Audioquest diamond usb a to b

I got this from the trade together with other things. I have no idea what it does. Honestly I don't even have anything that use usb-b. The other guy also got it from trade as well. Not sure if this is some kind of cursed item I need to send to 10 other people or something.

But I eventually did some research. Yes, they charge $900 for this 75cm cable. 5m one costs ~$2000 btw.

Some thoughts after 2 weeks with AR9000

• Bass is really good quality and reaches deep and can punch, in fact this might be the best performing Open Back headphone with dynamic driver that I have ever listened to. But some reviewers seem to focus too much on the bass, and I feel some might then come off disappointed as this is not basshead headphone. I would say this is slightly above neutral tonality for how bass should be in quantity, we are just used to poor bass quality with lack of sub bass from open back dynamic driver headphones.
• The midrange is safe and clean, and it is in great harmony with the low end. The upper mids have bite but are also safe, I am very sensitive to big peaks and I have no issue here.
• This is a resolving headphone, it sounds very detailed and has great staging. But as it is tuned slightly smooth and safe in the upper mid/low treble, its not overly detailed/crisp and does not scream details at you. But the more I listen to it and go over my music, it sounds very detailed and at least as detailed as something like an Austrian Composer.
• The treble is clean and airy, and has great extension as far as my hearing can go.  I do not miss anything. I am not the most sensitive to  6-8 kHz, so AR9000 works very well for me, but I know that a friend of mine found AR9000 a tiny bit too bright due to this energy.
• Pads and ergonomics are top notch, even when using glasses I get a good seal (thin frames). I do get a little sweaty due to the leather pads, but this is normal for me.

So far I love this purchase, and I am not sure what will be my favorite new headphone this year. AR9000 or Composer, right now I think AR9000

Finally getting some decent listening on my pair of AR9000. I have so far tested with Raspberry Pi 5/Volumio feeding Shanling EH2 directly driving AR9000, the same Pi feeding SMSL SU-1 feeding JadeAudio GIGAS1 driving AR9000, and FiiO M33 R2R in desktop mode/Ultra Gain directly driving AR9000. I also own a K17 R2R that is the DAC/preamp in my reference speaker setup, but I haven't had a chance yet to try listening to AR9000 off of that.

I have a somewhat eclectic mix of music/genres that I listen to, keeping separate playlists based on genres. It just so happens I use certain genres of music/playlists to test certain aspects of new equipment I purchase.

For headphones, I am particularly sensitive to tonal balance and timbre (less focus on soundstage depth, layering, and forward projection, because I main reference system is a proper speaker setup that achieves levels of imaging that no headphone setup will ever come close to at any price anyway, a pair of MoFi SourcePoint 8 standmounts paired with an SVS SB-3000 subwoofer, a setup that plays 10Hz to 15KHz +/-3dB measured in-room with a UMIK-1 in REW, tuned with a Harman-style tilt [straight line tilt, not curve!]).

For treble/high frequencies, I am particularly sensitive to excess high frequency energy. I use my Cantopop playlist as well as my metal playlist as torture tests for brightness, paying particular attention to sibilance with Cantopop, and the sound of high frequency percussion instruments with metal. There needs to not be excess sibilance in the female vocals, and cymbals/high hats should sound clean and distinct without turning the entire listening experience into nothing but a bunch of TSTSTSTSTSTSSSSSS.

High frequencies are my primary reason for splurging on the AR9000. My previous open-back cans of choice where FiiO FT7, which I quite enjoyed for their very natural timbre and good subbass extension, but were too bright and lacked some body down low, so I relied on tone controls built into Shanling EH2 in order to soften the highs and add some meat on the bass bones. I prefer to have cans with the right tonality to begin with so I can listen with no reliance on specific PEQ abilities upstream or a DAC/amp with tone controls. After doing a ton of research, I decided the AR9000 might be my best bet to find the right tonality, and I am glad to say that after receiving them and doing some listening, can confirm that this is the case.

