Ah man. I genuinely donāt find it listenable in stock form.
I am using āEqualizer APOā with "Peterās Peace Extension.
It is a very powerful EQ tool.
I reeaaallllly donāt think youāll be disappointed If you try it.
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Will let you know once I try it out.
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Got my second-hand iBasso SR2 this morning, and have been listening to music since. Theyāre really nice. They pack more punch than my Massdrop AKG K7XX, while being more laid-back than my DT 770 (32 Ohm). Also they look good and are comfy despite my huge head. Really happy so far.
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I just got these and am probably returning them sadly 
. I got them because they looked amazing and I got too curious about them, and honestly with the second set of pads a little bass boost from my XDuoo XD05 Basic, it sounds very nice. A little on the warmer sound of neutral. With the stock pads I honestly was not a fan at all, there is a weird bloat to the lower mids that made kick drums thud hard, like vibrate my head hard. Which is sweet for a while, then I realized it overrides almost everything else Iām hearing lol.
BUT this is the first time Iāve gotten a set of headphones that everyone else says is super comfortable that I canāt stand. For some reason every day Iāve been wearing them I get a headache, I have no clue why. Iām going to guess its the weight? Even though they arenāt THAT heavy, compared to my Sony M1sts and Akg-k240 which weigh nothing they are a tiny bit heavier. Kinda sad because the build quality is insane, Iād be willing to EQ them to get them nice and perfect but I donāt wanna deal with a headache.
Posted on Head-Fi (so happy that I finally got around to it!):
I know I promised a thorough post about the pad comparison, and itās been around 7 months since then. Now that I finally had some free time to actually do this properly, I did it.
After doing the pad comparison and amp module comparison (this one is yet to be published), I would strongly argue that the iBasso SR2 is the best headphone out there under 500 bucks (likely above, but letās just take into consideration its MSRP).
Hereās the write-up (now added to my iBasso SR2 review ā I highly recommend you give it a read if you havenāt already. I promise you will not regret it):
The Approach
This whole A/B test was made possible with the help of iBasso, who supplied me two identical pairs of the SR2. By this I mean that I have two SR2 headphones with the exact same cables. If it werenāt for these two pairs, I wouldnāt have been able to write a valid A/B comparison due to the great amount of time it takes to swap out the ear-pads. This way I had two pairs of headphones that only had different pads, allowing me to just take one off my head, put the other one on and plug it in.
I personally believe that itās crucial to have two identical pairs of anything in order to write a valid A/B testā¦ especially when audio is in question. This eliminates the most subjective factor which is audio memory ā the time it takes to swap out the pads just presents a major flaw due to the fact that anything said or written based on such an A/B test would be based on the very subjective audio memory. While the test I carried out was also based on my audio memory, it significantly cut down the time needed to be able to swap between the two variants. It took me only a couple of seconds to swap between the two variants, while it wouldāve taken a couple minutes (if not more than 10 minutes) to perform a pad swap.
Setup:
iBasso DX300 MAX
Android OS
Ultimate Mode On
Filter D3
Low Gain
SR2 with the balanced 4.4mm iBasso CB17 cable
Stock ear-pads ā small perforation vs larger perforation
The difference between these two variations is beyond significant. In terms of sheer loudness difference, I would say that the larger perforation ear-pads are 25%-30%. Besides loudness, the larger perforation ear-pads lose that vacuum-like seal that the stock pads offer. This affects the SR2 in a couple of ways. The first being the isolation, and the second being the airiness. In other words, the larger perforation pads sound more open-back, while the stock pads give more of a closed-back experience.
In terms of sound performance, once again, it comes as no surprise that the two ear-pads significantly differ and affect it. In short: the smaller perforation pads offer a much more intense presentation with softer highs and much deeper lows, while the larger perforation pads offer an open-back-like experience where the highs are more pronounced, the upper mids are sharper, and the lows are more tamed.
Letās talk about vocals for a second. On the larger perforation ones, they are sharper and more airy, but that might not be what everybody is looking for. From just A/B testing between these two pads, I personally preferred the smaller perforation ones because they have more pleasant-sounding vocals.
