It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
question...

On Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 8:28:12 AM UTC-5, MELMOTH wrote:
> It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
> with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
> Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
> question...

I used to have a bunch of different headphones, some quite good, and sold them all to buy a pair of Audeze LCD-XCs, a used version of the older (old frequency response, old headband). I know there are better headphones out there, but $800 is my sanity limit here- my wife thought I was nuts buying $300 headphones.

I EQ them through SonarWorks TruFi, which has profile presets for many headphones. The do sound odd without EQ. True-fi also lets me boost treble to make up for my high-frequency loss and boost bass, well, just because. Outside of that, the curves are not modifiable. Most of the Audeze models have very low distortion, so you can EQ them and get fantastic transparency. Example measurements:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/audeze-lcd-x-review-2021-edition-headphone.25271/

Objectively, these are on the heavy side, but I don't even notice them. But I have a big head, so relative weight may be less of an issue for me. Importantly, clamping is just right, and the giant earcups stay off my ears. The larger size of the listening space also helps decrease heat. (They've been on my head for this entir epost and I'm not even playing music...) This actually makes them more comfortable than a lot of smaller, lighter weight headphones that pinch my ears and get warm after a while. Aside from he fact that their size and weight makes them non-portable, they also get used only with my computer setup, not with my hifi. But if I'm listening to the hi-fi, I'm on speakers.

I drive them using a Topping D10 - JDS Atom combo, which together runs around $250. There are other DAC-amp combos out there that are just as capable. In theory you can improve things somewhat by spending a lot more, but I doubt you'd be able to hear it. At least I wouldn't be able to. Things get simpler as your hearing starts to fall apart.

One final note: Sonarworks- whatever their current product is - has profiles for many headphones, and the improvement they bring to any set of headphones can by impressive. If I was int he market for new headphones and wanted to spend less, I would consider Sonarworks or an equivalent product essential. Then I would consider buying an AKG-K7XX or Fostex TR-X00 from Drop.com. The former is the most comfortable set of cans I've used, and I'd give the sound, once EQ'd a B+, which makes them great for general use. The Fostex pair I owned had incredible bass extension, and a tone curve that needed no help in that area. This is a plus and minus- if you don't want to hear LP rumble or any number of other low-frequency sonic flaws in commercial recordings, these are not for you. (Try Janson's St. Petersburg Symphonic Dances. It opens with a low-frequencey tone that goes the length of what had to be an opening edit. It's just mmmmmmmmmmmmm-silence. I loved the Foxtex's but they aren't as comfortable as my current cans, and while to tone, once EQ'd was beautiful, they just don't have the same resolution as the Audeze. And by that, I mean, there had to be some distortion softening up the sound image a wee bit. The Audeze are just sonic bliss when it comes to clarity..

mswd...@gmail.com avait prétendu :
> On Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 8:28:12 AM UTC-5, MELMOTH wrote:
>> It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
>> with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
>> Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
>> question...
>
> I used to have a bunch of different headphones, some quite good, and sold
> them all to buy a pair of Audeze LCD-XCs, a used version of the older (old
> frequency response, old headband). I know there are better headphones out
> there, but $800 is my sanity limit here- my wife thought I was nuts buying
> $300 headphones.

Thanks for all these interesting details...
I don't know Audeze headphones at all...
I had a long time ago an AKG which had this particularity to be both
electrodynamic (low frequencies) and electrostatic (high
frequencies)...It was fabulous...
I have recently started listening to headphones again, mainly for
instrumental and chamber music...
On my Stax...
And on my Sennheiser hd800 (more "physiological" listening)...
I had the opportunity to test and compare the Sennheiser HD600, HD650,
HD800 and HD800S...Obviously the comparison of type A-B is
impossible...(I don't have 4 ears)...But the model which convinced me
the most was the HD600 ! (less than 400 euros !)...

On Monday, September 6, 2021 at 3:17:40 AM UTC-4, MELMOTH wrote:
> mswd...@gmail.com avait prétendu :
> > On Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 8:28:12 AM UTC-5, MELMOTH wrote:
> >> It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
> >> with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
> >> Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
> >> question...
> >
> > I used to have a bunch of different headphones, some quite good, and sold
> > them all to buy a pair of Audeze LCD-XCs, a used version of the older (old
> > frequency response, old headband). I know there are better headphones out
> > there, but $800 is my sanity limit here- my wife thought I was nuts buying
> > $300 headphones.
> Thanks for all these interesting details...
> I don't know Audeze headphones at all...
> I had a long time ago an AKG which had this particularity to be both
> electrodynamic (low frequencies) and electrostatic (high
> frequencies)...It was fabulous...
> I have recently started listening to headphones again, mainly for
> instrumental and chamber music...
> On my Stax...
> And on my Sennheiser hd800 (more "physiological" listening)...
> I had the opportunity to test and compare the Sennheiser HD600, HD650,
> HD800 and HD800S...Obviously the comparison of type A-B is
> impossible...(I don't have 4 ears)...But the model which convinced me
> the most was the HD600 ! (less than 400 euros !)...