For bass/low frequencies, I don't consider myself a basshead, and prefer punchy upper bass and deep subbass extension without excess boominess or bloat. Some would describe this as a preference for, "fast bass." For testing this, I have an extensive Hispanic/Latin pop and rock playlist (lots of cumbia and vallenato mixed with some bachata and salsa as well as modern rock/pop in Spanish) that I use for testing bass as well as a special Bass Test playlist that includes a mix of classical/orchestral material and electronic/synthetic material combined with other bassy rock & pop material. I use my classical/orchestral/extreme dynamic range playlist for testing bass/subbass extension.

As mentioned before, I was relying on bass tone controls in Shanling EH2 to get just a little more bass out of FT7. Well, that's not needed anymore with AR9000. The bass is excellent, the best I've ever heard in an open-back, and frankly even more enjoyable for me than the best bass I've so far heard from closed-back cans or IEMs. My closed-back cans are currently Focal Lensys, which I chose because I felt my prior Sennheiser HD 480 Pro were too bassy (so you see proof that I am definitely not a basshead!). I like to use my closed-backs in cooler weather when I'm on the go, and also in moments when I am working from home and my kids are being too noisy. My IEMs (for when weather's too hot for cans) are CrinEar Reference, also far from basshead earphones. This should give everyone an idea of my bass preferences.

Finally, as a vocalist, my primary concern with mids is timbre. Vocals need to have absolutely realistic, convincing timbre. Without this, I will automatically pass on the headphones or earphones that I am testing. Timbre of instruments in the mid range also are very important to me. For testing mids, I use my Cantopop playlist, my Latin/Hispanic playlist, and also my Jazz/Blues playlist (for instrumental timbre).

To me, the vocals of AR9000 are absolutely spot-on. People sound as I would expect them to sound as if in the room or on stage with me, talking/singing to me. Convincingly real sounding, not listening to a recording of a person, but to an actual person. I can't personally think of higher praise with regards to vocal timbre than that.

And if some of my musical taste seems peculiarly specific, please note that I am American-born Chinese-Dominican (grandparents all from mainland China, father from Hong Kong, mother from Santo Domingo/the Dominican Republic, and myself born and raised in a trilingual home in the Bronx and then Scarsdale in New York, before moving in my 30s to Cherry Hill, NJ).

Bottom line: Aune has built my end-game headphone with AR9000, full stop. Search over.

It's that good (per my own listening preferences, hearing sensitivity, and ear biology).

-Ed

I've been playing around with 3d printed headphone designs for a while now and have finally managed to get a kind of closed design that I'm happy with. It's been a case of finding the aesthetic I wanted long ago and trying to get a functional design to fit it ever since.

Used a 60 density brass mesh, similar to that in the driver of the originals, to make the driver appear more golden. I removed the black mesh hifiman puts behind their grills. If anyone's curious about anything else I did, feel free to ask. This headphone's been a cool project!

THIEAUDIO CYPHER REVIEW

Pros:

• Neutral, midrange-focused tuning
• Laid-back but not without character (some upper midrange spice)
• Comfortable and soft pads without excessive clamp
• Interesting design
• Full metal build

Cons:

• Not the clearest timbre
• Feels a little veiled compared to planars
• Anemic bass
• A little short on accessories

The Thieaudio Cypher is a dynamic driver open-back headphone made by the renowned IEM manufacturer Thieaudio. It isn't their first over-ear headphone—that title goes to the Phantom, a planar headphone released back in 2019—but it's their second entry into the full-size space.

Disclaimer

I’ve spent a few weeks listening to the Cypher, and I’m sharing my condensed, to-the-point impressions. I borrowed this loaner unit from Ark Audio, a Swedish headphone shop. I am not being compensated for this review, and the unit will be sent back after testing.

