They called it the Sundara closed back and it used a different driver than the Sundara. So people were comparing it only to the Sundara and said it doesn't sound as good, so nobody wanted to get that when the Sundara is better and cheaper.

You're talking about mini XLR, not full size.

That's why you get headphones with mini XLR connector and use a mini XLR to 6.35mm to make you feel even cooler.

Every time I plug or unplug the mini XLR cable from my AKG while I'm wearing them, I imagine myself as Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Fallout when he connects his oxygen in an identical way. Even cooler because you need to press the button and makes you feel like you are doing something serious.

https://youtu.be/Ci1u68ZVcag?t=104

Even if it's not actual "soundstage," it's a term that exist for headphones and is used by everyone in the community. That's what the term is Even if it doesn't align with the term used elsewhere.

An example is with display resolutions, it's a ratio, so you should say 16:9 as "16 to 9" but everyone says "16 by 9" which is supposed to be used for actual values and not ratios. But everyone says 16 by 9, so that's now the industry term.

Also soundstage of headphones does change how they sound, it shouldn't be the definitive reason for getting a headphone, but you should consider it when buying.

I think that's just a game of pong

If it's that big of an issue, I think you just need to use open backs and try not to mind the noise. If you are coming from wide sounding open backs, closed backs simply can't compete.

When I first showed my AKG to my cousin, I showed him a demo and he said the sound quality is better, but when he listed to his own music he didn't like them. It was a bit odd feeling due to the lack in bass because they are open back, but when listening to most hip hop tracks the loss of bass brought out other instruments and sounds I didn't notice before. So I just kinda got used to the sound. A benifit is how open they sound, if they didn't sound as open and the sound was unfamiliar, then I might not like them. But because they are so open and give an experience like no other, I love using them.

My first headphones were AKG Q701 and they are the best headphones I have heard, nothing else sounds as clear as them. I have been looking at the Arya Stealth for a while because basically everyone in this hobby says they are the best headphones you can get. I plan on getting them and then not buying anything after.

The biggest things that impact the sound other than frequency response would be soundtsage, timbre, distortion, and comfort.

Soundstage and timbre are both things that are described as being felt more than being heard. That's why just a frequency response graph can't describe the experience of a headphone.

Distortion is an obvious example of a difference of an expensive and cheap headphone. Very cheap headphones will have distortion on some notes even when the frequency response looks not bad.

Comfort might not seem like an aspect that will change a headphone's sound, but it can drastically change the listening experience. An open headphone which barely puts weight on your head can make you feel like you aren't even wearing headphones and getting incredible sound.

I have also wondered what makes headphones hood for a while. I have been in this hobby to know a lot about it, but I am still curious about why some headphone share better. I once made an interesting post where I posted a few frequency response graphs and gave a list of the headphones and wanted to see how well people can match the headphone to the graph. It was to prove that frequency response and tests alone can't give the full story on what a headphone is like. More recently I asked physically what makes a expensive headphone better than a cheap headphone? What are these companies spending r&d on that makes them better? I got a few responses that answered the question, saying it's mainly the driver housing and earcup design which impacts the sound greatly, and they basically use trial and error to find what shape produces the best sound.

What aspects of the K701's sound did you like that the Q701 and K702 couldn't replicate? People will be able to give better recommendations knowing what you are looking for.

Obviously their high end headphones are comfortable, but that's not their main goal unlike Focal and Meze who prioritize comfort.

Protect against unwanted sounds

Wait, what? When people made fun of the cable I thought it was because it kept coiling back up and introduced some noise, I didn't think they would cheap out on the materials.

I was reading a review, and I think they explained it the best. They said "Hifiman headphones don't have the best build, they don't have the best looks or comfort, but they do have best in class sound."

10mm drivers for over ears?

I think it means the headphones are capable of producing a frequency that high, even if there is no use for it. The same reason why a minivan has a top speed of 120mph or 200kph, there is no reason for a minivan to ever go that fast and I think only a handful of them ever have, but they are capable of doing that.

If they purposely made them max out at 17kHz, then there could be some sounds that the headphone isn't producing that are supposed to be in the mix.

Sometimes I play with a rubix cube. It gives my hand something to do and I can be focused on the music at the same time.

Some planars sound just as loud on the outside as the inside, so you don't have to wear them on your ears to listen.

It can't be the Elites, they come in a silver color, the headphones in this pic are more white. They could be modified Elites though.

I thought the First one were Sundara because of the circle earcup and the yoke design, bur it had the other headband type. I was going back and forth for a while until I saw the mini XLR connectors and realized they are Audeze.

I don't think it's with the goal of better imaging or soundstage. Having the drivers point towards your ears is better. It's like comparing speakers placed in front of you with speakers placed behind you, the ones properly facing you fun the front are better.

Also he asked about different head shapes and people wanting different angels. Gyrations aren't set to an angle, they have some rotation in the cups that can change delegating on who is wearing them, I'm thinking of the Hifiman Arya design that allows for infinite rotation of the cups. Even the Beyerdynamic DT 770 lineup has some rotation for the earcups.

https://www.amazon.com/Douk-Audio-Headphone-Amplifier-Desktop/dp/B08C2MKBGN/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2JAUBRJX4X5HI&keywords=headphone+amp+douk+audio&qid=1672297168&sprefix=headphone+amp+douk+audio%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-3

The frequency response graph can give a general description of what the headphone is like. Being linear without any peaks is a sign that it will sound smooth without any parts of the music being over or underemphasized.

Frequency response is the easiest was to demonstrate how headphones will sound for someone who hasn't heard them. They are some of the only objective sound characterization of headphones. They are used to compare 2 headphones and see why they sound different. It's best to look at data about headphones relatively.

You can EQ the frequency response, but it won't sound the best. A headphone without bass adjusted to sound like a headphone which naturally has a lot of bass won't sound the same. (I'm not saying an EQ will make headphones sound bad)

I have a similar experience. I got the 80 ohm DT 770 because everyone said it didn't need an amp, but then I was reaching 100% volume on my phone and laptop and still wanted more volume. I used my amp and it made a surprising difference, the sound quality improved, soundstage and imaging improved, bass sounded much better and wasn't weak anymore. I didn't expect it to make this much of a difference. The Fiio will be good enough to power these.

I have AKG Q701 which are basically K712, I got an amp for them because of how many people said you need one. When it comes to power requirement, they don't need that much power, a phone or laptop should be enough. But when I use them with my amp, I can notice a small improvement in sound quality and soundstage, and I don't have a crazy amp, it was $40 on Amazon.