Thanks for the detailed description! Just for the slam and impact does it warrant such a big price leap? Especially that it removes some detail compared to the arya. Just to clarify the hex v2 is the he1000 v2 right?
No hex v2 is edition x v2, cheaper than an Arya
Hek v2 is he1000v2
^ right.
The HEX v2 is an outlier from other long cup HFM cans. Needs middle of can to shoot right into ear canal - done for me with nuggets. They like silver cables, They need digital parametric EQ. Evn so its calm and short of dynamics.
Arya’s much livlier more detailed can, but is bright at 5-6k.
HEK v2 is a very cultured can, fine detail, but lacks grunt in the bass.
HEK se is a better can then the v2, It’s on its way to being a Susvara, but it’ll never get there.
Mainly used cheap Philips $15 earbuds for some time.
Got free Samsung tuned by AKG earbuds with my phone. Thought that was good.
Then I bought an ATH-M40x after going through some recommendations people made for a starter headphone. It sounded good, but was as uncomfortable as everyone says the 'phones are.
Then I got my beloved ATH-AD900x in college. Have not thought about upgrading or anything for the next three years.
Then I got a FiiO K5 Pro. I started getting into Muse Dash after not being able to play DDR for a long while due to this pandemic. I wanted to be able to hear the music better, and that’s how I fell into the audio rabbit hole. Tried the Zen DAC first and loved it - I realized I wanted coaxial input, so I exchanged it for the FiiO. Love the greater dynamic range and fuller bass through the unit compared to my phone and laptop.
I’ve heard about the Porta Pros for a while, and finally bought them on Amazon Prime day to see why such cheap headphones get all this fuss. Also ordered Yaxis and the KPH30i with it. Fuck. Why do I like the 60 ohm drivers so much? I can tell the Koss is objectively worse than either of my Audio Technicas, but the Porta Pros are much too enjoyable for me. I liked the KPH30i as well but returned it because I felt it was too similar to the Porta Pros to justify me keeping it.
Got interested in two other Koss 60 ohms I haven’t tried - the KSC75 and KTXPRO1. The KSC75 is good… but it feels like a slightly worse ADX00x in terms of sound signature to me. Definitely impressive for the price, but I do already have mid-treble cans. No justification to keep the KSC75.
The KTXPRO1 on the other hand… I was very impressed with the balanced and spacious sound. I was equally impressed with how terribly uncomfortable it was to wear. I had mixed feelings about it for a while, but I was sold after playing several full orchestra pieces through the headphones. They don’t feel as all-purpose as a Porta Pro would be for casual listening due to the lack of comfort, but the KTXPRO1 has the tonality and soundstage I was looking for to play classical music.
Currently looking into buying a Drop x Koss ESP/95x once I save up. I don’t think I will go any high than those in the foreseeable future. If I do purchase more headphones afterwards, I looking to get more-neutral closed-back studio monitors to replace my M40x.
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Been on quite an adventure myself, still on the hunt for that good sound.
- HD 58x - started here when I first broke off from the gaming headset logic, good sound in comparison but lacked in the bass, and I now know about the sennheiser veil.
- HE 4xx - these were next as I wanted to check out planars, which I do like, had more bass but still wanted more.
- M1060C - these were more in line of what I was looking for, but in chasing better sound and comfort went full mod, open back mod, changed out the headband to hifiman band, still not happy with these, a bit too heavy and big, and while the band is more confortable the clampforce is now worse with the hifiman band. I constantly flip back and forth on which band I like best.
- DT 177x Go - I wanted to experience closed back in that chase for good bass as all the prior headphones were or turned open back, part of me wondered if closed back is what I had to have to get that bass I want. I like these, some don’t. But still on the chase for that better bass sound.
Leads me to my current hunt. Looking for open backs with good bass punch, I listen to a lot of trap/edm/dubstep/house. I want that rumble I get at concerts but in my head. Been looking at the Sundara, HE5xx, E-MU Teak, or DT 1990, but open to other suggestions in my hunt for that good sound and comfort.
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Welcome!
Of the headphones listed, I think you’d be happiest with the Teaks for what you’re looking for. Open backs tend not to have a lot of rumbling bass, though I’m sure we could come up with a few. I haven’t heard them, but the Sivga Phoenix is supposed to be pretty bassy, as is the Philips X2HR. For true basshead cans, though, you’re probably better looking toward some of the Foster Biodynamic variants like the Teaks, Denon 610/5200, or Fostex TR/TH X00. From there you can mod to get more and/or cleaner bass. You could also find an Audioquest Nighthawk (semi-open), or stepping up a little in price, Campfire Cascades.
Another option might be to go with IEMs to get that bass you crave. Fiio FH3, iBasso OH10, etc. are a couple that seem recommended for bass.
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so you must like ZMF or something?
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cheap sonys- Law of diminishing returns helped these actually be pretty good for me, they are super cheap on ears but i could use them comfortably
TurtleBeach X12: Cheap plastic, has a lot of bass which i liked at first, then the pads or the burn in set in and they sounded so meh and cheap, they broke a decent amount of times and i bought the same product like 5 times… mostly owned because it also had a microphone for youtube videos
sony MDR 7506: pretty nice, very flat and kinda casual, definitely comfortable and got everything pretty well done, broke after 2 or 3 years of constant use.
