Listening experience and thoughts on next steps

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
1

My current rotation includes Sennheiser HD660s, TinT2, and Ety ER4XR. I run the 660s off an Asgard 3, the Tins off of Fiio UTWS3 true BT adapters, and the Etys either off the Asgard or, more frequently, a BTR5. I bought them for the BTR5.

I love the sound of the Tin T2s and think they pair well with the UTWS3, in part because I think it more likely I’ll lose wireless IEMs than wired ones and am happy to “risk” cheap IEMs in that way. And they sound remarkably good. The Etys are fantastic. I love the sound and can only fault them for a lack of staging and imaging. But otherwise I love what they do, and the isolation is priceless when out and about. (As much as I enjoy the Tins, the Etys are clearly superior, especially for my preferred genres, which are acoustic and classical. Pop music does better on the Tins bc of the heftier bass, but still not as good as the Etys.)

I also like the 660s, but I find that I prefer to listen to the Etys notwithstanding the Senn’s superior staging/imaging. Why? The greater clarity and immediacy of the music. I find myself turning up the volume with the Senns. I don’t need to do that to savor the Etys. I won’t say the 660s are veiled, but compared to the Etys and even the Tins the sound seems recessed.

One possible conclusion is that I’m an IEM guy more than a headphone guy.
Another is that it’s just a question of getting the right cans…I have my eyes on Focal’s Elex and Clear.

Thoughts?

PS I have a terrible urge that I’m really trying to suppress to throw caution into the wind and go buy myself a set of Andromedas.

2

I’ll say it for you then. They’re veiled. Sounds like you need a pair of Edition XS in your life. You have a good amp for them (though I’d definitely get at least some kind of aftermarket cable) and if you’ve never had something like the Ananda/Arya then the stage size and separation will blow your mind and the bass is very much rumbly and immersive and the clarity and immediacy absolutely trounces the Etys. Another insanely good option right now is the HE560 v4 on sale on Adorama for $200 and it’s got a lot of what makes the XS great but with a smaller stage but every bit of that epic separation that Hifiman does so well and honestly the stage is still very big (like much bigger than the Elex/Clear/660s) and with like $30-50 worth of mods (grill and pads can significantly expand the stage and increase slam in the sub bass by literally close to triple and they’re pretty much flat bass extension already) they can be absurdly comfortable and extremely capable and well rounded headphones. They’ll certainly outresolve anything you currently have and not by a small amount. Either way I don’t think you could pick wrong between them but the deal on the HE560 v4 right now is downright absurd, IMO. With the right pads it can slam incredibly hard and given that even with mods that take 5 minutes to do it would end up costing like $250 and thoroughly stomp something like Sundaras or even something higher up. I personally would take them hands down over the clears.

1 Like