Just a couple of notes: This list was only made for passive wired headphones. No ANC or wireless headphones were included because that's a separate category and introduces different variables. IEMs also weren't included here, those are separate lists. I expect this video will get folks fired up in the comments, I'd just ask that you please give the disclaimers section a watch beforehand at 00:22 just so you have a sense of where we're coming from. One of the key takeaways from doing this exercise is that there is no definitive ranking list that's going to satisfy everyone and that we shouldn't just base our judgments or understanding of products around the opinions of a single perspective. We all have different preferences and approach this stuff differently from one another, and I think this video shows that as well. If YOU have a different opinion than we do on a given headphone, understand that this is also expected. Our opinions have also changed over time and I also imagine they will have changed again by the next time we do this. And with that in mind, remember that we're just three people on the internet talking about headphones - don't let that affect your enjoyment of stuff you love. Lastly, tier lists or rankings of any kind are highly reductive and give a particularly blunt indication of how products are received. I'm fully aware that this point may be missed when folks are watching this video. This is also the reason why I'm generally not a fan of doing singular tier lists on this stuff. There's far more to each product than just a ranking or a letter grade. But, we've been regularly asked for this list, so here it is.
@@MuhammadKharismawan those should be in the description as well. It has my picture because I created them based on what they said in this video but they are titled appropriately.
This was a fun concept. We of course skipped ahead to our section, but will finish the rest later. What, no "Surrounder" ranking?? What gives?!?! Haha 😉 See you all soon and Happy Holidays!
HTHTH 1. Austrian Audio HI-X55 2. Beats Pro 3. Beyerdynamic T1 Gen 4. Hifiman Audivina 5. Hifiman HE-R9 6. Hifiman HE-R10p 7. Moondrop Joker 8. Sennheiser HD820 9. Sennheiser HD700 10. Spirit Torino Twin Pulse 11. Ultrasone 580i X (Not heard) 1. Denon AHD-7200 2. Denon AHD-5200 3. HarmonicDyne Athena 4. Hifiman HE1000 Stealth You mentioned that it was 182 headphones, on my list it is less. The one with ! are the headphones got 3 different tier from all of you, so I have put them into average one. Enjoy!
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Since Z’s face is now free for public consumption, you could set up a fight in the TH-cam boxing scene. Get Sennheiser on board for the winner to get a HE-1. The loser must listen to only one headphone (of the winners choosing) for the next month. Would be a battle for the ages!
Most controversial opinions: Sennheiser HD800 - S grade What?! I say “C” it has very little bass presence , impact and the treble spike. Build materials and cable connections are mediocre at best. Denon D9200 only a “C” but Z1R is a “B”?! How can Sennheiser hd600 series be anything greater than a “C”? Blob imaging, no sub bass extension not detailed, small stage. Focal Clear a “B”?! You guys gonna make Tyll come out of retirement!
It'd be good to have a text based list. The tier list itself is one case where a picture does not infact say a thousand words (or even 1): what the name of the headphones are.
A list is definitely a MUST for anyone interested in buying (or trying out) these headphones! I watched this for info to guide my buying choices. Please, to make the video more enjoyable and easier to follow, give us the names. They could be put in the description of the video, a comment, or provided in a link to your website. You could include the sound rankings in this manner: AKG K371(B,B,B). Feel free to include a "-" or "+", since sometimes you said a headphone was a "low A", making it an "A-". Thanks!
I'm crying for DMS doesn't like the 1990 anymore after I bought them based on his review. But I'm ok with it. It's been half a decade and people and their taste and perception and the technology around change. I'll still like them.
I adore my DT1990 paired with Mojo. I have bought Focal Clear and sold them after 6 months and tested so many different models since +5 years ago when I bought my DT1990. I've just kind given up on finding headphone I would like more - or most importantly I am just fully satisfied with DT1990.
@@tissot233 I pair mine with a cheap Chinese tube dac/amp (Douk Audio P1) with bass and treble knobs. Resulting sound is pure magic. No way else to describe it. HD 800 S on this same dac/amp is also magic. I actually enjoy both headphones equally as much on this setup for different reasons.
Don’t pay attention to what reviews say. Headphones are one of the weirdest hobbies. No one here talks about value for the money in the rankings and I have yet to see someone explain which headphones made the 1990 irrelevant at its price.
I own one S and two A tiers headphones from the list and I agree of their rankings, this also applies to the other headphones I have heard, except for the DT 1990 Pro which I rank higher, but I am older and am not sensitive to high frequencies, but the bottom line is that 95% of all people would be perfectly happy with either the HD600 or Sundara depending on personal taste.
My issues with the 1990 was the headband giving me terrible pain, and the sound (same with dt 990, tygr, 770, mmx 300) has an unusual metallic sound to it, I’ve always found beyer to sound unnatural for some reason, but I also found they all excelled when used for gaming, very good for competitive shooters.
Quick tip, these people are scam artists and not genuinely recommending products. They exist to get commission on HD6XX and AKG 371 sales, and hoping they can suck people into spending more money. I got sucked in, got rid of my HD6XX and now I'm far happier with some 20$ QKZ HBB Earbuds.
Fun concept, can be a good starting guide. The only problem is that the list is pictures. Most are low res so for many I have no idea what they are! Some way of having both textual and image would make your list much more useful.
You guys put the Phillips SHP-9500 & 9600 on the tier list but not the X2HR and X3 that were also mentioned? I own the 9500 and X2HR; 9500 is an excellent gaming headphone, super comfortable, can wear it all day and fantastic at bringing forth the midrange, it even surprisingly has bass when equipped with thicker pads. But as they come, C-tier is deserved, great entry-level open-back. X2HR is better in almost every way; build, clarity, bass extension, greater soundstage and separation, mids take a step back, and the only detractor is it struggles with really high-pitched voices and sharp 'S' sounds, otherwise they sound identical to the Moondrop Variations IEMs which cost 4x more. I'd rank the X2HR high or mid B-tier, imo.
Sorry, but I have to call out DMS for his reverse comments regarding Beyerdynamic's DT1990 Pro.These are some of his comments regarding the phone about 5-6 years ago. This in essence is how he described the DT1990 Pro... "Listening to these just w/o doing any measurements, I would call these one of the best HP I've ever heard especially for studio use.These are off the wall insane for studio use. I wish I was keeping these because I would daily drive these. Bass extension for a dynamic is absolutely phenomenal. Sound-stage is focused but spacious.This is marketed as a pro HP and in every respect of that the best pro HP that I put my hands on today. Side by side if I were picking between the DT1990 Pro and the HD800 or HD 800 S, I would take the DT1990 Pro for either professional use or personal listening. I think when looking at all the aspects I found that it is well balanced, incredibly tight, detailed and accurate...I mean I would change absolutely nothing of the sound of the DT1990 Pro. In a perfect setup I would own these along with the LCD 2 and the HD 650. I would own all three and cover all the bases and be perfectly happy"... So now he says he liked them 6 years ago. So in 6 years you make a complete 180 reverse and put them in D class, after your glowing review sounded like they were in an S or an A. I can see perhaps moving to a B, but a D? Give me a break. And then make a remark when Resolve calls him out ..." I thought you liked them"..."Yeah but...ah depends on the pads." What does that mean? How can one ever trust his opinion when he completely reverses his opinion from S/A class to D? How many have gone on to purchase these because of his highest recommendation and now he craps all over them with some feeble excuse? In another comparative review 6 years ago up against the HD660s, he said " The DT 1990 Pro is Incredibly hard to beat in it's price range and far above it's price range." Sounds like a complete business decision to trash these cans..
Resolve here - there may actually be a reasonable explanation that nobody seems to have considered, and it's unit variation. I saw some measurements of it that didn't look nearly as bad as others, so I'm going to try and get some new ones in to see if that's the case.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Thanks for responding Andrew. I know you mentioned unit variation among Beyerdynamic's. At least DMS could have mentioned the unit he heard 6 years prior was " Phenomenal". If he heard others that did not perform as well he should have mentioned as such.
@MrStewbee bro if you think 6 years isn't a monumentally significant time. A time frame of which your opinions on pretty much anything could be completely reverted, then I pity the life you have led.
When the DT 900 came out, DMS said it was the best measuring headphone Beyer has ever made and put up a graph to prove it but he gives it a C now. I think i would take their opinions with a grain of salt.
@@En_Joshi-Godrez My life is just fine. If you can't comprehend the hypocrisy of a reviewer doing a 180 from saying "it's the best pro headphone I ever put my hands on, and it's the best HP in it's price range and far above it"... then six years later basically saying it "sux" and you think that's a fair and honest assessment...then bro, you need to get a clue
So these were my HP according to their ranking in the video. B tier: Beyer DT 770, Meze 109Pro (PRIMAL) C tier: SHP9500, Koss KPH30 D tier: DT1990, Koss Porta Pros Not ranked: Philips Fidelio X1s And to be honest it’s a little validating to know my thoughts are mostly on par with this list, even though I dont have money, never had a chance to go to Can Jam, or listened to very many HP. My only gripe is I would say the DT 1990s are right there at the mid B teir, even higher than the Meze 109. I personally, think the DT1990’s belong in the A tier myself, but when I listen with the dt1990’s it is exclusively for being analytical and critical listening to mixes, recorded music, orchestra and classical piano. And I think specifically with classical music the treble peak isn’t an issue because it only exists to add some texture and color to the upper harmonics. This means the Beyer treble peak isnt an issue for better recorded, high dynamic range music because those frequencies have more space to travel and interject. At the very least, I rank the dt1990’s right there with my Meze 109 Primals - one isn’t necessarily better, just different tunings and usages. Both have amazing sparkly treble and extensive soundstage. 109’s more lush and punchy, but DT1990’s more detailed, articulate, and open -like crystaline levels of detail and texture throughout the whole range. So, I can uderstand how this would not play well as an audiophile, casual listening HP. Maybe I just enjoy the dt1990 differently than everyone, but I definitely wouldnt call it unlistenable. For everyone else who happens to to stumble onto my comment here, dont write them off and give them a listen. Build quality is also as solid as can be and would last for decades. For $700, I havent found anything around the 1k-1.2k pricepoint that would replace them for me. I’m personally looking towards the Sennheiser HD800, ZMF, and Kennerton audio to see how the dt1990 compares with higer end HP.
@@Denzk They are 109% worth it. My 109 Primals just came in a few days ago and like I commented, at first they were underwhelming. But a few more listens and they really opened up. I have a raw unboxing video of the Primals on my channel. Waiting to spend some more time on it before I do a real review with Bshots and music and everything. The atmosphere, the space, the clarity, really came alive. Imagine listening to a headphone on tube amps -that’s what the 109’s sound like to me, stock. And the bass is literally the most clear and detailed I have ever heard. Hands down the best bass rumble without distortion or bloat out of any HP I own. The sub bass is there, with good extension, quantity of mid bass is very nice, mids are clear, trebles are detailed, sparkly, and have some shimmer and space, but not cold or sibilant. There are more technically able HP out there but not with this amount and quality of bass. Not with this characteristics of being both warm and lush, without being muddy or slow or bloated, and much less HPs that can have that on top of very good treble and mid range. It is definitely worth owning. I was even thinking about getting both 109 Pro smooths and the Primals at one point, but wasnt sure which to buy first. Once I heard Resolve say they were similar to the DT1990s, only better tuned, I splurged and (the day before my Bday, Jan19) went with the Primals first because if it turned out that I actually enjoyed them less than my DT1990s, then at least I could justify keeping them as a had crafted collectible and being something really different from my other headphones. Well, after having spent some time with them, they are now finishing up a burn in period and I can realistically see myself owning two sets of them -one smooth, and one Primal. Even if its just for collectible or as a backup, they are that good. At first listen, I honestly thought they were over-hyped. Now I can see how they rival my fav HP. Yes, they are still not as detailed or extended in the treble, but wow I have nothing that captures both exceptional Bass (like speaker quality levels of bass and sub bass) clear mids, and still very good high end. I literally can’t fault its tuning or quality of its sound for what it manages to accomplish. If Tyll Herstens were here from Inner Fidelity, these would definitely be up on his headphone wall. I mean all the major reviewers enjoy it, hard to go wrong with that. And I havent heard the Meze 99s, but these are a completely different HP. The 109s have in-house built drivers, with all kinds of hybrid coatings and materials, everythings custom: the size and scale of the driver, the cups, the grill, and the internal architecture is completely different, its also possibly a different use case scenario, so the 99 classics cant and shouldnt really be a factor when considering the 109s.
