Is there a consensus headphone choice?

painkiller said:
I have 4 headphones. Since I don't like closed headphones, these are only open ones:

AKG K-701
AKG K-712
Ollo S4X
Austrian Audio Hi-X65

Use them mostly for practicing at home or wherever I am. I think that these are very decent headphones in their price range but there is still a ranking:

I like the Ollo S4X best because they translate very good to my FRFR live-setup. And they fit perfectly on my ears.
The AKG K-712 sound very close but I find the ear shells a bit large. Although I wouldn't say that I have small ears.
3rd place is the AKG K-701. I always think that there is something missing in the low end and they have the same size of ear shells than the other AKG K-712.
4th place is the Hi-X65. I always think that there is a "hole" somewhere in the high mids and they doesn't fit well on my head.
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Thanks for the comparison. I think it's good that the soft ear cups don't press on the ear itself but on the skull. The K712 costs almost as much as the Ollos. The K701 are good for rock, but for metal the bass could be really too less. So I think: If you have money, you'll have the Ollos, otherwise you'll have the K701 for rock or DT880 for metal. Just try it out.
 
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Oh, I though that the K-701 are in the same price range than the others. It was only after your post that I noticed that they are not. They were much more expensive when I bought mine (+10 years ago). That makes an amazing value for money!!! :)
 
After 21 pages -- your audience will only hear things the same as you if they have the same headphones as you. You are trying to get a mix that sounds good with a variety of listening experiences, ranging from cheap earbuds to expensive audiophile headphones, but I'll let you guess where more listeners will live....
 
The first simple question is, which headphones are audiophile headphones, expensive isn't automatically great (often just marketing). The next question is, which headphones to use, if you don't want to spend much money. This is a forum, great to have 21 pages which just means people talk together about interesting topics. Better than to be silent. If you are not interested, just don't read it.
 
But EQ don't need to be the right way. Currently I just use dynacabs and hi-/low-cuts in cab configuration and amp settings anymore.
 
I would argue that there likely shouldn’t ever be a consensus on a single product.

Different people have different needs and requirements.

I prefer marketplace that addresses the diversity of needs so I can get what I want versus one size fits all solution.

👍❤️🙏
 
Once thing is quite obvious from this thread - those who didn't try Ollos are not "aligned" and everyone has the preference; those who tried Ollos suggest Ollos. So convincing that many plan on trying Ollos themselves.
So I'd say there is a consensus!
 
I’d like to try the Ollo’s myself. Lot of money for phones though. The wife would be annoyed lol. I spend most of my playing time at night on phones. I have the Sennheiser 58x and I like them, but the curve I’m using isn’t perfect. It’s a one size fits all of the same model, not an individual calibration. Is there really $100 bucks of difference between the 4x and 5x? Anyone tried both?
 
The Ollo S4x are on my short list for my next gear purchase. I don't think I've seen a single negative review of them (which is quite unusual for headphones).
 
TheRedDevil said:
But EQ don't need to be the right way. Currently I just use dynacabs and hi-/low-cuts in cab configuration and amp settings anymore.
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If you just play at home, absolutely correct. If you play live anywhere, the tone that sounds perfect in your headphones may sound like @$$ in the room unless you get your headphones sounding “right.” I’ve recently re-learned this the hard way.
 
My understanding is that the S4X are not quite as accurate as the S5X. Not saying the S5X are flawless, but I encountered a few S4X reviews like that. I figured if I was going to import headphones from Europe to Canada, I might as well spend an extra $100 on the S5X and reduce the likelihood of a return.
 
The OA S5x have angled diaphragms for a L and R specific orientation. Not only are the frequency response and dynamics tight, but imaging and sound stage are excellent.

Translates very well across my AirPod Pro2 and Yamaha HS8s.

(The only mistake I’ve made with them in a mix was a bunch of sub 75 Hertz because I forgot to check the mains. Point is they are still headphones.)
 
∞Fractals said:
The OA S5x ... Translates very well across my AirPod Pro2 and Yamaha HS8s.
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I'll second that the mixes translate really well to my Airpods, as well as my Focals. Last night I also tried a completed mix on the front stereo speakers in our home theatre, and it translated well there too.

I find I can start a mix on my Focals, dial it in with the headphones, and then make adjustments after listening to it in other places. That's probably because my room isn't really set up well for perfect mixing, so the headphones help me correct for errors I make in the room. They've also really helped me detect when my mix is becoming too mix-forward or nasally. They're great for EQing; the mids here sound very accurate in a way that the Focals (or, more likely, the room my Focals are in) is not.

Took me a couple years to find a pair of headphones that I really like, but I could (and have) write a love letter about these to OA's CEO.
 
ZMF Atrium Closed. Full stop.

Having had over a 100 headphones over the years, I believe the search is over. Long story short, the Atriums are the closest reproduction of a good pair of nice big-boom speakers like B&W 800. Soundstage- and frequency spectrum-wise they are unbeatable.
 
Chronograph said:
ZMF Atrium Closed. Full stop.

Having had over a 100 headphones over the years, I believe the search is over. Long story short, the Atriums are the closest reproduction of a good pair of nice big-boom speakers like B&W 800. Soundstage- and frequency spectrum-wise they are unbeatable.
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A real bargain
 
TheRedDevil said:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ollo-audio-s4.23307/
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Again though, you're pulling up reviews for the S4X, which has a different frequency curve than the S5X and is reportedly less accurate OOTB. Just making sure you're aware of this.

I'll also add that you're looking for a great pair of headphones that everybody would recommend that are also cheap. That won't happen. You're always going to have to deal with compromises in the inexpensive price bracket. A better question to ask is how each pair of headphones is compromised. Then you can pick which problems you'd prefer to live with.
 
Chromatizm said:
Once thing is quite obvious from this thread - those who didn't try Ollos are not "aligned" and everyone has the preference; those who tried Ollos suggest Ollos. So convincing that many plan on trying Ollos themselves.
So I'd say there is a consensus!
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Excellent observation! I think this thought pushes me over the edge for a pair of S5X.
 
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