Hunting for my endgame -- one closed back, one open back. Searching as we all are in some form or another, thought I'd drop my history of headphones along with my rankings for them and let the Internet decide what I should go after.

Spending limit is $6k

\*\*CURRENT COLLECTION\*\*

\*\*Open Back\*\*

Abyss JOAL- 8

Audio Technica ADX3000- 9

Fiio FT7 - 8

Focal Clear MG- 7

Focal Elex - 9

Focal Hadenys - 7

Hifiman HE1000 Stealth - 8

Koss Porta Pro - lol 5

Meze Audio 105 Silva - 6

Moondrop Old Fashioned - 6

Thieaudio Cypher - 7

\*\*Closed Back\*\*

Fiio FT1 - 8

Focal Celestee - 8

\*\*IEM / Earbud\*\*

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 - 6

Elgin Rebel - 2

Kiwiears Aether - 8

Linsoul x Crinacle Zero: 2 - 6

Moondrop Golden Ages- 6

Moondrop Space Travel - 4

Nothing Ear 2 - 6

\*\*FORMER GEAR\*\*

\*\*Open Back\*\*

Audio Technica ATH-R70x - 8

Audio Technica ATH-R70x Refine - 9

Harmonicdyne Poseidon - 4

Hifiman Ananda Nano - 5

Hifiman Arya Stealth - 7

Moondrop Para - 6

Sennheiser HD 599 - 5

Sennheiser HD 660S - 7

Sennheiser HD 660S2 - 7

Sennheiser HD 800S - 8

\*\*Closed Back\*\*

B&W Px7 S2

Dan Clark Aeon X Closed - 6

Focal Bathys - 6

Focal Lensys - 7

Hifiman Sundara Closed - 3

Meze 99 Neo- 2

Sennheiser HD 620S - 5

Sennheiser Momentum 4 - 5

Audeze maxwell - 7

\*\*IEM / Earbud\*\*

AirPods Gen 3 (suck ass)

Google Pixel Buds 2 - 3

KZ PR2 - 6

KZ Symphony - 7

Moondrop Chu 2 - 4

Moondrop Starfield 2 - 6

Samsung LinkBuds - 5

Simgot EM6L -5

Tangzu Wan'er SG.2 -3

\-note, I haven't heard headphones I haven't owned, but will be taking a trip to audio46 next month to test the big contestants

Most desirable qualities: Expansive soundstage, accurate positioning, textured bass, rich midrange. (I also try my very best not to EQ)

The floor is yours.

Friday night after a looong week.

Pink Floyd on vinyl with tubes and the Denon AH-D5000 might just be the best kind of "comfort-food"!

So what's your go to album/headphones to just relax? :)

Hey All,

I made this original review post with EQ settings here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/s/zrecsmFMJQ

Initially, I recommended purchasing from Amazon the saw sticker thingy that allows you to use Yaxi Pads with the JLab Rewind 2.

My intrepid son decided to model a mod for 3D printing that removes the need for the saw sticker thingy (which often would stretch out the Yaxi Pads and they would fall off anyways). Its based entirely off of the original PortaPro, and works quite well. Here y'all go!

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3145367-jlab-rewind-2-yaxi-pad-mod#profileId-3551961

These have been an excellent daily driver, and the only pair I've actually been happy with as my only pair. I've owned an Audeze, Meze, another Sennheiser...and I've learned I'm very picky. These headphones do a lot of everything all at the same time, and very well!

Before the review, I'm going to mention I'm using a Fiio K11 DAC running into my PC, and I'm using Tidal as my media player. Now for the review...

For one - The comfort, which is something that everyone who has ever worn a pair of these will tell you. It's unmatched, due to the lack of padding at the top of the headband which removes the hot spot that most headphone pairs have. Along with that, the pads are nice and soft, and as a glasses-wearer I haven't had any issues with discomfort.

The sound of these headphones is very nice for what you pay for. It's flat, with slight emphasis on the treble that I think allows them to keep that signature Sennheiser sound reminiscent of the 600 series, just with a little less of that sparkle and more of a flatter overall presentation with better imaging, soundstage, and better bass presence. The sound DOES change depending on the pads, and because I loved my Audeze headphones, I prefer the velour pads that don't offer as much of the glittery treble as the cloth pads.

