I can’t believe I haven’t commented on this topic. Oh wait, I gave away 3 of the Porta-Pros so far. . .
so those, and the two I have around the house.
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Lcd-3
HD600
HD650
Dan Clark AEON 2
Focal Clear
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Focal Clear
HiFiMan HE6se
Senn HD 800s
ZMF Aeolus
Dan Clark Ether 2
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Sennheiser HE 1 - Orpheus v2. *
Heard it on 2 seperate occasions for a total of 1-2 hours with music of my choice, and I can only say that this was for me the most complete listening experience I’ve experienced. The price is of course ridiculous, but it surpassed everything else I’ve heard for sure. -
HiFiMAN Susvara on an AudioValve Solaris. *
I’d say this gets you 95% of the HE 1 experience, from my perspective at least. Superbly faithful sound. -
Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC on Riviera AIC-10. *
The ultimate rollercoaster ride imo. Powerful, big and intense experience. And how it delivers the bass, is completely unrivaled as far as my experience goes. -
Meze Empyrean on Feliks Audio Euforia.
That’s where my own money went. While not competing with the absolute best, this hits my pleasure senses right on point. Super pleasant and non-fatiguing sound, spectacular soundstage and very good bass performance that satisfies my desires for sweet, quality bass. And the comfort…
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ZMF Auteur/VC on tubes. *
Auditory memory is kinda failing me here, so I can’t really decide between these 2. But yeah, ZMF + tubes is a recipe for a truly authentic experience. Makes one forget about any kind of technology, and delivers the music in such a humble and pure way, as if the music is gently hugging your brain. While not the most technically groundbreaking performance, the sound really hits a sweet-spot of making music sound complete, without demanding any attention to what it does to make music sound good. They just give you the origin of the music. Like that stone-baked pizza from a small family-owned restaurant hidden somewhere in an Italian small town in a rural area outside of the big city life.
Honorable mention:
Sennheiser HD 660S on tubes.
After having spent some time with these on my brand new Euforia, I’ve gained a completely new appreciation for the HD 660S. In fact, I’ve spent a good 4 hours just listening to it on the Euforia, not even thinking about the Empyrean anymore and just having a fantastic time. Although I wouldn’t dare to suggest to purchase a Euforia just for pairing it with an HD 660S, I’m amazed by just how much of an improvement this resulted in. It absolutely, undoubtedly takes the sound of the 660S to the next level, basically bridging the gap between the 660S and the ZMF lineup.
* Not owned
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My current top five in my collection:
- Etymotic ER3XR + ZiShan DSD
- Etymotic ER2XR + ZiShan DSD
- Sennheiser Drop HD6XX + E1DA PowerDac v2
- Focal Elegia + PowerMac G5
- Koss KPH30i + anything and everything
Honorable Mentions:
- Philips Fidelio X1S
- Fostex Drop TH-X00
- KZ ZS10 Pro
- Koss Porto Pro
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Top 5 (in no particular order):
- Mr. Speakers Ether 2
- Audeze LCD-3
- Focal Utopia *
- Meze Empyrean*
- Abyss 1266 TC *
*Do not currently own these
Honorable Mentions (do not own any of these either):
- LCD-4
- Sennheiser HD-650
- Sennheiser HE1
The HE 1 is my absolute favorite, but its rarity and price simply make it unobtainable to too many people to be considered with actual production headphones
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Now thats a list! quite a collections there
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Haha I don’t actually own most of what I listed, just the Empyrean, Euforia and HD 660S. Have had the pleasure of extensively listening to the other stuff I mentioned, but I don’t have that kind of money to take it all home haha.
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Koss Porta Pro & ESP 95X
- The house tuning is my jam and that lifetime warranty is wonderful! Used it more than once and I’ve yet to find an audio company that can match their warranty service, pricing, and overall execution!
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HD800sdr
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Stax 009
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Dan Clark Audio Ether 2/ CX / Aeon 2 Closed
- The new family of Dan Clark headphones are all excellent! I’m very excited to hear Ether 2 Closed when it’s ready!
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Abyss Phi TC
Honorable mentions to;
- Audeze LCD 2 Classic w/Vegan Pads
- HD 600
- The ZMF Line of Dynamic Headphones
- Aurorus Borealis
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This is my own personal Top 5 Headphones in my collection.
- Focal Clear
- HD800S
- HD650
- HD58X
- KOSS PORTA PRO
I find it incredibly difficult to Audition Audio Gear due to serious health issues. So I am only able to list the ones I own. I have bought others and ended up selling them on. Though I have heard many more iem’s than headphones.
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Since I started this thread, my top 5 have changed as well… (maturing as a hobbyist I guess)
(Not ranked)
- Sennheiser HD800s
- Final D8000
- Audeze MX4
- Fostex TH900 MKII Sapphire Blue (yes they are tuned differently to normal Red)
- Focal Utopia
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@Animal - no asterisk next to the HE1s?
I wish, lol. I don’t own any of the honorable mentions but I should probably clarify that. Thanks!
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Focal Utopia: Shouldn’t need justification. Beauty and quality of craftsmanship and materials would be enough even if they were just mediocre sounding.
Focal Clear: For me they are wonderfully musical and forgiving of average recording issues without pointing out the harshness of less than perfect mastering like the Utopia does.
DT1990 Pro: I keep coming back to these for some reason. I like the low end and warmth of the mids. Interestingly they never sound harsh to my ears in the upper region.
HD 650: Just a wonderful staple that handles all music well and never disappoints. Tonal balance never ceases to impress.
Philips SHP9500S: Strong points are a great big soundstage, and warm, natural mids with good mid/upper detail. Impressive for 65 dollars.
Honorable Mention: Porta Pro/Yaxi, KTX Pro, KSC 75/Yaxi with Parts Express headband. The Koss family are my go to when I don’t want to bother with choosing (and fitting) one of the IEMs.
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Well, I don’t own all of these five except the first 3 on this list of mine.
- HD 800 C ( I love this headphone because it is like truth serum for all your music recordings. )
- Audeze LCD XC— My Favourite closed back of all time right now. They’re not perfect, however their sound sig really agrees with me.
- Sony MDR Z7– This was a really smart buy for me. Really good headphone for the money. Terrific with portable amps.
- Abyss 1266 Phi— I spent a grand total of maybe 2hrs with this headphone, but I know just how good it is. Very engaging listen.
- Focal Stellia— I think we can say this is the king of the closed backs right now. Hands down the best one I’ve ever heard.
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In my pants…
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That’s one way to feel the bass…
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Oh I see…hahahaha thanks for clarifying. I think he was replying to my message below that I posted a while back that’s why I got a bit confused…thanks again for the explanation.
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Can’t touch this.
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