General Headphone Thread

[Terronium-12]

Now I know what you're thinking: "T, you stupid idiot. There's a home audio and cinema thread right here, in the same section. What are you, stupid? Who modded you?"

Well, you rude SOB, you answered exactly why I created this: home audio and cinema. The thread above is more of a jack of all trades that seems to largely focus on home cinema setups (and there are some good ones, so go have a look if you haven't already), but I wanted this thread to focus purely on what's become an utter addiction of mine as of late, and that's headphones.

Discuss whatever you have, I don't care if it's Skullcandy, Beats (what is wrong with you?), or those $2 IEMs you bought late night at the convenience store — show it all of with pride! Feel free to include any amplifier(s) you're using as well.

What do I have? Less than you'd think:

​

R to L: Audio Technica ATH-AD500X, Philips SHP9500 (modded with Brainwavz HM5 hybrid pads), NVX XPT100. Then, there are these that just arrived today:

​

Monolith M1060. I can't really give too big of an opinion yet but I can definitely hear some difference coming from what I've used up until now. What those differences are I can't quite explain yet, but planar is definitely something different. And the pads are HUGE. No complaints whatsoever, at least not yet if I'm to be fair.

So, what are you waiting for? Start discussin'!

 

[Vegard]

I recently picked up a pair of AKG K551's for 100 euros and I've been slightly disappointed with the way they sound.
They're quite thin in the bass department and have a nasty high mid/low treble spike. Hopefully they'll get better with some burn in.

Monolith M1060

I've heard that these really come alive with an amp.

 

[AOS-]

I could've sworn there was a headphones thread, but maybe you secretly deleted it so you could have the credit of being the OP.

I recently picked up a pair of AKG K551's for 100 euros and I've been slightly disappointed with the way they sound.
They're quite thin in the bass department and have a nasty high mid/low treble spike. Hopefully they'll get better with some burn in.


I've heard that these really come alive with an amp.

Good to know. I always heard high regards for AKG items from head-fi.org. I came close to dropping 350 on some large white pair of AKGs, don't recall the model, but ended up trying a budget set for the first time.

___________

Was interested in the earcup-with-a-headband thing back in high school. Started off with a $30 Sony on-ear set, 5ft. studio monitor standards I believe. They weren't amazing at isolating sound

I remember back in university days I was coveting the use of headphones that other students were wearing. Started off with a cheap $20 JVC. Not the most attractive. Had the standard 5ft cable length, which isn't all that great for street use (commuting).

I found a great deal on a pair of Sony XB300; their 1.2m ribbon cable and squishy earcups were a very attractive feat. But despite the 1.5" (approx) thickness of foam, this was when I learned on-ears were uncomfortable, and that around-ears are the way to go. That's when I upgraded to Sony XB700; gigantic cups, 50mm driver, same 1.2m ribbon cable.

The extra bass is cool, but like many have said, the mids and highs are slightly distorted. But I was okay with that at the time. I was on my 4th pair of headphones already, and I had to stop. So I had declared this being the very last one I'll ever want/need. That was 5-6 years ago.


Come 2017, while listening to music not reliant on the power of bass, I was reminded that these XB700s aren't the greatest around, and now I was longing for something with more clarity. AKG 240 was now under the radar as they seem to have many opinions favouring its dollar per value. Scrolling through forums reviewing this, Samson 850s were a comparable product as well; another budget pair that's fairly neutral. So I purchased myself one.... and a DAC, because apparently it makes everything sound better.
Bought a DAC to have immediate access to quickly adjust volume via a physical knob vs clicking in the notification tray to toggle a volume bar to appear. They're definitely neutral, a bit weak in the low notes for my personal taste, but nothing a slight EQ adjustment can't fix. I haven't noticed distortion at louder volumes like low-end products so I'm quite pleased with this $60-80 pair of cans. It has the 5ft length I'm not a fan of, but the product as a whole doesn't weigh as much as the XB700s so the top of my skull isn't fatigued after longer sessions. It is semi-opened and the cups don't rotate to accommodate the shape of your skull as well as other, but I've gotten used to those shortcomings.

