Sony - LCD-X (2021 Revision)

Yeah I did post some planars. They are big and are used by audio engineers who need the BEST sound.  There is more to headphones than size for most people. They need to wear them, carry them, drive them.  When sound is all that matters they end up big, because bigger ones sound better. 

LCD-X EQd is so good. Love mine. Just gotta get used to weight.

Open Back nothing beats an EQ’d LCDX 2021. Closed Back I’d personally chose an EQ’d Noire X or ZMF Eikon on an OTL

I'd personally get an Open Back. The LCDX 2021 sounds great out the box but it can be EQ'd to hell and back with zero distortion. The only other headphone that comes close or beats is an AB 1266 TC but I'd never spend that kind of money for a basshead experience.

Endgame music headphone is EQ'd LCD-X. Nothing I've tried is \*that\* much better than it, and never better across the board. Endgame gaming headphone is KSC75 with PartsExpress Headband and Yaxi Pads. Not even joking, some of the best imaging and width of any headphone I've used. Only issue is my aim isn't as good as my soundwhoring any more in shooters.

lmao, you posted a set of planar's. Case in point. That's the ONE pair of headphones I did keep. Take it from someone who owns the LCD's and a ton of iems to replace the rest of his headphone collection he sold... they absolute can. I'll give you one thing though. You were right up until about 2016 or so. but the market has changed dramatically since.

From everything I have owned and heard, I would elect three headphones as my overall best and favorites: the DCA E3, the ZMF Caldera Open, and the Audeze LCD-4z. The E3s excel with raw precision and separation, the Calderas with spatial flexibility, tonal transparency, and macro dynamism, and the 4zs with bringing a bit of every trait together into one package. All of these need EQ to sound their best, the E3s the least and the 4zs the most, but even a profile relatively close to neutral reveals each to be amazing in their own ways. For anything below $1000 used, my picks go to the 2021 LCD-2 (and X), Moondrop Cosmo, and Sennheiser HD 800 (also all with EQ).

Audeze is even better. Had A pair of open back for at least 10 years. They are good NG to cost you $800+, but they work just like the day I pulled them out the box.

Hahaha I went the Audeze route on planar headphones, and my wife has made that observation with the little metal pokers up top 😅 I like the look honestly

They're a "kinda okay for their price" headphone. I personally refunded mine because after exclusively using them for a week, I went back to the Audeze Maxwell for a comparison and then Audeze planars absolutely embarrassed the FT1. The FiiO's sounded so muddy and garbage in comparison. Also, The FT1 is the cheapest, nastiest feeling headphone I've touched since I briefly owned (and returned) the Edition XS. My £25 Ugreen HiTune Max5c which I bought just to try have a vastly better build quality than the FiiO FT1