That opening made me think I wasn't wearing my glasses for a second

My "upgrade" path was all over the place with upgrades, sidegrades and downgrades. Somewhat in this timeline DT770 > Sundara > HD6XX > DT1990 > Focal Elegia > Focal Celestee > Focal Clear MG > Aoen Noire 2 > Focal Clear MG > LCD X 2021 > 109 Pro. All that in a timespan around 5 years. And I think that with the 109 Pro I found my jam. Although Im still interested in the Arya Stealth. But the journey will probably end with the 109 pro for now. I noticed the following: - There are tons of good sounding headphones - There isnt really the "best" and - I kinda always want the one I dont have - Comfort is hella important - Deminishing returns begin quite early - I get used to the soundquality of my headphone. Which means after a few weeks or months even a +1000$ headphone sounds "normal" to me. A Focal Clear MG or LCD X sound as good to me nowadays as my DT 770 sounded to me when I was a teenager.

Such an interesting video idea - following upgrade paths for headphones, within certain notable sound characteristics, aka Bass, Sound Staging, etc. Really enjoyed this one, Josh!

Great video topic! You helped me get started with the HD6XX about 18 months ago. This past Christmas, I bought HE-5XX on a Black Friday deal through Drop and recently purchased the Edition XS. The HD6XX (as you mention) is a great intro HP, but as you learn more about what others can do, you get the itch to see what those other cans sound like. That prompted the sidegrade to the HE5XX to see what planar magnetics had to offer wrt sound staging, which I enjoy. That pushed me down the HIFIMAN path with the Edition XS, which I absolutely love. The XS has scratched my itch for now. I enjoy them thoroughly and don't want other cans at the moment. This newfound level of sound quality has pushed me into speakers, as I want to create what I have on my head in my room for others to enjoy. Thanks for the high quality and informative videos.

Thanks for sharing buddy. Great video! You're pointing people in the right direction.

Great vid. I got a pair of 10 year old Beyerdynamic DT 990s and replaced the pads a while back, but recently upgraded to Focal Clear Mg; really happy with my journey in audio so far.

Great informative video! My journey started with a pair of B&W PX but I soon realised that I wasn't getting most out of Tidal. The local hifi store had organised a demo evening on headphones and headphone amps. Not only did I hear many different sets but I learned a very important lesson that is often overlooked. The social part of listening. Being in a room with someone watching TV makes it impossible to go for open back headphones. Leaving the room because you invested in a nice system isn't very social either. My solution was found in a pair of Denon AH-D9200 headphones that I complemented with the Topping D70s Dac, a Bluesound Node streamer and a Feliks Echo mk2 OTL tube amp. It all fits on a nice side table next to my comfy chair. The Denon headphones sound already great with an iPad and dongle Dac but for long listening my side table system is amazing and very enjoyable while my wife watches TV.

Awesome video idea. Very helpful.

Very interesting outlay of the various uses and characteristics. Under the "Studio" section, including a couple of closed back options for tracking, is probably a worthwhile extension of what you have laid out. It also partly explains the popularity of the Audio Technica M50x and the Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro. Both extremely durable and reliable for tracking purposes.

I really enjoyed this format of video. I have had my HD 6XX for about 4 years now and have been looking for a new pair of headphones but I really wasn't sure which direction to go in. One thing that would be a great add on video or to build on this topic would be how upgrading your headphones could influence your decision to upgrade amps and dacs. Going over when it makes sense to upgrade headphones vs upgrading other gear could help people in deciding what will actually help them get the sound they want.

I love these posts . Thank you Josh Valour

This was very interesting. I'd like to see you expand on this series, perhaps going into each of your categories in more depth.

So my path has been chasing resolution and my music is variety, but my fav tends to lean acoustic with lots of Jazz small ensemble but also orchestral / classical. My first significant headphone purchase I qualify as my pre-audiophile journey and it was a pair of Sony MDR SA3000 cans. At the time, like 15 - 20 years ago I bought from my Sony store guy on a super sale at $200 vs. MSRP of $500. I was OMG blown away by the sound, couldn't believe a headphone could sound like this. Years later, soon after purchasing my first true HiFi stereo (a McIntosh SACD and 200Wx2 Integrated), I upgraded to the Sony MDR SA5000, the big hifi brother of the MDR SA300. No plastic, all magnesium build, it was a big step up from the previous MDR AS3000. A few years ago I bought my previous end-game plan Sennheiser HD800S. For many years prior I'd lusted fore the original HD800 and finally took the plunge. I was in heaven. After this I upgraded amplification, initially with a used older Burson that immediately took my HD800S to new heights. Over the last 2 years I added a pair of HD660S and some iEMS as well as a Questyle CMA Fifteen HP DAC AMP and a Burson Soloist GT reference HP amp. I now have upgraded my stereo chain and as part of this have a Holo Audio May KTE and a Serene KTE preamp that also has class A discrete HP amplification. I have taken my HD800S as far as it can go now and although every amp step up took them further, I think that when using the Serene or Burson Soloist GT (and even the Questyle), this is it so.... I ordered and am awaiting this week my new Hifiman HE1000SE headphones. I know you are thinking, this guy is a clean-freak resolution junkie, and you're probably right but I do intend two other additions over the next few years: a high end tube HP amp (a Feliks or maybe McIntosh MHA200) and an electrostatic setup (likely the Bravura and Sonoma combo by Warwick acoustics). So that is my past, current and future journey plan! Also interested in a closed back to compliment for certain scenarios, Lyric maybe? HD820S? We'll see. Thanks for this video, a great idea!

