Phil's Superpower of Enthusiasm

A place to write about things I enjoy, for my own edification. Headphones, audio gear, albums, whiskey, wine, golden retrievers etc.

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Lawyer, unabashed nerd and geek. Purveyor and pusher of excellent sci-fi/fantasy, good food, and repartee. He/him. Dog dad/servant to @Goldendenali.

I’m experimenting with Amazon Affiliate status in an attempt to defray some of the costs of headphone reviews; Amazon links may be affiliate links (depending on whether or not I’ve figured out how to use them correctly). Please feel free to buy elsewhere; this is just one way to recoup the costs of this hobby.

  • Apple AirPods Pro 3 Review: Worth the Upgrade?

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $249. Purchased from Best Buy for $249.99 in September 2025, currently $199 on Amazon.]

    [Tl;dr: The Pro 3 are a perfectly nice pair of true wireless headphones. I personally would rather buy another pair of the Pro 2 at a $70-90 discount if I were in the market for a new pair, both because I prefer the sound signature of the 2 and because the things you get with the 3 over the 2 (better ANC, better dust/water resistance, and heart rate monitoring) ‘solve’ problems that I don’t have with the 2. The 3 doesn’t do anything for me that the 2 doesn’t, and the 2 are genuinely one of my favorite (and most used!) headphones.

    If you want a bassier tune (i.e. you like Bose or Sony headphones), you will be using them in very inclement weather or very dusty environments, or you want a heart rate monitor and don’t wear an Apple Watch/Fitbit/etc., the 3 might be worth it for you. As for me, I’ve already traded my review unit and gone back to my trusty original Pro 2.]

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 6 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive: 3 out of 10 Denalis1

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  • Sennheiser x Drop HD 58X; an even more 6XX-y HD 6XX

    [MSRP $199.99, currently available on Drop.com for October delivery as of September 2025, occasionally on Black Friday or other sales around $180.]

    [Tl;dr: The Sennheiser x Drop HD 58X are another excellent collaboration between Sennheiser and Drop (formerly Massdrop). They’re a more 6XX-y version of the 6XX, with even more bass and slightly more tamed treble. The trade off for that tuning shift is a noticeable reduction in detail-retrieval (at least to my perception), and it’s really a matter of preference if you would rather have the 6XX or the more 6XXy 58X. For me, the 6XX really is the sweet spot in terms of tuning preference vs. detail, though I’d happily listen to the 58X anytime. Add into the equation the fact that the 58X are $20 more expensive than the 6XX at the moment (the 6XX are on sale, as they often are), and I’d suggest most people get the 6XX and add a bit of a bass shelf via EQ.]

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 7 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive:   8 out of 10 Denalis

    Bass1MidsTrebleSoundstageComfort/Fit2
    Sennheiser x Drop HD 58X3B3B2C2CB
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  • Sennheiser’s HD 600; a True Classic

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $499.99, currently available on Amazon for around $280 or directly from Sennheiser for $299.95 in September 2025.]

    [Tl;dr: The Sennheiser HD600 are a classic for a reason, and are still a truly excellent headphone in 2025, almost 30 years after they were first released. My only big complaint about them is that they’re $100 more than their incredible successor the 6XX, and between the price difference and the slightly different tune (less bass, more treble) I’m just not going to reach for them very often. If you listen to less bass-centric music, or you live outside the US, I wholeheartedly recommend these. Same if you can get a decent used pair around the price of a new pair of 6XX.]

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 9 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive:  7 out of 10 Denalis

    Bass1MidsTrebleSoundstageComfort/Fit2
    HD 6002B4A4B2CB
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  • Hifiman: How I learned to stop worrying and love terrible customer service.

    Spoiler: it was not, in fact, fine.

    Tl;dr

    I won’t be doing business with Hifiman anymore. And I don’t think you should either.

    I had the absolute pleasure in July and August of 2025 of ultimately expending $22.81 out of pocket to spend a full month fighting with Hifiman’s atrocious customer service about a return. They shipped me two faulty units (HE-X4, Sundara Closed), which happens, but then they spent a month giving me a run-around before refunding the headphones (but not the $22.81 I spent sending them back for repair or replacement). Along the way, they 1) lied to me about my headphones being shipped back, 2) tried twice to upsell me to a pricier headphone at a higher cost than they were listed on their website, and 3) disappeared for days at a time with no communication. In the end, it took repeated follow up outside the normal customer service account to get to any kind of resolution. In the end, they sold me an Audivina closed back headphone for the eventually amount refunded for both the Sundara Closed and the HE-X4.1

    Regardless of the quality of their headphones (which is inconsistent at best), I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone buy directly from Hifiman. If you want a pair of their headphones, make sure you buy from a vendor with a good return policy that won’t ever make you deal with Hifiman directly.2

    Many of their prices are great. Many of their products are as well. The headache is … not great. Only one person of the (maybe a dozen) many I spoke to actually tried to address my concern and expressed understanding of why I might be frustrated.

