[dasmodul]

Hi everyone,
I'll have to be honest, I've been MIA from these forums and from head-fi, lurking or otherwise for a few years. The last time was active in following my beloved pastime, I had just added my Audeze LCD-2 v2 and the LCD-3 had barely gotten introduced to my stable. It was generally agreed that at the time, save for Stax, Audeze LCD2/3, Sennheiser HD800, Beyer T1, and perhaps Hifiman/Grado top cans represented the creme-de-la-creme of open-back cans in the market.....
...so what have I missed? hahaha. On the one hand, I'm excited to see so many new companies and cans out there now (randomly saw Focal is in the game now) but if you had to do a summary of say 5-10 new high-end, open-back (dynamic or planar) cans for me to look into what would they be? Any consensus (lol) favorites?

I currently run a RS DarkStar which has enough juice to run about anything so that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks in advance comrades!

 

[dasmodul]

...nudge...

 

[Muinarc]

You missed a price explosion where most of the top end headphones start at $2,500 and go up to $8,000. Audeze went through some dark times but is back on the upswing, the LCD-4 is a nice headphone.

 

[dasmodul]

That high? Yikes. I wonder how many pieces they're actually moving with so many new phones and those kind of prices...

 

[Edward777]

I'm actually kinda curious to see what people have to say on this myself, so bump.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

This should get you up to speed: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-over-ear-open

 

[HumbleMan]

This should get you up to speed: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-over-ear-open

I've definitely been out of the scene for a while; I didn't recognize more than about 3 of those headphones. I stopped following headphone mania right when the HD800 was coming out. Doesn't look like I've missed much beyond the continued plumbing of thesauruses for superlatives and the skyrocketing prices to match.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I've definitely been out of the scene for a while; I didn't recognize more than about 3 of those headphones. I stopped following headphone mania right when the HD800 was coming out. Doesn't look like I've missed much beyond the continued plumbing of thesauruses for superlatives and the skyrocketing prices to match.

Ya, you haven't missed much. The headphone market has gotten extremely stale. All the hyped "This changes everything" headphones have some kind glaring flaw that ended up polarizing the community. Its pretty sad that the 650 is still the best overall open under $1000.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

The upcoming Klipsch HP3's look interesting and I know they have been refining them for a while now so hopefully they will live up to the hype.

 

[kernel8888]

yea the iem game has exploded somewhat lately, but prices there have jumped astronomically as well.

id say
1. focal offerings
2. mr speakers
3. hifiman
4. senn hd800s
5. audeze lcd4/ isine i4
6. sony
7. akg
8. beyerdynamic
9. audioquest
10. zmf

 

[dasmodul]

yea the iem game has exploded somewhat lately, but prices there have jumped astronomically as well.

id say
1. focal offerings
2. mr speakers
3. hifiman
4. senn hd800s
5. audeze lcd4/ isine i4
6. sony
7. akg
8. beyerdynamic
9. audioquest
10. zmf

While this thread has been going I've been digging around myself and glad to see Sony back in the game of high-end audio with their cans and $$$$ walkmans. Having been a car audio nut long before i was a head-fier, Focal's Utopia has me very interested. I am not at all familiar with Audioquest or MrSpeakers. Are these new brands?

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Let me break it down:

Audioquest: Known primarily for making BS audiophile cables but the headphone itself has some really innovative tech but the sound quality is very divisive. Some love it and say its the closest they have heard to speakers. Chord designer Rob Watts apparently loves it. Others think it sounds like muffled, dull garbage. Easily the most controversial headphone on this list.

Hifiman - Build quality is pretty universally disliked, clearly all the money goes into the drivers which I guess is a good thing. Lately, they have been engaging in the pricing insanity which has turned a lot of people off but the SQ of their products is usually well regarded. The Susvara is an incredible headphone but the price of $6K is downright obnoxious and 100% undeserved.

Mr. Speakers - Most people seem to like the sound of their products. Personally, I wish their headphones were more lively but tonally, they are pretty accurate. Build quality is good as is comfort. Price is a bit high but they are a small volume USA manufacturer so that's expected.