Excellent topic for a video! Although as an audio enthusiast I`m currently at a point where I´m not looking for upgrades but rather enjoining different sound signatures. I have a 6XX, a Sundara and next I will probably buy a 1770 Pro and a tube amp, so I can have a good range of music experience.

Hi Joshua, I have just recently found your channel and very much appreciate the quality of your videos including your honest views and everything to the close ups and lighting. Although your channel is predominantly for the audiophile community would you ever consider doing a round up of the best headphones for digital pianos or other pluggable instruments. Not necessarily studio headphones because there might be a difference aimed more for mixing. More specifically for instrument practicing ( closed back). Some headphones that could bring the best of say, a digital grand piano with all the resonance, colour & fidelity that the latest high level sampled grand pianos bring. Anyway, I would appreciate if you considered it. Thanks again for all your videos… 🙏👍🤘🤙.

DT770 > HD 6XX > Beyer Custom One > Sundara > HD800S. This is my list as far as wired goes during my 13 year journey. I still use most of these, but I couldn't justify the cost of the HD800S for how often I would use them. If I had an EQ at the time, I probably would have kept them. I would love to try the Focal Clear next!

I would recommend spending time with different tunings since most will like whatever they've listened to a lot and an objectively and with subjectively better tuning can sound boring, dull etc to begin with. I took 4 years to realize how good the HD650 really is for example, but after properly testing over a 100 headphones I now know that I will love it forever. I'd recommend getting something you like, EQ it to Harman and see what you can improve by ear. This way you can find border conditions about bass extension, macrodynamics etc, but soundstage is a thing of it's own that requires different headphones.

Amazing production quality as always! On another note, I have an Audient ID14 mk2 and was wondering if it is worth upgrading to a separate amp/dac combo? I mainly tend to use IEM's. All recommendations welcome

Great content. It would be interesting if you could make a video about unique characteristics of different headphones. for example, liquid bass, different types of soundstage and so on.

Great video! You should consider doing a video on best headphones by genre of music.

I think this was a really good idea, from someone who did a lot of research and is very familiar with a lot of different headphones known for particular sound signatures! I think, for myself, I would use it more to identify different headphones that do bass very well, for instance, and then headphones that are neutral. A collection would make sense for headphones that excel at different sound characteristics, for different use cases. I know there are a lot of people who look for the "logical upgrade" to a certain headphone and this is a good resource for them. A lot of people on Reddit ask that question and I'll just point them over to Josh's video here now!

Great video! Thanks a lot. My path till this day looks like this: at the begining it was Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 ohm) + Lehmannaudio Linear amp. After some time I found the Beyer highs fatiguing - I could not listen to the music more than 20 minutes without a headache, so I did two things - upgraded analog board of the amp to the highest version which is Linear II (it's great that Lehmannaudio got such an option), and bougth the 6XX's. The problem was gone and the improvment was defenitly worth the price. With hard rock from the 60's and 70's, jazz / impro and blues stuff - I don't need to change anything - it's a great combo for that kind of stuff, but I also listen A LOT to the orchestral music, and some headphones that gives some more detail and have better soundstage but also keeps that special timbre would be great. That's the goal for now. Is the Elex comparably natural sounding headphone? Or mayby the 660s? I got the info that some ZMF's should be fine for me, but I saw the price... maybe some other time ;-). Again - thanks very much!

I did so many mistakes along the way since entering this hobby, I wish I had these types of videos back then... I've had at least 40 different headphones and 90% of them are either sold or on the shelves never having any listening time... Great video.

I loved your video idea! So, here's how it went for me: Personally, I got introduced to the audio space by a friend in 2019 and now I'm in deeper than he is :D I started out with a DT 990 and a set of Edifier R1700 monitors. In the following year I got a subwoofer and a pair of DT 1990s and HD 6XXs, both of which I still use daily. The year after that, I dabbled into the IEM space with KZ ES4s, then Tin T2s and Moondrop Arias and the Moondrop Blessing2:Dusk. The Arias I often lend to friends if they want to get into audio, the Blessing2 is my daily driver for when I'm working out or just want no external distraction when I'm focusing on my work. This year, I finally upgraded my speakers to Yamaha HS8s. For headphones, I do think that I want a pair of closed-backs like the DT 177X GO and a pair of either Focal Elex as upgrade to my open-backs, or even the original Focal Clear. I'd also like a good pair of planar headphones in the 300-700 bucks range. For IEMs I think also a pair of planar IEMs would be nice, but I don't think I'll ever buy ones more expensive than the Blessing2s. I just love them so much and there's nothing I'd want to be better, that's why.

I bought the AKG Q701 as my first audiophile headphone and absolutely loved it. Then I got the DT 770 as a closed back pair and the Sundara as a planar pair. Now I'm looking at selling the Sundara and getting the Arya Stealth as an endgame headphone and will not purchase any high end headphones after that. The Arya are loved by basically everyone in this community, and I haven't tried them, but all the descriptions and comparisons I've heard of them is the sound I am after.

Great concept for a video!

As somebody that listens relatively exclusively to classical music, I'm absolutely in love with my Focal Clear OGs after not getting on with the HD660s. Something about the Focal house sound clicks for me for the music I enjoy listening to.

