[sebek]

A 1000 € headphone / IEM TOTL or 2-3 mid-fi 300-400 €? What do you prefer?

 

[JoachimL]

A €1000 headphone isn't necessarily "better" than a €300 headphone. You should forget about the
price tags, and try out different headphones, and see what you like. I've tried some headphones that cost
above €1000 where I live. Some of them I liked, and some of them I didn't like at all. I recently bought an
Ollo S4X headphone for about €300, which I'm very happy with. Many people on this forum really like the
Sennheiser HD600/HD650 which also cost about €300, I think.

 

[Poganin]

It's a tough choice. On the one hand it's better to spend once on something good that you'll be satisfied with for a long time, because in the long term you will spend less. On the other, if you get several different units with different tunings, you will have something for different genres of music or moods when you want to listen to something more relaxing or more analytical, but you may end up spending more in total.

With the 2 years' experience in this hobby that I have now (I know, not that much), I'd go with option number one. It's easy to overspend and regret it later.

 

[sebek]

A €1000 headphone isn't necessarily "better" than a €300 headphone. You should forget about the
price tags, and try out different headphones, and see what you like. I've tried some headphones that cost
above €1000 where I live. Some of them I liked, and some of them I didn't like at all. I recently bought an
Ollo S4X headphone for about €300, which I'm very happy with. Many people on this forum really like the
Sennheiser HD600/HD650 which also cost about €300, I think.

I'm still a newbie, I started getting hooked about last fall, so less than a year, and I started with entry level FiiO daps and € 30 chi-fi iems.

Now I'm waiting for a Focal Clear Professional to be paired with an IFI Micro IDSD Black Label.

So far in my little experience every more expensive upgrade has brought something extra in terms of SQ and listening experience.

Sure, as the price goes up the technicalities improve quite evidently, but I understand very well that one can find his ideal signature in a Senn HD 600 or Sundara and not appreciate a kilobuck headphone as much.

 

[sebek]

With the 2 years' experience in this hobby that I have now (I know, not that much), I'd go with option number one. It's easy to overspend and regret it later.

I understood that the way to try different things and not waste too much money is by going to second-hand, generally if you don't like it and decide to resell after a few weeks-months you lose very little of what you paid.

 

[mammal]

A 1000 € headphone / IEM TOTL or 2-3 mid-fi 300-400 €? What do you prefer?

What I like about this hobby is that it caters to everyone. I have head-fi friends with extensive collections, that brought them joy putting all together. I, for one, prefer simplicity of having just one piece that is "good enough" for everything I need, rather than having 2-3 pieces that are better at one particular aspect. Now the question is how do you get to that piece. The only way to know for sure is by trying out different gear, until you find some sound signature you are after and then the list narrows down a bit and you can take it from there.

 

[KPzypher]

A 1000 € headphone / IEM TOTL or 2-3 mid-fi 300-400 €? What do you prefer?

It's hard to find a "one" headphone that does everything well. It's all about tradeoffs no matter the price range. In my experience, it's better to have different headphones with varying SQ and capabilities. Your mood will shift and so will your preference, over time. And since there are no objective indicators as to what makes a headphone good or bad, $1K HP doesn't automatically mean it'll meet your expectations, or sound "better" for that matter.

I don't do second hand/used for sentimental reasons, but If you don't mind that, it's always better to get them used as you'll lose little to none on resale.

 

[Mightygrey]

As nice as it would be, there really isn't one headphone that can do 'everything'. I have a bunch of headphones that I switch between, that range between around $100 and $2K in price, and I use them all for very different things. Price isn't always an indication of quality, nor utility. If you can find that 'unicorn' that can do it all, then power to you. Personally, I'd rather have a few on hand.

My advice to newcomers to the hobby is to avoid going straight to 'endgame', as you'll miss out on experiencing many different sounds, form factors, and design philosophies.

 

[WorksUnit]

I like bumbling around with swapping things around.
Love to forget things and discover them again bit of sonic archeology..

TOTL? Would not put my eggs in one basket. A Canjam might change that, shall see

 

[Redcarmoose]

It’s more about what you can relate to and hold close to your heart. That said, there is an inevitable trajectory that takes place as a person comes to terms with what truly pulls on their heart strings. You have to get to know yourself and make mistakes to get to that place in time. Knowing your sound signature is easier said than done.

Meaning you don’t know till you know. If your talking about headphones really there are very few worth a darn under $300. Yet at $300 there are whole groups of IEMs that really rock. It’s very hard to make a full-size headphone; IEMs in that regard are easy.

I have TOTL and lots of mid fi. At times I like mid-fi as at gives you a chance to get involved with the community at a basic cost. But some mid stuff has glaring issues, really there is no perfect headphone yet they can much of the time provide a quality experience. There has never been a better time to love mid-fi, as in 2021 there are some really good bargains.

As you progress at times you’ll look back and wonder what you were thinking liking a headphone. Those mistakes are better made mid-fi. That place means you’ve made a breakthrough into better sound, a more mature sound. Best to go to a show and hear whole systems in action, still there is no guarantee what you buy you’ll be totally happy long term. This is a process, not a conclusion, though you will think your done at times.

That said, it’s not really about the headphone. It’s about the whole system and how they interact together. So better to reword the title to.....

Is it better to have three mid-fi systems or one grand system? Still at times getting an IEM to work is as easy as a different IEM tip, still it’s everything......the amp, the DAC and the IEM.

 

[someguyontheinternet]

Depends on how well you know your own preferences I think.
If you already know very clearly what you like and what you're looking for and know for sure that 1000$ item will be a homerun for you, that will be the best choice.
However if you're still unsure what kind of signature you are exactly looking for, it might work out better to get more items with different signatures to find out more about what you want in a headphone. If you're lucky, your perfect headphone might also be among the cheaper options you bought.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

A 1000 € headphone / IEM TOTL or 2-3 mid-fi 300-400 €? What do you prefer?

I'd much rather choose between a 1000€ you really like vs a 500€ headphone you really like albeit some minor flaws. And buying two or three 500€ cans will let you figure out which one you prefer, then try a 1000€ headphone similar to it but addresses the flaws but be aware it may have other compromises. Think of it this way: Do you really need an SF90, or can you make do with an F8?

Alternately, depending on your needs, you might also need an IEM, so do you need only a 1000€ headphone or would you rather have a 500€ headphone and a 500€ IEM? That's like choosing between an SF90 vs an F8 plus a Giulia in case you need more space for passengers or luggage.

 

[silent-circuit]

Realistically I think the minimum I could do would be a closed back, an open back, and an IEM, probably in the $400-1000 range based on experience. Granted I haven't heard anything (in headphones at least) over about $1000 yet... In a way, I dread the day.

 

[buke9]

I for one would find it hard to pick just one headphone or IEM. You being a noob is also a bit harder finding something that will really enjoy unless you have a place where you can listen to a lot of different headphones before dropping a sizable sum on just one. I have no problem buying used either as you can get some pretty good deals that way and after awhile if you decide you don’t like them you can resale them and just be out some shipping charges and go for a different sound.

 

[sebek]

I don't see myself having a collection of 5-6 headphones or even more than 10.

I could probably get to have 2 or 3, but no more.

However, I hope that the Clear alone will cover most of my needs.