As expected, both have their pros and cons. The smaller perforation ear-pads provide the physical sensation of rumble, which is something that the larger perforation pads donāt offer, and this rumble sensation mostly comes from that vacuum-like seal that the larger perforation pads donāt have. The larger perforation pads have more details in the upper range, resulting in crisper and clearer treble tones. The biggest advantage that the larger perforation pads have over the smaller perforation ones is the extra space in the soundstage and overall presentation. Elements have more room to breathe, and thus have better definition and clarity. The smaller perforation pads offer a more intense, cinematic-like experience, and thatās something that not everyone is looking for. Also, that extra oomph and rumble in the lower end on the smaller perforation pads provides a less clear, muddier sound (in comparison to the larger perforation ones), and I think that this alone might be the reason why someone migrates to the larger perforation pads.
As a whole, my preference is the stock pads (smaller perforation) because of the more intense sound presentation, and Iām also a sucker for that vacuum-like seal and physical sensation of rumble. It brings more excitement to the SR2.
I would say that anyone looking for a more balanced and neutral sound signature should go for the larger perforation pads.
Stock small perforation ear-pads vs Dekoni Audio Fostex TH / Denon AH ear-pads
The Dekoni Audio pads offer a completely different feel from the stock pads. In terms of its physical characteristics, they are noticeably smaller than the stock pads. This goes for both the inner and outer diameter of the pads, but also for the the thickness and surface area. Though it didnāt appear to be a major difference when measured and A/B compared the pads, on the ears itās quite significant. The Dekoni pads feel more cozy, which is nothing new for velour.
At first I thought the sound would be louder on the Dekoni pads, but it turned out itās completely the opposite. The stock pads are considerably louder than the Dekoni pads, which Iām thinking has a lot to do with the materials and the inner diameter of the pads. In terms of the sound, it kind of falls between the stock small perforation and the larger perforation pads. The small perforation pads have a bigger sound in general, and they still have a deeper and more present low end. Even though the Dekoni pads have less presence, they are still capable of that physical sensation of rumble that the stock pads have. Something which I was very surprised by is the loudness. The mids sound better and more refined on the Dekoni pads. Also, I found the timbre and overall tonality to be better on the Dekoni pads. The highs remain at a somewhat same level, no major differences there. If anything, the Dekoni pads are a tad brighter. Now, the most significant difference is the soundstage and imaging. This is where the thinner nature of the Dekoni plays a major role, because this is whatās causing the smaller soundstage and overall even more of a closed-back experience.
I would say that the Dekoni pads might be the most refined out of the three, but am still not 100% sure on that. They are all different, thatās for sure, and this is something that allows you to play around with the pads and find what suits you the most.
I am personally having a hard time choosing between the Dekoni pads and the stock small perforation pads.
The stock pads give you a true grand experience and presentation, very intimate, growling lows, good mids, good highs. The Dekoni pads give you a more tame low end, mids with better tonality and timbre, and good highs.
Conclusionā
To think that a headphone priced below $1k comes with two sets of pads that alter the sound performance this much is unbelievable. Itās beyond fascinating and rare. To even have the option to choose between three sets of ear-pads is a true luxury that only a few headphones have. This being said, I think that anyone with a SR2 has a lot of ways to fine tune its sound performance and is extremely lucky to be an owner of such a headphone. Whatās more, if you own iBassoās DX300, you pretty much have an end game setup. Why do I say this? Taking into consideration of all the amp modules and amp module mods available for the DX300, you can consider the combination of SR2 and DX300 a platform. A true platform which allows for precise fine tuning. This, this is what I consider an end game, because you have options. I think people are really missing out on the SR2, and I think itās mainly due to its fairly low price. If iBasso were to price it at around $2k, I think it would get the praise it deserves.
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I have finally joined the Voja train. 
I just ordered a set of SR2ās tonight. I have been curious about them for maybe the last year. Tonight I was browsing the main SR2 sites and I noticed that Shenzhen Audio had a bit of a sale going on. I recently bought an LD MK9 and had some points available. So, I got them for $487.10. Quite happy with that.
Now it is the wait. Usually about two weeks from China to the east coast. I wasnāt planning on buying anything until fall, but the price pushed me over. 
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Btw, havenāt posted here my latest findings, but if youāre curious, you can read my comments about break-in here:
In the meantime, Iām patiently waiting for @ShaneDās impressionsā¦ and for my DX320. The timing might be such that we receive our goodies in about the same time.
I have been meaning to ask, "What type of headphones jacks do the SR2ās have? 3.5mm? 2.5mm?
