[hamset]

Really great advice. I wish i could buy something like the hd800 now, but i also have photography that is also is a pretty expensive hobby if you get into it as much as i have. Hopefully one day i can afford one of those really high quality headphones that cost like a fortune. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Really great advice. I wish i could buy something like the hd800 now, but i also have photography that is also is a pretty expensive hobby if you get into it as much as i have. Hopefully one day i can afford one of those really high quality headphones that cost like a fortune. 

 
I have a Pentax K1000 manual camera that I used to trek into the wilderness with. Fun times! (Affordable too.)
 
The downside of high-end headphones is all the other components you need to get to maximize its potential, like amp, DAC, cables...the list goes on. Fortunately, there are mid-fi portable systems (with nothing more than a DAP and the headphones) out there that can outperform certain summit-fi setups.
 
(Since you're new here, I'm going to assume that you know the terminology, but just ask if you need help.)

 

[dreamwhisper]

Ya with more expensive headphones you need to upgrade other components.

And it comes down to whether you want to spend money on other components or not.
So 1000$ headphones then some.

I think it's worth hearing 1000$ headphones but not necessarily owning them.
Some headphones at that level changed me forever, like W5000, Omega 2.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Some headphones at that level changed me forever, like W5000, Omega 2.

 
Speaking of, I noticed that you own the SR-007. It's difficult to find the original nowadays; even more so for the one I want with the champagne gold finish and brown ear pads. (I want it to complement the SR-009 and BHSE.)
 
Any tips on tracking it down?
 
[Sorry for hijacking the thread, so to speak. Just curious, since the opportunity for info presented itself.]

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

It's worth every last cent. Perfection just makes it so much more enjoyable to listen to the music.

 

[barid]

   
Speaking of, I noticed that you own the SR-007. It's difficult to find the original nowadays; even more so for the one I want with the champagne gold finish and brown ear pads. (I want it to complement the SR-009 and BHSE.)
 
Any tips on tracking it down?
 
[Sorry for hijacking the thread, so to speak. Just curious, since the opportunity for info presented itself.]

 
I saw one on the FS forums within the last few days.  I believe negura was selling his pair. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I saw one on the FS forums within the last few days.  I believe negura was selling his pair. 

 
Dang, great price too! Too bad I'm not buying one yet...and by the time I'm ready, it'll be long gone.

 

[lethe27]

Your expectations with regards to music changes the more you splurge into audio gear. I could hear day and night's worth of difference between a Denon AH-D5K and TH900 for example. It depends if  perfection in audio is something you seek!

 

[nicolasete]

 
It depends on how much money you have.

It doesn't.
 
A normal bubble gum is not worth 2000$ independently of how much money you have.
 
 
 
 
 
The question might be... how much does it cost to produce a pair of 1000$ headphones? (materials, employees wages, sellers share, shipments, etc). Because I highly doubt it would even come closer to 1/3d of that ammount.

 

[Makiah S]

The biggest differance in $250 dollar headphones and $1000 ones, assuming they have a simmilar tone and sound signiture , I have found is Tactility and 3D sound presentation 
 
Do not forget that you should listen with both your sense of hearing and your sense of touch, if your not in tune with how sounds feel again'st your ears, face and jaw then $1000 headphones might not be for you, as tonally there are some amazing $300 cans, cans that sound AMAZING and having AMAZING sound stage and 3D presentation, but lack that extra "tactile" touch
 
so as a listener, my $250ish headphones is really nice to listen to! my $800ish HE 4 though gives me "chills," the extra tactile notes are enough to make the hairs on my neck stand up and some times spook me a little, an others times enough to leave me at a loss for words
 
The Senn Grado [$250ish] and my HE 4 I have both sound simmilar, but only the HE 4 has that level of realism that get's me excited. An that extra little "touch" is imo worth the $500 differance in cost, it should also be noted that I dropped about $1000 getting a balanced solid State amp n Dac and getting all my headphones re cabled to work with said amp
 
So $1000 headphones only have that "magic touch" when you pair them with equally revealing gear. If you can't listen with your sense of touch and hearing, then you'll be perfectly happy in Mid Fi! But when you finally start feeling sound more, then you wind up dropping a couple grand into your rigs :/ simply because it's just more enjoyable to listen to  

 

[dreamwhisper]

   
Speaking of, I noticed that you own the SR-007. It's difficult to find the original nowadays; even more so for the one I want with the champagne gold finish and brown ear pads. (I want it to complement the SR-009 and BHSE.)
 
Any tips on tracking it down?
 
[Sorry for hijacking the thread, so to speak. Just curious, since the opportunity for info presented itself.]

