The emails come in on a daily basis now ... "here's what I think I need, what should I purchase?" So, today I write a Search-Engine-Friendly post to answer your questions. I do not make a penny from the links below, this is strictly a public service. For 90% of my readers, this is a "delete" day, I'll rejoin the fray tomorrow with content that better aligns with your interests.
In most cases, the headphones I write about below are units I've purchased or are units I listened to at CanJam.
Headphone Manufacturers - if you send me a unit I'll write something about it and add my commentary at the end of this post (contact me - kevinh@minethatdata.com).
Here we go!
Consumer Grade vs. Audiophile Headphones
If you visit Best Buy, most of the headphones you see are called "Consumer Grade". There is a sound signature that frequently skews to bass (like a Beats headphone). Consumer Grade headphones typically sell well, that's why you'll see them at Best Buy.
Audiophile Headphones do not sell as well. These headphones generally sound better, and are frequently more expensive (with the notable exception of in-ear monitors, which deliver fabulous sound at a fraction of the price). The sound signature of an Audiophile Headphone is often closer to "neutral" compared to a Consumer Grade headphone.
Most of what I discuss here relates to Audiophile Headphones, with the notable exception of Noise Cancelling headphones.
Noise Cancelling Headphones and Bluetooth
Your friends at Apple ushered in the Bluetooth era by removing the headphone jack from the iPhone. There is much debate about the quality of Bluetooth sound. If you have old ears like I have, the difference isn't huge. Regardless, information is lost when music transmits wirelessly from a device to a headphone. If you want the absolute best sound quality, you stay away from Bluetooth. If you want the convenience of noise cancelling headphones? You have to make tradeoffs. Noise cancelling headphones have a computer in them. This means a $300 noise cancelling headphone cannot have the sound quality of a $300 Audiophile Headphone. Factor in bluetooth as well, you come to the realization you are not getting great sound. Good sound? Yes, that's possible.
- I previously owned a Bose QC 25, now known as the Bose QuietComfort. These were nice when flying from Seattle to Boston.
- Popular models I haven't owned include the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and the Sennheiser Accentum. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 is also well-regarded.
- I've also owned a noise-cancelling earbud model, the Sony WF-1000XM5. I thought the bass was boomy and the details weren't there ... which is to be expected for a noise cancelling bluetooth earbud headphone.
- Apple Airpods Pro 2. You see these everywhere, and for good reason. For sheer portability, I've not found anything as handy as these are. They play a bit quiet for me, however.
- Apple Airpods Max. I found these expensive, not portable, and my ears sweated while wearing them. They fit in well with my Apple ecosystem and Apple TV. Their limitations and cost pushed me into Audiophile Headphones.
- Focal Bathys. I tried these at CanJam. You get the audiophile-style sound signature of a Focal headphone (at Focal prices, no less) with noise cancelling. These can also be used in wired mode.
Three Types of Audiophile Headphones
There are three common types of Audiophile Headphones.
- Closed Back Headphones.
- Open Back Headphones.
- In-Ear Monitors.
All three headphones have pros/cons. Closed Back headphones are private (good), but don't allow music/air to move freely (because they are closed), so they frequently don't sound as good as open back headphones.
Open back headphones sound fabulous, with one notable exception ... a general lack of bass. You also need a private setting because everybody in the room will be able to hear what you are listening to (the headphones are open, so sound just comes out). Soundstage and imaging are generally good with open back headphones ... not as good as a quality pair of stereo speakers, but good. Open back headphones can be good for gaming, in that users can pinpoint the sound of guns or people walking, etc.
In-ear monitors go in your ear. They bypass your pinna, and as a result they can sound both more intimate and less spacious. In-ear monitors generally have better bass than open back headphones.
Will I Need Amplification?
Many headphone hobby enthusiasts enjoy amplification as much as they enjoy their headphones. Still, your devices already have a digital to analog converter (DAC) and generally have an amplifier. Unless you are using a 300ohm-ish open backed headphone, you likely won't need a DAC/Amp.
There are individuals who genuinely believe that they can hear significant differences between DAC/Amp setups. My ears are old, I don't hear anything more than a 2% or 3% difference, and that difference is likely placebo. If you hear a difference, good! If you don't hear a difference but still want a DAC/Amp, go down an inexpensive route and be happy. Ultimately, a DAC/Amp should allow a clean conversion of the digital signal to analog, and then provide enough power so you can clearly hear sounds without noise.