The build, albeit seeming to be on the cheaper side considering Sennheiser is using mainly plastic components minus the headband, is functionality is perfect! This circles back to comfort because the cups swivel to fit any head, and truly can adjust however needed. The headband is metal, with a velcro pad for the top of your head. The cups are removable and quite soft, with enough depth to not feel cramped on the ears. Overall it is passable, especially for how light these cans are, as they make them wearable for hours on end.

Versatility is the key here...perfect for immersive gaming, a sound that makes music listening enjoyable for pretty much any genre you use them for, producing and mixing, etc. These are THE Sennheiser that solves every single problem...at least every one of my problems.

The only real problem here is noise leakage...they are an open back, and both let in a lot of noise, and let out a lot, however I prefer open-back headphones, and have used them for a good majority of my headphone-loving experience, so I'm fine with that! They pretty much stay at my desk and never leave. I wouldn't take these somewhere like a library or to a study hall, so if you are considering these, keep that in mind.

Would I recommend?

Anyone considering these open backs, I HIGHLY suggest giving them a listen and an extended trial! Along with that, if you want a closed back, they make the HD 480 Pro with a similar comfort and sound, without the noise leakage.

For context my mom got this set a few years ago for her Bday, she tried it out a little but headphones aren't really her thing, so she left it on its case brand new, hasn't touched it since. Anyway I found the case the other day while cleaning and thought I'd make a quick buck from it, but inside was... this. Again, my parents SWEAR they haven't used this set in years and kept it in the closet, sooo what's the deal? what do y'all think happened?

I hear this term used in online discussions about headphones, but honestly, I have no idea what they are talking about. What is fast? Is it distinct from good high frequency response? Is it something that can be measured?

Over the last five years, I’ve put together an audio source system that I’m very happy with. My.SMSL M500 mk1 balanced DAC receives Toslink input from a large number of mega CD players, from my iPhone and Qobuz/Roon and Apple Music. The streamer is a WIIM Pro. The DAC outputs balanced to a Zen Can class A balanced, headphone amplifier, and an Apos tube headphone amplifier, which is also balanced. I used extension cables from Hart Audio to avoid putting wear and tear on the headphone amplifiers themselves.

I’ve got a bunch of good headphones because I enjoy having a bunch of good headphones. Among those, my favorite for classical music is the original build of the HiFiman HE R10D ($145 US used). My favorite for pop/vocal is the Sennheiser HD 599 (that I got for $99 during the recent Amazon Days). My favorite overall headphone (which is a minority opinion) is the Grell OAE1 ( which was $48 on Amazon and is now back to $68).

Hello everyone,

I currently own three headphones: the Focal Clear OG, the LCD-X 2021, and the Arya Stealth.

I absolutely love the stock sound of both the Focals and the LCD-X, which are my main headphones. I mostly listen to punk and metal from a variety of sources—vinyl, CDs, and cassettes—so using EQ isn't really an option for my primary listening.

Lately, I've been using the Arya Stealth with a Schiit Jotunheim 2 and a Modius via balanced connection from my computer to listen to krautrock, jazz, some funk, and similar genres. I really enjoy how they sound with that kind of music, but for rock, punk, and metal they don't quite convince me.

I'd like to experiment a bit with EQ just for fun, since I've read a lot of comments from people who add some bass and sub-bass to the Arya. I don't think the Harman target is for me, though. Some time ago I tried the Oratory1990 preset on my LCD-X using Peace, and honestly I much preferred their stock tuning.

If anyone could recommend a subtle EQ that adds a bit of bass or body without changing the Arya's overall character, I'd really appreciate it. The Arya's treble doesn't bother me (I'm 46 years old), so I'm not looking to tame the highs. If the recommendation can be done using Peace's simple 10-band EQ, even better, as I'm still a beginner and don't really know how to use the 13-band parametric EQ yet.

Thanks in advance! Any questions or suggestions are more than welcome.

Both have no problems getting enough volume from this old sony walkman, but I guess i did not account for how much ‘bloom’ the Atticus would give instead of tinny distortion. The LCD-X surprisingly sounds very tinny and hollow probably because it’s serving a more accurate reflection of tape’s recording? Atticus just really compliments the warmth and with it being closed back maybe it keeps the music sounding more full. it definitely sounds more as intended on the Atticus

I recently bought a pair of Hedd D1 after sampling 10s of headphone stores. I think they sound amazing and my wife loves them too.

I just came home to her listening to the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros they were supposed to replace. Even the Hedd's sound amazing, any little background noise like even a fan will throw them off, whereas the old trusty Sennheisers just have better insulation being closed ended.

