Headphones

We apologize for the emotional distress caused by the HD 650 ending your headphone journey. To make things right, we would be happy to move you to the front of the line at our next planned HE 1 listening demo. Hopefully, it won't ruin your audio experience forever. 😉

Man it’s so hard to decided which one to buy especially they are priced so similarly where I am from. (Both costing around $1130) Arya Unveiled is also a very good set of headphones with a much punchier bass than HD800S. However, I feel this is the only aspect where it wins over the HD800S. Music just sounds so detailed and wide on the Sennheiser and the texture on instruments sounded more concrete as in I can feel the musician playing the instruments. I value the unmatched soundstage more therefore finally opting for the HD800S. Though to be honest, I would gladly buy both if I had the money lol.

Hello everyone, I wanted to express my deep dissatisfaction with the Sennheiser HD 650. In fact, this subreddit was the reason I bought these headphones 2 years ago. And what can I say except that these headphones are AWFUL. Seriously, even now I can’t stand them anymore. Because of these headphones, I rediscovered my music, shared intimate moments with the voices of my favorite artists, explored genre after genre... ... And I've never felt the need to upgrade after this purchase. Seriously, I don’t see what other headphones could offer me that my HD 650 EQ doesn’t. And yet I’d love to get back into the hunt for new headphones, the excitement of receiving the product, the discovery of a new sound experience. But unfortunately, the HD 650 has RUINED all that. I HATE it!

Left to right: Top: Austrian Audio Hi-X60 (300€), HiFiMAN HE400i 2020 (200€), beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X (220€), Focal Listen Pro (210€), Meze Audio 99 Neo (180€), Philips Fidelio X3 (140€), Sennheiser HD569 (100€) Bottom: Sennheiser HD 4.50R (90€), FiiO K5 Pro ESS (210€), Anker Soundcore Motion+ (100€), Sony Linkbuds (90€), Moto Buds (30€), Apple Earpods 3.5mm (10€) + Eggbag (Priceless). They are all awesome headphones. No regret buying any particular one.

Just got them this evening for a couple of days to audition. Very first impressions are: My head must really be very big - they fit ok but I pretty much need to max them out when it comes to their size. The headband / strap is pretty uncomfortable for me, I can already tell. Not too bad right now but this would be an issue for longer listening sessions. Not a big fan of that rubbery cable either but still fine, I guess. Other than that, the sound is pretty nice. *Great* bass extension, lovely mids and a quite warm-ish and lush sound with a tamed treble response that's quite a bit out of the ordinary for the Hifiman cans that I have used so far. Could be a great option for the treble sensitive people out there who still want a very good Hifiman headphone. These are only very brief notes after a couple of tracks, so take all of that with a pinch of salt.

Yesterday was a hell of a day.. As the FedEx delivery guy cancelled my Delivery because there was no name on our door! Meanwhile we get our parcels very normally from Amazon, DHL and other courier companies! Anyway, after 3 tough hours of calls and emails i made it very clear for Hifiman (because it's their fault in first place to use such a service provider) and FedEx that if I'm not getting my Headphones TODAY, then I'll just cancel my order completely! Which led FedEx to call the delivery guy to come back to to hand it over. So now let’s get to business: Arya Stealth magnets in comparison with the Sony MDR-M1.. after many hours of very focused listening(but EQed a bit) .. I'd say they do provide me exactly what i was missing from the Sony's: Bigger sound stage, stronger bass and most importantly, much better sub-bass, which the M1s can't do even with EQ.. Otherwise i must confess that i love my M1s a little more now.. Great sound and value no doubt! So my take is, is the Aryas are better? Yes, but not 300€+ better 👀 One more thing here, i think we need a study at some point about the Chinese branding/naming.. Because it's always has been really confusing to guess what model is which.. And the Arya stealth is a great example for this, as you can see from the pictures, there's no clear text what you have on the box.

Hello guys! Just wanted to share my experience with Arya Organics I received yesterday from EU store. Very fast delivery as usual and also very good communicaton from Hifiman's side - so no Complaints to their side. So.. when I received my package, I noticed a strange sound inside, like many small balls rolling around the package. Sure enough - those small hard silicone balls were all over the place. 😁 They were everywhere, also inside the headphones. I was baffled at first of course, but I managed to shake most of them out. One of those little f\*\*kers I still see behind the earpad where I cannot reach without taking off the earpad which I do not want to do. I did a 2 hour listening session and everything sounds fine and as far as I know they cannot enter the driver itself. For now I think that my headphones are ball-free, except that one which I see behind the pad. 😁 Hifiman is responsive and ready to help If any problem arises but for now I think there's no need to return them. They sound clean - no rattles, no channel imbalance. How would you react? I also have Ananda Stealths and I must say this - Anandas give you very detailed sound with good clarity and overall a very pleasant headphone Organics give you a listening experience. Several times I got goosebumps while listening to them altough at first I wasn't that impressed. The more I listen to them, the more impressed I am. Also Organics feel very premium in hand. Arachne customised cable will arrive today as the stock cable is really bad for my taste. Maybe i'm overreacting but I don't buy 800€ headphones everyday, that's why I was stressed. For everyone who is doubting whether to buy Organics - for this price - go for it. And sorry, EN is not my first language. Thank you and stay blessed everyone 🙏🏼

After 6 happy years with HD 450 BT! I thought an upgrade would be fun. For same purposes with my old friend, I got Momentum 4. And for my newly developing audiophile interest, I choose HD 560S to use it on PC.

Here are my thoughts on each of the Blues Brothers as I call my collection lol Bose QuietComfort — Pros: good bass, quiet and aware modes solid, very lightweight, love the physical buttons, small case, super comfy Cons: Feels flimsy and cheap, creaking headband while wearing headphones, ratcheting headband, resets to Quiet mode when turned back on, treble harsh Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 1 — Pros: Feels pretty solid, sliding headband, immersive audio is fun with live music, even better quiet and aware modes than QC, small case, super comfy Cons: Weird button setup, volume controls are awful so I use my phone to control volume I use these the least. Only for live music Sennheiser Momentum 4 — Pros: Lost of slam and impact with strong bass even without bass boost tuned on, solid build quality, intuitive controls, awesome app, sound the best of all 3 headphones, crazy long battery life Cons: Transparency and noise cancellation not as strong as Bose, not as comfy as QCs, ear cups are smaller than QCs. My favorite and most used pair. Love that “Sennheiser signature sound!”

**TL;DR:** I was testing ANC headphones for just one song at low volume and completely missed a neighborhood emergency where a child was choking and people had to break a lock to save him. ANC is way more powerful (and unsettling) than I expected. I bought a pair of ANC headphones and decided to test how strong the noise canceling really was—first without music, and then with it. I played a full song at low volume just to check that the ANC was at least decent. Or so I thought. When I took the headphones off, my dad was knocking on my bedroom door, visibly shaken. I opened it and found him pale, eyes wide open, asking: *“Didn’t you notice what just happened?”* It turns out a neighbor across the street, who has a small child, had started screaming and banging on the gate of her house, asking for help because her son was choking. In the middle of the panic, she didn’t realize the gate was locked with a padlock. Half the street rushed to help, and someone even broke the lock with a tool to save the child. All of this happened while I had my headphones on—for just the three and a half minutes the song lasted. Absolutely horrifying. I promised myself I’d never use ANC again unless it’s truly necessary, or during travel. Edit: 1. For those asking about the brand and model: Sennheiser Momentum 4. They seem to be in the B or C tier in terms of ANC, so I can’t imagine how the Apple Max, the XM6, or the Sonos Ace would perform. 2. I don’t claim that I would have been able to save the child; I was thinking about my family, my partner, and any emergency that could happen in general while I’m completely isolated.

I have been trying out the Px8 s2 and momentum 4. I originally ordered the Px8 s2 after reading reviews and they are generally correct. These are incredible headphones and feel very premium in the hands. At 1100 CAD after taxes they should. After a week or so of having the Px8 I spotted the momentum 4 for 279 cad. I have had both for 3 weeks now. For 700$ I just can’t quite justify the difference between the Px8 and the momentum 4. They are definitely “if you can, you should”. Sound: - head to head and giving both sets some time for my ears to adjust it’s really hard to pick a clear winner. The Px8 seemed slightly warmer while the m4 has in my mind better separation. - sound separation was a huge winner for the m4 -m4 has some slight distortion I’m trying to figure out. Comfort: - Px8 feels more premium on the head but I found them much hotter than the m4. 20-30 minutes and my ears were sweating hardcore. -m4 has a slightly lighter feel on the head. General use: - the Px8 is the winner here with real buttons and properly working ear detection. After 2 weeks the leather is very cracked on the band. - the m4 is very fidgety in my mind slight movements would bump a touch control or readjusting on my head would activate the auto pause. Turning these off does solve the issue but seems silly to turn have of the features off on a headset. App: - Px8 app is clean and simple but struggled to find the headphones on multiple occasions. Hard to switch any settings with this -m4 app is nice and the personalized sound is very cool. No complaints other than being asked for an account frequently. Wired connection: - I may have terrible luck but this is where both headphones have issues for me. When wired on the Px8 thr left side was significantly louder than the right. Also the headphones would not work plugged into any airplane tv. Bit of a bummer. I tried different cords and different sources and same issue continued. - the m4s have their own issue while wired. A very distinct popping sound. Again tried multiple sources and different cords. Not a specific m4 problem but specific to this set. Quite a bummer. At the end of the day either option is a great sounding headphone. I think I just got unlucky with my orders. I’m returning both due to the issues. The popping on the m4 drives me nuts and so does the lop sided Px8. They sound great on Bluetooth but again it feels weird having a function not work properly. I’m going to stick with my air pod pros for out and about and use this money to get a good pair of wired headphones for at home.

I recently acquired a mint condition Schiit Folkvangr 10-tube monster of an OTL & OCL vacuum tube amplifier from a collector with 2 spare sets of NOS CCCP Soviet power (tall 8×) tubes and a set of extra Gold Lion Genalex Russian new-manufacture input (short ×2) tubes. I've found a great little piece of furniture to place the amp on, there's a little shelf for my JDS Labs DAC I have underneath feeding 2V line out signal to the Schiit Amplifier via RCA using USB-B to USB-C input with my phone and laptop computer while sitting at the couch. I've tested quite a few of my headphones with this amp and my Sennheiser HD660S2 are definitely the most enjoyable. Their high impedance and excellent stock sound profile sans EQ make them ideal for listening on this tube amp. Definitely more enjoyable than my HD6XX or HD58X, not to mention far classier looking with a better 6.35mm terminated cable. This combination sounds great on almost any music I throw at it in my Tidal collection. Smooth and serene. I adore the tube glow while the amp is operating. The noise floor is beautifully black and there are no spurious noises from the tubes as far as I can tell. What a find! To think only 250 were ever made. One in this condition, fully working, with plenty of tubes... I consider it borderline unobtainium. This thing is really a statement piece. Looks fantastic in the living room of my apartment. I've never been more excited about high-end audio gear in my entire tenure as an audiophile. This combination is truly impressive. If I could choose to own a single piece of Schiit gear, it would definitely be this Folkvangr.