M50X: heard of them from MKBHD and definitely loved using them for a long time, one thing i like is that the pads were pretty cold, i have a weird hunch that the temperature of the earpads changes how they sound. it was nice, V shaped, and very nice and fun.
58X: First openbacks, was scared they were going to get too much noise out and everyone would hear my MCR and 100 gecs and pop rock, turns out open backs aren’t THAT leaky and they were decent. very comfortable once i fixed the PAINFUL AS ALL FUCK clamping force (i like very little force), and the sound was… kinda disappointing. there was a bit too much bass and not enough mid and high focus, to the point where when i compared the same song with the 58X vs my M50s the M50s felt colder (again the temperature theory is true in my brain) and more accurately bright, i definitely like them but i knew i could get something much better for me
IEMS:
cheap skullcandy IEMs: pretty tolerable, i think that all under 50 dollar headphones have almost the exact same sound, pretty bright but with a bass peak, i definitely dont mind it but i only used them because they were like 20 bucks,
panasonic TCM125: pretty damn comfortable, cable was absolutely horrible (got chewed every minute), super cheap but had the same pretty V shaped sound, i legit couldn’t tell them apart from the skullcandys since they sounded almost the same (i might have been wearing them wrong as well)
Creative Wireless IEMs: they sounded alright i guess, weren’t the most comfortable, had to use the warrantee 3 times because the buttons kept coming off, no real issues with the sound, i often wondered before i tried real hifi headphones if there is even that much a difference as music doesn’t often sound the same.
Final Audio E3000: Pretty damn good, the bass felt so much more refined and powerful and though the highs and mids were kinds veiled were not flawed at all, with an EQ that bumped at 1K and 2K it was almost perfect (removable cable would be nice)
Future Buys:
Open: Grado SR80/225e (Fell in love with them when i tried them at a hifishop, they made marvin gaye sound so beautiful)
Closed: Beyerdynamic DT 770 (work perfect for me, i love a V shape, i like pro headphones since i plan on making music, comfort is key)
IEMS: Shuoer Tape Pro (Electrostat interests me, graphs show it has the kind of EQ sound i truly love)
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[quote=“sa11297, post:178, topic:2012, full:true”]
Th909
Verite
Utopia
HD800s
Nighthawks (OG)
Future plans:
diana v2, lcd24, 1266 phi tc(!?!)
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I think you missed one. This is a list of every headphone ever made, right? lol
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Well guys, if this one is considered as a headphone in some way, I would love to add my Koss KSC75s as my latest collection to my headphone progression. With me having the KSC75s, I hate myself for using it most of the time now, holy shit! I never thought these would be so that fucking good back then! xD
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Less of a progression, more like a winding road. I’m not trying to get anywhere, I’m just enjoying the journey.
= kept
= sold
Skullcandy Hesh
Noontec Zoro
Grado SR60i
AiAiAi TMA-1 Studio
Audio Technica ATH-M40x
Sennheiser HD1
Sony MDR-1A
Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon
Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohm
Koss KPH30i
AKG K7xx
Focal Elegia
Koss KSC75
Koss Porta Pro
Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition 600ohm
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From early-mid 90’s I used anything from my dad’s old Koss at the home stereo to some Walkman. As I started to get more and more into PC-gaming by the late 90’s I came to buy your run-of-the-mill Logitechs or some no-name headset with mic. My first real personal hi-fi experience was the Koss UR-40, Koss KSC-75 and then Sennheiser HD212 Pro.
As me and the Counter-Strike clan at the time got sponsorship from Icemat around 2001, we started looking at more serious gear. As I liked Sennheiser a lot, I ended up buying the HD570 and my brother bought a used pair of HD600 (which he still has to this day and I’ve used them for probably half a decade myself). The HD570 / HD600 became the workhorse for the longest time and followed through most of my amplifier and DAC journey too.
At around 2005 when I graduated I got myself a Creative X-Fi Zen Vision:M DAP. At the same time I ended up getting a Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty soundcard for my PC which began my quest into real high end at the time. I modded the soundcard, soldered on new OPAMPS and did some ESD-protection mods on the backplate of the card since it was internal. This did a lot for the quality at the time. Then I Frankenstein rigged this all to output into my first headphone amplifier from Harmony Design. In 2007-2008 I got myself a Harmony Design EAR90, a year later I got the Harmony Design DA9 DAC and upgraded my EAR90 at the same time.
So for the longest time I had the HD600 I borrowed from my brother, as my old HD570 had snapped in half due to wear and tear. Then I got the Denon AH-D2000 around 2008-2010, imported from Japan as no local retailer would sell them at reasonable prices, it was a good 200€ cheaper at the time to import. I kept the D2000 for a couple of years until they broke, at which point I got a pair of Lawton Audio modded Denon AH-D5000, which I still have, but the cable is broken and needs replacement (forever in my backlog of hobby projects). In 2014 I got myself the Sennheiser HD700 which I still own and love, used daily ever since.