I just got my DT 1990 pro headphones and I'm still waiting on an amp to come in a few days, but after looking at many of the comments in this video, I'm relieved to see everyone still praise them despite what the youtubers said. I was disappointed when they ranked them so low and I just paid for them on Amazon...
Since hearing my first ZMF at the Dallas CanJam I’ve been planning on a purchase so I was very pleased to hear your comments on their entire line. Thank you!
Hmmm... Sennheiser HD 600: A/A/B Sennheiser HD 660S: C/C/C That's quite a drop-off. Yet initially, DMS called the 660S "absolutely phenomenal" and "some of my favorite in the line." Yes, the world of headphones has changed in 6 years, but the HD 6-series hasn't--well, not much. 3 years later, Resolve compared them directly to the Sundaras and preferred the Sundaras but generally had nice things to say about the 660S--except about the price. You're certainly allowed to change your mind over time. But doesn't that put viewers in a bit of a bind, buying-wise?
Similar to Meze 109. I actually got them at a store where I A/B them against the HD650 and similarly priced Hifiman gear. To my ears, the Meze was just better. I personally own and love the Sundara, but would never classify it higher than the 109, the amount of nuance on that set is not even close.
Speaking from my own experience, I have had a pair of HD600 for about 8 years and bought at least 25 other headphones with a $300+ MSRP (buying used saves a lot of cash) At first, I often preferred the new headphones to the HD600, as they tended to have characteristics that stood out positively. Still within a few weeks/months I would find myself going back to the HD600 because of their all-around high quality. After all this time, the only headphones in my regular rotation are the HD600, LCD2f (2016 ish), and Modhouse Argons. Its possible they had a similar experience.
@@Nick_4i Not a criticism of your response, Nick. But I have to ask, what's the conclusion then? I shouldn't waste my time watching reviews because reviewers change their minds sometimes? Am I supposed to guess which times those are? As it gets more and more difficult to audition stereo equipment, more and more people rely on reviews. But if the reviews aren't reliable in the long term, what's the point? If you're a reviewer and you change your mind, please let viewers know as quickly as possible, preferably through an addition to the original review (I know I wouldn't want opinions I no longer endorse floating around the internet). I bought the HD 660S instead of the 600 because most reviewers said the 660S was a tiny bit better than the 600, but not enough to warrant the much higher price. Then the price decreased so it was competitive with the 600. That's when I bought them. Apparently, I was mis-led. It will cost me another $300 to find out why the 600 is now one or two letter grades higher than the 660S. Thanks?
@@Nick_4i Actually I went in the other direction regarding Sundara/109. I first got the Meze, then got the Sundara to scratch the planar itch, preferred the Sundara for a while, mostly because how open they sound and the fantastic tuning, then started to really notice things like the impact, texture, vocal timbre on the Meze. Again, the Sundara is a safe recommendation at its price point, but not really on par with the 109.
I need to say, going over your 'classification' just made me realise how much I miss Metal571. Grouping the DT880 with HD 660S and putting the Sony MDR1AM2 above? You've acquired a twisted sense of humour with time...
I do like the list of headphones chosen but I think when you don't discuss use case you mislead the general public I am a mix engineer and I can tell you for certain that the Neumann NDH 30 are among some of the best headphones for mixing and mastering they are to be thought of as a tool they are not supposed to sound flattering they are meant to tell you what needs to be added or subtracted from a mix and the do that very well.
Really enjoyed this but....Is there any description list or spreadsheet of this ranking? All I can see on my phone is pictures of the headphones. Would be nice to be able to click on the picture and know what they are and a short description of the reviewer's pros and cons.
Thanks for the nice video 2 remarks : The lists ranking the videos and discussions do not fully correlate. Additionally, the headphones are difficult to identify by icon alone in the attached list, titles would help a lot.
I’m loving all my C grade headphones (Sony MDR MV1 - Focal Clear Mg - Meze Empyrean 1). So if anything, this tier list is a great exercise in consistency. Ima look up for more C tier headphones from this list, thanks fellas XD
Shure 840 and 440 I got both of them less than 100 hundred dollars only 44 ohm no need amplifier but build quality like a crap and when I'm a sleep I use my senheiser hd560s got it like 150 dollars used and done I don't need anything else 3 of them have different sounds signature that bang for all my playlist metal,edm, hip-hop,etc. but just use headphones that fit for you from comfort to sound signatures because other people might be like it but not click for you
28:10 I love my Beyer DT770 pro LE 80, but it seems to be on the flatter end, compared to some graphs I’ve seen online. I can attest to their poor quality control. My 770 has an “L” on both sides and both cups’ swivels will get stuck in an odd place and pop into the correct orientation. Overall I don’t really care about these errors as it still sounds good. I highly recommend them for the price and, if you don’t care about some variation in fr, you will receive a solid headphone for the price.
I'm never going to understand the hate for Beyerdynamic and love for Sennheiser. The way these audiophiles nut over the 600s, 560s, etc I was expecting to hear jesus. Instead all I heard was okay sound that was decently clear from an all plastic headphone with not a special soundstage. Meanwhile the 900s and 990s made my music sound special. I'm not old or a bass head. So idk I guess I'm just an idiot.
No, they present their bad takes like that as if they were objective fact. I similarly prefer some beyers over senny's, but not all. For them, if it's beyer it is not allowed to be good, and it's quite obvious.
It's their subjective opinions, after all. What they're saying isn't fact, despite what some would like to think. DMS went from saying the DT 1990 Pro are some of his favorite headphones, with excellent imaging, to putting them in D tier and saying "They're not even good for gaming." Opinions change, and I'm sure it being the cool thing to do doesn't hurt influence those opinions, either.
@jac1968 you keep larping here by C&P the same incorrect fallacious rhetoric over and over again. They made the disclaimer of subjectivity in the beginning. Headfi addicts need to lie to serve their insecurity.
I would love to see this list, but bucketed into price groups. This list is great, but I'd like to see how the headphones breakdown by cost. I.E. are all S-tier $1,000+ US? What are the best
@@beatsandstuff Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Have Beyerdynamic DT770s at the moment, and thinking of going that way. But I do need ot check out the other non-expensive headphones that get good reports: like Hifiman Sundara, but also maybe giving the Edition XS fair consideration too.
@@mikafoxx2717 I'd rather manage the distortion hearing it on other sound systems, than by popping a $5k-10k treated room with top tier monitors/sub. 5% minimal improvement for a lot, and yeah, I'm a hobbyist.
MM-100 is better than the LCD-5? I'm trying to understand what you guys are looking for. Tuning must be more important than technical sound for you. I agree I had to give just a touch of EQ on the LCD-5 but they are far superior in almost every way over the mm-100s. I am getting the 500's and I will put them up against the others I have. If this video shows what the average lister is going for it might make me take all that into consideration when I'm recording my own material. I think I should get the Empyrian II with the MM-500. That should give me a good idea of what others are listening to. Also the Arya organics will be on the to get list but the Arya stealths did not sound great to me. I just might not like that sound but will listen objectively to hear what you guys are liking.
In my experience I'll gravitate to a more neutral headphones over a worse tuned mid technical headphone. The Sundara is a good fairly inexpensive happy spot for me for their tuning, which is scarily close to an HE-1 on the graphs, especially when you touch the subbass by like 5dB, and 1.5 and 7khz by like 2dB
This was a great idea and I think a lot of people would enjoy something similar but for DACs/amps! I’ve been invested in this hobby for a few years now, but only recently have I been interested in upgrading from my A50s/E30 stack and am finding the overall decision-making process to be quite overwhelming. I think it would be cool if you guys teamed up again and gave your opinions on a good amount of the best and worst-sounding dacs/amps you’ve tested/heard.
Andrew doesnt hear differences in all solid state amps anymore and dms doesn't think its worthwhile spending a lot. Goldensound is the only one that would have any opinion
Not technically true. Resolve here - I've only said that if there's a perceptual difference then we should expect to find a measurable one as well. Thresholds of audibility for distortion profiles also aren't that well understood, so the door is still open to some of this. But also, other differences do exist that have to do with output impedance, or other obvious characteristics that can explain a heard difference in an ABX.
I would like to see EQ to different targets. I started playing around with my HEDD2 ... I try to EQ to other headphone FR response curve because I dont like the Harman target.
Some of the headphones you compared and deemed being bright (especially the Stax X9000, but also the 009s, etc), actually just mercilessly expose (and not hide) the characteristics and nature of the underlying chain. They are sharp mirrors, not fuzzy mirrors, but not of the "digitally oversharpened" kind. Nevertheless, they are difficult to match. It feels like the Warwick are better to mask the chain - which can be considered a merit, indeed, and they are excellent anyway. Interesting point about the crossfeed in the HE1 demos. For the other (dozens of) headphones I know, I could related to the impressions, with some exceptions. Many headphones from the list can easily travel 2-3 tiers after pad change, fine tuning or EQ. The ZMF Atrium - that was with which pads?
So, I have Hifiman Sundara, and while I really like the sound, they keep having issues for me. One time I took them off and I heard a loud eldritch noise followed by endless droning. After some troubleshooting, I put them down for like a year out of fear of busting my eardrums if it happened while on my head. I picked them back up for the last few months without issue (I turned my AMP down just incase), until, when taking them off again, I heard a static pop and they constantly hum. I don't know if it's my AMP and DAC that caused the issue or if it's the headphones. I use the Magni Heresy and the Modi. I really just want to get back into the realm of good audio.
Great review. I’m new to the audiophile headphone world - I’m not familiar with names associated with the headphone pictures. Could you supply the actual name of each headphone with the picture for future reference? Thanks.
Any thoughts in terms of value? Diminishing returns? Which category is the sweetspot in terms of what you get - what you pay for? I think this should always be the way to end a tierlist.
@@ibrahimsincap3705true, though the Sundara really cleans up all the 400se's tuning flaws.. XS isn't better tuned than the Sundara either, just more imaging and bass. The HD600 and Sundara are pretty much staples for good value for money without going overboard. I prefer the Sundara for the bass and complex passages being much cleaner. Both very well tuned
I just can't understand how can you place a LCD-X and a dt770 into the same tier.. Owner of both, and LCD-X would be S++ tier compared to dt770 that would be F tier. BD are not bad headphones, but in the end - it's the audio that matters. And there's a big difference between them.
Yeah the tiers did not entail sonic equivalency. It's tough with the Audezes because they typically have more esoteric or unconventional tunings, making them hit and miss depending on the person, and we didn't allow for any EQ with this list. WITH EQ the LCD-X would be way higher. The same was true for many on the list like that.
As someone who wants to run a headphone through dongle dac, and only want to buy 1 for budget of 100-200... Is there any that can be recomended to me? I sincerely only want 1 headphone.
HD600, tier, yeah. Sundara is better for some things like bass and complex passages like electronic music, but it's hard to get the price down as much as that even on sale. Maybe second hand. 6xx more reliable long term but the pads need replacing every year ish depending how much you use it.
So if we wait two years the S rank headphone you recommended will be a solid B? I felt terribly sad also for the headphones costing a ton of money that got C and even D rankings. Perhaps more revealing about the audiophile hobby than intended. I wonder what the E3 will be next year? Do headphones really improve this much over a year? How much of this is fashion?
Many of the S tier headphones have been around for years. Technological improvements within this field of headphones are relatively slower than in most other modern tech industries. Do you feel sad for those C/D headphones because they’re bad products or because they’re expensive? There are plenty of bad and expensive things in the world: food, clothing, vacations, computers, books, cars, etc. Do these also make you feel sad?
@@KeiS14 yes. I’m not surprised by that. I am a little surprised that some headphones such as the Audeze LCD-X have gone down in the rankings. There are many in the list that were initially reviewed as amazing that are now wallowing in the lower tiers.
@@ibassnoteI think it's a case of us getting way better tuning across the board. I feel like we're in a tuning golden age that carried over from iem's that suddenly got good.
Sennheiser HD 820 cannot be a match for HD 650. Listen to HD 650 with tube amplifier and then make your own judgment. I am speaking as someone who has owned Sundara, Ananda, Arya Stealth, Arya Organic, HD 600, 650, 660s, 660s2, DT 770, 990, 1990 pro and hundreds of other headphones. What makes HD 650 special is the unattainable effect it gives on vocals. Everything else is a detail.
