Headphones, got any favorites?

Mike

Mike

Audioshark
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Sarasota, FL
This popular $10 billion/year industry has kind of snuck up on some of us. I never thought I would be selling $4000 headphones and $12,000 headphone amp/DAC’s!

I’ve heard some really good headphones at the various shows, like those from Audeze. I think it was the LCD-3 (not their top model) that I really liked. The complete turnkey solution from Sonoma Acoustics is another I really like. The Focal Utopia’s and Clears are superb.

What are some of your favorites?


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Grado - GS1000e sounded amazing to me. It sounded to me like a well balanced headphone but with no veil in mids and treble. Sounds energetic to me.


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My WooAudio WA6Se, Mr Speaker Ether C Flow, HD600's, LCD-3's

Some nice headphones amps, Bakoon, Woo WA 22, Violectric V281, Headamp Blue Hawaii, Schiit Lyr 2, Schiit Mjolnir2

Cans: 800s,(owned sold and got the LCD-3) Stax SR009,( just awesome) Beyer T5p, Hifiman HE400s ,. Haven't heard the Focal's Mike talks about

I enjoy headphones,
 
I'm pleased with my Sennheiser HD800 and Sennheiser HDVA 600 balanced Class A headphone amplifier I use in my office.


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CPP said:
My WooAudio WA6Se, Mr Speaker Ether C Flow, HD600's, LCD-3's

Some nice headphones amps, Bakoon, Woo WA 22, Violectric V281, Headamp Blue Hawaii, Schiit Lyr 2, Schiit Mjolnir2

Cans: 800s,(owned sold and got the LCD-3) Stax SR009,( just awesome) Beyer T5p, Hifiman HE400s ,. Haven't heard the Focal's Mike talks about

I enjoy headphones,
Click to expand...
I'm hearing that the Focals excel in a unique dynamism. I've talked to people who couldn't get over how dynamic and punchy the Elear sounded but weren't blown away by bass extension and treble so they moved to the Utopia and couldn't live without that kind of sound now.

Any opinions on the Schiit Jotunheim? I'd like to get that amp and then rent headphones from The Cable Company until i find one or two that pair well with it.

Any opinions on which He400 version is best?

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I heard the Stax 009 and the Blue Hawaii Headphone Amp (tube based) once. It was an amazing combo.
 
My friend was telling me he loved his 009’s today. I have to hear those.
 
Ye the 009's are said to be unreal a unique experience. I hear the same about the Stax L700 ear -speakers.


Mike said:
The complete turnkey solution from Sonoma Acoustics is another I really like.
Click to expand...

I thought these were some kind of STAX. Any chance you could elaborate on these any impressions of the build and sound?




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rfan8312 said:
Ye the 009's are said to be unreal a unique experience. I hear the same about the Stax L700 ear -speakers.




I thought these were some kind of STAX. Any chance you could elaborate on these any impressions of the build and sound?




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Click to expand...

I first heard the Sonoma headphone system about 3 years ago when they were in prototype phase at CES. They were unreal. So live sound and transparent to whatever was being fed them. Engaging as heck. Very transparent. I’m not a bass nut, so they were great for me.
 
Amazing. I have a few photos of these saved since I first saw them. I'm not a base-nut either, probably why I like Grados so much.

Amazing. That kind of energy and engaging sound is something I look for. I listen to mostly instrumental music and that kind of sound really brings everything to life. Will do my best to get a chance to hear these thanks.

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Mike said:
The Grados are excellent and comfortable.
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Ye I use huge G-cush pads on my 325e but actually the regular softvpads that came with sr60 (interchangeable pads) are so comfortable the headphones seem to disappear when i wear them.

I'm so glad to be in this hobby because I expect in my life as i progress at work and earn more one day I'll be able to hear these cans mentioned in this thread.

I actually hope to get my first Schiit, Audeze and Focal products this year and more Grado lol.

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rfan8312 said:
Ye I use huge G-cush pads on my 325e but actually the regular softvpads that came with sr60 (interchangeable pads) are so comfortable the headphones seem to disappear when i wear them.

I'm so glad to be in this hobby because I expect in my life as i progress at work and earn more one day I'll be able to hear these cans mentioned in this thread.

I actually hope to get my first Schiit, Audeze and Focal products this year and more Grado lol.

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Click to expand...

I really like Audeze too. Not sure why, but the LCD-3 is my favorite. I have to say, these Focal Utopia headphones are just superb. Best I’ve ever heard.
 
At one time I had a stable of headphones for all types of music. Sennheiser Hd-800 for classical and the widest soundstage, Fostex Th-900 for Rock, Audeze XC and Audeze LCD-4 for jazz, Hifi-man He500 for everything else.
Sorta like being to afford and house a pair of Harbeths, Magnepans, Wilson’s, Avantguards, and Magicos at one time in your study.
My amps were an Eddie Current E-445 tube amp and a Audio-Gd Master 9 Solid state paired with my old Yggdrasil dac.
 
https://youtu.be/HqHBfgKQjAM

In this video reviewer Zeos claims that the Elears have a signature that to him sounds like as if there were a grid with a hundred points on it over each ear, and sounds can be clearly discerned coming from any one of those hundred points.

Not sure if i understood him correctly. Am i just babbling or would that be an accurate way of describing the sound of Elears and possibly Utopia?

Here the same reviewer talks about how great the Stax 2170 is.
https://youtu.be/1l0EtAF_lEk

I've heard people say though that nothing can beat 009 properly driven. I wonder if any of the new Hifiman like Susvara or the Abyss 1266 can compete.



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rfan8312 said:
I'm hearing that the Focals excel in a unique dynamism. I've talked to people who couldn't get over how dynamic and punchy the Elear sounded but weren't blown away by bass extension and treble so they moved to the Utopia and couldn't live without that kind of sound now.

Any opinions on the Schiit Jotunheim? I'd like to get that amp and then rent headphones from The Cable Company until i find one or two that pair well with it.

Any opinions on which He400 version is best?

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Click to expand...

The model I heard was the 400i, sweet, soothing, and non-fatiguing over long listening sessions. For the price, not bad

Never heard the Jotunheim
 
Like the Hifiman HE-1000 v2 or Edition X v2. Great balance for all kinds of music.


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Just the last two weeks I am thinking about a headphone-corner to use it
- when the living room is busy
and
- if I need a neutral, highly resolving benchmark for my ears

In order to reach this target I listened last Friday to a Stax SR-009 and a L-700 with a heavy modified Stax T1. It was really a impressive experience although not all components (analog source and cables were not good enough) played at the same level. The SR-009 divided the sound in small slices without becoming too analytical. Completely different to the listening experience of my home system (soundstage in the head) but absolutely interesting and valuable & musically for my ears. I think I will continue the headphone-plan. :-)

For the headphone-part, I have in my mind
- Stax SR-009/L-700/SR-007 (one of them)
- Audeze LCD i4 (should be a phantastic in-ear)
- HiFi-Man HE-1000 V2
- Focal Utopia

For the Amps here in Europe it is not so easy because the Blue Hawai SE (Sota for Stax) is not really easy available. So I will look for modified malvalve-amp (MK 5) or a Paltauf-amp. For the dynamic HP I can imagine a Chord Hugo2/TT/Dave as an HP-amp.

For on-the-go (mobile) I am using an Astell & Kern KANN with a Beyerdynamic T5p, which is for me a combo with a good price-performance-ratio.

In any case traveling on this road makes a lot of fun.
 
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