Quick Specs

• Driver Type: 50mm Dynamic Driver
• Driver Material: 20-core N45 Magnetic Array + Semi-Crystalline Polymer & Rubber Composite Diaphragm
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Sensitivity: 96dB ±3dB
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Cable Type: Braided Copper Cable
• Headband Lining: Genuine Coby Lambskin
• Earpads Material: Velour Exterior + Memory Foam Padding
• Included Accessories: Braided cloth copper cable, 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter, fake leather pouch

About Me

A 42-year-old music lover from southern Sweden who has been nerding out over HiFi for the past 15 years. I review headphones and speakers for Prisjakt and founded the largest Swedish headphone group on Facebook, HiFi & Hörlurar. I prefer neutral headphones with a slight bass boost. My primary music genres are progressive or post-metal, indie rock, jazz, techno, and psytrance.

Design & Comfort

There’s no doubt this is a well-designed headphone. To me, it looks quite elegant with its mesh grilles and black all-metal build. The headband lining is lambskin and feels soft and comfortable. The velour pads with memory foam hug my head softly without feeling flimsy; I can tilt or turn my head without losing stability. Well done! I can easily wear these for hours without discomfort.

Test Setup

• Chain 1: Audalytic HP70 headphone amp connected to a 7Hz 71 DAC.
• Chain 2: Astell & Kern SR35.
• Chain 3: Dynalo DIY headphone amp connected to a Matrix Audio Element-i DAC/streamer.

The headphones were brand new out of the box. No burn-in was performed (I don't believe in burn-in). I listened across a wide variety of genres for approximately 40 hours total.

Sound Character

Thieaudio is clearly aiming for a reference-neutral tuning here, and they’ve largely succeeded. They feel flat and linear overall—no excessive highs or lows. The forward midrange immediately brings to mind the Beyerdynamic DT 880 (600 Ohm) and the Sennheiser HD600, which are its most natural comparisons. For planar comparison, I used my Audeze MM-100.

Lows

Not a lot of punch, but the bass feels tight and dynamic. There isn't much sub-bass texture or slam to speak of, but the low end stays cleanly out of the way of the midrange.

Midrange

The star of the show. Mids are forward with a natural, clear vocal presentation. There’s a slight touch of spice in the upper midrange, but it rarely becomes sibilant or problematic. Overall, it’s a forward yet somehow laid-back midrange. On the downside, it lacks clarity when pitted against planar options like the Audeze MM-100—if absolute resolution is your priority, look toward planars instead.

Highs

Very inoffensive treble. At times I’d welcome a bit more extension, but there is zero fatigue from hi-hats and cymbals. This is a headphone you can listen to or work with for hours without strain while remaining engaging enough to enjoy.

Technicalities

Not a highly technical headphone. It won't impress you with a massive soundstage or staggering micro-details. However, it makes up for this with sheer listening and wearing comfort. I appreciate that quality, and professionals mixing music for long sessions might appreciate it as well.

Comparisons

• vs. Beyerdynamic DT 880 (600 Ohm): Another reference-leaning, mid-forward headphone and an all-time favorite of mine. The DT 880 feels lighter and doesn't trap as much heat. Timbre and clarity are superior on the DT 880 600 Ohm, and its bass punches a bit harder, but otherwise they share a similar presentation.
• vs. Audeze MM-100: A planar headphone sitting in a similar price bracket. The MM-100 offers far superior clarity, speed, and detail retrieval without being harsh. It wins comfortably on technicalities (as expected from planar tech), whereas the Cypher delivers a more analog, laid-back vibe.
• vs. Sennheiser HD600: The HD600 holds the crown for midrange timbre among these three, but it isn't as comfortable as the Cypher. Although bass presence is lean on the Cypher, its low-end presentation feels slightly more engaging than the HD600's.

Final Verdict

Thieaudio has crafted a solid, comfortable headphone that doesn't pretend to be a detail monster or a bass cannon. What it gets right is overall ease of listening and physical comfort. It’s inoffensive without being boring. If you want an easygoing reference signature for long sessions, this fits the bill. While I wish a 4.4mm balanced cable was included, the stock cable is supple, well-behaved, and non-microphonic.