Hi Josh well informed video covering on the different topics of headphone upgrades. How is the Focal Stellia in terms of what characteristics it brings! Good neutral or treble?

I went from Beyerdynamic dt 770 and 880 to T1 2nd gen, to finally Audeze LCD-X, in great part due to this channel. I can say without hesitation that I am not going back. They're the best I think I could ask from a pair of headphones.

Very interesting video. I had a bunch of sub £200 Sennheissers over 20-30 years, really nice and also comfortable for long periods. I am not someone who wants/needs to roll components, having stuck with one setup for 20 years. About 4 years ago I went on a major system upgrade, one that would be long term, Iwatched a lot of KZfaq reviews, particularly yours, Audiophiliac and John Darko, and decided to go for the AB1266 phi tc (your review and Steve G’s Audiophiliac), first with a topping A90 on your recommendation (great combination ), and then the In Pol Ear from Pathos (Steve G’s). Really love the 1266’s, initially my choice was to get a massive bump in the experience without having to factor in the room … and all the other issues with speakers. I have ended up also getting some amazing Sonos Faber Olympica nova 1’s that are so easy to place. I live in an apartment so switch between headphones and speakers depending upon noise considerations. Thanks so much for your channel.

Mine is pretty interesting. 1. Phillips Fidelio X2-HR 2. Senn HD600 3. Audeze LCD 2-C 4. Meze Empyreans I'm happy where I ended.

Hi Josh. I started with a pair of 660s, paired with the IFI Zen Can Signature with the 6XX tuning, connected to the IFI One Signature dac. Loved this combination. I had sound leak complains from my family, so I bought the Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X, which I paired both with the IFI and my Leak Stereo 130, since they’re a bit easier to drive then the Senns. Then, finaly, a couple of months ago, I decided to see if the all fuss around Focal headphones made sense and bought my first pair of “high end” cans, the Radiance. Soundwise, they’re very different from both my 660s and the Beyers, and I have to say that I prefer the clarity and detail of both these headphones to the fuller overall sound of the Focal’s. I’m giving them a little more time, to go over different music genres (rock, dance & hip hop might work better with the Focal’s then jazz or classic) before deciding if I’m keeping them or not. I’m fairly new to this audiophile world, at least at this level, but I’m having so much fun with it. Rediscovering my old records, discovering new music. Awesome experience.

I was never a headphone person. As an audiophile for over 25 years I was into home setups. But have had in the past Grado RS2 and RS1. At the time had a Dark Voice and a Grado amp, but never had the performance that grabbed my attention. Had to pack up home setup in 2021 while selling home and started to get into headphones. Started with Sony z7m2 (which I heavily modded) with a Schiit Asgard 3 and Modius stack. Now have a Audeze LCD XC (2021 model) with a Schiit Jotunheim 2 and use one of my older Proceed DAP R2R NOS DAC. PC is source, use EQ APO and entire setup is really tweaked including balanced power, cabling and heavily tweaked like I would my home setup. I love this setup, no upgrade desires, sounds absolutely stunning.

My first pair of good headphones was the Grado SR-80, which I got back in 2000 and still have today. In 2006 my wife gave me the SR-225 as a Christmas gift and I still have them. I used those with various stereo receivers until I bought a Focusrite 2i2 for home recording and then bought the Hifiman HE 400i (which I still have and was using them this morning). I jumped down the headphone rabbit hole in 2021 with a plan in mind. I decided on several headphones I wanted to collect so I bought an amp that I knew would be able to power anything. I got a Schiit Asgard 3 and a Modi 3+, and then the HD 6XX (which was NOT easy to get in 2021) then the B&W P7, then the Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohm. I also got a Schiit Valhalla 2 tube amp. The last headphone I will get in the coming weeks is the AKG K712 Pro. At that point I’ll be set with headphones. I wanted a good example of all of the major players in the headphone space that were under $500. The only other plans I have is upgrading to a Bifrost DAC and doing some upgrades to my Grados to make them more comfortable so I will want to listen with them more often. At that point I think that’s my end game. I love this hobby much more than HiFi with loudspeakers because you can get fantastic sound and a variety of sounds for a fraction of the price!

Thanks for this, I've enjoyed my Hifiman h400i 2020 ver. and have been considering the Sundaras or edition XS.

Great video. I started down this road in the 90's but I went AKG K240s, AKG K301s + Sennheiser HD 280 Pros, AKG K7XXs + Audio-Technica ATH-M50, and am currently on HiFiMan Sundaras + Moondrop KATOs. The 240s and 301s were rock solid. The HD280 Pros lasted a decade and then fell apart. They were my in the office/travel headphones because the noise isolation was fantastic and they sounded way better than their price would have led you to think. I hated the headphones Sennheiser tried to replace them with. I also tried Audio-Technica ATH-M50s as office headphones and hated them only slightly less than those. The K7XXs broke around the XLR mini jack (the plastic surround shattered). The Sundaras had the headband crack on both sides at the same time (metal spring band contained within plastic surrounds) and the pads started to disintegrate around then, too. Bought nice microperf aftermarket ear pads and a cheap replacement headband that I had to modify to fit my giant head. I love the way the Sundaras sound, but the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. When I can get the Moondrop KATOs seated in my ear properly they sound pretty good and are nicely isolating. Unfortunately this is hard to do without constantly pressing on them from the outside. Which has always been my problem with IEMs and why I avoided them until recently (should probably have looked into custom molded ear pieces). I would love to find something like a higher end HD 280 Pro in terms of isolation and sound quality. Presently debating Focal Elegias for that purpose. Would also move on from the Sundaras to something more comfortable, but I want something with similar characteristics sonicly and not a crazy high price tag. So that is tricky. Also wish there were places to try gear before buying. I hate dropping $500 - $1000 on a pair of headphones not knowing if the fit and sound will work for me. But reliable channels like this one help tremendously in that regard.

