Azurys

Honestly, I don't care too much for closed backs myself. If you had to look, some alternatives I can say are well regarded are the Audio Technica ATH-M50x, DT 700 Pro X, MDR-M1, if you have a burning hole on your wallet and want to again spend a lot then Focal Azurys I can recommend as ive actually tried it, but its msrp is around 500. Really the best thing you can do is just go and try on a bunch.

Probably my Monarch Mk4 IEMs, just seriously good listening. Switch for more bass, dont change massively with different tips, but enough you can sorta alter the sound without EQ. Close would be my Focal Azurys. They were mega cheap on sale recently and I wanted a pair of closed backs because I mostly, only used open backs until I tried out Hyper x cloud IIIs and liked them, also had some in ear issues so couldnt use IEMs for a short while. Absolutely love them.

Could be a lot of things that you don't like about them. Personally I find that dynamic drivers sound warmer, more natural and smoother which is more pleasant some of the time. It could be that, that's a big factor for you. The Aria Stealth are planars. And then, the aria is open back so it's going to have less bass because the sound is allowed to escape, deliberately. The aria are undoubtedly giving you more detail, both spatial and technical the XM4s but they're a different type of headphone delivering a different type of experience. If you want an upgrade from the XM4s in a closed back, wired planar, you might want to try something like the Focal Azurys.

It’s not great on the Azurys.

I’ve spent way too much money chasing the perfect sound, and after burning through a pile of headphones and IEMs, I think I’m finally there. The headphone path went: Sundara → HD600 → HD650 → Edition XS (good but too sharp and sibilant) → Focal Azurys (Did not get the hype here) → Audeze MM-500 (good but painful clamp). On the IEM side I tried the Kiwi Ears Astral, Moondrop x Crinacle Dusk (didn’t understand the here either), Moondrop Hype 4, and DUNU Brain Dance. Brain dance was my favorite until I randomly tried The Campfire Moon Rover, though, which has become my IEM of choice for a reason I’ll explain later. For over ears, eventually I gave Dan Clark Audio a shot. First the Noire X, then the Noire X Open… and wow. The Noire X Open is the first headphone I’ve heard that delivers incredible detail without stabbing me with harsh “s” and “t” sounds. It can be just a touch energetic above 10k, but a simple high-shelf EQ at -3 dB takes care of it instantly. I also like adding a +2 dB bass shelf, which rounds out the sound beautifully. What really surprised me is how perfectly this same EQ profile works on the Campfire Moon Rover as well. It feels like they were made to share it, and having one tuning that works seamlessly between both is a huge win. I’ve saved the preset on my HiBy R4, so switching back and forth between the XO and the Moon Rover is effortless. So at this point, my perfect setup has become the Moon Rover for IEMs and the Noire X Open. Ironically, the gear I’ve ended up loving the most has all been from American brands which I didn’t expect. I know endgame is a dangerous word in this hobby, but right now this feels like it. Has anyone else had that moment where you put something on and thought… yeah, this is it?