Summary: A well-rounded, nice-sounding, high-quality over-ear headphone that earns my recommendation—provided that slight upper-midrange spice doesn't bother you.

Source isn't the best quality, but I've always been intrigued by these open back Koss style headphones with yellow pads.

I found these Hifiman Edition XS on Aliexpress. These will be my first pair of planars so I am excited to see how they sound. However, I have heard things about Hifiman‘s QC and I am worried that since these are refurbished there may be some issues. What are some things that I should look for and check when they arrive?

As my small collection grows, I'm starting to wonder how to store my cans so they are easy to reach but don't get dusty on my shelves or the pads crushed on those fancy-looking wooden headphone stands.

How do you keep yours?

Finally got around to purchasing the Sennhieser HD600 headphones. Coming from an Apos x Audio Technica ATH-R70x Refine headphone these have been a subtle but nice slight change in sound signature. These really do vocals very well as others have said and acoustic instruments seem to shine very well too. All in all they might be my new favorite and main can for now. I purchased them on a whim because I really enjoy the OG design of these cans and was going to hang them up on display but now they might remain on my stand for daily use. I was a bit bummed that they did have a pretty decent scratch on them that I showed in the last picture, but they are old cans so I guess it is what it is. I bought them used and replaced the pads along with washing the headband and getting all the dust and cat hair out of the drivers from the old owner. My only other complaint is that they are a bit too tight on my head and it does give me a slight pressure headache after some time. So if anyone has and recommendations to fix that and the blemish im all ears!

(Little sidenote to the mods: I'm hopeful this is an acceptable place to post this. Though I am ultimately interested in purchasing a headphone, I don't see this as a purchase question. My primary interest remains academic. I want to know if there is ANYTHING that can truly touch an Audeze without being a cantankerous beast--and I maintain, with a Fermian zeal, that someone must have managed it at some point. If not, then I would like to encourage a discussion around why such a seemingly reasonable niche has been so hard to fill. If you aren't in agreement, no worries and feel free to remove this post.)

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Hey all, hope you're doing well :)

Fair warning: I am about to go on a short* rant. If you aren't interested, here's the TL;DR. I am on a pilgremage. My Makkah, Audio Nirvana. My Kabah: a planar LCD-X/LCD-4 standin which (1) stays firmly fastened upon my dome, (2) can be reasonably driver by a mid-upper range DAP, (3) ideally has lower driver failure rates than (especially older) Audeze variants, and (4) maintains the BIG bass (weight/slam + height/scale). With that out of the way, feel free to skip to Quest for The Goldivox Zone - pt. 2.

Rant.
So I'm no superaudiophile. My nicest pair of headphones are an old LCD-X (supplemented by upgraded pads, a careful EQ, and twice-a-day prayers the drivers don't fail). I love everything about them. The materials, the case, the resolution, the enveloping presentation, the EQability, the BASS. Oh, that sweet, succubine bass. There exists perhaps no more romantic way to experience the sensation of being hit by a bus, than with some EDM and a LCD-X w/ a +16dB difilter bass shelf.

Everything is perfect. Everything, that is.... except the usability.

The weight isn't even the problem for me. No, if they were just *heavy* I would have zero complains. But our friends at Audeze--bless their hearts--have done the impossible. Though I know not the strange roads Sankar Thiagasamudram and Alex Rosson trod to obtain such black secrets, the proof is in the product. The code has been cracked. The result? Engineered sentience. Headphones, with will. Personality; autonomy. That is--an urge to flee at all costs.

Turn my head? They make a break for it. Take a sip of water? They make a break for it. Foot feeling a little itchy? Don't even think about it.

Their weight distribution is so poorly managed, so concentrated in the cups, that no amount of headband-tightening and cable-slider shenanigans can make them usable in non- stationary-at-the-desk applications. Let alone for someone such as myself, who enjoys righteous headbanging, listening about the house, and occasionally taking my headphones on a walk around the block. (Typically at night. To spare the children.)

