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Comment by voytec | Hacker News Reader

> I hope buyers take notice and send their money elsewhere.

I'm currently in the market for both in-ears and over-ears. Was looking into HD 25 model for over-ears. What other brands are worth looking into? KEF? Focal? Meze?

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I personally like Beyerdynamic.

MX 150/100 if you want to have a mic, DT990 Pro if you want open-back and DT770 Pro for closed-back.

Worth mentioning that they're studio headphones, so if you like headphones with a lot of bass you might have to consider other models.

At home I use Sennheiser Game One, before they were rebranded to EPOS. I really, really love them so if you can find them second-hand, go for them. They're hooked up to a Sennheiser GSX 1000. I use this setup for almost three years now and I'm really happy.

For in-ears I use Marshall Mode EQs, I'm on the third pair now and am also really happy. They've got a lot of bass but when I'm commuting I actually prefer it over "true" sound :)

As always with headphones, YMMV. I care about good sound but I'm not that much of an audiophile to care about exact frequency curves etc.

Beyerdynamics are wonderful. I'd add SIVGA, far better than the Sennheiser I had!

I'd suggest the SV021 if you want bass, or the SV003 if you prefer the flatness of studio headphones like the Beyers.

I use them with a Sony Walkman DAP: best money I've ever spent!

Good bass matters for some styles: the SV021 is better when I listen to say Моргенштерн

> I'd suggest the SV021 if you want bass

Hmm, I actually am considering buying bassy over-ears, because all the over-ears I have are pretty neutral/studio sounding. I game a lot of singleplayer story-games and sometimes I feel that a bit more bass would be enjoyable for explosions, gunshots etc.

Thanks for the recommendation, never heard of SIVGA :)

It's the most comfortable over-the-ears I've ever had - far better than anything several times the price!

If you only have USB-C, pair them with a Moondrop DAC

Luckily all my devices have a 3.5mm :)

Didn't know that Moondrop made DACs, I know them because I had a pair of Starfields.

> Didn't know that Moondrop made DACs, I know them because I had a pair of Starfields.

Moondrop Dawn, quite good

>the SV021 is better when I listen to say Моргенштерн

when you listen to what now?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgenshtern

It's Russian rap - though for the last few years he's been moving more into RnB, which I don't like as much

Beyer also recently release the DT 700/900 Pro X are someone of a spiritual successor to the classics. Importantly they now feature a detachable cables, includes a USB-C one with internal DAC and mic.

You're right! I didn't want to recommend the X versions because I never tried them myself, but I think judging by the feedback they get online they would be a good choice as well.

The only downside is the cost. The non-X versions cost $140, the X-versions $220. Not sure if the $80 are worth it for me.

I picked up a pair of the 700 X's a couple of weeks ago - no complaints so far. The replaceable cable removes the only weak point in an otherwise completely repairable product. That lets me amortise any difference across a decade or so.

> That lets me amortise any difference across a decade or so

Good point, hadn't considered this! Well, I bought the DT 990Pro in the beginning of 2023 and the MMX150s like three weeks ago, so I'll see for how long I'll use them :D

MMX150 are for the office because they're closed-back and the microphone is actually astonishingly good. At least people noticed in MS Teams calls.

I wonder why you're on your third pair of Marshall Mode EQs :)

I'm partly having a go at them because I have a pair lying around that broke in less than a year. I usually go through a pair in a year (a year and a half) as I'm not very careful with the way I take care of my heaphones/in-ears. However, having said that, I think the EQs have a pretty mediocre build quality. For example, with the way I handled them, the cover of one in ear piece, fell of after a couple of months, and 6-8 months in the jack connector wires got a bit too much wear and tear and no longer connect properly. Also their EQ toggle made the treble (for the Electronic/DnB/Metal music I listen to) a bit too harsh.

Personally for earbuds/earphones I'd recommend anything which is as flat as possible and then you can boost up your preferred range. Alternatively you can go with a pair that has a measured profile (https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq), which you can use to normalizes the frequency response and tweak it after.

