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tenderbeefonpho t1_j671dnx wrote

Of those I own or have owned (based on their overall performance/ease of use and my own preference):

  1. Stax SR-009: the god of details, love the airiness and precision, although can get a bit fatiguing for longer listening
  2. LCD-2F: smooth and damn pleasant to listen to every time I put them on, slightly forward in the mids but it never feels grating
  3. Koss ESP950: pretty much do nothing wrong, although sometimes feel lacking in extensions in both ends
  4. Audio Technica ATH-W5000: what I reach for for acoustic, jazz, jpop, etc; they are not hard to drive but more picky with amp synergy than most
  5. AKG-K400: these surprise me every time I take them for a spin against more expensive cans, very natural sound, super nice soundstage. Slapped a pair of K601 pads on them and I can listen for hours with no fatigue
  6. Beyer T1 gen 1: these are great out of an OTL tube amp, balanced sound with a slight coloration in the upper mids
  7. Ultrasone Signature Pro: fit can be a bit finicky sometimes and affect the soundstage, surprisingly I like them quite a lot for classical and ambient
  8. Senn HD650: nice tonality, clamping force is a little high but very comfy otherwise
  9. Senn HD800: great once eq’d but I am lukewarm about the tonality
  10. Grado RS2: maybe the best grado I’ve tried, feel more balanced than the RS1 to me, very energetic and fun
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