Collections means if one had to thin the herd and only own X in order to satisfy all applicable headphone use cases taking into account the amps/electronics that would need to be purchased/acquired - not necessarily top ranked or most favorite for certain people.
While I appreciate the excellent technical performance, transparency, resolution, speed, and staging of certain estats, ribbons, ear speakers, or detail monsters, I prefer a presentation with more richness, tonal weight, and physicality. I’m not a basshead.
System building considerations. Some gear is too tubey, warm, thick, sluggish. Other gear is too sterile, dry, analytical, clinical, polite, uninvolving. I would rather the performers be in the room, as opposed to me being present in the studio.
Similar to how I prefer canvas paintings/prints over aluminum, I prefer natural, engaging, you are there, toe tapping as opposed to excavating every ounce/inch of detail or soundstage. I don’t believe that the perfect headphone or gear exists that earns the highest marks in every single category. There are always tradeoffs.
All of my selected cans have a natural timbre and relatively even tonality across the frequency response particularly the mids where most instruments and vocals reside. They can be driven off of Class A single ended triode tube amps - directly heated, tube rectified, transformer coupled, no feedback.
I reach for the Caldera most of the time, especially when my preferences or the recording call for spaciousness, spatial information, resolution.
I reach for the RAD-0 when I value physicality/speed/dynamics, a more intimate presentation, sharper edges to the notes.
I reach for the HD580 for forgiveness, relaxed and less critical listening, and where comfort and <260g lightweight are a priority.
.