It’s been awhile since ive posted as I havent really had the opportunity to try many new headphones. That and i’ve pretty much settled on a setup that works great for me. I’ll briefly describe my setup and why I’m very satisfied with what I have.
DAC/AMP (headphone): Topping DX3 Pro- great, cheap little amp thats very clean sounding and have not had any issues with impedance or sensitivity matches. lots of options
AMP (speaker): SMSL SA50- same reason as above. clean little amp with plenty of power for desk speakers
Portable AMP: Earstudio ES100- lots of options, plenty powerful, options for balanced…plenty of eq settings
Headphones:
Focal Elex- this is my main driver. its a senn 6xx/650 but better. has a very desktop speaker type of sound. used with eq settings, has plenty of pleasant deep bass, clean realistic vocals and enough in the treble without ever being harsh.
Beyerdynamic DT 1990- Very nice secondary to switch to when i want clarity and nothing but. extends well in the bass. feels like im listening in on a recording session. still can get a little hot with s’s and t’s even with heavy eq.
Denon 7200- another one i like to switch to now and then. very deep bass with a visceral slam. intimate soundstage and detailed vocals. treble just on the edge of being sharp but doesnt get there. again using eq. these feel like sitting front row at a concert
Honorable mentions- Sennheiser 6xx, Koss Kph30i, Takstar Pro 82
IEMS:
URBANFUN YBF-ISS014- my new portable daily driver and even very fun to listen to when i just dont feel like wearing headphones. with silicon tips a little harsh but foam gives a nice evenly presented sound thats warm and very harmon curve like
Blon B03- previous dailies before the Urbanfun’s. These are still pretty great and come with an inline mic to use with say a ps4 when on the go
Kanas Starfield- good, but after listening to the previous 2 comes off a bit boring to me and i just dont feel as into the music. probably as close to neutral as i would want to get
Tin P1- these need a lot of power and heavy eq to really bring out the sound. odd fitting because of the houseing but very detailed set and a good all arounder
Portable misc:
Shivr- really like these if you have to have ANC on a budget. wouldnt want to daily drive these but theyre good
1More Stylish- wireless earbuds that fit snug and comfortable. very easy to use with a good sound signature maybe a little on the bassy side. Ive tried the heritage and sennheiser momentum but liked these better especially when considering the price.
Overall id most likely use the urbanfun with the es100 moving forward.
Speakers:
Micca RB42x- desktop. dont take up much room. small and powerful with a pleasant sound for everything i do
Klipsch RP 600m- 5.1 front left and right. they speak for themselves. very worthwhile investment
Klipsch RP 500c- center channel again worthwhile investment
Fluance SX6- rear left and right. were my desktop speakers but got put in the rear channels when i set up my 5.1 and got the smaller rb42x
BIC America F12 12-Inch- big ol honker of a sub. shakes my smaller living room. prob shouldve gotten 10in but the neighbors can deal with it (jk i try to be aware of the volume levels)
For iem cables I really like the Tripowin C8 (2 pin) and FiiO LC-4.4C (mmcx)
EQ- all credit goes to oratory1990 (https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9o2f5n/psa_oratory1990s_list_of_eq_presets/). Basically they took measurements and made a list of headphones and eq corrections to get them closer to the harmon curve and they work crazy good for mine
I’ve had iems and headphones alike that range into the $2k+ range but just couldnt justify them. Much like Zeos has said in the past, get headphones that do something different instead of trying to find the 1 perfect headphone. Ive gone more for the $ per performance and there is so much value in the $500 headphone range and so much more int he <$100 range for iems.