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2021-11-26
Here is the promised update regarding my headphones, amps and DACs. Part 1 was more about my speaker and home theater setups.
I have several headphones but use 2 or 3 of them regularly. The first real decent headphone I bought was the Beyerdynamic DT880 250Ω premium edition. It was a pre-owned, gently used pair which were almost in new condition. These are an over-the-ear set of headphones, single-ended, non-modular connectors.
For a while I was trying to find some headphones that fit over the ears better than the stuff I'd been used to. I just didn't know where to look or what brands to look for. When I got those DT880's I was very impressed with the sound that came from them, as well as the fit and comfort over the ears. All the headphones I had before were on-ear ones which became uncomfortable quickly. I believe the previous ones I had were by B&O Play - their Bluetooth series. They sounded really good, but again, not the most comfortable.
I don't know which headphones I bought next, so I'll just write about them without any indication of timeframes.
I also have another set of Beyerdynamic DT880's, though these are the 600Ω version; much harder to drive. These sound very good, but with the stock pads, they lack a lot of low-end bass. I bought some replacement pads from Dekoni and that turned them into major bass player headphones! If anyone wants to make a mod to a headphone to get the biggest change, do a pad swap.
I like the sound of both my Beyerdynamic DT800's (250Ω and 600Ω) which are also dynamic driver headphones. But there is one thing that keeps me from using them. That is the headband.
I believe that the single biggest feature of a headphone is comfort. This includes the pads, the cupping pressure and the band pressure/displacement on the head. The headphones can be the objectively best sounding ones around, but if they're uncomfortable to wear, then I won't like them.
Every headphone is different in this area, and more importantly, everyone's head is different, too. This can make shopping for a headphone difficult. One has to balance comfort, sound enjoyablility, and cost into finding the right set of headphones.
The headbands on the Beyerdynamic exerts too much pressure on the top of my head and I can only wear them for 20-30 minutes before I have to remove them. It's that or I have to constantly adjust and move the band slightly on my head for extended listening.
So back to headphones. Another set I have are the BLON B20 planar magnetic's. These are only 32Ω headphones and are very easy to drive. These have big pads which are contoured around the front and top of the ear for added comfort. It has a steel, adjustable band, with a faux leather comfort band below it. I really like these headphones for both their sound and comfort. I can wear these all day long and not know it. These are actually a knockoff, or cheaper version of the Sendy Avia headphones. I don't have, nor have heard the Sendy's, but I plan on buying a set someday.
Another set of headphones I have are the Sennheiser HD650's which are a 300Ω dynamic driver set of headphones. These and the HD600's are an audiophiles baseline, old standby headphone. Any audio enthusiast should have a set in their collection. These are also over-the-ear headphones and sound very nice, especially on a tube amplifier. I have swapped the stock cables on these, and the BLON B20's, for some Hart Audio custom balanced cables. I wanted to get away from the single-ended cables. These are also all-day-comfortable to wear and listen to.
The last set of headphones I have and which were ZeosPantera's headphone of the year for 2020 are the Harmonicdyne Zeus. These are a dynamic driver set of headphones. I lucked out once again and found these to be very comfortable and easily worn all day. They're also very nice to listen to and I find them to be well balanced and laid back with good soundstage. They're big and heavy compared to the Senheiser's, but you really don't feel it when they're on your head. I've also bought balanced Hart Audio cables for them. The stock cable sucked badly. It was so thick and stiff they'd almost stand up on their own. Plus the single-ended connection would hardly stay connected to an amp. If you gently tugged on it, it would pop loose. I hear that they changed the cable since I bought mine and that they're a little better. But I'd still recommened getting a different set of cables to your liking. I again went with a balanced setup on the cables.
I planned on writing about not just headphones, but amps and DACs as well. But I think this is enough for now and I'll follow up later on with another post on those things.