Let me start by saying I'm not invalidating anyone's opinions. The headphones mentioned in this thread are truly amazing and the people who recommended them are absolutely right to praise them. However, the lesson I've learned is that one's own anatomy plays such a huge role that sometimes you just have to use the headphones for a while to know if you really like them. My current setup is Fiio K11 R2R connected to Tv via optical and ps5 via usb. So adding eq is a hassle or doesn’t make sense financially. # Lesson 1 - stop researching the product you already bought If you look hard enough, you’ll find faults in reviews that you never would’ve noticed on your own. I started the journey with HD599, and within a couple of weeks I dove into posts about how better HD560s is, so I was like if this is so good how amazing would the better version of this headphones be? Went to HE400SE from HD560s for "wider soundstage" while I got the wider soundstage, I lost comfort, added capra strap, didn't help. Then went to HD560S again, well clamp force is too much. After countless headphones including HD800S, Edition XS, Fiio FT1, etc. # Lesson 2 - Know Thyself I stopped looking at headphones for a while and started looking at myself. Why did I find certain headphones uncomfortable, exactly where and how did they bother me? What sound signatures did I not like or what headphones gave me headaches and ear ringing even at lower volumes. Visited a doctor, got the TMJ confirmation. Got the confirmation that my ears are too sensitive to volume spikes as well as treble.(60db is what I use my AirPods at). One more thing I found out was via trial and error was that I can't tolerate headphones over 250g on my head, it just gives me headaches or makes me uncomfortable. So now new requirements, the headphone has to have a smooth treble or not too spiky treble(no access to eq), it shouldn't have too much clamp force (TMJ), and it should be light weight like around 250g. I just got tired of changing headphones every couple of months or so. # Lesson 3 - The hardest choices require the strongest wills In the end, I decided to just take a deep breath and accept, some headphones just aren’t for me. Like really, what good is god tier headphone if I can wear it for more than 30 mins? I got the HD599 again. And wow, it’s like a weight has been lifted. Now I just enjoy the games and music. I don’t get annoyed by the headphones or suddenly hear ear ringing when taking the headphones off. And the fun sound signature of HD599 combined with Fiio K11 R2R is cherry on top. This post is just a summary of my own journey. I am posting about it because I found it fascinating how my wrong mindset turned this extremely fun hobby into a restless chase for the perfect headphones dragon. Any HD599 enjoyers here?

From left to right top to bottom. Sennheiser HD800s, Lily Audio Genesis One, Hifiman HE1000se, Focal Utopia 2022, Sony MDR-Z1R 2x Those who have been keeping an eye on my flair may be worried for my finances now that the count is over 10,000. While it is a problem right now I am in a very good position for my goal of buying and selling my way to a endgame setup. Normally if you see me with a pair of headphones it usually means I got it for a great deal. Today though only two of the six I would consider great deals and the others in line with used market pricing. While they all have their stories the two obviously ones is why I have two z1r's. Honestly I have built up a reputation locally and recently someone told me to keep an eye out for fostex th900 mk2 and/or Sony MDR-Z1R. So one for me to try out and the other is for the local person once they pay up (should I charge a fee lol?). For the Lily Audio even with setbacks they were able to deliver productions models pretty much on time with the estimated timeline. I am one of the first six to receive their units and it arrived yesterday. Preliminary listening feels like a z1r's bass with the treble peaks of the hd800s. I hope to have more of a write up about it and afterwards send my unit to oratory1990 as I believe they are a great platform for eq. another thing to note about them was the power requirement scare to drive them as they need a capacitive load. I protect my hearing so I found my DX5 II to drive them just fine with about 15 db to spare on high gain but another user found their DX5 II not to drive them sufficiently to their liking which concerns me about their hearing 😅. another thing that has contributed to my debt is that I won an auction with a bunch of e-stat stuff. afterwards the middlemen service asked me if I was interested in more items but we weren't able to strike a deal as their prices were way above used. for those interested I don't know where they're going to list them so keep an eye out but the two notable and expensive things were a HeadAmp Blue Hawaii (no idea if upgraded) and Cavalli Audio Liquid Gold. anyway that's the update for now and my journey is near the end but it will be amazing when I can share my story in full complete with a spreadsheet. my fun fact is that with the utopia's is my 120th piece of headphone gear i've bought.

Got these hd599se for Christmas from my mom, she was able to snag a pair for $90, and had th a t been my $90 it would have been the best $90 ive ever spent. Ive already logged days on these cans and i cant get enough. My bt headphones are the Sony xm4 and I love them but with these and vinyl its a whole new experience. I don't have a designated headphone amp, ive just been using the headphone out on my denon pma-600ne. Sounds as good as I can tell the difference between. Im very satisfied with these.

Good catch, this isn‘t a Beyerdynamic driver - on the DT770 (and 880, 990) they do not use corrugated surround diaphragms. Also the foil used by Beyerdynamic for the diaphragm is slightly blue tinted, the one in the picture isn’t. And Beyerdynamic‘s DT770/880/990 drivers have vents in the magnet gap, the one in the picture is unvented, only having ports under the surround. This is a fake from what I can tell.

Hi everybody, i recently got myself a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 80 ohm. Recently in my country's most popular marketplace (not Amazon) I've seen that people are complaining about fakes. I have disassembled mine and took a look at the drivers. They look legit to me but I have seen they look a bit different online and I am unsure. If they are indeed fakes they would fool me. It is my first pair of audiophile headphones and I have no other pair to compare to. They sound good to me and I enjoy them but i don't want to pay for fakes. Can you help me in identifying if these are legit? Thank you!

Ok, so first of all, let me give you some context: Around 10 years ago, I had the Sennheiser PC363D for gaming. For me it was almost all I wanted: Excellent sound quality and positional sound, lightweight, comfortable, never made you sweat. I really liked it and it was also good for listening to music. But it had two problems: * First, the software was abandonware. Sennheiser stopped updating the drivers and those didn't work well on newer operating systems. * Second, the build quality was not good. It was made of cheap plastic, and after 10 years of heavy use, it was starting to fall apart, specially the flexible rubber of the mic boom. So, when I relocated 5 years ago I sold it. Surprisingly, someone paid for it more than what I paid for it new, because the guy really wanted it. I then got (yeah, I'm an idiot) a wired Razer Blackshark. Not only the sound quality is waaay worse than the PC363D, but the rails to adjust the ribbon band are crap, and the Razer software is horrible: Buggy as hell, and in the past it attempted to install cryptominers. I had it for a few years to recoup my investment, but it is time to let it go. This time I do not want to repeat the mistake, and want a proper headset. I've read good things about the **Beyerdynamic MMX** **~~300~~** **330 Pro**, and I'm also considering the **Audio Technica ATH-M50xSTS**. I owned the normal ATH-M50x at the same time I owned the PC363D, and honestly I thought the PC363D sounded better with most music and games. Is the MMX ~~300~~ 330 Pro as good or better than the PC363D was? Any other contender? My sole requirement is that any recommendation has an integrated mic and equals or surpasses thr PC363D in sound quality for gaming and media. I do not care jack or USB. Detachable cables and mic are a nice to have. Price is not a problem (within the gaming realm), but please do not recommend me some crazy expensive audiophile headset of >500€ because it is not what I need. I am also not interested in gaming crap, such as Logitech headsets. I got one once because it was what all review websited highlighted as "best gaming headset" and I returned it inmediately. Crappy plastic toy with white noise and money spent on rainbow leds. Thank you if you read so far! Edit: there were a couple of typos in my original post. While I originally wrote MMX 300 Pro, I really meant MMX 330 Pro (the newer, open end version). Edit 2: my motherboard has the Realtek ALC4080, which seems to be fine driving headsets up to up to 600Ω. If possible, I'd like to avoid having to buy a separate and big and bulky DAC because my desk is very crowded already. If it is something small like the DAC which came with the P363D (similar to a USB dongle) then it is ok. Edit 3: winner combo and the rationale for my purchase: [https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/1ozzhod/comment/nqc6vts/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=mweb3x&utm\_name=mweb3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/1ozzhod/comment/nqc6vts/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)

I was making a bass heavy track in 2020 using my old ath m40x, and it may have been a few hours of mastering but towards the end the right driver strated crackling. Levels were not even that loud but i guess raw frequencies are that unforgiving. I finished that track with dt880 pro's. One night i fell asleep on my chair with ath r70x still on my head. I slept while the right earcup was below my head. When I woke up, that side strated crackling. In my experience beyerdynamic headphones are the strongest. I have slept (on a sofa) with my dt880 pro still on my head without worrying and they have held up for years after all that abuse. But about a month ago even the dt880 pro strated slightly crackling on the right, it went away in a day or two but the right side went a little quieter than the left, its still useable and will last my lifetime and more. Beyerdynamic headphones can survive external and internal (frequency) abuse the best. But I dont suppose you are abusing yours like I was. You might be able to get it fixed under warranty, you should check.

I decided to get myself an upgrade for my birthday. I was previously using a pair of HD599s hooked up to the balanced output on my KA15. This really woke them up, but didn't do anything for the clarity or the low end those were lacking in. Clarity is hard to measure for me. I have hearing that allows me to hear electricity in walls (and dog whistles, unfortunately), so I don't tend towards headsets with overly punchy highs. I tried out the HD600 and the Focal Hadenys before getting to these, and found them overly flat, and overly harsh, respectively. The sweet spot for me is in the mids, and these have such a rich and creamy mid response to them. That also aids in creating a breathtaking soundstage. There's a lot going on in a Kate Bush record and these articulate things I swear I've never heard before. Likewise, listening to Charles Mingus, every instrument has position out in front of me, like I can reach out and touch them. These also have fantastic low-end for an open-back headphone, and especially compared to the HD599s. The opening track, "Angel", off Massive Attack's Mezzanine is a great demo of this; the track comes in with an intense synth bass riff that the HD660S2 gives almost perfect weighting to without sounding boomy or weak. I think if you're looking for something with pinpoint accuracy, these aren't the cans for you, because of their extensive low and mid response, but for me, they address the issues I was having with my prior set and have really opened up my music to more exploration. The balance between the low/mids and highs on these seem tailor made for folks who don't want an abrasive high frequency experience. They're relaxed and smooth but still detailed enough to qualify as an audiophile grade experience and a huge step up from the HD5xx. I'm super happy with them.

Recently picked up some budget tube amps to test with my HD 600, the Apos Gremlin and Fosi GR70. For my DAC/solid state amp I use the Aune S9c Pro and have used the XDuoo TA-66 in the past. My main problem with the TA-66 was the shear size of it. Didn’t really fit on my desk. So, I’m testing out these two. The Gremlin is obviously a cooler looking device, with its totally exposed board, bright orange glowing tubes, and the green LEDs (that can be turned off if you don’t like it). I would say it moves the needle towards a tube sound just slightly from the S9c Pro, but sounds crystal clear, and punches really well. The totally balanced connections can kind of be a pain. I have the R70xa as well but only the stock cable currently, so I have no way to listen to them on the Gremlin currently. Also no line outputs. The GR70 is definitely more understated. It has a quarter inch and 3.5mm headphone outputs, so it’s the opposite Gremlin, as being only single ended. It does have an RCA output you can use for speakers or a different amp. There’s some oddities with the Lo Z and Hi Z for me. According to the documentation, I’m supposed to use the Hi Z mode with the HD 600, but it sounds really muddy that way. I tried all the headphones/IEMs I’m listening with at the moment, and all of it sounds better on Lo Z. Not really a huge issue, just odd IMO. The sound on the GR70 gets closer to the classic tube sound. The tone controls work pretty well, but as anyone with an HD 600 knows, there’s only so much you can do with bass bumps before things start distorting. The treble dial works great though, you can really brighten the HD 600 up if that’s your thing. If you are also considering these, I think you should think about your use case. The Gremlin is great, with some caveats: you need to have a balanced DAC, you don’t need it to be a preamp, and you don’t already have a pretty good solid state amp. I just don’t think it moves the needle far enough compared to my S9c Pro to warrant keeping both in the same stack. The GR70 does provide a different enough sound to warrant having both it and the S9c Pro. It also has the preamp options that work for me since I have active desktop speakers that benefit from a slight tube softening (Kali LP UNF). No balanced outputs is a little annoying, but typical at this price for a tube amp. The Hi Z Lo Z stuff is odd but not a dealbreaker. I’ll most likely keep the GR70 in this setup and take my Gremlin to work since it works for my setup there (Geshelli J2 DAC) and not needing the preamp options since I won’t have speakers.

IDK, but as someone who's been with HD600 for more than 20 years - it is now collecting dust and HD490 became my endgame headphone pretty much.

HD600 are not known for soundstage but are known for their realistic sound especially in the midrange. The Hifimans you mentioned are (also consider XV). Personally I think soundstage for headphones is overblown. Most of it comes from the recording itself. As far as power, you need to leave some headroom for dynamic peaks in the music which greatly exceed the average volume level you are listening to.

