An Honest Question

[HiFiGuy528]

there's no perfect headphone so you need a few different models to suit music or mood.

[mulveling]

Originally Posted by HiFiGuy528

there's no perfect headphone so you need a few different models to suit music or mood.

True, but then until you've heard everything, you still might encounter a new headphone that's on a whole 'nother level, and then you feel foolish for having a collection of riff-raff.

Been there, done that. I'd be happy enough with a L3000/Qualia/HD650 trio myself, though: the L3000 has fat rich midrange like an oldschool Koetsu paired with big bass. The Qualias do everything spectacularly except they are far from Koetsu mids (more like Ortofon Windfeld mids). The HD650 are beaters that you can drop and not shower before wearing and stuff, but still sound decent without assaulting your ears with brightness.

[Supercronopio]

Good comments everyone. My goal is to collect as many responses so I can quickly explain to my wife why I need another amp or pair of headphones.....

[walakalulu]

Don't do it - you'll go nuts deciding which to listen with what.

[George Prentice]

I needed a set of headphones for work and it escalated into a full blown audio pursuit. In the process I ended up with a string of DACs, HeadAmps, and Phones. I found out that synergy is key (daaah, big surprise) between all the pieces. So I have Ultrasone 8's or LCD2's for work, depending on how dorky I feel that day. The Arye DAC, Woo WQA6SE and LCD2 are heaven, but dorky, and if there is a lot of noise or I want to listen loudly, I swap to the Ultrasone. For home in my home office, I redeployed the Headroom UltraDac with extra power supply, Beyerdynamic T1... I am powering with the amp I ordered from Germany the Vioelectric which has like amps to push them effectively. I also have a system with fully decked out WooAudio 3 amp and a set of Denon AH-7000 and top Senheiser... Each system has different strengths.. but the best is clearly the one at work. However, the others are by no means slouches, so I use elsewhere. I found for me, if I want detail and magic, tubed amps are the only way to go. So, if you want a headphone hard to drive, then you need a tube amp with a lot of power, I alot of them are flee powered. I use Senheiser bluetooth for wondering around (or backpacking in a tent), but the Ultrasonde 8's sound good with just my iPhone or iPod (uncompressed) if I want to wonder around.

[EfeTe]

It seems I am one of those obsessed with headphones then...

Currently own 30+ units but will trim down to 27 maybe as 3 of them are past their prime (tear & wear) and need to go. While the genre is a bit of a factor for me, I am not that ultra fussy in the sense that I've got a pair specifically for blues/rock, one for classical, one for jazz, one for pop, one for folk/tango etc. In general I've warmed more to 3-4 cans in particular that are good all-rounders.

However the biggest factor for me is the occasion. The one I'm using the most at home with the McIntosh D-100's headphone amp is a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, which I really like. For on the go (I do travel and fly quite a bit) it's usually between my Focal Spirit Ones and my Sennheiser Momentums. And when I go bluetooth with iDevices, phones and stuff like that the ones I use the most are my Parrot Ziks.

Got a couple of Senns and AKGs which have started to wear down so I'll be handing those over to my kids. 8 year old boy is very curious and I can see him dismantling the whole thing to pieces to study and mess with the crossover

[mulveling]

30+ is certainly an obsession, wow!

OK, I kinda got bit by the headphone bug again. Acquired an Audio Technica L3000 with a killer tube amp, and have a Stax SR009 & KGSSHV on the way. They join an old beater HD650, which is hardly worthy of mention in the company of the other two (and I do like the HD650, but here they're ridiculously outclassed). Hearing the 009 caught me off guard -- it has the most resolution and refinement of any headphone I've ever heard. In fact I'm pretty certain it's better than my 2ch speaker setup in those regards -- the 1st headphone to do so. The Sennheiser Orpheus, Sony R10, and Sony Qualia didn't impress me to that degree. The Sennheiser HD800 impressed me even less than those other 3. Their lower-treble peak must reside right where my ears can't tolerate it.