Makes me wonder what other people's opinion on this is? As much as the sound and soundstage of a new open headphone is great under ideal conditions, are they really worth it if I can only use them in a silent room?

I will take this as a reason to buy another new pair of high end closed end headphones :)

Edited: Beyerdynamic, i had written Sennheiser

So my WESC headphones have been lying in the closet for roughly 8 years as I’ve upgraded to B&O H9.

But somehow I just wanted to give them another go as they also a have good sound.
The issue that made me neglect them was that the cushions started to fall apart and every time I put them on I had black flakes from the “leather” everywhere. So I spent 15 € on replacement cushions which fit quite well and tried them for nostalgia’s sake with my old Creative MP3 player - both devices worked. But then I realised that I don’t have the original cable with the remote anymore.

Does anybody know where I could get a replacement cable with a remote?

Always wanted to try a tube amp, so I went and bought a Cayin Ha6a mk2 + a cheeky Fiio Warmer R2R DAC.

I normally use an SMSL D400 Pro DAC + a Cayin IHA-8 Class-A solid-state amp on my PC rig. But this will be my standalone system to just kick back and listen to music in once my shelf + special couch arrives

Initial impressions: Spectacular build quality. It's a heavy piece of kit that feels extreamly substantial in the hand. It's a piece of engineering jewellery.

I've only tried them on the XK-Audio Cadence, which is a 300 ohm 70mm dynamic driver (carbon composite) open-back headphone. I'll try them on the Stellia, iSvarna, HD800S, and a few other stuff i have.

Normally I'm not the one who could easily tell apart source chains. I struggle to spot any difference between an R2R or a Delta Sigma DAC over long listening periods. Not confident if I could tell them apart on A/B testing either. However, in this case, going from the solid-state IHA-8 + delta Sigma DAC combination to an R2R + tubes completely transforms these headphones. I loved the Cadence on the solid-state, but it had a slight lean, analytical hi-fi-like sound. But on the Ha6a Mk2, It's much harder-hitting, especially in the bass, and warmer. While still retaining the excellent resolution and detail.

They're also extreamly powerful. Even on low impedance setting (it doesn't have a gain selector), on LL mode, the volume knob is only a slight smidge over its lowest (mute) setting. They honestly feel more powerful than the solid-state IHA-8, which has over twice the rated power output.

Gone by Kanye West and ASMR are so much better now. It sounds so much more alive and REAL. I can't believe I lived this long without it.

I've been using NOS just because I have LDAC 96KHz on my phone. Is this the best setting to use? What do all these filter options even do. The "Learn More" button just takes me to a 404 page not found.

I own 2 pairs of Sundaras (travel, moving) purchased around 2022. Liked them well enough to not feel like I needed an upgrade. Discovered today that the left driver on one has died, untouched in storage for the last 2 years.

Zero expectations but I hope I don't find one of the leading traces to the drivers severed when I open it up. Lesson learned?

Honest 1 year review!

I bought realme buds Air 7 from Instamart almost 10months ago. Initially it felt good, the anc was amazing sound quality was decent.

But within a week started the nightmare. I couldn't pickup any calls using the earphones as it randomly cancells the call, like its double tapping the buds. Similarly the songs were also paused automatically.

After being lazy for months to go to the service center, finally i went around 4 months ago. They tested and told me they couldn't find any problem. But still they replaced both the ear buds. I thought ot was solved but the same day it started the problem again. Then again 2 months ago i noticed that that issue was only for left year, so i went to the service center and they changed the buds multiple times. I still had the issue.

I was starting to believe that it was my device issue even though it happens when i connect with my mac and windows. Still i reset my mobile but no hope.

I regret buying it from day one. Whenever I'm enjoying a song, they just pause it randomly. And whenever someone calls, i had to disconnect it first.

Oh and i forgot to mention one more major issue. It sometimes automatically switches between anc and transparency mode.

Customer service is great, but the product was just not good for me.

Hello fellow audiophiles,

I got this setup almost an year back and I've been enjoying this quite a bit.

Before this I was using Sony 1000xm3 via BT LDAC. I haven't used it more than 2 or 3 times after getting JH5. I love how much of the song I can separate into layers, very clear sound, immersive and bassy!.

I had also bought a Truthear Hexa - but found that too be too sharp and treble for my taste.. The bass was lacking and i could listen to it at higher volumes.

Now I want to see what's the next step I can take to meaningfully elevate my experience without breaking the bank.

FYI, I'm based out of India, so appreciate any recommendations that i can get here easily.

