| Scales with better gear, Comfortable, Identical to HD 650 for half the price, Lush warm mids, Best value in audiophile audio |
| HiFiMAN Sundara, Sennheiser HD 650, Sennheiser HD 600 |
| 42 |
| dynamic |
| HiFiMAN | Susvara | endgame, critical_listening, everything | wired_detachable | summit_fi | 83dB sensitivity is absurdly low, HiFiMAN QC at this price is concerning, Needs $2,000+ speaker amp to drive properly, $6,000 | Comfortable despite weight, Natural timbre, Incredible detail and space, Best headphone ever made | RAAL SR1a, Abyss AB-1266, Focal Utopia | 97 | planar_magnetic |
| Dan Clark Audio | Aeon 2 Noire | warm_sound, travel_wired, office, closed_back_audiophile | wired_detachable | upper_midfi | Not as resolving as open-backs, Some find it too warm, Needs an amp despite low impedance | Great for office, Made in USA, Non-fatiguing, Folds flat, Best closed-back under $1K | Fostex TH-900, Focal Elegia, Audeze LCD-XC | 62 | planar_magnetic |
| Focal | Utopia | critical_listening, all_genres, endgame | wired_detachable | summit_fi | Focal pad degradation, Heavy, Soundstage not as wide as Susvara, $4,000 | Easy to drive, Premium build, Impact and punch unmatched, Best dynamic headphone | ZMF Verite, Abyss AB-1266, HiFiMAN Susvara | 40 | dynamic |
| Sennheiser | HD 650 | vocal_music, tube_amps, long_sessions, all_genres | wired_detachable | entry_midfi | Needs amp, Narrow soundstage, HD 6XX exists at half the price | Natural timbre, Comfortable, Pairs beautifully with tube amps, Warm smooth mids | Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, HD 6XX, HD 600 | 42 | dynamic |
| Shure | SRH840A | podcasting, neutral_reference, mastering, mixing | wired_detachable | entry_midfi | Not as fun as DT 770, Boring for casual listening | Detachable cable, Comfortable A revision, Good for mixing, Very neutral | ATH-M50x, DT 770 Pro, AKG K371 | 40 | dynamic |
| Koss | KSC75 | modding, walking, gym, casual_listening, budget | wired_fixed | budget | Looks ridiculous, Fragile cable, No bass, Ear clips hurt after a while | Lifetime warranty, Modding community, Fun, Lightweight, $20 and sounds incredible | Koss KPH40, Koss Porta Pro | 60 | dynamic |
| Audio-Technica | ATH-R70x | natural_sound, long_sessions, mixing, studio_monitoring | wired_detachable | entry_midfi | Hard to find, Unknown to most people, 470 ohm — needs a serious amp | Great for long mixing sessions, Natural warm sound, Made in Japan, Featherlight at 210g | K702, DT 900 Pro X, HD 600 | 45 | dynamic |
| Audio-Technica | ATH-M50x | first_headphone, DJ_monitoring, casual_listening, portable_use | wired_detachable | entry_midfi | Better options now exist, Soundstage cramped, Not flat for mixing, Small earcups get hot, Overrated as 'studio' headphone | Widely available, Durable, Fun sound, Good isolation, Portable and foldable | Shure SRH840A, AKG K371, DT 770 Pro | 45 | dynamic |
| ZMF | Atrium | vocal, jazz, rock, warm_musical_sound, tube_amp_pairing | wired_detachable | summit_fi | Not the most technically resolving, Long wait times, Expensive, Heavy | Zach is amazing (owner), Incredible with tube amps, Most musical headphone, Beautiful exotic woods, Handmade in USA | Audeze LCD-3, HD 800S, Focal Clear | 50 | dynamic |
| Audeze | LCD-2 Classic | electronic, hip_hop, warm_sound, bass_music | wired_detachable | upper_midfi | Headband, Clamp force, Dark tuning needs EQ for some, Heavy | Good value entry to LCD line, Classic Audeze sound, Made in USA, Incredible bass | HD 660S2, Focal Elex, Edition XS | 106 | planar_magnetic |
| Meze | 109 Pro | aesthetics, easy_drive, warm_sound, long_sessions | wired_detachable | upper_midfi | Too relaxed for some, Rolled-off treble, Bass bloat, Not technically impressive for $800 | Great customer support, Easy to drive, Non-fatiguing, Beautiful build, Most comfortable headphone | Grado RS2e, Focal Elex, HD 660S2 | 50 | dynamic |