Here are my thoughts on each of the Blues Brothers as I call my collection lol Bose QuietComfort — Pros: good bass, quiet and aware modes solid, very lightweight, love the physical buttons, small case, super comfy Cons: Feels flimsy and cheap, creaking headband while wearing headphones, ratcheting headband, resets to Quiet mode when turned back on, treble harsh Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 1 — Pros: Feels pretty solid, sliding headband, immersive audio is fun with live music, even better quiet and aware modes than QC, small case, super comfy Cons: Weird button setup, volume controls are awful so I use my phone to control volume I use these the least. Only for live music Sennheiser Momentum 4 — Pros: Lost of slam and impact with strong bass even without bass boost tuned on, solid build quality, intuitive controls, awesome app, sound the best of all 3 headphones, crazy long battery life Cons: Transparency and noise cancellation not as strong as Bose, not as comfy as QCs, ear cups are smaller than QCs. My favorite and most used pair. Love that “Sennheiser signature sound!”

I’ve been using the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) for a while now, and I have to say — these things are incredible. Sound: The sound is warm and rich, but still very balanced and clear. Everything feels natural — vocals, instruments, bass — nothing is overdone or harsh. I haven’t noticed any distortion at all, even at higher volumes. The soundstage also surprised me; it’s natural and has a nice sense of depth and space between instruments. Music just feels alive through these, not flat or clinical. Comfort: Comfort is honestly next level. These feel like pillows hugging your head — soft, snug, and super comfortable for long sessions. I wouldn’t use them for workouts (they’re not built for that kind of movement), but they’re fine for light activities like a brisk walk or some yoga. Noise Canceling & Transparency: The noise canceling is phenomenal — so strong it can actually get a little disorienting at first because it blocks everything. On the other hand, the transparency mode sounds incredibly natural. You can easily hear your surroundings without it sounding artificial, which is great if you’re in an office or just need to stay aware of people around you. Controls & Features: The controls take a little getting used to, but once you figure them out, they work really smoothly. I love that you can quickly switch between Bluetooth devices you’ve already paired — that’s super convenient. Battery life is great too — around 30 hours, which easily gets me through multiple workdays or a long flight. There’s also USB audio, multi-point Bluetooth, and spatial audio that works on any device, no special software needed. The call quality is excellent too; I’ve taken business calls in noisy environments and people still hear me clearly. Overall: These are some of the best headphones I’ve ever owned. The sound, comfort, and noise canceling are all top-tier, and the features make them super versatile. They’re not for heavy workouts, but for travel, work, or just relaxing and enjoying your music, they’re absolutely worth it. Highly recommend.

My Situation: I’m looking for a pair of high-end wireless headphones for everyday use (commuting, office work, walking). I’m currently debating between the Sennheiser Momentum 4, Sony WH-1000XM5, and the Bose QC Ultra. My Priorities (In order): 1. Battery Life / "Less Charge": I hate charging things constantly. I need something that can go a long time without dying on me. 2. Sound Quality: I want them to sound great for music. 3. Call Quality: I take calls in somewhat noisy environments (office/coffee shops), so the mic needs to be solid. 4. ANC: Needs to handle office chatter and commuting noise well. My Dilemma: * Sennheiser M4: The 60-hour battery is huge for me, and I hear the sound is the best. But I’m worried about the ANC—specifically, does it actually block out office voices? Also heard about some connection bugs/firmware issues—are those still a thing in late 2025? * Sony XM5: Everyone says these are the kings of ANC and Calls, but the 30-hour battery feels low compared to Sennheiser. Is the comfort actually an issue for long sessions? * Bose QC Ultra: I know these are comfortable, but the battery life seems the weakest of the bunch. The Wildcard: Someone also recommended the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 because of the 100-hour battery. Has anyone actually used these? Are the ANC and calls good enough to compete with Sony/Bose? Question: Based on my need for low maintenance (battery) but good call quality, which one is the safer bet? Is the Sony mic/ANC worth the drop in battery life compared to the Sennheiser? Thanks! #

Hi, I was looking for the perfect over-ear headphones for my PS5 Pro. About 4 months ago, I bought the Maxwell 2 PS. I liked them, but I had issues with comfort and my ears overheating. I tried several alternatives through a buy-and-return cycle, including: Sennheiser HDB 630 B&W PX8 S2 Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 Bose QC Ultra 2 I returned all of them because of either comfort or audio quality issues… …until I decided to try an open-back headset. After a lot of research, I bought the OpenBack ROG Kithara paired with a K7 DAC/amp. After a week of use, I can say: wow! Comfortable, fairly lightweight, super detailed, and with the right EQ on the K7 I can also get good bass and well-defined highs. The soundstage is very wide. I really like them. Just out of curiosity, in your opinion what could be a further step up in audio quality compared to the ROG Kithara while still using the K7? I still wouldn’t want to sacrifice comfort, though… Thanks :)

Over the past few months I wanted to get a new gaming headphone, like a Logitech g pro X, or the Maxwell and well… I went down the rabbit hole pretty hard and demoed way more headphones than I ever planned to. HD490 Pro, HD800S, Arya Stealth, LCD-X, Arya Unveiled, HE1000 Stealth… probably forgetting a couple at this point. I wasn’t really chasing a specific sound, just something that felt *right* overall. Good technically, but still enjoyable to actually listen to for hours. Ended up landing on the HE1000se… this is the one. It’s got that super clean, resolving sound where you can pick everything apart, but it doesn’t come off sterile or boring. Imaging, separation, detail, all there. Bass is tight and clean, not muddy, but still present. Only thing I noticed at first was it leaned a *touch* on the lighter side. Threw in the Gremlin and that basically fixed it. Added just enough body and texture to make everything feel more natural without killing what makes the SE special. Whole setup (SE + DX5 II + Gremlin) ended up around $2300 after tax. Which… yeah, not cheap. I genuinely don’t know how much better it realistically gets without spending double, not to mention diminishing returns past this. The Susvara exists, and there’s always something more expensive. But this feels like that sweet spot where you’re getting insane performance without completely losing your mind financially. At least for a “brokie” like me. For the first time since starting this hobby, I’m not thinking about “what’s next” every 5 minutes. I’m just listening to the music. I’ll still keep an eye on new stuff and I’m sure I’ll get curious again at some point, but for now this feels like endgame. Audi(bro)phile arc complete (temporarily). Curious what everyone else is running. I know these headphones are a few years old now, anyone else land here and just stop upgrading for a bit?

I got the chance to listen to some headphones at the local audio store, Audiokauppa. Some background This is in no way an in-depth expert review. I spent 30 minutes with these headphones. I’m just a guy who likes music and has owned a pair of Genelecs for 10 years. I buy gear if I like the way it sounds. The setup The music source was a MacBook Air with Qobuz. The DAC / amp was my trusty RME ADI DAC FS. I listened to some of my favourites including Opeth, Arch Enemy, Carpenter Brut and Paramore. Audeze LCD-3 I’ve owned these for two years. But I’ve never been quite happy with the sound. Endless fiddling with EQ settings and changing amps did not help. The sound feels restricted and rude. I don’t feel the music, I just hear it. That’s why I am looking for something new. Austrian Audio The Composer 1 minute was enough with these. The sound was thin and lifeless. I couldn’t find sense of space or instrument separation. Disclaimer: it might be because I used them with the RME’s 3,5mm IEM output. But that didn’t reach max level either, it was -20dB. Meze Empyeran These just sounded right from the first seconds. The sound feels accurate and exciting. I noticed my head had started to bob on its own several times. A clear winner for me! I can’t wait to hear all my favourites with these. I think I’ll start with some Dire Straits.

I just picked up the Audeze LCD-X a week ago. I'm trying to use them for mixing/mastering as I'm struggling with low-end in a room that I am unable to treat. I've tried EQing them with Realphones 2 with a variety of different profiles to get more authentic commercial lows for referencing purposes. I read the LCD-X have exceptional low-end with little-no distortion when EQ'd. Not gonna lie, so far I am very unimpressed by these headphones (unless its just that my amplification is the issue). Right now I am using an RME Babyface interface -> Fosi Audio SK01 amplifier -> LCD-X. I need to be able to temporarily push the headphones a bit and get some rumble (short higher volume checks) so I can hear/feel the lows that I am hearing in the car - but I'm finding that as I raise the volume, its like the bass is just disappearing. I'm ASSUMING its clipping the Fosi but I don't hear any distortion, just the bass disappearing and the harsher mids/treble pushing through loudly. If I go RME babyface direct to the LCD-X, I experience a similar issue but I can hear audible distortion in the lows once the volume gets higher. I'm thinking I need a headphone amp with some more headroom just so I can drive these cans for short bursts to hear things open up. If this sounds like an amplifier limitation, could somebody please recommend a better amplifier for this? Or is this just a limitation with the headphones reaching their limit once the volume gets higher? If its the headphones' limitation then I'm probably going to return them because I am simply not getting a similar representation with my reference tracks at any volume with any amount of EQ and I'm still unable to dial things in intelligibly.

🎧 High-end headphone listening afternoon at the best store in Spain: Studio 22 in Madrid. First, the disappointments: > FiiO FT3: Bad — compressed, like AirPods or worse! (€299 RRP) >Meze 109 Pro: Good and comfortable, but way too expensive for the level of detail they offer. Distorted bass. (€799 RRP) AND NOW, THE TOP 5 EXCELLENCE!!! 5️⃣ AUDEZE LCD-3: Dynamic and detailed, but far too heavy. (€2249 RRP) 4️⃣ Senn HD800S: Ultra-light and comfortable, huge soundstage, flat sound signature as you’d expect from Senn. (€1799 RRP) 🥉 Hifiman Arya Unveiled: The first planar magnetics that truly impressed me! Balanced, complete, playful. Fantastic. (€1599 RRP) 🥈 Focal Clear MG: Never disappoint; the magnesium drivers offer incredible precision, with the #1 bass performance of the day and detail across alllll frequencies. Supreme! (€1499 RRP) 🥇 Grado RS-2x: Grado have always been my favorites, and today I remembered why; soundstage, dynamics, and emotion like no others. Rediscovering the champions. (€649 RRP) 🎹 All powered by the amazing iFi xDSD Gryphon!! I honestly wasnt all that impressed with the RS2x until I heard them with the Gryphon. It gave them SR325e like energy while keeping everything else consistent and not sibilant. Amazing experience!!!!

Went to my local (1 hour drive, not exactly "local" but it is a local kind of hifi shop, just one that has million dollar Focal's and Bowers and Wilkins and Sonus Fabers just sitting around) hifi shop to try out the Meze 105 AER (€300/\~350USD) , However when waiting for a clerk to get them I saw these 105 Silva's (€500/\~580USD) on a stand and decided to do them head to head to hear the difference. He set up a Naim Uniti Atom and an iPad with Tidal for me and gave me the room with a comfy couch for as long as I needed, I tested these head to head with various kinds of music, everything from Ludovico Einaudi to Billy Joel to Alan Jackson to we are the fallen to whatever else to really get a good impression of these headphones. Now a little backstory, the reason I went down the "I want a new pair of headphones" Rabbit Hole was because my daily drivers were getting a bit boring (Senny HD600 and Focal Elegia) and I saw the Hifiman HE400SE for sale on aliexpress, from there on I saw how much better the Edition XS We're supposed to be and then I remembered I really liked the look of some Meze 99's I saw once but remembered I didnt like it's pleather earpads so decided to look if they released something new.. that's when I saw the 105 Aer's, they were alot more expensive than the Hifiman's but reviews looked promising. I had a day off today so went to that hifi store and the rest is history. Strange how a sale on a 140 euro pair of headphones can suddenly lead to a 500 euro purchase of some of the most gorgeous and most comfortable headphones i've ever seen and felt. Now, on to sound, Why did I choose the Silva's at almost double the price over the Aer's. First thing I noticed with the Aer's is that It's rather dark but still sibilant, I'm really sensitive to sibilance so I picked up on this quickly, it also didn't sound very "real" but did sound quite relaxed. It was extremely comfortable tho, the headband and earpads are perfect and it weighs practically nothing. Then I switched to the Silva's and something happened when I heard a Saxophone on "Your latest trick" from dIRE sTRAITS, It sounded like it was there, I could envision the Brass and it was like the Sax was right there shooting into my ear, better than even my Focal speakers do (that cost alot more), I quickly put on a song that I know is sibilant (We are the fallen - Sleep well my angel) and it did better on the sibilance than even my Focal speakers do, the Aer however really was struggling with the female vocal, the Silva did it effortlessly. Then I went onto "scenes of an Italian restaurant - Billy Joel" and I found myself smiling with the Silva's on, I rarely ever smile while listening to music but this time I was giggling like an idiot, The sound was all over and around me, it pulled me in and kept me there, it was tight, controlled and made me forget that I was listening to a piece of gear but instead made me listen to the music. To summon things up, I think what I said last there is the most important thing that I got from the Silva's that I just could not get from the Aer's. The Silva's allowed me to forget them, both sound wise and comfort wise, the Aer's could only do the comfort part. The Aer's are fine sounding headphones, Infact they sound great, but the Silva's are at the level where you finally start listening to the music again instead of listening to the gear, and that, that made me smile, it made me want to race home to my LP's and try out new albums I still haven't got around to listening to. The Silva's made me smile. And all else is history! If you made it this far, thanks for sticking around! Have an amazing rest of your day or night and enjoy your gear, but even more important, enjoy your music! See ya'll soon when my tube amp arrives supposedly tomorrow hahah.