Being a budget set, you can expect there to not be luxurious material. At the same time it doesn't try to stand out with pop-style glossy aesthetics like gaming headsets or Monster Beats.

 

[Terronium-12]

I recently picked up a pair of AKG K551's for 100 euros and I've been slightly disappointed with the way they sound.
They're quite thin in the bass department and have a nasty high mid/low treble spike. Hopefully they'll get better with some burn in.

I've heard mostly good things about the K55x so this is a little surprising. Perhaps if burn in doesn't improve things much in the ways you want, you can look at changing the pads?

I've heard that these really come alive with an amp.

They do. I have 'em plugged into the X6 as you can see in the picture, and I've listened to them all day yesterday and the sound stage is incredible. I still can't describe the "planar sound" yet though, but I've only had them for less than a day.

I could've sworn there was a headphones thread, but maybe you secretly deleted it so you could have the credit of being the OP.

It's funny you say that because I felt the same way, but a quick search both here and in the music, movies and TV section didn't return anything.

Now we wait for someone to have better search results than me.

Come 2017, while listening to music not reliant on the power of bass, I was reminded that these XB700s aren't the greatest around, and now I was longing for something with more clarity. AKG 240 was now under the radar as they seem to have many opinions favouring its dollar per value. Scrolling through forums reviewing this, Samson 850s were a comparable product as well; another budget pair that's fairly neutral. So I purchased myself one.... and a DAC, because apparently it makes everything sound better.
Bought a DAC to have immediate access to quickly adjust volume via a physical knob vs clicking in the notification tray to toggle a volume bar to appear. They're definitely neutral, a bit weak in the low notes for my personal taste, but nothing a slight EQ adjustment can't fix. I haven't noticed distortion at louder volumes like low-end products so I'm quite pleased with this $60-80 pair of cans. It has the 5ft length I'm not a fan of, but the product as a whole doesn't weigh as much as the XB700s so the top of my skull isn't fatigued after longer sessions. It is semi-opened and the cups don't rotate to accommodate the shape of your skull as well as other, but I've gotten used to those shortcomings.

Being a budget set, you can expect there to not be luxurious material. At the same time it doesn't try to stand out with pop-style glossy aesthetics like gaming headsets or Monster Beats.

You ever consider the Superlux HD668B? They're a little more expensive (like $14 more on Amazon) and are apparently bass heavy but a little shrill in the highs.

 

[Slapped]

Oh man - Headphones - I have so many.

Beyerdynamic - my preferred choice for production and mixing

DT1990 Pro - Stunning detail and musicality
DT1770 Pro - Same as above but closed back
DT880 Pro - Tons of detail, but a bit treble happy
DT770 Pro - As above but closed - needs EQ-ing as the treble is way too hot
DT1350 - On ears that are really well balanced
Plus an in-ear that never really fitted properly

Sennheiser

HD25 II - of course
Momentum - Original version, and a bit crap to be honest - sounds muffled
Amperior - A short lived low impedance version of the HD25
HD450-II - My very first proper headphones - need new pads as these are over 30 years old.
CX5.00I - OK in ears, but severely beaten by the competition at their price point

Audeze

SINE - nice sounding on ears, but I don't really get on with the quirks of Planar Magnetic drivers

Sony - My preferred choice for simply listening

MDR-1000X - Seriously good wireless headphones, and I mean seriously good - I could honestly mix with these when the NC is turned off
XBA-N3AP - Slightly dark sounding in-ears with a ton of detail and musicality. Very very good - so good these ended my search for better in-ears
MDR-XB50 - in-ears that I bought to replace the PSVR in ears
MDR-EX450AP - Nice cheapish in-ears which work well with EDM, rock etc
MDR-EX650AP - Relatively cheap in-ears which work well with classical, jazz and acoustic

AKG

Q701 - Quite dry and neutral. Good for music production, but the Beyer DT880 Pro has them beat at around the same price point
N20 - Ok in-ears, but a bit too scooped in the midrange for my liking.