I bought Beige hd598's at the beginning of college, 8 years later i bought hd600's and they were too quiet for my headphone jack, then last year i discovered this whole rabbithole, now i'm rocking a modi magni stack with nice little collection of cans including the LCD-x 2021 and focal elegia. I like having different options, really want to get a nice electrostat at some point, but there are ZERO hifi stores within 3 hours drive of me where i could sample some.

I started off my adventure into the audio world this year! I gave it a try and went with the SHP9600 as you recommended and its been a joy so far. Listening to all my old music was super satisfying. I think i will continue the Open-Back Route aswell. So far its looking like SHP9600 -> into either HD660s or HD6XX & a decent dac/amp and im set!

I did Sony MDR-1000X to MDR-Z7 to MDR-Z1R. It made a lot of sense, because I like Sony's house sound, and each step was a noticeable increase in both sound and build quality. And they were both easy to drive and had included compatible 4.4mm balanced cables to match my WM1A Walkman. For me, the "future" doesn't really start before the Z1R starts to break down (which may be a while). I haven't really been impressed by open backs for my listening environments. I will say that the Audeze lineup appeals to me, because I demand strong bass from my headphones.

Great Video. I started with dt990pro then a few years later I got he4xx as an adtion then Dekoni Blue repased them begining of last year with the greate t60rp argons fom modhouse and "repaced" sort of my 990 with a pair of Focal clear mg. So today I still have my 4xx the t60 argons and the clear mg and a pair of pc38x for gaming. I am thinking about an painar apgraid to my 4xx in the future.

About time to get a look in the Audeze MM-500, Joshua.

hey loved the video! what would be a path for closed back warm signature?

I am at the very beginning of the journey, so the list goes: HD-555 plugged into front panel of PC -> Edition XS + E50/L50 stack. Change was soooo obvious that *I* could notice the improved details, positioning, wide sound stage, more refined lows, crystal clear highs. I wish I could spend a bit more money for (or at least try) Focal Clears, Meze 109 pros, Arya and Aeon Noire 2.

Great vid, Great idea! Maybe do this for DAP, AMP, DAC, music steaming service?

Three learnings as I’ve tried to upgrade. 1 More of the same may not satisfy. From Grado 80 to RS1 was an improvement but did not fill “the hole” I sensed. 2 The amp and amp/hp pairing really do matter. I hadn’t been so sure but the Nitsch Piety over the Schiit OG Magni was dramatic on Drop/Dan Clarke Aeon closed but not the Focal Elex. The amp can elevate the cans. A recent pilgrimage to The Schiitr allowed me to hear the modestly priced AKG K701, close cousin to my Q701. The (gulp) $1899 Folkvanger made those cans sing in both depth of bass and breadth of soundstage. 3 Burn in seems to be real for me. I bought and regretted the Shure 1540 to “upgrade” my closed back. Waaay too much bloat in the mid bass. Put them on and took them off soon, over the course of 3 years. Suddenly noticed in past 6 weeks “Hey! Sub bass is still emphasized but bloat is down to ‘acceptable’ bass head level.” Should have burned them in long ago. Upgrade? Lyr+ amp, then DC Aeon Stealth for sound OR a ZMF for the sound plus bling factor.

Nice video, thanks! I think my next headphones will be SHP9600. I'm a bit of a beginner, I don't really know my sound signature and want to try open back design.

Fantastic video.

I think upgrades are pretty good within a manufacturer's lineup. The "house" sound is something that people mainly point out with frequency response, but this is really made clear within the nuances of the FR. For example, timbre is simply not the broad strokes FR and is harder to pinpoint with measurements. This may not be as important to people who are non-musicians, but for musicians timbre is 100% required. A lot of times a reviewer will say a headphone has "good" timbre and it turns out that it is good if you've only heard these instruments played through a recording, and not in person.

Atm I personally upgraded from a Hifiman 4Xx on the phone out from iPad/hifi amp to a Aune X1s GT dac/amp with Austrian Audio HI-X60 closed back headphones. This combo sounds so great, high improvement…warmer side of neutral over all, no lagging details, can listen for hours to them. Hope you get the chance to get your hands(ears) on this headphones…amazing soundstage and imaging for a closed back…

A couple of years ago I got a pair of 80ohm DT770s (on your advise actually). Then mid way through last year I got a pair of Phillips SHP9600s (also on your advice). I like both of these headsets but I was considering upgrades. Honestly the first 'upgrade' I thought I might try is the Hifiman HE400SEs. Just because I've never tried any Planar Magnetic headphones. And I was also interested in some HD6XXs or a pair of DT 1990s. Still, I fall into the catagory of listeners who is challenged. I'm 65 and, years of working around various machinery (jet engines for example) , have left me somewhat hearing impaired. So I'm hesitant to go too far down this rabbit hole. I love what I have. I love various music (its actually like a drug for me). So I appreciate your insight and advise. Please keep doing what you're doing.

