[Armaegis]

A couple years ago I had lots of disposable income. Then I did a silly thing and bought a house. Now my car is dying and needs to be replaced. So much for play money...
 
 

 

[pataburd]

Quote:

It's all relative.  If you make $75,000 a year, $2000 is nothing.  If you make $25,000 a year, $2000 might be your total amount of disposable income.

True.  But "relative" leaves a lot of leeway.  My headphone rigs, for example, typically cost significantly more than my cars.  : )  

 

[El_Doug]

There is an absolute number that can answer the OP's question:  ~$5200
 
More than that, and you're buying OOP over-hyped has-been headphones.  Less than that, and you don't own SR-009s

 

[wind016]

 
Quote:

There is an absolute number that can answer the OP's question:  ~$5200
 
More than that, and you're buying OOP over-hyped has-been headphones.  Less than that, and you don't own SR-009s

Even YOU like the 009s?

  Not many headphones I can think of though... Orpheus and Sony R10.
 

 

[DemonicLemming]

Oh, I know,  It just sort of put in perspective, for me, the sort of money people will spend to eke another 2-3% out of their headphone system, compared with spending of others and what it gets them.  $2000 on a headphone rig is insane to my friends who make less money than I do; but I have a friend who makes significantly more than I do, who spent $200 on four interior screws for his Range Rover.  It's all budget and priorities.
 
Quote:

 
 
Yea, I guess if you make $25,000 a year, you really shouldn't be buying anything. No reason to feel guilty all the time though. The homeless and those commercials of poor African kids will never escape your conscience. =)
 
Everyone has their own expenditures. As expensive as headphones get, they are still relatively cheap. Some people spend their money on music, some spend it on alcohol and drugs, and some people spend it on $3000 Bose speaker systems.

 

 

[DemonicLemming]

Quote:

True.  But "relative" leaves a lot of leeway.  My headphone rigs, for example, typically cost significantly more than my cars.  : )  

Hah, true enough.  Right now, my headphone setup is worth more money than my daily beater (100 miles a day ftmfl), but not worth nearly as much as my "fun" car.
Quote:

There is an absolute number that can answer the OP's question:  ~$5200
 
More than that, and you're buying OOP over-hyped has-been headphones.  Less than that, and you don't own SR-009s

009s seem to be having some build quality issues...gotta toss a little extra money in there for a backup rig while the Stax are being repaired.
 
 

 

[pcf]

Quote:

Here's a random question but I figure it could apply here: Since I've read that the HFI series are different/lower versions of the Edition 8 with different drivers (correct me if I'm wrong), how much of a percentage of the Edition 8's are the HFI-580's? I've heard the ALO-780 are 90/95 % depending on the cable. So where do the 580's come in? 80%?

You believe that changing a cable will make a headphone more or less the same as another headphone 8 times its price?

HFI780 doesn't sound anywhere near Edition8.
You should only buy a headphones if you like the sound, not because someone says that it's a bargain. Especially for Ultrasone, which has a love it or hate it kind of sound ( just like Grado I guess

).

 
 

 

[jk6661]

 
Quote:

Apples vs Oranges.  No contest.  You either like what each offers that is unique to them, or you don't.  "Outperform"?!  What is that...by what criteria and who's judgment?  They are two separate ways of enjoying recorded music.  They do not present music to your senses the same way, and absolutely, positively never will.  The spacial cues that are are built into 99.99% of recorded stereophonic music is specifically engineered for listening with speakers.  Some of the effectiveness of those spacial cues are dependent upon aural cues that reach both ears from both channels - this does not happen with headphones (the right is isolated only to your right ear, and the left to the left ear).  Using headphones entirely eliminates the sense of feeling - sound waves no longer wash over your body as you listen, so that sensory experience is entirely absent from the experience.  Neither of either of those elements will ever be there with headphones, with the possible exception of computer-manipulated spacial cue delivery the likes of Smyth-Research, which I haven't heard and could not comment on, beyond the observation that not many folks here seem to be using it.
 
 

As a Realiser owner, I'd like to weigh in. I've never really enjoyed the musical presentation of headphones for the reasons above: the lack of spacial cues and visceral impact. However, I have no room for even a good two-channel speaker system, let alone seven channels, because I live in a small condo. So I decided to try a Realiser-based headphone system (Macbook Pro/Pure Music, W4S DAC-2, Realiser, Decware Mini Torii, LCD-2). I went to a place in New York City that has a 350K system to calibrate the Realiser. The result is a headphone system that gives me about 85 percent of the sq of the NY system, including ALL of the spacial imaging characteristics in six distinct channels. The sound stage is huge, and it's about 10 feet in front of me rather than in my head. And watching an action movie is downright hair-raising, because when stuff is behind you, it's BEHIND YOU. Of course I still don't get any visceral impact, although I might get a tactile transducer to provide some of that (the Realiser has an input for one).
 
