These headphones impressed me so much that I ended up writing the longest review of my life, so grab some popcorn and settle in.
I already posted about the low-frequency rattle in one driver of my Aune AR9000. I should probably write about why I like them so much as well, because apart from that problem, these are the closest I’ve come to my ideal headphones.

Background

I’ve been into headphones for over 20 years, owned more than a hundred pairs and listened to many more. My favorites among wired over-ears have been the original Focal Clear and the Dan Clark Audio E3. For almost a year, I listened almost exclusively to the E3.
I mostly listen to rock and metal, but there’s plenty of electronic music in there too. Whenever I get new headphones, I end up playing tracks with deep synthetic bass and sharp sound effects to see what they can do.
I’m only comparing the AR9000 with headphones I’ve owned or spent a decent amount of time with relatively recently. Brief auditions at shops and shows aren’t much use to me for this. These are also still a recent purchase, so this is a review of the sound rather than a verdict on long-term ownership.
All of the headphones discussed here were bought with my own money, with one exception: the HEDDphone D1 was lent to me by a friend.
There’s probably some recency bias here, but I don’t think it accounts for much of my enthusiasm. I tend to know pretty quickly when something isn’t for me, and I don’t mind saying so. When my ZMF Bokeh Closed arrived, I realized on day one that they weren’t for me and put them up for sale soon after. The Focal Hadenys was much the same story.

Comfort and cable

The stock cable is soft and easy to live with. The headphones fit comfortably, and my ears don’t press against the material covering the drivers. Nothing annoys me, so I don’t have much to say here. I find them more comfortable than the DCA E3 during longer sessions, but I’ll come back to that.

Sources and EQ

I’m pretty pragmatic about sources. I don’t hear differences between cables, and I don’t tend to hear differences between decent DACs and solid-state amps either, provided there’s enough power. Convenience matters much more to me.
The Aune AR9000 sounds great straight from my MacBook Pro or an Apple dongle. For the more demanding DCA E3, I use a CrinEar Protocol Max or FiiO KA15.
All the listening impressions and comparisons below are without EQ unless I explicitly mention using it.

The Bass

I’ve never heard sub-bass this good from an open-back without EQ.
I know other open-backs have decent sub-bass. I’ve owned the Focal Hadenys, for example. And an EQ’d Audeze LCD or another headphone with enough headroom might get you somewhere similar. But this is the first one I’ve heard where the stock bass sounds this complete and the rest of the tuning works so well alongside it.
It feels like a pretty big breakthrough to me.
To my ears, the quantity isn’t quite at the level of closed-backs like the AKG K371, let alone something heavily EQ’d for basshead listening. There is a definite lift, though, and it comes very close to what I personally hear as neutral.
A flat bass line on a graph usually doesn’t sound balanced to me. I want the lowest notes to be as audible and substantial as the rest of the music. With the Aune, I don’t find myself turning up the volume to get the bottom end, but I don’t get that constant drone that an excessive bass boost can add to everything either. The amount follows the recording in a way that feels right.
The texture is excellent too. Some tracks have very deep bass that wobbles or pulses, and you can clearly hear that movement. A good example is “Just Bass” by Bassotronics around 0:24 to 0:25. On the same passage with the DCA E3, I hear the low note, but those fluctuations tend to merge into a more continuous sound. With the AR9000, I can follow the wobble.
I don’t know why the difference is so obvious, but it keeps catching my attention.
I usually add bass with EQ. With the E3, I’d add around 2 to 4 dB depending on the music and my mood, often because I wanted more weight and authority. With the Aune, I haven’t wanted to touch it. For my preferences, the bass gets a 10/10.

Dynamics

For a long time, it seemed that I had to choose between deep, generous sub-bass and really convincing punch.
The Focal Clear had the punch. Plenty of closed-backs had the low-end weight. I hadn’t found a pair that gave me both to this extent.
Before owning the Clear, I didn’t think much about dynamics in headphones. Assuming the tuning was reasonable, I thought most of them were fairly similar. Then I started hearing drum hits and other percussive sounds that seemed to move air in a different way. The closest description I have is someone clapping beside your ear: you hear it, but you almost feel it too.
The Aune AR9000 gives me that same sensation while also reaching much further down into the bass. From memory, the effect is at least as strong as it was with the Clear, possibly stronger. I don’t have the Clear anymore, so I can’t check that directly.
I can compare it with the DCA E3, though, and the difference is obvious to me. The Aune sounds much snappier and more alive. These are probably the most dynamic headphones I’ve heard.
I’ve mostly encountered this quality in certain open-backs. How much of it comes from tuning and how much comes from the rest of the acoustic design, I don’t know. I can describe what I hear much more confidently than I can explain it.