I went from Sony MX3 closed-back Bluetooth to the hd58x w/modmic5, then the pc38x, and finally the Arya stealth. Dac is gsx1000 w/atom amp+. I think I'm good. I got setups for console gaming, PC gaming, music, movies, and noise cancelling with this collection.

Forr the studio ,I started with Sennheiser 650's a little over a decade ago to AKG 712 for a few years to Neumann NDH 20 and finally arrived at the Audeze MM-500's 6 months ago and have felt satisfied that this the end of the road for what I need and want

I bought my first rateable headphone in 2019 it was a M40X. Before the M40X I've never ever listened on anything more expensive then like 20$ so it was really wonderful after the first time I heared the M40X it was night and day. The M40X was influenced by my room mate at the time and also by the fact that I managed to broke all those cheap headphone in realtively fast so I bought the M40X. After the FiiO BTR 5's lauch I bought one early on (2020). I was going between my home town and uni quite a lot so it was a great addiction at that time. Right after this the M40X's hinge broke. My friend 3D printed a new one for my it was good but after that it was a bit clumsy. You neck would hurt etc also the other sides hinge broke also so I ended up buying a DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm in 2022 (later on I "repaired" the M40X but I never really use it so). For the that 250 Ohm DT 770 Pro I bought a FiiO K5 Pro ESS almost for the same money I sold my BTR5. I like this setup but I'm looking for an open headphone. I thinking between the DT 990 Pro and HD 600 but I'm not sure at all yet which one would be a better choice long term. Especailly the HD 600 is quite expensive compered to the DT 990 Pro. Any good advise ?

I went from crappy Jensen portable CD player pack-ins (on-ear) to Koss UR20s to Sennheiser HD 595s (briefly - hated the 1/4" jack and lack of sub-bass) to DT 770s to ATH-M50xBTs. I like the way the last two sound equally and the DT 770s were brilliant for office use, but since I work from home now, I needed something that could pull double duty for both work and and watching TV and not have to worry about cables. The ATH-M50xBT was the only reasonably priced Bluetooth headphone I could find that didn't sound awful. For me, $150 is about the limit for wired headphones, even though I'm the snobbiest of anyone I know when it comes to audio and have owned various headphones for 20+ years. As long as they are comfortable and provide a full, flat frequency response without any strange anomalies, I'm satisfied.

LCD X 2021 is so good in the studio with incredible bass, timbre, resolution with good soundstage - that I stopped looking for new headphones and focused on iems. Thrilled with the Bravado mkII and Symphonium Meteors. Both bass monsters with delicious yet smooth treble. Funny enough, the Meteors are probably the closest iem to the LCD X sound, was pleasantly surprised.

just a week ago i upgraded from the superlux you recommended a while ago to the hd 599, sound signature isn't all too different but i feel like it's a lot more resolving and just feels a lot better in terms of comfort, fitment and build. i didn't go with the 560s cuz i was already over budget with the hd 599 and i most likely would've needed a dac/amp with the 560s. also i have a srh440 for outdoor use or generally as a closed-back counterpart. bought it used for 20 euros like a year ago, never ran it cuz the cable has channel imbalance, now that the 599 cable (sort of) fits, i can actually use them

HD 700 - LCD2C - LCDX - HD800S - EMPYREAN - LCD 4. Still have empyreans, LCD 4 and HD800S. These 3 headphones are very different and unique which gives me different aspects of the music. Probably looking at upgrading my gear next, I have the Topping A90D and D90 or might try and get the AB1266.

I have over 20 pairs of headphones but for day to day listening I use a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M70x - more clinical than the 50s but I prefer that - and Aftershokz Aeropex (don't laugh - not for music, obviously, but for videoconferencing or watching KZfaq they are perfect). Neither are my favourite. When I was at college (70s) I paid $20 for a used pair of Wharfedale Isodynamic headphones; my best ever Hi-Fi investment. They sounded fantastic; they come up on eBay occasionally for 10 - 20 times the price I paid. Sadly mine died around 1988 so after much research I bought the nearest sounding equivalent I could find; a pair of Stax Gamma Pros with powered energiser, which are still going strong after 35 years.

So, storytelling time My current upgrade path starts with the r70x, sort of as a neutral reference, which then comes the elex, and then a retrofitted he6sev2 (obviously with the extreme price drop especially on used models) with enhanced coupling and far superior build running off high current amp for sure, all sharing similar features of having small scales but omnipresent in presentation + an ongoing path consisting of the HD zeus, then my currently running used hd800 (non-s, felt like as a collection the og makes more sense and the added sizzle actually works to the og's advantage, also cmiiw but its impossible to be found new so your only option is to go 2nd hand, added some dekoni perf sheepskins just to add more harmonics down low, which gives the perception of more mid-bass) which will potentially end with the d8000 pro, although more likely than not i will actually stop without (way too high of a price for a headphone, but i've yet to touch my OB speakers ever since moving out for college)

Started with Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro: loved treble, didn't like boom-ish bass. Upgraded to DT 1770 Pro: didn't like sibilant treble, loved the bass slam. Moved on to Audeze LCD-XC: love the detailed non-sibilant treble, love the fast bass. I slightly miss the bass slam of previous cans, but it's a planar feature. I'm done upgrading.

My personal upgrade path was 6xx, that's a pretty easy headphone to start with. Then the Sundara was so widely loved I got that. Then based on your review I got the Arya (non-stealth), and I loved it and it's my endgame! I love big/tall sound with lots of detail and good sound stage, and that was the Arya. I'm not the type that needs a collection, I'm happy with one or two headphones where I couldn't ask for much more I also tried speakers, where I got the Vanatoo Transparent One, and hopefully the SVS Ultra Towers soon. Then I think I have endgame for headphones and speakers!

