The AKG are my favorite headphone as well, they were also my first headphones so they’re special. It’s interesting how the AKG weigh more than the DT770, but when active tries them on they say the AKG feel lighter, the earpad clamp and weight distribution is perfect. If you want crazy bass, you can EQ the AKG with +6dB bass and they sound amazing with no distortion. Interestingly, I had the AKG and then got the DT770 and the Sundara, and both of them weren’t as good as the AKG, the AKG were so much better that I barely used the others and ended up selling them. The AKG are so natural sounding and the sound is so smooth, it feels like that is what the song is supposed to sound like.

How good are the Sennheiser compared to the AKG?

Returning stuff in general hurts the seller.

Why so many balanced output? Is your source just balanced so it’s more convenient for you or do you notice an improvement from the balanced connection. Out of these 9 I think 3 of then are SE, and at least 5 are balanced. Most amps will give too much power for IEMs through balanced, so volume adjustments aren’t as fine, maximum I would my IEM balanced is 30%.

The only way I can try out headphones is at Microcenter where they have gaming snd consumer headphones for you to demo.

If I want headphones I will watch as many reviews as possible, get everyone’s opinion and see if there are any correlations or contradictions between them. Negative reviews are the best because they really tell you what you need to know about them. Resolve is my go to person as he is very knowledgeable and very critical about sound quality.

Early last year, I owned 2 of these headphones and individually considered buying all 5 of these.

Out of all 5 of these, which headphone has the best bass response? With and without EQ.

I had the DT770 and wasn’t impressed with the bass response, I thought the AKG had a cleaner bass response than the DT770. I think the Sundara and DT770 had more bass than the AKG, but the AKG bass quality was really good. With EQ the bass in the Sundara and DT770 didn’t improve much, but the AKG with EQ had amazing bass response.

Last year I was in a car accident and experienced whiplash and my neck hurt. Because audiophile headphones are so heavy, I just didn’t even try them for around 2 months until all my neck pain went away.

It in an interesting point to take a break from audio devices because we get used to them and lose their magic. I barely use my Arya anymore, when I got my DCA Closed X I believed they were Arya quality, just as good. I decided to listen to them for a while, different situation, different genres to write a review. I was going to say they are just as good as Arya, so I decided I should compare them side by side, and it turns out the Arya are clearly better, no competition. Similar with my AKG headphones, they are open back dynamic headphones, and every time I am shocked with how good the bass is.

AKG Q701 are headphones I will keep forever and never replace. They were my first headphones and I like AKG, so they are special to me, but their sound is also amazing. Maybe it’s because all of my other headphones are planars, but nothing is as smooth, natural, or has the timbre as the AKG. Also you can EQ +6 dB of bass with no distortion, they have incredible bass detail for dynamic open backs at their price.

The Arya have more detail and better instrument separation, but they don’t sound as natural as the AKG. Interestingly the AKG are tge least favorite of my headphones for my cousin.

Wow, people described them as some of the best headphones with the signature Focal bass response, I didn’t know they had this many issues. Now I’m happy I got the AEON Closed X instead. The way you described them, my open back AKG headphones with a low shelf filter gave better bass than the Focals.

How do the Radiance compare to the Celestee

I went down the same route. I wanted planars so I got the Sundara, I didn’t like them so I sold them and got the Arya Stealth. It was a great decision (except the fact that they had a massive price drop months after I bought mine). I really like the Arya and never felt the need to upgrade from them, they sound as technical as they get. The same thing happened with closed backs, I had the DT770 and wanted something better, I considered the AKG K371, the Meze 99 Neo, and the Focal Elegia, but went straight to Drop AEON Closed X as endgame closed backs for me.

The only fomo I have is Focal headphones and their bass response, I’m wondering if the Elegia or Celestee would have been better than the AEON Closed X. I want to try Focal headphones.

DCA AEON Noire. Crazy earcup shape, crazy headband design, carbon fiber plate in the earcup. It definitely stands out.

I have one of each type of headphone, and I sell one when I replace it. It just naturally happened that way and I’m happy with it. I have a planar, a dynamic driver, a closed back, and an IEM. And I haven’t felt the need to upgrade or get something else.

He asked a question.

Comparing different headphones, then there isn’t much difference between a new headphone and an old one. I have AKG headphones from before 2013 and they are still amazing. Old AKG and Sennheiser headphones are still good.

The difference is within in brands and mostly planars. I haven’t heard all of them, but people say every version of the Hifiman Arya was noticeable better than the one before. DMS didn’t say it directly, but he said newer Audeze headphones have better tuning than the one before while maintaining their technical ability.

I’ve tried bluetooth transmitters, and they make the sound quality noticeably worse unless you are paying a good amount of money. Instead got that price I think you should just look at good wired headphones. They will be dedicated for your piano and you can occasionally use them for other things as well. I would recommend getting comfortable headphones so you can sure then fit long periods of time without any issue.

For basshead headphones, you can still look at open backs. There are a few that do bass pretty good (not extreme basshead levels) but they do bass well and everything else is way better than consumer bass head headphones. My main recommendation include AKG 700 series and Focal headphones. The Focal are known for having increased bass, it doesn’t show up on measurements but the bass impact is there. My AKG surprise me every time with how much bass they have, I expect them to have none, but the bass quality is amazing, and with EQ you can add a lot more bass without any distortion.

These have bass but also have detail and overall quality better than closed back headphones.

The sound quality wouldn’t change. The frequency response could change slightly depending on the amp or DAC, but evergreen that would be minor and insignificant. If the sound is slight different with a new amp or DAC, it will be basically unnoticeable if you only use the new one. Only upgrade an amp if you need more power, and even a decent budget amp should be enough for almost every headphone excluding a few specific pairs.

Have you ever considered selling all your Hifiman headphones and getting the Arya? That way you will have a very good headphone along with other unique headphones.

I had AKG Q701 wedged I got the Sundara, I loved the AKG wave the Sundara was never as good as the AKG, there were a few songs that played to the Sundara’s strengths, but for everything else I preferred the AKG. Ended up selling the Sundara Ave got the Arya Steath and I love the Arya.

I don’t think it will add anything, but I’ve heard the Edition XS has better sub bass than the Arya. Also why do you still have the Sundara? I wasn’t a fan of the Sundara, there was nothing special, but then I got the Arya and they were so much better and way more enjoyable.