A headphone reviewer's reference gear

Resolve gives a rundown of the headphones and audio equipment he uses as a reference point for his reviews and why. Not all of the headphones mentioned are meant to be perfectly neutral, but rather, various listening anchors. Having a generally palatable tuning is of course still a key requirement, but there can be different versions 'reference' for different qualities of the experience.

Measurement Index

Resolve's Headphone Ranking:

How to read headphone measurements

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - Over Ear Wired Headphones
06:17 - Wireless Headphones
07:23 - In-ear Headphones
09:14 - Source Equipment

[LSDScreen]

To answer your question, Andrew, I have multiple headphones because I feel they have different strengths and weaknesses, as well as synergies with particular genres or even individual albums. My neutral reference is the Susvara, but I’ll often choose the Verite for metal and rock and the Atrium for female-vocal centric tracks. I’ve played around with EQ a lot (running Fab Filter in Audirvana), but in the end I like my headphones the way they are for their uniqueness.

As far as equipment, I am using a Holo Stack for reference. The Bliss has both low and high Z modes, so that makes it suitable and reliable for everything.

[blacksixjae]

As a normie, I have no idea what a reference headphone is supposed to be like. But after trying a few different things, I've settled on the Focal Clear, HD600, and Moondrop Variations (for portability)

[GadZookz]

Thanks Resolve! Great to see the the cap is back. In truth you are the warrior monk of headphone reviewers, capturing sonic purity with some of the the most simple and sublime head-gear at your disposal. As always, your daily listening choices skate the razor’s edge between heresy and brilliance.👍🏻

[AverieS]

Cool video, nice to hear the prespective of gear from a reviewer.
My IEM neutral reference is the 7th Acoustics Supernova, and I have no headphone reference as I'm not really into them anymore, but I do love my Focal Clears.

[ROCKSTAR]

I like the Audio Technica ATH-R70X, they are my reference for a smooth and natural sounding headphone, also has more bass and way better comfort than my 6XX.

[JKHYT]

K371 is a perfect low cost reference. It's not going to sound hollow and rolled-off like most open back recommendations do, which I think has a tendency to turn off a lot of "normies" that may be just getting their feet wet. I think it's a far better recommendation than HD600 for a first-time buyer.

[ahmadatifatif]

I consider the Etymotic ER2SE and HD 600 as my references due to their popularity and the fact that people in my circle frequently compare open-back headphones and IEMs with them. I've chosen everything else based on my personal preferences.

[minigaangsta]

I use 2 headphones. The HE1000v2 stealth and the IE600. One at home one on the go. Both with my Mojo2 (a fun little device). Verry happy with both soundsignatures and will not sidegrade only maybe upgrade in the future. First thing to upgrade will be the amp (I have caught interest in the cayin ha-3a) and then maybe in a few years I will get a serious endgame IEM.

[JanPippel]

Good morning guys,

I‘ve listened to many headphones in a pricerange up to 1, 5k (€ obviously…i life in europe) and owned a few personally. Kind a like the same on amps and dacs…

In the end mostly i recommend Hifimans 4XX or Sennheiser 6XX from drop, to ppl how ask to begin with and a topping DX3 or JDS Labs amp/dac. To me it’s a great starting point under 500.

Personally i‘m ended up with a Aune X1s GT as amp/dac and a pair of Austrian Audio Hi-X60 closed back phones…this pair fits my listening style the most. Listening to r&b, soul, funk, melodic jazz, hiphop and electronic music…sometimes to a little bit of rock/punk…
The warm, natural and also neutral sound of this pair fits perfectly into this kind of music in my opinion.

[christiharris]

i found myself surprised the Dunu SA6 OG or MKII wasn't there over the Oracle. I bought the SA6 OG on Resolve's recommendation a couple years back and still love it. TBH the Oracle is a true reference for me too, the tuning is so good and vocals are beautiful. Excellent discussion.

[bobbyjarsulic]

Anchor for "normal" was Shure SRH940 (yes, 940, not 840 or 1440 or 1540 or 1840...) and now is HiFiMAN Ananda Nano. They're pretty close aside from a slight boost in the mids on the 940s and slight recess on the Nanos.

[Artoria]

As a headphone reviewer viewer, I approve this message

[twoften]

Welcome to the Headphone Show. It has been [0] days since our last praising of the HD600.

[glennmckenzie]

My studio choice is the AKG712 (open backed) with Sonarworks which noticably gives tighter lower end and a better balanced frequency range - the result is 'clean/accurate and precise'. My daily use is the Rode NTH100 (closed back) - superb value here in the Anitipodes, and the 'cooling' ear pads are great in this climate - they are very unhyped, quite 'plain' sounding which is a good way to check that my writing/performance contains a decent amount of intrinsic dynamic range and vibe.

[Psybuster]

I daily drive the HD6XX, but i have the Focal Clear for my hype music and the HD800S for spoiling myself with slower music or games. For IEMs i rock the IE600 or 7Hz Timeless depending on mood/ what's closer.

[eruilluvitar]

If you're going purely for form factor, check out the RME ADI-2/4. It's _really_ good and has been able to easily power everything I have, including the Susvara and the Andromeda.

[maciejgeming]

My reference headphone is also HD 600 but with ZMF lambskin perforated pads. For me, the change is sensational. 1) soundstage is wider and a bit deeper; 2) bass became stronger and richer; 3) imaging from left to right is more fluent than before; 4) overall feeling is more pleasing; 5) mids are not as much up front, but still very detailed and energetic enough; 6) the amount of treble is lower than on the original pads, highs are smoother but also more transparent and more detailed; 7) especially bass and wind instruments sound more holographic. What may be a bit strange, I like the sound of this set more when pads are placed the other way round than suggested by ZMF guys. Before the pads change I used 6XX's as much often as 600s to have a 2nd view on the music and also 560s and 770 pro when I was checking the mixes, but right now If I will have to keep only 600s with ZMF's... I will feel fine too. To be honest I use the other ones just to refresh my mind from time to time, and come back to the 600s with more joy.

[deanfisher]

Audeze LCD 5 with Audio Valve MkII. ( will never sell and 20 years old). Smooth and wonderful mid tones …..jazz and blues. Utopia with LTA MZ3. Wonderful Top to bottom and great low level resolution. All genres but great on intricate guitar works and vocals. Love the bass on out of these. Natural and layered. Both run through a Holo Audio May Dac. Sennheiser 800s through their 820 amp/Dac setup …..my office rig. Awesome all around and light on the head. Love headphone listening and am blessed with some great rigs. Enjoyed your presentation. Had the Senn 600s for 15 years….my son has them now and the Elears……both are huge sleepers and killer for the money. Run the Elears on an I phone with a dragonfly ….and wow. Happy listening.

[listener-reviews]

Honestly, I’ve found that no headphones/IEMs (especially the latter) are tuned satisfyingly enough to be my reference without EQ. The closest are the HD600 and MM-500 for me, but both have more air around 13-14kHz than I’d call neutral. Meteor’s mids and treble are *very* close for me as well, but it needs less bass IMO.

Great watch tho! Not surprised the Bathys is the one you own 😂

[Dicloneus]

If you're just evaluating on what to buy next, the easiest thing to use as point of reference is the first product that dragged you down to this rabbit hole of a hobby.
My first one was the Shure e2c 15 years ago, then the Ultimate Ears triple fi.10 pro 5 years later, and I've been going back to those as point of reference ever since.