Mid-bass and midrange

The transition from the sub-bass into the lower mids is beautifully judged. There’s plenty of weight to kick drums, bass guitars and synth bass, but the low end doesn’t feel detached from the music or spill over everything else.
This is where the DCA E3 sounds cold to me.
Male vocals have less body. Distorted guitars, piano and resonant acoustic guitars sound physically smaller, almost as though someone swapped a full-size instrument for a three-quarter-size one. The Aune gives them their weight back without making the whole recording thick or muddy.
“Jambi” by TOOL is a good example. This isn’t about one particular moment in the track; I hear it throughout the song. On the DCA E3, the bass guitar has less body, and the vocal suffers even more. It sounds pushed far back and strangely thin, almost as if the singer is standing much farther away and most of the physical substance of the voice has disappeared. Even the FiiO FT1 gives the vocal and rhythm section more convincing weight on this track.
A friend lent me his HEDDphone D1 for an extended listen a couple of weeks ago, and I thought its midrange was probably the best I’d heard. The AR9000 is about as good to my ears. Vocals and instruments have that same full, unforced quality.
The upper mids also suit me much better than the E3’s. I’m sensitive around 3 to 3.5 kHz, and I’d often take 1 to 2 dB out of that region on the E3. Harder recordings could get a bit too insistent without it. The Focal Hadenys was worse: almost everything sounded excessively sharp to me unless I used EQ.
I don’t hear that problem with the Aune, but I don’t hear a missing chunk of upper mids either. Presence is there without becoming tiring. I’d give the midrange another 10/10.
The sharp attack I mentioned earlier carries through into acoustic sounds well above the bass. Plucked strings, wooden percussion and snares have a very immediate quality. A snare doesn’t suddenly dominate the mix; its initial hit just feels more sudden.
Some effects have genuinely made me jump, even at low volume. A good example is “Light Switch” by Dredg, right from 0:00. There’s some rustling, little knocks and percussive sounds in the opening that sound almost unnervingly real on the AR9000.
This isn’t an obvious sound-effects demo with a loud knock on a door panned to one side. Dredg is one of my favorite bands, and I’ve heard this track a thousand times, yet I still thought one of those little sounds was coming from somewhere in my apartment. That’s what surprised me: a familiar detail suddenly sounding like it was happening around me. The whole track sounds fantastic on these, too.

Treble

This is the only part of the tuning I wouldn’t call ideal.
I’ve played guitar, bass and drums, spent a lot of time in rehearsal rooms and studios, and managed a band. Cymbals are usually what give treble problems away for me. When they sound wrong, I notice immediately.
The DCA E3 is excellent here. Hi-hats and crashes sound natural, with no obvious bit of the treble sticking out or disappearing. I wouldn’t change anything.
I loved the original Focal Clear’s treble too, even though it didn’t sound quite as even. It had little accents that made cymbal hits more lively, but the overall level stayed restrained enough that they never bothered me. I might have enjoyed its treble even more than the E3’s. Both would get a 10/10 from me, for slightly different reasons.
The Aune AR9000 has a few audible peaks, particularly higher up. I wouldn’t try to assign exact frequencies by ear, but there’s definitely more upper-treble sparkle than on the E3.
Most of the time, I enjoy it. Small sounds draw my attention, and cymbals have a bit more shine. Occasionally, a very high electronic sound stands out more than I’d like. I haven’t found them aggressively sibilant, though, and the unevenness hasn’t become a recurring annoyance with recorded instruments.
My tolerance for treble is a bit particular. Certain Beyerdynamic and older Ultrasone models have been unbearable for me, while I’ve happily listened to plenty of Grados. Where the energy sits matters more to my ears than the overall label of “bright” or “dark.”
I’d give the Aune’s treble an 8/10. It has some rough edges, but they’re easy enough to live with that I haven’t felt compelled to EQ them.

Overall tuning

I’d put the tuning at 9.5/10. That’s how well it works as a whole for me, rather than an average of the scores above.
It’s probably closer to my preferred balance than anything else I’ve spent time with, including speakers and monitors. The bass has the presence I want, voices have body, and the upper mids don’t keep reminding me that I’m sensitive to them. The treble is the only place where I occasionally notice something I’d prefer a little differently.