The 009 resides slightly on the cool/analytical side of neutral, but is so technically competent that it's still highly musical -- we'll see how it holds up in longer-term listening.

The L3000 is unabashedly warm, with nowhere near the detail levels of the 009, but features absolutely killer bass (still having a tough time warming up to electrostat bass) and detail that's still better than an HD650/600 (the gold standard for entry-level into hifi headphones). It just about nails what I consider to be an ideal balance on the warm side of things. Extremely musical, and one of the few hifi instrument that works extremely well with hard rock/metal recordings. Too bad nothing else Audio Technica made sounds like these. I forgot how much I loved these headphones, and how much of an influence they had on my ears from those formative early audiophile years. They render a musical experience that can stand up to very fine 2ch systems -- very different, but still great. They also take the edge of digital sound while walking the fine line of not sacrificing detail down into the mid-fi levels.

[rscotth]

In my short headphone experience, I've found that when someone says brand and model X is the end all, I don't always agree. For me, it all comes down to the sound you like. I've had SENN's and Beyers and countless others. Currently I've settled and am enjoying OPPO's latest PM-1 with HA-1.

[EfeTe]

OK so 4 sets of cans that needed to go are now no longer in this household.

BUT (see what I said earlier about the obsession) I am testing some AKG's K514 tomorrow! There are some new products and some technology updates in the AKG line but since I never owned the K514's and got offered a great coup of a deal will be auditioning them tomorrow.

[mulveling]

Originally Posted by rscotth

In my short headphone experience, I've found that when someone says brand and model X is the end all, I don't always agree

I've recently spent more time with all the top dynamic & electrostat headphone combinations on earth (alas, no orthos on hand). So heh, I'll make the following declarations on "end-all" setups:

• Stax SR-009 with Stax T2 amp (clone) is the end-all for detail and overall sound quality. Hands down. The T2 is the most epic amplifier -- of any type -- I've been in the presence of. Too bad you can't get a T2 for blood or money.
  
• Stax SR-007 Mk 1 with Headamp Blue Hawaii SE or T2 is the end-all for the most beautiful overall musical rendition. They're on the warm side of neutral. Excellent top-class detail too, but not quite at SR-009 levels. The Blue Hawaii SE is the most visually beautiful amp (of any type) I've ever seen (I generally dislike gaudy decorations and "flair" with little to no purpose).
  
• Sony MDR-R10 I can maybe buy that the R10 is the end-all for certain kinds of orchestral music, vocals, and jazz. But the lack of bass impact is a real deal-breaker for me. Midrange is the strong suit here. Pairing with an epic amp like the Singlepower SDS-XLR helps the bass a lot but still doesn't bring it to the promise land.
  
• Sennheiser HD800 The HD800, even paired with the amazing Headamp GS-X Mk 2, is very good overall, but doesn't reach the levels of the Stax headphones. They're also kinda bright, and in a way that bothers me more than the SR-009's brightness; they're somewhat fatiguing. I still assert that the Qualia 010 is more detailed than HD800, but they do have that "weird" midrange which takes some getting used to (some folks can't).
  
• The Sennheiser Oprheus HE90 + HEV90 system has an awesome midrange (will be some folks' end-all there), but doesn't have the detail level of the 009, and the bass is very lacking.
  
• The Audio-Technica ATH-L3000 has a lovely overall musical balance (heavier in midrange and bass, i.e. slightly dark, though they add in the treble sparkle where it counts. wonderful voicing/balance), and bass that is arguably better (certainly fuller and hits harder) than any of the above cans, but represents a step down in detail (still better detail than say an HD650/HD600).

Now I want a SR-007 Mk 1 and a Blue Hawaii SE to add to my recently acquired SR-009, KGSShv, and L3000. My lust for Qualia 010 has evaporated in the face of the Staxes' superior detail