Headphones, got any favorites?

Welcome to the forum Phil, thank you for joining.
 
I recently sold my great sounding but incredibly heavy and uncomfortable Audeze LCD XC phones and bought a pair of MrSpeakers Aeon Flow closed 'phones. They sound great. While perhaps not quite as transparent and detailed as my HD800s, they provide much more isolation when the house is noisy (e.g. the washer/dryer is running, my wife is watching TV in the kitchen, etc.), and they are vastly more comfortable than the Audeze phones.
 
A headphone topic and no one mentions Beyerdynamic or Audio Technica. While I only use headphone when playing computer games or watching YouTube. These two brands are IMHO iconic. The ATH-AD700 I have is so comfortable. My girlfriend is very happy with her D990 edition.

If my Audio Technica was to die, I would buy the current incarnation in a minute.
 
Mordante said:
A headphone topic and no one mentions Beyerdynamic or Audio Technica. While I only use headphone when playing computer games or watching YouTube. These two brands are IMHO iconic. The ATH-AD700 I have is so comfortable. My girlfriend is very happy with her D990 edition.

If my Audio Technica was to die, I would buy the current incarnation in a minute.
Click to expand...

See post #59.
 
ZMF Auteur Blackwood for me. This is after a dozen headphones up to and including Focal Utopia with Beryllium drivers which were flat out to 50Khz. Something about Bio-cellulose drivers this I find organic, musical and completely intoxicating. On the budget and as a spare, I continue to use my long-standing musical and “budget reference” headphone Sennheiser HD-600. The ZMF and HD-600 are just right for tubes with their “highish” impedance.
 
I didn't see a thread on Portable Music Players. Recently I have been using my portable a lot more, at work, traveling, etc. I have had a Pono for a while and it was good, but I also always felt it was limited a bit. I recently got a gently use Astell&Kern AK240. What a wonderful player. Sounds incredible!

I love my Focal Clear headphones. They are great for home use and though they play well on the AK they are simply a bit too bulky to lug along to work or on an airplane, etc. Therefore I recently tried the Audeze iSine headphones. Really nice and very comfortable in my view. I read that sometimes they are referred to as small Planar Magnetic headphones hanging next to your ears. I tried the 10s and was very impressed so I just had a pair of the 20s that arrived today. I would love to try the LCDi4 but honestly, $2500 for portable IEM headphones is a touch too steep :)...

Very impressive for small ear phones that sort of hang next to your ears :)....
 
The Audeze iSine 20 are pretty amazing so far! They are still breaking in and I have noticed some differences from when I first started listening to them for a couple hours last night.

They are very good, like little planar magnetic headphones hanging off the side of your head and pumping straight into your ear canal. I can't even imagine how good the LCDi4 are. Audeze claims they are almost the same as their full size LCD4 but at a greatly reduced size and weight.

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Now these are the ones that I really would love :)...

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I definitely can't get over how good these little Planar Magnetic Headphones are. I can listen to them for a very long time, almost forget they are on even. I have never had a headphone that would completely disappear like these, even my wonderful Focal's. I would not say that the iSine 20 sound 100% as good as my Focal's, but they are very good.

The LCDi4 would probably be a completely different world as Audeze is calling them their mini LCD4 and saying the are on board sound wise with the LCD4 but have all the comfort of the iSine 20! I think the ultimate goal at this point is to get a pair of Audeze LCDi4 and use them as my primary headphone listening, either at home, work, or traveling!
 
I ordered the Audeze LCDi4. The plan is that these will become my main listening headphone. A vast majority of my headphone listening is with my portable player and these are considered by many as the best earphone for portables. Audeze compares them to their top of the line LCD4 and states that these will be very competitive against any headphone, not just IEMs.

If these are as good as every review states then I will probably be selling my Focal Clear. I have yet to decide if I will keep the iSine 20 as backup/beat around phones and reserve the LCDi4 for best listening environments.

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I just added HiFi Man Headphones to my lineup. Always a favorite at the shows. Bringing in a few models to start.

Tempted to get the Viva 2A3 Headphone amp.


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Nice! HiFi Man makes some fantastic cans for sure. At our audio club can jam Jon brought a pair of one of their models. I was very impressed.
 
I wanted to hate the HiFiMan Susvara so bad, but finally got to borrow them, and have to admit they blew me away. Those $6K Susvaras out of just a $2K amplifier (Headamp GS-X mini) almost, ALMOST matched the Stax 009, 009S, or 007 from my $12K DIY T2 uber-amplifier (as in, it's a long way down in performance to even a BHSE or Carbon from here). That's 8K total vs. 16K. And it certainly got a lot closer than anything else I've heard. The Focal Utopia, Stellia, and Meze Empyrean were absolutely blown out of the water by comparison, though I think on an absolute scale those are very nice sounding headphones. The Ether E electrostats couldn't keep pace.