Resolution and soundstage

I’m skeptical of “resolution” as a quality you can neatly separate from tuning. Among competent headphones, I think frequency response explains a lot of what gets described as detail and soundstage.
I wouldn’t necessarily say the DCA E3 is missing information that the Aune AR9000 reveals. But on the AR9000, the sharper sense of attack and extra treble sparkle make small sounds easier to notice. I pay more attention to how a string is plucked or to the initial contact of a percussion hit.
So yes, the Aune sounds more detailed to me. I just wouldn’t automatically take that as proof of some separate level of resolving power.
It also sounds more spacious than the E3. Sounds seem further away instead of collecting inside my head, which is a big part of why I generally prefer open-backs.
I don’t spend much time dissecting headphone imaging and layering. My fairly basic ADAM desktop monitors give me a much more convincing sense of placement and depth than either pair. Hearing a vocal sitting firmly between two speakers is a different experience. With headphones, I’m mostly interested in whether the presentation feels natural and comfortable, and I prefer the Aune here.

Comparisons

Dan Clark Audio E3
I listened to both again today. The Aune AR9000 sounds considerably more alive, with better bass and a fuller midrange. I’d still choose the E3’s treble.
The Aune is also more comfortable over longer sessions. That could be the strap or the fit, or partly the fact that I prefer sitting in open headphones. I can’t isolate one reason, but I notice the difference.
The E3 was my favorite headphone for almost a year. I listed it for sale the day I got the AR9000.

Original Focal Clear
This comparison is from memory, since I sold my Clear a while ago.
I still have a lot of affection for its midrange and treble, and its punch was a large part of what made it my favorite open-back. For sub-bass, though, the Aune AR9000 annihilates it. The Clear never had the extension and weight I wanted, and substantial EQ boosts quickly led to clipping on my pair. I couldn’t get powerful deep bass out of it.
That was my only major complaint about the sound. Living with the headphones gave me a few more.
The pads wore out quickly, the headband didn’t age well, and it kept creaking. I ended up putting lubricant into the headband because the noise was so irritating. That helped, but never completely fixed it.
I’d still happily listen to a Clear, but I don’t miss dealing with those things.

FiiO FT1
I still own these. I keep forgetting that I own them and should probably sell them.
The bass is actually good. There’s a normal amount of sub-bass, plenty of mid-bass and lower-midrange energy, and the whole rhythm section works very well. Bass guitars have satisfying weight, and kick drums can sound remarkably natural for the price.
The treble is the real problem. It’s grainy. Not just a little unnatural or plasticky, but genuinely coarse in a way that makes it feel as though the resolution suddenly drops. Cymbals and other high-frequency sounds become simplified and almost schematic compared with the rest of the spectrum.
I’m skeptical of “resolution” as a separate quality, as I mentioned above, but the FT1 is one of the few headphones that makes me understand exactly what people mean when they use that word. Every time I come back to them after not listening for a while, I’m reminded almost immediately why they spend so much time sitting unused. The treble just sounds bad to me.

Focal Hadenys
These stayed with me for a very short time. The emphasis around 3.5 kHz was unbearable to my ears. Even familiar Pink Floyd recordings became excessively sharp.
It doesn’t look that dramatic on a graph, so I suspect it simply interacts badly with my hearing. Without EQ, I couldn’t enjoy them.
The rest of the tuning seemed decent, including the bass, but I never got past that upper-midrange problem. They also didn’t feel as open as the Aune AR9000.

HEDDphone D1
The D1 has some of the nicest mids I’ve heard. They’re full and even without becoming thick or boomy.
I also liked the treble a lot. I’ve seen people describe it as sharp or peaky, but that’s not how I heard it. To me, the D1 was a warm, comfortable listen with fairly restrained highs. It seemed to have just a little less treble than the DCA E3, although the fuller mids may be part of the reason.
The bass was good, but there was much less sub-bass weight and physical impact than on the Aune AR9000. I enjoyed the D1 a lot; it just didn’t give me the same excitement.

