Best sounding headphones you have owned?


At one time I had gone through Shure, early Stax, Audio Technica electret condenser....and more.

What have you owned in both expensive and inexpensive headphones that gave you pleasurable listening?

 

jusam

Showing 5 responses by freediver

I was a soldier all my life & now retired so I've never had deep pockets for audio gear & being a firm believer in trickle down tech I have always looked to the manufacture's for the best value in their product lines.After extensive demos of the TOTL from Audeze,HiFiMan,Focal,Sennheiser,Grado & AKG I discovered I like the HiFiMan house sound,settling on the Sundara for exotic driver tech & the absolutely amazing iBasso SR-1 limited editions(500 pair)for dynamics...
 Where the Sundara is virtually dead neutral & fast as lightning,the iBasso is relaxed,lush,dripping with harmonic richness & tonal color that is not unlike the finest 300B amplifiers...

I recently changed the cable on my iBasso SR-1's to a 6nines Silver Plated OCC cable & I am absolutely head over heals Gaga in lust/love with these headphones..
 I've spent a lot of time & $ over the last year driving hundreds of miles to Austin,San Antonio & Houston auditioning TOTL's from Audeze,HiFiMan,Focal & Sennheiser..I've still yet to hear ANYTHING that has the naturally organic tone of the iBasso..Honestly they sound like iBasso invited a pair of Harbeth M40.1's, a Cary Audio 300SEI amplifier & an un named,Class A,KT88 Ultra Linear amplifier to a motel & threw a drunken orgy,culminating in the birth of a step child with the voice of all the angels in heaven..
 They don't need a special tube amp to thrive either..As a matter of fact,they are NOT really suited to a tube amp that is voiced to be warm & tubey,they would sound like an older Conrad Johnson tube amp then,syrupy & sloppy...
They ABSOLUTELY LOVE Class A Solid State..​​​​​​ Driven by the headphone out from my SimAudio 240i or a Topping DX7Pro DAC/Amp,they simply drip & oooze tonal color & saturation..
 They don't have quite the massive standing & imaging of the Sennheiser HD800S,or the super deep slamming bass of say an Audeze LCD-3/5,or the razor sharp,super extended treble of an AKG studio headphone,what they do have is a balanced tone that makes them a superb all arounder,favoring no specific style of music & giving hour after hour of fatigue free,blissful listening...
 I know I know,everyone hears differently & I'm coming off as if my sub conscience desires have over ridden my analytical brain but I am NOT easily impressed or swayed by any piece of gear,be they audio,video,amature astronomy,automobiles,whatever...It's SOOOO very rare to find a piece of audio gear that,with a bare minimum of tweaking(changing the cable),can compete with the absolute best of the best...I would pay good $ to get a few golden ears who own TOTL cans from ANY manufacturer together for a blind listening session with these headphones..I have ZERO doubt,more than one of them would walk away shaking their heads after finding out what they were actually listening to...

@bjorn154 ,@ yakbob & @pastorbob ,I am curious,which type of drivers are you so enamoured with,the Beryllium or Bio Wool?
I find it interesting he offers a Bio Wool driver as I just posted a fanboy type reply of my iBasso SR-1’s which use a Bio Cellulous driver & I wonder how his Bio Wool compares...

It's too bad JM Audio won't be showing at the Dallas Can Jam 2024..I would love to demo his line...

I recently upgraded from the HiFiMan Sundara 2020's to the HFM Ananda Nano's...
 OMG,where my iBasso SR-1's are like the finest 300B SET amplifier driving Sonus Faber speakers,the Nano's are complete polar opposites..
We're talking big Krell Class A amps driving huge Magnapans here..I can go from the baddest Classic Rock/Electric Blues/Reggae with the Nano's,to the sweetest, honey dripping Classical/Jazz/Pipe & slippers music with the simple change from 1 set to the other...Audiophile life can be pretty awesome,even if you can't afford mega $ gear!