They still need to work on build quality, but man - such good sound.

I really wish I had them around now, while my Stax amp is down, grrrrr.
 
mulveling said:
I wanted to hate the HiFiMan Susvara so bad, but finally got to borrow them, and have to admit they blew me away. Those $6K Susvaras out of just a $2K amplifier (Headamp GS-X mini) almost, ALMOST matched the Stax 009, 009S, or 007 from my $12K DIY T2 uber-amplifier (as in, it's a long way down in performance to even a BHSE or Carbon from here). That's 8K total vs. 16K. And it certainly got a lot closer than anything else I've heard. The Focal Utopia, Stellia, and Meze Empyrean were absolutely blown out of the water by comparison, though I think on an absolute scale those are very nice sounding headphones. The Ether E electrostats couldn't keep pace.

They still need to work on build quality, but man - such good sound.

I really wish I had them around now, while my Stax amp is down, grrrrr.
Click to expand...

I’ll be the first to admit, my headphone knowledge is not great, but I’m trying to learn about the brands and products. Maybe it’s a good thing because when I hear something really good, that’s what I focus on. For me it was the HiFi Man 1000SE with the Viva 2A3 at Munich. I was captivated by the sound. I later learned the 1000SE is very efficient and works great with a lot of headphone amps and for me, the Viva 2A3 had a magic that was incredible. I actually sat, closed my eyes and got lost in the music. Can’t say that happens much for me with a lot of headphones I listen to.

I heard the $350 Hi-Fi Man Headphones called “Sundara”. I kept asking if the guy said $1350 or $350. $350 still doesn’t seem right. They sound WAY better than $350 to my ears.


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How is the build quality, do you think they withstand the trials of being out and about, in and out of bags and pockets, rain and shine etc...?
Randy Myers said:
I didn't see a thread on Portable Music Players. Recently I have been using my portable a lot more, at work, traveling, etc. I have had a Pono for a while and it was good, but I also always felt it was limited a bit. I recently got a gently use Astell&Kern AK240. What a wonderful player. Sounds incredible!

I love my Focal Clear headphones. They are great for home use and though they play well on the AK they are simply a bit too bulky to lug along to work or on an airplane, etc. Therefore I recently tried the Audeze iSine headphones. Really nice and very comfortable in my view. I read that sometimes they are referred to as small Planar Magnetic headphones hanging next to your ears. I tried the 10s and was very impressed so I just had a pair of the 20s that arrived today. I would love to try the LCDi4 but honestly, $2500 for portable IEM headphones is a touch too steep :)...

Very impressive for small ear phones that sort of hang next to your ears :)....
Click to expand...
 
I am on a trip now and the AK240 and the iSine 20 seem to be working just fine. I believe it is important to put the Audeze in their storage case when not in use. It protects them just fine. I would never put these ear buds in my pocket.
 
I just returned home today from a trip back east. Unfortunately the trip was for my father's funeral. He was 91 and had a good long life and affected many!

A brand new pair of Audeze LCD-i4 were waiting for me when I arrived home. I just listened to them for the past couple hours. I have to say they are quite stunning. I know from the lower Audeze models that they will improve with some break in time, however I have to say that this was probably the best headphone experience I have ever had.

I really like my Focal Clear headphones; I also enjoyed the Mr. Speaker Ether, the Sennheiser HD800S, and the McIntosh MHP1000 that I have previous owned; however none ever made me feel like I was not listening to headphones. With the Audeze LCD-i4 I totally forgot I had headphones on and became absorbed in the music.

Tremendous in every way; amazing sounding and felt like there was nothing on my head just wonderful sound emanating around me!
 
Randy Myers said:
I just returned home today from a trip back east. Unfortunately the trip was for my father's funeral. He was 91 and had a good long life and affected many!

A brand new pair of Audeze LCD-i4 were waiting for me when I arrived home. I just listened to them for the past couple hours. I have to say they are quite stunning. I know from the lower Audeze models that they will improve with some break in time, however I have to say that this was probably the best headphone experience I have ever had.

I really like my Focal Clear headphones; I also enjoyed the Mr. Speaker Ether, the Sennheiser HD800S, and the McIntosh MHP1000 that I have previous owned; however none ever made me feel like I was not listening to headphones. With the Audeze LCD-i4 I totally forgot I had headphones on and became absorbed in the music.

Tremendous in every way; amazing sounding and felt like there was nothing on my head just wonderful sound emanating around me!
Click to expand...

So sorry to hear about your Father.
 
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