I bought my first pair from Craig at Kuboten. This pair I bought locally about an 8 hour drive away. I had an uncle go listen to them locally to them to make sure they were in good condition.
Most people baby them so you shouldn't have that many problems.
The worst you'll see is some wear/dust on the headband , maybe some compressed ear cushions, both replaceable.
 
They are very discerning of DAC's though. I think it's harder to find a good DAC than it is to find the headphones .
They revealed serious flaws in the built-in DAC of my studio's Digidesign 03 rack, and the Apogee DAC I was using at the time was much better.
The Parasound 1100HD is the best I've heard with them, but vintage DAC's like that in my experience have been untouchable.

Your musical taste is pretty much exactly what I found the Omega 2's to be most suited to so I'd say you'll be happy.

 

[torta]

Perfection just makes it so much more enjoyable to listen to the music.

No it doesn't. Maybe for you, but it is hardly a universal rule. And there is no such a thing as perfect headphones.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I bought my first pair from Craig at Kuboten. This pair I bought locally about an 8 hour drive away. I had an uncle go listen to them locally to them to make sure they were in good condition.
Most people baby them so you shouldn't have that many problems.
The worst you'll see is some wear/dust on the headband , maybe some compressed ear cushions, both replaceable.
 
They are very discerning of DAC's though. I think it's harder to find a good DAC than it is to find the headphones .
They revealed serious flaws in the built-in DAC of my studio's Digidesign 03 rack, and the Apogee DAC I was using at the time was much better.
The Parasound 1100HD is the best I've heard with them, but vintage DAC's like that in my experience have been untouchable.

Your musical taste is pretty much exactly what I found the Omega 2's to be most suited to so I'd say you'll be happy.

 
I plan on starting out with a $1K DAC, then eventually upgrading to the best DAC(s) I can get (even if it's five or six figures), so no problem there.
 
Wait, wait...my musical taste? I list like every genre on my profile! Which ones were you referring to?
 

No it doesn't. Maybe for you, but it is hardly a universal rule. And there is no such a thing as perfect headphones.

 
Revision: I would call it the pursuit of perfection, since it's an ideal. (Hope I don't get sued by Lexus for using their slogan!

)

 

[Makiah S]

No it doesn't. Maybe for you, but it is hardly a universal rule. And there is no such a thing as perfect headphones.

Oh I think it is a universal rule, at the end of the day the majority of people will prefer a balanced sound over an un balanced one, the "perfect" headphone should ideally be middle of the road, ofc no such headphone exists. So we get to have out cake and eat it to, in the sense that there are currently Warm/Wet and Cold/Dry verisions of this "perfect" balance
 
That said, @torta there is always exceptions to the rule. Some guys like the TH 900 as a TOTL, and it's not really middle of the road... but I think that as we each grow as listeners, our listening habbits change and we start to migrate more towards balanced. I started out here on head fi listening to Dub Step on a XB 700, now I'm listening to Neil Young out of an hm801 and W1000x. Not to say that I don't like Dub Step any more [cuz I do] but I enjoy a wider vairety of music, in which I feel having a balanced headphone is a better compliment to!
 

   
I plan on starting out with a $1K DAC, then eventually upgrading to the best DAC(s) I can get (even if it's five or six figures), so no problem there.
 
Wait, wait...my musical taste? I list like every genre on my profile! Which ones were you referring to?
 
 
Revision: I would call it the pursuit of perfection, since it's an ideal. (Hope I don't get sued by Lexus for using their slogan!

)

Try one of the Audio GD Balanced Dacs. King Wa's always got some new crazy product coming out! N his TOTL stuff holds up very well, or maybe try Schiits First balanced Dac

 

[derbigpr]

  It doesn't.
 
A normal bubble gum is not worth 2000$ independently of how much money you have.
 
 
The question might be... how much does it cost to produce a pair of 1000$ headphones? (materials, employees wages, sellers share, shipments, etc). Because I highly doubt it would even come closer to 1/3d of that ammount.

 
 
It kinda does depend on how much money you have. First of all, headphones and bubble gums can't be compared. Second, you have to remember that money is spent on the entire system, not just headphones. Third, to someone, paying 1500 instead of 500 dollars for headphones might mean that he has to save up money for another year, so it's not worth sacrificing that much for a slightly better sound, and it's too risky to buy something that expensive in case it breaks or something similar... but to someone else, 1000 dollars is nothing, so getting that last bit of performance is perfectly possible. 
 
Also...as far as the production cost goes...read my post on the previous page. Also, what you think you said is true about 1000$ headphones is then also perfectly true for 50 dollar ones.