I (and I think many others) enjoy moving to music as I listen. Moving around, headbanging, dancing.. I find this particularly true of planars (which, despite this being to some a touchy subject, simply do take taxing bass EQs better than their dynamic counterparts across the board). Audeze in particular manages such an excellent take on planar bass, which makes these activities specially irresistable.

(Being an obsessive EQ-head and general subbass addict, the EQ aspect of high end planars becomes even more alluring. For any co-bearers of picky ears and genre androgyny--I can't help but feel the flexibility of high-end planars, is something of a shoo-in. Say what you will about the planar vs dynamic EQ debate: when I speak, an Audeze obeys.)

Quest for The Goldivox Zone - pt. 1
As mentioned above, the whole idea is a semi-portable Audeze alternative--so that rules out something like Tungsten or HE6 OG.

It goes without saying, but I'm only interested in cans with excellent technical abilities, comparable to an LCD-line can. Open-back only, but with bass to be at least within spitting distance of the LCD-X (in terms of forcefulness/transient weight/dynamic capability as well as size)--this cuts out most options on the market.

While I don't consider weightiness within reason a huge issue, something that has a degree of security/stability is key. Otherwise this whole post would be competely pointless. Duh. Sorry Abyss, the only way I'm taking the 1266 on a walk is behind me on a leash.

Speaking of which--an acceptably good reputation when it comes to durability is of course ideal for movement, light cleaning, other semi-portable activities. I'm talking less about "feel in the hands" here and more about good clean longevity; HiFiMans are notorious for feeling a bit rickety across the board, but I put my old Sundaras through the ringer with nothing to show for it but a whisper-thin ticking from the 3.5mm jacks when you move the cable around.

Quest for The Goldivox Zone - pt. 2
That leaves us with a (very) few options. There is, of course, the obvious route--the LCD-4z--but this doesn't provide a true fix for LCDs' core portability issues so much as it does an Ozempic prescription and a very expensive bandage. The MM-520/LCD-5 (and perhaps even the MX-4) are also worth mentioning, but for various reasons fall short of the mark imo.

A couple other options I've identified are the Rosson RAD-0 and Final Audio D8000, but I have some concerns that their smaller drivers may punch, not so much SLAM. (Again, we are but humble postulants of The Audeze Way™. This means, for bass, we want more 'Tesla's Oscillator' and less 'Muhammad Ali on a tranquil afternoon.') I've read good things about the Verum 2--(lower your pitchforks; they can be found used without too much trouble)--but there's limited info about them online... and frankly I have not-insignificant doubts about their ability to actually measure up.

Wrap-up.
As per the title: the more I've researched the more I see this as a pipedream. The headphone I am looking for may simply not exist. If so, I'd be very grateful for help in identifying the Crowleyan slag pit from which Audeze sources their drivers--and the reason no other manufacturer has managed to find it yet.

If you happen to have any tips (slag-related or otherwise), or leads on potential options (perhaps something boutique/small-batch? Things less easily divined through hopeful Googling and quiet meditation)... it would be greatly appreciated. If anyone can speak towards the options I already mentioned, or has anything else to add to the discussion, I'd love to hear what you've got to say. Otherwise, thanks for reading this desperately verbose cry for help. Hope ya have a great day. Cheers!

Hey /r/headphones

For the first time in my life, I'm in a position to audition headphones. I bought the 3 of these and was hugely excited to test them out.

In anticipation, I picked up a TRN Black Pearl and favourited some Oratory EQs to it using AuraPEQ.

I eventually received them (live on an island, shipping sucks), and I'm so confused. SO so confused.

I thought that they'd end up similar, if not, difficult to discern between, but I couldn't have been more wrong? Well, maybe the eq thing doesn't work how I expect and I'm wrong there anyway. But tuning things to the same target should result in them being... Similar?

