High-End Addict Looking Headphone Recommendations! - Page 2

[QUOTE=Dinan;5912038]A little long but humor me as I am a serious NEWBIE.

...extreme 2-channel high-end audio and currently listen to MBL reference electronics on Focal Grande Utopia EMs ....]

Wow... Focal Grande Utopia EMs..... is that like 180k speakers?
Sorry for off-topic.

Dinan,
I noticed you liked the idea of crossfeed. Try the spl phonitor for your amp. I'm curious about them myself because of all the people talking about how ridiculously great they are. Try the hd800s with them too why the hell not. Ive heard they are a great pairing to really show the 800s soundstage.

Recommending headfi is a lot easier than recommending hifi equipment, the choices in headfi are much more limited, especially at the high end. Obviously you also have the same multiple variations when you search for cables, AC equipment and sources, but for some reason, this categories are seldom discussed here, probably because a high end cable is many times worth more than a pair of high end headphones and amplifier... who knows...

The headphones you thought of are the ones, you could also consider vintage cans, like the Audio Technica ATH-L3000, AKG K1000(you could drive them with your current MBL equipment) or Sony R10's but ultimately, the sound signature differs so much (way more than with speaker rigs) that to make a serious choice you either must audition them (a meet) or buy them with the idea of selling them afterwards (the path I took) until you find The One.

I chose the Stax 007a with a Woo GES amp because it was the "closest" to the sound I am used to from my hifi rig, especially the transparency and resolution, but this decision was taken after owning other cans in the highend range... It never ends since the market always bombard us with "new" products, but you will be happy when you find your signature camp, then, its just a matter of tweaking...

easy answer.

HD800 for dynamics / O2 for stats, plus an awesome amp and source to go with it.

Wow! Nothing could be further from the truth. You obviously are not familiar with the wide range of high end speakers and the various properties that the designers voice them for.

There's everything from all the various flavors of Dynamics, with different technologies, Ribbons, Domes (Soft, Metal, Ceramic, Diamond, Beryllium), Planars. There's Horns, and Electrostats, and Ribbons and planars. Then there's the various philosophies of cabinet design and all the different types of loading. There's single driver systems, there's systems with powered woofers, there's systems with totally built in active amplification, there's systems that are Biamped, and Triamped. The variations of design and different sounds in the high end speaker world absolutely dwarfs the differences in headphones.

Go listen to some Magnepan MG20.1's, and then some Avantgarde Trio's, and then some Usher BE20's, and then some Focal Grand Utopia EM's, and then some Sound Lab A1's, and then some Wilson Maxx3's, the list would go on and on, and all of them sound exceptional, but they all sound very different. Still the advice holds true; you shouldn't buy without first auditioning, especially when the items are expensive.

The difference is that if you hit one of the big regional meets (Like the NY LI meet) or Can Jam you can actually get a chance to listen to pretty much all of the High-End cans that you'd like to audition. Whereas going to the RMAF or even CES you still wouldn't be able to hear all of the Speaker rigs that might be of interest to you.

ok yikes, i was on drugs when i wrote that... i probably meant the opposite...

Wow.. OP has the 180k Utopia Grande EM's? WOW! Any pictures of yours? I can't even imagine what that must sound like..

I know it can be very difficult to suppress the urge but I would strongly recommend RMAF too. You appear to be a discerning listener based on your opening statement and you will only be left wondering if you dive in before defining what you like in headphones. Bear in mind that this too may change over time as headphone listening is very different from 2 channel stereo. It can be just as satisfying but they are not equal playing fields.

..dB

You could always try Woo Audio WA5 + Sennheiser HD 800.

I really like UncleErik's advice...

We NEED pictures of your Focals!

Great looking room, Dinan!

I'll have to bring the K1000 and F1 up some time to hook up to that front end -- should be a pretty good test of what headphones can do