Can there be only one Headphone to rule them all?

[Replicant2049]

I am currently running the Abyss Phi TC's (owned the Phi's initially and then the TC's - have had an Abyss in the house the last 5 years), previously owned the Superconductor cable but now just use the stock cable. Have had Susvara's with a DHC Prion 4s cable for the last 2 years, and have owned a set of T+A Solitaire P's for the last 4 months or so. Previously I have owned OG Utopia's and HE1Kv2's, and prior to that lot's of different high end iem's. I also have a set of LCDi4's which I have owned since they were originally released. 

 

Re the TC's, Sus, and Sol P's - it seems on any given week I prefer 1 over the other 2, but this changes all of the time. I enjoy having the 3 but any of them would still be amazing as a single headphone and I find that I enjoy all 3 across a range of genres from Jazz, IDM, metal, hip hop, rock etc. 

 

Whilst I love the TC and think technically it may be superior to the other 2 I still find that the variability in fit is just frustrating as the sound can change too much with the width and angle of the pads/frame.

 

OP has described the Sus very well and I agree with those comments. I currently drive it off a Formula S and Powerman. The problem with the Sus is that there is constantly a voice in the back off my head that wonders what it would sound like off an Envy, iac-10, nautilis, wa33 elite etc, but I just can't justify the $ outlay to get there.

 

The Sol P is easier to drive, is a great all-rounder, with excellent imaging, and super build quality (making the Sus and TC look like they were built in some artisan's garage). For me the Sol P may be just short in realism compared to the other two and has a more intimate staging (not Utopia intimate tho), but the tonality is good and the music very vivid. The headband can sometimes feel a little uncomfortable also. None of these multi kilobuck headphones are perfect but they are each outstanding.

 

I love listening to music and immersing myself in the realism of it, but I also loved music from 95-2010 when all I rocked was an ipod and a set of apple in-ears. I am aware that this hobby became completely irrational a long time ago in terms of spend. BUT I am also aware that I enjoy the hobby part of this and trying new gear, although as my gear has gotten more expensive I do turn items over far less frequently - I have had the same DAC and amp for a few years.

 

To bring it back to the topic of one headphone to rule them all, I think that it is the hobby and options that make this concept an oxymoron for most of us. No headphone is perfect across fit, build quality, cost, technicalities, realism etc. but even Apple AirPods sound pretty incredible and for 99% of the population they hit the mark. For us 'one headphone to rule them all' sounds great in theory but get's boring for us hobbyists.

[MrBojangles]

I have heard the Susvara on a WA33. It is a very good setup.  But I ended up preferring the 2022 Utopias to the Suvara. The dynamics and slam of the Utopias make the Susvara sound flat and boring, YMMV.

[Ehrmantraut]

11 hours ago, MrBojangles said:

I have heard the Susvara on a WA33. It is a very good setup.  But I ended up preferring the 2022 Utopias to the Suvara. The dynamics and slam of the Utopias make the Susvara sound flat and boring, YMMV.

I've owned about 3 Susvaras over the years. Keep buying and selling. No doubt they're endgame for detail, voicing and timbre. However, even when driven by speaker amps or the likes of Envy, there's always a reason I let them go. I think your comment that they can be less than exciting is that reason. I get bored of signatures after a while anyway. Maybe FOMO or just wanting to try something different. ATM, I have the T+A Solitaire P, Nutopias and the Raal CA-1B. Awaiting some DCA 3E. Maybe the closed backs that I've been looking for. 

[Ccollins]

For me, the susvaras can deliver a magic (transparency, naturalness, timbre, or something like that) that i have not yet found elsewhere in Hps. 
 

(using holo may dac and niimbus amp)

[POV]

On 16/09/2023 at 5:09 PM, Grizaudio said:

I think 3 could be a good number. 
 

1x Open 

1xClosed 

1x Noise cancelling 
 

Buy the most neutral sounding HPs you can find and EQ to taste using DSP. 

 

On 18/09/2023 at 11:03 AM, POV said:

 

Totally agree with this. and here is my recomendations:

 

1 x Open: Sennheiser HD800S

1 x Closed: Fostex TH900Mk2

1 x Noise Cancelling: Sennheiser Momentum 4

 

I could happily live with this combination forever I reckon!

 

Total headphone turnover at my place! In the last few months I have been deeper down the headphone rabbithole due to consistent long work hours, night work, and travel and a few things have happened: my Sennheiser Momentums got stolen at Changi airport, my wife started listening to my Fostex closed backs more and more and eventually claimed them I gave my HD800S to my son.  I had other pairs but these werent really being used much as the above 3 were my go to's so I sold a couple of pairs and gave a couple away and found myself with almost literally no headphones.

