£1000 on some cans

[Drummerman]

I have a pair of Auden LCD MX4 usd for u dear an hour not yet run in,
they triggers my tinnitus so not going to bother with headphones I’m wanting £1565 for them to include postage , they are leather and as stated have been used for under an hour and were brand new to myself rrp is £3k so a bargain for someone they get great reviews shame I just can’t use headphones for music.

have you tried to EQ them? Are you using Roon? - This would almost certainly help. (I have severe Tinnitus). Another option is to use them with something like a Mojo 2 with inbuilt EQ.

 

[JamieMcC]

have you tried to EQ them? Are you using Roon? - This would almost certainly help. (I have severe Tinnitus). Another option is to use them with something like a Mojo 2 with inbuilt EQ.

If using roon there are a whole bunch of different headphone presets/convolution files available through roons DSP definitely a bunch for different Audeze models these are created by Audeze themselves for roon.

 

[martinpix]

If using roon there are a whole bunch of different headphone presets/convolution files available through roons DSP definitely a bunch for different Audeze models these are created by Audeze themselves for roon.

No i don't use roon it's to expensive for me unfortunatly had it been £150 for a lifetime license i may have considered it but £800 is not an option and i don't like subscriptions.

 

[avinunca1]

Some dacs need a bit perfect feed, so choose headphones accordingly as EQ will not be possible. Not sure how many dacs need bit perfect, but I know the one I want is, so choosing headphones to suit.

 

[bencat]

Some dacs need a bit perfect feed, so choose headphones accordingly as EQ will not be possible. Not sure how many dacs need bit perfect, but I know the one I want is, so choosing headphones to suit.

Sorry I do not understand this . If you alter the digital signal with DSP or EQ what will arrive at the DAC will be bit perfect and no DAC has a memory to check that file against the original digital file . So any DAC will play whatever digital input you feed it altered or not . The only time it will not is if the digital signal is not recognised by the DAC (e.g. Dolby Digital 5.1 fed to a stereo DAC) or the digital signal can not be locked on to which is so rare now as to almost impossible .

 

[eastsoutheast]

I have tried many times to get into headphone listening and up to recently always failed to find an option I really enjoy. Finally I have a pair of headphones I can listen to with all types of music and enjoy like I do when listening to my full size systems.

Focal clears have done it for me. Not the cheapest headphones I tried but not the most expensive either and for the performance and enjoyment I consider them a bargain.

 

[eastsoutheast]

Just noticed your reference to HiFi lounge. This is a great place to try many combinations and find a perfect pair of headphones. Paul offers an incredible service and is an absolute pleasure to deal with. With so many high end headphones available to trial you can’t fail to find your perfect match.

 

[Spen ago]

I went through a similar scenario, looking to spend £1k. It’s a very personal thing, no different to selecting speakers in my experience. I settled on TOTL Denon AHD 9200, which had the qualities of the more expensive Dan Clark Stealth and top Audeze models. Audition as much as possible, that was my experience, and don’t be fooled by price

 

[Hifimad1]

I listened to lots of headphones at the Crainage hifi show and thought that the Stax electrostatic‘s were night and day better than every other pair I tried. Even the entry model paired with the Topping energiser amp sounded superb.Planer Magnetics all sound thin and bright to my ears.

 

[JANDL100]

I think if I was starting afresh on headphones and was happy to drop £1k, I'd do what I have done....

Get several less expensive pairs, so I can have a change of sonic flavour as and when I felt like it.

E.g. Keep the Sundara, get pairs of say Hifiman Edition XS, Monolith M1570, Oppo PM3.
All very good headphones, but quite different presentations.
... and have a great time.

 

[DUVET]

There are a few approaches to headphones it would seem . Buy two or three or in @JANDL100 case 14 to cover all bases or pick one that does it all. I am beginning to lean towards the two or three strategy .

