What's the weirdest part about reviewing a product as hyped up as Tungsten? For me, it's if I say it's anything but the best headphone I've ever heard, then the review will come across as negative. Spoiler, that's not what this review is, but it isn't the best headphone I've ever heard either. I've owned and heard multiple flagship level headphones such as LCD-5, 3 Utopia's, Susvara, and Expanse. I feel I should offer my comparisons to the conversation because so many others have. My plan is to keep the "flowery language" at a minimum because I don't want my thoughts to get lost in translation. I'm going to talk more about my feelings on Tungsten and comparisons to other headphones, rather than about objective numbers or measurements. There are great sources for that, and I don't offer anything valuable to that conversation.​

My listening was done on multiple sources and amps. This includes using a Topping E50/L50 stack, Bifrost 2 og, Yggdrasil A2, my phone and computer as sources, Jotunheim 2, and Mjolnir 3. Listening was done over multiple days, and at multiple times. Testing was done with a double sided Tungsten with the default perforated pads as ordered. Hybrid pads were not used during testing. I also had an audio friend do listening sessions with me, and we shared similar opinions on the comparisons below. So I believe it's not just me possibly having a weird ear canal or fitment. My opinions could change with better amping, but they didn't change swapping between the amps available to me. Tungsten is revealing and inherited the sonic traits of the amps, but at no point did it "wake up" into a new sound signature as some other headphones have for me in the past.​

I got into this hobby because I was sick of using "gaming headphones" which led me to look for something better. When I looked online for something that was closed back, had good soundstage, and was also comfortable. The Argon mk3 popped up in multiple reviews. I was sold on it and placed an order. About 4-5 months later it arrived, and I was blown away by it. Great directional imaging, solid low end, and tons of noise isolation. After hearing it I told all of my friends "If Ryan ever makes a headphone from the ground up. I'll buy it immediately." 2023 came and Tungsten was announced. True to my word I placed an order immediately, and now I have one.​

This is a super interesting number, because if you compare it to headphones of similar price Tungsten stands strongly among the pack. It has soundstage and imaging competitive with my hd800s, and to my ear, is more resolving than a HE1000v2 series headphone. Tungsten's frequency response measures better than both, with no harshness in my listening. For comfort all 3 of these headphones are comparatively great, but things change if you throw included accessories into the mix. Then, Tungsten truly stands alone, and it's not close. You're probably wondering, "Where's the Susvara comparison others are making?" We'll get to that.​

I don't want this to be a novel's length so I'll cut right to it. I chose the comparisons I did, because to me, it's where Tungsten belongs. From my experience listening to many headphones, Tungsten easily competes up to $3,000, but doesn't compete in summit-fi like I was lead to believe. Tungsten does sound more like a Susvara than it does a HD600, but it's not perfect. For me it has an issue with timbre. As resolving as it is, and as wide as it sounds. It's biggest flaw is it's boring to listen to. A lot of us who really analyze what we're listening to, listen for timbre. Tungsten is a cold, flat sounding headphone. There's no point where I'm nodding my head or tapping my feet listening to Tungsten. Everything in the music is there down to the deepest bass, and up to the highest highs. Nothing is peaky or offensive. It's just thin sounding and lacks that special something. In this way it sounds similar to some estats I've heard. A lot of people are going to love it's sound signature, but it doesn't align with what I'm looking for. Every headphone has a trade off, and for me this is Tungsten's.​

When listening to my hd800s the mids are warm and smooth sounding, with what sounds like a veil lifted off the treble allowing things to really pop up top. Bass extension is poor, and the treble is usually sibilant and too sharp. Though, the majority of the time, this headphone really sings. In contrast, Tungsten surgically delivers everything to you on a platter without any sibilance, and does it while having great bass extension. Yet, vocals and instruments take the back seat here and don't grab me like they do on the 800. I'm personally searching for headphones that sound the most organic and natural to my ear, and Tungsten is too cold and unengaging for my tastes. For this reason I'd take the hd800s over Tungsten. Not because the hd800s is more impressive, but because it's more engaging and has some character.​

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When compared to the he1000v2 Tungsten has a similar tonal thinness, but is far more resolving without having to boost treble going into sibilance. It has equal levels of comfort and slightly smaller sound staging, while coming with far better accessories. In my opinion, if you have an amp to drive Tungsten effectively, egg shaped Hifimans are not a recommendation I'd ever give again. Just buy a Tungsten instead.​

Do you want as much resolution, instrument separation, and staging as you can get for the money? Buy a Tungsten. Do you want a he1000 series headphone, but you can still hear above 5khz? Buy a Tungsten. Do you want something laid back that doesn't offend or jump scare you while listening to music? Buy a Tungsten. Do you want to support small manufacturers, and hobbyists in our community? Buy a Tungsten. To me, these are the reasons to buy one. It's insane to think Ryan created this as his first attempt at an in house headphone. None of my criticism clouds my respect for this headphone, or the effort that's gone into it's creation. I've thought about creating and tuning my own headphone, and I couldn't dream of it being half as good as Tungsten is. Sincerely, well done.​

I feel this could be taken as harsh criticism, but it needs to be said. The hype has been around Tungsten being a flagship competitor at a substantially lower cost. In my opinion, this is disingenuous. The biggest hurdle to overcome when aiming to be a flagship is timbre. Tons of headphones at the highest prices have great technicalities, but very few of them sound convincing or "real." Although, this is Susvara's greatest strength. Susvara is by far the most natural/"real" sounding headphone I've ever heard. It has a weird upper midrange peak, but with the use of different pads (I use Dekoni Velour) to absorb some of that energy. Susvara becomes 98% perfect to my ears.​

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Susvara is more dynamic, more bassy, and far more resolving than Tungsten. Susvara also has a tonal warmth and density unlike other headphones I've heard. Only headphone that came close was a ZMF Auteur with suede pads. It does all this while also staging instruments and room noise to sound like the music is around your head, and not just being played by headphones. Listening to Tungsten I sit and think how impressive it is that it didn't take an entire team of engineers, and millions of dollars to create it. It just took pure genius and passion. When I listen to Susvara I'm blown away by how natural and transparent everything sounds. I sit giggling with excitement and chills even after rewinding and listening to Purple Rain for the 15th time in a row. Listening to Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me with George Michael and Elton John, It's like I can feel the individual claps of the crowd and it's energy behind me. This is what that extra cost gets you when you purchase a flagship. I owned the much hated LCD-5 for just shy of a year, and even it sounded more "real" than it didn't. Even with its overly forward nasally analytical sound, I'd still take it over Tungsten. Simply because it sounds more transparent, and less in the way of the recording.​

In it's price range Tungsten is fiercely competitive with other headphones, and I would never hesitate to recommend it to someone. If you're looking for a single do it all headphone that's comfortable, with as impressive of technicalities as you can get, and the highest quality accessories you could ask for at $2000 or less. Then, you should place an order. The wait isn't going to get any shorter any time soon.​

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For the crowd thinking this is the next must own FOTM flagship to get dumped in classifieds. I wouldn't recommend it. In my opinion it's a truly great headphone, and I can't wait to see what it inspires others to do. I just can't help but feel it shouldn't have been compared to the highest end of flagships. Tungsten feels like it's aiming to be the best at everything, and even though it's successful in doing so. That's not what the highest end is about. For me, Tungsten lacks the identity necessary to compete against headphones full of personality.​