went with ath ad700 in the end. it is very nice. can't say for certain for the build quality, because well, it is used... so i can't tell if the creaking was like this at the start, or is it because of time. comfort takes time to adjust to. the sound is very nice, the bass is pretty good...

btw while looking into open back headphoness, i found fiio jt1, how is that? i heard it's v shape, so not very neutral, but how is it compared to the others i mentioned?

thanks, do you think the ad700 is worth risking buying it used? also side note, i do have a very good pair of IEMs, the simgot ew200, which i mainly use when i'm outside (they really do isolate noise very well.) i just wanted to try out open backs without blowing a lot for now.

i want to get a good open back with a very tight budget of $52. it gets confusing when i see a lot of reviews because they're different, and some even oppose another. what i want the most is clear, balanced mids (maybe if they were bit compromised, i'd be okay, so long they aren't muddy), and...