Physically yes, very awesome, happy ears!
financially no :(

I just got a March 2023 shipment of the HD 6xx and it did not come with anything other than an attached cable and was shipped in a box as shown above.

The sound is amazing for what I paid for them. Do I have to order a storage case for them? Yep. But I can get one on Amazon for 20.00 which is fine.

I also picked up the 660s over the holidays and it did come in a hard shell box. Those headphones are simply stunning. I love them.

Being a bit of a headphone "junkie", most of the headphones I get come with a cloth bag at best. My Audeze came in a bulletproof case (well, it feels like it) but those were on the expensive side and I would expect that.

I'm okay with the way most of the headphones come. If I have to pick-up a case, so be it.

Its usually them just kinda nodding along untill I mention prices or they notice that the brick in my hand is not my phone, but a Fiio M11

luckily for me there are 2 other audiophiles at work. sadly both have nice speaker systems so i dont have anyone to trade headphones with but at least we speak the same language

Speaking for me personally…

I’ve got two main DAC/Amp combos: Ferrum Erco desktop and a Chord Mojo 2 portable.

I also have 15 pairs of headphones/IEMs ranging from HD 660S2 to Focal Utopia (just illustrating I have a range from mid-FI to TOTL).

I’ve also, like many, gone through many different pieces of kit over the last ten years or so. Here’s what I get out of my DACs…

Improved sound is for real IF you have the right headphones. People talk a lot about pairings, and comparisons can get pretty intense, but in my experience, generally, the higher in tier you go on headphones, the more likely you are to hear very subtle differences in DAC quality. These usually aren’t big noticeable differences like obviously noticeable frequency response differences but could be things like slightly more space between pieces of the mix, better imaging and staging, higher resolution, more natural timbre. I can notice these things more easily (though still with focus) on something like the Utopia or D8000 Pro than the 660S2.

Features is also legit. One of the reasons I love the mojo 2 is the exceptional EQ. This has enabled me to take even over ears that need decent power on the go and still be able to EQ them (the mojo EQ is far better then EQs you find on places like Spotify and Apple Music, etc.). This is a feature that mattered for my particular situation, but as you can imagine, there are many.

Collector/brand/emotion/design - some of us just have a passion for this hobby and trying different kit or want to support different brands, and/or yes, artistic/personal expression (even at a price).

My 2 cents. Enjoy the journey!

I got unlucky, plus it was a lasek. The lens you get for a few days afterwards was defective and melted, they had to scrape it out of my eye and that's when it got injured. Lasik doesn't use those lenses,you'll be fine :)

Me: looking into lasik(asking clinics near my area)recently after seeing a good amount of posts of people taking it then seeing your comment

Me: im in danger

If the EQ profile to match them didn't introduce any audible distortion then they should sound almost identical. I would even argue you could make a headphone sound almost exactly like a speaker. I heard SMYTH Realiser A16 does just that very well.

Having said that, your perception of the sound might change when using an open-back headphone since you can hear ambient sounds in the room. However if you were in a completely silent room which is pretty much impossible to achieve, you should percieve them identically as well.

Nice, only US/CA models available so I don’t get tempted.

Thanks

Me too...

The ifi lan isilencer thread finished me

I have a few.

Open: Focal ClearMg

Closed: Focal Radiance

Wireless Over Ear: Focal Bathys

Wireless TWS: Galaxy Buds2 Pro

Wired IEM: Blessing 2: Dusk

I like to listen to the rest here and there to keep my ear trained, but my Focals hit me in the feels when I sit back and just close my eyes and just….listen.

They don't care.

It's even worse when i try to say anything about surround or virtual surround for headphones lol

I don't feel like you engaged any of my arguments. Do you think an open headphone and an IEM are going to sound the same if you managed to match FR?

Same, my boss doesnt believe me when i say its better sounding than air pods

Wow you seem to be a collector.

Which is your favourite pair?

Hey now, we can all enjoy being broke together.

Oh no worries! I agree with it! 😅

YEah, for us its the sound and comfort that matter, but for non audiophile i guess its the aesthetic XD

Like I dont think the appearance of stax can be accepted by normal ppl

Is it true that 660s has more “veil” than 6xx?

I mean there is a DAC somewhere unless you somehow use them fully analog.

Ah well fair enough! Like I said, it’s a nitpick. The ones you ended up with are great.

I have used my favorite headphones and they are not open but closed without a dac for more than 20 years.

To be honest it's preference and also depends on you.

Fostex TH909 comes in a cardboard box 😂

Let's just say that I've spent my time there and I'm good.