Headphones, got any favorites?

I try to listen to as many headphones as I can at the various shows. I always liked the Audeze LCD-3, and preferred it to the newer LCD-4 and X. Stax were always good, as well as some of the HiFi man headphones. I really do like the combo of the Chord DAVE with the Focal Utopia headphones. To me, that’s a “lost in the music” type of experience.

Comfort is so important for headphones as everyone knows. Some of the best sounding headphones are sadly also some of the most uncomfortable to wear long term. It’s hard to find that right balance.

I haven’t found a lot of IEM’s I fancy yet. Still listening though.
 
Mike said:
I try to listen to as many headphones as I can at the various shows. I always liked the Audeze LCD-3, and preferred it to the newer LCD-4 and X. Stax were always good, as well as some of the HiFi man headphones. I really do like the combo of the Chord DAVE with the Focal Utopia headphones. To me, that’s a “lost in the music” type of experience.

Comfort is so important for headphones as everyone knows. Some of the best sounding headphones are sadly also some of the most uncomfortable to wear long term. It’s hard to find that right balance.

I haven’t found a lot of IEM’s I fancy yet. Still listening though.
Click to expand...

Best IEM I've ever heard and own a pair is JH Audio . They can custom fit them to your ears and have a very effective ear canal seal. . I have the JH16. Headquarters is Orlando.
 
Mike said:
I try to listen to as many headphones as I can at the various shows. I always liked the Audeze LCD-3, and preferred it to the newer LCD-4 and X. Stax were always good, as well as some of the HiFi man headphones. I really do like the combo of the Chord DAVE with the Focal Utopia headphones. To me, that’s a “lost in the music” type of experience.

Comfort is so important for headphones as everyone knows. Some of the best sounding headphones are sadly also some of the most uncomfortable to wear long term. It’s hard to find that right balance.

I haven’t found a lot of IEM’s I fancy yet. Still listening though.
Click to expand...
Hi thanks. Any idea about LCD3 vs LCD2?

I tried LCD2 recently and remembered how much I like that low end, and remembered how overrated I realized the discomfort comments about LCD2 are for me.

I own he400i and love it's treble and mids coupled with planar bass. Now I'd like an LCD headphone for when I'm in the mood to hear punchy very extended and textured low end, even if I can only wear them for an hour due to weight. I've heard they are so heavy they can fall off if you tilt forward but that's fine with me.

Is there any reason to select LCD3 over LCD2?

Sent from my LG-LS998 using Tapatalk
 
Mike said:
I try to listen to as many headphones as I can at the various shows. I always liked the Audeze LCD-3, and preferred it to the newer LCD-4 and X. Stax were always good, as well as some of the HiFi man headphones. I really do like the combo of the Chord DAVE with the Focal Utopia headphones. To me, that’s a “lost in the music” type of experience.

Comfort is so important for headphones as everyone knows. Some of the best sounding headphones are sadly also some of the most uncomfortable to wear long term. It’s hard to find that right balance.

I haven’t found a lot of IEM’s I fancy yet. Still listening though.
Click to expand...
Get a listen to a Stax 009, 009S, or 007 (or even L700) with the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE (and obligatory great source), at a quieter time, if you haven't already. Stax are really at a disadvantage in show/meet settings because 1. they are just so much more OPEN than even other open headphones (no barrier to ambient noise), and 2. the demands for truly high-end electrostatic amplification are so much more difficult to satisfy, exacerbated by the fact that you may be tempted to raise the volume to combat a high-ambient-noise show/meet setting. The really, really great amps are typically on very short supply, even at big meets. The Blue Hawaii SE is really a large cut above most other electrostatic amplifiers (including Stax's current offerings), and it is the most likely of the "great amps" to appear at a show. A Stax 727 just sounds like mush by comparison.

I am recklessly in love with Stax headphones given amazing amplification (now a T2, which I upgraded to from a BHSE). It competes with my big 2ch rig some days. Just sold my Utopias - great headphone which I really enjoyed, but easily eclipsed in all ways by a top-tier Stax setup.

