The IT – List is our wall of fame for the headphones that are special. It doesn’t need to meet the Harman target or be great in every aspect and every way, but it is in our ears the best headphones in the world have the IT in common..
Let us explain with an example: The HD800 have IT. There is nearly no headphone in the world that does soundstage and imaging like it. It has faults with peaks in the treble and the bass that lacks body and slam. We can discuss the HD800 and that has been done since 2009. But few can deny that it’s still one of the best headphones in the world. What its doing right is amazing! It has been retired for the HD800S, so it doesn’t belong in our current list of the worlds best headphones being made today. But it belongs in our list of classics.
This is a list of headphones that have changed the world of headphones, and many of them can rival or even better the high-end being made today. We, the Headphoneers have many years experience testing hundreds of headphones and amplifiers. Our ears are not golden by any means. We should be humble enough to say that this list is purely subjective and is only our own opinions. Nobody have payed, or is able to pay their way onto this list. I haven’t tried every headphone in the world. If the headphone should be able to make this list, I have to review it first. There is a lot of headphones on the list that doesn’t have a review on this page. But I have a lot of hours with every headphone on it. Like Tyll Hertsens former Wall Of Fame, we will not bump headphones down for other new headphones coming along. If the headphone is lucky enough to have made the list, it´ s there to stay. When it goes out of production it will go down in history as a classic.
We want to pay tribute for the best and most unique amplifiers we have had the honour to enjoy. We use the same criteria on our list of amplifiers. Matching amplifiers with headphones is often forgot. We buy a headphone and need an amp to drive it properly. What The Headphoneer has been doing for years is to show the difference the headphone amplifier can make on a headphone. The Headphoneer team have worked out this list it together. We sincerely hope you will enjoy reading it
– Erlend B
The list will be updated continuously. It’s a work in progress and some mistakes will occur while Im working on it.
Open Back Headphones
Focal Utopia
I went to CanJam London 2016, the same year as Focal launched their first line of headphones. The Sennheiser HE-1 was traveling the world as the best headphone ever. But the queue in front of the Focal stand was never ending. Everybody wanted to try the new Elear and Focals first top of the line, the mighty Utopia! They had worked on their headphones from scratch. Not like other speaker brands putting their name on a pair of pimped up Beyerdynamics. I believed that Elear would take the place of the already iconic Sennheiser HD650. I was wrong. But the pure sound quality and dynamics of the Utopia made them an instant hit for headfiers around the world. Making them the top of the line, the creme del a creme for crazy headphoneers. It deserves a safe spot on our list.
HifiMan HE1000 v1/v2
The Hifiman HE-1000 got quite a lot of attention when launched in 2015. It introduced a totally new shape and sound for the Hifiman flagship, replacing the HE-6 which now (unfortunately) is no longer produced. HE-1000 feels like a high quality, well built, well crafted and well designed headphone. Sound wise not much has changed in the v2. The first version sounded fabulous, and they haven’t done anything to make it sound less great. Overall it is a better product because of the improvements made to the headband, pads and cable.
Sennheiser HD650
One of true classics that started many head-fi journeys. It is very amp dependable to sound it’s best, but when it does, it has the sweetest mids you can imagine. The bass rolls of early and it´ s dark sounding signature is not for everyone. The HD600 came first, but it was the HD650 that truly won most people over. To make a list like this without the HD650 would be nonsense.
Audeze LCD2
Sankar Tiamagasamudram, Alexander Rosson, Pete Uka and Dragoslav Colich met in 2008 to create headfi history. When lcd2 came along it was an instant hit for our fellow headphoneers into the journey of perfect sound. In my ears the lcd2 is far from perfect. It’s too dark sounding and it weights a ton, and all the first ones cracked in the cable sockets of wood. The drivers had the habit of suddenly breaking. Im sure every owner of early Audeze had at least one pair sent over the dam for repairs. Even the flat cables were heavy and ugly. But the sound of lcd was straight out opposite to the Beyerdynamic T1 and Sennheiser HD800. It sounded like cream and butter compared to the hard germans. The lcd2 has great dynamics with very good bass extension, body and fair detailing to back it up. LCD2 have been through many revisions and the introduction of Fazors was a big leap in imaging. But many people actually preferred the LCD2c classic without the Fazors. The sound of LCD2 is definetively something of it’s own and Audeze changed the world of High End headphones forever.
Closed Headphones
ESLab ES – R10
The real thing, the Sony MDR-R10 is virtually impossible to get a hold of. I have not heard it. But this clone is one of the best sounding closed headphones I ever came across. Listening to acoustic music, this is just the most natural-sounding headphone I have ever heard. It struggles on bass rich music like electronic music and is not in favour on compressed rock either. But when the music is right, almost nothing can beat it.
Electrostatic Headphones
Stax SR-009 and 009s
The almighty Stax SR-009! For many one of the best headphones in the world. It has something organic going on where you can hear the instrument vibrate. It’s that fast! The superb imaging and detailing of the SR-009 is so good, it sounds like the instruments are there in the room with you. Everything is real, man! If you think everything is all rainbows, you’re mistaken. The bass of the SR-009 is a little shy and some will find it too bright. Pair it with a good amp and it will truly shine as one of the best headphones ever created.
