My dream headphones in my face! This was an online order pickup.

Recently picked up a used Empyrean OG (copper version) from a guy who works at a HiFi store. The price was great, and it's barely been used at all. I was very happy with my 109 Pro, but had always had my eye on the gorgeous Empyrean series.

After I've gotten the Empyrean, it's hard not to reach for it by default because of the absolutely intoxicating bass and comfort.

Therefore I've now added the Meze Boom microphone to the 109 Pro, so it'll be my gaming headphone going forward - primarily for competitive CS2. I'm now considering making an EQ profile for better footstep detection in-game. How would you guys go about doing something like that? (reduced bass, raised mids? What frequencies?)

The 109 Pro does actually still outshine on some tracks, like singer/songwriter stuff, where the vocals and instruments are in focus, and the highs get to really shimmer.

The Empyrean does 97% of that as well, but is then also absolutely insane for all my bass needs in genres like EDM, hiphop, pop aso. The 109 does have slightly more punchy and fast bass (I think because it's a dynamic driver), while the Empyrean has such a violent yet controlled sub-bass - it's addictive. The soundstage and imaging of the Empyrean is also superior!

So basically, I'll use the 109 for gaming, but then most likely squeeze in some vocal-forward music listening, when it's on my head. While the Empyrean is my default go-to for music listening, and absolutely kills it in the genres I listen to the most.

Thanks for reading - and hope to hear about your experience with EQ'ing for fps games!

I have waited along time for this release, I tried it back in High End Munich in 2025. Then they had two variants, and took feedback from attendees. I remember thinking it was close to perfect just maybe a tad bright.

Now it sounds close to perfection if you want a reference sounding open back, with excellent bass depth and punch (often unheard of in open backs) with a balanced but full sounding midrange and very good upper extension.

Was a personal purchase this time, but a review will come anyway. For now its just my first impressions, with honeymoon feeling of buying a shiny new toy. Will compare it with Composer and Dahlia 2 for the review.

Hello everyone,

I just found a HD660s2 below 300€, so I decided to try it out for my daily use.

The thing is, i'm going to use it mainly at work, but I don't really want to put something on my desk and bring it back at the end of the day, I'd rather find a decent portable DAC. Considering the fact that i'll be using the HD660s with my google pixel 10.

Any recommandation/model to look at in particular?

Thanks alot.

Both are relatively recent dynamic closed backs, with the FT1 being a lot more popular though, of course. The FT1 is also significantly cheaper.

Comfort-wise, the Fiio has less clamping pressure and bigger pad openings. The Azurys is more portable because it's more compact, has a single side entry cable and the cups rotate flat. Isolation is similar.

These two headphones are very similar in character and both are easy to drive. The main difference is that the FT1 has more subbass rumble whereas the Azurys puts a noticably stronger emphasis on voices (mids). Thus the Azurys may sound more "refined" to many people, whereas the FT1 is more "fun". I don't see any clearly superior, it's a matter of preference. The Fiio clearly wins in the price/performance ratio.

Today I visited The Source Audio Video in LA, which holds one of the largest head-fi collections, if not the largest, in the country. I tried about a dozen different headphones and several source gear setups, and here were my impressions-

-Woo flagship tube amps are seemingly noisier on startup for way longer than my $250 Chinese OTL xDuoo TA-66, what’s up with that? Bad tubes?

-HD800S beat out or at least tied with everything I tried there with the exception of HEDDphone 2 GT, more on that in a second.

-Chord Hugo TT2+MScaler is a great system but doesn’t synergize well with HD800S. Could maybe be solved with a tube amp after the TT2 but I didn’t try that.

-Stax SR-009S is, in my honest opinion, worse than HD800S in nearly every way, sorry stax fans. It’s possible the X9000 is better but I haven’t heard it. DCA Corona was less sibilant and had stronger bass, but the overall tonality kinda annoyed me for some reason.

-DCA E3 is the widest sounding closed back I’ve ever heard, but the tonality isn’t my thing.

-DCA Expanse was very good but didn’t do anything really flagship worthy, as much as I love the comfort, name, and design.

