|
S
|
RaynAudio Lyre
|
Totally neutral, incredible timbre, great build quality. The planar
magnetic drivers can take an insane bass boost, more than you could ever
want.
|
|
A+
|
Audio-Technica R70x
|
Comfortable, lightweight, and sounds awesome. Becomes S tier for me if I
use the Apos Refine pads and run it off of an OTL tube amplifier.
|
|
A+
|
MayAudio Sword
|
Endlessly customizable. Because it’s 3D printed, it doesn’t exactly
scream “build quality,” but it sounds fantastic.
|
|
A
|
Sennheiser HD 6XX
|
I get some colorations in the treble, but a touch of EQ and an OTL tube
amplifier makes this a warm, rich, smooth experience.
|
|
A-
|
Stax SR-X1
|
With a minor boost in the mid treble, this becomes an S tier headphone
based on sound. Unfortunately, I get really sweaty with it, and it has a
bad habit of farting on my head.
|
|
A-
|
FiiO FT1
|
A surprisingly decent closed-back headphone which redefined the price
bracket for closed-backs when it came out.
|
|
B+
|
Ugreen Max5C
|
For $40, it’s impossible to go wrong with this bluetooth ANC headphone.
|
|
B+
|
Aune AC55
|
The best sounding on-ear I’ve ever tried. Shame that it’s so
uncomfortable, though.
|
|
B
|
Focal Clear OG
|
Treble sounds a bit off for me, but it’s a fun headphone that strongly
resembles the Focal Elex.
|
|
B
|
Focal Elex
|
Treble sounds a bit off for me, but it’s a fun headphone that I used for
a long time.
|
|
B
|
Hifiman Sundara
|
Peaky metallic treble, but an energetic, fun entry into planars.
|
|
B-
|
Focal Utopia 2022
|
Sounded like a hole in the treble, tonally it wasn’t great, but the
sense of “speed” was unlike anything I’d ever heard at the time.
|
|
B-
|
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
|
Super uncomfortable, but they sound pretty decent, especially for the
price.
|
|
B-
|
Koss KPH30i
|
The best of the Koss on-ears under $50.
|
|
C+
|
Sony WH-1000XM5
|
Much improved from the XM4, but still not something I’d want to use
regularly.
|
|
C+
|
Koss Porta Pro
|
Darkpoo, warmpoo.
|
|
C+
|
Moondrop Old Fashioned
|
Not much bass, but surprisingly competent for the price. More
comfortable than any of the Koss on-ears.
|
|
C
|
Philphone
|
As much as I hate putting such a cool and unique product here, it
sounded very wrong on my head. Unrelated to its ranking, it was nearly
impossible to get a seal.
|
|
C
|
Koss KSC75
|
Decent for the price, but I don’t like the treble on them.
|
|
C
|
Focal Hadenys
|
The headphone of all time. Sounded like a headphone, didn’t do anything
worth remembering.
|
|
C
|
Focal Bathys
|
Annoying treble, always sounded wrong. ANC is among the worst in class.
|
|
C-
|
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
|
Awful treble mountain. Painful to listen to. Shame, because Beyerdynamic
knows the meaning of “build quality.”
|
|
C-
|
Audeze LCD-2F
|
Needed a lot of EQ to sound right. Very uncomfortable, very heavy.
|
|
D+
|
AKG K1000
|
An extremely soundstagey experience, at the expense of murderous treble
that is way brighter than any human should be able to handle.
|
|
D+
|
Skullcandy Crusher Evo
|
Wet fart bass, though somehow manages to be fun for about an hour once
every 3 months.
|
|
D+
|
Sony WH-1000XM4
|
A total irredeemable mudfest.
|
|
D
|
Grado SR80e
|
Absolutely no bass and horrible, grating treble.
|
|
D
|
Audio-Technica M50x
|
Sounds totally compressed, no dynamics whatsoever. A “wall of sound” as
I’ve come to describe it.
|
|
D-
|
Focal Clear MG
|
Horrible. Sounded broken on my head. Focal should have never released
this product.
|
|
F
|
Sansui SS-10
|
Crinacle put it best when he said this was a simulation of what it’s
like to have hearing damage.
|