It’s really just passive sound isolation. A good quality headphone will clamp around your ears to create a seal where no air can escape, therefore, no sound leakage in or out. Because that happens, the ambient noises you’re used to with open backs, have been cut out and now it’s closer to a “silence”. Since you were so used to ambient/background noise leaking in with the open headphones, it can be a bit strange to hear “nothing” now that you have a seal around your ears!

Aukey EP-B80

I have my Bathys with me in my backpack. In their case of course.

In that case, check to make sure all four clips are seated in properly. The Hifiman pad ring mechanism can be a giant pain in the ass when pad rolling, and can lead to anomalous sounds when even one clip is not fully secured.

The low and high frequencies are suddenly very alive. All the details are there. It's very impressive. Same with my other cans, they just burst to life with the good amp on the phone. The soundstage is also way, way better.

The headband doesn't bother me, but the fact that the earpads are glued is frustrating. I found some decent eq settings on the internet and so far I am happy with the sound.

Also, here's a tip. Always include a Results option

None of these... "Summit-Fi" just means you can only enjoy perfectly mixed and mastered music...

Nope, but I imagine the feeling is similar to this but even much stronger isolation.

Summit Fi... How about "what makes me enjoy music fi"

the sun can literally melt metal, earpads are no match

Google lens is suggesting an 'Aukey' brand

You don't "apply" a Harmon Target. Products are generally tuned to it. This also depends on the type of product. For example, a headphone is tuned differently than a IEM due to how the ear and ear canal modify the frequency response.

Another thing to note is the Harmon Target varies with volume, so a single curve is only suited for a single listening level.

If you want to tune your headphones, I suggest listening to a pink noise track. Run the track at normal listening levels. Then work on the EQ. Usually as set 1kHz at the 0 point and then scale everything else from that. Your goal is to move up and down each of the other frequencies to tune the relative loudness of that other frequency range. You want 2kH, 4kHz, 250Hz, etc. to all sound the same loud as 1kHz. If you're too high in volume in an area, it will sound over pronounced, dominant against the rest of the frequencies. If you are too low in volume in an area, it would sound missing or sucked out. There will be kind of a sound void there where you don't really perceive that frequency range against the rest. You want to move the sliders up and down until each frequency range sounds equally loud, equally present as the others. One note, this test is slightly sensitive to tonal slope as in you can end up with a "flat" sounding setting that's overall tilted bright or warm. The "tuning" especially tuning just the next slider over can sound good/right along a slope. You'll have to kind of step back and compare broader distances too, for example 250Hz with 8kHz and make sure those are in balance with each other too. Play around a bit and spend some time dialing it all in. Also, I suggest doing this more than once. Tune it, and then leave it for a few days. Then come back and retune. Your perception of sound changes over time, and you are also learning what to listen for. It might take a few attempts to really get it settled in well.

Secondarily, the above is only a test of raw loudness. Perceived tonal balance afterwards highly depends on exactly how the headphone produces sound. For example, let's say the headphone uses a driver that is tight and crisp in bass response. The notes are not thick or weighty, but the volume level is there. Because the notes are thin, the overall perception is the headphone will be a little bright even though the actual sound volume is there in the bass. You might actually have to EQ up the bass a few dB to counter the lean bass notes. It can work the opposite way too. You might have harsh or aggressive high frequencies, and as a counter, you might desire to knock down that aggressive high end a touch to make it less edgy. Manufacturers do a lot of this trickery to tweak the end result into a perceived presence that might be realistically quite unbalanced and colored. It might just be the ideal compromise for the characteristics of the driver and product design.

My S12's are going back. Maybe it's a dodgy pair but they sound absolutely no better than my ageing ZS10 Pro's.

Looks like a great cozy setup to help pass the time. I could think of worse ways to spend new years. ;)

Feel better soon, and happy new year!

Damn these the jfk edition

A few things to add:

• What music do you listen to? The 600-series tend to excel well with anything that emphasizes the mids strongly - especially with regards to vocals and acoustic instruments. Despite how revered they may be, I don't find them to be great for bass heavy music or for eye ball popping dynamics.
• How long have you used the HD599? If they've been your daily drivers for years on end, it's going to take time to adjust to a new pair of headphones, regardless if it's the HD600 or anything else, for that matter.
• Jumping off the above question about length of usage, I would actually suggest listening to them without applying any EQ for a week or two straight, at least. Especially the Harman EQ profiles that tend to emphasize bass shelves that serve to emphasize the blurry bass region these headphones tend to have.
• Often, people feel naturally compelled to have this "love at first sight" sensation, but in my experiences the headphones that immediately wow'ed me are the ones I rarely listen to, whereas the ones that I grew to love over time are mainstay staples of my collection.
• Lastly, keep in mind that these headphones have a legacy that has endured the better part of three decades. Naturally, the rose-colored fondness comes from a period where we didn't have nearly the amount of variety and options that exist today.

At the end of the day, even though the HD600 is popular, there are going to be people out there who don't like it, and that's ok. There's plenty of options out there available for the choosing, so it's just a matter of making sure you've given yourself a fair amount of time, before moving on, because if expectations are not in check, then you're going to have the same problem with all other headphones as well.

I tested them for a while before returning them.

I like the studier build, the proper depth in the earcups, and the software features they added/improved. The worst parts about the q45 are the lack of headband padding and the lack of earcup swivel.

Sound-wise, I'd categorize them as sounding cold/unnatural. A bit of a tricky one to EQ since there are a lot of narrow peaks/dips. IMO, if you're using the app EQ I wouldn't touch the bands over 800 Hz.

For the price and brand, I like Soundcore because they punch above their price and they're lenient with the warranty. Though there is a privacy concern with Anker and Eufy.

The q45 is a good purchase, though you might want to buy a headband cushion and experiment with some EQ if you're not happy with the sound.

Ask not what your headphones can do for you - Ask what you can do for your headphones.

Have you ever worn hearing protection earmuffs?

Oh, definitely quite expensive, but does pay for itself eventually in electricity costs saved.

What the person below said. Because IEMs are inserted close to the eardrum, they have a much easier time achieving a correct FR. Specifically in the treble is where they benefit most. I don't know the full science behind it, but it shows up consistently.

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Interesting. I agree closed backs are the worst, but what about IEMs is better than open backs in your opinion?

In order:

1. Speakers
2. IEMs
3. Open-Backs
4. Closed-Backs