Anyway, for what its worth, the Realiser completely changed the headphone value equation for me.
 

 

[tk3]

IMO it's not unreasonable to get one "good" setup, even if costs several thousand dollars, assuming that the purchase doesn't impede your daily life of course.
As long as you stay away from the crazy expensive cables and other "tweaks", and don't get a massive collection, you're good.

 

[roma101]

Quote:

You believe that changing a cable will make a headphone more or less the same as another headphone 8 times its price?

HFI780 doesn't sound anywhere near Edition8.
You should only buy a headphones if you like the sound, not because someone says that it's a bargain. Especially for Ultrasone, which has a love it or hate it kind of sound ( just like Grado I guess

).

 
 

The ALO 780 is more than a cable change - there is some internal dampening as well, and the diode board was removed. Which in turn makes the headphone sound a lot closer (not more or less the same as) to the Edition 8's. Sounds like magic, but is it really? I don't know 'cause I never tried either headphones so I won't comment. As for your question, no I doubt a cable change can do that much, which is why I haven't bothered to change cables on any of my headphones thus far. I'm just going by what I read. I also read that the HFI series are all low-end versions of the Edition 8's but with different drivers. So that's where my question came from. Call me curious and a seeker of knowledge, but don't assume things. And sure, ideally you should buy a headphone if you like the sound. However, there aren't many places I can try an Ultrasone, which is a similar story for many other head-fiers. Hence people buy them and then sell them if they don't like the sound. Also, I can't see myself spending a grand on one pair of headphones; if I can get a bargain on a sound I might like, so be it (who doesn't like a bargain?). If I don't like it, I sell it and give someone else a bargain. Thanks for the advice anyway. 

 
 

 

[pcf]

Quote:

The ALO 780 is more than a cable change - there is some internal dampening as well, and the diode board was removed. Which in turn makes the headphone sound a lot closer (not more or less the same as) to the Edition 8's. Sounds like magic, but is it really? I don't know 'cause I never tried either headphones so I won't comment. As for your question, no I doubt a cable change can do that much, which is why I haven't bothered to change cables on any of my headphones thus far. I'm just going by what I read. I also read that the HFI series are all low-end versions of the Edition 8's but with different drivers. So that's where my question came from. Call me curious and a seeker of knowledge, but don't assume things. And sure, ideally you should buy a headphone if you like the sound. However, there aren't many places I can try an Ultrasone, which is a similar story for many other head-fiers. Hence people buy them and then sell them if they don't like the sound. Also, I can't see myself spending a grand on one pair of headphones; if I can get a bargain on a sound I might like, so be it (who doesn't like a bargain?). If I don't like it, I sell it and give someone else a bargain. Thanks for the advice anyway. 

 
 

Hi there,
I'm actually wondering how the mod will change the 780 too. Since I haven't heard them I can only guess. On stock form. they are no match for the Edition8 or 9. In fact , I don't like them at all. Pro750 is another one a lot of people like and think they are close in sound quality to Ultrasone's top models. I owned the Pro750 for a while and couldn't stand them. It is very hard to know by reading other people's impressions. I tried most of the Ultrasones and the only ones I keep are the Edition9 and HFI650(700 in US).
By the way, I wasn't giving advice. It is just me trying to be witty.

 
Happy listening!
 
 

 

[emaugust]

I think it depends on how much / what you use your headphones for. I use my AKG headphones for monitoring studio projects so I was able to justify the $400+ price tag pretty easily. If I just wanted to blast my ipod loud... probably not.

 

[joelpearce]

My experiences with Ultrasone sound quite similar to yours.  I had the Pro 750 and could never get comfortable with them--they just sounded too cold and harsh.  When I first got the 780, they were okay, but a long way from spectacular.  I fully recabled mine with Canare microphone cable, removed the diode board, dampened the cup and baffle with a bit of dynamat, did a bit of dampening with a bit of poly batting, and opened one more vent on the back of the driver magnet.  Now, they sound really, really good--easily my favourite headphone for electronic music, but great for other things as well.
 
I haven't listened to the edition 8 or 9, but with the sound I'm getting now, I have no desire to pay that much more.
 
Quote:

Hi there,
I'm actually wondering how the mod will change the 780 too. Since I haven't heard them I can only guess. On stock form. they are no match for the Edition8 or 9. In fact , I don't like them at all. Pro750 is another one a lot of people like and think they are close in sound quality to Ultrasone's top models. I owned the Pro750 for a while and couldn't stand them. It is very hard to know by reading other people's impressions. I tried most of the Ultrasones and the only ones I keep are the Edition9 and HFI650(700 in US).
By the way, I wasn't giving advice. It is just me trying to be witty.

 
Happy listening!
 
 

 

 

[grokit]

They have different drivers, 'nuff said. It's nothing like modding an HD580 into an HD600, or an HD555 into an HD595; those have the same drivers.

 

[rashbeep]

i think all headphones are overpriced at their respective msrps.. some more than others though.