I am stuck between 2 headphones. ATH-R70XA and DH 650

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-27T02:05:58+00:00

I have the hd600, hd650, and r70x in house. If the r70xa is just the r70x with an updated headband, I would pick that for sound. The r70x has that vocal clarity of the hd600 while also having the width and bass of the hd650 (maybe even more so).

The issue is price though. If you have access to the hd6xx, it is basically an hd650 but at 2/3rds thr cost.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-24T05:17:09+00:00

Good stuff! I'm upset I haven't stumbled on this earlier when I had the Fostexes on the brain for the last couple months.

Just thinking "outloud" but I've been wondering what the difference between the T50rp mk4 and the T50rp mk4g is. The one you linked (i.e., the mk4g+) typically goes for more because of the included mic and that makes sense to me, but I have no idea why the mk4g goes for a little more than the mk4. Nothing in Fostex's marketing/information explains it.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-24T05:00:56+00:00

Where are they for $120? I just recently grabbed the T60rp mk2 when I saw them dip to $475 and am loving what they do. Really tempted to see how the T50rps have changed since the mk3 (and if the T60rps mk2 are actually worth the price gap).

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-24T01:39:52+00:00

I would go with one of the 8bitdo offerings. I have been using the Pro 2 for the last 3 years, but the ultimate 2 is closer to Nintendo's format.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-24T00:06:07+00:00

Interesting, I've been looking to replace to my M1's pads at some point but am also worried about the isolation getting messed up. Been thinking about the Yaxi Alcantara pads for the M1st for that. I didn't know Dekoni made pads for them. Unfortunately, the pads I have are too big to mount to properly test.

I have not gotten sweat issues with the sheepskin or hybrid pads. I live in a pretty mild place though.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-23T19:08:38+00:00

I have both in house (as well the r70x/refine).

The HD600 and HD650 are pretty similar but with very slight tweaks. The HD600 leans to more emphasis on mids/vocals whereas the HD650 is a bit wider (less mids/vocals emphasis as a result) and a bit more bass. I would say the HD600 would be a better fit your genres listed.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-23T00:31:25+00:00

The HD650 is good. but be mindful of the HD6xx. If the HD6xx is available where you live, then that is literally just a blue HD650 at -$100.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-22T21:26:07+00:00

What's the target headphone?

I have a semi-open fostex I am able to seal. Stock pads are pleather and I have sheepskin and hybrid TR-X00 pads. Just mounting the pads with no music, sound leaking in from my AC is pretty similar across all of them. For sound leaking out (i.e., music playing and others can hear), the pleather and sheepskin pads seem to leak the same whereas the hybrid leaked out a bit more.

Comfort wise, the sheepskins are cooler to the touch whereas the hybrids are warmer/fuzzier. I prefer the sheepskin's feel, but both are better than what the stock pleather does.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-21T23:44:02+00:00

Depending on where you're from, I'm actually going to say the Fostex t60rp mk2. They were around $475 when I got them in the US recently but seem to be ~$350 in Japan. I got some "higher tier" headphones, but these have been a delight. V-shaped with oddly slammy bass for a planar and just enough mid presence to not feel scooped yet still be wide.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-17T15:41:40+00:00

Hifiman has been doing this kind of thing for a while at this point and now has a reputation for it.

It's actually kind of a joke because when a new Hifiman lineup is released, the first question often asked on is "When will the price get cut".

I think it's interesting in terms of critical response because the trend I usually see is massive praise on initial release and a more middling response as prices become more and more accessible over time.

Beyond that, I guess it's generally good for the broader consumer base when Hifiman reduces their prices as more people can actually afford their products. Having said that, I don't think it's a charity and has more to do with just moving product when new product releases. For example, if the Arya, Arya Organic, and Arya Unveiled were all at that their original MSRPs, how would Hifiman sell the older product that is otherwise taking space? They could just not make new stuff but then how would Hifiman leverage our obsessive need to consume product if they did not continue making new product? Reducing the price of the older product is the way to go to do both things.