 

After taking my time, and listening to a bunch of pairs of headphones from almost literally every high end manufacturer I have landed on the following:

 

1 x Open: Hifiman Arya Organic.  Truthfully I had never taken that much notice of Hifiman previouslly, but after auditoning 20 plus pairs of headphones simply nothing grabbed me like these did (including pairs costing significantly more)  They have this superb (to my ears) blend of detail retrieval and resolution, speed, and listenability.  I am able to listen to them for literally hours on end with no fatigue on well recorded material and I've had experiences with this headphone that I've never had before with any headphone or stereo system.  They are in my view a serious step up over the HD800S that they replaced, and I am pretty stoked with them (to say the least).  Where they can be a little problematic is with some of the lower recording quality material I love (think 90's alt rock and indie as examples).  In steps my closed back option...

 

1 x Closed: Focal Celestee.  This was a bit of a shock for me, as I've typically found Focal headphones to be a bit too much, and a bit too treble forward but had never listened to the Celestee before.  These are super comfortable cans, with excellent passive isolation perfect for times when I need to close myself off and focus or when working in noisier environments.  But what's really cool about them is their contrast to my Arya Organics in terms of sound signature.  They are more relaxed, and warmer sounding and far better able to cope with average recording quality leaving it generally listenable and enjoyable.  I never expected to become a Focal headphone owner but here we are!

 

1 x Noise Cancelling: Apple Airpods Pro.  This one is kind of funny, as I purchased these at Changi airport cause I needed something for the plane trip home, and I had heard they were great for call quality so thought they would be useful.  I had kind of planned to supplement with a pair of over ear ANCs but truthfully I haven't really found the need.  I actually find Apples ANC tuning to be better for my environments than anything I've used previously, and whilst they are not the last word in sound quality they are pretty acceptable for transiting, airports, public transport etc.  I may add to the arsenal at some point but right now am happy with these and not planning anything else.

 

I'm currently hunting for a travel set-up that's a bit more compact than the Celestee so am hunting headphones options (ideally ones that are relatively lightweight, durable, and fold up small) and portable DACs for use with my Ipad Pro that goes everywhere with me.  Suggestions welcome!

 

Big thanks to Marick and the team at A2A Adelaide for heaps of patience and assistance with me wanting to lsiten to every headphone under the sun.  Excellent service from them again.

Edited April 11, 2024 by POV

[Ccollins]

4 hours ago, POV said:

 

 

Total headphone turnover at my place! In the last few months I have been deeper down the headphone rabbithole due to consistent long work hours, night work, and travel and a few things have happened: my Sennheiser Momentums got stolen at Changi airport, my wife started listening to my Fostex closed backs more and more and eventually claimed them I gave my HD800S to my son.  I had other pairs but these werent really being used much as the above 3 were my go to's so I sold a couple of pairs and gave a couple away and found myself with almost literally no headphones.

 

After taking my time, and listening to a bunch of pairs of headphones from almost literally every high end manufacturer I have landed on the following:

 

1 x Open: Hifiman Arya Organic.  Truthfully I had never taken that much notice of Hifiman previouslly, but after auditoning 20 plus pairs of headphones simply nothing grabbed me like these did (including pairs costing significantly more)  They have this superb (to my ears) blend of detail retrieval and resolution, speed, and listenability.  I am able to listen to them for literally hours on end with no fatigue on well recorded material and I've had experiences with this headphone that I've never had before with any headphone or stereo system.  They are in my view a serious step up over the HD800S that they replaced, and I am pretty stoked with them (to say the least).  Where they can be a little problematic is with some of the lower recording quality material I love (think 90's alt rock and indie as examples).  In steps my closed back option...

 

1 x Closed: Focal Celestee.  This was a bit of a shock for me, as I've typically found Focal headphones to be a bit too much, and a bit too treble forward but had never listened to the Celestee before.  These are super comfortable cans, with excellent passive isolation perfect for times when I need to close myself off and focus or when working in noisier environments.  But what's really cool about them is their contrast to my Arya Organics in terms of sound signature.  They are more relaxed, and warmer sounding and far better able to cope with average recording quality leaving it generally listenable and enjoyable.  I never expected to become a Focal headphone owner but here we are!

