A Review/Comparison of my Headphone Collection

Decided to do this for fun :) being an audiophile is a hobby I don't talk about as often, but it is important to me!! I actually forgot abt this for a little while.. more on that later.

Tin Audio T2 HiFi

These are the first hifi headphones I've purchased myself. I was previously using a pair of Klipsch R6's my brother gave me (which I dropped into my cup of apple juice and broke them :|). I was curious about a neutral sound signature so thats the reason why I chose these. In 2019 they were the only IEMs with this sound signature and at this price point ($35). I was really wowed by them at first listen but 5 years later I can see their inadequacies.

The Sound

They're a neutral-bright headphones with a nice sparkly treble and forward vocals. The bass is a lot lower than consumer-grade headphones. It's present, but it can feel a little hollow at times. The weak bass really is shown through EDM and hardcore music. It can't keep up with complex tracks and gets muddy. The mids sometimes blend together and lose some clarity.

Pros

+ Sparkly treble
+ Sturdy as fuucckk (dropped them on concrete so many times)

Cons

- Kinda heavy, they'll fall off your ears if they don't fit perfectly (Thats why I dropped them so much)
- Bass can feel hollow
- Lacks clarity in mids

I hardly use these anymore since I've gotten upgrades since then. I still enjoy having them around. I don't think it's worth getting these in 2025, the audiophile IEM market has gotten a lot more competitive since then. There's a lot of great options in this price bracket that are a lot better! I really wanna try some lol.

Various True Wireless Samsung Galaxy Buds

I went through a lot of these because my dog kept chewing them when I'd forget them on my bed. Thankfully I never had to pay too much because I abused student discounts and protection plans. If you're looking to get these the best ones were the Buds+. They're the cheapest now since they're the oldest, you don't need the bells and whistles of the new ones. If you need ANC, Buds FE are good. But it's missing a lot of touch control features, which is annoying. The worst ones are Buds Live. I was enthralled by the bean shape but I hate those bitches.

Soundcore Space Q45

I got these because my ears needed a break from in-ears. Also I wanted something with ANC capabilities I could take on the train with me, or to a cafe. But I didn't end up taking them with me very often because they're too goddamn big. I've had them for 2 years now and they're pretty worn down. They're covered in electrical tape because the plastic is cracking. In hindsight I should be taking better care of these. Sound quality was not my first priority when I chose these, but despite that it performs pretty well for bluetooth headphones.

The Sound

This is the warmest pair of headphones I own, a little more bassy than I prefer. The treble can feel hollow, and on complex tracks it loses clarity. But this is mostly forgivable. In loud environments the bass is the first to to fade into the background, so it makes sense it's boosted. And if you're listening in loud environments stuff like clarity and detail isn't as important. A standout for these is that it has LDAC. It's an audio codec that allows for high quality streaming through bluetooth. I can definitely hear the difference. The sound is clearer and richer with them on.

Pros

+ Good ANC
+ Has LDAC

Cons

- Prone to cracking
- Weak treble
- Lacks clarity

Yeah, after posting this blog post I'm going to put more tape on her. I haven't done much research into wireless ANC headphones in a while and I don't want to repurchase anytime soon GHDFJK. Sorry I didn't appreciate you.

Koss KSC75

After a while of using wireless headphones I felt like I lost touch with my roots. What have I become. When did I start sacrificing sound quality for convenience??! Buying these were my official return to the hobby. These are highly praised on reddit and when I got them I immediately understood why. It's crazy these $25 headphones that look like you've taken them from your elementary school's computer lab are this good.

The Sound

The clarity everyone. The clarity. The separation of instruments is crisp and the soundstage is wiidddee. When I first watched movies with these sometimes I'd turn around because I could hear the sounds behind me. It's got less bass but its presence is lovely. It's got a nice timbre on some songs. However the bass is also it's weakness. It's not as clear as the mids and highs, so it can get a little muddy on bass heavy genres like grunge or hardcore. It also has no sub-bass! Honestly, that isn't much of a big deal because I didn't even notice it was missing, but I know if it was there it could definitely help with the depth and really elevate these headphones.

Pros

+ The Price
+ The clarity
+ Sooo lightweight and comfortable
+ Wide soundstage
+ Open back, great if you want to stay aware of your surroundings or wear while talking

Cons

- Open back, absoutely 0 isolation. Not good in any noisy environments whatsoever
- Lacks separation in the bass
- No sub-bass

These are the headphones I use the most at home because they're sooo comfy. The price to value ratio can't be beat either. If you're taking any recommendations from this blog post take this one. It's a great first introduction to audiophile headphones and it'll tide you over until you're ready to invest $150 because that's the price point it competes at. (Also if you look these up and they look different than mine, it's because I bought aftermarket headband and ear pads lol)

Truthear Hexa

These are the headphones I got to hopefully address everything my I thought was missing from my current collection (Lack of bass detail, clarity with complex tracks) and I think it did just that! It's also the most I ever spent on IEMs ($80). I paid more for wireless headphones, but of course a portion of that money went to the battery, ANC, bluetooth connection. With wired iems most of the money is allocated to the sound. and it really shows!! I feel like these really filled the hole in my collection.

The Sound

First thing I noticed was the outstanding detail. I heard nuances in recordings I never thought about before. Like the sound of a guitar string being plucked, not the sound it is supposed to make, but the actual sound of finger tips on the metal string. It is kinda crazy. In reviews people complain about the lack of bass, but it actually has more bass than both my Koss and my T2's. And it is so beautifuly textured. You can feel the shape of the instrument. It bring a tear to my eye. The only thing is this presents a new problem to me: its a little boring HGJKDF. It's got a neutral sound signature and presents your music in a clean and crisp way, with all the detail the artist put into it. But it's lacking a little character!! Sometimes I'd like to hear the treble hiss and sparkle, sometimes I'd like the bass to be a little more punchy, Sometimes I'd like the vocals to be more forward. It's lacking some grandness when I listen to metal. I think some of this can be addressed with EQ but I haven't done enough experimentation. The journey never ends. kill me.

Pros

+ Outstanding detail
+ Beautifully textured bass
+ Great clarity

Cons

- Nozzle is kinda big, I had buy extra small eartips so they'd be comfortable (I have small ear canals)
- Can use more excitement

Despite me having a lot to say about what it lacks I'm super happy with these. You know the things we love the most we are the most critical about lmao. The pros greatly outweight the cons to me. I love you sound.

If you made it to the end thank you for indulging my insanity. I sorta hope that maybe I've convinced you to invest a little more on your audio equipment if you love music or listen to music a lot! because it really makes a difference. (and we need to kill wireless headphones and bring back headphone jacks on our phones. WHEN DID WIRELESS BECOME THE NORM. WHY SHOULD U PAY OVER $100 FOR OKAY SOUND WITH A BATTERY THAT WILL EVENTUALLY DIE) But it's also a rabbit hole I don't want anyone else to fall into. hehe. As always if you have a response you can leave one in any of the links below :)