Seconded. I also use the HD 600. I
tried the HD 650 and found their
tonal balance a little too bright. I
cannot used the HD 800 because
of their open back.

dk

On Monday, 6 September 2021 at 09:23:33 UTC+1, dan....@gmail.com wrote:
> On Monday, September 6, 2021 at 3:17:40 AM UTC-4, MELMOTH wrote:
> > mswd...@gmail.com avait prétendu :
> > > On Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 8:28:12 AM UTC-5, MELMOTH wrote:
> > >> It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
> > >> with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
> > >> Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
> > >> question...
> > >
> > > I used to have a bunch of different headphones, some quite good, and sold
> > > them all to buy a pair of Audeze LCD-XCs, a used version of the older (old
> > > frequency response, old headband). I know there are better headphones out
> > > there, but $800 is my sanity limit here- my wife thought I was nuts buying
> > > $300 headphones.
> > Thanks for all these interesting details...
> > I don't know Audeze headphones at all...
> > I had a long time ago an AKG which had this particularity to be both
> > electrodynamic (low frequencies) and electrostatic (high
> > frequencies)...It was fabulous...
> > I have recently started listening to headphones again, mainly for
> > instrumental and chamber music...
> > On my Stax...
> > And on my Sennheiser hd800 (more "physiological" listening)...
> > I had the opportunity to test and compare the Sennheiser HD600, HD650,
> > HD800 and HD800S...Obviously the comparison of type A-B is
> > impossible...(I don't have 4 ears)...But the model which convinced me
> > the most was the HD600 ! (less than 400 euros !)...
> Seconded. I also use the HD 600. I
> tried the HD 650 and found their
> tonal balance a little too bright. I
> cannot used the HD 800 because
> of their open back.
>
> dk

HD600 are open back.....well, mine are; perhaps you wallpapered yours for improved musicality ;-)

On Monday, September 6, 2021 at 7:29:08 AM UTC-4, AG wrote:
> On Monday, 6 September 2021 at 09:23:33 UTC+1, dan....@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Monday, September 6, 2021 at 3:17:40 AM UTC-4, MELMOTH wrote:
> > > mswd...@gmail.com avait prétendu :
> > > > On Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 8:28:12 AM UTC-5, MELMOTH wrote:
> > > >> It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
> > > >> with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
> > > >> Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
> > > >> question...
> > > >
> > > > I used to have a bunch of different headphones, some quite good, and sold
> > > > them all to buy a pair of Audeze LCD-XCs, a used version of the older (old
> > > > frequency response, old headband). I know there are better headphones out
> > > > there, but $800 is my sanity limit here- my wife thought I was nuts buying
> > > > $300 headphones.
> > > Thanks for all these interesting details...
> > > I don't know Audeze headphones at all...
> > > I had a long time ago an AKG which had this particularity to be both
> > > electrodynamic (low frequencies) and electrostatic (high
> > > frequencies)...It was fabulous...
> > > I have recently started listening to headphones again, mainly for
> > > instrumental and chamber music...
> > > On my Stax...
> > > And on my Sennheiser hd800 (more "physiological" listening)...
> > > I had the opportunity to test and compare the Sennheiser HD600, HD650,
> > > HD800 and HD800S...Obviously the comparison of type A-B is
> > > impossible...(I don't have 4 ears)...But the model which convinced me
> > > the most was the HD600 ! (less than 400 euros !)...
> > Seconded. I also use the HD 600. I
> > tried the HD 650 and found their
> > tonal balance a little too bright. I
> > cannot used the HD 800 because
> > of their open back.
>
> HD600 are open back.....well, mine are;
> perhaps you wallpapered yours for improved
> musicality ;-)

The HD600 are described in the specs as
"semi-open". They leak some amount of
sound into the surrounding environment,
though not nearly as much as the HD650
or the HD800.

dk

On Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 6:28:12 AM UTC-7, MELMOTH wrote:
> It seems that the majority (?) of you listen to your favorite music
> with headphones (more often than with speakers)...
> Which headphones do you use? (brand, model, type)...I ask the
> question...

https://www.whathifi.com/best-buys/headphones/best-headphones