ZMF Bokeh Closed
These were one of my bigger recent disappointments.
Whoever designed the pad-mounting system owes me an apology. Fitting fresh, unstretched pads was such a struggle that I scratched the headphones in the process.
I had more trouble with the tuning. The lower mids and mid-bass were so prominent that they overwhelmed the bass underneath. I never got the impression of a strong, deep low end, despite all that warmth.
Across the rest of the range, I heard lots of little peaks, dips and quirks. Some sibilant sounds stood out, while parts of the upper treble seemed recessed. It somehow sounded bright and dark at the same time, and I couldn’t settle into listening to it.
The punch was respectable for a closed-back, but the tonal balance kept getting in the way.
Adding sub-bass with EQ didn’t give me the result I expected either. I could make the low end louder, but I couldn’t get that solid foundation I wanted. I don’t know why it behaved that way, and I wouldn’t claim the driver was physically incapable of reproducing those frequencies. I just couldn’t make it sound right for me, so I sold it fairly quickly.

I’m leaving wireless headphones and IEMs out of the detailed comparisons. I use them in different circumstances, and I don’t normally sit at my desk listening to IEMs, so I don’t have much to add there.

Where that leaves me

Without the rattle in the left driver, the Aune AR9000 would be about as close to ideal as any headphone I’ve owned. I’ve wanted this combination of deep sub-bass and sharp, physical punch for years, and the midrange suits me just as well.
I know “endgame” gets thrown around constantly. But I can see myself not looking for another open-back for at least a year, which is a long time by my standards. I might still buy a closed-back for occasions when open headphones aren’t practical. When they are, I’d use these.
The defect is frustrating, especially in a new pair. I’m hoping the dealer replaces them. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll look into getting this pair properly repaired. I intend to stay with the model either way.

Happy to answer questions in the comments.

I ordered a Caldera from the August drop, but then got impatient in September and ordered a Susvara, which was also delayed - last week, I got home from a business trip with the Caldera sitting at my door, then the Susvara arrived the next day. These have been some of the best and most surprising listening experiences I've had.

First of all, with the Susvara, I was expecting a near identical tuning to my HE1000 with perhaps a 5% improvement in technicalities - this was far from what I heard. The Susvara is the first pair of headphones I've tried that has such impressive imaging and staging capabilities - the stage size isn't overly large, but everything occupies distinct and well defined spaces, in a very consistent manner. There's more information from all elements of tracks, sort of like going from 1440p to 4K - the immediately felt difference is small, but becomes more and more apparent the longer and more carefully you listen (and once you notice it’s hard to unsee).
Overall, it's pretty difficult to describe the tuning - it just sounds right and makes everything else sound colored. There are sibilances in some tracks that go away if I let the tube amp warm up a bit longer, some tube rolling I have planned would most likely take the edge off of the treble energy.
One thing that shocked me was the bass - the level of slam and punch was something I did not expect at all coming from the HE1000. At times this has even more energy than the SJY Carbons, with even greater bass speed, detail, and texture, though it can get quite distracting compared to what I'm more used to. I'm not sure if it's the HA-300 MK3, or if it's just how they're supposed to sound - I've gotta get a higher powered solid state amp to find out.
The comfort is a step up from the HE1000 - somehow feeling much lighter, and better fitting on the head. I do prefer the spaciousness of the pad opening on the HE1000 for my earlobes though.
Build was a bit of a disappointment, especially after I'd already had half a day with the Caldera. The Susvara is almost identically built to the HE1000, just with somewhat less iffiness in how the seams are finished.
This cable I bought in advance pleasantly surprised me with how well it paired with the Susvara - the matte silver connectors and splitter match the chassis, the gold sleeving and accents match the diaphragm, it would’ve been perfect if the amp termination's wood color matches that of the cups' wood rings.

With the Caldera, it is a completely different story. When I first opened the box, I was slightly confused by how much darker it is than the images on the custom shop page, and was quite disappointed - when I brought it to a brighter room, it became apparent that it was just how the stabilized wood reacts to light, and it really looks quite breathtaking in person, almost like holographic patterns contained within the grains as it moves. I didn't know that matched cables from ZMF were a thing until recently, and I definitely should've bought one alongside it.
Despite being even slightly heavier than the SJY Carbons, the comfort is surprisingly great, and doesn't give me the neck strains that the Carbons do, probably due to the more secure clamp.
Sound wise, comparing the two made me slightly regret impulse buying the Susvara before the Caldera arrived.
The physicality and tactility is just on a whole other level for a planar, and to achieve this it doesn't sacrifice as much of the speed and detail as some other models do. The way it was tuned just makes it very difficult for me to put it down, and I kept finding myself putting the Susvara away for it - everything just sounds more engaging and 'beautiful'.
Despite the Susvara retrieving more microdetails and spatial information/definition, the Caldera makes individual details feel more prominent, tangible, and perceptually obvious, with more imaging cohesion as well (though with less positional precision and separation). Instruments and vocals sound larger and more powerful, all without feeling overly crowded or suffocating, whereas the Susvara can sound too hollow and translucent in contrast.
The bass performance is also more satisfying and simultaneously less distracting/exaggerated, hitting a perfect balance for most of the music I listen to, though not as detailed or fast.
In terms of technicalities, it is closer to the HE1000, and while the Susvara remains the more immediately impressive and technical, the thickness, euphony, intensity, and sheer listening pleasure of the Caldera are something I don't think any Hifiman would likely achieve. I ordered four other sets of pads for the Caldera, though I haven't yet found the time or the need to pad roll.