 

1 x Noise Cancelling: Apple Airpods Pro.  This one is kind of funny, as I purchased these at Changi airport cause I needed something for the plane trip home, and I had heard they were great for call quality so thought they would be useful.  I had kind of planned to supplement with a pair of over ear ANCs but truthfully I haven't really found the need.  I actually find Apples ANC tuning to be better for my environments than anything I've used previously, and whilst they are not the last word in sound quality they are pretty acceptable for transiting, airports, public transport etc.  I may add to the arsenal at some point but right now am happy with these and not planning anything else.

 

I'm currently hunting for a travel set-up that's a bit more compact than the Celestee so am hunting headphones options (ideally ones that are relatively lightweight, durable, and fold up small) and portable DACs for use with my Ipad Pro that goes everywhere with me.  Suggestions welcome!

 

Big thanks to Marick and the team at A2A Adelaide for heaps of patience and assistance with me wanting to lsiten to every headphone under the sun.  Excellent service from them again.

Re a closed back that folds up well I would consider the dan Clark aeon2/noir 
(or maybe 3) depending in budget. I also strongly recommend demoing them to hear how they may fit your preferences.

 

From demoing the aeon 2 some time ago I did feel  they need a bit of amping as opposed to straight from an iPhone that i tried initially. The mojo 2 may be an option for that as a solid option (well worked for me) though other less expensive dongles would suffice.

 

As a cheaper option there is also the k371 that my son uses at school and around home. Bought mine from turramurra music and enjoy those. They fold up well.

They have a warmer tilt and are a lesser resolving headphone, as indicated by the price.. No external dac/amp necessary. 

 

https://www.turramusic.com.au/products/akg-k371

 

All the best 

peter t

Edited April 12, 2024 by Ccollins

[surprisetech]

The concept of one headphone to rule them all used to be a much easier proposition and probably came down to getting the best your budget would allow for most of us.

 

But with the advent of portable players that offer genuine hifi reproduction, noise cancelling technology, wireless connectivity, great in-ear designs, DSP, lots of new brands, etc;  As others have said, it's not really a practical idea any more.

 

When a work colleague at Philips introduced me to the Yamaha orthodynamic headphones back in the early 80s, I saved up and bought the HP1s.  That was it!  I'd tried headphones from Pioneer, Philips, Koss and others, but with the HP1s I found no need to seek out an upgrade or additional 'phones for well over 2 decades.

They're not at all efficient, but I never had a need to drive them with any low output device, so it was never an issue.

They're still my first choice for listening on the main system at home.

Yamaha resurrected the orthodynamic design recently.  I should take the HP1s to a dealer and do a comparison, but an update to the YH-5000SE would be way out of my budget anyway. 

 

However, these days, I wouldn't want to be without at least 2 more in the collection:

- Portable in-ear phones.  Currently ATH-CK350X and Sennheiser CX-400ii

- Portable (folding) headphones.  Currently B&W P3.

 

I haven't ventured into wireless &/or noise cancelling at this stage, but am considering it.

 

[Ccollins]

2 hours ago, surprisetech said:

The concept of one headphone to rule them all used to be a much easier proposition and probably came down to getting the best your budget would allow for most of us.

 

But with the advent of portable players that offer genuine hifi reproduction, noise cancelling technology, wireless connectivity, great in-ear designs, DSP, lots of new brands, etc;  As others have said, it's not really a practical idea any more.

 

When a work colleague at Philips introduced me to the Yamaha orthodynamic headphones back in the early 80s, I saved up and bought the HP1s.  That was it!  I'd tried headphones from Pioneer, Philips, Koss and others, but with the HP1s I found no need to seek out an upgrade or additional 'phones for well over 2 decades.

They're not at all efficient, but I never had a need to drive them with any low output device, so it was never an issue.

They're still my first choice for listening on the main system at home.

Yamaha resurrected the orthodynamic design recently.  I should take the HP1s to a dealer and do a comparison, but an update to the YH-5000SE would be way out of my budget anyway. 

 

However, these days, I wouldn't want to be without at least 2 more in the collection:

- Portable in-ear phones.  Currently ATH-CK350X and Sennheiser CX-400ii

- Portable (folding) headphones.  Currently B&W P3.

 

I haven't ventured into wireless &/or noise cancelling at this stage, but am considering it.

 

we do it to ourselves and being on here and headfi doesn’t help

 

when i started in this hobby i was looking for ear foam tips for my koss “the plug”. Then i fell across headfi, saw a cnet review for the “gateway” hp of athm50x that i purchased. 
 

i baulked at spending $1000 on a headphone and was amazed that people would spend $10k on an audio setup.  Who would be that crazy??!!

 

12 years or so later………how views and perceptions (and hobbies) change

 

i’m not alone here in all this regard. 