Very entertaining having you all on this - like The Avengers of headphone tier list videos.. sort of. I haven’t heard the vast majority of these but tend to agree with most of the comments, save that the scorn for the DT series Beyerdynamics was perhaps laid undeservedly thick, and the Clear MG sounded unequivocally nicer to me than the old one, but I certainly can’t hear up to 18khz.. Hopefully you do more of these in future, perhaps also for DAC / amplifier units? One minor suggestion, it would help to have in small text in a bottom corner perhaps, the make and model of headphone being discussed at each time. I watched this a second time and was skipping to different units, when going back and forth between brands, it takes a few moments to work out which specific headphone is being discussed. Otherwise that was excellent. Perhaps have Josh Valour or Lachlan Fennen (Passion for Sound) along too next time?
To summarize, if you're an audiophile and prefer the absolute sound, just get the Sennheiser HE-1. No headphones come close to it for now, unfortunately. Most others would have more of the headphone coloration that distracts ftom the absolute sound. You will easily adjust to it, but going back and forth likely you would just want to use the one that sounds closer to the absolute sound as its always a compromise given severe limitations in this format. The HD600 is an affordable option that caters to the two channel audiophile going for personal audio ie quality over quantity such as bass limits.
@@Ande313 It’s a matter of personal taste. Acoustic instruments and voice in a specific venue recording nothing comes close to the HE 1 in audio reproduction of that event. But not many appears to value that fidelity nowadays.
So why didn't you Guy's include the Senheiser HD560, HD569 and HD599? Still seem to be great performers for the Price and the HD569 is really underrated as an Close back headset.
I'm glad to see this list, I'm a old head and all headphones were the wired kind when I grew up listening to music and I've always have had a nice pair. I currently own a pair of Focal Clear but going to listen to some of these in the future.
You really have to take this with a pinch of salt. They are trashing the headphones that others rave about. Joshua Valour ranks Focal Clear very highly, the best Focal headphone he says. Z Reviews, BadSeed Tech, Passion for Sound have rated Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro highly. And these guys rated it as D Category. Just some examples of discrepancies in their rating and others who have reviewed these headphones. I own a lot of headphones, including the ones mentioned above. I think their opinion is very very subjective. For someone wanting to purchase a new headphone, just go try the ones you like before blindly following some reviewer's advice.
@@saricubra2867 the unit variation on those is crazy though, i literally heard 2 different pairs that sounded so distant i had to bring them together to see if i wasn't going crazy. Completely different sounding headphones. That might be one big reason for that as well.
@@ZandoNoid The DT1990 pro have been on the market for a few years now and I have never read anything about it. One person thinks it's "crazy" and another doesn't notice it. Just like one person notices a "huge" difference between 250 ohms and 600 ohms and another doesn't. So what, it is and remains subjective and you can only judge with your own hearing which faction you belong to and whether it is relevant to you at all.
Where is the Verum 1 Mk2? Forget the intangibles concerning Igor's online comments and my focus is JUST on the headphones themselves. Considering many believe they outperform the Sundara's while "only" $349, I'd love to know where you guys would list this. Just from the viewpoint of the headphone itself, I've seen feedback that this could be the best budget/ mid-fi headphone for value and should be on this list. Thanks.
Oh this is going to be fun. I only own one headphone at the minute, well technically it's a headset the audeze Maxwell. I listened to it and then realized I don't need the hd600 anymore. The Maxwell is so similar but with sub bass and the convenience of wireless. Add the fact it comes with a mic for gaming it's just an all around win. The rest of my collection is iem's.
I keep the 600 around just because I know it'll outlast everything else. Love my Sundaras - better technicality in busy passages and also better bass, lower distortion and such, but the reliability isn't as good on these things. 600's are basically eternal
It seems that TH-cam does not like URL links in its comment section. “Dekoni Audio Replacement Earpads for Audeze LCD - Choice Suede:” Are these DMS’ recommended pads for the Caldera? Will they fit without modification?
Im trying to figure out the exact pads as well. Dekoni has LCD Velour and LCD Choice Suede. But the LCD Velour seems to boost the treble instead. So the Choice Suede is correct? 😂
WOW! I must be listening to songs with a totally different purpose. All the headphones I love you guys did not care for them. I listen to almost everything from apple music lossless at the highest rate possible, or my own recordings I'm working on. From mac to RME ADI 2/4 to headphone outs. I also bought the xDuoo Pro with optional DACs and Amps. I am going to try out the HUGO 2 as well. If I don't use headphones, I listen through Focal ST6 Be studio monitors. A few other monitors as well but I like the Focals best. That's the newer version of the Solo 6be. I'm a musician, record and mix. I love the LCD-5's. It took a little bit of tweaking but with just a little eq bump in the bass and at 9K they are amazing. I hear everything I do from what strings or drum heads were used to reverb tails, EQ, Compression etc. I use a few other DAC / Amps as well. I also love my Stellias, and focal Clear MG's. I hear so much detail. I don't want extra bass or frequencies that were not there in the recordings. I don't want an exaggerated sound. If I want that I would put that in the recording, mix, and master. I think that I have the same goal when listening to other classic recordings. I also have the DT1990 & 1770 pros and they sound very good. I have the Araya Stealths and they are my least favorite. The top end is not realistic and artificial. I will have to listen to them some more but I just have not cared for them. I think I might try the organics and see if I can listen for what you guys seem to hear. It's very interesting to hear what you guys like. You might be more of the norm so finding out more about what you guys like might help in my own recordings. If you could recommend just two more headphones, what would you recommend? Oh, yea I'm also thinking about getting MM-500's to see if I like those as much as the LCD-5's. I had to get used to the 5's but there was and is something so satisfying about them. I can hear everything I've done with my recordings. I really like the Clear MG's as well so maybe I just don't hear the same as most.
@@phobiedufromage2433 Of course there is. How can you say what someone else wants or likes? I just bought the Diana MR, Empyrean 2, and Arya Organic. They are all fun but not for me to record, mix, and master. I'll end up selling all the fun headphones and just pick my favorite to keep. Most of the time I listen through Studio Monitors in my studio or my three mixing headphones. While tracking to prevent bleed I use Stellias. The fun headphones exaggerate and change recordings in too many ways. Just like the Focal OG, they don't give an accurate picture for my tastes. The Focal MG's, MM-500's and the LCD-5's are better for me. When people think some cymbals might be too harsh in some phones, they don't know what the original recording was meant to sound like. For my recordings I know what cymbal, room, mic, mic placement, preamp, EQ, compressor, etc. was used. Some of those headphones smoothed out the tone more than what I wanted. If a cymbal or something is too harsh, I need to know. Then I will use a darker mic or change something else to make it sound right for the song. The Focal OG is not as good as the MG for my purposes. Listening to reference tracks, I like to know what they sound like on an honest playback system. That includes my studio monitors and room acoustics. If a recording was not good, I want to hear it, everything good and bad.
I am genuinely surprised about the Beyredynamic DT 990 and DT 1990. I am actually very sensitive to high's / peaks when it comes to audio. But I believe I negate this by turning down the volume quite a bit. But both of those headpones for me out of my collection are actually my favorite. I most definitely like V-shaped curves though.
Oh, the beyerdynamic DT 990 pro are absolutely over the top with highs, they are very tiresome to listen to most music with. good for some music though, and speech. I listened to this video using 990s.
Does Resolve have the final say for everything in this tier list made? I didn't see any headphones moved based on what DMS/GoldenSound said. Is the tier list not a team effort?
I ran I to a problem while editing, since the tiermaker randomized each of the lists I was only able to capture b-roll for mine. The other lists are reflected in the conclusion as well as in the description.
I rank all tier lists made using tiermaker an F. tiermaker is a collection of thumbnails with no links to actual information, so unless I watch a 2 hour video and make notes I will be non the wiser.
It's really strange that headphone reviewers of this scale have no experience with AKG headphones. The AKG K712 Pro and AKG K702 headphones have no competitors in their price range when it comes to soundstage. These are very famous and classic headphone.
They are a store (see channel and video description to their website). If you search their store you’ll see they sell no headphones by AKG, so they have no interest in praising them. Likewise they seem to trash Beyerdynamic a fair amount and when I search for them it says “37 results for beyerdynamic” but only shows Sennheiser phones to buy!
I like the Beyerdynamic 1990's as they provide a great sound stage, good bass, mids and nice and top end. Joshua Valour who also reviews headphones loved them as well. He and I also like the Focal Clear MG's as well. Though we wshed, they had a little more top end with this subjective topic.
With the exception of the Expanse which for whatever reason works quite well for me, I pretty much agree with all of these. I'm now going to spend the rest of winter preparing myself for the 72h long IEM tier list, the 9hr Amp tier list, the 6hr DAC list, and the 50-60 hr dongle list 🤣 P.S. I hope you're recovering well, Andrew, and happy almost birthday, DMS!
Just bought the Beyerdynamic dt 1990 pros (they arrive tomorrow) and now Im hoping I still like them. Edit (again): I like the headphones and I don't regret my purchase. They are very comfortable and sound natural and balanced to me. I don't see a problem with any of the treble being too high. Am I an alleged "Anti-Siblance" person?? Either way, I've only seen praise for the DT 1990 Pros everywhere else online.
I loved my HEKse as well - detail for days, deep sub bass (but quite a bit light on bass), easy to drive - until one driver failed on my brand-new unit about 10 weeks or so into my ownership. Arya Stealth is better balanced than HEKse, but on the right tracks HEKse is noticeably better. This listener is not hearing how it’s two slots below the Arya.
Also putting the Ananda Nano in C tier with Edition XS being B… I agree with a lot of this chart but the Nano to me is noticeably better than the XS. It is also one of the best headphones I have ever heard and possibly the best current deal under $1000.
@@Flo-ge9db No, they are not mistaken in the sense of actually meaning another headphone. These guys are well versed with most great headphones in the market including the Hifiman Susvara. You can disagree with their conclusions however and as I have already said many reviewers are quite eccentric in their judgements.
very intereseting how things have changed over the years, i bought my dt1990pro´s 5-6 years ago (as they were highly recommendet and now they are low tier headphones). would you upgrade to modern 500€ headphones in my case?
Almost nothing changes with time in audio. Headphones have been some flavour of what we today would consider "good hifi" since the 90s - I mean jeez, the HD600 has never changed beyond getting slightly worse and it's still super competitive in 2024. You just bought a bad headphone on bad recommendations.
Really fun watch! Out of curiosity, is Chrono still part of the team? I enjoyed a lot of his opinions in the past and it's been a while since his last video.
Probably similar to the original Zeus. They won't differ that much. But, - don't get caught strictly following their rankings. These are only 3 people with 3 opinions at the end of the day. They are not counting other factors in, especially that a headphone foremost must be comfortable to wear, even for prolonged sessions! So it's best to listen to the headphones for yourself with your own gear and source equipment. It's not possible to give general recommendations in this highly subjective matter of hearing (anatomy), preferences and source gear. I'm here just for entertainment reasons, personally I kind of agree with roughly 60% of their rankings and 40% I've to hardly disagree with.
loved this video thanks. I definitely learned a ton and changed my headphone goals quite a bit. Would love to see an IEM tier list collaboration someday.
This was a hugely fun video guys! Thank you so much. I love my HD 600 and 650. I’m still thinking about pulling the trigger on the 660S2. You guys say it’s not as good, but other reviewers say it’s the best of the 6 series, including Jude from head-fi. So I’m thinking about it.
I prefer the war 660s2 over the 650 (have both) although I wouldn't consider the touted extended bass/ sub bass of the s2 as a standout (or even barely noticeable) feature.
HD650 with Sound ID, love em. I'd love to try the HD600, but neither of these headphones are sold where I live, bought my cans more than 10 years ago, just replaced their ear foams and headbands, brand new again. Can't complain at all.
Have both hd650 and 660s2. The 660 bass and treble truly is a upgrade vs 650. Along more separation. 650 mids perhaps slightly more detailed. Vastly prefr 660 presentstion
I know these rankings carry little meaning and are done despite better judgment, but there’s one weird trick I wish would die: “It’s great at this price point.” It’s like you can take a $2K “meh” set, reduce its price to $500 and all a sudden people rave about it. It’s also like you can take a $500 “fantastic” set, increase its price to $1000 and all a sudden people can’t find anything nice to say about it. I have to believe it’s simply a sales trick to give everything a potential market.
I love my beyers. I have the tygr300r, dt 1990 pros and my favorite the t1 2nd gens. I like them more than my hifiman edition xs also monolith 1570s or amts. The t1 2nd gens are just so good.