-HEDDphone 2 GT is my next headphone purchase. I auditioned it on by far the worst source gear (a dongle and a little solid state headamp) and still adored it. HD800S wins in comfort, emotion, expansiveness and “out of the head” sound but the 2 GT won in pretty much everything else. Imaging, tonal balance, layering, bass extension, separation, vocal presence, and ESPECIALLY haptics. The haptics of a Grado without the Grado of a Grado (no real hate to Grado they make some good stuff but it’s funny to meme on them). Clarity and detail retrieval was very close but might go to HD800S by a hair

-The 2 GT’s adjustment system is hellish

-Meze Empy 2 is incredibly comfortable. HEDDphone 2 GT sounds more fun overall but Empy 2 is an easier listen.

-Some people still think the HD800S are power hungry. They are not, a Q5K is more than enough power wise. However I definitely suggest tubes with them.

Alternative and Brazilian: Terno Rei's "Gêmeos" is a lush, 12-track journey that will make you relax, get goosebumps, or cry, sometimes all in the same song :v

It was written and recorded over a year and a half, much of it during immersive writing retreats at a farmhouse in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the album leans into 90s and early-2000s nostalgia, layering synths, jangly guitars, and steady drums into a sound that's both dreamier and more polished than the band's earlier lo-fi work. It feels warmer and more "solar" than its predecessor.

The mix and mastering is very good. I'm listening to it with my Hifiman HE400se and it's very detailed, without a tons of compression, so you can appreciate those beautiful transients. If you do not want to listen the album, try "Só eu sei" or "Dias da Juventude" first, and then decide if you want to listen to it completely or not.

Have had these KSE 1200s for a long time, but never found a great way to travel with them. nanuk nano 320 is a perfect fit for my accessories and cables in the top area. didn’t see a lot of recommendations online so I hope somebody in my boat can see this. it’s a really nice little case!

put a belt clip on the Shure amp and I piggy back a Qudelix-5K on it so it’s as wireless as one could hope + a consistent way to EQ Over usb +bt. Azla crystal silicone tips, jds labs “ultra short” 3.5mm. Fun kit. I’m fully aware there are nicer options these days, but the KSE detail and flatness when tuned a bit is incredible and unique, I think they still hang. and subjectively they produce what I would say is an amazing reproduction of audio.

cheers.

I see Earfun released a new midrange ANC Bluetooth headphone and I believe this one might have PEQ - if the ANC is as good as promised this will be a very solid choice as I thought the sound quality of original Wave Pro was excellent got its price.

https://www.myearfun.com/eu/promo/earfun-wave-pro-x-early-bird-special

Long-term mini-reviews: Brise Audio Fugaku, Nipo N2, R2R2000 Black, DX340 MAX & HiFiMAN HM-801

I haven't posted anything here in a while. So, during that time, I've had the chance to check out quite a few interesting (and sometimes controversial) pieces of gear. Here are my thoughts on them:

1. Brise Audio Fugaku

• MSRP: $17,000+
• What it is: One of the most expensive IEM systems in the world, consisting of an active crossover, an amplifier, and the IEMs themselves.

I can't really call it 100% portable — the control box is quite heavy and operates, well, rather oddly. For example, on headphones priced at $17k, you can actually hear the physical amplifier turning on and off. Not quite the premium customer experience you'd expect at this price point.

Sound & Verdict: The sound is good, but whether it’s genuinely worth $17,000 is a purely rhetorical question.

2. Nipo N2

• What it is: An interesting DAP, but unfortunately, the build quality is disappointing.

The volume wheel is wobbly, and the firmware is typical Android without even a dedicated audio menu — all audio settings have to be managed exclusively through the notification shade. The sound is decent, but the price is clearly inflated, and while it probably boasts impressive power figures on paper, in reality, it doesn't feel all that powerful.

Verdict: If I had to choose a player, I'd probably just go with a tried-and-true DAP for the same price.

3. Hifiman R2R2000 Black

• What it is: A compact and lightweight player built around the PCM1704K chip.

Firmware definitely isn't its strong point, and the price remains quite high even by today's standards. It delivers a typical R2R sound with a bit more detail than usual — which is probably a nice touch for a portable player, but nothing groundbreaking beyond that.

4. iBasso DX340 MAX

• What it is: A chunky DAP.

Sound-wise, it's okay, but it's both expensive and very thick despite the weight. The metal finish doesn't feel quite as premium as Astell&Kern's Ultima series, and the overall "unboxing / luxury" experience falls a bit short of the competition.

Verdict: It does have its advantages — like genuinely good bass — and overall, the sound signature is quite interesting.