I've enjoyed two models.
- HiBy FC4 (plugs straight into your iPhone or laptop usb). Portable.
- Fiio K11 R2R (desktop).
My favorite model is the Qudelix 5k. This little miracle can be used in bluetooth mode or via a wired connection. Most important, the unit has what is called "parametric equalization", or "peq". While nerdy, this style of equalization allows you to customize any frequency between 20hz and 20,000hz to your preference. If a headphone has a problem, you can fix the problem. If you don't think the headphone has enough bass, you can not only fix the problem but fix bass at the exact frequencies where you want changes to happen. To get the most out of the Q5k, you'll want to learn as much as you can about the frequency curves of every headphone (click here). That website (squig.link) allows you to equalize your headphones to the sound signature of other headphones. This is an incredibly useful function, one that will save you a lot of money. If you have FOMO of a model (maybe you want to buy a $200 iem but only own a $50 iem), you can use the Q5k to change the sound of the $50 iem to sound directionally similar to the $200 iem. You'll learn you don't need a collection of 24 headphones, you can instead make 2/3/4 headphones sound like hundreds of headphones!
Kevin's Exploration of Open Back Headphones
I've tried many open back headphones, and have settled on one (1) model.
- Meze 109 Pro.
- This is my favorite headphone of all time. Acceptable details. Acceptable bass. Acceptable sound stage and imaging. Not clinical sounding. Sounds amazing with music or movies. These are $799 new, I got an open-box unit for $629, you can find used models for just over $400.
- While I haven't tried it, Meze now offers a cheaper alternative, the 105 AER that enthusiasts believe sounds similar enough to the 109 Pro to save $$$ and still leave you happy.
I've tried or owned many other open back models.
- Maybe the greatest open back headphone of all-time, the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX is $199 and is essentially identical to the Sennheiser HD650 that sells for double the cost. This open back headphone probably requires modest amplification. The headphone specializes in vocals (try Bonnie Raitt "I Can't Make You Love Me", her voice is amazing on this headphone). It has muted treble and very little bass (but just enough bass to matter). If I were advising somebody to purchase a first open back model, I'd start here.
- Sennheiser HD560S. These sound good ... more bass than the 6XX, a bit screechy in the treble, but overall they present music clinically. These are allegedly good for gaming. You listen to these to study the music, to evaluate the music.
- Sennheiser HD600. A more clinical version of the 6XX, they are beloved by audiophiles who prefer the Sennheiser sound signature.
- Sennheiser HD599. Another good first step into open back headphones. A bit more musical than the HD560S.
- HIFIMAN Edition XS. Many enthusiasts love the snappy music produced by planar magnetic headphones. I tried these at CanJam, they weren't my cup of tea but I can see how other people would really enjoy them.
- Focal Clear MG. Pricey. Heard them at CanJam. Nice details. In my opinion, diminishing returns hit hard ... meaning going from a $199 HD6XX to a $1,499 Clear MG is a 7.5x increase in cost but maybe a 25%ish (your mileage will vary) improvement in sound quality. Always keep diminishing returns in the back of your mind.
- Meze Empyrean 2: $3,000. I heard them at CanJam. It felt like God reached into my head and touched my brain.
Kevin's Exploration of In-Ear Monitors
I've settled on three iems in my collection. It is important to get the right ear tips so that sound is isolated in your ear (these are my favorites). If you don't have the right ear tip, the sound will be thin and lifeless, with minimal/no bass. Also - diminishing returns hit hard with iems. My $159 iems sound 85% as good as my $399 iem sounds, and my $399 iem sounds 97% as good as the $999 iems I've tried.
- Thieaudio Hype 4. Just a fun sounding iem with enough bass to enjoy pop or rap music.
- Kiwi Ears KE4. These are tuned to represent research on what an average listener prefers (it's called "Meta" tuning). As a result, these are quite boring. However, when paired with a Q5k, they can be adjusted to sound absolutely fabulous and lively.
- Meze Alba. These sound similar to my Meze 109 Pro open back headphone.
