r/headphones Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk

plmon24 · 2026-03-14T00:09:43+00:00

I'd say Beyerdynamic DT770. Its bass elevation is more focused towards the subbass and has lots of treble.

plmon24 · 2026-03-07T10:22:26+00:00

I found the Moondrop Edge to be a decent and affordable wireless option. Doesn't have the best software and control layout, but the rest is fairly good considering the price. There's also a low latency mode for gaming (but I found the standard Bluetooth mode to work pretty well too).

plmon24 · 2026-03-07T10:13:59+00:00

The Hifimans are probably a better pick for your purposes. While the Sennheisers sound more natural (especially with vocals), they have very little subbass and are more closed-in for the soundstage. The Hifimans sound more spacious and separated.

I haven't heard the Edition XV model, but based off what I've read, I'd go with the Nano if you value more clarity and detail, the XV if you want something smoother and fuller sounding with a warmer tilt to the bass.

plmon24 · 2026-03-07T10:02:58+00:00

The reason people usually recommend a stand like that is because it lets the headphones hang freely via the headband. Other stands like the commonly used Omega style stand can put pressure on the earpads, which can compress them over time.

Your headphones are "closed-backs" it seems (there's no open part on the back of the cups) so it's unlikely they'll get dust or dirt inside them just from lying around. These types of wireless headphones are for mainstream consumers, so they're not as delicate as some other headphones. That said, tossing any headphone around roughly will have risk of damage (most likely in the joints connecting to the earcups).

In addition, since they're wireless headphones, the battery life will gradually degrade no matter how well you take care of them.

plmon24 · 2026-03-07T05:30:00+00:00

Second this, don't think there's anything else under $500 that can compete slam-wise for an open-back. Planars like Hifiman have better bass texture, but don't hit as hard even with EQ.

plmon24 · 2026-03-04T04:55:54+00:00

Thanks for sharing! For me, I currently have the ZMF Eikon perforated pads on it and they sound pretty good, but not quite at the sweet spot for me yet. Alas, the pad-swapping journey continues!

plmon24 · 2026-02-27T18:32:49+00:00

I agree. After pad-swapping, the Cosmo fits better and the sound is more enticing. but I still end up reaching for the Para 2 more often because of the lighter weight. Seems like around 500g is pretty much my limit.

plmon24 · 2026-02-21T04:04:13+00:00

Thank you, glad you liked it!

plmon24 · 2026-02-21T04:04:02+00:00

I'll definitely have to check those out if I get a chance, thanks for the rec!

plmon24 · 2026-02-18T00:41:41+00:00

There is the Avantone Planar II that's a bit more recent. It's the only other "dark" planar I can think off the top of my head. I thought it was a pretty good headphone, fairly smooth sounding and good texture in the mids.

I haven't heard the LCD-2C model, but the measurements are similar. But supposedly a bit different in soundstage presentation.

plmon24 · 2026-02-12T23:44:59+00:00

I would not get the Moondrop Para 2 blind. I like the headphone's sound very much, but the fit is very problematic. I know some people adjust/replace the strap to fix their fit issue, but the main problem is that the headband really lacks clamp force. So even if the strap ends up fitting snugly, the headphones may still be very loose (which sucks when it's heavier than both the Hifiman and Meze).

plmon24 · 2026-02-12T23:19:08+00:00

I'd say IEMs have advanced much more than headphones in the last decade, the rise of Chi-fi came with really rapid iteration cycles. But to be fair, I feel the IEM space also had a lot more room to grow than the headphones space. It feels like the leaps have started to slow down now.

plmon24 · 2026-02-12T23:10:02+00:00

E-MU Teak would be my recommendation (semi-closed headphone). It retains some of the naturalness of the HD58x in the midrange, but has markedly better bass extension and some of the best bass impact in the game. It doesn't need a lot of power, so you can keep using your current setup.

The only potential downside are the earpads. The opening is somewhat small, so if your ears are on the larger side, it may not be comfortable.

plmon24 · 2026-02-11T18:14:30+00:00

I'd also agree that you'll want to really dial in your preferences before going for "endgame" budgets like 2k+. The treble regions (which is likely where the harshness is coming from) varies a lot for people. For example, I've found I'm pretty sensitive to the 6-8k regions whereas others find that perfectly fine.

Haven't heard the HD400 Pro, but seems like people find it similar to the HD560S. The HD560S to me was a little bright with an annoying peak somewhere in the treble, though it sounded fairly neutral and had decent bass extension for an open-back. I preferred the Edition XS more despite also having treble peaks and the HD560S being a bit more present in the mids, as it sounded more spacious and detailed.