 

[Cambs12]

I definitely think more than one to start with. And definitely, only one opinion of course, but definitely a planer. Thin and bright, to my ears anyway, they are not.

 

[JamieMcC]

I have been very happy with just three main cans for four or five years now.

Hifiman HE6
Sennhiser hd800
These two compliment each other wonderfully.

I've listened to more spendy cans but to be honest found them to be just different rather than better.

Oppo PM3 perfect for phone or tablet use

Err hold a mo I forgot about the Sony WH-1000XM3 noise cancelling Bluetooth also phone tablet and TV also

Beyer beyerdynamic dt 770 pro nice cans but haven't used these in couple of years to be honest.

 

[Headcoat]

Starting again, I'd audition and audition again and again.... then pick my favourite pair and buy them. Certainly if you have a headphone amplifier take that along to demos, and if you're planning to eq make sure you eq in the demo as well.

I've got nine pairs and it's a pain to pick which ones to listen with. Two or three pairs isn't a bad idea either.

 

[JANDL100]

At the moment I've settled on a location regime.

Monolith M1570 in the bedroom. I tend to wake up early (3am to 5am typically) so I get a lot of listening done then before I get up at around 8am.

Hifiman Edition XS in the living room.

Hifiman Sundara in the conservatory.

Oppo PM3 in the garden, as they are an easy drive and are great straight from my phone.

Master & Dynamic MW60 bluetooth wireless while cooking in the kitchen.

BQEYZ Autumn IEM when out walking in the lovely Forest of Dean. (But only when the Mrs has trotted off for her running portion of our daily 2 hour walk. I don't do the running thing) .

That way I get to enjoy all of my current favourites.

 

[eastsoutheast]

I have many pairs of headphones, Focal Clear, AKG QJ701, Sennheiser HD700, Grado 325e, Sony WH1000 XM5, Bose QC45 and a few other pairs long since relegated to various cupboards!!

The problem with going down the route of multiple pairs of headphones is you end up with a favorite unless your lucky enough to own multiple pairs of a similar quality headphones that each have their own strengths.

The Clears outperform all of my other headphones in every area so 90% of my listening is through the Clears. I could be lucky enough to own 3 or 4 pairs of other £1350 headphones for when I want a different listen/sound signature but this is flawed for the following reason.

For the same investment I could own a pair of Utopias which would likely outperform each of the above options in every area so I would spend the same money and have something that sounds better across the board. IMHO of course

 

[griffo104]

I don't just have multiple headphones but multiple headphone systems and I don't think I would change it as I'm not convinced that there is a one fits all solution.

I still slightly prefer the sound of dynamic headphones but if I were to break the £1k mark I'm not sure whether I would go planar.

Last night I was listening to my Topping A50s/LP G109/Beyer DT1990 Pro. The kit cost me about £900 and the synergy is exceptional and I do wonder whether I would get that just by buying a £1k+ pair of phones.

 

[DUVET]

A Senn's fanboy for so long to experiment is great . I will say the RME is an absolute belter of a headphone amp regardless of its DAC.

 

[eastsoutheast]

I am in a similar position to you griffo as in addition to all the headphones I have a number of headphone amps and DAC’s. I am 100% certain that if I sold everything and focused on 1 pair of headphones and 1 DAC/amp I would have a better and more enjoyable system. My Mojo 2 out performs all of my DAC and HPA combo’s. I have a Audiolab M-One DAC which has a warmer presentation with more bass but whilst it’s different to the Chord it’s not better.

My focus now is very much on consolidating so I can afford to buy a pair of Focal Utopia’s or similar from one of the other high end Headphone brands, Audeze, HiFi Man, Dan Clark etc

 

[JANDL100]

I definitely enjoy the variety available from my collection of headphones, DACs and amps.

I'm too familiar with the idiosyncrasies of my own thought processes - I'm sure I'd get bored with a single uber-headphone and end up not using it that much.

You need to get the setup best suited to your own outlook.