| Sennheiser | HD 600 | reference, jazz, classical, vocal_music, critical_listening | wired_detachable | entry_midfi | Clamp force out of box, Boring to some — too neutral, Plasticky build for the price, Narrow soundstage, Sub-bass roll-off | 30-year track record, Scales well with better amps, Comfortable for hours, Best vocals in the price range, Timeless tuning | AKG K702, HiFiMAN HE400se, Sennheiser HD 6XX, Sennheiser HD 650 | 42 | dynamic |
| Audeze | LCD-X (2021) | EQ_users, mixing, bass_music, electronic, hip_hop | wired_detachable | hifi | Expensive for what you get stock, Clamp force, Dark/veiled without EQ, HEAVY (612g) | Professional standard, Responds incredibly well to EQ, Made in USA, Best bass in an open-back | DCA Stealth, Arya Stealth, Focal Clear | 106 | planar_magnetic |
| HiFiMAN | HE400se | gaming, movies, hip_hop, electronic, budget_audiophile | wired_detachable | budget | Heavy for the build, Upper mids recessed, Needs amp despite low impedance, Build quality feels cheap | Stealth magnets at this price, Good for gaming, Planar bass at $80, Insane value | Philips SHP9500, Superlux HD 681, Samson SR850 | 80 | planar_magnetic |
| Focal | Clear (MG) | critical_listening, all_genres, electronic, pop, rock | wired_detachable | hifi | Price, Heavy, Pad crumbling on older versions, Narrow soundstage vs HD 800S | Musical and fun, Made in France, Easy to drive, Punchy, Best dynamics in any headphone | Audeze LCD-X, Arya Stealth, HD 800S | 40 | dynamic |
| Sony | WH-1000XM6 | spatial_audio, calls, ANC, commute, travel | wireless_bluetooth | midfi | Still not audiophile-grade, No USB-C audio, Incremental update, $50 more than XM5 | Better mic quality, Spatial audio is actually good, Better sound quality, Improved ANC over XM5 | B&W PX8, Sennheiser Momentum 4, Bose QC Ultra | 40 | dynamic |
| Grado | SR80x | made_in_usa, guitar_music, metal, punk, rock | wired_fixed | budget | Non-detachable cable, Open = no isolation, Bright/fatiguing, Uncomfortable on-ear pads | Handmade, Lightweight, Forward engaging sound, Incredible for rock, Made in Brooklyn | Sennheiser HD 25, Koss Porta Pro | 44 | dynamic |
| Apple | AirPods Max | spatial_audio, build_quality, ANC, apple_ecosystem | wireless_bluetooth | midfi | Condensation issue, Not worth it for non-Apple users, Heavy, Smart Case is terrible, No 3.5mm jack | Looks great, ANC solid, Good spatial audio, Build quality premium | B&W Px8, Bose QC Ultra, Sony XM6 | 40 | dynamic |
| Beyerdynamic | DT 900 Pro X | all_genres, gaming, mixing_mastering | wired_detachable | entry_midfi | Pads wear out, Not as musical as HD 6XX, Still some treble peak | Detachable cable, Made in Germany, Easy to drive, Great soundstage, Tamed Beyer treble | HD 600, AKG K702, HD 560S | 45 | dynamic |
| HiFiMAN | Arya Stealth | electronic, classical, detail_retrieval, soundstage, all_genres | wired_detachable | hifi | Build doesn't match price, Price fluctuates, Bright for some, Heavy, HiFiMAN QC | Versatile, Technical performance, Sub-bass extension, Detail and separation, Incredible soundstage | Focal Clear, Audeze LCD-X, HD 800S | 97 | planar_magnetic |
| Beyerdynamic | DT 990 Pro | detail_retrieval, electronic, gaming | wired_fixed | entry_midfi | 250 ohm needs amp, Non-detachable cable, Needs EQ, Treble peak is brutal | Comfortable, Made in Germany, Responds well to EQ, Great for gaming, Wide soundstage | SHP9500, AKG K702, HD 560S | 45 | dynamic |
| Moondrop | Aria 2 | portable, first_iem, neutral_tuning, budget_iem | wired_detachable_2pin | budget | Bass could hit harder, Fit can be tricky, Paint chips on original Aria | Detachable cable, Good build, Great detail for price, Best tuning under $100 | Tin T3 Plus, 7Hz Salnotes Zero, Truthear Zero:RED | 10 | dynamic |
brand | model | cable | category | driver_size_mm | driver_type | enclosure | impedance_ohms | made_in | needs_amp | price_msrp_usd | price_street_usd | sensitivity_db | sound_description | sound_signature | type | weight_grams | wireless | best_for | common_complaints | common_praise | competes_with | fun_fact | not_ideal_for | recommended_amp_pairings | reviewer_tier | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|