Thanks.
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Headphone end is 3.5mm, amp end, the stock cable is 3.5mm, while you can purchase a balanced 4.4mm one from iBasso.
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Awesome! I use the Hart Audio Cable system and my 3.5mm cable is already serving four headphones. And now it will be five.
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Ok, Iāve been mulling over this for a couple of days now, so I seek help.
These? (Meaning the iBassos)
Or DCA OG AEON flow?
Or HE-R7DX JM OCD stealth mod?
Canāt figure out which will fit.
Iām asking here since I cant find anything ābadā about the iBassos but also i cant find much.
Thanks
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Yup, those of us who own them, love them. I think there have been some returns, but yeah, not a whole lot of negativity surrounding them.
I would love to help you out, but I donāt own the other models you mentioned.
I think you will get the most help by reaching out to @jamato8 on Head-Fi. He owns a lot of gems and has quite the experience when it comes to headphones.
Hi, thanks for the reply, your review was something else! It what made me consider these at the first place 
So you basically made my life harder, cheers ;p
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To date, thatās the review I enjoyed writing the most! For the same reason, it was the easiest review Iāve written. This headphone is something elseā¦ itās just different.
Hey, at least I hope that the amount of detail made it easier for you to decide whether the SR2 fits your personal preference or not
I really focused on translating what my ears were hearingā¦ and yes, it took a LOT of words! However, I made sure that not a word is excessive, I made each one count. This being said, I focused on making the review as informative as possible, especially because itās such an unknown model.
Got my SR2ās today. Very nice. I have them on my iFi Pro iCAN with NO bells and whistles. Right off the bat I like the bass, the vocals and the soundstage. Not sure about the separation, but they are brand new.
They are pretty closed too. I tried to answer the phone with them on. No go. 
I will be wearing these right through the weekend and am looking forward to trying lots of different music and seeing the sound changes for me.
I am one of those guys that loves almost everything at first. Then after a month it is like āI really like this, but I donāt care for thatā.
Fun days ahead.
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Tbh, I still much, much prefer my brand-new SR2 pair as opposed to my broken-in SR2 pair.
Play around with them, get to know them, and finally, decide whether you want to keep them.
Donāt force anything! Listen to your ears and how you truly feel about them.
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Another update. Well I have been using the SR2ās every day from Tuesday to Sunday. Today was all jazz, all day:
- Charles Mingus - Ah Um
- Donald Byrd - Byrdās Word
- Clarence Clemons - Peacemaker
- Hank Mobley - Peckinā Time
- Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
- Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame and Red Clay
- Horace Silver - Songs for my Father.
Lots of classics!
The SR2ās have tons of bass and great mids.
They are definitely lacking in treble, IMO. I love horn jazz and sometimes they can get a little screechy or piercing, depending on the headphone and the piece of music. That never happened with these. On the other hand, they didnāt quite hit some of the high notes that I am used to.
So far, bass and mids are great. Treble is somewhat lacking. I am somewhat unsure about clarity and separation. They didnāt seem great at first, but then I had some brain burn-in after a few days and they seemed better. I am now Very curious to compare them against my favourites (Grado GH2ās, Focal Elexās and HiFiman HE6se V2ās). That will happen closer to next weekend. I am also curious how they would stack up against the CFA Cascades.
I canāt see adding any bass boost at this time, but I am curious if the 3D sound effect will make any difference at all. Will also toss them on my Violectric V220 and Little Dot MK9 this week. Just about tweaking this week and then start comparing headphones next weekend.
So far, they seem like a nice set, but time will tell how nice.
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I love them very much. I am on my 3rd day and getting better. I am using WA5 LE with Schiit Lokius(bass only) and very awesome with EDM. I accepted finally that I enjoy dynamic drivers over planar or electrostatic.
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Removed two circles closing off the driver which I gotta say is one beautiful speaker.
Iāll snap pics but itās easy and it opens the back completely. No negative sounds being produced. Treble woke up completely. Mids no worthwhile change but my Lokius middle high band wakes that region up. Bass is different is still good.
Iām gonna do some stuff.
Best built Chinese headphone.
Hereās pics of what I removed and Iāll have to show pics of the internals later. Right now back to something on TV.
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Holy crap! Iām eager to see how they look on the inside, behind the covers.
p.s. those are some sexy ass legs