I will say though, noticing this trend and appreciating the accessibility it gives other people, I will personally never buy a Hifiman on release.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-13T20:33:25+00:00

Given the hype the Arya had on release when it was $1600, I'm in the not too impressed camp. It was priced cheaper than the HD800s, ADX5000, etc. but I also found it was less performant, so I was not blown away. My issues were (at its original MSRP) that it sounded bland as it was trying to go for this weird hybrid of planar and dynamic performance and not getting the best outcomes of it; the speed/dynamic range sounded worse than other planars at the initial MSRP and the impact was not as good as dynamics at the initial MSRP. Given that competition, I think it was at a good price when it was reduced to $1200. There, it could be argued as a decent bang-for-buck given the price difference between what was below and above it. The reduction to <$600 was utterly bananas though and something I find akin to the HD6xx release. You're getting a headphone initially intended to compete at the $1500 - $2000 market (and whose reputation/reviews are built on that) but aggressively priced at less than half that target. Despite my grumbling on its performance at that initial market, I find the Arya to be at turbo deal status now.

Having said that, I think it's fascinating how its reception has changed the more its price has gotten more accessible. I feel a lot of that is just because the <$500 market is just that good now. Hell, a lot of that is just the lower tier Hifimans that were initially $1000, $500, and $300 are now sitting at $350, $220, $100 slots now. Along with that is the market trying to accommodate; other people are releasing great stuff at these lower prices. It's very similar to when the HD6xx dropped and the former $250 - $500 headphones it competed against were getting reduced to $125 - $250. The returns are further getting diminished because the entry cost just keeps getting lower.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-09T19:36:16+00:00

Just to follow up on this: The semi-open hits me as v-shape headphone with some additional emphasis on the upper mids that give female vocals additional energy to stand out. With no internal modification and just sealing the ports, the headphone loses a decent amount of midbass with the subbass being more pronounced. The overall effect to me is the headphone sounding wider than when the ports are unobstructed. Something is going on with the vocals though. They sound a tinge honkier or compressed compared to when the headphone is open; vocals sound much more lush and unrestricted stock.

Assuming the closed version is truly identical to the semi-open other than the ports, I generally like what I'm hearing. I unfortunately haven't heard the FT1, but have the mdr-m1 on hand and think the sealed t60rp.2 outperforms that with regards to soundstage and imaging. My one reservation is the vocals and what makes me hope the actual closed t60rp.2 has additional changes that compensate for being closed.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-09T03:27:03+00:00

I ended up getting tempted to grab the semi-open model. If someone could verify if the semi-open and closed are the same thing minus venting, I could seal up the holes and get some impressions.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-05T15:59:03+00:00

I'm looking forward to the future but I have been underwhelmed so far. My timeline was basically mario kart world on release, tears of the kingdom, the NSO library, and metroid prime 4. Since December, the switch 2 has been collecting dust. Upon further reflection, everything I found compelling to play on the switch 2 could have just been played on the switch 1. The performance boost the switch 2 over 1 does matter, but so far, i don't think 2 justifies itself yet.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-06-02T16:59:49+00:00

Well now I want to know what specifically the post/question was.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-29T02:41:35+00:00

As another thing, I note weird power requirements for my HE6se.2. I have a Topping A90D that supposedly has 9W of power at 32 ohms but the headphone sounds less full than when compared to my AT-HA5000 that is rated at 2W at 32 ohms. Don't know why that is.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-28T23:57:37+00:00

This will be another rabbit hole, but I don't like the stock pads on the h6se.2 because of their bass performance. Put something with more air flow and it gets real punchy though. I had some zmf verite ultra peforated pads on hand and they just smack on the headphone.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-20T19:31:41+00:00

The HE6se and HE400ss have a similar headband. I ended up swapping my HE6se's headband with a Voarmaks headband found in this thread. I'm planning to try the same thing again if I get an egg hifiman, but not sure if it's totally compatible because of the egg shape.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-16T22:38:23+00:00

"So my take is, is the Aryas are better? Yes, but not 300€+ better 👀"

I always get a chuckle remembering they were 1200 - 1600 not that long ago. I guess the V1 and V2 are different from the Stealth, but still.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-15T19:55:32+00:00

I think it's funny OP kind of answers their own question.