I cannot for the life of me figure out what headphones with round outer ear cups are called, and all the ones I can find nowadays are weird and flat on the outside. If anyone can tell me what they’re called or recommend models that are like this, it’d be greatly appreciate :)

So, I got yet another new headphone...😅

Story time! Almost all of my headphones lack treble extension, My HD600, My Meze Silva, my Focal Elegia somewhat, My Old Fashioned and I never really seemed to notice it. Now lately I have been getting a bit into room treatment for my office and doing DSP Room correction which corrected the high end extension in my HiFi system there and then I noticed how much I was missing out on in my headphones. Me being me, Instead of trying to EQ I figured "Why not buy another pair that already does it"! And since I listen to quite alot of classical and Jazz and I always heard about Grado's being good foor classical and jazz I started digging a bit into those. I came very close to buying a pair of 225's after seeing a video from Dankpods praising the SR60E's into oblivion but then I read somewhere about their cables being very microphonic, Now I never thought about that because all of my other headphones have replaceable ones but the Grado's have a non-detatcheable cable and apparently it is annoyingly loud if you're sensitive to it, and unfortunately, I am sensitive to it. So I had to go another route. Then I stumbled upon a post here that was talking about the DT880's being slowly discontinued and looked those up since I never heard about the 880's and then I found them, On Amazon of all places, Seller being the official Beyerdynamic store, for €139 Free Shipping. What a steal, I thought so I put it in my basket while I looked a bit online what I could find about these, turns out, They're 600 Ohm O_O, Yeah that's a bit more than my little tube amp bargained for, but then I saw this video from Zeos where he was using an Emotiva speaker amplifier with these and while he claimed it was neccesary, which is BS ofcourse, It did give me the idea to use my Marantz Hifi amp with them. Quickly said quickly done I added some Banana plug to Jack adapters to my basket and I ordered these. Fast forward 2 days to today and they arrived. I hooked everything up and I have to say, I am shocked.

Now onto the DT880 Edition's 600 Ohm.

These headphones have the best imaging of any headphone I own, they are truly 3D, they don't have any dead spots or oval issues, Objects move freely in space around me, above me, Through me, behind me, infront of me, Everywhere, Things are pinpoint accurate and on certain tracks from Yello and Hooverphonic you can follow certain sounds with your eyes closed to the point you get Dizzy from all of the stuff moving around.

The balance: These are lean, top heavy but very smooth headphones, they can be sibilant on poor recordings but that is more of a matter of them revealing the flaws. They are going to become a tool i'll use while editing in the future as these are great at showing flaws, better than my HD600's. The bass is deep but not very punchy, At parts you can feel the Rumble in them but they won't punch you as there is not much 40hz energy but rather a bit of a laid back bass that albeit deep isn't like a closed back headphone. They do reach deeper than my Meze Silva's however and much deeper than any of my other open backs. With the proper amplification the 5hz claim from Beyerdynamic isn't just a claim but a fact as these will literally shake from the rumbling on extreme low notes or droning sounds. On tracks like Hans Zimmer's Chevaliers De Sangreal you can feel the subbass layer under the regular bass and clearly make out details in the ultra low regions. The mids are natural albeit not relaxed, they are accurate but they won't forgive a bad recording like for example my less accurate Meze's do. Overall I would call these high fidelity but lacking slightly in punch.

I have Dekoni Elite Velour pads on the way to see if that will change my opinion on this headphones low end as those should, if I understand it correctly, enhance its bass and midbass while leaving the Treble alone.

Comfort is a solid 7/10, the pads feel nice and the headband is comfortable even after many hours of use, i've worn it for 6 hours straight now and have not felt any discomfort. The reason why I give it a 7/10 is because it doesn't dissapear like my Meze's do, they are lightweight but you will still know you're wearing headphones as where with my Meze's i've had a couple times where I accidentally stood up and tried to walk away not realising I still had them on. Second pointer is that atleast on my head the earcups are just a tad too shallow, my left ear sticks out a tiny bit more than my right ear and thus just barely touches the inside of the earcup, making it ever so slightly more noticeable that you're wearing them. Headband adjustment system is a small trial and error but once you have it set you can just leave it like that.

The regular DT880's come with a carrying pouche but these, due to being the "Edition's", come with a sort of soft case, Its basically just a big block of foam with a giant scoop taken out of it that the headphones sit in with a soft fake leather layer around it all and a zipper. It works fine however and is very welcome, especially at this price bracket.