 

 

my 13 yo has his akg k371. He doesn’t need or ask for anything more. 
 

no need for the mojo 2, that i bought him, no need for hi res. 
 

Enough of  my rambling

 

ps

if i was to go to back one headphone i think i would keep my hd800 with my wa2 and a dac. Maybe even the mojo 2.

 

for me that would cater for a big range of music very well

Edited April 12, 2024 by Ccollins

[surprisetech]

1 hour ago, Ccollins said:

we do it to ourselves and being on here and headfi doesn’t help

 

when i started in this hobby i was looking for ear foam tips for my koss “the plug”. Then i fell across headfi, saw a cnet review for the “gateway” hp of athm50x that i purchased. 

i baulked at spending $1000 on a headphone and was amazed that people would spend $10k on an audio setup.  Who would be that crazy??!!

12 years or so later………how views and perceptions (and hobbies) change

i’m not alone here in all this regard. 

my 13 yo has his akg k371. He doesn’t need or ask for anything more. 

no need for the mojo 2, that i bought him, no need for hi res. 

Enough of  my rambling

 

ps

if i was to go to back one headphone i think i would keep my hd800 with my wa2 and a dac. Maybe even the mojo 2.

for me that would cater for a big range of music very well

 

Yes, our points of reference certainly evolve! 

 

My 30yo son has a pair of the ATH-M50X, but only because they were passed on to him from a gaming friend who moved to cans with a built-in mic.  He's not into hifi but does appreciate their sound and build quality and uses them over his gaming headphones for music and movies.

I've used them occasionally and do enjoy their sound, but I do notice a little more detail, realism and bass extension in the HP1s when I go back.

 

So like your HD800s, my HP1s would still be the one if there had to be a cull.

Thankfully, the DIY O2 headphone amp I assembled a while ago, and the Hiby R5 I just purchased, both drive them comfortably.

 

 

[Ehrmantraut]

Get ready my peeps! Raal 1995 Immanis review and TOTL comparison to drop this weekend. Can there be only one?

[MattyW]

I’m rather hoping the Verum 2 headphones will be it for me.

[Ehrmantraut]

41 minutes ago, MattyW said:

I’m rather hoping the Verum 2 headphones will be it for me.

Yes - I have one on order too! 

[Batty]

I have 4 pairs, I swap about whenever I feel like a change.

[Ehrmantraut]

 

[08Boss302]

Interesting topic. I am relatively new to the HP side of things. I listen mainly to metal and therefore enjoy an impactful headphone with a lower end emphasis. That said I do also listen to Jazz, Pop and Blues. 

I currently have Focal Radiance, Focal Clear, FIIO JT-1, Audio Technica M50xBT2, Sony WH1000XM4.

 

There is no question that I really enjoy the Sony's, I use them whenever I am out walking etc, the ANC is superb and I thoroughly enjoy their sound.

The AT's are great, I use them wired and mostly at my desk, the standard earpads were horrible though, basically on ear not over ear, so I bought some wickedpadz for them and now they are super comfortable and fit right. I also found the wickedpadz being a deeper pad added little more thump, which was to my liking.

 

As for the more "Hi-Fi" pairs:

I love the Focal Clears they do so much right, but they are not always practical for all environments.

The Radiance are excellent though sometimes I dial in a little more bass, though that is more recording dependent.

The JT-1 are by no means a high end headphone but I like what they do a lot and they are most comfortable set I have by quite a way. If you like a decent amount of thump they hit the spot, some may like to open them up a bit with a bit more top end to provide more air, but over all for their price there is really nothing to complain about for most genres. 

I have Verum 2's on order and hope they end the shopping for me. The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Time will tell.

 

If I could have the Focal Clear sound, the JT-1 comfort, the ANC of the Sony and the closed back nature and look of the Radiance, I'd be set for life. 

 

 

[Ehrmantraut]

Well, a good 100 hours in and the Raal Immanis are still very impressive, maybe more so. Can’t tell if it’s brain burn-in or physical but the sound is very  encompassing. Initially, I thought they were better suited to rock but now feeling they’re very good all around. I’ve put them up against my HFM HE1Kse (my fave detailed HPs) and the timbre of piano notes is better with Immanis. Coupled with better soundstage and bass to mids and hence the HE1Kse are for sale. Haven’t even thought about my T+A Soiltaire P. Now I’m looking for a suitable tube amp to listen to them on. Many Immanis owners are leaning towards tubes like Envy. I’d like to try the Woo WA23 Luna and WA33 as well, may have to go to Melbourne!

