The first headphones that made me say “Oh Crap” were those same Grado SR325 which I must have bought about the same time. They sounded great, plugged into my portable CD player at work, but eventually the pads started disintegrating; leaving bits of black foam everywhere, and I didn’t know I could replace them, so I …errr… …hmmmm… …I threw the headphones away. And then found out later I could have just bought new pads, at which point I said a much more expletive version of “Oh Crap”.
[Runs away in embarrassment 
]
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For me, Stax SR-X Mk 3 which I bought new … this will date me … in 1978. I was expecting WOW, and found it. Probably listened to the Surrealistic Pillow album 300 times on these things.
I still have them, and they still work perfectly, although I have replaced the pads.
They’ve been eclipsed in my regular play rotation by various newer Lambda’s and models from other manufacturers, but I still bring them out for a listen periodically.
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Where do Sundara’s fall in these two categories?
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Sorry I have no idea-- my experience is exclusively IEMs.
It’s likely versatile and can be voiced in either direction depending on the amp and DAC.
The Sundaras came in and they sound wonderful (through the Schiit Hel at least). They seem to reproduce the songs correctly and clearly…oh so clear. And are those clear vocals the result of sibilant sounds without sibilance? Damn…I’m impressed.
I may need some help with:
Finding a better cable that won’t break the bank.
Tricks to lower the clamp force, these things are pretty clampy.
Figure out if there’s some hack where I could use my ModMic in line plugging into the 3.5mm on the left ear (probably unlikely)?
Overall, I’m pretty damn impressed. Higher level gear isn’t snake oil. “Wife, I was hoping to uncover information that helped me determine that spending more money is a waste, but I failed…sorry.” LOL
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For cables Hart Audio is a popular nice cable. For $70-ish you can get the headphone cable plus several attachments for balanced XLR, 1/4", 3.5mm etc. so one cable can be used for different connections. You can also customize the color if you want.
One trick for clamp force is put the headphone around the back of a couch or chair overnight. May not work for all bands but sometimes it works.
The Sundaras have separate connections for left and right so both sides will have to be connected to hear sound in both sides. I’m not familiar with ModMic so I don’t have anything more specific. You might try the gaming thread and see if anyone can help.
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Thanks, I meant BoomPro mic, but essentially the same deal. 
EMU teak Ebony when i heard the bass hit for the first time
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I remember that first time very vividly. It was around 1998-99, when, on a whim, I won an eBay auction for a pair of AKG K340s, a hybrid dynamic-electret headphone. When they arrived, I was impressed with the build quality and the fact that they looked professional.
I had been using a pair of Koss Porta Pros since 1985, and they sounded really good to me, but I wanted to see what else was out there.
I put a CD of the Mamas and Papas in, and when the song “Midnight Voyage” came on, I was blown away. The reverb of the studio was unbelievable. I felt like I could reach out and touch the performers. It felt like the sounds were coming from 2 feet away from my head on both sides. THAT was my “Holy Crap!” moment.
Unfortunately, the ensuing years have not been so kind to my wallet, as I began to accumulate headphones at a pretty rapid clip, just so I could experience someting like that again. I didn’t have to wait long, however, as I acquired the Etymotic 4S IEM. With those, I didn’t feel I could reach out and touch the music…It was like my brain was hard wired TO the music!
I’ve tried to get some of my friends to get involved with headphones, just so they could have their own “Holy Crap” moment; but alas, they’re happy with the cheap earbuds from the Dollar Store. 
Different strokes for different folks.
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I am fairly new to the headphone game but my first ‘wow’ was definitely my EMU Teaks (had Rosewood and Teak cups) playing from a Fiio Q5s and THX AM3D. Even though I have had some superior headphones that have provided their own ‘wow’ moments, (Eikon, HD800s, Stellia) these are what got me hooked. Such an amazing and romantic presentation.
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Me too! Exactly, Etymotics and a battery powered Head Room amp. A revelation, and before the iPod I actually walked around with the whole rig in a bag with a Sony Walkman CD player. I was really happy for the iPod and in the end recycled fewer D size batteries. Still have Etymotic for traveling.
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First set of over ears that made my jaw drop were a set of Verite closed I had a chance at trying at my first Canjam (RMAF 2018), which was a couple of months before I started working in the industry.
Owning a VC is still Summit-Fi for me to this day, almost there 
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When I first got my first setup going a decade ago with my dt880.
Bought the dt770 first and was amazed but a little disappointed. Went and got the dt880 right after that with a proper amp and record player setup and I was melting in my chair with miles davis playing blue in green. Lights off, eyes closed, brain tingles, and Wow.
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This will date me to a time long ago, but it was some Stax SRS mk3 headphones with SRD-7 box, hooked up to a Threshold 400a class A amp! Great vintage stuff! I can’t even remember what the source was or what I was listening to now, but it was a holy crap revelation! I had no idea what headphones were capable of until that moment many years back… (early 80’s I believe).
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My experience is limited, but I originally bought Audio-Technica ATH-M50 for some silent recording and mixing, based on a recommendation and the cost. Obviously, not the best. Recently I looked for other cans for mixing, since I found the Audio-Tech headphones a touch muddy or dark. An audiophile store suggested the Meze Classic 99 (since the Emphyreans are $3k). I will not say I was blown away, but they sound relatively flat with only very modest low and high-end emphasis, making them very good for mixing, since emulate that ‘V’ frequency shape, but only modestly. They sound exceptional for pre-recorded music, particularly for the price, but work decently well with low ear fatigue when utilized for a few hours at a time.
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Thanks, that’s good to know. My son needs a closed back headphone for mixing too. He uses the 6XX right now but needs closed for college later this year. His budget is “whatever Dad wants to spend” dollars. I’m assuming the Drop version of this has the same sound.
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Audioquest nightowl because they were my first “high-end” headphones when they came out at the time…
Don’t worry, now I know…lol
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Those were OK headphones. The price on them sure adjusted down in a hurry though.
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Oh yeah, now I definitely know…I didn’t have a reference at that time so they sounded like heaven to me.
Though I have to say they’re still one of the best looking and most comfortable headphones to this date.
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