So what I did to test, was set up an A/B station - same tracks, one through the regular output on my mac as a control, one through the TRN either flat or with the EQ in place and tried to match volumes as best I can - this wasn't perfect by I made sure to test with either one louder as benchmark, to make sure my findings held consistently.

I'm not the best with verbiage, so please bear with me, but I would love anyone who's directly compared these to sanity-check me?

DT 900s:

These are thiccc. To the point of being boomy on me, especially with the Oratory eq. Even voice calls with colleagues, grated one of them has a voice deeper than the Mariana Trench. They're warm-sounding, but I sometimes get a disconcerting dash of doubt, wondering if they actually just sound muffled? I feel like this affects me from maybe 80hz to 200hz? Even with a 3db high pass shelf, it wasn't enough to really tame things for me.

Sundara:

I'm crazy about how these sound. The bass is a little thin but sounds so clean and controlled in comparison to the Beyerdynamics. I ended up adding a 1db bass boost on AuraPEQ which ended up feeling present but not demanding of attention. The treble sounds clear, open and detailed. Only positive things, I kinda love them but I'm absolutely terrified that they break. My old HD569s that are being replaced were around 7 years old.

HD 560S:

These feel like home, mostly? My past headphones have been HD569, HD595, and HD555 - spanning back to around 2003. But I can't help but think they feel like cheap plastic garbage when I swap between them and either of the others. The warmth is pleasant, at what feels like the cost of some detail being lost - which I'm actually totally fine with as I expect they'll be less fatiguing than the Sundaras.

So I guess what I'm asking here is twofold:

1. Can anyone theorise why the DT 900s would sound... kinda awful in comparison to the other two? They're the comfiest out of the bunch for me, they're the ones I wanted to like. The Sundaras, which I had hoped to hate because of their track record around failures, are my favourite after a little bit of a bass bump. The sennies are nice, feels like they don't need an eq for me to enjoy them.

2. Any ideas why they'd sound so drastically different even after applying Oratory's EQ to them? I had hoped that would level the playing field a little bit and allow me to appreciate the nuance between these, but I find them to be very far apart.

Fwiw, I have a fairly large head - which I'm aware may play a part here.

Oh and maybe just for fun

1. Can anyone recommend something for if I wanted something like the Sundara's that I didn't have to worry about dying on me? Budget up to around $300 at a guess.

Thanks for reading. Apologies if it's rambly and moderately incoherent, but rather that than some slop bs right?

Just received a refurbished Edition XS that I picked up for $97, so I've been doing some back-to-back listening with my AR5000.

At first I wasn't really blown away or disappointed. They actually sounded more similar than I expected. The XS is also noticeably harder to drive: using the same balanced cable with my FiiO K11 R2R, I need to turn the volume up quite a bit compared to the AR5000.

After listening to a few tracks, though, I'm starting to notice the differences.

On Massive Attack's Angel, the AR5000 feels more inside my head, while the XS feels more open and airy, like the music is happening around me. The AR5000 seems to have a little more bass impact, but the bass on the XS is surprisingly good.

I'm also hearing more detail in the treble with the XS and better separation between instruments. The overall presentation feels cleaner, with more space between sounds. Astounding eyes of Rita (Anouar Brahem) was a good track to really hear the difference with the AR5000.

Comfort definitely goes to the AR5000 right now, although I've been using it for a while and I'm very used to it. I'll give the XS some time before judging that too much.

So far I wouldn't say the XS is clearly "better." The AR5000 is warmer, fuller and more intimate, while the XS seems more spacious, airy and detailed.

Still early, and I haven't tried any EQ yet. Pretty interesting for $97 though!

Hi guys! I've been working with mixing for 12 hears and switched between several models (Beyerdynamic DT150 and 770, Sennheiser HD600 and HD650), but I started having some issues with my hearing. I mostly work with traditional instruments like Balinese gamelan, bells, marimba and mbira of all sorts - all of them have crazy peaks and transients and after a mixing session I feel as if my ears were tortured with fire, I literally feel pain. I do not mix on high volume, I keep 40-60% volume at max so it's not the issue, I guess...