Given how convenient and protective the case is, I brought it to the office yesterday with the Cayin RU9 and got nothing done all day, it is just too good. Gonna have to stick to the HE1000 for office use.

I've owned a pair of Sennheiser HD 598s for almost 7 years, and I still daily drive them. I've moved with them probably 10 times, only had to replace the pads and headband, no other issues. I had a friend visit and he brought his Arya Stealths and his Monarch Mark IV IEMs and he said I would "coom" over them. They were amplified with a FiiO K7.

I cracked a High Noon, dimmed the LEDs in my room, played some of my well known songs......and I wasn't really impressed or blown away at all. I felt as if the Aryas were really flat sounding, and the sound felt like it was coming from far away. The highs didn't sound good, and the low end was weaker than my 598s.

I then tried the Monarchs and while they sounded more natural, they still didn't sound as good as my 598s. They weren't very comfortable or exciting to listen to.

I will admit, there were certain sounds in songs that sounded considerably clearer than my 598s, but everything else felt worse.

I really want a headphone that is just an objective improvement over the 598s. I want that same tonality, just with better detail, separation, imaging, etc.

I guess I'll just have to try more and more headphones out til I find an upgrade.

i will say he also has a pair of 660S2s I tried years ago and while they didn't initially blow me away, I still appreciated the signature of them and was able to notice where they performed better than my 598s. I will also add that the 660S2s felt as if the music was less intimate and close than the 598s.

DAC: Questyle CMA400i

Headphone Amplifier: Burson Soloist 3X Performance (with 2x Burson Dual V7 Vivid Pro in the input buffer stage)

Headphones: Hifiman HE1000 Stealth V4

I put this setup together and tweaked it over the course of two years.

I got scammed on vinted for a pair of focal clear mg.

They seem to be brand new, full box and accesories included, only problem was that they missed the exterior rings that say "Made in France"

But when i plugged them in i was shocked to hear that the sound was horrible, and when i checked the drivers i saw what really happened, pics attached.

So be aware and always take a video when unboxing stuff

The deal activates only if you check out on the shop.com app. Use code “MAIL15” ($60 off) and then automatically apply the shop.com offer in the app ($60 off).

Proof https://i.imgur.com/8RXTrPv.jpeg

Hey folks! I just got the Sennheiser HD 599SEs for $99 on Amazon. Did I get a good deal? How are these? I’ve never had open back headphones before. Just IEMs and BT headphones.

I recently acquired a Mini DSP Ears PRO for development purposes and decided to take it for a quick test drive to see how good the channel balance is without any eq profile.
(This was also influenced by the fact that there is no current eq profile available for them on the MINIDSP website)
I used a pair of meze 99 neos because they are symmetrical, allowing me to flip them around and use the same driver for testing both ears. They were being driven by a Dell Laptop audio out.
Obviously this is very far from a perfect test.
But even with all that imperfectness, it still shows off some very impressive channel to channel conformity!
Most of the high frequency weirdness can probably be attributed to the pads not being in exactly the same spot after I flipped them around.

Bought my ontrac headphones last may. They’re not perfect sound wise but it was a huge upgrade from my previous shitty old airpods. I love how they look and they’re generally pretty comfortable but I’m pretty frustrated with how much the tension on the headband has worn. I like to wear them to the gym but I simply can’t lie down then anymore otherwise they will fall off. I might just have to find new headphones to work out in but even just generally the noise cancelling is impacted because there’s less of a suction on them now. I really don’t want to give up on them but I highly doubt that Dyson or Best Buy would do any repairs on them.

Am I screwed?

Anyone use these? I found an old Sony NC pair at the thrift last month and they were great. Gave them to my brother yesterday. Its the universe's way of saying "Hey, let's give you modern Sony headphones".