So I've been looking at getting a decent pair of closed-backs for a while and I came across these headphones, I never had any Meze products before but I was roughly aware of their overall lineup, I then realized that these have only been out for a few months. After looking at a couple reviews I decided to snag a pretty much unused pair on ebay for £449 and for the price, these are absolutely the best headphones I've ever had so far. I have to admit that the looks played a big part in me getting these and in real life they look stunning with the British racing green frame and the ebony earcups, the look might not be for everyone but I was pretty much sold on them instantly. The comfort on these is out of this world, they're without a doubt the most comfortable pair of headphones that I've ever come across, they are very light overall due to the magnesium alloy frame, with amazing earpads that seal outside noise exceptionally well with ample space between the pads and the drivers. After spoiling myself with these, my HD660S2's now feel cheap and flimsy both in overall fit/comfort as well as build quality, I know they are different price points and completely different headphones but after using the Meze's, I now notice how much the Sennheiser's plastic creaks every time I move my head or adjust the headphones.. The overall sound in my opinion is great for the money, they feel decently wide to me for a closed-back with really good imaging, the bass is very tight and controlled with enough punch and on certain tracks it's just perfect, but I have to say that after getting used to them, they make my 660S2's feel a bit bassy.. The treble can be a bit sharp at times but again, I think that might be me being used to the 660S2's sound signature and after a little while I did not mind it. The mids sound good enough for me with plenty of detail and it doesn't feel veiled or muddy in my opinion. These are now my favourite headphones when it comes to just sitting down and enjoying some music, I get as much enjoyment out of these as with the Sennheisers but with way more comfort and amazing noise isolation, plus they're so light that I basically forget I'm even wearing them and can listen to music for hours on end. Would I have initially paid full retail price($799/€799/£799) for them? Probably not, as these are still my most expensive cans so far, but for the money I spent (£449), I am very happy with what I got and considering everything, I think they are worth the full price 😊

God, Meze just GETS aesthetics. I understand people who care solely about the musicality, but I really love that they emphasize the look. It's what got my attention when I purchased my 99 Classics.

I’ve been daily-driving a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50x for 10+ years. They’ve worn down in the usual ways, but I’m surprised how far a couple non-standard fixes got me: * **Bike handlebar tape for the headband** * The headband pleather cracked after a few years. * Instead of a bulky wrap/cover, I used bike bar tape. It’s cheap, durable, comes in a ton of colors, and you can wrap it neatly. * Install was basically: unscrew → wrap → screw back (no glue). * **Zip ties to fix a broken hinge stop** * Around year 8–9, one cup stopped pressing evenly (comfort + seal got bad). * A tiny plastic "stop" in the hinge area had cracked. * Fix was small zip ties (2.5mm width): two around the hinge area, then one positioned so the zip-tie head becomes the stop. Added more ties until the extension was limited correctly. I wrote a full post about my experience with them [here](https://pavelmakhov.com/2025/12/audio-technica-m50x-10-years/). [Bicycle bar tape to fix the headband](https://preview.redd.it/n8jjvjcqls9g1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c61d2da5827ce114742b843a341828d4e593f1a9) [Zip-ties to fix a broken hinge](https://preview.redd.it/4ryn71gkls9g1.jpg?width=601&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d64a9a0023f1136c0362e3c8cc481262d9897902) Anyone else have similar "non-standard" headphone repairs that worked way better than expected?

A couple of Weeks ago i asked for recommendations on a Headphone for mainly Gaming and Music that would be comfy for long periods of time as i spent probably 6 hours a day with headphones on. After that i decided to wait a little more to get paid and up the budget of 250 USD to 450 USD so now im back to ask if everything is ok with my final decision. From that post i decided on the Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 250ohm with that also came the interest on a portable DAC/AMP, and decided to settle for the Fiio K17, this combo would cost me around 385000 CLP (around 415 USD) i got a little bit more money to squeeze from the budget which would put me around 417000 clp (450 USD) so i come to ask if this combo of headphone + DAC/AMP would be good for my needs or if there is anything better if i decided to squeeze all the budget i got. the Headphone is gonna be used on 3 devices most of the time, on my desktop PC, my phone (galaxy Flip 7) and my DAP (Sony Walkman NW-A306), so the main things its gonna be used for are gaming, youtube videos and music Current gear is a Sony WH-1000mx4, previous gear from i had are Audiotechnica ATH M50x, and Grado SR80, i liked all of them so anything similar in sound to that is welcome, i do prefer tho a more bass preference. Also i live in Chile so if you recommend something more "niche" so to speak take into account shipping, most of the big brands are here (as in Sony, sennheiser, beyerdynamic, audiotechnica, fiio, Bose) but newer or more smaller brands usually don't have all the models reach here

I compare them in the video! For me, HD 480 Pro comes out on top, but MDR-M1 is certainly better in terms of ergonomics and sound than the typical ATH-M50x or DT 770 you'll find in most studios.

Hi All! I’ve been enjoying lossless audio with my audio technica m50x but I’m looking to make an upgrade. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’ve heard open back is the best for sound stage. I’m still pretty new to all of this to be honest. I’m looking for something that’s accurate and doesn’t feel fatiguing to wear. My m50x gives me a headache after a while.

Here are my thoughts on each of the Blues Brothers as I call my collection lol Bose QuietComfort — Pros: good bass, quiet and aware modes solid, very lightweight, love the physical buttons, small case, super comfy Cons: Feels flimsy and cheap, creaking headband while wearing headphones, ratcheting headband, resets to Quiet mode when turned back on, treble harsh Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 1 — Pros: Feels pretty solid, sliding headband, immersive audio is fun with live music, even better quiet and aware modes than QC, small case, super comfy Cons: Weird button setup, volume controls are awful so I use my phone to control volume I use these the least. Only for live music Sennheiser Momentum 4 — Pros: Lost of slam and impact with strong bass even without bass boost tuned on, solid build quality, intuitive controls, awesome app, sound the best of all 3 headphones, crazy long battery life Cons: Transparency and noise cancellation not as strong as Bose, not as comfy as QCs, ear cups are smaller than QCs. My favorite and most used pair. Love that “Sennheiser signature sound!”

I have been on the hunt for a new pair of headphones for a long time now. I read pretty much every review I could find watched far too many YouTube comparisons and spent a lot of time trying different pairs in shops. Across audiophile spaces especially the Sennheiser HDB 630 came up again and again as the best reviewed closed back wireless headphones the brand has ever made. First off, top level findings: Sony WH-1000XM6 is generally solid for the average consumer but I have never personally found their mainstream offerings to be particularly exciting. The sound is fine but nothing special and I have always found the ear cushions a bit uncomfortable. I also tried the Bose QuietComforts. They are incredibly comfortable with excellent noise cancelling and very easy to live with. But sound wise it is good and not bad at all but it does not exactly blow your mind. What kept pulling me toward the Sennheiser HDB 630 was audiophiles consistently saying they are the best closed back wireless headphones they have ever heard. So eventually I bought them. Honestly they just didn’t land for me. The soundstage felt quite flat and on your ears rather than around you. The noise cancelling was underwhelming compared to Bose and they got hot so my ears were sweaty pretty much all the time. Comfort wise that became a real issue for longer sessions. The build quality also did not feel great. There is a lot of plastic and while I get that there is loads of customisation available in the app it actually became part of the problem for me. Because there are so many tuning options I never felt like I could just relax and enjoy a song. There was always a sense that I could tweak it further to make this track sound better or that genre sound better. As a bit of a perfectionist I spent more time fiddling in the app than actually listening to music. What I really want is something that sounds incredible straight out of the box which just works and sings without effort. I took the HDB 630 to my local store and compared them to the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 side by side and wow. I would strongly recommend anyone remotely interested to try the PX8 S2 in person. I had heard a lot of reviews saying the Px8 S2 was too bright and fatiguing but for me it was like hearing music in a way I have never heard before. It was unbelievably clear and full bodied. The sibilance was high but there was also a drive in the sound that was quite punchy. The soundstage absolutely blew me away. It feels full and immersive and in the room rather than technically precise but emotionally flat. It worked listening to classical, rock and dance music. All of them worked in their own ways and in ways that I just could not get the Sennheisers to sound. Plus they look incredible. The build quality is leagues ahead too. The metal construction feels like it will last years and the whole product just feels premium. Yes they are expensive but for the money you are spending compared to the HDB 630 they are on a completely different level in sound build and even looks. The Sennheisers have a slightly cyborg aesthetic while the Px8 S2 on the other hand actually looks good on your head. So that was my experience. I can see why audiophiles respect the Sennheiser HDB 630 but for me they were over tunable uncomfortable and ultimately less enjoyable than I had hoped. If you want something that just sounds incredible without constant tweaking I would seriously suggest giving the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 a listen. Curious if anyone else had a similar experience or if the HDB 630?

**TLDR:** Daily headphone user upgrading from 2018 Bose QC35 II. Narrowed it down to QC Ultra 2nd Gen (comfort/ANC) vs Px8 (sound/build) vs HD 650 (sound, but unsure on comfort). Leaning Px8 but worried about reliability. Looking for real-world opinions. **Context** I’ve been using Bose QuietComfort 35 II since 2018 and they’ve been great, but I use headphones a lot and want a proper upgrade. I care about comfort (big head, long sessions), ANC, and sound quality. **Use case** * Gym (rehab work, so ANC matters, usually rock and all its sub genres) * Studying/Work (2+ hour sessions) * Music listening (mainly) * Some laptop gaming use At home I use wired **Sennheiser HD 550**, so I do care about sound quality. I recommend those if you are on the fence. **What I’ve narrowed it down to** **1. Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen** * Best comfort + ANC (from what I’ve tried) * Sound is fine but not exciting * Tried them briefly and didn’t feel like a huge upgrade from my QC35 II at all but that was store only test * 550 CAD **2. Bowers & Wilkins Px8** * Seems like a clear step up in sound and build * Main concern is durability (seen some reports of issues with B&W over time) * 700 CAD **3. Sennheiser HDB 630** * Likely best sound (which obviously is a big deal!), PX8S2 seem close from reviews * Biggest concern is comfort * 600 CAD **Where I’m stuck** * QC Ultra 2nd Gen = safest pick (comfort + ANC), but might feel like a boring upgrade * Px8S2 = most appealing overall, but unsure on long-term reliability * HDB 630 = best sound, but might not fit my actual daily use **Questions** * Is the sound jump on Px8 S2 actually noticeable vs QC Ultra in real use? * How comfortable are HDB 630 for 2+ hour sessions? * Any Senn HDB 630 vs. B&W Px8S2 owners chime in? * If you were in my position, which would you pick? * Am I overthinking this and should just go QC Ultra again? **Extra** I’ve also looked at Focal Bathys MG, but they’re more than double the price here so I’ve kind of ruled them out for now at the price difference is ludicrous. Thanks!

Honestly, I would go in store to try them out yourself. Hit a Best Buy or a Staples or something and just try on the headphones. That's what I did. I ended up going for the Bose QC gen 2s since the noise cancelling was unrivaled and they were so comfortable.