In-ear monitors span many price categories. You can get amazing sound for just $25. You can buy an iem that has a sound signature that does not align with your preferences, causing you to feel like you wasted money. Here are other iems I've owned or tried, ranked from least expensive to most expensive.
- Linsoul 7Hz Crinacle Zero:2. Just a stunning value at $25. They sounded so darn good. Kind of a v-shaped sound with less-refined treble (v-shaped means bass and treble are boosted). I gifted them to a friend. This is a GREAT place to start with iems ... for the cost of a pair of Jimmy John's subs, you're off and running.
- Truthear Hexa. It's hard to beat this for under $100. The Hexa has sub bass but not enough lower/mid bass for me. If you wanted to hear vocals or listen to podcasts or listen to books on tape, this is a great iem to own.
- 7Hz x Crinacle Salnotes Dioko. Some people like de-emphasized bass and a lot of treble. If that's you, here's your iem. I like bass and I don't like a lot of treble, so not for me.
- HIDIZS MP145. A really, really good iem. Really good. Comes with three pair of tuning tips, so you can have the iem sound good for vocals, sound neutral, or be filled with bass.
- Truthear Nova. Research from 5-10 years ago determined that the "Harman Curve" is what an average listener would like best. The Truthear Nova follows this curve as well as any other iem. For me, the Harman Curve is a bit thin in the upper bass and lower mids. For you? This iem might be perfect.
- Thieaudio Monarch MK iii. It's expensive, and is kind of a combination of my Hype 4 and the Nova, but with better details. Again, I found it modestly thin in the upper bass and lower mids. I tried it at CanJam.
If you were curious, to me, the law of diminishing returns with iems < $400 looks something like this ... you get A LOT of bang for your buck with iems.
Kevin's Exploration of Closed Back Headphones
For me, in-ear monitors offer a better value proposition over Closed Back headphones. Regardless, your mileage will vary. Here are units I've owned or tried.
- Massdrop x Meze 99 Noir. Holy bass! If you want a "thumping" experience, these are the headphones for you.
- Sennheiser HD569. An entry into closed back headphones. If you like the sound signature here, you know you'll like other Sennheiser headphones.
- Sennheiser HD620S. Tried these at CanJam. For the cost, I'd advise going the HD6XX open back route (save money, better sound quality) AND get an inexpensive iem. But if you have to have a closed back headphone, this isn't bad.
- Focal Azurys. Expensive, but the best sounding closed back headphone I've heard. I still think you can do better with iems at a third of the cost of the Azurys, but if you want the Focal house sound in a closed back form, this is a reasonable choice.
Can I Use Spotify For Music?
I have songs that I really enjoy. For those songs, I've purchased CDs, then converted the songs to a lossless format (FLAC or ALAC). I've compared ALAC (Apple lossless) to the same song on Spotify, and I can hear a very modest difference ... like 2% to 3% better (your mileage will vary). For some people, that modest difference means "everything". For casual listeners, the difference might be irrelevant.
There are listening tests you can take online, comparing 320mbps MP3 formats to lossless formats. I can tell the difference between 75% of the time and 80% of the time ... if I attempt twenty-five or thirty trials, the difference is statistically significant. But the difference is barely meaningful.
So, yes, you can use Spotify for your music listening needs. Or Apple Music or Amazon Music. Enjoy your music.
IEM Cables?
I generally don't like the cables that come with iems. There are two cables I purchase that I like.
DAP / MP3 Players?
I don't have experience with DAPs / MP3 players. Plenty of people on Reddit enjoy 'em. If you have a lot of MP3s / FLACs / ALAC songs, consider a music player.
Sources of Information
There are a handful of places I enjoy reading about headphones, watching content on headphones, or listening to shows about headphones. There are countless resources beyond what I outline here.
Have Fun!
Regardless what model you purchase, have fun with it! It doesn't matter that user GUMBOFORLUNCH on Reddit doesn't like a headphone. The headphone doesn't work for him. It might be perfect for you. Do not worry about cost ... as I mentioned above, the Zero:2 iem for $25 will be more than enough for many listeners, while some expensive headphones will not match your preferred sound signature, and others require the details present on a $1,500 headphone.
Do what makes you happy, not what makes somebody else happy, when it comes to headphones.
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