DT770 in B tier while DT1990 is D is insane. Have heard pretty much all of the DT series and owned most of the, for me 770 was clearly the worst, both 880 and 990 sound better imo. DT1990 is on another level compared to these. With the impressive sound, the dual sets of pads, the build quality, the excellent case is still one of the best bang for buck deals in headphone market. All Beyerdynamics have hot treble region, so if your ears are very treble sensitive, then maybe it could be an issue . A lot of people listen to headphones too loud so at the right volume this isn't should be an issue.
Here's a question: I got HD600 and absolutely loved them, but the subbass rolloff was a complete deal-breaker for me. Everything else was magic. What could I get then?
1) AKG: K712 Pro is still relevant. Soundstage king at the price 2) Austrian Audio: again shitting on X55 and ignoring fantastic X65. C tier my ass. it's Elex / Clear tier HP. 3) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro: closed classic. great build, comfort and soundstage. needs EQ, though. 4) Dan Clark Audio: heard only Ether 2, didn't like it at all 5) Fostex: T40RPmk3 is best tuned closed I heard. comfort is wanting. 6) Grado: GR60e. love the soundstage. my first serious HP. 7) Sendy: heard the Apollo and was impressed. comfort is great too.
Shocked how you can still be hoodwinked into thinking its acceptable. There are people that think Mcdonald's makes awesome burgers, there is a good reason these people aren't food critics.
unforTUNEately beyer's are too hyped (by shills and in sound)!! with the exception of the dt1770 pro which is ok (ish) in tonal balance, but is close to £500!!! 😆
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yea it be nice to have the names of the headphones, lot of work I know but I don't recognize shit and almost didn't recognize my own pair LOL
This is one of the most useful video for buying headphones. Thank you all for evaluating all these headphones! Want to see a separate sheet for open and closed back headphones. After watching this video I have hard time to decide get stax 9000 or warwick B as my ultimate set up.
Only if you agree with their opinions or know how you differ for example I know what ever DMS really likes I will not and whatever he dislikes I will probably like!
If sound quality is the only thing that I care about, how much of a difference would there be between, say, $500 headphones and $5000 dollar headphones that are EQd to the same frequency response target?
![Blue Unicorns & Task List Trauma [EP 122]](/img/n.gif)
Just a couple of notes:
This list was only made for passive wired headphones. No ANC or wireless headphones were included because that's a separate category and introduces different variables. IEMs also weren't included here, those are separate lists.
I expect this video will get folks fired up in the comments, I'd just ask that you please give the disclaimers section a watch beforehand at 00:22 just so you have a sense of where we're coming from. One of the key takeaways from doing this exercise is that there is no definitive ranking list that's going to satisfy everyone and that we shouldn't just base our judgments or understanding of products around the opinions of a single perspective. We all have different preferences and approach this stuff differently from one another, and I think this video shows that as well.
If YOU have a different opinion than we do on a given headphone, understand that this is also expected. Our opinions have also changed over time and I also imagine they will have changed again by the next time we do this. And with that in mind, remember that we're just three people on the internet talking about headphones - don't let that affect your enjoyment of stuff you love.
Lastly, tier lists or rankings of any kind are highly reductive and give a particularly blunt indication of how products are received. I'm fully aware that this point may be missed when folks are watching this video. This is also the reason why I'm generally not a fan of doing singular tier lists on this stuff. There's far more to each product than just a ranking or a letter grade. But, we've been regularly asked for this list, so here it is.
Also, check the description for the higher visibility tier lists
can i ask a link/ picture of DMS' and Golden's tierlist?
@@MuhammadKharismawan those should be in the description as well. It has my picture because I created them based on what they said in this video but they are titled appropriately.
@@ResolveReviews ah ok, i watched the video right after it was released so i need to refresh the page for it to show up, thanks
will you guys possibly do a wireless / anc / iem ranking seperate to this?
This was a fun concept. We of course skipped ahead to our section, but will finish the rest later. What, no "Surrounder" ranking?? What gives?!?! Haha 😉 See you all soon and Happy Holidays!
Haha yes a clear omission - Happy Holidays!
HD820 with new FR pls
Woah, the real Sennheiser
Cheaper HE 1 when?
@@reykhan233probably never realistically speaking
I have made a written list below! Thank you very much for this tier list! I have had so much fun watching it and listening your opinions. Very interesting results! I noticed many people are asking for the written list so I have made one based on your list (I took average score of 3 of you so the list might be slightly different than the one you are showing to us):
S+
1. Sennheiser HE-1
2. Warwick Acoustics Bravura
3. Warwick Acoustics Aperio
S
1. Abyss Diana MR
2. Hifiman he6 OG
3. Hifiman Susvara
4. Meze Empyrean 2
6. ZMF Atrium
A
1. Abyss Diana TC
2. Abyss AB1266 Phi TC
3. Audeze MM500
4. Austrian Audio The Composer
5. DCA Aeon 2 Noir
6. DCA Corina
7. Final Audio D8000pro
8. Focal Elex
9. Focal Utopia (newer version slightly better than older)
10. HEDD Audio HEDDphone One
11. Hifiman Arya v3
12. Hifiman Arya Organic
13. HIFIMAN SHANGRI-LA jr
14. HIFIMAN SHANGRI-LA sr
15. Sennheiser HD600
16. Sennheiser HD650
17. Sennheiser HD800s
18. STAX SR-007 MK2!
19. STAX SR-X9000
20. STAX SR-L700 !
21. ZMF Auteur Classic
22. ZMF Aeolus
23. ZMF Verite Closed
24. ZMF Caldera
B
1. Abyss Diana v2
2. AKG K371
3. AKG K361
4. Audeze LCD1
5. Audeze LCD-2F
6. Audeze LCD-3F
7. Audeze LCD-4
8. Audeze LCD-X 2021+
9. Audeze LCD-XC
10. Audeze LCD-5 !
11. Audio-Technica ATH-R70x
12. DCA Aoen Closed X
13. DCA Ether Closed
14. DCA Stealth
15. Focal Clear OG
16. Focal Celestee
17. Focal Radiance
18. HarmonicDyne G200
19. HarmonicDyne Zeus
20. HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two !
21. Hifiman Sundara
22. Hifiman Edition XS
23. Hifiman he6se v2
24. Hifiman HE1000 v2
25. Meze 109pro
26. Moondrop Void
27. Raal requisite CA-1A
28. Raal SR-1B
29. Sennheiser HD580
30. Sennheiser HD660s 2
31. Shure 840
32. Sony Z1R
33. Sony MDR-V6
34. Sony 1am2
35. Spirit Torino Valkyria
36. STAX SR-009s !
37. STAX SR-L300
38. STAX SR-L500
39. ZMF Atrium Closed
40. ZMF Verite Open
C
1. AKG k612pro
2. AKG k712pro
3. Audeze LCD-GX
4. Audeze LCD-2C Classic
5. Audeze CRBN
6. Audio-Technica ATH-m40x
7. Audio-Technica adx5000 (and any other adx line)
8. Austrian Audio HI-X65
9. Beyerdynamic DT770
10. Beyerdynamic DT880
11. Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R
12. Beyerdynamic DT700 pro-x
13. Beyerdynamic DT900 pro-x
14. Dan Clark Audio Aeon Open X
15. Denon AHD-9200
16. Denon AH-D1001
17. Focal Elegia
18. Focal Clear MG
19. Focal Stellia
20. Fostex t50rp
21. Fostex t60rp
22. HarmonicDyne Helios
23. Hifiman HE-400se
24. Hifiman HE-560
25. Hifiman Ananda-Nano
26. Hifiman Ananda-Stealth
27. Koss kph30i
28. Meze Empyrean 1
29. Meze Elite
30. Moondrop Venus
31. Neumann NDH-30
32. Sandy Aiva
33. Sennheiser HD560s
34. Sennheiser HD660s
35. Sony MDR-MV1
36. Sony CD900ST
D
1. AKG k701
2. AKG k702
3. AKG 7xx
4. Audeze LCD-2 Closed
5. Audeze EL-8C
6. Audio-Technica ATH-m50x
7. Beyerdynamic Aeron Home
8. Beyerdynamic DT1990
9. DCA Ether 2
10. DCA Expanse
11. Focal Elear
12. Fostex TR-X00 Mahogany
13. Fostex TH-900
14. Fostex TH-909
15. Goldplanar AMT-1
16. Grado Hemp
17. HarmonicDyne Poseidon
18. Hifiman Deva
19. Hifiman HE1000 se
20. Koss Porta Pro
21. Koss KSC75
22. Meze 99 Classic
23. Meze Lyric
24. Neumann NDH-20
25. Neumann Ollo Audio S4X
26. Philips SHP-9500
27. Philips SHP-9600
28. Phiips x3
29. Shure 840 a
30. Sony PFR V1
31.
F
1. Beyerdynamic DT990
2. Beyerdynamic T5p
3. Beyerdynamic DT1770
4. DCA VOCE
5. Goldplanar GL2000
6. All Grado except Hemp
7. Hifiman Sundara Closed
8. Sandy Peacock
9. Shure SRH 1540
10. Sony MDR-ZX110
11. Sony MDR-M1ST
12. TakeT H2+
HTHTH
1. Austrian Audio HI-X55
2. Beats Pro
3. Beyerdynamic T1 Gen
4. Hifiman Audivina
5. Hifiman HE-R9
6. Hifiman HE-R10p
7. Moondrop Joker
8. Sennheiser HD820
9. Sennheiser HD700
10. Spirit Torino Twin Pulse
11. Ultrasone 580i
X (Not heard)
1. Denon AHD-7200
2. Denon AHD-5200
3. HarmonicDyne Athena
4. Hifiman HE1000 Stealth
You mentioned that it was 182 headphones, on my list it is less. The one with ! are the headphones got 3 different tier from all of you, so I have put them into average one. Enjoy!
This is awesome!
thank you!!!
legend
bro why is Koss ksc75 at d tier
Because they're clearly saying it's d tier.
I always say I won't do a Tier List. But I feel Left out of this monster.
110 minute videos are my specialty..
Resolve here - I'll do a tier list with you... But we will fight!
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Since Z’s face is now free for public consumption, you could set up a fight in the TH-cam boxing scene. Get Sennheiser on board for the winner to get a HE-1. The loser must listen to only one headphone (of the winners choosing) for the next month.
Would be a battle for the ages!
Most of it appears to be about your life with maybe 20 minutes of it being about headphones 😂 (just playing around btw, no hard feelings)
Please do one Z you actually appreciate Japanese headphones and headphones that don’t all sound the same!
Most controversial opinions:
Sennheiser HD800 - S grade What?! I say “C” it has very little bass presence , impact and the treble spike. Build materials and cable connections are mediocre at best.
Denon D9200 only a “C” but Z1R is a “B”?!
How can Sennheiser hd600 series be anything greater than a “C”? Blob imaging, no sub bass extension not detailed, small stage.
Focal Clear a “B”?! You guys gonna make Tyll come out of retirement!
09:18 - AKG: K371 and K361=B 104.
20:27 - Audio Technica: M40X=C. 125.
1:17:11 - Philips 9500 and 9600=D 80-100.
1:20:54 - Sennheiser HD580=B; 560s=C; HD600=A
thanks
Wish you had summarized at the end better. Maybe a scatter plot of tier vs price would be cool. Maybe also share your top picks for different budgets.
Exactly. Actually The Main Problem is Diminishing Returns. The S Tier Makes No Sense For Audiophiles.
It'd be good to have a text based list. The tier list itself is one case where a picture does not infact say a thousand words (or even 1): what the name of the headphones are.
Yes. Googling “headphones that have a bit of orange” isn’t that helpful
yea I don't know what i'm looking at haha just these photos. Give us some labels or links or something
Yep it’s really difficult to figure out what the pics are
Agree, no idea how you are suppose to tell the Audeze's apart
A list is definitely a MUST for anyone interested in buying (or trying out) these headphones! I watched this for info to guide my buying choices. Please, to make the video more enjoyable and easier to follow, give us the names. They could be put in the description of the video, a comment, or provided in a link to your website. You could include the sound rankings in this manner: AKG K371(B,B,B). Feel free to include a "-" or "+", since sometimes you said a headphone was a "low A", making it an "A-". Thanks!
I'm crying for DMS doesn't like the 1990 anymore after I bought them based on his review. But I'm ok with it. It's been half a decade and people and their taste and perception and the technology around change. I'll still like them.