RHA

T20i - very nice for the money, and you can modify the sound with the included filter set - treble can get a bit toppy though.

Apple

A ton of Earpods that have never been used
Airpods - bought simply so I could watch the F1 in the pub while remaining wireless and to be able to hear whats going on around me. OK for the purpose, but otherwise totally crap, they sound really tinny, and have a habit of falling out of my ears.

Bowers & Wilkins

P7 Wireless - Seriously fun headphones with heaps of clean bass that will rock your skull but remain totally listenable.

And that's probably about it, although I'm sure I've forgotten something.

 

[DesertPenguin]

I've got $30 Sennheiser over the ear headphones. I later saw them in a Foo Fighters music documentary, the band using them in the studio. That told me you don't need $200+ headphones for good quality and that was quite humbling.

I also have Turtle Beach PX22 headset for gaming.

 

[Terronium-12]

@Slapped You have about as many cans as I'm looking at, especially the Beyers. What are the 770 — 32, 80, or 250? I often read that Sony tunes their drivers for fun, is that particularly true or is it something else?

I've got $30 Sennheiser over the ear headphones. I later saw them in a Foo Fighters music documentary, the band using them in the studio. That told me you don't need $200+ headphones for good quality and that was quite humbling.

I also have Turtle Beach PX22 headset for gaming.

Sennheiser is good at just about every price point, but you don't need a lot of things...they're still fun to have though.

 

[Robin]

Been looking for some decent headphones as I have mostly been an earphone person using various Sony models over the years.

I like Sony's 'sound' if there is such a thing so was looking mainly at their offerings. I really want NC so it's either them or Bose. Problem I have found from reading around is that NC headphones tend to quite flat in the Bass department.

 

[andrea]

I'm currently using HiFiman HE-400i's and while I'm very satisfied with the sound of these planars I can see can see myself getting a pair of Audeze LCD's further down the road. They beckon me.

 

[Slapped]

@Slapped You have about as many cans as I'm looking at, especially the Beyers. What are the 770 — 32, 80, or 250? I often read that Sony tunes their drivers for fun, is that particularly true or is it something else?

The 770s that I've got are the 32Ω version, supposedly the smoothest of them all in terms of treble hotness, but they're still pretty hot.

You're right that Sony tends to tune for fun rather than for neutrality, but it tends to be a tasteful tuning, and IMO that doesn't take away from the fact that they're mostly damned good headphones for the price. Put it this way - when you consider all the other headphones I have to play with and you were to ask me which 2 i'd take to a desert island then at least the MDR-1000X would be in the shortlist for that.

 

[coryclifford]

Sennheiser
419
595
600
650
700
800

AKG
Massdrop 7XX

Logitech
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10

Skullcrappy
Jibs

And two others I can't remember.

DNA Sonett
Schiit Mjolnir and Vali and Mani
Two VPI turntables and etc...

and no, I'm not selling the Sonett, so don't bother asking.

 

[AOS-]

It's funny you say that because I felt the same way, but a quick search both here and in the music, movies and TV section didn't return anything.

In that case, it was ARM.

 

[Gravitron]

Used to have Sony around-the-ear cans for commuting on the bus, from about 1998 to 2010, but eventually the fake-leather black material on the ear-surround cushions got so flakey I'd always have some sticking to my hair/head on every use.

Then survived for a while with the Samsung buds that came with my S3 and S7. Bought some $15 Sony gel buds that sounded better, but eventually became unusable due to clogging with earwax. Lesson learned. Now I'm liking these cheap $15 JVC memory foam buds. The cord is a little short at ~3ft. People say my voice is clear through the built-in mic, and the tone is nice without having messed with any EQ yet. Mostly just listen to on-phone mp3's via Google Music app, or for phone calls so I can use the phone for other things while gabbin'.

When I can afford better, I'll be back here to look closer at the awesome looking suggestions!

 

[adamp93]

Been looking for some decent headphones as I have mostly been an earphone person using various Sony models over the years.