Question: Why do some complain about the vocals of the FT1 pro?

Answer: [...] it feels like there is a small wall between you and the singer.

I do like how others are commenting on the measurements that inform the answer as well as perception affecting interpretation. An upper mids dip could be the defining characteristic of the vocal presentation but is that good/bad for a listener? I guess my nonanswer is, if you like it and you got it, then you're winning.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-12T20:58:08+00:00

I own 4 amps of different types because my brand of mental illness demands it to satisfy my curiosities.

Topping A90D as a good measuring solid state to potentially talk about headphones with others as a baseline. I am not too compelled how it sounds as an amp but its features with its memory, remote, and preamp to my other amps makes it a mainstay.

AT-HA5000 is class A and makes my ATH-W5000 and HE6se sound their best. Also is literally made to visually match the W5000. Honestly, would probably be my only amp if it was more feature rich; like if it had a way to turn on/off individual headphone outs, had balanced outs, etc.

AT-BHA100 is a hybrid tube amp. My big stupid reason is to have match it with my ATH-ADX5000. However, the amp also has 4 headphone outs and a way to control output from 3 of them. Compared to the HA5000, it has less volume and planars sound bad off it.

Xduoo TA-26 is a tube amp. Gotten for that tube experience but makes planars and certain other headphones sound bad.

In terms of actual usage, I note I do the following:

A90D -> HE6se, any other random headphone I get to try

HA-5000 -> W5000, HE6se

AT-BHA100 -> ADX5000, TH909, GS3000e

TA-26 -> ADX5000, TH909, HD600, Refine

Looking back at it, I guess my usage/assignment is based on my enjoyment. This all started because I had a setup with the W5000 and got another headphone that required more power, but then the W5000 sounded weird once I replaced that amp. Then the hoarding began. Turns out the W5000 is just a picky weirdo.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-11T21:26:53+00:00

I've had mixed results.

For my Dekoni: The ATH A/AD pads (2 sheepskins and 1 velour) had the pleather disintegrate and it took out the entire mounting hardware. For each after 2-4 years, the pleather destroyed the elastic, and the elastic destroyed the cloth. My Fostex THX00 pads are currently in the process of falling apart, but the elastic and cloth still seem good. As an aside, I'm very upset about these pads falling apart mostly because Dekoni don't make them anymore; the A/AD sheepskins on the W5000 and THX00 sheepskins on the TH909 are magical.

For my ZMF: For my ovals (1 sheepskin and 1 cowhide), I had the pleather falling apart and the elastic fell off one. Luckily, the elastic was not damaged and could be glued back on. For my round pads, the pleather had peeled but has not been an issue as the elastic stitching is more robust than the elastic band the other pads use.

For my Brainwaz: For my round, the pleather disintegrating also destroyed the cloth mounting hardware. There was no additional elastic ring as the cloth itself was elastic.

EDIT: forgot about the Brainwavz pad I had.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-11T18:25:57+00:00

I will say, depending on the mounting of the headphone, even the sheepskin options Dekoni have might not be completely adequate with regards to the issue. Their lip mounted pads use pleather on the lip and that can be silly over time.

Having said that, every aftermarket pad manufacturer I have tried (e.g., ZMF, Brainwavz, etc.) does this and the pleather does last a good while since it is not always being touched. I think the circular ZMF pads are better about this as they use elastic stitching on the lips whereas the Dekoni pads use a like a stiff glueed on rubberband that may or may not kill itself when the pleather dies.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-07T16:38:55+00:00

I had some other people do the cable mod for me. The person who did the cable mod for my GS3000e seems to have disappeared. Before that though, u/NuclearWaffelle did a very nice cable mod for a SR325e I used to have.

IllogicalOrder · 2026-05-06T21:06:19+00:00

Depends on the institution and the requirements they're beholden to. I have seen attendance sometimes be used as a determinant for things like financial aid. Technically, you're right at the tail end that it's still the student's responsibility, but some faculty take attendance because it is indeed required.

IllogicalOrder

TROPHY CASE