They're still a great headphone! Just you can get the same for less nowadays so he's not recommending it anymore. Same as Joshua Valour, Zeos, etc
I adore my DT1990 paired with Mojo. I have bought Focal Clear and sold them after 6 months and tested so many different models since +5 years ago when I bought my DT1990. I've just kind given up on finding headphone I would like more - or most importantly I am just fully satisfied with DT1990.
@@tissot233 I pair mine with a cheap Chinese tube dac/amp (Douk Audio P1) with bass and treble knobs. Resulting sound is pure magic. No way else to describe it. HD 800 S on this same dac/amp is also magic. I actually enjoy both headphones equally as much on this setup for different reasons.
it should also be said that the 1990 have insane eq posibilities. Making the only complaint about them pretty much ignorable
Don’t pay attention to what reviews say. Headphones are one of the weirdest hobbies. No one here talks about value for the money in the rankings and I have yet to see someone explain which headphones made the 1990 irrelevant at its price.
How about a written list besides pics? Could not find one. Thanks.
I own one S and two A tiers headphones from the list and I agree of their rankings, this also applies to the other headphones I have heard, except for the DT 1990 Pro which I rank higher, but I am older and am not sensitive to high frequencies, but the bottom line is that 95% of all people would be perfectly happy with either the HD600 or Sundara depending on personal taste.
True, but we are the 5%🙈
yes DMS ranked the DT 1990 much higher (A-tier) just 3 years ago. As anyone would. But his hearing as gotten so much better since then! 🤷♂
My issues with the 1990 was the headband giving me terrible pain, and the sound (same with dt 990, tygr, 770, mmx 300) has an unusual metallic sound to it, I’ve always found beyer to sound unnatural for some reason, but I also found they all excelled when used for gaming, very good for competitive shooters.
@@JOJOSSTAR1 you know you can oly loose hearing right?
@@JohZs77 Ever heard of sarcasm?
As someone who knows nothing about headphones, could you label the headphones on the respective tier lists. Pictures of headphones don't help really.
@4nanke129
6 months ago (edited)
I have made a written list below! Thank you very much for this tier list! I have had so much fun watching it and listening your opinions. Very interesting results! I noticed many people are asking for the written list so I have made one based on your list (I took average score of 3 of you so the list might be slightly different than the one you are showing to us):
S+
1. Sennheiser HE-1
2. Warwick Acoustics Bravura
3. Warwick Acoustics Aperio
S
1. Abyss Diana MR
2. Hifiman he6 OG
3. Hifiman Susvara
4. Meze Empyrean 2
6. ZMF Atrium
A
1. Abyss Diana TC
2. Abyss AB1266 Phi TC
3. Audeze MM500
4. Austrian Audio The Composer
5. DCA Aeon 2 Noir
6. DCA Corina
7. Final Audio D8000pro
8. Focal Elex
9. Focal Utopia (newer version slightly better than older)
10. HEDD Audio HEDDphone One
11. Hifiman Arya v3
12. Hifiman Arya Organic
13. HIFIMAN SHANGRI-LA jr
14. HIFIMAN SHANGRI-LA sr
15. Sennheiser HD600
16. Sennheiser HD650
17. Sennheiser HD800s
18. STAX SR-007 MK2!
19. STAX SR-X9000
20. STAX SR-L700 !
21. ZMF Auteur Classic
22. ZMF Aeolus
23. ZMF Verite Closed
24. ZMF Caldera
B
1. Abyss Diana v2
2. AKG K371
3. AKG K361
4. Audeze LCD1
5. Audeze LCD-2F
6. Audeze LCD-3F
7. Audeze LCD-4
8. Audeze LCD-X 2021+
9. Audeze LCD-XC
10. Audeze LCD-5 !
11. Audio-Technica ATH-R70x
12. DCA Aoen Closed X
13. DCA Ether Closed
14. DCA Stealth
15. Focal Clear OG
16. Focal Celestee
17. Focal Radiance
18. HarmonicDyne G200
19. HarmonicDyne Zeus
20. HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two !
21. Hifiman Sundara
22. Hifiman Edition XS
23. Hifiman he6se v2
24. Hifiman HE1000 v2
25. Meze 109pro
26. Moondrop Void
27. Raal requisite CA-1A
28. Raal SR-1B
29. Sennheiser HD580
30. Sennheiser HD660s 2
31. Shure 840
32. Sony Z1R
33. Sony MDR-V6
34. Sony 1am2
35. Spirit Torino Valkyria
36. STAX SR-009s !
37. STAX SR-L300
38. STAX SR-L500
39. ZMF Atrium Closed
40. ZMF Verite Open
C
1. AKG k612pro
2. AKG k712pro
3. Audeze LCD-GX
4. Audeze LCD-2C Classic
5. Audeze CRBN
6. Audio-Technica ATH-m40x
7. Audio-Technica adx5000 (and any other adx line)
8. Austrian Audio HI-X65
9. Beyerdynamic DT770
10. Beyerdynamic DT880
11. Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R
12. Beyerdynamic DT700 pro-x
13. Beyerdynamic DT900 pro-x
14. Dan Clark Audio Aeon Open X
15. Denon AHD-9200
16. Denon AH-D1001
17. Focal Elegia
18. Focal Clear MG
19. Focal Stellia
20. Fostex t50rp
21. Fostex t60rp
22. HarmonicDyne Helios
23. Hifiman HE-400se
24. Hifiman HE-560
25. Hifiman Ananda-Nano
26. Hifiman Ananda-Stealth
27. Koss kph30i
28. Meze Empyrean 1
29. Meze Elite
30. Moondrop Venus
31. Neumann NDH-30
32. Sandy Aiva
33. Sennheiser HD560s
34. Sennheiser HD660s
35. Sony MDR-MV1
36. Sony CD900ST
D
1. AKG k701
2. AKG k702
3. AKG 7xx
4. Audeze LCD-2 Closed
5. Audeze EL-8C
6. Audio-Technica ATH-m50x
7. Beyerdynamic Aeron Home
8. Beyerdynamic DT1990
9. DCA Ether 2
10. DCA Expanse
11. Focal Elear
12. Fostex TR-X00 Mahogany
13. Fostex TH-900
14. Fostex TH-909
15. Goldplanar AMT-1
16. Grado Hemp
17. HarmonicDyne Poseidon
18. Hifiman Deva
19. Hifiman HE1000 se
20. Koss Porta Pro
21. Koss KSC75
22. Meze 99 Classic
23. Meze Lyric
24. Neumann NDH-20
25. Neumann Ollo Audio S4X
26. Philips SHP-9500
27. Philips SHP-9600
28. Phiips x3
29. Shure 840 a
30. Sony PFR V1
31.
F
1. Beyerdynamic DT990
2. Beyerdynamic T5p
3. Beyerdynamic DT1770
4. DCA VOCE
5. Goldplanar GL2000
6. All Grado except Hemp
7. Hifiman Sundara Closed
8. Sandy Peacock
9. Shure SRH 1540
10. Sony MDR-ZX110
11. Sony MDR-M1ST
12. TakeT H2+
HTHTH
1. Austrian Audio HI-X55
2. Beats Pro
3. Beyerdynamic T1 Gen
4. Hifiman Audivina
5. Hifiman HE-R9
6. Hifiman HE-R10p
7. Moondrop Joker
8. Sennheiser HD820
9. Sennheiser HD700
10. Spirit Torino Twin Pulse
11. Ultrasone 580i
X (Not heard)
1. Denon AHD-7200
2. Denon AHD-5200
3. HarmonicDyne Athena
4. Hifiman HE1000 Stealth
Quick tip, these people are scam artists and not genuinely recommending products. They exist to get commission on HD6XX and AKG 371 sales, and hoping they can suck people into spending more money.
I got sucked in, got rid of my HD6XX and now I'm far happier with some 20$ QKZ HBB Earbuds.
Fun concept, can be a good starting guide. The only problem is that the list is pictures. Most are low res so for many I have no idea what they are! Some way of having both textual and image would make your list much more useful.
Yeah, I wish they'd post the list.
I have made a text list. Please check my comment. ;)
Would love to see one on DACs and Amps! Ooooh and an updated 2023 "what would you buy list" with more price brackets.
You guys put the Phillips SHP-9500 & 9600 on the tier list but not the X2HR and X3 that were also mentioned? I own the 9500 and X2HR; 9500 is an excellent gaming headphone, super comfortable, can wear it all day and fantastic at bringing forth the midrange, it even surprisingly has bass when equipped with thicker pads. But as they come, C-tier is deserved, great entry-level open-back. X2HR is better in almost every way; build, clarity, bass extension, greater soundstage and separation, mids take a step back, and the only detractor is it struggles with really high-pitched voices and sharp 'S' sounds, otherwise they sound identical to the Moondrop Variations IEMs which cost 4x more. I'd rank the X2HR high or mid B-tier, imo.
Sorry, but I have to call out DMS for his reverse comments regarding Beyerdynamic's DT1990 Pro.These are some of his comments regarding the phone about 5-6 years ago. This in essence is how he described the DT1990 Pro... "Listening to these just w/o doing any measurements, I would call these one of the best HP I've ever heard especially for studio use.These are off the wall insane for studio use. I wish I was keeping these because I would daily drive these. Bass extension for a dynamic is absolutely phenomenal. Sound-stage is focused but spacious.This is marketed as a pro HP and in every respect of that the best pro HP that I put my hands on today. Side by side if I were picking between the DT1990 Pro and the HD800 or HD 800 S, I would take the DT1990 Pro for either professional use or personal listening. I think when looking at all the aspects I found that it is well balanced, incredibly tight, detailed and accurate...I mean I would change absolutely nothing of the sound of the DT1990 Pro. In a perfect setup I would own these along with the LCD 2 and the HD 650. I would own all three and cover all the bases and be perfectly happy"... So now he says he liked them 6 years ago. So in 6 years you make a complete 180 reverse and put them in D class, after your glowing review sounded like they were in an S or an A. I can see perhaps moving to a B, but a D? Give me a break. And then make a remark when Resolve calls him out ..." I thought you liked them"..."Yeah but...ah depends on the pads." What does that mean? How can one ever trust his opinion when he completely reverses his opinion from S/A class to D? How many have gone on to purchase these because of his highest recommendation and now he craps all over them with some feeble excuse? In another comparative review 6 years ago up against the HD660s, he said " The DT 1990 Pro is Incredibly hard to beat in it's price range and far above it's price range." Sounds like a complete business decision to trash these cans..
Resolve here - there may actually be a reasonable explanation that nobody seems to have considered, and it's unit variation. I saw some measurements of it that didn't look nearly as bad as others, so I'm going to try and get some new ones in to see if that's the case.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Thanks for responding Andrew. I know you mentioned unit variation among Beyerdynamic's. At least DMS could have mentioned the unit he heard 6 years prior was " Phenomenal". If he heard others that did not perform as well he should have mentioned as such.
@MrStewbee bro if you think 6 years isn't a monumentally significant time. A time frame of which your opinions on pretty much anything could be completely reverted, then I pity the life you have led.
When the DT 900 came out, DMS said it was the best measuring headphone Beyer has ever made and put up a graph to prove it but he gives it a C now. I think i would take their opinions with a grain of salt.
@@En_Joshi-Godrez My life is just fine. If you can't comprehend the hypocrisy of a reviewer doing a 180 from saying "it's the best pro headphone I ever put my hands on, and it's the best HP in it's price range and far above it"... then six years later basically saying it "sux" and you think that's a fair and honest assessment...then bro, you need to get a clue
When these type of comparisons are done it would be great to have a list and rankings listed somewhere
Loved watching this especially with the three of you guys comparing your results as a group. We need an IEM version of this please! 😊😊👏👏
I'd say they should get crin on there for that but he already spent so much time on his own tier list lol
Im glad they included Stax in this one because i was always verry curious what their opinions are of the headphones
This is a lot of fun. I enjoy these more casual, long form videos.
same
Is it possible to see the resulting list somewher?
theyre visible for 'internals', youtube staff, kpop pros, pc and audio employees etc
this wont make me rich, its why i keep complaining abt it
So these were my HP according to their ranking in the video.
B tier: Beyer DT 770, Meze 109Pro (PRIMAL)
C tier: SHP9500, Koss KPH30
D tier: DT1990, Koss Porta Pros
Not ranked: Philips Fidelio X1s
And to be honest it’s a little validating to know my thoughts are mostly on par with this list, even though I dont have money, never had a chance to go to Can Jam, or listened to very many HP. My only gripe is I would say the DT 1990s are right there at the mid B teir, even higher than the Meze 109.
