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If you could pick 3 headphones below $1000 each to form a well-rounded trio, which headphones...

post #1 of 21
11/5/11 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 

Completely hypothetical:

 

So let's say you're in charge of creating a headphone exhibit that must include 3 distinctive, respectable and interesting examples of high end headphone audio, each of them under $1000, or maybe you are just getting them for yourself to become part of your own well-rounded collection. What would you go for, why?  

 

I'm not sure what I would choose, because my "hi-fi" headphone experience caps out with my Denon AH-D5000. Based on conjecture and hearsay alone, though, I think I would assemble a trio including a D7000, an audio technica W1000X (so pretty) and an Audeze LCD2. 

  

I admit that this is a secretly veiled "what really unique headphones under $1000 should I check out?" thread. I hope it's more interesting than that, though!

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post #2 of 21
11/5/11 at 12:51pm

These choices are probably pushing the $1000 mark and slightly over.

 

Audio Technica W3000ANV -  I just ordered it. Not sure about the sound yet but it looks glorious. Audio Technicas generally have incredibly intimate and organic feel when it comes to vocals. I hope the W3000ANV would be like that.

 

Stax SR-507 - Haven't heard them, but the Stax 007 was too expensive to put on here. The 507s also get rave reviews and electrostats should always have the advantage in effortless presentation.

 

A used HD800 or Audeze LCD-2 - The best sounding dynamics IMO. Orthos may be a planar driver but they sound like a dynamic.

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post #3 of 21
11/5/11 at 1:00pm

Can I have one $1000 headphone and a pair of $2000 speakers instead?

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post #4 of 21
11/5/11 at 2:35pm

Do I have to include amplifiers in the "$1,000 each" figure? That complicates things immensely since at least one headphone will be Stax, and electrostatics need different amplifiers. I don't know what else I'd get, though...probably a Lambda, a Sigma, and an LCD-2 for a taste of orthodynamics?

 

Thinking about Head Injury's proposed $1,000 headphone setup + $2,000 speaker setup, though...that could get me a Quad or Martin Logan ESL setup, perhaps even some surround satellites on top to round it all out. Too bad that still doesn't do anything about having an acoustically unideal room for them.

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post #5 of 21
11/5/11 at 10:46pm
I third the speaker question, since I could probably be eternally happy with an ESL63 and DX1000.

But since I want to be compliant, I'll list my actual roadmap, which is the DX1000 for my bass needs, T70P for my (trans)portable needs, and tentatively the W3000ANV for (what I hope to be) voluptuous mids.
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post #6 of 21
11/6/11 at 12:22am

 In the way of headphones.

 

 1)Sennheiser HD800

 2)Grado GS1000i

 3)Audeze LCD-2

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post #7 of 21
11/6/11 at 12:42am
1. Sennheiser HD-600
2. AKG K-501
3. Grado RS-1

Spend the rest on a nice transformer-coupled tube amp.
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post #8 of 21
11/6/11 at 12:48am
1) STAX SR-404LE
2) Audio Technica AD1000PRM
3) Audio Technica A2000X

Spend the rest on a SRM-727 and a HA5000.

The top-tier dynamic and planar are overrated, the STAX SR-009 is awesome but not priced to sell.
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post #9 of 21
11/6/11 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 

I didn't think about amplifiers, but that is a good point. The original idea was to keep a tight frame of reference focusing just on headphones, but it's probably a more interesting discussion to include more choices.   

  

How much do you need to drop to get a respectable electrostatic amplifier with basic RCA inputs, anyway?

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post #10 of 21
11/6/11 at 5:18pm

Most of the Stax amplifiers (not transformer box energizers fed with a typical speaker power amp) I've seen are in the $500-600 range. Not cheap at all, and it's the main prohibiting cost for someone new to electrostatics, as if the headphones weren't expensive enough.

 

Then again, maybe I'm looking in the wrong places as far as pricing goes.

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post #11 of 21
11/6/11 at 5:20pm

1. Denon D7000

2. Sennheiser HD650

3. Hifiman HE-500 (or HE-6, if the budget can budge)

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post #12 of 21
11/6/11 at 5:23pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Timestretch View Post

I didn't think about amplifiers, but that is a good point. The original idea was to keep a tight frame of reference focusing just on headphones, but it's probably a more interesting discussion to include more choices.   

  

How much do you need to drop to get a respectable electrostatic amplifier with basic RCA inputs, anyway?


Around $700 for a Stax 323s is good enough.

 

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post #13 of 21
11/7/11 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wind016 View Post




Around $700 for a Stax 323s is good enough.

Agreed. Or you can go used and get some 300, SRM-1 for even less.
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post #14 of 21
11/7/11 at 12:28am


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by NamelessPFG View Post


 Lambda, a Sigma, and an LCD-2 for a taste of orthodynamics?


This is exactly what I thought when I opened the thread.  Actually I might change the LCD2 to TPs if you want a closed headphone.  

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post #15 of 21
11/7/11 at 12:47am

 I think some people have got this a little wrong. It's under 1000 for each pair of headphones, not all of them combined.

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