People talk about the batteries going bad but I've had my original airpods for I can't remember how many years and they're still going strong, although I only really use them for making calls at work now. I've had wired IEMs break usually after 6-12 months.

Yall got a different keyboard than me how you get that AE looking like that

If you are looking for pads, I can highly recommend ZMF's pads for the HD8XX. I have the lambskin but I'm intrigued by the microfiber or whatever material it is ones too.

Cool!

Cool! I saw something similar on Thingiverse I think and was curious how comfortable it would be.

I only have a resin printer and no headphone that would be compatible with the design so I've never tried printing it.

Is everything 3D printed?

To monitor the audio. Monitoring. They use them to monitor.

They want to ensure that what they're saying is being picked up and recorded and sounds how they want it to sound.

Hard to tell based on this picture but look at the general state of these headphones. Cable is a knotted mess and the top of the headband strap is peeling.

I have a feeling that the way OP treated these was the leading factor.

I’m just dying for an excuse to buy the 400SE. I just would never use them right now. If I had any opportunity to use them as like a secondary headphone away from my main PC, yeah I’d get them.

Nice! Is that DX1 a balanced amp/DAC or is it just two sizes? I can't tell from the websites if it has a balanced output or not. For $100 it doesn't need to have a balanced output, but it would be cool if it did.

Right now IEMs (in-ear monitors) are really popular at the budget level. They've come a long way in recent years and a lot of Chinese manufacturers are delivering them at a low price point.

There's no consensus of which the "best budget headphone" is. IMO it's the Koss KSC75 for $20, but that's just one opinion and you could argue that the sound quality is put on the backburner because the build quality is bad.

I have one pair for my desk which I use for "critical listening" and gaming. That's my Sennheiser HD8XX. For mobile use, I use airpod pros. The convenience is just so good. For my steam deck I use the Koss KSC75.

> Preference: I like neutral tuning with good imaging and soundstage. I am FPS tryhard(sometimes singleplayer)

HD800s and it's not even a question IMO. Since you're on the fence about whether they'd be worth the upgrade or not (I can't say, I've never heard the XS), I'd buy them new from somewhere with a no question return policy, or pre-owned and sell them if you don't like them. There's plenty of demand for a used HD800s.

There’s a few that I listen to that I think accentuate different strengths and aspects of a headphone, but most importantly, you need to like the songs! Listen to your favorite songs.

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac (2004 remaster)

Do It Again - Steely Dan

Kiss - Prince

Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics

One Of These Nights - Eagles

With or Without You - U2

Over The Hills And Far Away - Led Zeppelin

Dark Fantasy - Kanye West

Mountains - Hans Zimmer

I would recommend listening to well mastered music that you already like and listening to the songs back to back on your 109s compared to a random source that isn’t nearly as good. You’ll hear things you didn’t know were even there.

I love how Focal headphones look the part too.

So many high end headphones just look like drivers with wires connected to them but every Focal looks so good.

Tbh there are songs I enjoy more on worse gear because they’re poorly mastered and that bothers me on high end gear.

Damn that sucks. Hopefully they come back in stock and you can snag them for the great price they had them for

What are peoples' favorite Airpod Pro eartips? I can't stand the stock ones. I've used foam ones for a while they just don't last very long though.

Man those red M50x were my first entry into the headphone world. Personally I just never found them comfortable enough to wear long term and mine were the older model I guess without the removeable cable so they were kind of a pain to go around with. Ended up getting rid of them fairly quickly but I really appreciated the build quality. The plastics felt really really solid.

My next pair were the discontinued and absolute trash HiFiman HE-300. These things were such trash. I bought them with some bundled amp that was also terrible. Really really bad headphones. Uncomfortable, poor quality, terrible cable, sounded bad. I'm now temped by the HE-400SE but I'm still doubting the build quality and other concerns.

Literally never had any issues with USB

If I look down and see the Y connector is twisted, I'm taking my headphones off and twisting them around to get it straight lol

That's my biggest pet peeve because it gets out of control too fast and then becomes annoying.

Oh god no I don't tell them that lol

If someone comes over and sees the headphones and goes "those look fancy" I'll tell them yeah they are but tbh I have no interest in going down the rabbit hole with them.

Looks, features, and the same sound you can get for a fraction of the price.

Ah well fair enough! Like I said, it’s a nitpick. The ones you ended up with are great.

I bought the lambskin ZMF pads for my HD8XX. Big improvement. They feel awesome. No changes in sound that I could pick up but I didn’t AB test them so ymmv. I was curious about the suede because they look super comfy. Might pick them up eventually but I wanted to try the lambskin first.

Only complaint is I wish they were just a little thicker for more of a smooshy feeling against my head, but it’s a nitpick because they are really very comfortable.

Just like, untangle it?