Headphone lovers, what do you love, what do you have, Head-Fi fans 2015 edition.

There is the economic factor also: they are not very expensive, and very good for the cost.

 

Used Senn's for many years...HD430, HD535, HD580. Switched to Team Grado; HF-2 is my favorite also have HF-1 and SR-125. AKG K-340 Headphile as well. All run through a heavily modded Headamp V2-SE. The HF-2 (supposedly very similar to PS500) work great for me.

 

Had these for years. As long as you get a set with no age-related issues, you're in for a treat.

 

I've got several sets of phones, so I switch often, as headphones have become my primary listening method. Currently, I'm enjoying my AKG k601 phones, plugged into my Wheatfield HA1 tube amp, rolled with a GE5963 (amp specifies 12AU7) tube. What synergy! All the usual cliches: a veil is lifted, I'm rediscovering my music collection et al, apply.

 

Finally paired my Audeze LCD3 with the Leben CS300XS and I'm officially off the merry-go-round. End game for me.

 

I'm purchasing brand new... After arranging a trial period.

 

I've already broken my new year's resolution early, and picked up a pair of Senn HD 558's (I had a gift card for Best Buy, so it was only $56 out of pocket). So much has been written about how you can mod these to sound like 598's, and I heard a friend's modded 558's, and they sounded ok, but nothing spectacular. I've never heard the 598's so I have no frame of reference. I'm mostly a closed-back listener (PortaPros notwithstanding). Anyway, in my initial hours with these, unmodded, they are a surprisingly engaging set of phones. Very balanced sound, but with the ability to show you some low end grit (with a little help from my friendly neighborhood EQ). Midrange is solid, maybe a little "shouty", but that will tame with more break-in. Top end is clear, not raspy, nicely extended. Soundstage is superlative-very airy as you would expect in an open design, with really good instrumental placement, especially with jazz and acoustic rock. Comfort is what you expect from the 5x8 line. Only 50 ohms, so my Fiio E10k drives them easily. For the price I paid this makes the HD 558 a fabulous deal in headphones, and I highly recommend them, and this is without modification (I'm just not going there). Only negative is the proprietary locking cord, and the fact that I have to use a 3.5mm adapter with the standard 1/4" plug, which makes for quite the unwieldy plug in at the amp. I might just get the Senn 3.5mm-tipped cord, which is also shorter than the supplied monster.

 

Been comparing my phones with my speakers today. Really old HD600's and really new NAD HP50's via a 12 year old Creek OBH21-SE headphone amp. My speakers are Harbeth SHL5+ driven by old Krell amps. All Vinyl today via VPI Scout 2 and Sumiko BB. Whew, glad that's over. Played jazzz fro 1961 (Grant Green) Genesis Wind & Wuthering, and the new Riverside LP. Kinda fun. The open backed HD600's are all detail. Nice and precise but somewhat sterile sound to my ears. Very clear and open. Super comfy. Pleasant but just not very exciting, hard to stay focused on the music. The closed back NAD are just the opposite! A bit lacking in resolution and detail and extension. But they are very engaging. A fuller, warmer, and to me more engaging experience. Somewhat closed in but really solid presentation. Just comfy, they fit my medium size head but get a little warm after a while. Then there's my speakers. Absolutely no contest. Dare I say the perfect blend of both sets of phones? Yes. My speakers had everything that either set of phones had and more. I realized my perfect headphone would be a combination of he best features of the HD600's and the HP50's. But with the added soundstaging, depth, and sheer sonic beauty of my speakers!
I am going with Ham Sandwich on this one. I really think my next purchase should be a great headphone amp. I'm not so sure the Creek is doing the job, I think my HD600's should sound better, I can't see myself ever reaching for them instead of the NAD's at this point. BTW I bought the NAD's just to have a set of closed back phones that rocked harder than the HD600's. And they do.

 

Shure SRH 940
those are wonderful headphone , they have very clear and open sound , beautiful clear treble that never become harsh and fantastic Soundstage.
I found out that Shure headphones have sound signatures that I like very much , I also love my Shure SRH 240 , they have warm sound ,the vocals sound just outstanding.

I feel that the Shure headphones together with my cd player
YAMAHA CD-S300 / and the receiver
YAMAHA RX-497 are very good combination for me.

 

I see a lot of comments about the comfort level of the HD600's. Man, I can't stand how those things fit my bubble head. I really won't comment on the sound of them because they usually last 5 minutes on the head. They sound OK but they just don't fit right on me. Oh, well. It just is what it is.

 

I have the same problem

 

Strange - I can run the battery on my Pono down (about 6 hours) without feeling uncomfortable at all using my HD600's. Feel sorry for ya!

 

I have others. GS1000 for the office and LCD-2's for home. Massdrop Fostex for something different.

 

I have had a pair of Denon AH-D600 for a good while now. Now these are cans that need a good two hundred hous or so to come into their own.

Mine are great! purchase a great cable with Ohno copper with a little quality silver plate on top and wow! The amp I use is the IFI Micro DSD DAC/Amp attached to my Google phone which streams from my music server. I love it.

 

You can stretch out the HD600 so it doesn't clamp as tightly. The trick is that you can't bend the plastic headband. It won't hold the stretched shape and you'll just crack it if you try. Instead stretch out and bend the metal bands in the headband. Extend the ear cups as far as they will go. And stretch out the metal bands while being careful not to damage the plastic part of the headband.

 

Electrostatic AKG K340 Classic headphones and a Le Figaro tube headphone amp. I Roll tubes occasionally and presently I'm running an RCA and Tung sol combo.

It is highly resolving in that it reveals loads of detail but not ruthlessly so. In fact it tends to the warm and sweet, even though it resolves things like people whispering off mic and all kinds of studio noises and anomalies.

The one problem is I tend to keep inching up the volume and end up listening too loud.

 

Cheapo Sennheiser MX 375 earbuds

 

I love them all. Except the Beats. Those suck.

Senn 558, Senn 600, V-Moda XS, Beats Solo2, v-moda m-100, ATH-m40x

 

I've messed with them and couldn't get them to fit. I'll post them for sale. Probably here.

 

Does the shower humidity keep them subtle?

 

Audio Technica ATH-M50r
Superlux HD681 EVO
Koss ProDJ200
w/ Schiit Fulla USB DAC/Amp combo

 

Grado HF-2, Grado HF-1, Grado SR-125, AKG K-340 (Headphile), Beyer DT-250/80, AKG K-240, Yuin PK-3 Headamp SE-V2 RAM modified

 

sennheiser hd598 se
audio technica ath-m50

and i have some kind of sony mdr earbuds from a few years ago that i use when exercising/running.

 

I absolutely love my beats! Mind you I only use them for walking the dog or biking. No serious listening involved!

 

They sound good on my phone but that was it. On the real equipment they sounded not very good. I returned them.