01/09/2023
Audio
I'm not quite an audiophile, but I do like me some nice audio tech. I don't have some huge wall of headphones or an entire bag of IEMs, just a handful of stuff I enjoy (or don't).
The ranking list
These are my opinions. Ranks are mostly relative to each other, not absolute. They'll change with new things I try. I'm also ranking all kinds of audio in one list because I like both apples and oranges, alright?
Value stars are a bit different to crinacle's.
x = do not buy
* = diminishing returns
** = worth the money
*** = good value
Numbers in [brackets] under ranks are total tuning, tech and comfort scores. The lower, the better.
Think S+ = 1, S = 2, etc. Then add them up for final score and average for the rank.
| Rank | Name | Price | Tuning | Technical | Comfort | Value | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S [5] |
Koss KSC75 | 25.00$ [40.00€ in EU] |
S | S | S+ | *** | Neutral-bright with bass rolloff. Basically Valve Index Earspeakers for on the go. |
| S- [9] |
Valve Index Earspeakers | 499.00$ (technically) | S | S+ | A- | ** | Neutral-bright tuning with a bass rolloff. Insane soundstage and massive amounts of power. 2 Stars because it's 500$ audio with a free VR headset bolted to it. |
| S- [10] |
Moondrop Blessing 3 | 319.00$ | S- | S | A | * | Very neutral, very clean. Slightly lacking midrange. Nice IEM, but suffers a lot from diminishing returns syndrome. |
| A- [18] |
AKG K712 Pro | ~250.00$ | B+ | A+ | B+ | * | Beautiful headphones, but sadly beaten in every way by Koss KSC75. Too warm and almost sound somewhat "muffled". |
| B+ [22] |
CCA CRA | 15.00$ | A- | A | C | *** | Quite warm and bright. A bit uncomfortable for me but absolute value monsters. |
| D+ [40] |
Shure SE215 | 135.00$ | D | C- | D | x | Holy mother of mud what the fuck is this and why did I pay money for it. |