Golden Schlong Awards 2020

I have not heard HD588. The only 5 series I was previously familiar with was I believe the 595 which didn't impress me in anyway memorable. Kind of a weird price segment. The K7XX is around there and most of the other mid-fi champs.

Is there a SBAF community favorite that fits the price range below the HD6XX even? It's not a question if the HD560S is better or worse than anything, it's more of what should $200.00 MSRP get us. Can we even Schlong in that price range?

 

Used HD6XX for $175ish and pocket the difference. Going below that I have never heard anything I would personally consider GS or SD worthy. Others may disagree.

 

Massdrop HD 58X? $170

 

OT but I had to say measurements like this are super useful.

 

I've owned the HD560S and HD58X hoping for the same thing that we are hoping for from the HD8XX. Neither one of them live up to the expectations of the HD6X0, but they are brand new and under/at $200.00. Better than my options in 1999.

If I were uneducated about headphones coming to this forum and I had $200.00 to spend at headphones.com or a B&M retail store - what would we recommend? I know this question is kind of stupid since we have the internet, but lets really take ourselves back to the beginning of the hobby when the choices were.. SR60 / PortaPro / PX100 (later) at the under $100 range. SR80/125/225 if you wanted to spend a little more. Remove HD600 used - all (Mass)Drop headphones. Marv has listed the HD588 as his honorable mention of a proper HD5XX variant. What should actually fit that slot. The HD588 is from 2010 - has the $200.00 bracket not improved?

I think it is a grey area for a lot of us here since most of us have moved far beyond what that dollar amount ever got us in the beginning.

My first big jump was the K701. It was the new kid on the block - the challenger of the HD650 at the time. Burn-in 150 hours ect. ect. That's what.. a $450 headphones that I wouldn't recommend to anyone at that price these days - but that was the debate at the time. Best way to spend $450 was between a HD650 and a AKG K701. The Beyer DT880 was lurking in there too - SA5000 - AD2000, etc.

EDIT: Price check - Amazon has a new HD588 for $299.99 - I honestly don't remember what the MSRP of the headphone was though.

 

I fully back your sentiments @purr1n.

My Sub-$200 dollar headphone adventures at the beginning lead me to things like the Shure E2C and the Sony MDR-DJ700 and the Ultrasone Pro 650. I couldn't afford a HD650, HD600, HD anything honestly. I had the HD485 at one point - it stopped me from buying full-size headphones priced $100 or lower ever again though.

The HD560S and HD58X representing Sennheiser and Drop both attempting something the community has asked for is at least a participation award of trying. Hey - they failed. We spoke with our money though and put up the $200 dollars in hopes it was what they were telling us it was.

I will always vote with my wallet - it's the way the hobby has always worked. It sucks that we are let down by Sennheiser on at least 2 of their 3 (HD8XX pending your gracious reviews it seems) products, but they actually created these products and sold them at the price we roughly were willing to blindly shell out.

I will stick with the title "deaf" if it somehow gets these companies to make something better than 30 year old HD6X0 at under $200.

Edit - I guess I should mention why the three headphones I chose under $200 are so weird of choices. They were available at musician stores or other big box at the time since online purchasing was pretty much a Grado from Tyll LOL

 

I've been reading up on the Jot 2; what I can take is that it's kind of in between a tube and SS amp, with all the SS positives, and after a good warm up it has a smooth and slightly subdued treble which pairs well with HD800. Worth checkin then, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg - but wonder how it fares vs BHA1 which seems to be the defacto standard for HD800 SS? Unlikely that someone's had them side by side to check, but maybe from memory someone can chime in

 

I'm months late on this, but I may be one of the few goobers that can actually comment on this. I had both with a Bryston BHA-1 and a dac1541.

In early 2020, I got a FANFUCKINGTASTIC deal on a Clear ($700.) But I also had a Borealis.

Overall, they're actually pretty equal. Borealis was slightly darker, had better timbre, slightly better imaging, larger soundstage and better microdynamics.

The Clear had better resolve in the treble, more macrodynamics, more neutral, and better built.

However, because of the timbre, I think the Borealis is actually a better headphone overall. This is despite me personally choosing the Clear at the time because something about it fit my tastes more.

Unless I ever stumble face first in a great deal on a Clear again, quite honestly, I would choose the Borealis. Especially with how expensive pads on the Clear are and the other oddities that come with a Focal headphone.

I already got an amp....I already got an amp....I already got an amp....I already got an amp...god damnit, I want a BW2.

 

I would have for-sure pulled the trigger on the Borealis instead of the Clear if it had been available at that time. There is plenty of time for me to still acquire the Borealis, but I think my next adventure will be with some of our other very passionate forum comrades (Initials E,T,A.)

I tried to purchase everything @CEE TEE was involved with at Drop since he and I used to talk back in the early days and I think he and I had generally similar expectations and goals in this hobby - he is much more eloquent than I though. Hopefully I am financially solid for the future and I can continue to support our SBAFamily wherever I can. Glad to see these REAL hobbyist headphones coming from the SBAF ground, and-up from there.

Not all of the stuff that has come from the skunkworks of SBAF has been Schlong worthy, but if we don't support the people behind them, we don't get these neat projects.