Stax SR-007MKII
The original Stax SR-007 came along in 1998 as Stax top of the line headphone. There have been some revisions along the way. The last revision was in 2007 with real leather earpads. It’s now out as the Stax-007 MK2. The Japanese version of this is silver and named SR-007A. The sound of the Stax-007 is on the dark side, but detailed with a very good bass attenuation.
Stax SR – 404 Signature
The Stax SR – 404 Signature is a lambda with the best sound signature I have ever heard. It has great mids and highs, without being sibilant. But in the same time it’s not too dark. They found the golden sound signature with this one! Everything feels natural and sweet without details being lost. The bass is quite impactful, and better than most of the other Stax Lambdas. I like the SR – 507 a lot, but the sweet and natural sound of the 404 is like i never want to stop listening.
Perun Rock
Made as a Russian DIY – project going commercial, it arrived like a huge surprise! Try some drum & base on the Perun Rock and you will never go back. The sound is so immersive and fun, but feels correct and clean. This headphone belongs in the big league along with the best electrostatic headphones in the world. If you don’t believe me i urge you to try it! It feels like they can blast you’re head of, being subtle at the same time. The first two driver electrostatic headphone I have tried.
Sennheiser HE – 1
The worlds most expensive headphone and probably the best sounding headphone in the world. The HE 1 is both an amplifier and a headphone, only to be used with one another. It also has a built in DAC. HE 1 is Sennheisers only electrostatic headphone, and the amp is their only product that uses vacuum tubes. It is also the only amplifier made by a block of marble. The Sennheiser HE 1 is delicious. It is warm and inviting, it is rock solid and tactile, it is nuanced and hyper-resolving. It has an extremely ear friendly sound signature, and a fabulous bass experience. It is the best headphone I have heard. If you have the means and wish to spend this amount of money on a hi-fi rig, but is better suited with a headphone setup than with speakers, I see no reason you shouldn’t get it. You can get very close for a lot less, but for some that just doesn’t matter.
Classic Headphones
Sennheiser HD800
The Sennheiser HD800 is a long standing reference in the headphone world. Launched in 2009, it set a new standard in the headphone industry with it’s ultra low distortion and exceptional soundstage. Sennheiser launched a re-tuned version called HD800S in 2015. The HD800S simply put has gotten some minor acoustic tweaks to boost the bass and tame the treble. The HD800S is a dulled down version of the original and will not be a part of our list. The debate about HD800 having peaks in the treble and less body and slam in the bass is a valid one. It’s a love and hate relationship for many. We have used thousand of hours with the HD800 making it a reference for all others. It’s very amplifier – dependant. A good matching amp will bring out the best that one of the worlds best drivers have to offer. Try putting the HD800 on a sterile amp with bad impedance – matching and it will be ruthless. Many professionals use this to find faults in mixes because its analytical nature. You will hear everything if you like it or not!
AKG K1000
The legendary AKG K1000 is worthy of our list. It’s two speakers hanging in front of you’re ears and is one of the most airy headphones we have tried. We had the pleasure of owning three sets of bass heavy versions. This is the oldest versions from around 1989/1990. Heinz Renner who originally was a part of the team wrote that it took three years to get the diaphragm right. They where in production until 2005 with around 11,000 units made. We have tested the K1000 with different a lot of different amps. They are rated 120ohms and the astonishingly low sensitivy of 74db SPL/mw. My experience is that they are best driven on speaker taps, but a strong headphone amp is enough. The bass feels better than the measurements suggests when seeing it falling fast at around 80hz.
Stax Lambda
I look at it now. The original Lambda, standing on my shelf. I sold my ccs – modded SRMT1s with Normal bias out. That’s the old 230v bias that Stax later changed in favour for the 580v pro bias. It was first introduced in 1979 and the sound quality where mind-blowing! It’s old, so the frequency response is a little shy of bass and the treble is a tad hot. This doesn’t matter because this headphone have a lot of personality that showed the way for what was to come. This headphone is properly ugly. But my forty year old headphone is still working and playing music with more organic quality then a lot of newer high end models.
Beyerdynamic T1
The Beyerdynamic T1 saw the light of day in 2010 as a direct competitor for the already launched HD800. The original T1 is extremely detailed and bright on top, while the bass got more body and slam compared to the HD800. It’s not as deep and full bodied compared to, lets say Audeze LCD2. They have an impedance of 600ohm, making them very amplifier dependent. The T1 is semi closed that means that it don’t block noise like a closed headphone, but also wont leak as much sound as a open headphone does. The imaging i lacking and the soundstage is intimate, but it got a exciting listening experience that is truly unique. This headphone have personality in spades! It is also very important being launched in a time where it together with HD800 kind of defined the hefty price tag of high end headphones. The Beyerdynamic T1 generation 3 is out and we would love to test it in the future, but I doubt it will make the list of ITs.