What you have listed for the neutral-ish upgrade path is almost exactly what I did! Well with a twist, I started out with the HD650 for many years, found out I actually like the HD660S better, then I tried the Elex, then the Clear MG Pro, and now I use both the HD660S and the Clear MG Pro the most, and the old Hifiman HE-500 for genres that planars do better. I also had the pleasure of trying out the new Utopia 2022 on a loaner tour, and I still actually prefer the Clear MG even though the Utopia is a detail monster. So for now the Clear MG is where I'm staying.

I still remember researching all I could find before buying my first pair of headphones, the DT 770s 2 years ago, and yesterday I took delivery of my new 560S's. Probably will move on to the Sundara when money allows. :D

I went from Sennheiser HD6xx -> LCD-X for listening. Other than the weight I still love the LCD-X after a year, but I want to add the HD800S for gaming, and possibly try out the 2022 revised Focal Utopia for a different quality of sound.

I went on an interesting path, started off with the takstar pro 82 because of adjustable bass and that pretty high treble which I find it livens EDM tracks, and then moved up to an HE-4XX because of it being open back and just plain curiosity for what a planar driver sounds like. Im thinking of trying the sundara next.. but man I wish there was some headphone stores around to just test headphones out with my phone and see how they perform cause all we can do is guess what most will be like till we get them.

I've been in the hobby for 20 years, earlier this year I got a pair of HD800 with the mod that adds a ring too them. I took the mod out and they have become my daily driver.

You quoted $400-500 for the HD660S, but they’re pretty consistently $300 on Amazon these days. I grabbed them for $300 when they first dropped. I also grabbed the LCD-X for $700 through Audeze’s B stock sale in November. I’m trying to decide if I should keep the HD660S. I might just end up using them for gaming. Solid imaging and so lightweight. The LCD-X are my go-to for basically any music, especially with some EQ

Joshua, have been watched your channel for quiet a while and like it very much! i bought my first head phone when i got my first job around 30 years ago and it is DT231 and i am still using it. most of my loved music types are piano, violin and type of classic music. I had some speakers before such as Kef model 3.2, Acapella Fidelio, Acapella Harlekin. now i am using a pair of active monitor ME Geithain RL906 pair with ADI-2 DAC FS. what would you suggest for my next step of head phone? thanks.

please review Sennheiser ie 200 iem in upcoming video. love your content how you explain the details of the product.

Hey, future topic idea: would love to see you do a video detailing setups you can use to A/B different headphones. Maybe 3 levels: portable (take to the shop), home mid-range (unbalanced), home high-end (balanced). WDYT?

Started many years ago with He400 and AKG K702. Had a Beyer DT 177X, Senn HD5XX and an HD6XX at different times. Moved up to a Focal Elex, Hifiman Arya v2 and DCA Closed X. My latest addition is the Hifiman HE1000v2. There have been several others but I (quickly) sold them because I didn't like the sound. Ear pad modifications have been important, ie. I still enjoy my AKG K702 with Brainwavz perforated pads. My Koss KPH 30i, with modified Grado earpads, is my go-to for audiobook listening while at home. I've had a similar progression with IEMs with the Moondrop S8 and the Theiaudio Monarch MKII being my endgame. My progression with DAPs has ended with the IBasso DX300. Ear tips have also been a (big) journey with the Spinfits W1 being the chosen ones. And also Amps and DACs have been a journey with my current setup being the Burson Soloists 3X and Schitt Bifrost 2. Also, an SMSL Su-9n with an XDuoo TA-20 amp is in the fold. This hobby has been fun.

I would love to see a review by you on the Hifiman HE-R9... Thinking of getting them over the Argon T60rps.

Good lookin' rug Josh!

This is a brilliant idea, as someone who is testing the waters, I'd like to see something for IEMs. Like what would one go for after the Moondrop Chu and so on. Doesn't have to be the Chu the starting point could be something else like the Arya.

for Studio stuff, I'd also throw in the K712 Pro from AKG. it's a fantastic openback headphone.

I've just replaced my focal spirit pros which suffered from the cracked headband issue to the audeze MM-500. What a difference!

Throwback to 2018 Josh with that intro

I started with : For iems : Blon bl 03 paired with xDuoo link 1 - Upgraded to : Moondrop arias with upgraded insane cables from openheart 2 strands with 133 cores per strand paired - Moonriver 2 ( that cable spec might sound like a gimmick but sincerely I have never seen a cable improve iems or headphones more dramatically Josh please check those cables out). For headphones; I started with Fidelio x2hr paired directly with the unimaginable power of the MacBook Aluminum 2007 - later made a setup with the Moonriver 2 and then bought the SHP9600 cause I wanted some more transience but it wasn’t great. So my planned upgrade will be the sundaras paired with the Moonriver 2.