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  • Sennheiser’s HD 660S; an Unfortunate Twist on an Old Classic

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $499.99, available for $399.95 at the Sennheiser store on Amazon. Borrowed from a friend for review in September 2025.]

    [Tl;dr: The Sennheiser 660S are a strange product, representing in a lot of ways a step backwards from the excellence of the Sennheiser HD 600/650 and the Sennheiser x Drop HD 6XX, and because of their price point, they end up without a strong place of their own. They’re a perfectly pleasant headphone, but for my standards they’re beaten pretty handily by the other members of the 600 series and most of the comparables in my collection. If you can find them at a discount or lightly used, they’re a good headphone. New, at or anywhere near MSRP? There are much better deals out there in my opinion.]

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 6 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive:  4 out of 10 Denalis

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  • The Focal Elegia; an Elegy for a Gone but not Forgotten Closed Back

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $890, frequently listed around $300 as of June 2025. Purchased used from r/AVExchange for $190, like new but missing an adapter.]

    [Tl;dr: The Focal Elegia are a really excellent throwback to Focal’s days gone by. These are the closed backs I have been using the most, and will almost certainly continue to be for the forseeable future (though the ZMF Bokeh Closed will always have the closest place in my heart). If you can find them around $300-350 and are willing to do a little EQ’ing, they represent immense value and a lovely introduction to the joy that is Focal’s headphones.]

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 9 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive:  7 out of 10 Denalis (MSRP), 8 out of 10 Denalis (at $300)

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  • Focal Azurys Review: Worth the Price?

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $599, $450 on sale at Amazon in November 2025. Purchased lightly used for $350 from r/AVexchange in June of 2025.]

    [Tl;dr: The Focal Azurys are a nicely-built and -tuned closed back, something we need more of in the modern headphone market. They are, however, a little overpriced at MSRP and their current online price; if you can find them used, they’re a worthy investment. Definitely an upgrade pick over most of the best budget closed backs, but don’t compete very well with some other options in the $500+ range (or Focal’s prior closed back offerings).

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 7 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive: 6 out of 10 Denalis (at MSRP)

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  • iFi Uno: Great Mobile Desktop DAC/Amp for Beginners

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $79. Purchased open-box from Headphones.com for $64.99 in March of 2025.]

    [Tl;dr: This is a surprisingly feature-rich DAC/amp unit which would be a great option for a mobile desktop setup, but is in a pretty crowded space with a lot of good options at a similar price point. It’s performance doesn’t justify displacing some of my favorite dongle DAC/amps, and it certainly can’t compete with my higher end options. In particular, it’s let down by its wonky volume knob, which makes fine control difficult at lower volumes. It’s a great unit for folks newer to the hobby or who mostly listen to higher impedance headphones and higher volumes, but it’s just not for me.

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 5 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive: 6 out of 10 Denalis

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  • An apology to Sennheiser Momentum 4 fanbois; they’re better than I thought

    [ORIGINAL MSRP $449.95, frequently listed around $200 on Amazon in November 2025. Purchased used from r/AVExchange for $160.]

    [Tl;dr: The Momentum 4 are an intriguing wireless ANC headphone at their current price point. They sound pretty mediocre to me out of the box, but will reward 30-45 minutes of playing around in the app or finding an EQ setting on the internet with a really solid, consumer-style sound. This is what I’ll be recommending to people when they ask about a pair of over-ear ANC headphones for a plane, at least for anyone not willing to splurge on a pair of Airpods Max or Focal Bathys. For most of my uses, though, they’ll struggle to displace the Airpods Pro2.

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic: 6 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive: 7 out of 10 Denalis (at $300), 5 out of 10 Denalis (MSRP)

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  • Focal Bathys Review: Premium Sound Quality in ANC Headphones

    [Original MSRP $850, available new around $500 on Amazon in December 2025, traded via r/AVExchange for around $350 used in May 2025.]

    [Tl;dr: The Focal Bathys are a premium ANC headset that deliver remarkable sound quality, both running wirelessly via Bluetooth as well as via their really excellent DAC mode, connected to a source via USB-C. The ANC leaves something to be desired compared to some of their competitors, particularly their transparency and soft modes, and they are VERY expensive for what you get. I recommend these for people who prioritize sound quality over ANC and value, and for everyone else if you can get them around or under $400.

    Scores:

    Cost-agnostic:  9 out of 10 Denalis

    Cost-sensitive: 5 out of 10 Denalis]

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