Headphones with the greatest detail? - Page 2

Don't get me wrong, cos I never tried them myself, but, a very good friend of my using them and according to him it's all you need, Unique Melody Miracle http://www.custom-iem.com/um-miracle-6-drivers-p-621.html He also do not advice to buy used, to much hassle and can be problematic. Personally, I am not ready yet, cos it will be totally differ way of music listening and getting used to them, besides, it can take some time, before they will be done with shielding, so, must say, I am in the process now. Want to try your Q701 first and if they don't work for me then I may consider Miracles. There are also others, but I can't recommend them, cos I don't know any source I can trust.

Under a grand: SRH-940/1840 come out as my choice. Without a limit, HD800 gets my vote before the illustrious SR-009 of course.

 

My honest opinion: The 940's plastic housing is way too creaky and prone to cracking. The 1840 is largely metal-based construction so I doubt that the same problem would occur with it.

I actually find that my HD800 rig is better at extracting detail than my ESP950 out of the included E/90 energizer. Seems weird to say that the dynamic HD800 digs deeper than the electrostat ESP950, but that has consistently been my experience. 

 

Price no object with detail being your #1 priority, go Stax. 

Grado PS1000

There's an ESP950 thread in the high-end forum. Plenty of discussion there. The ESP950 doesn't quite have the resolution of the top-end 'stats but it's still very detailed. Like many other 'stats it doesn't shove its microdetail forward, its detail is presented in a pretty relaxed manner but it's all there. The stock amp limits resolution somewhat, dynamics a bit more, and frequency extension at both ends noticeably, but it will serve to start with. Later you can move on to something else if you feel like it, there's plenty of upgrade options as these will run nicely off any Stax amp with the right adapter, and will really open up when you bias them to 620-640V. Plus you get the nifty lifetime warranty, too. I think it's one of the best bets under $1k, if not the best, when buying new. Sound signature-wise it's a nicely balanced and even-sounding headphone, and it is a good alternative to the various Lambda-style Stax, which can sound a bit lean. They Lambdas do have better resolution though.

However, the resolution of a true high-end electrostat like the SR-007 or SR-009 is terrifying and has no equal. If you can afford it, don't look anywhere else.
Edited by catscratch - 10/8/12 at 4:22pm

Something to note: Background noise is going to drown out fine details when you take headphones out and about, even if they are fairly isolating. 

 

At home, where you can shut out noise, 'stats work well. They have, effectively, zero isolation. The sound is hard to describe without experiencing them, but a seeming lack of any harshness, especially in the treble, yet the smallest detail seems clear. They can be absolutely magical in this way. They tend, however, to lack the air-pumping slam of regular headphones, instead sounding best at lower volumes.

From my limited experience, you may consider Grado, especially if comfort/isolation is not paramount. I have yet to hear the RS-1 in action, but the RS-2 is, in resolution and high/mid/low balancing, far above my AD700. If the AD900 is your current favorite (and is said to be close in quality to the AD700), then there's something to be said for Grado here (specifically the RS-2i).

 

Reasonable price, and much easier than 'stats to drive as well.
 

All of these aforementioned $500-1000+++ setups will clearly outdo my following recommendation (I sure hope they would!), but if you wanted a dirt-cheap version, the Koss KSC75 really pulls out an extreme amount of detail in a nearly unnatural way. Impressive if hearing the intricacies of your music is your primary concern.

It fixes everything that is wrong with the K701 (and basically any other dynamic headphone) and then some. No insane treble spike (aka "fake detail"), no nasty treble coloration, no grain, very balanced and clean, slightly warm and mid forward, and fantastic speed. They do not, however, have that "oooh" factor that a lot of people expect in the first 5 minutes. There is no massive spike anywhere in the FR (which most dynamic cans have, either up high, down low, or both), and if you listen to garbage they will give you garbage. So keep that in mind as well.


+1. As I said earlier, none of the suggestions here (HD 800, ESP/950, STAX, etc) are even worth considering if you're going to use these mobile. But if your goal is, for example, to take them with you on vacation and use them in your hotel or whatever, they will work fine.

For me:

 

HD800s

HE-6s

Q701s