Not really an upgrade path, but I started off my audio journey April/May 2020 by getting a Magni 3+ / Modi 3+ stack, with HifiMan Sundara's. The Sundara's are homerun for me for sound, like my first headphones were it sound wise. Thanks to you Josh, DMS, and Zeos for leading me down that path. But this was also around the time that Sennheiser was selling there consumer audio division (luckily they haven't gone anywhere really) and I was looking at the 6XX, as once again you Josh, DMS, and my brother all said to get them. Also, I still had some money in the budget, so I bought them...and love them. I daily drive them as I find them more comfortable than the Sundara's, yet I still enjoy listening to them. The Sundara's are my sit down and listen headphones (though occasionally I will daily them for a few days to a couple of weeks). Then I also get a pair of Sennheiser + Drop PC38Xs for gaming and listening when I travel (to use at said destination), as I do travel. And then shortly after that I got a pair of Bose 35ii for work and noise cancelling. So I guess I bought my best one first then went down from there..haha. But in all honesty all of these headphones I got were heavily influenced by youtube reviewers like Josh and DMS ( as well as Zeos from Z reviews). I also bought a pair of speakers last summer, Klipsh The Fives....I bought them as I needed a small package with big sound for movies, gaming, music, and versatile connectivity options. And I do enjoy them, but they need taming. As for upgrade path...I do not have one at the moment as I am content with what I have...but HifiMan Edition XS and the Focal Bathys have caught my attention as future upgrade within a few years if I so chose to, but like I said, very content.

Way back in the day my first high quality headphones were the Bose Triport's. Later on I had the Denon ah-d5000, eventually I sold those and later picked up the Fostex th-x00, then the Fostex Th-900 (still have those) and I've owned various ZMF headphones over the years culminating with my current pair of ZMF Atrium.

6xx is great! Have them for over a year now, although for long listening I find them little fatiguing, paired them with Schitt Hel 2!

Years ago I had HD650 from Sennheiser. This year I'm buying HD660S together with some amp/dac and Tidal streamer. Can't wait :)

Some might disagree with me on sound but my upgrade path was from ksc75x to Grado sr60x. Mostly for retro styling and lightweight portability. But it’s does feel like an adjacent upgrade in terms of sound

Started off with Sennheiser 599's because I love the colour and had a good time with Sennheiser. Have the Aonic 50's for work but find they need EQ because they are too neutral. Currently looking at Focal Clear OG's or Meze 109's but can't make up my mind. I love headphones that have good staging and feel like they are giving you a relaxing hug.

I think this is really interesting from an enthusiast but not audiophile perspective. I'd never think of my headphones from a sound-stage/neutral/etc perspective. For me it's how I use them and that's broadly split between games, movies, music, and travel. For gaming my path was loosely from the SHP-9600 (which was honestly my all around go-to for everything for some time) to now Audeze LCD 2-C. For gaming I generally prioritize a bass forward cinematic sound without the top end being over done. With headphones that focus too much on the top end I find gunfire in particular gets to be far too loud compared to the rest of the sound in the games I tend to play. For movies I had the 1more triple driver over-ears and just recently upgraded to the Meze 109 pro. With both I find the extra top end to be very engaging and brings out a lot of small details in film and TV. For music I keep a variety of things in hand depending on the mood. Senn 6XX for the neutral sound, monoprice retro modern for when I want that big stinky bass, Phillips x3 for just a relaxed vibe, and modhouse t50 argons for argon reasons. For travel I keep a pair of Sony xm5s for wireless convenience and moondrop Chu's if I need a more closed sound pretty much all the time. If I'm going on a longer trip I'll bring my Meze 99 classics. This is really the only area I'm considering making any further upgrades but it's a fine balance. I don't want to get anything too expensive with the risk of loss/theft and in the wireless area I find anything past the Sony's a hard sell for their price. There's great stuff out there but once you get past $500 it's hard to justify the cost vs the risk of loss compared to how good all around the Sony's have been for me.

My journey is still at it's infancy you might say. I've gone from the M50x (which I still use but only for general listening and gaming) to the HD660S. Also upgraded within the FiiO line from E17K to K5 Pro to K7. The 660s gives me everything I need and more currently. I listen to a lot of Indian music which is usually very packed with a lot of instruments going on at the same time the singer is performing. The ability of the 660S to push the singer's voice a bit forward is just perfection. With the M50x it all sounded like one muddled mess. Luckily was able to get the 660s on sale for $350.00 back in 2021. Also love the aesthetics and build quality as well. I can tell these are going to last me a long time.

cool idea for a video - no clue what my 'end game' would be but I started with $30 dollar apple ear buds, then 50 dollar Sony ear buds, then bought my first studio headphone NVX XPT100 and from there I'm using the rare (seems like no one has 'em) Audio-Technica ATH-WS1100iS Solid Bass.. and that's where I'm at until they break. the WS1000 have such a nicer sound than the NVX even with bass EQ'd in. Going to need to find myself some more tight bass cans when these go under.

I have a ton of headphones and don't really have an upgrade path but really just go up and down the price spectrum looking for headphones that do something interesting or unique. I really enjoy my OG clears and HD800S on tubes for primary use. Sometimes for a bit of fun I'll get Fostex 900 mk2 or if listening to metal will go LCDX.