I personally, think the DT1990’s belong in the A tier myself, but when I listen with the dt1990’s it is exclusively for being analytical and critical listening to mixes, recorded music, orchestra and classical piano. And I think specifically with classical music the treble peak isn’t an issue because it only exists to add some texture and color to the upper harmonics. This means the Beyer treble peak isnt an issue for better recorded, high dynamic range music because those frequencies have more space to travel and interject.
At the very least, I rank the dt1990’s right there with my Meze 109 Primals - one isn’t necessarily better, just different tunings and usages. Both have amazing sparkly treble and extensive soundstage. 109’s more lush and punchy, but DT1990’s more detailed, articulate, and open -like crystaline levels of detail and texture throughout the whole range. So, I can uderstand how this would not play well as an audiophile, casual listening HP.
Maybe I just enjoy the dt1990 differently than everyone, but I definitely wouldnt call it unlistenable. For everyone else who happens to to stumble onto my comment here, dont write them off and give them a listen. Build quality is also as solid as can be and would last for decades. For $700, I havent found anything around the 1k-1.2k pricepoint that would replace them for me. I’m personally looking towards the Sennheiser HD800, ZMF, and Kennerton audio to see how the dt1990 compares with higer end HP.
Do you think Meze 109 pro is worth getting? Currently own the 99 Noirs.
@Denzk yes, the 99s have horrendous bass bleed.
@@Denzk They are 109% worth it. My 109 Primals just came in a few days ago and like I commented, at first they were underwhelming. But a few more listens and they really opened up. I have a raw unboxing video of the Primals on my channel. Waiting to spend some more time on it before I do a real review with Bshots and music and everything.
The atmosphere, the space, the clarity, really came alive. Imagine listening to a headphone on tube amps -that’s what the 109’s sound like to me, stock. And the bass is literally the most clear and detailed I have ever heard. Hands down the best bass rumble without distortion or bloat out of any HP I own. The sub bass is there, with good extension, quantity of mid bass is very nice, mids are clear, trebles are detailed, sparkly, and have some shimmer and space, but not cold or sibilant.
There are more technically able HP out there but not with this amount and quality of bass. Not with this characteristics of being both warm and lush, without being muddy or slow or bloated, and much less HPs that can have that on top of very good treble and mid range. It is definitely worth owning.
I was even thinking about getting both 109 Pro smooths and the Primals at one point, but wasnt sure which to buy first. Once I heard Resolve say they were similar to the DT1990s, only better tuned, I splurged and (the day before my Bday, Jan19) went with the Primals first because if it turned out that I actually enjoyed them less than my DT1990s, then at least I could justify keeping them as a had crafted collectible and being something really different from my other headphones.
Well, after having spent some time with them, they are now finishing up a burn in period and I can realistically see myself owning two sets of them -one smooth, and one Primal. Even if its just for collectible or as a backup, they are that good. At first listen, I honestly thought they were over-hyped. Now I can see how they rival my fav HP. Yes, they are still not as detailed or extended in the treble, but wow I have nothing that captures both exceptional Bass (like speaker quality levels of bass and sub bass) clear mids, and still very good high end. I literally can’t fault its tuning or quality of its sound for what it manages to accomplish.
If Tyll Herstens were here from Inner Fidelity, these would definitely be up on his headphone wall. I mean all the major reviewers enjoy it, hard to go wrong with that. And I havent heard the Meze 99s, but these are a completely different HP. The 109s have in-house built drivers, with all kinds of hybrid coatings and materials, everythings custom: the size and scale of the driver, the cups, the grill, and the internal architecture is completely different, its also possibly a different use case scenario, so the 99 classics cant and shouldnt really be a factor when considering the 109s.
I just got my DT 1990 pro headphones and I'm still waiting on an amp to come in a few days, but after looking at many of the comments in this video, I'm relieved to see everyone still praise them despite what the youtubers said. I was disappointed when they ranked them so low and I just paid for them on Amazon...
Since hearing my first ZMF at the Dallas CanJam I’ve been planning on a purchase so I was very pleased to hear your comments on their entire line. Thank you!
Definitely get suede (not hybrid or leather) pads, if you get any of the ZMF closed backs.
Hmmm...
Sennheiser HD 600: A/A/B
Sennheiser HD 660S: C/C/C
That's quite a drop-off. Yet initially, DMS called the 660S "absolutely phenomenal" and "some of my favorite in the line." Yes, the world of headphones has changed in 6 years, but the HD 6-series hasn't--well, not much.
3 years later, Resolve compared them directly to the Sundaras and preferred the Sundaras but generally had nice things to say about the 660S--except about the price.
You're certainly allowed to change your mind over time. But doesn't that put viewers in a bit of a bind, buying-wise?
Back in the time DMS praised DT1990 and DT880... now they make it seem like its garbage
Similar to Meze 109. I actually got them at a store where I A/B them against the HD650 and similarly priced Hifiman gear. To my ears, the Meze was just better. I personally own and love the Sundara, but would never classify it higher than the 109, the amount of nuance on that set is not even close.
Speaking from my own experience, I have had a pair of HD600 for about 8 years and bought at least 25 other headphones with a $300+ MSRP (buying used saves a lot of cash)
At first, I often preferred the new headphones to the HD600, as they tended to have characteristics that stood out positively. Still within a few weeks/months I would find myself going back to the HD600 because of their all-around high quality.
After all this time, the only headphones in my regular rotation are the HD600, LCD2f (2016 ish), and Modhouse Argons.
Its possible they had a similar experience.
@@Nick_4i
Not a criticism of your response, Nick. But I have to ask, what's the conclusion then? I shouldn't waste my time watching reviews because reviewers change their minds sometimes? Am I supposed to guess which times those are?
As it gets more and more difficult to audition stereo equipment, more and more people rely on reviews. But if the reviews aren't reliable in the long term, what's the point?
If you're a reviewer and you change your mind, please let viewers know as quickly as possible, preferably through an addition to the original review (I know I wouldn't want opinions I no longer endorse floating around the internet).
I bought the HD 660S instead of the 600 because most reviewers said the 660S was a tiny bit better than the 600, but not enough to warrant the much higher price. Then the price decreased so it was competitive with the 600. That's when I bought them. Apparently, I was mis-led. It will cost me another $300 to find out why the 600 is now one or two letter grades higher than the 660S. Thanks?
@@Nick_4i Actually I went in the other direction regarding Sundara/109. I first got the Meze, then got the Sundara to scratch the planar itch, preferred the Sundara for a while, mostly because how open they sound and the fantastic tuning, then started to really notice things like the impact, texture, vocal timbre on the Meze. Again, the Sundara is a safe recommendation at its price point, but not really on par with the 109.
Is there any way do get the names of headphones / final list?
I was so surprised thar there wasn't a list after all this work.
You guys should try a new HE1000 SE, apparently it got revised and not near as bright. I went with the he1000 stealth
I have them and they are beautiful and they are not bright. Love them
I need to say, going over your 'classification' just made me realise how much I miss Metal571. Grouping the DT880 with HD 660S and putting the Sony MDR1AM2 above? You've acquired a twisted sense of humour with time...
I do like the list of headphones chosen but I think when you don't discuss use case you mislead the general public I am a mix engineer and I can tell you for certain that the Neumann NDH 30 are among some of the best headphones for mixing and mastering they are to be thought of as a tool they are not supposed to sound flattering they are meant to tell you what needs to be added or subtracted from a mix and the do that very well.
Cheaper NDH-20 after correction can come closer to that level of fidelity too.
Really enjoyed this but....Is there any description list or spreadsheet of this ranking? All I can see on my phone is pictures of the headphones. Would be nice to be able to click on the picture and know what they are and a short description of the reviewer's pros and cons.
That's how they get you to spend time on the video
Thanks for the nice video
2 remarks :
The lists ranking the videos and discussions do not fully correlate.
Additionally, the headphones are difficult to identify by icon alone in the attached list, titles would help a lot.
agreed on the icon alone being a challenging identifier - hoping for some written action for the 2024 list!
I’m loving all my C grade headphones (Sony MDR MV1 - Focal Clear Mg - Meze Empyrean 1). So if anything, this tier list is a great exercise in consistency. Ima look up for more C tier headphones from this list, thanks fellas XD
Some b tier actually cheap tho
@@TheFiveoF.Which ones? I’m working my way down this list and haven’t gotten there yet. Thanks for any help!
Shure 840 and 440 I got both of them less than 100 hundred dollars only 44 ohm no need amplifier but build quality like a crap and when I'm a sleep I use my senheiser hd560s got it like 150 dollars used and done I don't need anything else 3 of them have different sounds signature that bang for all my playlist metal,edm, hip-hop,etc. but just use headphones that fit for you from comfort to sound signatures because other people might be like it but not click for you
Whats the point of 3 people giving opinions if only 1 person opinion controls the list...pretty stupid.
28:10 I love my Beyer DT770 pro LE 80, but it seems to be on the flatter end, compared to some graphs I’ve seen online. I can attest to their poor quality control. My 770 has an “L” on both sides and both cups’ swivels will get stuck in an odd place and pop into the correct orientation. Overall I don’t really care about these errors as it still sounds good. I highly recommend them for the price and, if you don’t care about some variation in fr, you will receive a solid headphone for the price.
I'm never going to understand the hate for Beyerdynamic and love for Sennheiser. The way these audiophiles nut over the 600s, 560s, etc I was expecting to hear jesus. Instead all I heard was okay sound that was decently clear from an all plastic headphone with not a special soundstage. Meanwhile the 900s and 990s made my music sound special. I'm not old or a bass head. So idk I guess I'm just an idiot.
No, they present their bad takes like that as if they were objective fact. I similarly prefer some beyers over senny's, but not all. For them, if it's beyer it is not allowed to be good, and it's quite obvious.
It's their subjective opinions, after all. What they're saying isn't fact, despite what some would like to think.
DMS went from saying the DT 1990 Pro are some of his favorite headphones, with excellent imaging, to putting them in D tier and saying "They're not even good for gaming."
Opinions change, and I'm sure it being the cool thing to do doesn't hurt influence those opinions, either.
Beyers feel like stakes through my ears
@jac1968 you keep larping here by C&P the same incorrect fallacious rhetoric over and over again. They made the disclaimer of subjectivity in the beginning. Headfi addicts need to lie to serve their insecurity.
Am I the only one who could love my DT48’s?
Nice! It would be nice if you could convert these lists to written lists too.
The rollover does not have the names
Check my comment please. I have made a text list. ;)
Can we see a tier list with EQ. I'd love to hear your opinions on the potential of headphones with EQ.
Sennheiser HD600-650 with Sonarworks' Sound ID (EQ) jump to S tier. Don't over think it if you are planning to buy and have the money.
All Audeze line up will jump to A tier if eq is included
Sundara.. very very good already but a little subbass and like 2db at 1.5khz and 7khz bring it in line with HE-1's overall tuning.
I would love to see this list, but bucketed into price groups. This list is great, but I'd like to see how the headphones breakdown by cost. I.E. are all S-tier $1,000+ US? What are the best
Sennheiser HD600 or HD650, calibrated with Sound ID for bass compensation.
@@beatsandstuff Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Have Beyerdynamic DT770s at the moment, and thinking of going that way. But I do need ot check out the other non-expensive headphones that get good reports: like Hifiman Sundara, but also maybe giving the Edition XS fair consideration too.
@@beatsandstuffproblem is that is distortion compared to a planar in the bass if you do that. It already has more to begin with.
@@mikafoxx2717 I'd rather manage the distortion hearing it on other sound systems, than by popping a $5k-10k treated room with top tier monitors/sub. 5% minimal improvement for a lot, and yeah, I'm a hobbyist.
MM-100 is better than the LCD-5? I'm trying to understand what you guys are looking for. Tuning must be more important than technical sound for you. I agree I had to give just a touch of EQ on the LCD-5 but they are far superior in almost every way over the mm-100s. I am getting the 500's and I will put them up against the others I have. If this video shows what the average lister is going for it might make me take all that into consideration when I'm recording my own material. I think I should get the Empyrian II with the MM-500. That should give me a good idea of what others are listening to. Also the Arya organics will be on the to get list but the Arya stealths did not sound great to me. I just might not like that sound but will listen objectively to hear what you guys are liking.
