What did you want when you first got into this hobby? And what do you have now?

When I first got on Head fi, my dream rig has always been: He500 + Lyr+ Bifrost.

Also I always wanted to have the jh13, but that isnt that easy, or at least more expensive here in Gernany.

At the moment I'm a happy owner of the He500 + Lyr ( bifrostis still missing :D ).

My on the go rig is: iPhone 5 -> ids labs c421 -> -> Sennheiser Momentum / triple fi 10

So all in all I'm quite happy with that :)

Closed isolation was a high priority nearly a decade ago.  Not anymore.   I only have one closed can (Bose AE2) and its enough.  I was more into bass back then too, so I started with an MDRV6 and then got a DT770-80.  Sold em' both after a while, their "V" curve was a little too deep for my tastes.

Thats pretty much it.  I am much more content now than before... just chill and listen to the tunes.

When I found this site I was looking for a replacement for my old Sennheisers from the 90's...(HD 570's i believe?).....and a few years later and unjustifiable amounts of money spent, here we are.

I have been impressed in some way or another with almost all the gear I've found through this site.  Though even I am willing to admit my 'hobby' has gone well past anything I would truly need. 

I think it's the wealth of products out there, the number of smaller companies doing things you don't see or never knew of before, the DIY modifications, the ability to possibly rediscover your entire music catalogue again from each new hp....that keeps me coming back.

i just wanted a...as in  ONE  "clear" .."good quality" headphone..in the innocent BEGINNING.

but now i find myself messing with cotton wool...bluetac....solder...cables...amps...

 the latest lust...dacs.....i am bound for hell i knoe....the $$sinkhole is staring at me.

The operative word is LIFE-LIKE now...

i think i am 70% there..i think...until i hear someone's rig n said...

"u mean the hdXXX could sound like dat..?!!!!!!! ...just by adding this little usb cable...??? " 

" omg.....the ES10Jpn on an ipad...tats all it takes to get this sound...schiiiiitzzz...y am  i spending all these $$$$$..."  etc etc.   

I have definitely banned myself from top tier cans...dacs....amps...cables.. 

u guys can eulogize all u want...

I wanted bass, lots of bass. Now I want almost no bass, I want clarity, fullness, richness, and transparency.

Hehe...Hello! When I first jumped into this this ring, I wanted something that sound best under $200. I started off with headphones demo in Apple Store. I don't like either of them except for one or two and that is Incase Sonic. I could still remember how it sound until now but I was kind of newbie that time so I can't excatly describe it in depth. So there I realized what I wanted. Smooth sound, MIDRANGE.

Now, I am using a Sony XBA-4 driving it straight out of my iPhone and using the Denon Club app and turn up the midrange xD hehe

After H.S. I needed closed isolation. Fast forward a few years I've come to enjoy the intimacy of headphones over speakers.

It also doesn't help that apartment living continues to hold me back from going back into speakers.

And this particular area of audio is a freakin' rabbit hole, so there's really no hope. 

I started wanting something better than my iBuds. Got some bose in-ears for my birth day, damn comfortable and okay built, but the sound was only decent. Then the search began for like a week straight.

I ended up with etymotic hf5, which is the opposite of the bose. They are uncomfortable, not that good build and sound damn good :P

I wanted a set of cans that would provide rich bass and clear mids and highs all in one package when I started off. We all know that was an ignorant want haha. I ended up with a pair of Sony MDR-v6 that I still have to this day. I always wanted the HD650s and a WA6se when I started getting into this hobby. I was pretty content with the Sonys when I got them so I decided to stop while I was ahead and I've been enjoying and using them for the past three years.

Recently though, I started wanting more out of my cans so that has brought me back here. Now I'm looking into the HD650 with Bottlehead crack and HRT Music Streamer II after a 3 year long hiatus from this hobby.

I'll just repost from the other thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by disastermouse 

I'm curious - what did you want when you first got into this hobby?  And what do you have now?

Pretty standard story. Started looking for the "Bassiest Bass" headphones I could find for the least amount of money and had planned to run them directly from an iPod. Went through several other Bassy Cans; M-50s of course, MK700IIs, Pioneer D2000, Ultrasone Pro 900, Beyerdynamic 770s, etc. and a couple of Amps (Music Hall, DACMini, E7, E17) until I landed on the HE500s and my Burson Conductor DAC/Amp that will be here on Monday.... I now run my music directly from a USB out on my laptop. So a lot has changed... 

I'm assuming the Burson will be my new favorite. I've only heard the Soloist and I loved it. So this should sound about the same. It's basically a Soloist with a DAC and Preamp built in (I needed something simple to break down and transportable). 

ETA: You know... That  question would make an interesting thread. You should start one. 

Started out wanting the Bose QC15 ~7 months ago looked for an alternative online out of curiosity.

Ended up with the Audeze LCD2.2's.

Had a couple of beater mid-fi cans somewhere in the middle to hold me over, was a pretty quick journey.