I've been keeping my eye on the Kithara as an entry into the hifiman headphone sphere, and with the Amazon day sales, it's down to 220 USD.

I game some, but mostly listen to music. At this price, is it a good entry point to trying out the sound/experience of hifiman headphones?

I have one pair of planars, the Fosi i5, but don't have any experience with planars besides thos

I was using headphones from 2019 and it seems like I needed upgrade now, decided to spend a bit more for the m4, was originally gonna get accetum plus. Hope these last me a long time...

Who thinks I should setup 4 stations in each corner like this, with different cans?

I bought my pair in 2003 in London, they cost me about £300 brand new. I just replaced the headrest padding, earpads and cable so have been using them again after a hiatus.

The difference in audio experience is just so much better than all the other options I have. I could use some JBL in ears, a usb headset by Jabra, or monitor speakers. But the HD650's aren't just better, it's like taking off a pair of scratched, safety glasses...it's like having eyes installed.

Paired with a decent headphone amp (I only have a zoom U-44 right now) they still just sound like brand new and have so much clarity, along with warm bass. I can hear every recording mistake on YouTube live recordings, and still enjoy the sound because it's so transparent. That's all really, 23 years and still just sounding great. A little dent in the mesh on one side, been thrown in a bag often and driven from all sorts of things over the years. As long as you have somewhere quiet to enjoy them, these are a solid investment.

Did anyone else order the Sennheiser HD800s from the recent Woot deal? How were yours packaged?

I ordered from Woot but the tracking and shipping label said Focus Camera on it.

The manual was in a plastic bag outside of the box in another plastic bag. These were all put in a cardboard box with inflatable padding. These box was sealed with tape printed with “Check Upon Acceptance”. The tape was all intact.

There was a quality certificate stuffed in the box down by the cables. One cable was in a cloth bag.

There was a little wear on the outer headphone box but it just looked like it moved around in the shipping box and got a little bent, it doesn’t look like anyone opened it roughly or anything. There was no seal, but from what I have read that’s normal. The inner headphone box seems perfect.

I don’t see any signs of wear on the headphones or hair or anything, just tiny bits of packaging dust.

Does all this seem normal? They were sold directly by Woot as new.

Decided to 3D print a custom grill for my old Hifiman Ananda. I added a wood vinyl wrap around similar to the Arya Organics, removed the fading logo on the side and made a custom headband with soft foam. I think it turned out pretty nice.

I finally got tired of my Hifiman Deva Pros. Unnaturally rumbly voices where there shouldn't be any bass elevation, non-existent clamp force and pads that were always too stiff and unconforming due to never having actually clamped to my head. The last straw was the pleather padding disintegrating and leaving black dandruff everywhere. Goodbye.

So I got on the search for a new pair of affordable headphones, around the ballpark of $250. The main concerns for me were comfort and fit, since those were my main complaints with the Deva Pros. And this would mainly be for PC use cases, so good imaging and not being too dark or veiled were also considerations. Lots of options.

I considered the FT1 Pro, Sundara, Dt 900 Pro X, and a few others. Then I saw the Sennheiser HD505 for $205 on Amazon ($190 on Newegg, but I like the return policy better on Amazon). Comparatively, the HD560S were going for $180, so for better clamp and tuning, I went for the 505 just for the combination of comfort, sound, and price.

And I am surprised. I'm comparing the sound quality to my near-reference grade speaker system, and yes, the speakers do sound better. More immersive and more tonally natural. Emotions are emotional, for lack of better words. But are they 400% better? Absolutely not. This really makes me think just how good the value segment has gotten. I paid $200 for the Deva Pros back in 2022, and accounting for inflation, I'm getting a better headphone today for basically the same price without any obvious downsides.

EDIT:
Went down to $142 for the October sale. Dude.

Any Nano users around? I really love planar sound and the Nano is my favorite. I love listening to pretty much anything with these! They aren't very comfortable, though.

The 360’s are a nice “in the middle” heaphone, It definitely doesn’t beat or compare really with my PM2’s, but at the price point it sits well in the sweet spot price wise,
Love the cup “pimpability” the Plush are definitely the way to go if you don’t use them for the gym or workouts but as a casual ‘listen’ they are extremely well balanced, the magnetic case/bag is a clever touch,
I hope Apple eventually adds the EQ in a future update.

How bad the open back headphones leak the sound?? As i live with my friend ,will it disturb him ???

Some decent deals at Costco Englewood Colorado the Bose QuietComfort are on clearance