Headphones

I have no idea but I assume because of physics? Let's say we have a flat sound curve. Now you want more base, more mids and more highs. All in equal amounts, this not just result in a flat curve that's boosted? aka more volume

Try the ZMF Verite, only drawback is price.

So you want something extremely flat? Like arrow straight straight on the FR graph? Idk if there's any, but good luck finding it.

I don’t know about you but I am perfectly happy with my akg k712 pro

Broke: No headphone is perfect.

Woke: Every headphone is good enough.

They do.
Audio is an solved technology meaning even cheap headphones are hifi quality capable of reproducing recordings accurately. Otherwise people wouldn't be happy with cheap headphones and tws they have, that compose 99% of the entire headphone market.

The differences between cans are relatively minor and you get used to them over time, making it even less of an issue.
Audiophilia is pretending the differences are huge and A is unlisetanble while B is greatest while in reality both perform close to eachohter.

Everything is a trade off, you want me detail in the treble, sure but that may make some music or audio too bright. You want more low end, sure but it may take away from the sound in another region. It's a delicate balance of offering the most possible without going over that threshold. I bought the Meze Empyreans because they were way more detailed and clear than what I was previously using, had great build/comfort quality, sound great on everything, and nothing sounded harsh or bright. their new V2 that just came out is supposed to offer even more detail while also staying under that peaky treble. Sure they are expensive but it's just an example. You could always get a boring, generic sounding headphone. But I'd rather have something that emphasizes certain instruments or vocals because that's fun and exciting. It's like discovering music all over again and hearing sounds you didn't know that were there. There are tons of headphones out there you just need to find one that fits your use case.

Campfire Andromeda 2020.

Because it's impossible.
People have preferences.
Your "normal" is not everyone's "normal".

Taste... People have different tastes in soundstage, bass, treble, overall tonality (and imaging). You cannot possibly satisfy everyone. What you may call "perfect" may be "horrible" for someone else.

Agreed, I gave up on headphones and went for speakers for that reason.

FWIW, the HD800(s) are one of the least problematic flagships sonically. You could do far worse.

Because no headphone can be made without a drawback... It's an impossibility

What are you looking for?

It's quite individual. For me, the DCA Stealth is perfection.

They can come up with a headphone that most people would consider perfect, say great extension on both ends, good slam/dynamics, wide soundstage with precise imaging and instrument separation, and someone, somewhere, will still complain that it doesn't sound intimate and that they'd rather listen to the HD600.

Tuning headphones is hard, and changes from the "natural" frequency response of a driver have trade-offs in other areas (e.g. distortion). So headphones without their own DSP+amp are a compromise.

Having said that, there are headphones and, even more so, IEMs without significant drawbacks. I recently got a Philips Fidelio X2HR and that is comfortable, easy enough to drive, has a frequency response that allows use without any EQ, and has good technical chops for the price. With IEMs my current "goldilocks" pair are the Moondrop Jiu. Sound good enough even for the occasional listening to a symphony and are dirt cheap.

I dunno, I wouldn't say any of my main rotation have significant drawbacks, they all just hit different. My "normal" is hd600. I also have a normal closed, a bright openback, and a few "fun" headphones

Because those “drawbacks” are not drawbacks but rather differences: not only we hear things differently (for example 10 db of bass can be loud for you but quiet for me) but we also like different things (you might like loud bass, I might like quiet bass). The way these elements are described can make them sound like they are drawbacks, but that’s just the reviewer’s opinion.

Well for me all those drawbacks are the spice in it. I do want those drawbacks. How boring would it be if all the companies would bring headphones with all the same perfect sound? For me it‘s exciting to try out new headphones. How do they sound in general? How are treble, bass an soundstage? Each headphone should have its own character. And for me even amps should have their own character.

Nowadays audiophiles are aiming for absolute neutrality. Neutral amps, neutral headphones. For me? Boring! I have the HD800S. Great headphones with the right amount of bass. I use them for example if I want to hear every little sample snippet of a Depeche Mode song. HD800S is great for analytical listening. But my everday headphones are the T1 3rd gen. They have character. Warm sound, crispy bass, relaxed. Absolutely great. I‘ve got the Fiio K9. Great amp with quite a neutral sound. But I also have the Hifiman Ef400 with its slight hint of warmth and its analogue and natural sound. It‘s not the most neutral amp but I really love it.

For me the companies should all should different sounding headphones withe their drawbacks. Because that makes them interesting.

Depends on what you’re looking for, I guess… I was pretty happy with the Utopia until untried the MM-500 for less than half the price, and I think it’s the better headphone and a good allrounder, if you don’t listen to classical music. Everything else is fine or even great.

Make the acoustics of your room perfect and then make it 1:100 000 the size. Good luck.

Physics, mostly

I think it’s a very subjective thing. Reference headphones are approaching perfect for some but also sound flat for others. Beats headphones are fun and perfect for some but are useless for others.

Maybe headphone companies are just chasing what segment of the market is currently spending the most money.

generic set of headphones with “normal” everything

That would be K371 for me and they're my favorite closed back.

Personally I don't find K371 to have any significant drawbacks and it sounds "normal". Not too bassy, not lean, not dark in the treble but not over-emphasizing treble detail at the same time.

Soundstage is good if that's how the track was mixed with soundstage in mind (my favorite Solar Fields tracks sound wide and almost "holographic", while poorly mastered music sounds narrow).

I feel that my Samsung Galaxy Buds2 also don't have significant drawbacks. They're not shouty in the upper treble and on my head, I don't get the 8 kHz peak that measurements show, bass is not overblown etc. They're a little too treble-happy to be considered neutral, so it's not a reference headphone like the K371. But not bad in any way for me.