I test all my masters on all sorts of consumer headphones, earbuds, wireless stuff, car stereos, soundbars and tvs, etc, and depending on the client I will tailor the audio for the specific medium it’s most likely to be played back on. On a proper setup it can still sound ok, but for some projects I do tend to optimize for the average consumer
Yeah there are plenty of times where someone knows what they wanted or intended but weren’t able to fully realize it
The pursuit of perfection 
I’m yet to experience this level of pro equipment myself. The damn virus pushed SoCal Canjam till end of the year. I can’t wait to be blown away and develop new perspective on this subject.
I’m curious on how do you determine when the recording is good enough for the intended audience/medium? Fully realized that you can’t please everyone no matter what but try to satisfy most.
It’s based on what the client wants and what they intend this to be used on. Something I just feel it out and make an estimated guess, sometimes it’s more definitive on where it will be used
After being provided something to listen too with atrocious and offensive sibilance and plugging in my MDR-7506’s. I was finally introduced to the harshness mentioned. My planars here were masking all the offensive and harsh treble before. I’m thinking maybe dynamics fair worse. Interesting, it’s not terrible on the HD 300 either.
So… if you have a dynamic headphone on a THX amp, I can totally see how there is some significant hatred for the amp. I find it weird to me the amp seems kinda dark with my planars.
Maybe you have a strange unit or something? I found that even the dark treble of my Audeze LCD-2C sounded harsh and offensive on the SP200.
THX tech is overly sharp even with planars, to my ears. It seems to me that you’re just not very treble sensitive. I’m jealous! If you’re not very treble sensitive you have a far wider range of listening options.
Harsh treble != dark treble. I agree with the amp making my LCD X sound dark.
Consider getting a DragonFly Cobalt IF it makes sense to you. It has an early treble roll off designed specifically for people like you.
I would love for someone to hook a scope between a THX and various headphones/loads to monitor current, voltage, etc.
I’ll tell you after July if that is happening with my side business.
I think what @Hazi59 is saying is the LCD-2C has a dark signature by design and they even that scenario the THX amp made the treble sound harsh. In that sense that headphone is theoretically a good match for a THX amp and even in that best case for THX, it made the treble harsh.
Yes, this is exactly what I was saying. Harsh is bad…Dark is subjective but fine.
I have problems with midrange and shoutiness too 
. Damn ears. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation. Rigtt now I’m strongly considering selling SP200 and going Asgard 3. That’s mostly a financially lateral move. Then I’ll look at stepping up my headphone game.
The LCD X (2019 or 2020 if that matters) is just a little dark. Bifrost 2 helps the THX a lot and surprisingly running a balanced cable makes the THX 887 tolerable compared to the darkness single ended. Granted, RNHP makes the LCD X’s sound superb with the BF2.
I’d have expected minimal difference in SE vs Balanced in the THX amps, they aren’t differential amps, so there is actually more in the chain when running balanced.
I found that the single ended out wasn’t as good as the balanced out with the 789 and 887 and 788, but the sp200 had pretty similar sounding single ended and balanced outs
Interesting the usual issue with SE output on balanced amps is the summing circuit.
Now I am thoroughly confused. I thought the SE and Balanced outputs on all the THX amps by design were identical in specs and in output voltages.
I can confirm the SP200’s balanced and SE sounds are essentially identical.