For example I went with the cheap AKG Type-C earbuds, which have very harsh mids towards treble (https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/samsung/akg-type-c), but because their sound profile is within the database linked above, I could use Wavelet on Android to compensate for it (and EasyEffects on the desktop) to have them be as neutral as possible, and then boost on top of that. For a ~$10'ish pair of earbuds I am quite impressed. I also had to chose them because I have a "modern" phone that decided that a Jack is so 20th century.

> I wonder why you're on your third pair of Marshall Mode EQs :)

I guess it's a mix between nostalgia and me just liking how the songs I like sound on them. They're the first pair of in-ears I bought myself.

> I think the EQs have a pretty mediocre build quality

I'll agree with you on that. The first pair lasted a year and the second not much longer. Then I just went with whatever. Two years ago I wanted to try out "good" in-ears and bought a pair of Moondrop Starfields. They were okay, but a bit flat, the cable broke, bought a different cable, which I've stepped on. Then I remembered that I was a fan of the Mode EQs like 6 years ago and bought a pair out of curiosity, which was end of 2022. And I just really like how they sound, and that they're light, and that they fit well, and that they look good. I don't know...I just like them :D

Your explanation about measured profiles and Wavelet/EasyEffects sounds intriguing. I think I will try this approach with a different pair of headphones, I really wonder what you can get out of cheap in-ears. I tried to use EQs from time to time but I always end up tuning things for 30m without especially satisfying results. AutoEQ would help because it's automated :D Thanks!

Beyerdynamic makes great headphones. Personally though I love my Audio Technica cans. I find I want different ones for different reasons - a flat frequency response isn't always the most pleasant

Air Pods Max. Totally worth it. Automatically turns on/off, automatically pairs with the device you're using. Active Noise Cancellation is a godsend, i.e. if you have people with lawnmowers around you, this will improve your life more than anything else you can buy. Effortless to clean. Ear cushions come off and you can just put them into the washing machine. Great build quality, has a nice volume dial with click sounds. Build-in microphones. Sound is top notch too.

Annoying and soon-to-be-obsolete Lightning charging port, though. I plan to buy the AirPods Max once they come out with a USB-C version.

There are lots of magnetic charging adaptors on Amazon and eBay which come with USB-C, Micro-USB, and Lightning tips, all of which share a common interface with their cables. Most of them seem to come from the same manufacturers; there are about three styles, and while no two are interchangeable, it's usually not hard to find a variety of sellers for whichever style you want.

Don't expect much in data support even from versions that claim to offer it, but they all deliver power just fine, and it's been getting on for a decade since I've had to screw around with finding the right cable to charge anything. Saves insertion cycles on the device connector socket, too.

Hard no on yet another adapter.

It's the last one. Your loss, though.

I love my AirPods Max, but the automatic pairing never worked very well for me. I ended up disabling it.

AudioTechnica have been consistent in quality over the years. They have a number of models to choose from for every purpose, at fair prices. The models don't change every year and are supported and field repairable. I still use the ATH-M40fs I bought 20+ years ago. The newer ATH-M50 would be my choice if I had to pick a new pair today.

i've had two pairs of ATH-M50s (one black, one white) and they both turn into a giant mess once the painted vinyl (or whatever it is) starts flaking off after a few years.

Just bought a pair of ATHM50x. Well worth the cost. Been out in the field recording with them and mixing in studio as well. Loving them so far.

interesting. Mine are both in great condition ~10 years later. You can buy replacemnt ear pads, but only in black AFAICT.

it was the headband that got flakey. maybe mine were exposed to more light or something.

I had the HD 25 and found them super uncomfortable. Sold them and got a pair of Sony MDR-7506 for 100$ years ago. Haven’t looked back. The ear pillows (not sure how they’re called) are made of pleather which eventually delaminates. Replacements are 30–45$ which is a bit much. But with some patience you can rub it all off and expose the velvet underneath which makes them perfectly useable again. The pillows sometimes split at the seams but again nothing you can’t fix with a bit of thread.

Compatible replacement pillows exist but I’ve sampled some of them and they made the sound more muffled and bassy with less trebles in my opinion so I went back to the original pillows. Im not audiophile at all but could hear a difference when comparing them side to side (I have two identical pairs)

They also come with an exploded diagram on the box so you can take them apart if you wish.

And they’re extremely comfortable. I’m not a pro but I understand they’re made for sound engineers to be worn all day.

