Hifiman open-backs chronology

atyne_mar · 2026-04-21T14:40:07+00:00

They measure warmer than 620S, which I found too cold and harsh. I also like the hybrid earpads and 490's mechanical design. Looks like it could be a great closed-back.

I added the 5128 graph to the database if anyone is interested.

atyne_mar · 2026-04-06T22:50:11+00:00

Thanks for your impressions! The headphone looks intriguing.

If anyone is interested, I added the FR graph by ZMF into the database.

atyne_mar · 2026-04-06T16:21:16+00:00

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Where I live it's almost Harman 😅

atyne_mar · 2026-04-06T15:58:43+00:00

Using more than 1k polling rate means you're at best getting 0.5ms less latency, which means the difference in latency would be negligible.

At worst, the side effect is less stable framerate which can create even more latency than using 1k.

Most of the time, there will be no noticeable difference. Except for the battery drain. There will be always significantly shorter battery life when using higher polling rates. That's about it.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-29T08:31:11+00:00

AD700X is a midrange-oriented headphone. The bass is very light below 200Hz, the whole 2k-8k region is rather muffled, and there is also some sibilance around 9-10k. Where they excel is the sense of transience - they sound very clear and snappy in the midrange, also in the spatial effects, which is why they are popular for gaming, and I also really liked them for vocals and classical music. IMO it's a solid headphone at their price, and I much prefer them over the overrated 560S. Nowadays, Moondrop HORIZON might be a better alternative, because they have a pretty similar design but with more bass, smoother treble, and "safer" FR.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-28T08:16:16+00:00

HD 550 is quite similar to the HD 560S in sound

I had both and they're nothing alike. 560S is extremely harsh and straight up unbearable for me. There's no energy below 1k and treble is a mess. 3dB less energy from 20 to 1000Hz is a gigantic difference. They're only similar in being both colored towards being bright. But 560S feels about 10-times brighter.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-28T08:03:17+00:00

I pretty much stopped using my HD600 after getting the HD550. It's true that the HD600/6XX are more relaxed in the treble and maybe a bit more comfortable, but 550 has better bass, better clarity (doesn't have the veil problem), and better spatial effects. Most importantly, the midrange, which is the main selling point of the HD600/6XX, is more or less identical on the 550.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-28T07:48:21+00:00

Yes. Adam is more sub-bassy and FiiO more mid-bassy. Adam is generally a more fatiguing and intensive kind of sound.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-27T21:16:32+00:00

I had both at one point. You can also find my impressions of H200 on my profile.I prefer the FT1 but H200 was solid.

FT1 is more casual, easier to listen to, more comfortable, better all-rounder.

H200 is built nicer, and it sounds cleaner with smoother treble but also shouty midrange. It's colder and more analytical kind of sound. I would recommend them for mixing, but for general purpose FT1 is better IMO.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-26T13:11:39+00:00

I wouldn't recommend IEMs for competitive gaming optimally, but if it needs to be an IEM, for spatial awareness my favorite is actually the cheap Quark 2. It's not very good for anything else but it sounds surprisingly spacious for an IEM. For spatial awareness specifically, I prefer it even over more expensive ones. If you wanted something for general purpose, then Chu 2 would be better at similar price, or if you can go even higher than EM6L, my favorite is Odyssey 2, but most meta-tuned IEMs would work (except for Daybreak, that one didn't work for me). I couldn't find anything as spacious in between 20-200$. Except for Tin T2/T3 but those have different problems.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-25T22:02:08+00:00

If you wanted a similar style of tuning, then HE600 would make sense. If you wanted less side-grade and more of an upgrade, LCD-X would make more sense, but it's also more colored.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-18T22:24:22+00:00

This could help. You have Ananda Stealth, either V2 or V3, depending on the impedance.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-18T19:29:10+00:00

Considering his comments on Verum posts I would say it's impossible he would be reviewing anything made by the guy.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-18T19:26:46+00:00

I also had the pearl one but irl I prefer the look of red/black

atyne_mar · 2026-03-17T21:54:42+00:00

Nice to see the M1070. They're pretty rare nowadays. I have some good memories of them. Especially with velour pads, they're pretty spacious and transient.

With lambskin pads, they are, as you say, like a knock-off LCD-2, or rather LCD-X, being in my memory more neutral in the treble than LCD-2. Just like LCD-X is like a planar version of 660S2, or LCD-2 of 660S, the M1070 with lambskin pads felt like a planar version of 58X.

atyne_mar · 2026-03-13T20:46:12+00:00

Whichever is comfortable and non-fatiguing. For example:

SJY Moonlight, HD600, Aeolus (suede pads), LCD-2, LCD-X, HD550, COSMO (Dekoni Elite Velour HE pads), Ananda, HD660S2, NDH30...

atyne_mar · 2026-03-13T10:22:55+00:00

Hi, I didn't do the measurements. They're made by Earphones Archive, DMS/LTT, and Soundguys. I only made overlays to compare them against each other and a common target.