Benchmark headphones

I agree that it’s well worth listening to totl headphones. I heard the HE-1 at CanJam NY three years ago. It was so unattainably magnificent that I enjoyed it rapturously for a few brief, indescribably glorious minutes and then, dejected and heartbroken, I went back to my miserable and shabby little existence and continued listening to my 128 kbps mp3s from a pair of ca. 2005 Apple earbuds, ruined forever in the knowledge that I’d never again be able to taste the delights of the sounds of Orpheus, so why even bother trying?

Joking aside, it is good to test-drive a company’s best headphones but it’s worth doing so carefully: I’d caution against listening to vastly different quality items back to back: at that same CanJam I tried the Focal Elear and had great first impressions of them. I immediately switched over to the Utopia, when a space became available at the table, and the Elear lost their magic all too quickly (and, arguably, unfairly).

As for benchmark headphones, I’m not sure four is enough. At the risk of some repetition of the above posts, I would recommend auditioning headphones of different sound profiles - warm, dark, bright , etc. - that are all highly resolving (so that you have one common point of reference for comparative analysis).

I’d suggest six headphones from the following:

  1. something warm and rich, like the HD 650
  2. something more analytical, like the thin and bright HD 800S or ADX5000
  3. something softer and not very dynamic but with great transient response, like electrostatics or the HE 1000
  4. something darker like the LCD4 or Vérité
  5. something super punchy and fast like the Utopia or Abyss or HE-6 (I’ve not heard this last one)
  6. the Raal Requisite SR1A, which is so different from all the rest that it’s a must-listen: I heard the Raal this past February at CanJam and it sounded almost impossibly fast and detailed and resolving but, most strikingly, it had an incredibly open and vast soundstage. In sum, it was disconcertingly different from anything else. I think it would take some time to assimilate the Raal’s sound: if the HE-1 was great as a headphone, the Raal seemed like something entirely different, not like loudspeakers, exactly, but not quite headphones, either. I don’t want to seem like I’m hyping the Raal’s. I didn’t hear them for long enough or in a good environment. But they’re well worth checking out. I could even imagine getting a pair of them in the far distant future, unlike the never-to-be HE-1.

One last point as this post is getting too long: if you find a sound signature you like, you can then opt for more affordable options than the ones I’ve listed above. I picked up the HD 800, the Clear, and the LCD2-C as more affordable options (all the more so as I got them used or b-stock).

TL;DR: six benchmarks, not four: HD 650; HD 800; Stax SR-009; Vérité; Utopia; SR1A

10 Likes

Several reviewers use the Sennheiser HD-650 (HD-6xx) with an adequate single-ended amp as their benchmark reference. This headphone REQUIRES adequate power to sound it’s best - if you underpower it, you will not understand why it is often used as a benchmark.

That said, it’s probably a darn good benchmark headphone.

11 Likes

Benchmark is making headphones???!?

4 Likes

[quote=“SenyorC, post:14, topic:7243”] I understand the original question as being what headphones would be good to audition to get a feeling for reviewers views on other headphones, not actually purchase said headphones.
[/quote]

Yes! This is more about education than finding a pair of headphones. This question really came about after watching a reviewer retract a comment from an early review of his. He had originally said that the Sennheiser hd650 were a bright headphone, but that was before he got to audition a variety of headphones. I know there will always be subjectivity, but hearing headphones on different ends of the spectrum will help to understand where everything sits. Hopefully I can find a group or go to an event that will allow me to try different headphones.

So many helpful suggestions here. Thanks for the input!

So true.

4 Likes

I have the HE-6se. It’s a great headphone. They really sing, but you need some amp juice to operate them. Sensitivity is 83.5db. Hungry for sure.

1 Like

I actually am old. When I was a boy there were horses in the street.

7 Likes

I wonder how they sound on the Ragnarok

One or more posts later on may touch on this–but IMO you should also be well acquainted with your sonic preferences when embarking on demos. What types of sonic profiles do you typically appreciate in audio gear? Examples of common preferences are treble (some, like me, are treble averse, while others adore treble that goes to the sky), bassy (many bassheads here & elsewhere), big vs constained soundstage/headstage, etc.

Some headphones are tuned for fidelity to live acoustic music (think HD650, most ZMFs), while others are tuned more for excitement/drama, detail, dynamic flash.

It’s certainly possible that you’ll fall in love with a headphone tuned somewhat differently from your preference. An awareness of your preference will probably help you evaluate unfamiliar headphones, not just vs each other, but also vs your ideal sound.

5 Likes

Rangarok would be plenty of juice. The headphones actually are sold with a standard “speaker” amp external box so you can hook a converter box up to your amp. Prior to getting a sufficient headphone amp to power them, I used the HE6se with my Anthem MRX AVR zone B outputs.

1 Like

SOTA benchmarks:

  • Sennheiser HE-1
  • Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC
  • HiFiMAN Susvara
  • STAX SR-009S

Price-defining benchmarks:

  • < $500 : Sennheiser HD 600/650/660S, HiFiMAN Sundara
  • +/-$1500 : HEDDphone, ZMF Auteur, Focal Clear, Sennheiser HD 800S, HiFiMAN Arya
  • +/-$3000 : Meze Empyrean, Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000, ZMF Vérité, HiFiMAN HE1000se
  • $4000+ : Abyss Diana Phi, Audeze LCD-4, Focal Utopia
1 Like

When I was a boy, Niagra Falls was brand new. My parents came here via the land bridge from Gondwanaland.

Lucy was my great aunt, on my Father’s side.

11 Likes

i.e. back when the Grand Canyon was neither grand nor a canyon. But there were Koss headphones…

5 Likes

Yes, bringing it back to the thread. Koss Porta-Pro headphones are the benchmark for a budget headphone.

6 Likes

I completely agree. :+1:t4:

2 Likes

When I was little I played with baby dinosaurs.

5 Likes

want to add the HEDDphone as a benchmark

to see what is possible with the “full range” AMT driver technology… a must try… milestone… and so on.

The Koss KSC75 with Yaxi pads for budget
the Hifiman Sundara
The Sennheiser HD 600
the Focal Elegia or Clear
and the Meze Empyrean for look/build and comfort

7 Likes