In my experience I'll gravitate to a more neutral headphones over a worse tuned mid technical headphone. The Sundara is a good fairly inexpensive happy spot for me for their tuning, which is scarily close to an HE-1 on the graphs, especially when you touch the subbass by like 5dB, and 1.5 and 7khz by like 2dB
Great effort. It would have been really useful if the TieMaker lists had mouse-over actions to show the name for each phone.
I really wish I knew what's wrong with me: I spent a decade with HD 600/650 and love the 660S even more. Way more. Not a popular opinion.
When DMS put the E3 at S-tier, does that mean it's on the same level as Abyss Diana MR and Meze Empyrean 2?
Wouldn't be surprised if it's better. Meze and Abyss are known hacks.
This was a great idea and I think a lot of people would enjoy something similar but for DACs/amps! I’ve been invested in this hobby for a few years now, but only recently have I been interested in upgrading from my A50s/E30 stack and am finding the overall decision-making process to be quite overwhelming. I think it would be cool if you guys teamed up again and gave your opinions on a good amount of the best and worst-sounding dacs/amps you’ve tested/heard.
Andrew doesnt hear differences in all solid state amps anymore and dms doesn't think its worthwhile spending a lot. Goldensound is the only one that would have any opinion
Not technically true. Resolve here - I've only said that if there's a perceptual difference then we should expect to find a measurable one as well. Thresholds of audibility for distortion profiles also aren't that well understood, so the door is still open to some of this. But also, other differences do exist that have to do with output impedance, or other obvious characteristics that can explain a heard difference in an ABX.
@TheHEADPHONEShow I just took it from your stream when you said you couldn't hear the difference in an ABX test. I completely agree with you here.
I would love to see a tier list with EQ and Pad swaps. Wondering how many cheaper headphones would surpass more expensive ones with a little tweaking.
100% agree. I would love a list like that. The potential of headphones with EQ and pad swaps, I'm so curious.
I would like to see EQ to different targets. I started playing around with my HEDD2 ... I try to EQ to other headphone FR response curve because I dont like the Harman target.
Some of the headphones you compared and deemed being bright (especially the Stax X9000, but also the 009s, etc), actually just mercilessly expose (and not hide) the characteristics and nature of the underlying chain. They are sharp mirrors, not fuzzy mirrors, but not of the "digitally oversharpened" kind. Nevertheless, they are difficult to match. It feels like the Warwick are better to mask the chain - which can be considered a merit, indeed, and they are excellent anyway. Interesting point about the crossfeed in the HE1 demos. For the other (dozens of) headphones I know, I could related to the impressions, with some exceptions. Many headphones from the list can easily travel 2-3 tiers after pad change, fine tuning or EQ. The ZMF Atrium - that was with which pads?
I’d be curious what they are listening to, I prefer bright headphones when played with properly mastered, high quality (not compressed) music.
So, I have Hifiman Sundara, and while I really like the sound, they keep having issues for me.
One time I took them off and I heard a loud eldritch noise followed by endless droning. After some troubleshooting, I put them down for like a year out of fear of busting my eardrums if it happened while on my head.
I picked them back up for the last few months without issue (I turned my AMP down just incase), until, when taking them off again, I heard a static pop and they constantly hum.
I don't know if it's my AMP and DAC that caused the issue or if it's the headphones.
I use the Magni Heresy and the Modi.
I really just want to get back into the realm of good audio.
By Fiio K7 Dac/Amp For Desktop and Moondrop Dwan Pro For Smartphone With Your Sundara.
Great review. I’m new to the audiophile headphone world - I’m not familiar with names associated with the headphone pictures. Could you supply the actual name of each headphone with the picture for future reference? Thanks.
I have made a text list. Please check my comment. ;)
Any thoughts in terms of value? Diminishing returns? Which category is the sweetspot in terms of what you get - what you pay for? I think this should always be the way to end a tierlist.
HE 400se is the best value in this list in my opinion.
@@ibrahimsincap3705true, though the Sundara really cleans up all the 400se's tuning flaws.. XS isn't better tuned than the Sundara either, just more imaging and bass.
The HD600 and Sundara are pretty much staples for good value for money without going overboard. I prefer the Sundara for the bass and complex passages being much cleaner. Both very well tuned
I just can't understand how can you place a LCD-X and a dt770 into the same tier..
Owner of both, and LCD-X would be S++ tier compared to dt770 that would be F tier.
BD are not bad headphones, but in the end - it's the audio that matters. And there's a big difference between them.
Yeah the tiers did not entail sonic equivalency. It's tough with the Audezes because they typically have more esoteric or unconventional tunings, making them hit and miss depending on the person, and we didn't allow for any EQ with this list. WITH EQ the LCD-X would be way higher. The same was true for many on the list like that.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow If so, how come the 560s ranked so lowly, even after you praised them so much? What changed?
As someone who wants to run a headphone through dongle dac, and only want to buy 1 for budget of 100-200... Is there any that can be recomended to me? I sincerely only want 1 headphone.
hd6xx
HD600, tier, yeah. Sundara is better for some things like bass and complex passages like electronic music, but it's hard to get the price down as much as that even on sale. Maybe second hand. 6xx more reliable long term but the pads need replacing every year ish depending how much you use it.
So if we wait two years the S rank headphone you recommended will be a solid B? I felt terribly sad also for the headphones costing a ton of money that got C and even D rankings. Perhaps more revealing about the audiophile hobby than intended. I wonder what the E3 will be next year? Do headphones really improve this much over a year? How much of this is fashion?
Many of the S tier headphones have been around for years. Technological improvements within this field of headphones are relatively slower than in most other modern tech industries.
Do you feel sad for those C/D headphones because they’re bad products or because they’re expensive?
There are plenty of bad and expensive things in the world: food, clothing, vacations, computers, books, cars, etc. Do these also make you feel sad?
@@KeiS14 yes. I’m not surprised by that. I am a little surprised that some headphones such as the Audeze LCD-X have gone down in the rankings. There are many in the list that were initially reviewed as amazing that are now wallowing in the lower tiers.
@@ibassnoteI think it's a case of us getting way better tuning across the board. I feel like we're in a tuning golden age that carried over from iem's that suddenly got good.
for verite closed, which suede pad are you guys talking about? (Vegan Auteur Suede, BE2 Suede, Eikon Suede, or Universe Suede?)
Sennheiser HD 820 cannot be a match for HD 650. Listen to HD 650 with tube amplifier and then make your own judgment. I am speaking as someone who has owned Sundara, Ananda, Arya Stealth, Arya Organic, HD 600, 650, 660s, 660s2, DT 770, 990, 1990 pro and hundreds of other headphones. What makes HD 650 special is the unattainable effect it gives on vocals. Everything else is a detail.
Very entertaining having you all on this - like The Avengers of headphone tier list videos.. sort of.
I haven’t heard the vast majority of these but tend to agree with most of the comments, save that the scorn for the DT series Beyerdynamics was perhaps laid undeservedly thick, and the Clear MG sounded unequivocally nicer to me than the old one, but I certainly can’t hear up to 18khz..
Hopefully you do more of these in future, perhaps also for DAC / amplifier units? One minor suggestion, it would help to have in small text in a bottom corner perhaps, the make and model of headphone being discussed at each time. I watched this a second time and was skipping to different units, when going back and forth between brands, it takes a few moments to work out which specific headphone is being discussed. Otherwise that was excellent.
Perhaps have Josh Valour or Lachlan Fennen (Passion for Sound) along too next time?
please make a tier list “with EQ applied”!
AMEN!
To summarize, if you're an audiophile and prefer the absolute sound, just get the Sennheiser HE-1. No headphones come close to it for now, unfortunately. Most others would have more of the headphone coloration that distracts ftom the absolute sound. You will easily adjust to it, but going back and forth likely you would just want to use the one that sounds closer to the absolute sound as its always a compromise given severe limitations in this format. The HD600 is an affordable option that caters to the two channel audiophile going for personal audio ie quality over quantity such as bass limits.
I liked the Immansis and the Aperios much more then the HE1.
@@Ande313 It’s a matter of personal taste. Acoustic instruments and voice in a specific venue recording nothing comes close to the HE 1 in audio reproduction of that event. But not many appears to value that fidelity nowadays.
Hello!
Do this for IEMs as well
❤
Is the AKG K361 at the same level than Sundara? Do you think they are equally good in terms of sound quality?
Please do an EQ allowed list if possible?
Maybe an all in one EQ shootout and EQ'd headphone tier list.
So why didn't you Guy's include the Senheiser HD560, HD569 and HD599? Still seem to be great performers for the Price and the HD569 is really underrated as an Close back headset.
I'm glad to see this list, I'm a old head and all headphones were the wired kind when I grew up listening to music and I've always have had a nice pair. I currently own a pair of Focal Clear but going to listen to some of these in the future.
Lot of the complaints were about the tuning. Can't this be easily fixed with EQ?
A lot of the time yes. It depends on the headphone's capabilities and response to EQ
You really have to take this with a pinch of salt. They are trashing the headphones that others rave about. Joshua Valour ranks Focal Clear very highly, the best Focal headphone he says. Z Reviews, BadSeed Tech, Passion for Sound have rated Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro highly. And these guys rated it as D Category. Just some examples of discrepancies in their rating and others who have reviewed these headphones. I own a lot of headphones, including the ones mentioned above. I think their opinion is very very subjective. For someone wanting to purchase a new headphone, just go try the ones you like before blindly following some reviewer's advice.
DT 1990 Pro in D tier?
Clearly these people don't work in the professional music production industry.
@@saricubra2867 the unit variation on those is crazy though, i literally heard 2 different pairs that sounded so distant i had to bring them together to see if i wasn't going crazy. Completely different sounding headphones. That might be one big reason for that as well.
@@ZandoNoid The DT1990 pro have been on the market for a few years now and I have never read anything about it. One person thinks it's "crazy" and another doesn't notice it. Just like one person notices a "huge" difference between 250 ohms and 600 ohms and another doesn't. So what, it is and remains subjective and you can only judge with your own hearing which faction you belong to and whether it is relevant to you at all.
Where is the Verum 1 Mk2? Forget the intangibles concerning Igor's online comments and my focus is JUST on the headphones themselves. Considering many believe they outperform the Sundara's while "only" $349, I'd love to know where you guys would list this. Just from the viewpoint of the headphone itself, I've seen feedback that this could be the best budget/ mid-fi headphone for value and should be on this list. Thanks.
Oh this is going to be fun. I only own one headphone at the minute, well technically it's a headset the audeze Maxwell. I listened to it and then realized I don't need the hd600 anymore. The Maxwell is so similar but with sub bass and the convenience of wireless. Add the fact it comes with a mic for gaming it's just an all around win. The rest of my collection is iem's.
I keep the 600 around just because I know it'll outlast everything else. Love my Sundaras - better technicality in busy passages and also better bass, lower distortion and such, but the reliability isn't as good on these things. 600's are basically eternal
It seems that TH-cam does not like URL links in its comment section. “Dekoni Audio Replacement Earpads for Audeze LCD - Choice Suede:” Are these DMS’ recommended pads for the Caldera? Will they fit without modification?
Im trying to figure out the exact pads as well. Dekoni has LCD Velour and LCD Choice Suede. But the LCD Velour seems to boost the treble instead. So the Choice Suede is correct? 😂
WOW! I must be listening to songs with a totally different purpose. All the headphones I love you guys did not care for them. I listen to almost everything from apple music lossless at the highest rate possible, or my own recordings I'm working on. From mac to RME ADI 2/4 to headphone outs. I also bought the xDuoo Pro with optional DACs and Amps. I am going to try out the HUGO 2 as well. If I don't use headphones, I listen through Focal ST6 Be studio monitors. A few other monitors as well but I like the Focals best. That's the newer version of the Solo 6be. I'm a musician, record and mix. I love the LCD-5's. It took a little bit of tweaking but with just a little eq bump in the bass and at 9K they are amazing. I hear everything I do from what strings or drum heads were used to reverb tails, EQ, Compression etc. I use a few other DAC / Amps as well. I also love my Stellias, and focal Clear MG's. I hear so much detail. I don't want extra bass or frequencies that were not there in the recordings. I don't want an exaggerated sound. If I want that I would put that in the recording, mix, and master. I think that I have the same goal when listening to other classic recordings. I also have the DT1990 & 1770 pros and they sound very good. I have the Araya Stealths and they are my least favorite. The top end is not realistic and artificial. I will have to listen to them some more but I just have not cared for them. I think I might try the organics and see if I can listen for what you guys seem to hear. It's very interesting to hear what you guys like. You might be more of the norm so finding out more about what you guys like might help in my own recordings. If you could recommend just two more headphones, what would you recommend? Oh, yea I'm also thinking about getting MM-500's to see if I like those as much as the LCD-5's. I had to get used to the 5's but there was and is something so satisfying about them. I can hear everything I've done with my recordings. I really like the Clear MG's as well so maybe I just don't hear the same as most.