The amplifier quality is a much bigger deal with electrostats than it is with other headphone types. I should be considered part of the transducer. I harp on the amp issue a lot, but it's only because as a rabid enthusiast/hobbyist, the good stuff truly blows me away.
 
mulveling said:
Get a listen to a Stax 009, 009S, or 007 (or even L700) with the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE (and obligatory great source), at a quieter time, if you haven't already. Stax are really at a disadvantage in show/meet settings because 1. they are just so much more OPEN than even other open headphones (no barrier to ambient noise), and 2. the demands for truly high-end electrostatic amplification are so much more difficult to satisfy, exacerbated by the fact that you may be tempted to raise the volume to combat a high-ambient-noise show/meet setting. The really, really great amps are typically on very short supply, even at big meets. The Blue Hawaii SE is really a large cut above most other electrostatic amplifiers (including Stax's current offerings), and it is the most likely of the "great amps" to appear at a show. A Stax 727 just sounds like mush by comparison.

I am recklessly in love with Stax headphones given amazing amplification (now a T2, which I upgraded to from a BHSE). It competes with my big 2ch rig some days. Just sold my Utopias - great headphone which I really enjoyed, but easily eclipsed in all ways by a top-tier Stax setup.

The amplifier quality is a much bigger deal with electrostats than it is with other headphone types. I should be considered part of the transducer. I harp on the amp issue a lot, but it's only because as a rabid enthusiast/hobbyist, the good stuff truly blows me away.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine trying to listen to headphones at a show. Even in my empty house there is a vast difference between listening at 2pm with the normally unnoticeable ambient noise versus listening after midnight when the environment is still. The AB-1266 and my amp have further burned in after running 24x7 for a few weeks. It is shocking how good they are. I too am thinking less and less about my speaker system.
 
I agree, I can't imagine listening seriously to headphones at a show. I notice how much more enjoyable it is to listen to headphones when there is no extraneous back ground noise. For example when the grand son was watching some TV show downstairs yesterday versus listening to after my wife has gone to bed is a completely different experience.

I would love to try the Abyss... but that would only be a consideration if headphones were my only listening experience. As it is now, I listen to my speakers a majority of the time and the headphones when I do not want to disturb others (wife or grand daughter sleeping or watching TV as an example).
 
Bachtoven said:
I'm quite fond of the two in my signature.
Click to expand...

Agreed with the Sennheiser HD800S and PrimaLuna HP Integrated amp. Those two are a fabulous pairing.

I have owned multiple high-end headphone amps and over 20 high end headphones from almost all the great brands, to include the legendary Sony MDR-R10. The pairing above is as good, or better than all I have tried. The first pairing I have used that really hit all my buttons and no significant flaws.
 
I am really enjoying the Dennis Had headphone amp that I recently purchased. I believe I enjoy it even more than the Bryston that I had, and really liked (certainly better then the Teac, Benchmark, NuPrime, or T+A DACs being used as headphone amps). I enjoyed the Sennheiser HD800S's that I had and used with the Bryston. After getting the MrSpeakers Ether cans I found I never used the HD800S any more. They are as comfortable as the Sennheiser (much more so than the McIntosh and Audeze that I previously owned), but I felt the MrSpeakers were fuller sounding.

I am waiting for a pair of Focal to arrive (hopefully later this week). I wanted another headphone that was different then the planner MrSpeakers, and these easily won our Audio Clubs can jam we held last month. So I have high hopes in having a second pair that I switch off and on.
 
My friend still has an R10 that he just can't seem to let go of, even though they sell for crazy money these days. He had 3 at one time, including "bass heavy" and "bass light" variants - a true fanatic! I owned one in the past, too. Between us we've had 5 different R10 units I think. I thought the last "Amazon special" models sounded best. Awesome soundstage, great natural tone, and simply amazing for large scale classical/orchestral music. Biggest soundstage I've heard from closed cans, but they were pretty leaky. Unfortunately, even the "bass heavy" variants lacked the slam and guts necessary for rock, especially hard rock and metal. Not a complete "all genre" headphone, and its detail retrieval has been exceeded by some other top cans.

This friend really loves the HD800 with ECP Audio amps. The ECP gear has a very smooth, analog sound. I think he likes the HD800/ECP setup a bit better than his R10; it's certainly a better all-around setup (though I've yet to warm up to the HD800 - I still like the Qualia 010 much better). But his top favorite setups are still Sennheiser he90 Orpheus headphones into a T2 amp, followed by 009 into T2 (I reverse this, and prefer the 009 over Orpheus). I think the Qualia 010 beats MDR-R10 too, but the Qualias are incredibly polarizing for good reason.
 
mulveling said:
My friend still has an R10 that he just can't seem to let go of, even though they sell for crazy money these days. He had 3 at one time, including "bass heavy" and "bass light" variants - a true fanatic! I owned one in the past, too. Between us we've had 5 different R10 units I think. I thought the last "Amazon special" models sounded best. Awesome soundstage, great natural tone, and simply amazing for large scale classical/orchestral music. Biggest soundstage I've heard from closed cans, but they were pretty leaky. Unfortunately, even the "bass heavy" variants lacked the slam and guts necessary for rock, especially hard rock and metal. Not a complete "all genre" headphone, and its detail retrieval has been exceeded by some other top cans.