Dt 990 pro ear pads to Sennheiser HD 515 Headphones Retrofit To make a long story short; my dt 990’s broke, I fixed them, they broke again, I could not repair them. So they sat and I used these HD 515’s. Problem is the 515’s ear pads were worn to the point of which I could feel the plastic from the driver housing on my ears. It was so bad I would have to take the headphones off for durations of time until my ears stopped hurting from the plastic. Well I had the bright idea to 3D model an adaptor to retrofit the dt 990 ear pads to the Sennheiser headphones and it couldn’t have worked out any better. The model literally snaps right in its so satisfying how well it worked. They look and feel totally stock it’s awesome. My beloved dt 990’s may not work anymore but they will live on in these sennheisers. They actually have quite nice audio and now with the soft and comfy velour ear pads they are a awesome set of cans! If in the slim chance somebody out there has some broken 990’s and some working HD 515’s I would love to share the file with you. Anyways just thought you guys here might think this was cool.

Bought myself DT990 Pro X as a new years gift (fellow men, do we all have to buy our own presents?). It was mainly for gaming to be honest, since I wasn’t satisfied with my Corsair HS80 and the IEMs I bought after seeing some recommendations - SIMGOT EW300. To be fair though, when I first tried the SIMGOT EW300 I was kind of surprised how great they sounded and the built in microphone is honestly super impressive for what it is. Still I wasn’t satisfied with positioning and sound stage as they call it. Now, I started getting the itch to try the famous Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro X. Oh how much I heard about that open back design giving the best sound stage and positioning, allowing to pinpoint peoples location in FPS games, let alone the music listening experience. But I was slightly scared because of bunch of people on X and Reddit say “I listen to my cheap IEMs, and they give way better positioning and sound better than these \*insert the over ear headphones name\*.” Fast forward to yesterday, the new headphones arrived. I chose 3 different music tracks on my PC, not necessarily my favorite, but tracks that had both male and female female voices and a bunch of different instruments. I plug in my Corsairs first. Listen to all 3. Then I do the same with the IEMs, and I reassure myself that IEMs do in fact sound better. Finally, with slightly shaky hands (yes lol, it’s an expensive buy for me, I’m well off salary wise, but I’ve been saving most of the money I earn to my kid’s personal fund I’ve created since her birth and I bearly spend any money on myself) I plug the DT990 Pro X into my PC, start the first track… The second one… The third one finishes. I sit sort of frozen, eyes getting dry from not blinking. And think to myself, this is how GOOD headphones are supposed to sound? HOLY FOKING SHIT! INCREDIBLE! It’s love from first listen. The sort of details I caught, the little hisses of electric guitar, imperfections in the artists’ voices, those sounds I don’t even know how to call, English isn’t my native language. I guess all those little but very important (now they are) details get mushed and smeared in “bad” headphones. It was truly an experience for me I don’t think I’ll forget and I cannot go back to my other headphones anymore. I don’t have an AMP/DAC, and I’m not sure if I should get one, maybe you can recommend. But yes, if someone here is reading and been thinking of buying some daily expensive earphones such as these, just do it! Chances are, you’ll be stunned and pleased. As I sidenote, they also are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever tried in my life. My slightly large ears fit perfectly in the ear cups. Clamp force is a bit too strong but felt fine after a few hours. No ear fatigue. And in games (FPS) the sound cues were INSANE. Just wow! I was able to pinpoint people like never before, it felt like cheating. Thank you for your time reading this. I love you, and happy new year!

I’m looking for new headphones for casual use like gaming and things like watching Netflix or Youtube for my set up at home on my PC. I wouldn’t want too much bass. I would prefer something that has the best sound quality and is comfortable. It doesn’t matter if it’s open or closed back. I’m in the United States if that helps. I’ve been looking at the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro, but I wanna know if there’s anything else that would possibly fit my needs/budget. I’m currently using some $40 studio headphones from amazon and I want to upgrade to something better. I don’t own any audio equipment. All recommendations are appreciated!

Hi I am trying to switch from iems to headphones for gaming mainly fpses. My biggest concern is comfort and fit as I have a larger head and my ears get hot easily which is why i am looking for open back. I’ve used the sennheiser pc37x in the past and I had trouble with my ears overheating. My budget is around $180 and I am preferably looking for headphones that fit over my ears if possible. Some options I’ve looked into were the beyerdynamic dt990 pro, dt900 pro x, sennheiser hd 600, hd 6xx, audiotechnica r50x, flio ft1 pro, phillips fidelio x3 to name a few. Please let me know any recommendations you guys have. Thank you!

Hey guys, wanted to share my experience with the new AirPods Max 2. For context, I’m a massive Apple fanboy. Literally every electronic device I own is Apple, and I hugely value how seamless the ecosystem integration is. My current daily drivers: • iPhone 17 Pro • MacBook Air M5 • Studio Display • AirPods Pro 3 • Apple Watch Ultra 3 • 2x Apple TV 4K My final holdout was an 8-year-old pair of Bose QC 35s. They were also the very last non-USB-C device I owned. So, when Apple announced the APM2s, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to check that final box and upgrade. I pre-ordered two pairs: one for me and one for my spouse. Almost immediately, my spouse’s pair developed this weird, metallic "tink" noise in the left ear cup that you could hear anytime you moved your head. We took them to the Apple Store, they duplicated the issue, and refunded us. The very next day, my pair developed the exact same "tink" noise in the left ear cup. For $550 headphones, that is just completely unacceptable and super distracting. Coupled with the severe battery drain and the fact that there's still no actual power button, it pushed me right back to Bose. I ended up grabbing the new Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2s. Got them tax-free and on sale for $400. Honestly, I’m not an audiophile, so to my ears, they sound similar enough to the APM2s. Sure, the Apple build quality feels far better in the hand, but what good is a premium feel if the product makes annoying rattling noises in practice? Plus, the Bose actually have a power button and come with a proper carrying case. I really wanted the APM2s to work out so I could complete the ecosystem, but I’m not settling when it comes to headphones this expensive.

So about a year ago I caved and bought myself a pair of Sennheisser HD 650’s and an fiio k11 desk amp. I was astounded by all the extra detail, the change in being able to hear more of the soundstage and the understanding of hearing the music how it’s intended by the maker. I came from a pair of airpods pro 2’s and it opened a whole new world for me. For a few months now, I noticed that I started listening to music differently. For some reason I feel like I can both focus on one instrument beter, but also to everything at once. Gave a whole new depth to music. Even with my airpods. Have other people experienced this? I think it’s one of the best things that happened in my listening experience ever.

I’ve been using the AirPods Max 2 for a week, and honestly, I’m pretty disappointed with the sound quality overall. The biggest issue for me is the tuning. The sound comes across as overly aggressive and fatiguing, especially in the upper frequencies. Songs I know and love just don’t feel engaging or emotional on these headphones. Everything sounds technically “clean,” but there’s very little warmth or immersion. I never really get that feeling of being pulled into the music. I also noticed that disabling Spatial Audio made the listening experience more pleasant. The sound became less artificial and less processed, although it wasn’t a night-and-day transformation. For context, I’m used to listening with Fiio FT1, Meze 99, and Hifiman Edition XS headphones. Obviously, it’s probably unfair to directly compare wired headphones to wireless, but it does make the AirPods Max 2 sound quite underwhelming to me emotionally and musically. As for comfort, I do not notice the weight. Build quality is also OK. ANC is good, but honestly, I’m not blown away by it. My comparison point is the old Sony MDR-1000X, and while I assume ANC technology has improved a lot over the years, I still expected a bigger “wow” factor. Transparency mode, however, is seriously impressive, feels incredibly natural. Overall, the AirPods Max 2 feel like a nice piece of hardware with good comfort, build quality, and transparency mode, but the actual sound signature just doesn’t work for me. Too sharp, too sterile, and not enough emotion in the music.

Nooo I have not....so I can't compare. I wish I had a better gauge of how good the music quality actually is. The music quality is wayyyy better than my old RIE (Receiver-in-ear). I used to have a pair of airpods but they were second generations. I have been meaning to ask a co worker if I can try out their airpod pros.

🎧 High-end headphone listening afternoon at the best store in Spain: Studio 22 in Madrid. First, the disappointments: > FiiO FT3: Bad — compressed, like AirPods or worse! (€299 RRP) >Meze 109 Pro: Good and comfortable, but way too expensive for the level of detail they offer. Distorted bass. (€799 RRP) AND NOW, THE TOP 5 EXCELLENCE!!! 5️⃣ AUDEZE LCD-3: Dynamic and detailed, but far too heavy. (€2249 RRP) 4️⃣ Senn HD800S: Ultra-light and comfortable, huge soundstage, flat sound signature as you’d expect from Senn. (€1799 RRP) 🥉 Hifiman Arya Unveiled: The first planar magnetics that truly impressed me! Balanced, complete, playful. Fantastic. (€1599 RRP) 🥈 Focal Clear MG: Never disappoint; the magnesium drivers offer incredible precision, with the #1 bass performance of the day and detail across alllll frequencies. Supreme! (€1499 RRP) 🥇 Grado RS-2x: Grado have always been my favorites, and today I remembered why; soundstage, dynamics, and emotion like no others. Rediscovering the champions. (€649 RRP) 🎹 All powered by the amazing iFi xDSD Gryphon!! I honestly wasnt all that impressed with the RS2x until I heard them with the Gryphon. It gave them SR325e like energy while keeping everything else consistent and not sibilant. Amazing experience!!!!

New here, Hello! This week I received what I would call my first real set of headphones. I've been using gaming headsets for far longer than I'd like to admit. about 3 year's ago I switched over to my first set of iems and have been using iems ever since. In my opinion any iem I have used have been far superior to any gaming headset ive tried. My only gripe with iems is that with long gaming sessions they can start to irritate my ears a little. Not a huge complete and I understand breaks are needed. With that being said I started looking into open back headphones, something I've never experienced. After reading/watching many reviews i finally went with Sennheiser hd 490 pro. The main thing that stuck out in all the reviews was comfort. Boy do I agree with this. I can barely tell i have them on huge plus! I bought these with gaming in mind as thats what I mainly do in my free time at night and 90 percent of the time I'm sitting at my desk. I'm clearly not an audiophile nor will I likely never be but since this purchase I've been listening to more music than gaming! Maybe because I've never experienced open back before, or maybe all just my cheap headsets in the past but these sound fantastic to my ears. Gaming is fantastic as well. Hard to explain since of the lack of audiophile in me but there is just something I would call "airy" to me. Or I guess open? Not all just shoved down my eardrums. I've tried both pads several times and my taste is the mixing pads are far superior. For both music and gaming. The producer pads so feel more comfortable when you initially put them on but they are also make my ears warm pretty quick. The mixing pads are also very comfortable in my opinion and don't squeeze on your ears as tight which I like. I slightly eq them for music but leave them alone for gaming. I don't think (hope) I'm the type of person who will fall down the rabbit hole and need the next set of headphones. These sound pretty great to me! Im using an entry level dac/amp Fosi k5 pro which works great with the 490 pro for me. Any other dac/amps i should look into or waste of money right now? I know there easy to run as ive also used them with an old corsair dac i had laying around. I also just recieved my custom cable from Fog City Audio today. I think it looks fantastic and the quality is great. I received a shipping notification within about two hours after purchase and received it 2 days after purchase. All the way across the united states. I would highly suggest checking them out if you're are looking.