After owning clear og there is no way you could like the mg
@@phobiedufromage2433 Of course there is. How can you say what someone else wants or likes? I just bought the Diana MR, Empyrean 2, and Arya Organic. They are all fun but not for me to record, mix, and master. I'll end up selling all the fun headphones and just pick my favorite to keep. Most of the time I listen through Studio Monitors in my studio or my three mixing headphones. While tracking to prevent bleed I use Stellias. The fun headphones exaggerate and change recordings in too many ways. Just like the Focal OG, they don't give an accurate picture for my tastes. The Focal MG's, MM-500's and the LCD-5's are better for me. When people think some cymbals might be too harsh in some phones, they don't know what the original recording was meant to sound like. For my recordings I know what cymbal, room, mic, mic placement, preamp, EQ, compressor, etc. was used. Some of those headphones smoothed out the tone more than what I wanted. If a cymbal or something is too harsh, I need to know. Then I will use a darker mic or change something else to make it sound right for the song. The Focal OG is not as good as the MG for my purposes. Listening to reference tracks, I like to know what they sound like on an honest playback system. That includes my studio monitors and room acoustics. If a recording was not good, I want to hear it, everything good and bad.
@DMS you mention that the LCD 2C can go way higher than a C tier with different pads. So which pads would you suggest?
I am genuinely surprised about the Beyredynamic DT 990 and DT 1990. I am actually very sensitive to high's / peaks when it comes to audio. But I believe I negate this by turning down the volume quite a bit. But both of those headpones for me out of my collection are actually my favorite. I most definitely like V-shaped curves though.
Oh, the beyerdynamic DT 990 pro are absolutely over the top with highs, they are very tiresome to listen to most music with. good for some music though, and speech. I listened to this video using 990s.
Does Resolve have the final say for everything in this tier list made? I didn't see any headphones moved based on what DMS/GoldenSound said. Is the tier list not a team effort?
I ran I to a problem while editing, since the tiermaker randomized each of the lists I was only able to capture b-roll for mine. The other lists are reflected in the conclusion as well as in the description.
Thanks!
I rank all tier lists made using tiermaker an F.
tiermaker is a collection of thumbnails with no links to actual information, so unless I watch a 2 hour video and make notes I will be non the wiser.
The DCA E3 didn't make the review where would you guys have ranked it?
It's really strange that headphone reviewers of this scale have no experience with AKG headphones. The AKG K712 Pro and AKG K702 headphones have no competitors in their price range when it comes to soundstage. These are very famous and classic headphone.
K 701 for me. It rules Wagner, Mahler and Stravinsky.
They are americans compare akg Price in eu vs usa
@@phobiedufromage2433On Amazon K712 is cheaper in US than in Finland and K701/702 are almost always on sale for cheaper than in europe.
They are a store (see channel and video description to their website). If you search their store you’ll see they sell no headphones by AKG, so they have no interest in praising them. Likewise they seem to trash Beyerdynamic a fair amount and when I search for them it says “37 results for beyerdynamic” but only shows Sennheiser phones to buy!
I like the Beyerdynamic 1990's as they provide a great sound stage, good bass, mids and nice and top end. Joshua Valour who also reviews headphones loved them as well.
He and I also like the Focal Clear MG's as well. Though we wshed, they had a little more top end with this subjective topic.
With the exception of the Expanse which for whatever reason works quite well for me, I pretty much agree with all of these. I'm now going to spend the rest of winter preparing myself for the 72h long IEM tier list, the 9hr Amp tier list, the 6hr DAC list, and the 50-60 hr dongle list 🤣
P.S. I hope you're recovering well, Andrew, and happy almost birthday, DMS!
is there a reason (quality of sound or whatever) that the audeze maxwell are not in this comparrison?
Damn, HarmonicDyne Zeus is one of my favorite all-rounders, could listen to it all day. Would’ve been A-tier for me easily.
Just bought the Beyerdynamic dt 1990 pros (they arrive tomorrow) and now Im hoping I still like them.
Edit (again): I like the headphones and I don't regret my purchase. They are very comfortable and sound natural and balanced to me. I don't see a problem with any of the treble being too high. Am I an alleged "Anti-Siblance" person?? Either way, I've only seen praise for the DT 1990 Pros everywhere else online.
They are now trying to talk you into having a hearing problem/tinnitus.
It's all fine. You made your decision based on your preferences. Enjoy it.
This review is the best example of how eccentric audio nerds can be (in good and bad ways), Sundara, Edition XS in B Tier with He1000SE in C Tier. Lol
Totally agree there with you. I love my He1000SE.
I loved my HEKse as well - detail for days, deep sub bass (but quite a bit light on bass), easy to drive - until one driver failed on my brand-new unit about 10 weeks or so into my ownership. Arya Stealth is better balanced than HEKse, but on the right tracks HEKse is noticeably better. This listener is not hearing how it’s two slots below the Arya.
Also putting the Ananda Nano in C tier with Edition XS being B… I agree with a lot of this chart but the Nano to me is noticeably better than the XS. It is also one of the best headphones I have ever heard and possibly the best current deal under $1000.
Think they mistaken the headphones. HE1000SE is one of the best HF Hifiman ever build....
@@Flo-ge9db No, they are not mistaken in the sense of actually meaning another headphone. These guys are well versed with most great headphones in the market including the Hifiman Susvara. You can disagree with their conclusions however and as I have already said many reviewers are quite eccentric in their judgements.
very intereseting how things have changed over the years, i bought my dt1990pro´s 5-6 years ago (as they were highly recommendet and now they are low tier headphones). would you upgrade to modern 500€ headphones in my case?
I'd say it depends if you like the dt1990 pro. If you like it, then enjoy. Preference is a key factor.
Almost nothing changes with time in audio. Headphones have been some flavour of what we today would consider "good hifi" since the 90s - I mean jeez, the HD600 has never changed beyond getting slightly worse and it's still super competitive in 2024. You just bought a bad headphone on bad recommendations.
A blind test and maybe...just maybe...this list would be upside down 😅😂
Dekoni LCD Suede for Caldera, which one? And does it fit or needs some hackery or something?
Really fun watch! Out of curiosity, is Chrono still part of the team? I enjoyed a lot of his opinions in the past and it's been a while since his last video.
think they changed the amp to lessfox, its noticeably better
Curious if any of you have listened to the HarmonicDyne Zeus Elite and where it would rank on the list.
Probably similar to the original Zeus. They won't differ that much.
But, - don't get caught strictly following their rankings. These are only 3 people with 3 opinions at the end of the day. They are not counting other factors in, especially that a headphone foremost must be comfortable to wear, even for prolonged sessions!
So it's best to listen to the headphones for yourself with your own gear and source equipment.
It's not possible to give general recommendations in this highly subjective matter of hearing (anatomy), preferences and source gear.
I'm here just for entertainment reasons, personally I kind of agree with roughly 60% of their rankings and 40% I've to hardly disagree with.
loved this video thanks. I definitely learned a ton and changed my headphone goals quite a bit. Would love to see an IEM tier list collaboration someday.
Were the HiFiMan HE400SE's assessed with or without the stealth magnets?
This was a hugely fun video guys! Thank you so much.
I love my HD 600 and 650. I’m still thinking about pulling the trigger on the 660S2. You guys say it’s not as good, but other reviewers say it’s the best of the 6 series, including Jude from head-fi. So I’m thinking about it.
i would say 660s2 it is technically better in driver and try to turned like the hd650. it is a good addition to hd600 and 650 for me personally.
I prefer the war 660s2 over the 650 (have both) although I wouldn't consider the touted extended bass/ sub bass of the s2 as a standout (or even barely noticeable) feature.
The hd490 pro came out recently, might wanna check it out
HD650 with Sound ID, love em. I'd love to try the HD600, but neither of these headphones are sold where I live, bought my cans more than 10 years ago, just replaced their ear foams and headbands, brand new again. Can't complain at all.
Have both hd650 and 660s2. The 660 bass and treble truly is a upgrade vs 650. Along more separation. 650 mids perhaps slightly more detailed. Vastly prefr 660 presentstion
I know these rankings carry little meaning and are done despite better judgment, but there’s one weird trick I wish would die: “It’s great at this price point.”
It’s like you can take a $2K “meh” set, reduce its price to $500 and all a sudden people rave about it.
It’s also like you can take a $500 “fantastic” set, increase its price to $1000 and all a sudden people can’t find anything nice to say about it.
I have to believe it’s simply a sales trick to give everything a potential market.
I love my beyers. I have the tygr300r, dt 1990 pros and my favorite the t1 2nd gens. I like them more than my hifiman edition xs also monolith 1570s or amts. The t1 2nd gens are just so good.
nice collections What are the main differences in sound between TYGR 300R and DT 1990?
I wish this list was easier to read.. How do i see which phones are A's ?
DT770 in B tier while DT1990 is D is insane. Have heard pretty much all of the DT series and owned most of the, for me 770 was clearly the worst, both 880 and 990 sound better imo.
DT1990 is on another level compared to these. With the impressive sound, the dual sets of pads, the build quality, the excellent case is still one of the best bang for buck deals in headphone market. All Beyerdynamics have hot treble region, so if your ears are very treble sensitive, then maybe it could be an issue . A lot of people listen to headphones too loud so at the right volume this isn't should be an issue.
So the Elex is the best headphone under £500?
Pretty much besides qc issues
As a chew toy, the 1266 is by far the best, but for "training treats"' the Grados reign supreme.
Here's a question: I got HD600 and absolutely loved them, but the subbass rolloff was a complete deal-breaker for me. Everything else was magic. What could I get then?
EQ may solve it for you
I swear I was just watching your 2022 tierlist an hour ago
1) AKG: K712 Pro is still relevant. Soundstage king at the price
2) Austrian Audio: again shitting on X55 and ignoring fantastic X65. C tier my ass. it's Elex / Clear tier HP.
3) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro: closed classic. great build, comfort and soundstage. needs EQ, though.
4) Dan Clark Audio: heard only Ether 2, didn't like it at all
5) Fostex: T40RPmk3 is best tuned closed I heard. comfort is wanting.
6) Grado: GR60e. love the soundstage. my first serious HP.
7) Sendy: heard the Apollo and was impressed. comfort is great too.
They are americans akg prices arent the same in the us
Shocked at how dirty you all did the DT 1990.
Shocked how you can still be hoodwinked into thinking its acceptable. There are people that think Mcdonald's makes awesome burgers, there is a good reason these people aren't food critics.
unforTUNEately beyer's are too hyped (by shills and in sound)!! with the exception of the dt1770 pro which is ok (ish) in tonal balance, but is close to £500!!! 😆
Focal 44:30 elex 45:00 clear 48:40 utopia
Hifiman 1:00:38 sundara 1:01:13 edition xs 1:03:38 arya 1:04:09 he1000 v2
any graphic or in writing? cba to watch a 2h long tierlist, sorry
Check the timestamps
@@TheHEADPHONEShowyes but it would be helpful to have the complete list somehow
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yea it be nice to have the names of the headphones, lot of work I know but I don't recognize shit and almost didn't recognize my own pair LOL
@@diegoeffio agree
@@SupportNoob agree
At 1:30:36 DMS mentioned a pad swap for the cd900st. What pads was he referring to? I see a lot of options out there
This is one of the most useful video for buying headphones. Thank you all for evaluating all these headphones! Want to see a separate sheet for open and closed back headphones. After watching this video I have hard time to decide get stax 9000 or warwick B as my ultimate set up.
Only if you agree with their opinions or know how you differ for example I know what ever DMS really likes I will not and whatever he dislikes I will probably like!
If sound quality is the only thing that I care about, how much of a difference would there be between, say, $500 headphones and $5000 dollar headphones that are EQd to the same frequency response target?
probably not enough to fill the price gap
Never Buy Anything Above 500 Dollars!!
@@rezanova Generally 5-10% Difference.