My situation for my collection: 1) Older bro was using an first gen Grado SR-325, so I went with a Grado SR-80. 2) Got shooked by the SR-80, so I went on to get a Grado SR-325i. 3) The anime K-on! was airing, got a AKG K701 and ended up liking it and is a good compliment to the SR-325i. 4) Got the 1st gen buttoned Grado RS-2, got really impressed and cried for the first time just by listening to music. Aimed for the GS-1000 as my end game. 5) Oops, Dad accidentally threw all my Grados except the SR-80 due to the retro looks and I went into a absolute slump. 6) Got out of the slump after two years, borrowed and listened to a whole bunch of headphones but didn't find anything I liked. Decided to do the dumbest thing ever and went for a Grado GH2 for Christmas as "Well, YOLO, it's a limited edition and whatever." It really was not what I expected from Grado and it indeed was a move that I didn't regret. 7) Got an Grado RS-1e since the x series changed housings and I really missed my RS-2 and still wanted a full mahogany headphone for sentimental reasons. Really ain't what I'm expecting but somehow started to appreciate it a lot after an entire year of tinkering. 8) Was looking for a 2nd hand Audeze LCD-2C to see what's the hype about planars, but Grado axed the entire GS-2000e line so the store I was visiting to get the Audeze LCD-2C released a GS-2000e display unit with only half the price. Inner demon told me I'm not going to see another GS-2000e with this kind of sweet deal in the future so I dunked my head in. Accidentally fufilled my wish on getting a GS series and I'm happy with the sound and the price. 9) Modded my old SR-80 to essentially a SR-225 as a daily driver upgrade, didn't expect this joke mod to work well enough to the point I regretted skipping the 1st gen SR-225. I mostly went with Grados because I sort of got used to hearing them and their "shit build" turned out to be an ease of maintainance on my part. Anything with a fancy cushion, elastic headband or elaborate structures and high-tech engineering tends to heavily degrade within 5-6 years of normal use since my home is situated right beside a humid sub-tropical mountain with weather worst than London and restoring it after warranty is quite difficult and expensive. I like my K701 but it costs more just to keep it in shape than any of my Grados, which usually just requires a foam swap every two years. You know it's abnormal when even your dehumidifier can breakdown due to humid conditions. In the end, only Grados (even the wooden ones) can survive happily in this kind of shit environment so the simpler the build the better. I'm not even talking about the IEMs that didn't survive, so you guys get the picture.

On the b-roll there is the 109pro but not in this video🧐 😃 My stuffs: Neumann ndh20 and 30,Meze 109 pro,Koss kph 30i,1 more tridents,dunu sa6 ultra Hifiman EF400,2 uniqe hungarian made solid and hybrid tube amp,douk u5,aune x8 magic dac. My target some midfi planar and after that i try reach little higher like Zmf,Kennerton etc! Ohh and great video as always!

I started with dt990, wasn’t a very good can to start with but I stuck with the treble, loved it. I then went to hifiman and ended up at the stealth arya, which is still trebly.

Hey man, enjoy your channel content. I don't mean to sound negatuive, but here's the thing. How many of the headphones you mentioned can be had for under 250 bucks ? Other tjan the HD6XX and the SHP9600, I can't seem to think of any. Even buying used, one would be struggling to find any of the others anywhere near 300 bucks. Considering that this is I think intended at those who are starting out or upgrading to something a but better than what they started out with. Abyss, Focal, Audeze, Hifiman - yes who wouldn't want to own a pair of their upper tier stuff ? The reality though is a bit different, so perhahs a price tiered, performance based recommendation list would have been more real world.

Love the video, but just a small complaint, wider than 16:9 videos do not display well in landscape mode on newer phones, using black bars to normalise it back to 16:9 let’s people choose whether to view edge to edge or not

My first open-back headphones were the DT 880, then went straight up to the Edition XS. Almost the same sound signature with better resolution.

I'm currently going down a mix of neutral/soundstage. i.e my first was the HD660S and I wanted more soundstage and less focus on mids so ordered an Edition XS on my path to finding my preferred sound signature. If it turns out to be the sound signature I enjoy then I might end up saving up to get an Arya Stealth in the future, perhaps. I've been using studio monitor speakers for work for so long I just want something that can be atleast comparable to them in terms of neutrality, soundstage/placement and to sound good in all genres. The HD660s unfortunately does not sound 'complete', and I think something along the line of XS will. This is purely for my own enjoyment.

I am a fan of EDM (specifically Melodic Techno and Trance). I started off with LCD-X 2015, then upgraded to ZMF VC and then to LCD-4. for Amps, i started with a DAP (AK240), then moved to a monolith 788, then Corda Soul by Meier Audio + Amps&Sound Mogwai OG. combined, Corda Soul + A&S Mogwai OG, and an LCD4, limit is reached. thats to my ears.

I always buy my headphones second hand. The first expensive headphones I bought were the Audeze EL-8 open backs. I had heard them, the Hifiman HE-400i and Hifiman HE-560 at the time. The Audeze I could find cheaper than the HE-560. They broke and I bought the HE400i very cheap new and got as a replacement from Audeze the iSine 20. I bought the Sennheiser HD800 after that because I was astounded by the performance for the (second hand) price. I never really liked the sound signature however. Now I own the Hifiman Arya V1 and this is the headphones I love most. I feel I can listen to almost all genres of music with them.

First headphone was AKG K712 pro, didn’t realize how hard they were to drive with an old stereo receiver, then bought the jubilees, then t50rp which I modded into the mad dog 3d print. Now I have an amp and have 3 very different sound signatures.

Hi, thank you for this. Sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere but have you listened to the Quad ERA-1 planar magnetic headphone? I was wondering why so few reviewers have covered it

I started with some samson sr 850s and upgraded to hifiman HE-400SE and my next upgrade is probably gonna be something like an akg k712 pro, or a Sundara, it really depends on if I get a new DAC or audio interface first because I need both as I'm a little tired of using my m-audio solo, and fiio btr5