I’m no audiophile, but I do appreciate a nice pair of headphones. While there is objectivity when it comes to measuring how headphones sound (e.g., frequency response), ultimately, I find judging headphones a highly subjective experience. For example, I fully agree with DankPods that the Grado signature sound profile is delightfully sparkly and a joy to listen to, despite its rather unconventional frequency response.
When you judge some headphones, what do you listen to?
The best answer is: the music you love and are familiar with.
But if you want some suggestions, here’s a nice list that crosses many genres that I have largely taken from M. Brandon Lee’s list of songs he chose for listening to the undisputed best headphones in the world. These are not songs I listen to regularly (indeed, some I only heard of from Brandon), but they all give an opportunity to hear the headphones in a unique way.
I suggest listening to these with eyes closed. Listen for new details, the sound of fingers on a fretboard, the background harmony, the timbre of the vocals, the textures of the objects producing sounds, etc. Imagine the setting it tries to place you in. Be present in the music.
- Coldplay - Paradise
- Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder or anything else from this album, e.g., Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
- Electric Mantis - Rose City
- Hannah Parrott - Flight
- Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
- Joe Hisaishi - Summer
- Olivia Rodrigo - Drivers License (for you, Nicholas)
- Radwimps - Grand Escape (feat. Toko Miura)
- TesseracT - Seven Names
- Walk Off The Earth - Farther We Go (A Capella)
- Yosi Horikawa - Bubbles
- YOASOBI - アイドル
If you have suggestions I should add to the list, please let me know!