I want to buy new headphones with a good frequency curve but also gentle for ears. I don't mind losing clarity of mixing at this point, I'm tired of feeling pain.

Thanks in advance!

hey. so ive been using the qudelix 5k with my hd560s for a while and its been great. but i recently got a panasonic ub820, and the qudelix has no way of connecting to it or to my lg tv. so i found a smsl dl100 dac/amp on facebook marketplace for cheap and started using that. its also been great, it gives me some extra volume and everything sounds a bit more crisp. bit i miss the eq from the qudelix.

the smsl dl100 has a usb c input. could i plug my qudelix 5k into that, then the smsl dl100 like normal to my tv via earc? then my 560s into the qudelix. this way i get the eq from the 5k, and the power and better dac from the smsl dl100.

if this wont work, does anyone have a recommendation for a dac/amp combo that offers eq and allows either optical support or hdmi support? id like to connect it to my tv for my ps5, 4k player and switch.

thanks.

Serial headphone collector here (nothing particularly high-end), but I finally decided to add some Koss Porta Pros to the collection.

I know pretty much everything that can be written about these has already been written since they originally came out in 1984 (the year I was born!), but yeah, I was still surprised they sound THAT good, especially while feeling so light (and, let's be honest, kind of flimsy).

I'm actually going to go against the grain here and admit that I got some of the clip-on Koss KSC75s years ago and really hated them. Maybe I have weird-shaped ears or something, but they just never sat right for me and I could never get a particularly pleasing sound out of them.

Anyway, I went for the retro-looking beige Wireless Porta Pros and matched them with some brown Yaxi pads (I think it's actually illegal now to use the PPs without Yaxi pads, right?)

Love the fact they come with a USB-C to 3.5mm cable too (which seems to use some weird/old standard and seems like it might be almost impossible to replace, so I'll have to make sure I keep it safe), meaning I can still use them with non-Bluetooth devices just fine.

I think the Portas are going to become my everyday music-listening headphones. I WFH, so sound leakage isn't an issue, and l've got AirPods 4s for noise-cancelling listening when I'm out of the house. I think my Philips X2HRs are probably going to be relegated to gaming duty, which I think they're fantastic for because of how wide they sound.

(BTW the record is Grandfeathered by Pinkshinyultrablast which I wholly recommend for any shoegaze heads)

Earphones worn by Zachary Quinto in the movie The Margin Call. They are metallic (almost cylindrical shaped) earphones with a metallic chrome bead in one cable, and a flat circular metallic y-splitter. I know it’s silly but I have lost sleep trying to find these. Thank you for any help!

The KPH7 cost 5 EUR (!) when you order them directly from the company. They are the cheapest headphones that KOSS offers, and about as cheap as any brand name headphones go.

These are obviously not intended for listening to music. That much becomes clear once you put them on. The frequency response drops off a cliff below 200 Hz, so there is no bass whatsoever. The mids have an overly aggressive ear gain rise. The treble lacks detail due to a dip between 4 and 5 kHz but has a couple of tizzy peaks above that. Not the "unparalleled sonic cruelty" that another reviewer heard, but far, far from enjoyable. (Or my reference for truly bad sound may simply be shifted compared to that of most people due to some of the vintage headphones that I have listened to.)

Speech intelligibility is what these are made for, e.g. for use with museum audio guides, in learning labs and the like, and they are fine for that. That part of the frequency spectrum is well represented and what colourations there are work in favour of this purpose.

The comfort is fine for that use case as well. They have neither tilt nor swivel, but are really light, so even though they have a surprising amount of clamping force (you can headbang with these) it takes a while before they go from being noticeable to seriously uncomfortable. Size adjustment is over a large enough range to accommodate even larger heads. The foam ear pads come off very easily, making the frequent replacements you want when they are employed for public use painless. Replacements from KOSS are surprisingly expensive (5 EUR for two pairs). I really would have expected there to be mega-packs which bring that down to the 50 cent range, but maybe that is reserved for the pro audio channels - or institutional users go with third party offerings. It's not like a few dB change here and there in the frequency response would make a relevant difference for listening to voice recordings.