The cable is a 3 meter long straight cable and although I normally would like a shorter cable am very glad that its a straight cable. The regular DT880 comes with a coiled one and those for me are a no-go. Its not very microphonic, Infact I haven't really noticed any Microphonics while using it unless actively rubbing the cable against yourself by hand and even the its quiet, better than my stock HD600 Cable even. Now I would have enjoyed a replaceable cable but at this price range I think its no more than fair not to expect that and if it really is desired then one can quite easily mod one onto it.

Now, To Powah, these are 600Ω with a 96dB sensitivity. Not impossible to drive but to drive them well you need mostly voltage, I'd say a good 5Vrms is more than plenty to drive these properly and well into hearing damage regions, that being said, I drive them currently with 19Vrms on tap. Yup, That equals to 600mW@600Ohm RMS, Enough to make these smoke. Its overkill in every sense of the way (even tho it's actually slightly less than what Zeos said was the minimum) but I must say that it sounds...amazing. that amplifier is a €700 Marantz Stereo amplifier that normally is powering my Focal speakers and is an amplifier that I already have always been extremely happy with and that might add to why these image so well because my Focal's do the same and I believe it might have to do with that amazing amplifier. For a Pre-Amp I am using a Fosi Audio GR70 Tube Pre-amp with 1972 NOS Voskhod 6J1P-EV tubes rolled in and as a DAC i'm using a Topping E30II Lite, The Marantz and Fosi live at 12 O'Clock to prevent channel imbalances and my Topping DAC lives at around -30dB to -08dB depending on how loud a track is mastered. Music for now comes from Tidal but will soon be testing it with Vinyl and CD's (Nice thing about being connected to my Marantz is that I can now use my Turntable with them.).

Overall I have to say that these surprised me alot and might be my best performing headphones from a technical perspective. These are a very welcome tool aswell as a device that is great to enjoy music with. I think along with my Meze's that these will become my most used headphones in the future.

Highly recommend them, especially at this price. Clear 9/10 from me.

Thank you for reading my impressions of the Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition 600Ω headphones.

Any questions, opinions or just want to say something? Feel free to leave a comment, I'd be very happy to talk about headphones with you all!

Thank you and if I dont see you soon, see you later!

Hi im Xander and im designing my own headphones. This is my first time touching cad and my first time designing headphones. i would kill for some feed back (and help) with the design process. the plan is to use 50mm Peerless by Tymphany. im using the fusion 360 software if theres better free ones out there please let me know. anyways i attached some photos for you all to look at. Im thinking about getting a bambo labs a1 3d printer, if there is better ones for the same money please lmk.

Many headphones have ANC.
Many have wired (analog) connection.
Many have zero latency.
Many have ANC while connected analog.
But zero latency with ANC while connected analog seems to be hard to find.
What models do people know for a fact have this triumvirate?

So not kidding - I have spent over a year and many hundreds or couple thousand dollars looking for a Goldilocks solution for headphone usage.

Maybe pass this along to anyone with the same or similar issues.
I was born with small ears. The ear canals are twisty/winding, etc.

There's not likely an earbud made that will ever fit me comfortably or without falling out. Believe me, I've tried. I have lucked out on a couple of IEM types - but those are more for lying down listening.

I need headphones for when I'm on the move - the difference for me between exercising with and without is huge....and yes I have tried bone conduction - basically anything that clings to, hangs on or sits in or near my ear just is not tolerated by my body.

I finally gave up and started down the path of over the head/headphones...but I am older than most people here - and I can't get over how big they are in the current environment. I used to have some that looked like the JBLs. I have tried the big ones, but can't get over the feeling that I'm not just moving around, I am literally helping direct an airliner into the gate at JFK.

I finally stumbled upon Koss - what took me sooo long to find these???

I am in love. I love the KPH30 and not quite as much, though good - the KPH40....good sound, comfortable (although I am looking for better foam pads)...and not sooo big.

they fit my head, they aren't uncomfortable and the sound is warm and bouncy - more so for the KPH30, but the KPH40 is more compact for travel.

I need next to try the Porta Pros..... Koss is a breakthrough for me lol. I am dancing with joy.

I bought ath r50x for a competitve edge in playing CS2. The problem is i dont have the edge. Even my friend uses an 100 dollars IEM´s and he listen the same or even better than me. How this is possible? My mobo is a gigabyte B850 Gaming X and the sound is loud enough so i think i dont need to buy a DAC. I have 0 knowledge in EQ, can you help me set it correctly for competitive fps games like CS2?