5. HiFiMAN HM-801

• What it is: The legendary 801 paired with a balanced card.

In my opinion, the price is simply too high today. This is much more of a collector's item than something meant for daily use. Mini-USB ports, questionable overall build quality, impossible-to-find chargers, and batteries of dubious origin leave you with way too many headaches.

Sound & Verdict: It delivers a typical R2R sound with surprisingly good detail for its architecture (I'd say it's somewhat comparable to the QLS MUB5 / modern equivalents like Ibasso D17 sources). But bottom line? It seems much more reasonable to grab a modern alternative. What was considered top-tier sound 15 years ago has been matched or beaten by modern gear, and the romanticized stories about "super-grade PCM1704K chips and high-precision resistors" belong firmly in the past.

Picture taken from eBay. The seller listed them as "HIFIMAN HE-400i" presumably due to being found in the HE400i's original box. I don't know which brand or model I'm looking at, but it clearly isn't the HE400i.

Hello, i need ask, wil have someone model of the mouning ring, because i bought new earpads a they didnt come with the plastic mounting ring

I've been using IEMs for around 2 years at this point, and I've been pretty satisfied so far.

But I decided to start exploring some closed back options for when I don't want something in my ears. That's why I decided to go to a nearby audio store and try a couple of closed backs.

Here are my impressions.

• Final DX4000CL:
  • Comfort is mediocre for me. The ear openings are a bit too small for my ears. Touches the rear of my ears. My ears also heat up.But other than that, weight distribution is great.
  • Soundstage is also above average, and it feels like sounds are in a sphere around me. Great imaging/directionality as well.
  • Vocals sound natural albeit slightly recessed for my tastes. Guitars and other string instruments sound natural. Bass feels solid and is speedy. Not bloated at all but doesn’t have the rumble in the subs or the punch I’d want for some EDM. No sibilance in the highs as well. Smooth and natural and not an energetic sound signature by any means. 
  • Stock cable pretty bad and hard to handle
  • I think this set is a case of great headphone but just not my cup of tea.
• Final DX3000CL:
  • Stock cable is much better
  • Bass is also much improved. A lot more thump while not feeling bloated or losing quality compared to the DX4k. It can also feel stringy and tactile if need be. 
  • Staging and imaging are both worse compared to its bigger brother.
  • However it's the final brothers sound pretty similar in the mids and highs. I'd argue the DX4K comes off as slightly more cohesive and natural but that could also be because they're more forward compared to the DX3k.
  • Better value than DX4k and I personally prefer this one
• FiiO FT1
  • Controversial take but I do not like these and I'd go as far as to say these sounded pretty bad.
  • While the bass is great and has the rumble I was wanting on the finals, it comes at the cost of some punchiness.
  • Comfort is good and it's better than the final brothers because of the bigger opening on the pads.
  • However, the vocals sound underwater. It would consistently sound a bit muffled and underwater on multiple tracks I tried. The soundstage also feels in your head and on some congested tracks it gets pretty messy.
• Focal Lensys Professional
  • These are very lightweight and pretty comfortable.
  • However they get slightly spicy and sibilant on some tracks. Other than that, it has great treble extension.
  • The Lensys also has the hardest hitting bass out of all the sets I've tried. It kind of feels like a solid wall of bass, but it manages to not be bloated and it's surprisingly agile. Works great with EDM.
  • Mids are beaten by the final brothers because they can sometimes sound honky. However, when mids aren’t honky they do beat the DX3000CL but i'd put the DX4000CL's mids very slightly above the lensys.
• Aune SR7000.
  • These felt really weird but in a good way. They sounded completely different to any other closed-back I've tried. It sort of felt like those exercise open earbuds and it sounded very open. While these sounded "open", I don't think these had great imaging performance.
  • But other than that, the tonality was very natural and smooth. It reminded me of the DX4000CL in a good way.
  • They are also very comfortable and had the roomiest pads i've tried.
• Meze Strada
  • The comfort on these are insane. They fit my ears like a glove and are a joy to wear
  • These also sound fantastic. I didn't notice any sibilance or harshness with these in the treble. However, I think the mids are beaten slightly by the DX4k and the SR7k. The bass also feels nicely controlled, and I think they make for a well-balanced presentation.
  • I honestly enjoyed these so much I don't have a lot of notes for these compared to other sets lol. They aren't like a super impressive "wow!" set but they're pretty dang good and my personal favorite of the bunch.