I like Sony's 'sound' if there is such a thing so was looking mainly at their offerings. I really want NC so it's either them or Bose. Problem I have found from reading around is that NC headphones tend to quite flat in the Bass department.

I can help you there. Just last week I bought a pair of Sony WH-CH700, reduced from £150 to £80 as there is a newer model (maybe 2).
The sound is really good, the bass seems good too. I listen mostly to heavy metal and the bass seems more pronounced than previously.
Noise cancelling is also good, I've never used ANC before so I can't compare it to anything but I feel isolated wearing them and it really drowns out traffic noise in the city centre. However it was very windy the other day and there was a high pitched whine coming through that stopped when I switched it off.
I have had a problem with connecting it to my phone. It works fine once but then I have to plug it into the charger to get it to switch back on, whether that's a problem with mine specifically or in general I don't know. It only takes a few seconds to overcome so I'm not too fussed about it.

Overall I'd say very good value.

 

[Terronium-12]

Monoprice has forsaken me, the wood cracked on the left cup!

5-year warranty though and these sound too good to just give up on, so I'm going to RMA.

I'm listening to them right now. I mean, they're *so* good. I'm going to die without them, I just know it.

 

[David]

I've done well keeping myself from buying all the snake oil... err... I mean high end audio equipment that I would like. I've been very happy the past few years with my Senn HD600s driven by an ALO Audio International+ Optical portable DAC/AMP. The DAC/AMP has a regular 3.5mm output as well as a balanced output that I never got around to getting the right kind of cable for. It has an analogue line in on the front as well as USB and Optical inputs on the back. It's been a great all around solution for me. HD600s are super comfy and I like having accurate, neutral sound for the kinds of music I usually listen to. I paid a little over $400 for them back in 2015 when the MSRP was still like $600 or whatever it used to be. It looks like they are close to $300 on sale now at places like Amazon which I would say is a steal.

I also have a pair of Shure SE425 IEMs (I bought a nicer set of cables for them shortly after the picture below was taken) for use with my Pioneer XDP-300R, and then a cheaper pair of SE215s for use on the computer at work.

 

[Terronium-12]

I've done well keeping myself from buying all the snake oil... err... I mean high end audio equipment that I would like.

Hear, hear. I roll my eyes at cables costing upwards of $100. I wouldn't mind paying up to $50 (maybe more, definitely less than $100) for a nice custom-sleeved cable, but anything beyond that is just unnecessary hyperbole. I'm assuming you're talking about the same things.

Speaking of the HD600, that's on my list as well, and I may even pick up the HD6XX as well.

Pioneer XDP-300R

I've been eyeing this so hard but I'm trying to play my hand and see if it'll go down in price (or go on sale) sometime soon.

 

[coryclifford]

HD600 is my ****. And 650. You need a real amp though.

 

[Terronium-12]

HD600 is my ****. And 650. You need a real amp though.

I know.

I've also been eyeing a stack of Schiit. Why I bought the DAC-X6 I'll never understand, but it's not like I don't enjoy it. I'll just throw it onto my consoles or something.

EDIT: Actually, maybe I won't relegate it so fast. There's are jumpers for high and low gain that I can get at by getting to the board...

 

[Parker]

I'm not an audiophile by any means but I am a music lover and have a pair of headphones and earphones that I adore. For home use, I have a pair of Sony MDR-1AM2 headphones which I think are absolutely fantastic. They sound wonderful, are extremely comfortable and have very good build quality.

Not my picture, obviously.

For my out and about set, I use 1more Quad Driver earphones. These are absolutely fantastic as well. While I prefer over the ear headphones, I appreciate earphones due to how easy they are to carry around (I put them in my uniform pocket) and they are obviously much less bulky while wearing them as well. These are easily the best sounding earphones I've ever used and they are very comfortable as well. They come with multiple tips to make sure you get a good fit in your ear.

Again, not my picture.

I think I'll be getting some Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones here shortly as well. I plan on upgrading my Pixel XL to either a Pixel 3 XL or waiting for the Pixel 4 XL, either way, my new phone won't have a headphone jack and instead of dealing with the dongle and wires, a high quality pair of wireless headphones sounds great.

