Quote:
Originally Posted by
Region2 
This is a horrible disease. Mine has progressed to the point where I am only looking at the very expensive cans now. Luckily they're expensive enough that I can't buy frequently or face the wrath of my better half.
I think I'm going to need to sell off an organ or three to purchase the next ones on my list:
LCD2
Stax C32
Custom IEMs
It's so hard to listen to all the headphones I do have and yet I want more of them. I wonder if this is what having a harem is like.
This is one of the most incredibly awesome posts I have ever read!
Oh, and I converted an audio infidel today! Last night I played my HD 600s for him and he was blown away - told me he felt like he was there - and today we went to the shop to listen to a bunch of phones. He had never heard anything better than his stock iPhone earbuds - and I had him listen to the AKG K701, Beyer DT880 (600 ohm), my Senns, and some random cheapo AKG/Beyer/Koss phones.
Then we got out the big guns - the Sennheiser HD 800 and Beyerdynamic T1 (everything amp'ed with the Beyer A1, FLAC files from my laptop through my uDAC as the source). He's a classic rock and jazz fan, so he quickly appreciated the quality of the 'phones - and for the most part, even the subtleties between very similar cans.
Before we had gone into the store, he told me he was looking for 'phones under 50 Euros - but by the time we were done, he was trying to figure out how long it would take him to save up 300 Euros (after we got back I looked them up at just over 200 Euros from Amazon.de) for a pair of HD 600s!
After listening to everything, we both had found the HD 600 to be our favorites value-wise (i.e. eliminating the HD 800 & T1) and sound signature-wise across the widest range of music. The mids are just awesome with the HD 600 - the punch and viscerality while remaining well balanced is excellent. I found myself preferring this aspect over the mids of either of the more expensive 'phones, even though they are probably more accurate in their presentation. Of course, pretty much everything else was in another league with them (the HD 800/T1), including the level of detail in the mids.
Because of the need for an amp (and thus the increase in money spent) for the HD 600, I told him that he'd probably be better off starting with something less, though. For now my suggestion to him is the Alessandro MS1i, thanks to the excellent price and free international shipping - which is pretty f'ing amazing. Not too much over his initial budget, either - 84 Euros instead of 50.
Now I just have to resist the temptation to get something like the HD 800 or T1... Heaven forbid I audition a pair of electrostats or orthos.
Maybe I should just concentrate on enjoying my speakers - which I think I still find far more immersive and enjoyable.