Hello headphone enjoyers! I recently picked up a pair of MDR-MV1s as I was looking for a warmer headphone. I will have a review of the LCD-2C that I tried to fill the void with in my collection and to put it nicely they were not what I wanted really at all. Enter the MV1. I know this headphone doesn’t have the “warmest” sound as it has a very colored treble but the very strange bass and incredible mids make this headphone feel warmer than its FR. ***HD 490 Pro: (6/10)*** I have given my thoughts on this headphone before and I have overall really enjoyed it. It’s neutral and does many things well. I people call it an 800s lite, but I don’t know if I agree as much as its staging to me doesn’t feel super wide. I find this headphone is very good for mixing and critical listening of most music, but for listening to tracks I find it “boring” and vocally I find it very thin. It’s great for movies and my go to for gaming, but not so much for listening to songs I enjoy. **Bass:** These headphone have a very well done bass that extends much better than something like the HD 600. It’s not offensive and isn’t super amazing either, but it does the job. **Mids:** The mids are these are not the best. They are definitely thin and do not stack up well with the HD 600. They’re passable, but compared to the challenger here… not even close. **Treble:** Theyre decent in the treble. They’re not too offensive and not super colored. I find them to be detailed enough to feel neutral and not warm leaning. ***MDR-MV1 (9.5/10)*** This headphone blows me away. Somehow, they’re beating the 490 in comfort, which I did not know would be possible as the 490 was my daily driver and most comfortable headphone in my collection. These have taken that title away firmly. The ear cups as well. Unreal. These are definitely a different flavor of headphone as they’re V-shaped, but still pretty decent at mixing. I would still take the 490 for music creation as they feel more versatile for all types of music. I would worry about thinning out the bass if I used the MV1 imo. **Bass:** Fantastic. There’s not much more to be said. They’re so punchy and clean while also feeling like they need zero EQ to liven them up. Rare for a bass to work this well for me and be this fun out of the box. **Mids:** The mids are these star of the show. They’re so linear and clean. The lack of dip in the upper and lower mids that many headphone do makes these sound incredibly full and intimate. This headphone doesn’t feel very “open” to me, but the staging feels fairly wide still. Quite an interesting feeling. **Treble** These are a bright boy. They have many many colorations that work very well for me as an Arya Organic enjoyer, but I would definitely understand finding them fatiguing here. The very interesting thing is that these work extremely well at low volumes. The detail and punch don’t feel lost and the coals are as good as ever when playing these in the lower volume ranges. I kept these around 45 on my FiiO K11 and would go all the way down to 30 and still really enjoy them. I don’t think I am a very loud listener either, but definitely a note. **Conclusion** As the click-bait title suggests, the MV1 is a no brainer imo. If you want a headphone that can kind of do anything and is near an Organic lite even but less intense and more comfortable, get the damn MV1. I’ll put my ratings below of every headphone I’ve tried for comparison. **Ft1 (8/10)** **Ft1 Pro (5/10)** **Arya Organic (8.5/10)** **LCD-2C (6/10)** **HD 480 Pro (9/10)** **HD 620s (4/10)** **Bathys (3/10)** **Strada (5/10)** **Empyrean 2 (10/10)** **105 AER (6/10)**

Hey everyone! I recently upgraded my whole PC setup (thankfully before the whole ram crisis) and i had been meaning to get a Hi-Fi headset and a DAC/Amp. So i’m fairly new to the Hi-Fi world and after researching i picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 490 Pro Plus headphones along with a FiiO K13 R2R DAC/Amp. I mainly want to use this setup for gaming, movies, and some casual music listening, but I’m not totally sure about the best way to set everything up or what settings to use. My main priority is getting the best soundstage and precise imaging for FPS and other competitive games. If anyone here has experience with either of these, I’d really appreciate some guidance. Specifically: • Best settings on the FiiO K13 for gaming (imaging and soundstage) & movies (filters, gain level, output mode, etc.) • Recommended EQ (if any) for the HD 490 Pro Plus • Whether I should run the K13 in NOS vs. OS mode • General advice for getting the best performance out of this combo.

I've always worn fairly good quality noise canceling headphones for work and travel (most recently Sony WH-1000XM4). But now that I'm retired, I I've been looking for a better sounding pair, just for music at home. Got an "Open box" deal on these from Headphones.com. Driving them with a Schiit Jotunheim 3. Not sure I would call myself an audiophile, but these are far better than I'd hoped. And not just acoustically. How comfortable they are is a surprise. I expected that I might have a problem with the headband on a pair this heavy, but no issues after a couple of hours. Really can't complain about anything at this point. These could be my endgame.

Hi everyone, I'm on the hunt for a pair of over-ear headphones that prioritize comfort and sound quality for long listening sessions. I typically listen to a mix of genres, including jazz, classical, and indie rock, and I often wear headphones for several hours at a time. My budget is around $400. I've heard great things about models like the Sennheiser HD598 and the Sony WH-1000XM4, but I'm open to exploring other options as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts on which headphones you find most comfortable and satisfying for extended use. Any specific features I should be looking for to enhance comfort and sound quality? Thanks in advance for your help!

First, I'd like to say that I imagine I lack the technical language to properly explain myself but I shall try my best. I've always had terrible headphones and now I want to change that. My main problems in the past have been with comfort when wearing headphones for many hours. What usually happens after a while is the top of my ears get really sore or it feels like the headphones are crushing my head. The most comfortable headphones i've had have been the Sony MDR-ZX310AP, I can wear these for hours at a time and don't feel discomfort. The main downside with these is that they are useless in noisey places. Essentially what i'm looking for is comfortable headphones which have a good tonal balance and fidelity of sound. Some noise cancelling capacity would also be nice, but not at the cost of comfort. Wired connection is preferred. I'm not really sure whether I would prefer open or closed back; I don't really understand the concept. I've just put openback because I think that's what I would prefer? Thanks **Budget and location** \- \~100 euros. I am based in the Netherlands **Source/Amp** \- Will be used mainly plugged into my phone or laptop to listen to music **How the gear will be used** \- Most use will be walking to work/at work. It would be nice to have some noise cancelling capacity, but comfort is more important to me **Preferred tonal balance** \- I'm not really focused on specific directions of tonality, just a nice tonal balance is good **Preferred music genres** \- Listen to a bit of everything: folk, rock, rap, hyperpop, classical music, etc. **Past gear experience** \- All my headphones have been fairly shit quality tbh.

A couple of Weeks ago i asked for recommendations on a Headphone for mainly Gaming and Music that would be comfy for long periods of time as i spent probably 6 hours a day with headphones on. After that i decided to wait a little more to get paid and up the budget of 250 USD to 450 USD so now im back to ask if everything is ok with my final decision. From that post i decided on the Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 250ohm with that also came the interest on a portable DAC/AMP, and decided to settle for the Fiio K17, this combo would cost me around 385000 CLP (around 415 USD) i got a little bit more money to squeeze from the budget which would put me around 417000 clp (450 USD) so i come to ask if this combo of headphone + DAC/AMP would be good for my needs or if there is anything better if i decided to squeeze all the budget i got. the Headphone is gonna be used on 3 devices most of the time, on my desktop PC, my phone (galaxy Flip 7) and my DAP (Sony Walkman NW-A306), so the main things its gonna be used for are gaming, youtube videos and music Current gear is a Sony WH-1000mx4, previous gear from i had are Audiotechnica ATH M50x, and Grado SR80, i liked all of them so anything similar in sound to that is welcome, i do prefer tho a more bass preference. Also i live in Chile so if you recommend something more "niche" so to speak take into account shipping, most of the big brands are here (as in Sony, sennheiser, beyerdynamic, audiotechnica, fiio, Bose) but newer or more smaller brands usually don't have all the models reach here

Finally got them and currently listening to some Madonna with them while writing this. # Price I bought these straight from Moondrop and it costs ¥63/RM35/$9. $11 in total after shipping and taxes. So, these are affordable and are crazy for the sound quality/aesthetics it gives you. # Sound These sound very good and much better than my expectations. You're getting reasonably natural vocals, perhaps a little bit teeny. Soundstage is quite wide as these are open backs. The lower treble and highs are not fatiguing but it does lack details, perhaps the big dip around 4khz contributes to that but idk. Bass, especially the mid and sub are basically almost non-existent lol. Not surprising coming from this form factor. They are still present on some songs but don't expect much bass from these. Other than the bass the mid-range to high-range sounds very good! # EQ I just use analog EQ to adjust the bass and treble and these went from good to fantastic....4. I highly recommend using Parametric EQ: [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5jeyezincdn0y0084suxh/Moondrop-Old-Fashioned.pdf?rlkey=l0z8lweair8g8pkq6nz66pxbm&e=1&dl=0) # Comfort Theres not much to say since these are hella light and you barely feel it on your ears since the clamp is loose too. # Build Quality I'm not sure about how durable these are but they feel quite hard/solid. They are mostly plastic with a metal headband. The ability to easily replace the cable (0.78mm 2 pin connector) is a huge benefit to the longevity of these headphones in case the cable breaks and you can also easily replace the headbands if they break! So, the modularity is one of my biggest attractions to this headphone. Only problem is the swivel of the earcups is a bit creaky. Also, these are stylish as hell. # Comparisons These headphones definitely compete with Koss. While I don't have any Koss headphones, one reviewer did say these are better than the KSC75 (shout out to [Fc-Construct](https://www.youtube.com/@Fc-Construct) from The Headphones Show). I could however compare them to the SHP9500 and the FiiO Snowsky Wind. For the Wind, yea no comparisons here those are just not very good. For the SHP9500, the philips do sound better, it has much better bass, soundstage, details though the highs are much more fatiguing. # Conclusion If you are looking for a pair of retro-style headphones with very good sound, replaceable cable, headband all for an affordable price, I highly recommend these.

Hey, I’m looking for a good set of audiophile headphones for PC gaming that would be great for immersive single player games, as well as having great imaging for FPS. Headsets with a mic would be ideal but I can always buy an antlion modmic if necessary. I have about £200 to spend on this setup and have found a few options myself ranging from cheapest to most expensive: - Philips SHP9500 £58 - Philips Fidelio X2HR £87 - HD 560s £89 - Drop PC38X £154 - Beyerdynamics DT 990 Pro X £189 - Beyerdynamics MMX 300 Pro £259 Obviously a huge gap in price range but if I can get 99% of the way there with a budget headset I’m cool with that. Does anyone have any experiences with the headphones on that list, in particular with FPS games? Do you have any other suggestions not already mentioned? Will a DAC be required to get the most out of these or will my PC motherboard (Aorus X870 Pro) built in sound card be enough? Thanks in advance 🙏🏾

Hi everyone. I've been in the hobby for a long time, but I've never owned any expensive headphones before. Before Hifiman, I had: SHP9500 Fidelio X2 Fidelio X3 DT 900 Pro X And my favourite - HD 6XX. Absolutely love them. Unfortunately I had to sell them because the regular headphones (not "egg shaped" like Arya St) hit the back of my ear and it drives me crazy. So i pull the trigger and buy Hifiman Arya Stealth new for \~400$. Very good price. Also i bought RAW-MDA1 for them. But problem is its not for me. Headphones is very comfortable but sound its not for me... Hights is very...high you know? It is destroy my ears. Can't even listen them longer than 20 mins. Gaming is good tho. Like in 9500 (i think its because hights). So. My next move? EQ it and enjoy? Or sell and dont bother?

I’ve been looking for the best under $1000 for a while and these two are looking like the best in my opinion. Which should I go for? What I want is a very fun, engaging sound. I want euphoria. Background: I recently realized I’ve been stuck in mid-fi hell for years because I haven’t been willing to pull the trigger on anything more than a few hundred. I own shp9500, moondrop chu, etymotic er3se, fiio ft1, hd600, Edition XS. Out of these my favorites are the Fiio ft1 and Edition XS. Fiio is super fun, and edition XS feels like I’m just hearing the pure music, the headphone disappears which is an experience I enjoy. I think the Arya will improve on that aspect, but the focal may be more enjoyable for other reasons. Also some people advise skipping the Arya and gettint an HE1000 which I am also considering. I want to ask what makes the HE1000 is worth a few hundred more and also which HE1000 variant to get.

Finally got them and currently listening to some Madonna with them while writing this. # Price I bought these straight from Moondrop and it costs ¥63/RM35/$9. $11 in total after shipping and taxes. So, these are affordable and are crazy for the sound quality/aesthetics it gives you. # Sound These sound very good and much better than my expectations. You're getting reasonably natural vocals, perhaps a little bit teeny. Soundstage is quite wide as these are open backs. The lower treble and highs are not fatiguing but it does lack details, perhaps the big dip around 4khz contributes to that but idk. Bass, especially the mid and sub are basically almost non-existent lol. Not surprising coming from this form factor. They are still present on some songs but don't expect much bass from these. Other than the bass the mid-range to high-range sounds very good! # EQ I just use analog EQ to adjust the bass and treble and these went from good to fantastic....4. I highly recommend using Parametric EQ: [Dropbox](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5jeyezincdn0y0084suxh/Moondrop-Old-Fashioned.pdf?rlkey=l0z8lweair8g8pkq6nz66pxbm&e=1&dl=0) # Comfort Theres not much to say since these are hella light and you barely feel it on your ears since the clamp is loose too. # Build Quality I'm not sure about how durable these are but they feel quite hard/solid. They are mostly plastic with a metal headband. The ability to easily replace the cable (0.78mm 2 pin connector) is a huge benefit to the longevity of these headphones in case the cable breaks and you can also easily replace the headbands if they break! So, the modularity is one of my biggest attractions to this headphone. Only problem is the swivel of the earcups is a bit creaky. Also, these are stylish as hell. # Comparisons These headphones definitely compete with Koss. While I don't have any Koss headphones, one reviewer did say these are better than the KSC75 (shout out to [Fc-Construct](https://www.youtube.com/@Fc-Construct) from The Headphones Show). I could however compare them to the SHP9500 and the FiiO Snowsky Wind. For the Wind, yea no comparisons here those are just not very good. For the SHP9500, the philips do sound better, it has much better bass, soundstage, details though the highs are much more fatiguing. # Conclusion If you are looking for a pair of retro-style headphones with very good sound, replaceable cable, headband all for an affordable price, I highly recommend these.