HifiMan HE6
Hifimans discontinued flagship came along in 2010, is still considered better then many of Hifimans current products. The Hifiman flagship Susvara actually carried the name Edition 6. They are notoriously hard to drive! If you don’t match the HE6 with a proper amplifier it sounds daft. The specs of 50ohm and sensitivity of 83,5 db/mw is not too frightening considering the AKG K1000 with 74db at 120ohm. But the truth is that it will bring amps to their knees long before the K1000 runs out of fuel. HE6 needs a lot of current to sound good. This is one of the most power hungry headphones in the world. I have been running my old he6 on speaker-taps with my old Primare 30.1 with amazing results. Schiit Ragnarok was good, but not scaling like a powerful amplifier for speakers. What you get is proper bass slam and soundstage / imaging to die for. I owned the early 4 screw version that is considered better than the later 6 screw. There are many tales around this matter but the HifiMan HE6 SE is not sounding as good as the original.
Denon AHD7000
This headphone is one that always will have a soft spot close to my heart. Just to open the gorgeous box, finding the beautiful mahogany earphones that reminds me of an organic instrument. It uses 50mm free edge microfibre diaphragms and high strength neodymium magnets that takes the efficiency up to 108db. I have owned a lot of Denons in my time. I actually had three pairs ahd5000, two for modding and one that i want to keep original. The claims that ahd5000 is so close to the ahd7000, that its not worth spending the money, is false. The ahd7000 is superior. Having a typical U – shaped frequency response they feels entertaining while also digging deep into the recording. The treble of the ahd7000 is very good while the bass feels a little muddy and slow. The instrument separation and detailing is excellent. It feels organic and when the music explodes from nothing, very dynamic. There’s a new line of ahd7200/9200 out, but they can’t challenge this great old-timer from 2011.
Oppo PM1
Sadly, Oppo doesn’t make headphones anymore. Because i always felt they didn’t get enough recognition for the PM1. They started of their journey into headphones making planar magnetics. This is a mid centric headphone delivering good bass being easy to drive properly. 102db/mw on 32ohm is good enough for most daps and portable dongles. The sound is so smooth, all the while delivering details in spades, making it enjoyable to listen for hours at a time. Oppo seemed a little crazy being into headphones and mobiles while the core products are BlueRay players, the future looked grim for the future. I don’t know if they made any money making headphones, but it was fun while they did.
Grado PS1000e
The Grado sound signature has always been a matter of taste. The bass roll off too early and some might find them shouty. The PS1000e is made of mahogany with aluminium coating. The reason for doing this is to make the wood more porous. Porous wood means less reflections of the wood in the treble region. It certainly looks cool! This headphone made me like blues again. It feels so real and entertaining. My feet have to stomp the beat! It’s a wonderful experience when poor measurement meets reality. The music and hours just flies by, one song at the time. This headphone has IT in spades and then some.
Headphone Amplifiers / Dac amps
Woo WA2
A great Tube amplifier in aluminium die-cast built like a tank. Perfect for tube rollers that likes to experiment with the gear. If you read the reviews on this site, you will quickly figure out how good this amp really is.
Mytek Brooklyn
The Mytek Brooklyn is a superb DAC with a highly detailed and engaging sound signature. The headphone amplifier is tight, clear and dynamic, and I often found it to be a very fun and engaging listen. However, it must be added that some might find it a bit too neutral sounding: I did personally find it a bit sterile from time to time, depending on the music and headphones I listened to. The features and connectivity of the Brooklyn is simply astonishing, especially for such a small box, and it doesn’t hurt that it has that MQA decoder. Given that the DAC in my opinion is well worth its cost on its own, you basically get a great headphone amp, preamp functionality, MQA and the other features thrown in for free.
Mytek Manhattan II
This is the first consumer oriented dac by Mytek. The brushed aluminium looks are simply gorgeous. This is a high end product! It’s resolving capability are truly among the best I have ever heard. And most importantly, it is truly great with headphones from the headphone output.
Bryston BHA – 1
The Bryston BHA-1 headphone amplifier was launched back in 2012 and immediately gained a standing as a solid high-end performer. The Bryston is a beast: It has loads of power, a a good selection of inputs and outputs, and it drives every headphone well. Even the Hifiman HE-6 sounds great. Generally, it is a very neutral amplifier but is leaning slightly towards the snappier and crisper side, without becoming “edgy” or bright. Highly recommended.
Classic Headphone Amplifiers
Auralic Taurus
Auralic Taurus came along in 2012 as a fully balanced, solid state amplifier. The ORFEO output module is based on the legendary Neve 8078 circuit design. Auralic Taurus is a versatile amplifier with a nice, slightly warm sound signature that fits HD800 and Beyerdynamic T1 perfectly. I have also used it a lot with the high demanding AKG K1000 and it works great! This amp have 4,5 watts of power output in 120 ohms in balanced mode. Its not perfect. My first Taurus was plagued by problems with the volume knob and there’s a lot of other headfiers complaining about poor quality control. Nevertheless when i got my new unit back it was working as a charm for years and many thousand of hours and heavy use, with demanding headphones and rigorous testing. The Taurus has a special sweet sound which i only can characterise as musical.