This friend really loves the HD800 with ECP Audio amps. The ECP gear has a very smooth, analog sound. I think he likes the HD800/ECP setup a bit better than his R10; it's certainly a better all-around setup (though I've yet to warm up to the HD800 - I still like the Qualia 010 much better). But his top favorite setups are still Sennheiser he90 Orpheus headphones into a T2 amp, followed by 009 into T2 (I reverse this, and prefer the 009 over Orpheus). I think the Qualia 010 beats MDR-R10 too, but the Qualias are incredibly polarizing for good reason.
Click to expand...

I did love my R-10's, and agree with your comments about the sound. I also agree with you in regards to the original HD800. I could not warm up to it either, and pardon the pun, but it was just too cold and sterile for me, even with warmish tube amplification. The HD800S version seems to have rectified that for the most part, with the headphone having a warmer, more full-bodied sound, while still maintaining amazing detail retrieval. It also seems to do all genre's of music justice. I am sure that other headphones may be better for just classical, or just rock, etc., but for an all-around can, the HD800S's are pretty darned good.
 
Got myself a pair of the new Audeze LCD-2 Classic open backs a couple days ago. They have now corrected what they lost by introducing the Fazor elements.

They’re not the most highly resolving on the top, but I am not a friend of biting highs anyway. They do however have the most yummy bass I have heard from a headphone, just like the originals. The top end politeness is easily corrected by driving them with a high quality headphone amp, in the range of 2000 mV Class A output power. They are nevertheless sensitive enough, so I can also just drive the directly through my MacAir to a very satisfactory end result.

Compared them to the closed backs, and the highly acclaimed Focal Clears. I chose the Audezes for the most enjoyable overall presentation.

Conclusion: Yummiest, creamiest bass ever. 100% non-fatiguing output. With the superb bass comes great and deep soundstage.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Headphones are obviously a very personal choice. A person on another forum prefers the sound and comfort of the Clears to the more expensive Audeze LCD-3.

Only thing he didn't like was the Clear's standard cable, which he found to be too stiff and tended to kink.

Hopefully, I'll have my new Clears next week.
 
I am really enjoying my new Clears! They are very different then my Ethers, but both deserve a place in my audio room (or loft library as I describe it).

The Ether's might be a bit more airy (if that is a word), and very sharp over all in the mid upper frequencies. I always thought they were solid in the bottom end, until I heard my Focals. The Focals are all around excellent performers. Great sounding in every way, and probably more open then the MrSpeakers.

Many times I have heard people describe the Focals as being comfortable. They are, but not even close to the MrSpeakers in this regards. The Ethers almost feel like you have nothing on your head, which I would never say about the Focals.

I am enjoying having both headphones, but since getting the new Clears at least 90% of the time they are the ones I am listening to. One other thing... I very much disagree with whoever said they did not like the cables that come with the Focals. I find these to be fantastic. As good as most after market or "better" cables that I have seen. They also include whatever type of cable I would want, 1/8" for portable, 3 meter 1/4" and 3 meter 4-pin XLR. I find the cables themselves equivalent to many after market cable. Certainly as good as the $250 MrSpeakers DUM cable!
 
I'm not a deeply-involved headphone enthusiast, so I just go for a pair that sounds good while traveling or while doing light work at my desk. I recently bought a pair of Audio Technica ATH-DSR9BT Bluetooth headphones. These are the first wireless headphones I've owned. They sound great when playing music off my iphone from either the Tidal app or Tunein app. They support the 24-bit/48kHz Qualcomm® aptX™ HD codec. Though they are wireless, I think they more than hold their own against any other cans in their price range ($550). Here is a very good explanation of the technology: https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/6117c014c965cd1a/index.html
 
Hiya

I do love headphones but I personally prefer earphones. Are we allowed to share our favourite earphones instead? Hehe

If I had to choose headphones then my current favourite would be the empyrean.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top