onchuner
Hi Andrew
thanks for sharing your thoughts
i’d like to ask what happened to LCD-5 (with/without EQ)
are they out of favor now?
Hi Andrew
thanks for sharing your thoughts
i’d like to ask what happened to LCD-5 (with/without EQ)
are they out of favor now?
No mention of the Koss Porta Pro? I’m sorry but I’ll have to treat this wall as invalid.
In full agreement with the HE1000 V2 (non stealth). It’s so effortlessly natural sounding. It’s just a tad too soft for my tastes. That price with Hifiman of $1399 is pretty insane too…
Nice to see a reliable Wall of Fame being built after the Tyll days!
Interesting that none of your three top “end game potential” picks for closed headphones from the previous list appear on this list at all. Have your feelings about those changed?
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Excellent review! As an owner of both the HD600 and HD650 (6XX version) I am still amazed that after more than two decades these headphones are so highly thought of.
They certainly do scale quite well with better headfi gear.
Especially when considering the high quality headphones produced by boutique companies like ZMF and Audeze in the present day.
The price of some of these headphones is well beyond my budget, so it’s nice to know that the Sennheisers can even be mentioned in their company.
This specifically calls out headphones that Resolve feels don’t require EQ. Those 3 headphones that top the list all of an EQ disclaimer beside them.
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Really great list and concise insightful comments on each!
I have 2 suggestions to make it better in 2024.
I am looking for some closed backs less than $100 that may get some super high use while traveling etc… and want something I won’t be upset when they finally fail/get broken etc…
Otherwise really enjoy your reviews and great explanation of your methodology!
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For that, if you can handle it… I highly recommend IEMs. They’re getting cheap/good these days and that price bracket is extremely competitive. Truthear Red, Hexa, Kiwi Ears Cadenza and many more worth considering.
Thank you for the great list! Would be nice if you could also mention 1 or 2 Amps for each recommended headphone!
Thanks for sharing Andrew. I enjoy your work. I am especially grateful for your testimg list of music. You turned me on to some new stuff and helped me listen for nuances. well done! Irene
Personally, I cannot take this list seriously since there are zero ZMF headphones. I’m not saying this as any kind of objective statement. I just mean that the lack of representation for ZMF means that Resolve and I have very different ideas about what constitutes a good headphone.
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One of me is already too many. I’m sure some folks agree hahah
That is a good point and a very fair stance.
EDIT: I realize that this looks like I’m responding to the “One of me is already too many…” post, but I’m actually responding to Resolve’s post above that!
Either Edition XS or HD 490 Pro. But that’s primarily because I need cup swivel for my giant head. If you have a smaller head, go Ananda or HD 490 Pro, because smallheaded folks report trouble with the XS headband.
For sound quality, it’s really up to what you prefer, whether or not you EQ… but I don’t think you can really go wrong here.
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Can recommend Dekoni Nuggets - for the fit improvement on XS
Why did you guys rate the Ananda Nano as only C tier in the the GIANT headphone tier list 2023 (the same as most cheap Beyerdynamics which often get criticised heavily) compared to A tier for the Hifiman Arya v3 and Hifiman Arya Organic. I didn’t enjoy the Arya V3 that much but maybe that’s because it feels more flat and unhyped (which might be useful for mixing). The XS and Sundara also were rated higher in B tier so are they better than the nano or better value than the nano? I don’t understand why the 1000SE is C tier either when the consensus seems to be that it’s the best planar Hifiman and superior to the Organic and Ayras.
I primarily listen to, produce and mix EDM (house and techno in particular) - is there anything better than the Nano for this genre? I did enjoy the Organic and LCD-X greatly from a purely listening perspective but haven’t tried the 1000HE or 1000 Stealth and I haven’t tried any with EQ and i’ll probably EQ to Harman for producing / mixing.
I’m trying to decide mostly between the Nano / Organic / HE1000SE for EDM. The Nano is apparently amazing for low end detail and mixing kick and bass but doesn’t have the soundstage for panning etc. I’ve heard the 1000SE is amazing for mixing due to the level of detail and speaker like soundstage.
I’d prefer not to spend that SE money but if it’s worth it - it’s worth it. The MM500 is something I haven’t tried but am also curious about but I don’t like clamp force. Thanks for your help!