Yes, they are headphones that are not well liked by many. Closed back headphones are very difficult to get right I believe.
But in the video, the difference they show, using a Harman graph between a solid dummy and a real human is interesting.
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A dummy buys headphones without trying them. Choosing them from graphs or specifications is risky/foolish depending on your view, and not just because of potential comfort issues.
The most personal, and varied, bit of Hifi kit I reckon. I’ve owned a few, and still do!
Bruce
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Hahaha good one.
So true. Here is a link for those that want to learn more.
The problem is that for most of us who live outside of big cities, this is pretty much impossible.
My Heddphone 2GT is not even on the market here in Italy. If a headphone looks interesting, I generally read a lot of reviews to get an idea of the sound. I then look at user comments on Head Fi, and even ask a few questions. I generally build a pretty good picture of the headphone in question. I have managed to buy cans that I love this way, without any fails.
The graphs give me a very basic preliminary picture.
The Grell OEA2 with its very angled drivers is interesting, but is on sale only in Germany right now. Data is not sufficient yet to take a chance.
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Same here, but on two occasions even with all the homework done I have bought headphones that eventually were not to my liking.
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I get that not everyone can demo. Just that you have to accept it is risky. There’s a thriving market in ‘worn once’ headphones for a reason.
Bruce
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Yes, very true. My Heddphone 2GT was a Thomann B Stock, that I got at a €400 discount, from Germany.
I have the HD820’s. Biggest issue I found was lack of bass. Cause being (for me) headband pressure (or lack of). I found 3D printable band to go over the top of the exiting band that is heat mouldable. Works a treat. Solved the issue.
It’s definitely not always possible for lots of folk to demo are they dummies absolutely not it adds to the fun imo.
Forums like headfi and increasing online reviews make it much easier to make a educated first purchase these days though sadly Tyll Hertsen’s informative and entertaining reviews at Inner fidelity are now a distant memory.
With the increase in competition it’s probably harder than ever now to be disappointed when making a educated first purchase. Once you have your first can you know what you want of the next and it’s down to research and reading comparisons.
Certainly had a lot of fun with headphones in the past at least 30 different ones and never demoed a single pair. The early days of Massdrop and a stronger £ to $ exchange rate ment it was possible to buy many of the latest headphones direct from the USA or drop shipped from Japan/China in most cases for half the street price here in the UK definitely remember I had new cans arriving pretty much every month and would listening for a month then selling and they would be snapped up quick for no loss for me. Great times for sure.
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‘Dummies’ was tongue-in-cheek referencing the post above it. Not meant to be an insult.
Maybe an emoji or two would have helped 
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Very true
Yeah I was not insulted, I got the connotation. All good.
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It is quite tempting to get into collecting headphones. I have to restrain myself from getting involved.
For the moment I have just four, that I use for different music. I also have a couple of IEM’s that I use with my Astell&Kern
My best buy was a pair of very tatty Beyerdynamic T1 ver 2 that I bought on Fleabay cheap. I bought new pads and a new headband and they are now as good as new. They are good for Bass heavy music.
My favourite headphone varies from day to day. One day it is the incredibly detailed Heddphone 2GT, the next it is the Senheisser HD800S with its wider sound stage.
The Shure 1540 is the only one I can use with others around as it does not leak sound in bucketful’s like the others.
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I owned the Beyerdynamic T1 (ver 1), bought new many years ago but couldn’t live with its clinical and overly dynamic sound which I found tiring. Ultimately I found that IEM suits me better mainly in comfort.
Hi I owned the original Beyerdynamic T1 also for probably close to two years it had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character poor matches of upstream gear and you had a cold wailing banshee of a headphone that could be jarring to listen to. But when you found the right upstream combination it could be absolutely epic.
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The T1 Ver 2 cured most of the complaints about treble fatigue. Much the same as the HD800S improved the treble compared to the original HD800.
IEM’s are good for portable use, but are more difficult to position in one’s ear to get the best sound out of them. On my Shure SE535 IEM’s, I find Comply tips work best. But on my Sennheiser IE400, the rubber tips work best.
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If you struggle with IEM fit then you might consider a model with a custom ear mould. I could not tolerate any IEMs (I seem to have one ear canal an odd shape) then discovered serious musical quality and complete comfort when I went down the custom route. Happy to expand further if anyone is interested.
Bruce
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Hi @BruceW Interesting post and a bit more detail would be great when convenient. I have occasionally considered this route but haven’t spoken to anyone and so am completely ignorant as to how it works. Currently using a very old pair of Bose because they have the ‘wing’ to keep them in place.
Can moulds be used with any IEM and what was your experience of finding a good combination of IEM and mould?
Thanks in advance
This thread has most of what you need I think.
Note that the style of custom IEMs I use have the drivers etc integrated into the mould itself. I think you can get custom moulds for the ‘ear tips’ of some other brands, there’s an example of a Shure like that in this thread. Others will know more about that. The rigid ‘hearing aid’ moulds may look uncomfortable but they aren’t for me even on extended listening. There’s no sound leakage and the good fit means great performance too. I have two different JH Audio pairs now. The better of these is up with my best headphones, although the IEM experience is different of course.
If you look at the Custom IEM Co website (sorry I cannot post a link) you will see some models are definitely aimed at musicians for live performance etc but others have more of an audiophile profile. They are extremely helpful on the phone and via email, and can arrange demos and also moulds. My local audiology clinic made my moulds.
Let me know if you still have queries after digesting this lot!
Bruce
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@BruceW That’s brilliant, thank you for this. I found your other thread and that was very helpful. I like the idea of the rigid mould. Asking the obvious but your solution doesn’t need the ear tip to penetrate the ear canal?
Thanks in advance