I thought the only problem with MDR-7506's were that they were not comfortable enough for wearing for long periods? All reviews I read online said this.

I find them super comfortable. They don’t feel like they’re squeezing my head unlike others that are too tight, they’re not very heavy, they cushions are wide and spread the pressure well without folding my ears uncomfortably… I personally find them very comfortable.

After reading this I bought a pair, you were right they are great.

Cool, I hope you’ll enjoy them for a long time!

I don’t know about their cans but I do know that in the early days of ear buds I played a Cat and Mouse game with Sony where about every second new model they produced had really good bass response, often in a fairly reasonably priced model. I ended up buying backups to carry me through to the next next model. Looking back, I wonder if Sony had two teams with alternating release cycles, and the engineers on one team were better than the other. If it was some sort of marketing strategy it’s over my head.

AFAIK the 7506 have been around since the 80s or 90s, and they’re still making them today.

For over-ears is good to decide if you want open or closed cans. That can make a huge difference, especially if you are going to use them even in slightly noisy environment.

I'm very happy with DT-1770 pro by Bayerdynamic for closed. And *extremely* happy with Focal Clear for open back.

I occasionally also mix on them.

Be warned, this is an addictive and pricey hobby, although not nearly as spendy as speakers.

My current rig is a Schitt Jotenheim DAC/Amp driving Hickman Ananda’s. (Roughly $600 amp driving $900 headphones).

I'm currently using a Schiit Modi for my DAC and a Schiit Vali 2 for my headphone amp. They seem to work pretty well to my ears, whether they're driving my Meze 99 Classics headphones, or the PreSonus Eris E4.5 powered speakers.

You're right, it's definitely an expensive hobby and you can spend a lot of money chasing that dragon so to speak. I was lucky in that I got something that sounded very good to me with my first set of purchases, but I was obsessed for a while with reading every detail about potential purchases.

It'd be a lot easier to get a "personal" end game setup off the rip these days.

My first setup was a "Zero" DAC/AMP off Ebay in 2008, paired with Grado SR-80s. The Zero amp was something some dude in like hong kong was building. The actual amp was nothing fancy, but it used an opamp that was super high end for a budget component way back in the day.

I would try a few different ones if you can. I tried Meze, Sennheiser, Audio Technical, Bose wireless, and many others over the years and some just didn’t fit my head or ears right or sounded off in some way. Everyone has different head and ears and personal preference for different sound and it’s very hard to know if it will click with you by reading reviews or marketing materials. It also depends on what it is you listen to the most. If you’re all about big orchestral pieces or chip tunes then your choice will be very different.

Personally I found wireless and active noise cancellation worthwhile tradeoffs to some audio quality because I end up wearing them when doing chores and on the plane and on calls when my kids are being loud.

I think Sundara HifiMan might be over your price range, but these are my current favourite headphones, some internet person who knows more about audio than me [recommended them](https://old.reddit.com/r/bapcsalescanada/comments/vn53cw/hea...)

I got the Bower Wilkins PX8 about 6 months ago and love it. I originally went with the PX8 over the Focal Bathys due to it being $100 cheaper than the Focal Bathys, more compact form factor, and the reportedly better noise cancellation. MDs have widely-reported problems with their Bluetooth connectivity.

However, I am Focal-curious. Some reviews have the FB noticeably better sound. And, right now, B&H is offering the FB at a $150 discount, dropping it below the BW.

I wouldn’t get HD25 unless you’re planning to DJ or play live in clubs. They’re not the most comfortable and sound is ok but not really enjoyable.

I picked up a pair of Phonon SMB-02 a few weeks back and they’re the best studio headphones I’ve had in 20 years of DJing and producing. The space they reveal is amazing and feel close to studio monitors.

All the audiophile in-ear headphones I’ve ever bought broke in less than a year; but none of my “cheap” headphones ever broke. Except my apple ear buds: those wore out pretty fast too. The cables are really low quality

I use AirPods atm: you don’t have to fiddle with getting a proper seal, you can still hear what’s around you, the open back sound stage feels great in all headphones, there’s less pressure buildup, and it has good software integration. I’m never going back to cords again if I can help it

I'm very happy with my Meze 99 Classics.

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