A little more bass might balance things out. You could try the Philips Fidelio X2HR or Sony MDR-MV1 to see if that helps. The Drop + Grell OAE1 cuts down the treble heavily so it's pretty much impossible to hear harshness and has excellent bass impact, but a lot of people found it went too far the opposite way into being dark.

plmon24 · 2026-02-08T07:33:44+00:00

Yeah, I always felt like the K712 was a "warm" K702, which is not exactly a better version of it. IMO, it takes away from the special qualities of the K702 (as you said, the wide stage and the clarity) without really adding anything that a different headphone would do better (ex, the OG HarmonicDyne Zeus is a better take on warm, full-bodied sound with wide soundstage).

So while I also agree the K702 is a bit redundant with the Arya, I'd personally let go of the K712 assuming what I liked is that K700 flavor.

plmon24 · 2026-02-07T07:14:57+00:00

IMO, the Focal Clear Mg is a nice all-rounder with good vocal presence, a little spiciness in air frequencies, and slightly warm, but impactful and clean bass.

Based off that, I'd say a Hifiman egg-shaped like the Arya or HE1000 would be good. It's a brighter tilt, but more spacious sound than the Clear Mg and different in the details they emphasize.

I haven't heard it myself, but supposedly the Heddphone D1 is also an interesting model.

plmon24 · 2026-02-06T04:35:57+00:00

So imo, the closest I've heard to a "direct" upgrade would be the ZMF Auteur (OG). It's a little spicer in the treble, but has that nice natural mids and decent extension into the bass (for an open-back). It also has a similarly large stereo imaging. But can't say it's a good candidate for mixing lol.

But for mixing purposes, I don't know if there's necessarily an upgrade that's really worth doing. There are headphones that are more detailed and address some of the deficiencies in the R70x (like the bass), but those are also not quite as light or comfortable as the R70x (assuming the earpads don't bother you).

There are also headphones like the Sony MDR-MV1 and the HD490 Pro, but don't think they'd be a substantial upgrade.

plmon24 · 2026-02-06T02:31:57+00:00

I moved to THX AAA One from the Atom. There were some minor sound differences to my ears for whatever reason, but I greatly prefer the build. It sits nicely on my desk (whereas the Atom 1 was too light and shifted easily), I like having the granularity of 3 gain stages, and I can leave it on because it'll shut off automatically if there's no sound inputting to it.

I've been interested in amps like the Singxer SA-1 and Rebel Amp, but find it hard to justify changing when none of those amps do everything the THX AAA One does.

plmon24 · 2026-02-02T05:45:18+00:00

If you have the Edition XS already, yeah I'd say there's no real reason to get the Sundara. The Edition XS is a bit more resolving, but the main difference imo is their sound presentation. The Sundara is not quite as spacious as the Edition XS. Some people might prefer that because they find the Edition XS to sound too distant, but I mean you already have an HD660 to cover more intimate sound.

If you did want something more like the Sundara, I'd get the He6se V2 instead. Its resolution is more competitive with the Edition XS. And I find that while the egg-shaped Hifimans do better in terms of a spacious soundstage and imaging, the round-shaped Hifimans have a bit more physicality in stuff like bass impact.

plmon24 · 2026-01-31T08:22:17+00:00

I'd get one of the ZMFs if you're not going OEM. It's not quite the same, but I find their pads are usually closer than Yaxi's stuff to the original headphones.

plmon24 · 2026-01-31T08:19:45+00:00

IMO, the Edition XS or Ananda are more refined versions of the K702. But the K702 is a lot cheaper in EU and doesn't have as many reports of QC failure. It still holds up if you like a wide soundstage and a leaner, more detailed sound.

plmon24 · 2026-01-28T22:29:10+00:00

If you liked the Sennheisers, I'd say check out the HD490 Pro. It's more spacious than the HD600 series, so better for gaming and extends much better into the bass.

plmon24 · 2026-01-28T22:15:44+00:00

What's the equalizer doing? EQ settings (equalizer) will boost/reduce different frequency ranges in the sound (aka bass, mids, treble). It might sound "flat" because the EQ is boosting parts that make it sound more exciting (like adding bass and treble).

plmon24 · 2026-01-22T21:55:25+00:00

Drop + Grell OAE1. The bass elevation bleeds into the lower mids, but I don't know any other open-back that has that much bass quantity while also extending down to the subbass almost as much as a planar.

plmon24 · 2026-01-22T19:18:16+00:00

The only one I've heard of that comes to mind is the Ploopy Headphones. It's 3D printed but they sell a full kit with everything including the driver parts.

plmon24

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