I am using several pairs of cans for different purposes:
BeyerDynamic 880 Studio (20+ years old, 600 Ohms, open or semi-open): for listening to music, when I find time to do so. Very HQ phones, which I prefer for classical and jazz music
BeyerDynamic 770 (250 Ohms, closed): for listening, when I need hard stuff with heavy bass at near ear bleeding levels - which happens occassionally
Stax SR40 (with simple SRD-4 adaptor, driven by a separate T-amp): just close-by at one of my stereo set-ups. Quite relaxing sound, very clear, but a bit light on bass
Koss PortaPro (15 years old, open): while travelling. I haven't found anything better in such a small form factor at a price tag anywhere that affordable
Sony MDR-ZX600 (closed): mainly for portable use while filming or travelling, but simply less resolution, than even the lowly Koss Porta Pro and not anywhere comparable to the rest of the bunch.
My dearest headphones are clearly the DT-880 Studios, but the 770 is very remarkable, given its low price.
My DT-880's are the Premium 250 Ohm, probably only subtle differences performance-wise from your Studios. They have become my favorites, too, I can totally understand how they made the top of your list.:T
I guess it is one of those live changing decisions: it is either Sennheiser or BeyerDynamic, never both... (at least over here in Beyer-Sennheiser-AKG homeland...) And Beyer had and still has a very conservative business approach, running their products for many years or even decades, as in the case of th 880s. Though I must admit, that the current modells have a nicer look, than my old one.
I've had a long list of off-the-shelf phones, both in-ear and circumaural...
CIRCUMAURAL
Koss PRO4AA - This was the first pair of headphones I ever loved. My dad's when I was a kid. These things are monsters... in terms of sound quality, they've been my benchmark for most of my life. In terms of comfort, I think they're a step above having your skull crushed by tank treads. Simply horrific. The pair I have are literally older than I am. I cut the ear cup pads open (since the gel had dried and leaked out about a decade earlier) and stuffed them with cotton. That helped a lot... but after 40+ years of use, they connections are shaky and they're still a lot like wearing an angry spider monkey in iron underwear on your head.
Sony MDR - (at least 4 different models) I'm never disappointed by these. Always a solid performer at their price-point. Reasonably comfortable, good isolation, clear sound, and frequency response specs that don't come across as a lie. The down-side is that after a few years of use (3-5 in most of my cases) the ear cup padding starts to disintegrate, and you get flakes of the faux leather in/on your ears and hair. No bueno. Other than that little detail, great cans.
AT ATH M40 - Possibly one of the highest-reviewed products I've ever encountered. Not that all reviews are worthwhile... but when there are 500+ reviews on Amazon and 93% are 4*+, that says something. I bought a pair for a friend (because she knows I read too much before I buy stuff) and burned them in a bit before I gave them to her. The burn-in helped a lot. Nice cans... and at that price point, they're a serious contender for top marks. FWIW, the ATH M50's are at 2500+ reviews, and 92% above 4 stars... the M30's are near the same ratio (500+, 89% 4+). That's a good track record. Money well-spent.
My current daily driver:Ultrasone PRO 550 - [Non-denominational deity reference]! I practically stole these when I got them new for $140. The last pair of cans I'll ever own. Stunning clarity... completely different level from the ~$100 cans I'd listened to in the past. Not exactly bass-heavy, but if you EQ a little more into them, they'll deliver. If you've got a less-than-stellar S/N ratio, or imperfect source material, these guys will let you know. Hi-def players, DACs, and headphone amps are definitely called for here. But not because your smart phone won't drive them... just because you'll want a nice clean signal to listen to.
EARBUDS/In-Ears
Original Gameboy Earbuds Yeah. I was 12. But these really gave me a new appreciation for the possibilities available. I'm sure if I could go back and listen to them they'd be horrible, but at the time they were the best thing since sliced bread.
Shure SE210 Fast Forward a few years, and many unmemorable earbuds later... I had purchased a pair of the 110's, listened to them for a few hours, and repackaged them and took them back. I was very disappointed compared to some of the cans I described above. I replaced them with the 210's and the difference was astounding. Clear, articulate, and loud. A little light on the bottom end.
Klipsch Image s4 The only repeat-offender in my long history with phones/buds. I found that the double-flange bud didn't fit my ear very well, so I pulled the triple flange from my Shures... wow. Instant bass response. These are definitely worth the money. Ultimately destroyed by an ex-gf moving out of my house and moving large heavy objects over the cord... perhaps on purpose. The second pair was given to a friend (after giving the tips a bath in alcohol).
ThinkSound Rain I really liked the balance of these buds. Clear high end, rich but not overbearing bottom... right up until they broke about 3 months after I bought them and used them very lightly.