 

[Slapped]

I've got $30 Sennheiser over the ear headphones. I later saw them in a Foo Fighters music documentary, the band using them in the studio. That told me you don't need $200+ headphones for good quality and that was quite humbling.

I also have Turtle Beach PX22 headset for gaming.

I don't want to rain on your parade here, but having spent time in professional studios I can tell you why $30 headphones are used.

1. When tracking the most important thing is isolation - sound quality is secondary as the artist just needs to hear enough to get the job done. If a $30 headphone does the job then a $30 headphone will be used

2. It's all very well mixing and mastering so that your album sounds amazing on megabuck headphones and high end monitoring solutions, but it also needs to sound good on the headphones most people actually use (whatever came with the phone, or whatever was cheapest to replace them). So cheap headphones and cheap speakers are often used to ensure the mixing and mastering translates downwards.

3. Studio life is hard on equipment. Headphones will get dropped, stood on, cables cut, crushed by other equipment, become airborne at high velocity due to artists, ahem, "creative tendencies", and so on. Most headphones outside the monitoring room will never survive their warranty period, and as such they are treated as consumable items. When it comes to replacing a batch of headphones you don't want to paying $20,000, you want to be paying closer to $500.

All the good stuff is kept out of reach in the monitoring areas.

And that's why $30 headphones are used in the studio.

 

[sesselpupser]

About 2 years ago, I was juggling three pairs of headphones and decided to replace them with one. I had 2nd Gen Apple earbuds for commuting (on the London Underground, which is extremely noisy), cheap Sony open back headphones for my PC (which naturally leaked all the sound into the room, where my girlfriend would be watching TV) and Denon AH-D1100s for my Vive (because they had a short cable and were better than the in-ear abominations that came with it, but the cup brackets both snapped so I replaced them with 3D printed parts).

I got a pair of PLT BackBeat Pro 2s on a GTPer's recommendation, can't remember who though, and they've been great. Prone to interference when I'm out of the flat, I notice it in the exact same places every day, and the occasional firmware bug that means I need to restart and reconnect them, but the battery life is (still) great, they don't creak like my Sonys did, I've worn them almost every day since March 2017 and they're still going strong - only problem is the leather on the cushions is starting to crack and I don't know if the non-OEM replacements on Ebay will be anywhere near as comfortable.

Sound-wise, I've heard they're balanced more towards bass than the ubiquitous Bose QC35s that every other commuter I see wearing, they sound decent to me but my brother, who produces music as a hobby and has an enormous pair of 64 ohm headphones that require an amp, thinks they're "muddy" and not that great. The noise cancelling is really more like noise attenuation, they remove a lot of low-frequency noise which helps a lot but they're nowhere near as good as either the MDR-1000X or QC15s, to the point where you can just about have a conversation with ANC on if you pause your music and are in an otherwise quiet room. I kind of like this, though, because I can still hear cars - important when you live in a place where traffic lights are seen as suggestions more than anything.

They're not the best headphones ever but as an all-round package for my use case, I think they're perfect.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

Not a true audiophile myself but I do have (I like to think anyway) a sort-of-halfway-decent collection of head and earphones.

As I posted in the Latest Purchase thread my most recent set of cans is the ATH-M50x in the limited edition blue:

These will be used to replace my recently departed ATH-PDG1 gaming headset which is what I used for work and, obviously, gaming. Unfortunately the cables seemed to be far too fragile to be useful on that one.

Then I have my Old Faithfuls, Sennheiser HD215:

Ugly AF I know, but they've also been through a lot of crap and they're built like a tank. These are used for my electronic drum kit where hearing every detail is more important than outright quality but they still sound great, if a little too flat when unamped.

My other on-ears I bought when I was going through a phase of style-over-substance-but-too-hipster-to-buy-Beats, which are SOL Republic Tracks HD "Deadmau5" edition:

Typical All About That Bass, but at least these actually had some decent mids and treble unlike the Beats headphones of the time and these were a lot cheaper.

