Focal Clear, Focal Bathys, 6XX (sold) , Arya Organic (selling), Monarch Mk3 (sold), Dan Clark E3
The clears and E3 are my favourites by a long shot, I don’t see a need to have anything else at this point, but I do want to try the HD800s again and MDR Z1R one day
Three years later I’m going from the xDSD DAC to the Eufonika OTL tube amp. Yes I also tried the L&P W4, but there is little wrong with the iFi unit even now.
This combo gets almost everything out of the 6xx that it has to give.
Swapping out the Sennheiser for my new ZMF Auteur Classic LTD is an ear opener ( eye opener?) about the limitations of a truly remarkable $179 headphone compared to the level I’ve become spoiled accustomed to using.
Update. Past year or so has been a Schiit Modi Multibit in place of the xDSD. Not just because of the ZMF, but the little desk box integrates better.
Not trying to charge a battery to run the DAC.
I’ve the Sennheiser HD 600, HD 650, HD660 S2, and HD 490 Pro. All these headphones have a similar sonic signature, with just enough deltas to provide a different flavor. With minor EQ from Sonarworks or Auto EQ, the Sennheiser’s easily compete with headphones at any price point.
Occasionally need to use closed back headphones, and for that, use the Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas. I found these to be excellent closed back options, preferable to the Focal Stellia. Having said that, all the high end closed back headphones are overpriced, IMHO.
Also have the Verum 2 headphones, which are one of the very few planar headphones that I actually like. They do not need EQ to sound good.
I’m kind of in a crisis of headphones right now, I don’t like any of them except for the Focal Elex. Probably because it goes with my Dragon Inspire IHA-1 so well and I just can’t bring myself to listen to anything else, I’ve tried and it has left me just not using headphones really. Part of that is because I was on a kick to get off my PC and somewhere else, namely the garage to work on my project car, but I got a cold then a week later the weather went south. So now I decided to scratch the itch with my Focal’s and listening to Eprom station on soundcloud.
My first real headphone was the hifiman HE-400i 2017 edition and it was reference in every way that the sound profile was flat and boring. I haven’t even been able to convince myself to replace the pads on them.
But if I look at my shelf/wall
Harmonic Dyne Zeus: amazine soundstage and imaging, good sound profile but it doesn’t shine as strongly as other’s and the pads I ordered from linsoul were out of stock.
Moondrop Para 1: LOVE these headphones, a planar that is easy to drive and sounds amazing out of the box. I dropped mine onto a tile over concrete floor directly on the jack and my failed attempt at replacing the jack is probably the biggest letdown I’ve had in the hobby.
Moondrop Para 2: on my desk right now but I just don’t want to listen to these. Some critical listening and a pad swap let me appreciate what they could be, but I just don’t want to listen to them.
Audio Technica ATH-70x Refine: I was addicted to these for a long time, extremely light and loves tubes, but when I got over them they are kind of dark.
Meze 99 Classic/Noir: These are light weight but was never drawn to them or the Neo. Way to expensive for what they are. I LOVED the fact that they were like a tube built into a headphone when compared to the neo, just never tickled my pickle.
HiFiMan Edition XS: Excellent sound characteristics but I CAN’T keep them on my head, even with the dekoni nuggets they don’t fit right and while the capra strap is a thing…. they click and creek until settled in and even then taking them off somewhat resets this “QC” nightmare. They really are excellent but I can’t wear them.
Rode NTH-100: These were my golden child for a long time because I used to spend a lot of time on a tech forum in the audio sub-forum. And in a vacuum these are perfect, I tested them on multiple budget setups and onboard…. while I could tell a difference vs a $1kusd dac amp solution it was very very tiny. I’d say that they sound as good on a potato as they do a summit fi chain. Unfortunately the pads and headband are so expensive to replace and can only be had from Australia that it’s smarter to buy another pair or a different headphone entirely. It sucks even more because Rode was super gracious and have great customer support in dealing with the early fitlock components. Oh and they’ll fit large heads. I call them “consumer done right”.
Not on my shelf:
Phillips Fidelio X3: These taught me what imaging and soundstage are and have a signature unlike anything else. I had two of them because I brought a selection of headphones to my uncle to test thinking he might like this or that sound profile, in the end it was the fitment he chose. I inherited the second pair when he passed.
Audeze Maxwell: These were an impulse buy because they were all the rage on my tech forum so I had to hear them, plus I had just purchased a PS5 pro for GTA6 (womp womp will probably be getting a PS6 before the game launches). And I can acknowledge that they are a great and even superior sound to my NTH-100 but I prefer the Rode. Something about the Audeze distant and double layered imaging that gets me. Hard to explain but I heard my friends higher end Audeze and it had the same characteristics.
Beyerdynamic DT1990pro: These are essentially a clone of the Elex and I love them but now that I think about it harder to drive and slightly different sound stage. I attempted to listen to them in bed when my IEM’s were MIA and they’ve sat there for a while, should go get them and plop them on.
Beyerdynamic DT880-600: These were an obsession of mine and lead to several high powered amp solutions, namely the Emotiva BasX A-100 after I popped a rack mount stereo amplifier with them. These are like a concert in your head, hearing damage anyone?
Fostex T50rp: I got some zmf? pad’s for them and they are just pure bass and I adore them. Which ever pad’s the Argon get’s is what I put on them, some kind of protien. Currently they are sitting on some helping hands because I lack the enthusiasm and knowledge of how to wire the miniXLR which I put in them because the jack became spotty.
Sennheiser HD6xx: These are a Sennheiser 600 series, what more do I need to say? My dragon opened up other headphones so I’m not as reliant on them but they will always hold a dear spot in my heart.
Focal Elex: On my head now, and it’s just the whole package. Comfortable, great imaging and soundstage with a full and clear sound signature. They’re also my most expensive headphones.