Xiaomi 2nd PistonThese would have been another repeat offender... at the stupidly low price of ~$15, they sounded amazing. The downside was that I wasn't too concerned about them and they get lost. So I bought a second pair and learned a thing or two about quality control. Apparently I got lucky the first time around. The second time, not so much. They ended up in the trash after about an hour.
My Current daily drivers:Symphonized MTL I settled on these as a backup to the 2nd 2nd Pistons. At $75, they'd pretty hard to argue with... at $50, almost impossible. But they're not $75 or $50, they're $30 for a dual-driver bud. The quality they provide at this price point is basically theft. Beautiful sonic balance. Nicely detailed delivery of your source material. The mic works really well too... and the flat ribbon cables don't tangle easily or snag like the braided-fabric jacketed ones I've used. I'll absolutely be visiting other Symphonized products to see if the quality holds across the brand.
Currently use a Sony MDR Z7 and a Philips Fidelio X2, for rock/pop also an AKG Q701 mostly for classical and Jazz. I also use an ATH M50 like the o.p. but it is for my portable gear.
Several years back, I got a set of wireless headsets on black Friday for a great deal from amazon website and the headphones are great. The model I have is the Sennheiser HDR 180. Highly recommended.
I recently needed a pair of wireless headphones to wear when I go to sleep (sleep apnea), so I picked up a pair of Sennheiser RS 175 RF Wireless Headphone System. I had read excellent reviews and the range was supposed to be really far...the range is not anywhere near as good as people said they were, but it is enough for me (unless i want to walk downstairs to our kitchen with them on. The sound is def different than I recall from past headphones, but they work out great for my needs.
I added a pair of Audiotechnica ATH-M50x's to my arsenal after a few things happened:
1) I read all the headphone reviews here, and found them to be a good value vs performance in my price range and
2) I bought a pair for my wife and listened to them against my Ultrasone PRO-550's.
Straight out of the box, I liked everything about them. Comfortable fit, good isolation, and a genuinely nice sound. I'd argue that the Ultrasones are perhaps objectively flatter, but the slight contour in the response curve is extremely likable.
In the last couple of months I've purchased a pair of HiFi Man HE-350's (from Massdrop) and a pair of Monolith M560's from Monoprice. If nothing else I've found that I prefer over the ear phones. However, I must admit that I've never been big on headphones. For me headphones do not produce any sort of sound-stage (binaural recordings excepted). To me a soundstage is the aural impression of musicians performing over there where my speakers used to be. For me headphones produce sound in pretty much a straight line through the middle of my head from one ear to the other. That IMO does not constitute a soundstage. At best I hear what I call a "headstage". With all that said, these recent acquisitions have prompted me to spend a lot more time listening through headphones.
I'm currently using a bluetooth headset of Samsung. It's very convenient and light. There's no more wire that could go entangled on my neck. It has revolutionary features too.
Sennheiser HD7 DJ, modded to fix a known squeak problem. I used tape in between the driver housing where it pivots at the blue round pin. Very easy fix, can provide a pic if needed. EQed the mid rage frequencys 500 to 1k down slightly to enjoy music more, removing the dj signature sound. Hooked up to the FXaudio dac-x6. Awesome sub bass doesn't distort at loud listening levels.
Since my last post in this thread I've acquired a pair of Monolith M-300's and an Agptek Rocker 2 for WAM (walking around music). The M-300's are IEM planars. The Rocker 2 supports FLAC to 192/32 and DSD/dsf to 4X (256). It uses Micro SD cards (not included) 256gb max for storage. At $69 it's IMO a bargain. The Monolith M300's at $149 compare very favorably with the iSine IEM planar phones for considerably less money.
This combination provides (IMO) exceptional sound for bargain basement prices. This setup has greatly enriched my traveling about the city. With a maximum storage of 256gb it (Rocker2) may not be enough for some. It is for me. I don't need to carry my entire collection with me, only my favorites. So 256gb is more than enough for me. It's all I need for portable use.
OP here stumbling upon his own ancient thread :surprise:
I am currently using two different pairs
Over-Ear Headphones - German Maestro GMP 8.35
These are the best headphones I have ever owned. Unbelievably durable. Strong noise isolation. Amazingly neutral tonality. Great resolution. A tad bit clampy though. Would buy another pair in a heartbeat if I actually needed to, but I don't and I've had them since 2014. If I had to make any complaints about them it's that they don't stage as well as open back headphones - they are utilitarian and that's why I love them.
On-Ear Headphones - KEF M400s
Great tonality again. Very portable and comfortable. These were worth every cent. The German Maestros are a bit better, but also pricier.
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