For in-ears I have my stock earbuds that came with my old HTC 10, which were also quite surprising in a good way.

And then MIA at the moment is a gold pair of Audio Technica CKM55s.

 

[Terronium-12]

So after about two or three weeks I finally got an RMA processed for my cans, but now there's an all-new dilemma: I like them so much more than I did before. I'll take my sweet time sending them back (next month, hopefully) but in the meantime I downloaded Sonarworks True-fi after seeing it mentioned on r/headphones.

I'm not opposed to EQ adjustments whatsoever, so I decided to give it a whirl after my pursuits with Equalizer APO and profiles for the M1060 weren't to my liking. Oh my sweet puppy dog...why did I have to get the RMA request processed?

The changes aren't drastic in any way, but the difference it makes to the mid-range is...my ears are pleased. For any Destiny fans, the song is The Path, or what became The Traveler on the Destiny 1 OST. The Path is better though, trust me. And before you ask, yes, that's the Jason Goes to Hell OST. If you know me or have seen me mention it, you know I hate everything about that terrible movie, but the soundtrack is good.

These headphones are so much better now than before, and I already loved them to begin with. Ugh. I'll send them back (eventually) and when I get a new pair back I'll just treat the wood rings inside and out.I tried using this with the 9500 and...I wasn't as pleased. Though I suspect that has more to do with the modded pads than anything else. If only they didn't cost upwards of $200 now I'd snag another pair and see what they sound like stock again.

 

[TB]

I didn't think I had this many until I put them together. There have been others that are either long gone or are used by the kids, too.

Near to far.

Some Skullcandy pieces of 🤬 my wife picked up for the kids. They are truly terrible.

TaoTronics TT-BH06

For the gym. They sound decent and were reasonably priced so I'm happy with them.

Sony MDR-ZX110NC

I got these free through an exercise program at work. If I would have paid for them they'd be returned. What really surprises me is how decent they are reviewed on Amazon. I can go in to more detail if interested but personally I'd steer well clear of these.

Sentry HO900

Bought around 2009-10 for probably $20, they were the first wireless headphones I bought. I dont remember how well they worked or sounded but I'm sure I could hunt down the transmitter somewhere and give them a go if interested.

Phillip's SHP2500

Decent sound. As long as you don't move. At all. Unless you like plastic on plastic squeaking.

Realistic Nova40

My dad got these some time in the 70's, I used them for a bit in the late 80's and early 90's when i was getting in to audio more. Again, no recollection as to how they sound but could connect them up for a test run.

Monoprice BT-400

I bought these for our upcoming trip as they are both Bluetooth and cabled. I did buy a different double male cable as it's a thicker gauge and, more importantly it's a little longer than the included cable. They sound fantastic but they'll get a full workout in just over a month. I'm expecting them to perform beautifully.

 

[coryclifford]

If you put Comply foams on Skullcrappys they're not as bright. Granted they then double in price, but good for the warehouse job.

And a DNA Sonett picture for no reason.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I've been using an Audio Technica ATH-M40x for at least 4 years and it's great. I might try and get new pads since they've gotten pretty worn from my glasses.

I'm thinking about getting open back headphones at some point in the future, maybe the ATH-AD700X or 600X, but I heard the "wing supports" are kinda loose

 

[Terronium-12]

I've been using an Audio Technica ATH-M40x for at least 4 years and it's great. I might try and get new pads since they've gotten pretty worn from my glasses.

I'm thinking about getting open back headphones at some point in the future, maybe the ATH-AD700X or 600X, but I heard the "wing supports" are kinda loose

Negative. At least in my experience.

The wings just rest on opposite sides of your head and stay put. If your head is on the smaller side I can see it being a slight issue, but other than that it's comfortable (and the pads are so good) and will only move if you're violently shaking your head.

 

[G.T.Ace]

Proud owner and daily user of a Sennheiser HD650 here.
I use it for gaming, music production, movies... everything.
Best headphone I've ever used.

 

[coryclifford]

650 and or 600 are the best I've heard, and I've heard pert near everything.