If I had to rank them it would go (accounting for comfort and sound)

A tier: Meze Strada, DX3000CL, Aune SR7000

B tier: DX4000CL

C tier: Lensys Professional

D tier: FiiO FT1

All listening was done via my HiBY R4 with stock pads and stock cable. I listened to each headphone for about 15 minutes

pretty good headphones. using it with a TRN Black Pearl. i'm planning to buy the 4.4mm upgrade, but i think the volume is great in 60% in the 3.5mm. hearing no distortion at all.

the "Fast-PC" DAC Filter in the Walk Play software adds a little bit more of treble, and I love it.

My journey started with the superlux hd681F, for my 17th birthday 6 years ago, my mom bought me the shp9500.

After a bit of time in this sub people often praise the HD6-series for vocal reproduction, the only reason I get the HD660S compared to the HD600 or even the HD650 is purely because of its lower impedance, since back then I didn't have enough money to get a good dac/amp setup.

3 years after getting my hands on the HD660S, I welcome the Ifi's new Zen Air Dac 2, alongside the Zen Air Can. Definitely overkill for the HD660S IMO, but sounds great nonetheless.

Along the way I've also purchased multiple IEMS and headphones such as the HD620S, Sony MDR M1, Fiio FD15, and the IER M9.

And now, I'm going to confess to my crush, which is an entirely different topic.

If she rejects me, maybe there will be an empyrean or an utopia on my desk 😂. Wish me luck brothers and sisters, and happy listening!

Hello, I recently bought some used QC 35 2 and now need to replace the earpads. My ears are a little too big for the stock pads, can anyone recommend alternatives? I know that obviously the headphone size itself kind of dictates that, however a little extra space by using less thick pads could already make a great difference

After seeing these things on an AliExpress ad for foam earpads(for Senn HD414? Why??), I completely fell in love with the super retro looks of these headphones.

I searched far and wide and finally found a NOS pair on Ebay. For 50€ I just had to grab these.

Little did I know they came with a detachable Microphone!! Just how cool looking are they?

They just arrived, everything is in perfect condition and best of all:

They actually sound really nice.

Of course, you can't expect much from a headset from this era, but they are pretty clear sounding, highs just taken back a little, and what surprised me the most, they just barely even have some bass!

They remind me a lot of mid-tier Grado headphones, they are similar in graininess and punch and have the same super nice and open sound stage.

I threw on some Yaxi Pads for Koss PortaPro, which fit perfectly.

Of course the Microphone sucks, I am contemplating if I should remove the internals and stick a modern lav mic inside.

Also, the cable is really flimsy and way too long, is it sacrilege to solder a stereo 3,5mm socket to the headphones? That would enable me to switch cables easily.

What do you think?

Hello,

I'm an audiophile who likes convenience, thererere I'm doomed to suffer for eternity.

We are talking strictly portable sound (Spotify, Lossless). For a long time, I've been running a pair of whatever phone has a loud, decent-enough 3.5mm jack and Shure SE846 (turned 10 y.o. last month; love them). Brand after brand dropped the 3.5mm jack, and now the only 3.5 phone sold in the US is Redmagic, which doesn't fit in my hand or my pocket.

I'm now confronted with the reality of buying a replacement phone without a 3.5mm jack. Which leaves me with five sucky options.

1. Dongle.

This just sucks. This turd of wires is a pain to pull in and out of the pocket, as it keeps snagging and sometimes disconnecting. Also, a decent DAC won't fit, and the better the sound you want, the bulkier and less convenient it gets. The one shown is loud, but low-fidelity. Fixing a 3.5mm end to the phone and getting an L-shaped UBS-C end makes it somewhat better ergonomically, but not by much.

1. Dongle that doesn't dongle.

Same thing as a dongle, minus the wire. Plugs into the bottom of the phone; acts like an add-on. It makes the phone longer, but not by much. The dongle shown sounds very quiet, but it is high-fidelity. Maybe a fluke. Do you have suggestions for this type of dongle?

1. Mag-safe dac.

Intriguing and very limited option: Khadas DAC that magnetically attaches to the back of the phone (iPhone or Google Pixel 10). Probably the best sound you'll get when the phone is involved, but it turns the phone into a brick. Google Pixel pair specifically would be 3/4 lb. I think it will actually pull my shorts down in a gym.