A surprising aspect is how hard these are to drive. Koss lists them as "91 db" (I assume at 1 mW) and that sounds about right. With the negative pre-amp for a bit of corrective EQ I am maxing out the volume on my old Matrix DAC/amp to get to a comfortable listening level, and that drives my HD800 to painfully loud, even with the usual healthy bass boost.

The reason I originally bought these was not to listen to them stock, but because there is a Sonarworks SoundID correction profile, and I wanted to see how far correction could take something this cheap. (This was in the before times, when the only person who published measurements was Tyll at Innerfidelity, likely before EqualizerAPO was created, and SoundID, then called "True-Fi", was one of the only desktop and Android EQ solutions.)

With the SoundID profile turned on I have been listening to my headphone test playlist while typing this and actually enjoyed the music. There is still no real bass - that is simply outside of the capability of these drivers - but with a generally correct tonality in the mids and nothing at all offensive in the treble they are fine for background listening. It's only after a while and when I pay attention that the haze in the treble and some distortion gets to me and I wish for something cleaner - and more comfortable. Still, if anybody is looking for an example of the importance of correct(-ish) tonality over any other aspects of a headphone, this is does that nicely.

For anybody looking for the cheapest acceptable headphone sound, with EQ, the Sony MDR-ZX110 at around twice the price is much, much better and in a whole different league regarding comfort. If I find my unit of these during my present excavation into the older strata of my audio gear that will be the topic of an upcoming review.

I have been using my 250ohm DT770 for almost a decade now. I have loved them almost too much. They are now completely falling apart. I have replaced things, even 3D printing parts but they are now done. I like them so my first thought is to just replace them with the same thing but I wounder if I could be missing out?

I also own a DT990 that I use at the hifi system when I do not want to bug people. I like them but for voice chat at the computer they are not private enough. I also have an Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7bGM that I find great with a balanced output but I do not have that on my PC plus the ear cups are a bit small. I have a few others in the room but the DT770 always feels better for my daily use at my computer.

Is there anything I should look at before just replacing the headphones I have loved for years with another copy?

I bought my girlfriend hi-x15's as her birthday gift becuase she didnt have a good pair of headphones. She was using arctis nova 1's before and she really dislikes the DT 770 pros. Will she find hi-x15's confortable? Whats the chance that she doesnt like it too? Have i done a mistake?

I bought the sound core q20i a few days ago and my first impressions are amazing. I've used sound core in the past, with the earbuds, and they were really good so expectations were high, and these headphones delivered. the sound is amazing, I can feel the bass but also pick out the highs. the sound of hi-hats and cymbals on drums usually hurts my ears with other headphones, but not these ones, and I can still pick out the sounds individually and focus on it. and the price is amazing too, picked up a pair for just £31 off Amazon. decent amount of eq options in the app, as well as a custom option for those who want to fine tune it. only downside is with noise cancellation on, the sound quality does reduce, though that is likely for other headphones. I personally use them without noise cancellation when listening to music, since the music alone blocks out all other sound even at a low volume. and the comfort as well, I can wear them for hours at a time and they feel amazing, the cups are nice and soft, while creating a nice seal to not leak noise, and the headband is cushioned and doesn't hurt my head like most headphones do.

had to wait a little and received the machine about 2 months ago.

this thing is a pleasant surprise. Pretty, built like a tank, less than 1% THD, very smooth, very “liquid”, slight warm, and fast and with good control. I don’t have much headphone gear left so can’t do a direct a/b, but it rivals some of the best solid state stuff ive owned in the past (masskobo, goldmund, rudistor among others). im only running my hd600, and it’s such a treat