Fiio FT1's for $160. Extremely happy with them for the money. Feel solid, fit comfortably, sound good out of the box, but better after a little EQ. I'm mainly using for PC based music/videos/gaming.

Sound is subjective, but for the sound signature hifiman has and the price, none lmao. That's the whole reason why hifiman keeps getting recommended, the only alternative that was recently launched and trade blows with stuff like edition xs is the fiio ft1 pro. But for stuff like Arya, yeah, that market is still relatively empty

Those aren't a particularly high quality headphone, honestly; they're bright (i.e. have boosted treble) and that tuning is overall pretty weird. Seriously, if you haven't already bought them save yourself $50 and get the Fiio FT1 for $150; they're a much better pair of headphones to my ears and the only closed back under $500 that I recommend without reservations. As for what you should expect, you're moving from a VERY consumer-focused tune to a less consumer-tuned one, so you're going to get less bass, more (relative) midrange, and a lot more detail across the spectrum. It's likely to sound pretty weird and probably not great at first to you as your brain will take time to adjust; my rule of thumb is that I mostly give a headphone 10-15 hours of background listening before I decide whether I like it or not as it can take that long for my brain to adjust. They'll also have much better build quality, and probably be a lot more comfortable. (as much as I don't like Beyer's products, they are VERY comfortably built). Don't worry about EQ until you have some time with their baseline tuning.

OP - your process is actually a very good example of how one should go about choosing the right headphones for them. Sony and Bose are mass market favorites; but those who know their flaws, can’t stand to live with them. Apple APM is an expensive bauble with some great features; but I wouldn’t choose it as my first pick since I know better options. Sennheisers are amazing for people who value “accurate” sound reproduction and don’t mind their typical low bass. That said - the Momentum 4 offers 90% of the value of the HDB630 at a third of the cost IMO. My M4s are my preferred “rugged travel” headset. And for people who like a bit of punch in their headphones’ sound signature, the Focal Bathys and BW PX8 frequently come up as winners. I personally found the clamp force on the PX7 and 8 to be too much for me; and the ANC on the Bathys to be too poor. The M4 checks most of my boxes. If they could reach Sony-level ANC, they’d be a world beater.

Ive been using my AirPod as my daily driver and been a while I used a headphone, but I’m completely overwhelmed by the number of products out there and could use some help narrowing it down. I want to purchase one for fps gaming and media use, mainly buying for fps shooter game to listen footsteps but with the use case for movies, music etc. I expect this use in home settings and looking to spend up to $500ish base on features/quality. I don’t think I have a preference for closed or open or wireless system as long as I can keep the setup minimal I have a really hard time finding comfortable over-ear headphones. Historically, I run into issues where the ear cups/pads are too small (clamping on my ears rather than sitting around them) or the headband extension isn't large enough for my head. Looking for some suggestions from yall who are more experienced at this. I’m currently looking at: Focal bathys, might not be good for gaming? Maxwell, too heavy and not good for fps shooter games? Seems some post recommending sennheiser HD series and beyerdynamic DT

Focal Bathys. Sound stage and instrument separation is incredible. I own the Px8 S2, and wish they sounded like the bathys - only chose them because they travel better (smaller profile) are all aluminum and leather In my somewhat limited experience, the Bathys are the best sounding wireless under $1k

Sennheiser Momentum 4 are great headphones, but Bose QuietComfort have much better noise cancellation. I have both of these. I only took the Sennheisers on a single plane trip. The Bose go with me everywhere. At home, I always pick the Sennheisers.

I’m debating which headphone are better and would be a better choice to get. I already have a pair of AirPod. But want a headphone for travel, long music session, comfort, best music quality, and noise cancellation. I look countlessly at the stats. But I just wondering which headphones do you think are better and why? I want something that gives crisp music quality with great tremble and bass I don’t have a price budget and these headphone won’t be my everyday headphones as they will be used mostly for travel and long music sessions. Never had a Bose or Sony headphone and mostly only used Beats Powerbeats 2 and AirPods Pro’s 3. So I don’t have that much past experience with headphones, unless you count cheap $30 dollars one that I got as gifts. Any input would be extremely helpful and thank you.

I am finally in the market for a good pair of headphones and have never invested in them. I have a boring cheap pair of BT headphones that don't even work anymore. I also have an old (15+ years) pair of Sennheiser HD 206 wired headphones that do work but they're wired. The ear feels good on them to me and I can wear them for quite a while. I would be willing to get a BT adapter so my computer can use them. Here is what I'm looking for: Budget: $200 or under Location: Online, preferably Amazon or eBay Use: Will be used for general use, I watch a lot of youtube videos on true crime and listen to a lot of music in all genres, the most common genres are rock and indie folk. I will be using these at home which is a fairly quiet environment and I won't need noise cancelling Tonal balance: I like a little bass but don't need it to be pumping, I don't like things to be too tinny or too mellow, just a nice well-rounded sound Source/Amp: want to be able to use on my computer (which doesn't have BT capability unless I get an adapter, which I could) and also want to be able to use wirelessly so I can wear them while doing housework and working out Previous experience: Not a lot. I tried on Sony WH-CH720N and Bose QuietComfort headphones at a Best Buy and thought I could probably deal with them ok. Wasn't the most perfect thing in terms of fit but I was satisfied with the sound and thought either one would be comfortable enough to wear for a while. One thing about my cheap BT headphones is that once I connected them to my travel laptop that does have BT connectivity, I couldn't get them to disconnect from that and reconnect to my phone. I'm hoping that's just because they were cheap and it'll be easier on more expensive headphones. I would like to spend $200 or less, but that budget could be pushed a bit if there's something more worth it. I'm not an audiophile, not even close. I just want a comfortable pair of headphones that stays on my head, doesn't pull on my ears and has a well-rounded sound.

Hope I got the right flair. Been Lurking here sometime. I’m About to make a job change to wfh and decided last week I’d get myself a Christmas present of noise cancellation, over the ear headphone to reduce those outside distractions while I’m trying to concentrate and focus. 4 or 7 years or so ago the wife and I were goofing in a mall and visiting a crowded Apple Store for some reason. We live in a rural area and it’s two hours to the nearest so it’s a novel event and we wandered around checking out everything . Outside of some Bose about 15+ years ago, I’ve never had occasion to be near NC Headphones. Anyway, I popped these on and EVERYTHING went dead silent. Best of all, my wife’s voice, right in front of my face trying to talk to me. Reminded me of that scene in, I think, Face Off with travolta and cage where someone drops headphones of soothing music on the little 4 yr old kid and then a huge gun battle breaks out. In that crazy, crowded, noisy store I heard nothing but soft cool jazz. I could see my wife’s lips moving but could hear a word and it was pure bliss. Not sure which model I had but they were like $500+ at the time. Q: Anything BETTER, or cheaper yet still super isolating and effective these days? How would I go about trying other models out? Also appreciate advice on replacing ear pads, battery life, overall longevity of devices.

It's funny how triggered some people are that you referred to it as a 'conspiracy theory.' Some people have a sort of Pavlovian response to that phrase. I think it's an interesting post, and what you call it is irrelevant. We debate and discuss so many minute and sometimes meaningless details about headphones here. It's strange that some people are so dismissive of your diving into this. But again, that word triggers people. That phrase goes back to the Kennedy assassination when it was first popularized, to discredit people skeptical of the official narrative. \--- But back to Sennheiser. The total split of consumer audio vs. professional audio, and being two different companies is something I find very confusing as a consumer. I'm a fan of Sennheiser. Both, I guess? The mixed brand identity makes me uneasy, though. On a side note, I believe the HD620s is a highly underrated headphone.

The current trending answer to that question is the Heddphone D1. But if you can it’s better to demo a whole bunch to see if there exist a different sound signature that you like better. I find that I prefer the HD620S to HD650 in its stock form without any mods.

Sennheiser 620s, Fiio ft1.

To directly answer your question, yes. 1. From the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 to the Px7 S2e 2. From the Meze 109 Pro to the 105 AER and SILVA 3. From the DCA E3 to the Noire X. In all those cases, I preferred the lower tier over the higher tier.

I noticed my Beats Studio Pros were getting really old and nasty, so I decided it was finally time to change my headphones. While I was shopping around, I came across the Px8 S2 (McLaren Edition). Since I’m a big car guy and an F1 fan, I didn’t hesitate and bought it instantly. And oh boy… I do not regret nothing. \*Model: Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2 McLaren Edition\* Price: 7/10 Okay, these go for almost $1000 retail. Luckily, I got picked at an event where they were selling them for $900. Tbh, it’s still pricey as heck imo, and I swear I heard my wallet crying when I clicked pay 😭 That said, after actually using them and hearing the performance, I can somewhat understand where the price is coming from. Weight & Fit: 7.6/10 I’ve heard people say these are heavy, but imo the weight isn’t really noticeable. I wore them for about 4 hours straight and had no major issues. However, the headphones themselves are a bit stiff and tight. First time using these felt like my skull was getting kinda crushed (similar to the Beats over-ear headphones if ykwim). But you do get used to it pretty fast—I adapted super quickly too. Except for that tight fit at first, everything else is fine 👍 Sound: 10/10 Now I can proudly say these are immaculate performers. And nah, it’s not just because I moved from Beats to B&W. I also own a Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose QC Ultra, and the Beats Studio Pro. What stood out immediately is how different these sound. It’s hard to explain, but it feels like you can hear every little instrument and tool in the music. And I’m not even glazing fr—these thangs are insane. When I tried them wired and listened to a FLAC file, I genuinely think I ascended rq (yall gotta try hearing Hans Zimmer’s music on these thangs). The fact that these are absolute beasts in both wireless and wired mode blew my mind. I honestly stopped thinking about the price the moment I heard how good they sounded. Design: 9/10 Personally, I like thin headphones because they look cleaner on the head, and these are very slim, which I really liked. That orange accent on the main part is just beautiful. Taking these out to a morning café and seeing them shine under sunlight was a whole different experience (okay I might be glazing a lil bit). They represent the iconic McLaren orange accent perfectly, and I genuinely love the design. Overall: 9.3/10 • Fit: good • Weight: good • Price: eh / decent • Sound: Chef’s kiss • Would recommend: yes, if you could afford it

I bought these Bowers & Wilkins Px8s yesterday because the price was slashed from $1200 to $700. Holy crap they're worth it! The soundstage of them are kickass! For such a small pair of headphones, they really pack a punch! The sound is really dynamic. You can hear the drums from all over the place! Also the echoes from the vocals. The blend of the instruments on these things are bang on! Not to much bass, not to much stand out guitar work. The guys at Bowers & Wilkins have nailed it with this pair!

I was given a pair of Bowers and Wilkins PX7 that originally were from an Emirates plane with the 3 prong adapter. I searched for ages looking for a way to get them to work, even spoke to B&W but they said it's not possible. They were only ever intended to work on a flight and not to be stolen from said plane!