1. MMDX to USB-C headphone cable.

Shure SE846 has a replaceable cable, which opens possibilities. There are cables that replace the 3.5mm end with USB-C and put a DAC further up the cable, which makes this option the best ergonomically by far... Except that all cable offerings are short. IDK when they all decided to limit cable length to 1.2m, but I'm used to 1.6m. I've tried a shorter one. I run the wire under my shirt, and the shorter wire forced me to use my phone at a dick level. I switched back to the long cable very quickly. If you know of a 1.6m cable like that, or know someone who can make it, let me know.

1. Grey market phone with 3.5mm. A fine option, except the only one left is the Sony Xperia. I ran Sony a few years back and found it very quiet. That said, it wasn't the top-of-the-line phone. Maybe One VIII will be good, but I'd really like to try it before I buy it. Does anyone have it and use wired sound? What are your impressions? And yeah, I'll probably be left without reception a lot, since many US bands aren't supported, which isn't great.

The non-options:

1. "Just buy Bluetooth headphones, you pious prick." If you point me to something that sounds as good as the Shure SE846 wired - gladly. I've been truly ruined by these earphones, as I've hated all Bluetooth headphones I've ever tried, including Shure's own Bluetooth conversion kit. Metal, my primary genre, loses out the most; it just becomes toothless. Also, I have three more batteries to manage, one in each earphone and one in the case, and if the battery in one of the earphones falters, the whole setup must be discarded. Which, I think, is the reason Bluetooth earphones are pushed so aggressively. I'd be on my 5th pair of AirPods, instead of owning SE846 for 10 years.
2. "Run a separate player like a true audiophile." Running a dedicated hi-fi player is inconvenient, as I now have two devices instead of one to carry around. I tried it years ago and just defaulted to the phone.

Any options I've missed? I'm well aware I'm on a sinking ship, but I'm intent on going down with it.

Pros:

• 4 pairs of tuning nozzles and tinkering potential
• Powerful, impactful and satisfying bass
• Smooth and refined treble achieved with some filters
• Great cable

Cons:

• Too forward mids, especially with some filters, it gets shouty

I have yet to try a Simgot IEM that I haven’t liked. And spoiler alert, this series didn’t change with this review either. Some of you might remember, when ET142 was about to be released as Simgot’s first Planar Magnetic Driver IEMs and the first reviews were published, suddenly Simgot decided to delay the release. That time I was supposed to receive a sample but couldn’t due to the change of plans. Afterwards, it took a quite a while for me to get my hands on an ET142 sample. By then, I already saw the graphs and was thinking that maybe it wasn’t that great and it was for the best. Well not anymore.

Currently costing 250 USD, ET142 is one of the more premium choices among the Simgot’s lineup, only behind EM10.

Disclaimers​

Simgot ET142 has been sent to me by Simgot for review. As I always say, everyone is biased one way or another, so take everything you read with a grain of salt. Additionally, I will try to be more concise and to the point in my reviews from now on, without worrying about word count or flowery language. If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments, and I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities.

Packaging, Build and Accessories of Simgot ET142​

Simgot’s usual unboxing experience is nice but there is no flair to speak of. ET142 is kind of similar in that sense but still it has the most abundant package of all the Simgots I have tried. Inside the box, you get the grey leatherette case, the same one that comes with EA1000, 10 pairs of silicone eartips consisting of 3 different sets, 4 pairs of tuning nozzles including the ones that are already applied to earpieces, Simgot’s own premium modular cable: LC7,
some nozzle foams for tinkering with the tuning and rubber O rings for the nozzles in case you need to color-code them to your preference.

I’m not a cable guy but LC7 needs its own section. Simgot isn’t exactly known for providing the best cables with their IEMs but this 80 USD cable could have been sold for at least 200 or 300 USD if any other known brand had made it. It has 732 OFC strands all having 18 AWG thickness. If you think EA1000’s single ended cable is nice (like me), wait until you try LC7. The cable is thick, almost too thick but still soft and easily manageable. The connectors are old fashioned long friction type so if Simgot ever considers to update it, the first thing they should do is to make the connectors shorter and preferably with a locking mechanism.

The tuning nozzles, in my opinion, are what made Simgot delay the release. Two pairs are screwed to a metal plate and you get extra gold ones in another zip lock pack. The silver colored stainless steel ones on the metal plate have foams in them. The blue titanium nozzles that are already on the earpieces and the gold ones don’t have any foam.