Harmony Design EAR90 + DA9 + HD600 / D2000 / D5000 / HD700 was my end-game up until 2018-2019. That’s when I thought to myself that I should look around and check what’s new in the hobby. I found Zeos and then it was down the drain from there. I first got a Topping MX3, which astounded me as it was almost as good as my old 1800€ setup. Interested in what was new on the DAC side, I ended up getting the SMSL Su-8, which outclassed my DA9 in a lot of ways, the most obvious one being ease of use and customization and remote control. So the DA9 went into the stereo setup. From there I bought the Fostex t60rp, which couldn’t really be powered that well from the MX3, which made me land on the SMSL SP-200, as I couldn’t get the THX AAA due to it being sold out or cockblocked behind Drop and their bad handling with shipping to EU.
From 2019-onwards it’s been a wild ride. I’ve gotten the Audeze LCD-2 Closed-Backs which I love (and hate; so heavy, but so comfortable at the same time). I’ve taken the IEM redpill and first got the Tin T2, then Blon BL-03 followed by the Moondrop Starfield and now the Shuoer Tape Pro on its way.
I have had IEM experience before, but that was in the early or mid 2000’s with Shure, something in the 300-series which cost around 200€ but was a plastic fantastic mess that had broken nozzles. Which later on led me to HifiMan RE-0 which I thought was an absolute godlike IEM. I was devastated when they broke and got a pair of Denon IEMs that I can’t remember the name of. They were good, but not as good as the RE-0. So yeah, the nostalgia of the RE-0 made me dip hard into IEMs that I am currently exploring.
In-between and mixed into all of this, I have had a lot of going back and forth with my stereo setup, but that’s another story. I’m quite pleased with that setup and won’t touch it in the near future unless anything breaks. If anyone is interested, I’m currently using Klipsch RF-63 (first version) running via the Primare i32 amplifier, fed by the Harmony Design DA9.
It’s been a long ride and it will be longer still I hope. There’s so much good stuff coming out now, after what felt like a good decade of stagnation from that 2008-onwards point.
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Oh man, this right here. I was just a Cal-O/IM guy but I was all about those white Icemat Siberias!
My first semi-conscious purchases were Koss Porta Pros and CAL over 10 years ago followed by MDR-V6. I had no idea then things like DACs and AMPs existed. I grabbed Sansa Clip + and was fulfilled. Some cheap iems afterwards, don’t even remember names.
Starting April this year I went deep into the hobby: first I ‘broke the bank’ with Starfields (Sold) and went down the slope from there: Grado SR80e (S) > Hifiman 4XX (S) > Meze 99 Noir (S) > AKG K712 (S) > ATH MSR7b > Nighthawk Carbon (S) > AFC:RT > 660s (Returned) > AD2000x (R because of driver failure, Jap import) > Nighthawk Carbon (again) > Sony MDR-1AM2 (S) > CA Cascade (R ) > Sony MDR-1AM2 (again).
Just yesterday I sent back Cascades and reordered Sony 1am2, with this I can tell that I’m done with my setup and I will stick to mid-fi: Aeon Closed RT for home, Sony 1AM2 for portable use (I was supposed to end up with Cascades but I just can’t justify the price for what they have to offer soundwise, I also gave away my MSR7b). I’m still on the fence with Nighthawks - they are heavy competition for Aeon for daily use.
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Closed progression: M40x -> Elegia
Open progression: HD600 -> Diana V2
I’ve had a few others but the above have been the only ones worth keeping. I still have them all and love them for different reasons/purposes.
And I’m happy to say that I’m done when it comes to cans 
I was afraid I’d be chasing the unicorn forever but that’s no longer the case. Really I would be very happy with just the HD600 for the rest of my days.
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Has to be one of the best posts here… love it 
!
Can you name all the headphone models in the pic? I can recognize most of them, seems like a number of Beyer cans, some Grados, a pair of Blons, some Hifimans, iBasso SR2, a pair of Denons, a pair of Focals, a bunch of Sennheisers, and a pair of Bower & Wilkins.
I would greatly appreciate to hear how you like the iBasso SR1’s, so if you don’t mind, share some impressions.
Well, thanks for the compliment 
I can say about the iBasso SR2 that I have mixed feelings 
:
The comfort is excellent and it is very easy to drive.
The spatial representation and details of well-produced sound recordings are reproduced above average.
He sounds realistic in the representation of voices and instruments.
But with some less well-produced songs the proportion of the stage is simply not right, the voices are then so withdrawn that you want to increase the volume in order to be able to perceive the singer more precisely, which results in the entire sound being distorted.
After I pulled on the large-pored ear pads that came with it, this problem was somewhat alleviated, at least in the bass and lower mids.
This problem occurs with all my DAC / Amp combinations sometimes more sometimes less. But mind you only for music productions that are less well controlled.
Other high-quality headphones also expose such recordings, but don’t mess around like the SR2.
Would I buy the iBasso again? Probably not!
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