14. AKG K702 with Stefan Audio Art Equinox Balanced 4-Pin (only one sided balance)
Uses: Classical >80% / Jazz and Acoustic >18% / Rock <2%
Strengths: Sounds especially good with solo piano and chamber works. Have a very enticing sound-stage similar to it's sibling the K501. Fairly comfortable. Detachable cable though I feel the K701 is a nicer looking model (though cable is not user detachable) and I like the glossy finish of the white K701 as opposed to the black matte finish of the K702.
Weaknesses: I've been known as a "hater" of these headphones for a long time. It's not exactly true, but it's not exactly false. For one, the K501 do everything the K701/702 do, but better. These can have a nasal / grainy presence at times. These are very very hard to drive and you usually need to spend more than 5 times the cost of the headphone to even get adequate amplification out of the headphone. These sound mediocre with all popular music genres to me. They excel in their niche which is intimate acoustic settings which don't require much attention to bass. They don't succeed in feeling entirely transparent, but have a pleasantly neutral tinge to their signature.
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11. Denon AHD-D7000
Uses: Classical <20% / Jazz & Acoustic >40% / Rock >40%
Strengths: Wonderfully impactful bass and rich sounding mids despite critique below of their slight recession. Great for just rocking out. Very attractive headphones....much more-so than Denon's earlier offerings. Imaging is quite on point here. Very comfortable despite the (fake - it has been speculated) leather padding which can sometimes heat up. I enjoy playing these loud, haha
The packaging is pretty nice here.
Weaknesses: There's a slight lack of transparency (maybe due to the closed seal). The mids feel very slightly recessed. Bass can feel bloated on some systems. Sound-stage is Denon's best offering, but not as realistic as some other brands.
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6. Beyerdynamic T1 with reterminated 4-Pin Stock cable
Uses: Classical: >35% / Jazz & Acoustic >35% / Rock <30%
Strengths: Tonality feels to me like an HD800 with a slightly greater emphasis on the bass and treble and less-so mids. Excellent headphone. Imaging is amongst the best I've heard due to the angled drivers. Headphone feels very neutral on most systems which I've heard. Transient response is extremely fast. Less amp picky than other headphones in it's price range. User replaceable ear pads! Packaging is fairly nice.
Weaknesses: A little bit of sizzly grain in the upper mids, similar to that of the HD800, but a slight bit more emphasized. Beyerdynamic has made more comfortable headphones using the same ergonomic design, though these are still very comfortable.
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4. Sennheiser HD800 with APureSound Balanced V3 dual 3-pin XLR
Uses: Classical >65% / Jazz & Acoustic >20% / Rock <5%
Strengths: Wonderful mids here. You feel a neutral presence when listening to this headphone. The sound-stage is one of the most well angled and defined. The bass, while a bit reserved (on some systems) is extremely well reproduced for acoustic instruments. Transient response is extremely fast. These are also the most comfortable headphones I own. Detachable cable!
Weaknesses: These headphones make badly mastered recordings sound awful. Highs can feel slightly grainy at times and sibilant on some systems. The sound feels a little bass-shy for a lot of genres such as rock and hip hop. They are extremely amp-picky, more than usual and can drastically change tonal balance depending on the amp. The plastic looks nice but feels cheap in the hand.
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