Just ordered the NAD HP-50's

I think that you can probably find the dt880 250 or 600 ohm in the range if you want a neutral, detailed headphone

Or maybe cheaper? The Superlux headphones for 38$ or the Philips SHP9500 for 70$ maybe even the KOSS KPH30i for 30$ that Z raves about? Why go more expensive?

I guess i’m interested in low cost great headphones that i could recommend to people like Zeos.

I probably will buy the Focal Elex next time its released for my next headphone if i want something better than the Aiva’s

I’m very interested! please do

and the KPH30i’s rock…but they do sound completely different.

I’ve got the KSC75’s too…gonna by that headband to mod them since the ear loops make them sit too far back on my ears making the drivers off-center. that and getting a bunch of Yaxi pads.

dont know how we’re gonna get replacement pads for this narrow headphone

https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/the-cheap-af-headphones-earphones-thread

https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/seeking-as-neutral-as-possible-headphones-what-would-you-recommend

:wink: Enjoy!

You can probably find. Pair of HD 559 for like $80 I know it’s sacrilege but personally find a better listening experience the the shp9500. The superlux are just ok. The Koss are amazing for the price they often surprise me with what they can do on an occasional basis. As I only use them when I cook. And for $140 you get a nice step above everything listed with the DT 770

Be it headphone burn-in or “brain-in” (lol), It always takes me like one month to have an objective review of how good/bad headphones sound on my head.

-Drivers “burning-in”? Maybe.
-Pads shaping to my own head
-Trying a lot of different songs, listening to a lot of youtube videos even.

(That is, unless you made a mistake and they sound horrible on the first day, like buying Grados or Beyerdynamics without even hearing them before just to find out you’re terribly treble-sensitve, for example).

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I month is pretty long. I would say I need about a week of constant listening to fully assess something

Yeah I mean one month but half the time I’m not near my headphones. :stuck_out_tongue:

2 weeks on my end fir anything as thats’s just enmough time for me to see how it fares with my daily life. But with a bad headphone or a bad anything I can usually tell immediately in the first few tracks if I’m not going to like it.

I have been surprised a fair bit of times, with my initial reaction negative, and then using it more I start to like it. So to fairly judge something, I have to give it time

same thing happened to me with the 990 took time and amp swapping to really enjoy the thing. but sometimes something will offend me so much initially that my relationship with it is immediately over

wel…exercise some patience Guru…like Z just did with the Stellia. he went meh…but after letting them burn in for 100 hours he was like, ‘wow, I really like these!’.

I spent a week with the elegia, stellia, utopia, and the clear at once when I wanted to get a pair of focal, and tbh the stellia wowed me out of the gate, but as I listened for longer, the clear and elegia was much more impressive to me. I liked the utopia but didn’t think it was worth that much more then the clear. Since we were talking about the Stellia

I usually do. I don’t usually immidiately dislike headphones or anything. but sometimes something will offend right away to the point where there is no point in buying it or keeping it. usually too much sibilance to the bass is too loose and leaking too much in the mids and that’s coming from a guy that like 99 noirs and 990’s. It doesn’t happen too often. not much really offends me to be honest but sometimes there is that one can that I immediately dislike. most of the time it’s the skull candy or beats headphones or earbuds I occasionally get from family members because they know I like audio stuff that I usually end up selling, returning or giving away. but keeps me humble cause I get some on a yearly basis because of it and do notice them being less and less awful

I haven’t had a headphone immediately offend me tbh. I haven’t had that moment where I’m just done and want nothing to do with it after listening. That being said, if a headphone breaks or develops a flaw and I get screwed over because of it, I will lose my mind and be pissed off for weeks and never want it in my sight again.

you lie, M0N…the SR22te’s. :wink:

I didn’t immediately hate them. I grew to dislike them. When I first tried them on, they weren’t my favorite, but after spending a fair bit of time, I kinda figured out that I liked them less. I was mainly talking about initial impressions

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“exercising patience” for headphones with sibilance would be suicidal for your hearing…

I already have tinnitus, no thanks, heh.

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