[Cloth Ears]

In answer to the original subject heading - no. While I'm working, I cannot do critical listening, so I choose from a couple of 'very pleasant to listen to' cans (currently the AD700's are on my noggin) that I can comfortably wear for 8 hours or more with no problems. For real listening I have a number of other cans, none are top end, but they require more concentration than the ones I wear at work.

[wvcartier77]

My go to HP is the Sennheiser 820.  Being closed back, my wife isn't hearing anything but quiet.  They handle all of the different genres of music I listen too!  I also have a pair of HD 700's and I love them, but not quite as stellar as the HD 820's.  I also have Sennheiser IEM 800 and 900's with the 900's being the favorite.  Both offer great sound stages and detail.  900's just fit better and don't fall out of my ears like the 800's tend to do at times. 

[David A]

If I had to choose one swiss army knife pair of cans to do it all (incl: travel), i'd probably go for the Focal Stellia's which work well with everything from a decent USB dac/amp through to a high end valve headphone amp. And importantly I find them comfortable to wear. They also come with a good quality carry case & nice pair of cables to seal the deal. But yes they are a bit pricey.

 

Edited November 18, 2024 by David A

[joeling]

The whole chain matters a lot and many in the headphone realm do not use good enough source. This is my observation after being away for more than a decade. Maybe this is because headphones, as apposed to speakers, are relatively lower in costs so people factor this into the ratio of cost distribution between source, amplification and headphones. I would say if one has a totl set of phones, one should consider totl source.

 

I was almost tempted to follow suit when I just go back into this a few months back. I was considering an Eversolo A10 but when I heard it in a speakercentric setup in the Singapore hifi show, I realised that this was not the right direction. In the end, I pulled my Aavik S-280 streamer (1 year old) + Totaldac D1-dual (oldy) out of storage.

 

I think the amps is similar but I do not know enough to comment for now.

[Poirot]

Headphone playback is much more diverse when it comes to listening.  The binaural experience seems to have more variance than loudspeaker listening.  There is always a wide range of opinions for any given headphone. 

One of my go-to headphones is the Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas.  They are very particular regarding the electronics driving them.  The Chord Hugo TT/TT2 are an amazing match for the Edition 15's.  They need to be auditioned with one's own setup, as your evaluation may vary widely. 

Another go-to headphone for my is the Dan Clark E3 closed back planar.  They definitely need top quality electronics, but the clarity and tonal balance is first rate.  I don't like most planar headphones, but the E3 is a notable exception for me.

Lastly, the Focal Clear MG Professional are among my favorite dynamic headphones.  They are more forgiving about electronics, easy to drive, and provide uniformly excellent performance.   

Edited January 30 by Poirot
language

[LDproject]

Is there one…?

I think the sheer amount of HP’s that exist show that there probably could never be just one. 

Also seeing as we are all unique with differing physical traits, head shapes, ear size, age, preferred music, etc means we all are hearing what we are hearing (even if it is slight) differently. 
 

And what would a hobby like this be without choice? Choice is one of my central drivers when it comes to a hobby I not only enjoy but find mentally stimulating. I love the differing presentations that different combinations can create, and I can only find the things I enjoy, or want to try, as we all slowly choose different pathways down this possibly very long, but enjoyable rabbit hole, and share our experiences. So many thanks for sharing everyone. 
 

I personally hope there is never just one, (even though it would be cheaper). If it happened, we eventually would have nothing to speak about, nothing to compare and no fun. Which is why we do it in the first place. 
 

Anyway, my system currently is the ifi pro stack. Lots of flexibility and the main HP I use would be the stax l-500. They are definitely my personal favorites. Electrostatic fanatic in the making. 
Others are DCA Ether, Fostex

Th-900, T-60’s, Neumann NDH-20, Meze 99’s. A few differing flavors of HP to give me a choice on how I would like my music ‘taste’ on the day. 

[joeling]

For now, I am 80% Susvara unveiled & 20% Immanis. Vocalcentirc bias in terms of listening.

[Ehrmantraut]

On 29/03/2025 at 4:02 PM, joeling said:

For now, I am 80% Susvara unveiled & 20% Immanis. Vocalcentirc bias in terms of listening.

I've had a couple of recommendations from HeadFi that the SUV is a nice complement to Immanis. I've yet to hear the SUV, although I was never a true fan of the OG, which i bought and sold about 4 times!

Any thoughts on how they complement each other thanks?

[joeling]

I just have a slight preference for the Susvara Unveiled over the Immanis for vocals paired with the Mass Kobo amp that's all. My impression is the Immanis is more macho while the Susvara unv is more delicate. 

 

BTW Camjam Singapore is happening coming weekend. Immanis is definitely going to be on show.