halcyondread t1_j0v88n3 wrote on December 19, 2022 at 5:53 PM

Like what a lot of people have mentioned, your ears get used to certain sounds and learn to prefer some over others. I usually don't like new headphones when I initially get them. It takes time for your brain to reset, then in time you'll start hearing "quality".

Accomplished-Edge426 OP t1_j0xmqns wrote on December 20, 2022 at 4:08 AM

I'm more looking for imaging and soundstage than sound quality. I was hoping for a dolby atmos emulator on a budget.

GimmickMusik1 t1_j1228o9 wrote on December 21, 2022 at 2:26 AM

Personally, if you are looking for a combination of the two in the relative price range of the Edition XS, then I would recommend the Hifiman Sundara or AudioTechnica ATH-R70X. The R70X has insanely good imaging for its price and the soundstage is… decent, not as wide as the Sundara, but not narrow like an HD6x0 headphone. The Sundara is basically just good at both but not great at either.

It’s very hard to find headphones that do everything great. That’s why the ones that do cost a lot of money.

Accomplished-Edge426 OP t1_j16bthf wrote on December 21, 2022 at 11:59 PM

"It’s very hard to find headphones that do everything great. That’s why the ones that do cost a lot of money."

Yeah, that's what I'm at the impasse of do I just return everything and get a pair of Genelec 8020s and call it a day or go through the hassle of ordering every different pair of headphones people recommend to see if I find "the sound" I want.

Also, isn't the Sundura just a slightly worse XS, and what about AKG 712's and the Senn 660S?

GimmickMusik1 t1_j16lvld wrote on December 22, 2022 at 1:17 AM

I own both the Sundara and XS and would say they are both quite different. The XS has a much larger soundstage than the Sundara, but I would say that the Sundara has better imaging. I can definitely understand why people compare the two since they are relatively close in price, but I think the Edition XS is much closer the the Hifiman Ananda than it is the Sundara.

As for the AKG 712 and Sennheiser HD660S, I’ve heard great things, but I’ve never personally heard them so I can’t really recommend any actual opinions on them.

Accomplished-Edge426 OP t1_j16oiyq wrote on December 22, 2022 at 1:37 AM

Damn, now I have to do the try them all triathlon. Amazon is not going to like the amount of return I'm going to be doing on a weekly basis lol.

Accomplished-Edge426 OP t1_j1cro3o wrote on December 23, 2022 at 9:43 AM

One last thing,

Is it normal for the center imaging to be in the middle of your head or is it supposed to be in front of your face?

GimmickMusik1 t1_j1d32j2 wrote on December 23, 2022 at 12:11 PM

My experience with center image in music is that it tends to sound more “in your head.” The only way to really get a truly out of your head experience with headphones is when a track is mixed with that in mind or if you use an audio engine/dsp to simulate it.

Headphones are stereo devices by default. Good imaging on a stereo spectrum means pinpoint positioning of audio between far left and far right.

I commonly see people mention imaging in gaming and while it can be achieved (there are many game engines that support positional audio as well as simulate surround audio) the reality is that not all games support imaging through headphones. So keep that in mind if you plan to use your headphones for gaming.