrian-made. These sound really just plain off without EQ, but with they have similar tonality to HD580 with bass boost but a bigger bolder sound, but not quite the dynamic freedom of HD800 (see below). Imaging is a step below HD800 and N700NC M2 (!). I doubt there’s material difference between Austrian and Chinese production aside from the headband "bumps" on Austrian models, but now that AKG is a Korean company I irrationally wanted my old AKG headphones to be made in the 23. Bezirk and say “Made in Austria” on the earcups.

• AKG N700NCM2, WFH call or late night work cans mostly, but I can't say enough good things about these. They throw a wider and more vivid soundstage than any other closed cans I've tried, and if you like the Harman curve their tonality is spot on.

Office (duplicate signal chains as “home”):

• Sennheiser HD800. These are...unpleasant without EQ, but with actual bass added and that treble spike EQ’ed out they’re just incredible - similar tonality as HD580 but able to sound much bigger with the recording calls for it, and with that soundstage layering. I love this particular combination (with Oratory EQ settings) - what a great middle finger to the "scaling" fools, because this little $100 box is exactly what HD800 needs. (Cable is a 2.5mm TRRS "balanced" thing I bought on eBay.)

• Sennheiser HD650. Why keep both 800 and 650? Bold and vivid vs intimate presentation is my first pass at an answer. The answer may end up being “don’t keep both” at some point if the 650s go untouched for a while. I did pick up the Drop "balanced" cable to use these with Qudelix 5K,
• AKG N700NCM2. They're so good and currently so cheap that buying a second pair is more efficient than schlepping a pair to and from the office.

Packed travel (sigh) kit:

• NAD HP70 - good sound and like the flat case, but may replace with AKG N700NCM2. However, I’m terrible at selling things I no longer use, so probably not unless work travel really picks now that many of us are Two Pokes.
• Audeze iSine 10 (had Cipher BT cable; replaced with much better-sounding Qudelix 5k)
• Twelve South Airfly Bluetooth transmitter for both (to plug into in-flight entertainment)

Floaters/pocket carry:

• Apple AirPods Pro with Comply tips. Admittedly these days I mostly use the AirPods Pro for calls and Teams/Zoom/WebEx, though I think they’re great sounding and recommend them. Wearing a headband headphone looks a little odd in a professional video chat, IMO.
• Audeze iSine10 with Cipher cable or Quedlix 5k. Quedlix with Oratory EQ settings does sound better than Cipher BT; I haven't compared Quedlix to Cipher Lightning.

Don’t use, should sell (but I’m lazy): AKG K371BT (very fine headphone, but generally superseded in my use by AKG N700NCM2, which has substantially the same tonality but more expansive imaging), AKG K550 (used for ~3 days when they first came out; never sealed well for me but I missed the return window so I still have them); MrSpeakers (now Dan Clark Audio) Mad Dog (modded Fostex 50); Hifiman HE400S, Denon AH-D2000; NAD HP50 (while I like them sans EQ, and Amir's EQ transforms them, but I still like N700NCM2 better).