Honestly, not a huge difference, but all my pads were worn out and I felt like supporting drop for only $200. However, if you're on the fence between the $50, just spend the extra and get the 6xx. It is a bit more bassy, the soundstage is a bit bigger. It's worth the $50. In my case, now I have travel headphones (58x Jubilee) that I can be a little tougher with and not baby so much. Both headphones sound incredible for the money. Not sponsored, just really wish less people were stuck on Hyper x Clouds and got a proper mic and headphones on some competitive games. Though, I did just turn on some NWA and these things bump WAY harder than the 58X, so if you're looking for reference with thump, these rock.

because difference of "generally" accepted good performance is right at the $200-300 level. The exceptions are known... The pair of FIIO FT1 and FT1 Pro, Philips SHP9600, Koss's 4 on ear "headphones", Grado SR60x, Sennheiser x Drop HD6xx (sale price) or even the HD58x...🤷🏻‍♂️ There's a reason why IEM is competitive with headphones at that under $300 price point. Price to performance...IEM usually perform better than headphones

My girl purchased these for me and I'm extremely happy overall. The fact they sound almost as clear as my Sennheiser 6XX in closed back form is really sweet. I've been wanting some closed back headphones for better bass and to block out more sound at home, also to prevent others from having to hear everything I'm listening to. Anyway, on to my complaint. While they are comfortable and sound really good, the bass is just lacking imo. I don't "feel" it that much really. For example, I have a pair of 99 dollar JBL Live 660NC wireless headphones and the bass is much more powerful. You can feel each hit. The Fiio FT1 in comparison are pretty weak. Is there anything I can do to make the bass more impactful on these things? I'm kind of confused because one of the only complaints I've seen on these things are how they are to bass heavy and I just don't see it. The clarity, comfort and everything else about these Fiio FT1's are much better than the JBL's, plus it's way easier to use on my PC so I don't want to give them up. I just don't know how to get better bass. For the record I simply use an Apple dongle on my PC for headphones. I've tried downloading Peace to EQ things but that's so in depth. Any prebuilt set up I've tried for bass just muddies the entire sound profile. I just want it to hit harder when bass does kick in if that makes sense. I don't want my entire sound to be muddy and bassy. I don't really know how to describe the sound I like. I'm not a big time audiophile. I don't like heavy woofy bass all the time. I like very fast, tight, and hard hitting bass if that makes sense. The speed and tightness seem amazing on these but the "feel" itself is very lacking. I actually feel the "thump" on my JBL's but not on these.

I’m looking for an over-ear headphone mainly for listening to electronic music and playing single-player story-driven games (like Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, Cyberpunk 2077, etc.). After researching, I narrowed my options down to two commonly recommended models: • AKG K361 (closed-back) • Philips SHP9500 (open-back) Considering that I’ll be using them in a quiet room, which one would provide the most immersive and high-quality experience? I’m especially looking for good soundstage and immersion for both music and gaming. If neither of these is the best choice, what alternative would you recommend in a similar price range?

Hey everyone, I’m trying to pick my first “proper” pair of headphones and I’m stuck between the HD25 and the AKG K361. I’ll only use them for listening (no music production), mostly from my phone. I don’t know much about sounds and techs-- I’ve always used cheap headphones --but ı love clarity and definitive sound of better headsets. Oh and most importantly I am listening electronic music and rock music ı believe this is important. I want clear trebles and hopefully rich bass that wont overcome and suppres other sounds. HD-25 I like them because they’re known to be really durable, which is good for me since I use headphones for hours and I’m not exactly gentle with my stuff. But a lot of people say the clamping force is pretty strong, and I usually wear headphones for around 10 hours a day, so that worries me a bit. Still, if they sound noticeably better, I can deal with some discomfort. # AKG K361 They have much lower impedance, so maybe they work better with a phone. They also fully cover the ear, so they look like they’d be more comfortable for long sessions. Which one is more comfortable for long use? And which one actually sounds better? If the HD25 is clearly better in sound, I don’t mind choosing it even if it’s less comfy. Thank you. Note: akg-361 is 20 dollar cheaper than hd-25 in my country. The text ı wrote ı was so messy so I used chat gpt to edit it ı am sorry for that.

FIio FT1 or AKG K361

Have you considered adding IEMs to your collection? With the AKG K361/K371 for the closed back and the HD 560S for the open, you're pretty much well covered on the "over ear" front. Maybe what you're looking for are some Grado headphones like the Sr 60 X? Or, in the opposite way, Audio Technica M50x? Or simply a wireless gaming headset like the Fractal Design Scape? Since all the ones you've mentioned are wired and without a microphone...

I’ve had the Focal **Hadenys** for more than a year, it was the best headphone I ever heard, until I got the opportunity to demo the **Clear MG** from my friend that was planning to sell it. Honestly I did not need to make this purchase. The Hadenys weighs less and has more comfortable pads. But I had some issues with the Hadenys, such as the aftermarket pads that never fit snug in the earcup mechanism, nor sound the same as the original, and how hard it is to receive the original pads where I live. Also being unable to plug the Hadenys into a balanced port on my K11. And finally the slight sound improvement with the Clear MG made me pull the trigger, keeping in mind the great price of 375 USD that I picked them up for (used obv, in good condition but no warranty). **Regarding sound:** the Hadenys already provides that slam that I enjoy in the bass region, but the MG wins in every other aspect. Even the bass extension, weight, and dynamics are better on the MG. Next thing the MG fixed for my sound preference is the lower mids. I enjoy vocals with more body and in my face. I always ran an EQ for the Hadenys to remove the ear gain peak and add some upper mids boost. With the MG, the treble is already tamed and there is no need to touch anything in the EQ. Literally the only headphone so far that I feel like I ruin with EQ. The MG’s soundstage is a little superior but not too much, just the same as my previous DT 990 Pro. But the imaging is top tier, noticeably better than the Hadenys or any headphone I’ve ever heard. Overall happy with this purchase. I’m just thinking of upgrading my **K11** now since I heard that the MG performs better on powerful amps. Feel free to ask any questions regarding both Headphones.

My biggest complaint with almost every Focal is how stiff and creaky the headband is. Feels like a cheap toy. The Clear Mg is better in that regard (improved design or just lucky?), but still creaks and wobbles. Great sound on all of them, though.

One of my favorite combinations for a long time and as title says Hatsune Miku. To start we have the og focal clears, one of my favorite headphones I’ve, A, had the pleasure of owning, and B, listened to. Next It’s the oppo ha-2 SE, an “ancient” portable amplifier that was beautifully made and has a gorgeous sound. This is an amp that I’ve owned for around 9 years. Sadly I’m not sure of the availability of this beauty anymore after oppo decided to make phones instead and forsake the beautiful sound they used to make. Finally the newest addition The Hiby m500 X Hatsune Miku dap, this is my favorite portable streaming device in my apartment. Hard to tell in the photo, but in the background there’s the Mangird Tea Pros SE. A combination i use to have a great sound and do daily chores with. To start off Since this is my first review I want to explain the way that I listen to music in general so y’all have better context to how I asses different audio equipment. All the songs/ albums I listen to are songs I enjoy deeply from the worst “gear” to the best I’ve heard. For me the enjoyment about being an audiophile is hearing the different textures/ nuances in a headphone or iems that I’ve listened to throughout my adventures in this hobby we love. I haven’t delved into speakers yet sadly, but that’s a part of the audiophile world I’m interested in exploring in the future to find different sounds. How to add bass and “fix” wonk The focal clears are my favorite headphone that I own, the general imaging and vocals presentation is in my opinion what makes it so special. I forgot to mention that the detail retrieval is also really good, Inabakumori is a fantastic artist whose songs are really good at testing your headphones imaging and detail retrieval. However something I’ve been seeing in others impressions and my own experience is that yes they have some wonk in the treble and its natural bass is not its strong suit, but thats where different gear can change the way it sounds. (Haven’t tried EQing them since the EQ graph scares me) The discontinued GOAT The combination of the bright focals with the ha-2 makes them a soft warm velvet blanket next to a fire. Already the oppo without the additional fuckery it can add, is a warm sounding amp at the cost of some detail. But when you turn on the bass+ mode then this amp becomes the perfect amount of warmth for the clears. If you ever wanted to know what bass punchy focal clears sound like then thats what bass+ will do. With extra bass they lose about 10% of their detail but in return the treble and upper mids calm down and the lower mids + bass gets a nice boost. I don’t know if I would call the ha-2 to have a similar sound to tube amps since I don’t have enough experience with them, but it definitely distorts the music in a great way. This is where I end this reviews, if anyone has any questions or anything I’ll do my best to answer them to the best of my knowledge. 👍

Hello everyone, I just purchased a pair of Focal Clear MG's for $700. I've read a few horror stories of the headband snapping and people having to swap drivers onto an Aliexpress headband. I've just purchased a Capra strap and am currently using a headband cover. I'm just a little worried about this problem possibly occurring to me in the future. I'd like to ask how you Focal Clear MG owners, handle and use your headphones. Do you put them back in the case after usage or leave them on a headphone stand? Are any parts of the headphones showing wear? What are some things I should do to prevent any possible damage? Thank you in advance.

Hey everyone 👋 I’m looking for some real-world advice on choosing headphones for daily use in an open office. My two main priorities are: 1️⃣ Strong noise cancelling — especially for blocking chatter / voices 2️⃣ Good sound quality — I listen to a lot of music while working After a lot of research I’ve narrowed it down to this shortlist: Edifier ES850NB Sony ULT WEAR Soundcore Space Q45 CMF Headphone Pro Moondrop Edge Full-Scene If you’ve used any of these (especially in an open office / shared workspace), I’d really appreciate hearing: How well the ANC handles speech & background chatter How the sound quality feels for long work sessions Any comfort issues over long hours Whether you’d choose something else in the same price range Budget is in the similar range to the above headphones (£60/120), but I’m mainly focused on best real-world performance for office focus, not just specs on paper. Thanks in advance — real experience > marketing every time 🙏

so im looking for headphones to use on my phone its a a56 and came across sony ultra wear these ones to be sure [https://www.coolblue.nl/product/946493/sony-ult-wear-zwart.html](https://www.coolblue.nl/product/946493/sony-ult-wear-zwart.html) and i heard they are great and they lean into bass which im not an audiofile so isnt my biggest concern at all i want to use them for the following things in school or well lets call it school to just be like fuck off turn on music walking also and maybe to the gym and laying in bed and listening thats about it basiclly general use everywear sicne rn i only listen music behind my pc since thats the only place i have headphones and its wired one and if the music i listen matters here is my bipolar af playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0kOdgvnQEnTlFNeIzlKKyP](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0kOdgvnQEnTlFNeIzlKKyP) oh and edit if i take them with me it will be outside of the case probally ofc wearing it or holding ot or well laing it down picking it up when moving laying it down or wearing around my neck

Yes i know over the ear are not ideal for gym use but in ear are not comfortable. Mainly i will use for lifting only so not too much sweating. Discounts that i am getting right now in cad; Momentum 4: 279 Jbl tour one: 199 Sony XM 4: 319 Beats Studio pro:249 Sony ult-wear:198 Ifany other please recommend

I'm located in the United States, and my budget is $230 USD. Would prefer refurbished if not new I'm looking for a pair of wireless headphones for daily use (like commuting to work or doing chores). Closed-back over-ears are my preferred format. ANC would be preffered. I currently own a pair of Sennheiser HD650's and a pair of moondrop Chu 2s. Both of which i love. Ideally i would like something pretty neutral, with a slight v shape compared to the HD650s. A bit more "fun" sounding. Im very conflicted on my options. The main issue is the ones that would give me a truly good experience are only within my budget if refurbished/used and both have major issues. Let me know what you think: **Refurbished Sony XM5** $224.69 Looks like a decent pick! having good noise cancelling sounds nice. But the issues with the headband joint snapping is a turn off, especially with a reduced warranty from being refurbished. Maybe just get a repair kit once the joint breaks? **Audio-Technica ATH-M50XBT2** $234.33 Great audio and would probably be decently durable, but it completely lacks ANC. Probably my top pick because i believe it will actually last more than 2 years. Also slightly stretching my already stretched budget. **Refurbished Sony XM4** $140\~ Seems like they would be more reliable than the XM5's and easier to repair if they do break, but they have somewhat inferior audio and ANC compared to the other options. **Sony ULT Wear** $158.36 Seems more reliable than the XM5s but i dont think i would like the audio, very bass tuned even without ULT mode **Refurbished Sennheiser Momentum 4** $221.48 Best audio quality at this price, but sennheiser has a very bad track record for reliability in their wireless lineup. Many reports of units being bricked, static in one ear, audio being blown out, ect. which is a concern especially with a reduced warranty from being refurbished. Personally know someone who returned the Momentum 4 TW's 2 times due to major issues and eventually just gave up and bought something else.