Audeze - Dark and smooth with good dynamics and detail. Comfort is horrific and after all these years, they still haven't figured out how to makes headphones that don't weigh a million pounds. Sometimes they make design revisions on models without telling anyone which can be frustrating.

Focal - The new kids on the block. The Elear was hyped so hard here when it first came out. The reality is that it does some things really really well but has some tuning issues that hold it back from greatness. It can be a reference headphone if you are willing to go the EQ route. The Utopia is stupid expensive but it is almost universally recognized as an amazing headphone.

Sennheiser - They innovate at a glacial pace. Cries for a successor to the HD650 are ignored because it still sells like hotcakes. Sorry Sennheiser, the HD700 blows, stop pretending it's the HD650 sequel. The HD800S is nice. But really, they could be doing more and they seem to be resting on their laurels.

Sony - Sorry, the Z1R has glaring tuning issues which are made worse by the asking price. I don't think Sony cares all that much about the headphone market. Another company that could be doing way more to advance the hobby.

AKG - How the mighty have fallen. Massdrop managed to crank out a decent headphones with their base design but really, they are pretty irrelevant these days.

Beyerdynamic - The Beyer treble peak never really dies. They are getting better but are still probably 1 generation out from achieving a neutral house sound that isn't ear slaughter for people who are treble sensitive.

Ultrasone - Who?

ZMF - A boutique builder that specializes in wood cup closed headphones. Zach Merbach is the industry standard in customer service. Most people seem to like the sound of the Eikon / Atticus but there is a bit of a debate about whether or not they are reference level. I think they are (I own the Eikon so I'm biased).

Audio Technica - They have been very quiet as of late. The R70x was pretty good. Again, another company that seems to lack the drive to push headphones forward despite an abundance of resources.

Fostex - They build amazing drivers, in fact they probably secretly build drivers for a few companies on this list. Strangely enough, smaller companies like EMU and Massdrop are able to squeeze out better SQ from Fostex drivers than Fostex can in their own line of headphones. We will see if the new Klipsch headphones follow this trend.

That should cover it. Ignore the above list, go to a meet, listen to different models and decide what you like best for yourself.

 

[Tentacles]

That should cover it. Ignore the above list, go to a meet, listen to different models and decide what you like best for yourself.

Nice list! You're right, though, it's all personal preference, of course. I'm currently enjoying the Z1Rs glaring tuning issues!

 

[panoptikon]

Andrew Rieger,

Thanks for that post, it made me laugh at the same time that it well reflects the divisions within the headphone market.

 

[Thenewguy007]

New TOTL headphones since you were gone:

Abyss 1266 - $4000 - Planar hp. Wide soundstage, hard hitting bass. Slightly recessed mids & slightly fatiguing treble.
Abyss 1266 Phi revision - $4000 - Phi revision made the mids more upfront, treble a bit softer & bass maybe a little less hard hitting.

Hifiman HE1000 - $2,300 - Planar hp. Wide soundstage, strong bass. Slightly soft signature.
Hifiman HE1000 V2 -$3,000 - Less of the soft signature, but with a slightly narrower soundstage.

Hifiman Susvara - $6,000 - Planar hp. Not as wide sounding as HE1000, bass not as strong, but more accurate sounding.

Focal Utopia - $4,000 - Dynamic hp. Small soundstage & very little bass. Super fast (Stax fast?) & accurate sounding. Treble a bit fatiguing.

Audeze LCD4 - $4,000 - Planar hp. Imagine the upgrade that went from the LCD2 to the LCD3 & you get the picture. Audeze house sound. Bassy & warm, but still not as clear as the rest of the headphones.

Sony Z1R - $1,600 - Dynamic closed back. o.k. bass, small soundstage & veiled sound. Doesn't seem to be on par with the other TOTL cans.
That's pretty much it.

ZMF Eikon - $1,300 - Closed back planar hp. Great bass, good resolution, fairly wide soundstage for a closed back.