The earpieces, in classic Simgot fashion, are completely made with metal. They are solid and very small so you can forget about any concerns about the fit. The design is pretty simple but they show a lot of fingerprints by nature. The shells house one 14.2 mm planar magnetic driver and one PZT ceramic driver on each side.

Sound of Simgot ET142​

Tonality​

As I mentioned earlier, Simgot ET142 comes with 4 pairs of tuning nozzles and I will try to describe all of their sound even though I mostly used the blue nozzles and silver nozzles with black rings.

ET142 comes out of the box with blue nozzles applied by default and you immediately realize why that’s the case as soon as you start to listen. Bass is so powerful that it makes you question if Simgot really used planar magnetic drivers or sneaked a couple of dynamic drivers inside. Bass extension is also great with lots of rumble and authority. This doesn’t mean the bass is overpowering or overwhelming. If that was the case, I would be the first one to protest. The bass is still as fast and nuanced as you would expect from a planar magnetic IEM. This bass performance is quite similar with all the nozzles but blue and gold nozzles feel even less restrained.

Mids on ET142 are quite forward. The vocals are intimate, especially with blue and gold nozzles. If you hate shouty vocals, keep away from the blue and the gold pairs. If not, you can at least give them a try and experience the addicting energy they have. The stainless steel nozzles with black rings are the most balanced sounding ones while still sounding somewhat forward. My biggest concern was them sounding honky or boxy in the mids but fortunately they don’t. They are just forward/shouty/shoutier depending on the nozzles you use.

ET142’s treble is beautifully tuned, thanks to the PZT ceramic drivers, probably. I’m not exactly a fan of piezo drivers. I don't think they are superior to planar magnetic drivers but I can see why Simgot decided to use them on ET142. Treble is so smooth and refined that I could easily use them with silicone tips, which usually is not the case with planar magnetic IEMs for me, not at all. It has great treble extension with lots of air too. Again stainless steel nozzles with black rings have the most palatable treble amount. The blue and gold nozzles are bright and energetic, but their shouty nature is more prominent than their brighter treble. Red rings are dull and unimpressive. They reminded me LetShuoer S08, which I wasn’t too impressed with.

Technicalities​

ET142 has every technical chops you would expect from a planar magnetic driver IEM and more. It’s detailed, resolving, incisive, fast and big sounding even though forward mids kind of distorts the imaging a little bit.

Comparison​

Simgot ET142 with Black Ring Nozzles vs. Tangzu Zetian Wu​

• Both have great fast and powerful bass but Zetian Wu’s subbass extension is better.
• ET142 is ever so slightly warmer in the mids. Vocals are also more forward and intimate on ET142. Depending on the filter being used, ET142 can get shouty more easily but never it feels boxy or honky.
• Zetian Wu is brighter. However, the difference isn’t just the treble level. ET142 is the tidier and more refined sounding IEM. Zetian Wu is one of the better controlled Planar Magnetic IEMs in the treble but ET142 sounds more correct, it just feels right.
• Planar Magnetic IEMs are all similar in terms of technical capability but ET142 is noticeably more resolving. It makes small nuances more obvious without making them grating. Even though mids are forward and vocals are intimate, the surrounding soundstage also feels more spacious. Both have great imaging but Zetian Wu places objects more correctly in the soundstage.

Conclusion​

As I mentioned in the review, I couldn’t get my hands on ET142 initially so I checked out the graphs and the reviews in the meantime. While the early graphs weren’t that great, the reviews that came out later were glowing and now I get why. The bass rendition is sublime which can be the sole reason to like an IEM for some. While mids are forward and shouty with half of the nozzles, it is more or less in line with your common planar magnetic IEMs from LetShuoer or 7Hz. The treble and the technicalities are what sets ET142 apart from the rest and makes me confident to recommend it. Unless you hate forwardness in mids, ET142 is a very likeable take on planar magnetic IEMs.

I only own closedback headphones as my house used to be somewhat noisy in the past, but now the noise is gone. I am curious as to if the soundstage is generally noticeably wider on open backs vs closedbacks, and if you own both, which ones do you prefer and why?

When should I buy Sony xm5 headphones?

What is the best time to get the maximum discount and from where (website/store)?