Looking for new Circumaural Headphones ~$1000-$1200

Subscribed(again  ). I"m in the same boat so i'll ride along while im there. My amp will be the GS-1 or LD MKIII.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acesi7 

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to purchase some new cans.

As far as sound signature goes, I like a very balanced sound signature with a slight bump in the lower-mid to low end (I am not a basshead so please don't recommend a Beats style signature).

 

I would be currently driving them off an RSA SR71B + AlgoRythm Solo while I start to invest in a desktop setup.

 

My price range as stated is around $1000-$1200USD max. From what I'm reading the front runners seem to be either the Audez'e LCD-2 or the Hifiman HE-6's. Although am open to any suggestions. HE-500's, Beyer T1?

 

Having never heard either, and not having the anywhere in Melbourne that I can try to 2 out, I'm after a few impression.

I like to listen to Rock, Metal mainly, but I do love concert piano and symphonies. So it's ability to reproduce a large soundstage, and not be overpoweringly bassy is a must.

 

All advice greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Well then the choice is easy eith the Beyer  T1 or the HE6. The Beyer is easier to drive and both have excellent sound stage. If I were to buy another flagship it would be the T1. I would also check out the HE500 also a contender but the T1 is buiit better than any headphone i owned.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acesi7 

Thanks for getting back to me, So the T1 or the HE6 you would say would suit my needs the best? Why not the LCD-2? I'm not second guessing you, but just wanting to understand. I was leaning towards the HE6 before I had the T1 suggested to me, so now I suppose I need to find out a little more about the T1.

 

Anyone done a review comparing the 2? Or anyone own/borrowed both to compare?

If you listen to Classical symphonies both the T1 and the HE6 have a wide and deep soundstage to reproduce the large scale orchestra and that is the weakness of the LCD2. It has a small sound stage and no air in the treble. Both the T1 and HE6 and the HE500 are better suited for that music IMO. I owned all except the 500 but had it in the loaner program and it is easier to drive but you give up some transparency but still a good headphone

Have you considered spending the $1200 on a completely new setup; desktop amp and a fully discrete DAC to pair with a modestly priced set of headphones?

I think jumping in and spending a wad of cash on a pair of headphones you've never heard is very risky, chances are that you will enjoy whatever you purchase, however is that to say you would enjoy it more than a cheaper headphone? For example I greatly prefer a DT880 with a 336i ($500 total) than I do a T1 with an A1 ($2,000 total); the only way you're going to know what you prefer comes from years of listening to different setups. Therefore if you start out with a solid desktop amp and a well built DAC you'll have the grounds to build your musical taste.

my two cent :P

don't purchase the HE6 and LCD2. 

SR71B is underpower,I even try the HE6 with 12 watt tube amp,still I've found some distortion with high volumn. The LCD2 with stock cable are somewhat dark and way too bassy.

Your choices seem to be T1,HE500 and HD800. But the HD800 seem to have too much treble so not suit the Rock genre in general

The easiest headphones to drive are HE500,with good set up still I've found T1 and HD800 are superior to the HE500.But in your case maybe the HE500  is the way to go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism 

Have you considered spending the $1200 on a completely new setup; desktop amp and a fully discrete DAC to pair with a modestly priced set of headphones?

 

I think jumping in and spending a wad of cash on a pair of headphones you've never heard is very risky, chances are that you will enjoy whatever you purchase, however is that to say you would enjoy it more than a cheaper headphone? For example I greatly prefer a DT880 with a 336i ($500 total) than I do a T1 with an A1 ($2,000 total); the only way you're going to know what you prefer comes from years of listening to different setups. Therefore if you start out with a solid desktop amp and a well built DAC you'll have the grounds to build your musical taste.

That is something i have been thinking about, though not a completely new set-up. I like my current gear(see sig) a lot. And a 1k leap of faith is a bit daunting imo. The only highend phones i can audition that i know of is the T1 and maybe the HD800. Also something to think about is that mid-fi cans are easier to collect/swap/sell and find the sound you like.

Well if you do go for the HE-500, i'd get a more powerfull amp with balanced outputs before upgrading to balanced sources. Im sure mellbourne does have some decent audio stores where you can at least listen to the beyer and senn flagships and perhaps the grado's.

hmm yes i stand corrected. Though i never seen a square balanced plug. But hey i aint seen it all yet :)

Jamato using the RSA with his HE500 and likes them. If you decide on a T1 the best results  is with tube amps IMO. I just bought  a new T1 tonight. It the only phone I regretted selling and with my Decware CSP-2 and Marantz its perfect. Meanwhile these 880 600 ohm can I have here are a steal for the money and outstanding for way less dough. I think the 500 will work well for you because Jamato is a guy opinion I trust but only you can tell buy with peace of mind. Order from one of local dealers and take advantage of the 30 day trial.

There is most likely going to be a head-fi meet up in Melbourne sometime in late-July or August. If you could hold out, you'd most likely get to listen to a few headphones that you have been considering. Check the meet-up forum for updates or an official thread in the next few days...

As for places in Melbourne, there aren't any that hold onto the high-end models in store. The sales of such items are very low annually, approximately 1-3 a year and hence keeping an item in store is just not an option. There is Audiophile which is a Grado merchant, they unfortunately don't offer listening's anymore because of hygiene. There is also Encel stereo which is actually more a speaker place but they have a few headphones there too, nothing all that high end but might be worth going and talking to them, they are open to in store trials.

headphones.com.au is a company in Perth, they stock a lot of high-end stuff and offer a trial period of like 20-30 days... If it comes down to it, you might want to look at their site.