[Keenix]

Currently been owning the HD598s for a year - love them. I've always been looking for the perfect set of headphones for me and now it seems I can afford them. I've read up on the HD 600s, 650s, 700s, and 800s. The HD 600s and 650s look nice but I'm sure that there are better for my price range. 700s and 800s look good but people say that it has sharp highs and giving that the music I listen to has sudden highs and a lot of treble they don't seem good for me. I currently own the Little Dot MK2 headphone amp and the Fiio Q1 dac but will buy a better amp and dac if needed.

In case you're too lazy to read all that:
I listen to Pop, Rock, Indie, Reggaeton, some Rap, and some light EDM (no drops)
My favourite artists are Sublime (Cali Rock/Ska band), Allan Rayman (Rap/Rock), and Quinn XCII (Pop)
I would like something slightly durable or has a case for it (separate or included), as I am 15 and live with my family. Bit worried they'd do something to $1000 headphones. However that is not needed.
And I would like something that strives in treble but has no piercing moments, and has okay bass, but I don't need much.
I don't care how easy or hard they are to drive, just as long as I'm not spending $10000 on an amp.
Thanks!

 

[cossix]

Congrats on your financial stability to afford $1500 headphones at your age!

I'd definitely look at the Audeze LCD line. Their house sound is commonly described as relaxed, so treble shouldn't be an issue. I think the LCD X is right up your alley! Its a bit heavy though so consider buying the $200 upgrade headband for a better feel.

You could also go with the LCD2 and budget yourself for a solid state amp that runs balanced. Tube amps would make the Audeze a bit too warm I would imagine. I love my LCD2 and Jotunheim combo because it adds just a touch of treble to the LCD2 which sounds fantastic. The LCD2 doesn't have too much bass, but the quality and extension of the bass is amazing.

The 600/650 from Sennheiser are amazing for the price but the Audeze are quite a bit better. You'd probably have upgrade urges after a while.

Good luck!

 

[NA Blur]

HE-400i

Mr Speakers Aeon

If you like some extra bass the Shure SRH1540 is a great choice.

Why spend your entire budget on a single headphone? Leave some room for two pairs of cans and some music.

 

[Keenix]

Congrats on your financial stability to afford $1500 headphones at your age!

I'd definitely look at the Audeze LCD line. Their house sound is commonly described as relaxed, so treble shouldn't be an issue. I think the LCD X is right up your alley! Its a bit heavy though so consider buying the $200 upgrade headband for a better feel.

You could also go with the LCD2 and budget yourself for a solid state amp that runs balanced. Tube amps would make the Audeze a bit too warm I would imagine. I love my LCD2 and Jotunheim combo because it adds just a touch of treble to the LCD2 which sounds fantastic. The LCD2 doesn't have too much bass, but the quality and extension of the bass is amazing.

The 600/650 from Sennheiser are amazing for the price but the Audeze are quite a bit better. You'd probably have upgrade urges after a while.

Good luck!

They look and sound great! Just a question, I'm seeing people complain about the drivers stopping working and other issues. Has any of that, or other durability issues been a problem for you?

HE-400i

Mr Speakers Aeon

If you like some extra bass the Shure SRH1540 is a great choice.

Why spend your entire budget on a single headphone? Leave some room for two pairs of cans and some music.

With the HE 400i's I think I'd want to upgrade too soon. The AEONs look beautiful but they're closed back, I forgot to mention in the original that closed back isn't really my thing. Regarding the Shure SRH1540 I prefer treble over bass and don't like to be drowned in it. Are they like that? Thanks.

Edit: this is my entire budget, but I make student minimum wage (in Ontario) and its enough to let me buy lossless music occasionally and i have my favourite albums on vinyl. I could cut down on costs if I needed to buy another amp or the ODAC or something, that's no problem. Would all these sound okay with vinyl? My 598s sound lovely with it with the MK2. I have an Audiotechnica AT-LP120 if that makes a difference. And I don't need another pair as far as I know, I'll still have my 598s, my beats mixrs and my beats studios.

 

[cossix]

They look and sound great! Just a question, I'm seeing people complain about the drivers stopping working and other issues. Has any of that, or other durability issues been a problem for you?



With the HE 400i's I think I'd want to upgrade too soon. The AEONs look beautiful but they're closed back, I forgot to mention in the original that closed back isn't really my thing. Regarding the Shure SRH1540 I prefer treble over bass and don't like to be drowned in it. Are they like that? Thanks.

Edit: this is my entire budget, but I make student minimum wage (in Ontario) and its enough to let me buy lossless music occasionally and i have my favourite albums on vinyl. I could cut down on costs if I needed to buy another amp or the ODAC or something, that's no problem. Would all these sound okay with vinyl? My 598s sound lovely with it with the MK2. I have an Audiotechnica AT-LP120 if that makes a difference. And I don't need another pair as far as I know, I'll still have my 598s, my beats mixrs and my beats studios.

I've heard about driver issues too but I have a feeling the new ones are ok. So with a total budget of 1500, I would definitely recommend: Balanced Jotunheim ($400 without dac module), LCD2 Fazor (pre-owned models go for 700-800 dollars), balanced cable (~$100), and the last $200 can go towards the upgrade carbon fiber headband for comfort

 

[Music Alchemist]

In my experience, STAX electrostats sound (and measure) more accurate than anything else in that price range. (Elear, HD 800, HE500, LCD-2F, LCD-X, TH900, etc.)

But you'd have to hear them all to pick a personal favorite.

It's impressive that you're getting into this hobby at the age of 15! I'm twice your age and only became an audiophile around five years ago. (Though I've been a musician my entire life.)

 

[Keenix]

I've heard about driver issues too but I have a feeling the new ones are ok. So with a total budget of 1500, I would definitely recommend: Balanced Jotunheim ($400 without dac module), LCD2 Fazor (pre-owned models go for 700-800 dollars), balanced cable (~$100), and the last $200 can go towards the upgrade carbon fiber headband for comfort

Giving the driver issues I think it'd be worth cashing up an extra $200 for a new set with a good warranty. Do the LCD2s come with a good XLR cable? Does a balanced cable add anything or is it just to work with the jotunheim? Would I be able to run my Q1 through to the jotunheim or would you suggest buying the dac for it and installing it myself?

In my experience, STAX electrostats sound (and measure) more accurate than anything else in that price range. (Elear, HD 800, HE500, LCD-2F, LCD-X, TH900, etc.)

But you'd have to hear them all to pick a personal favorite.

It's impressive that you're getting into this hobby at the age of 15! I'm twice your age and only became an audiophile around five years ago. (Though I've been a musician my entire life.)

My dad found my first pair of headphones (beats studio) in a hotel room when I was 12 and they told him just to keep em. Since then I've just kept moving up and I'm hoping to not have to upgrade for 5-6 years from this set, which is why I've saved up so much and I'll just keep upgrading the amps and stuff from here. Any particular models from STAX for under or around $1500?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Any particular models from STAX for under or around $1500?

I owned the SR-L300, SR-207, SR-Lambda, and SR-30. Probably the best you can get would be a used SR-L700 and SRM-252S or similar entry-level amp. These threads have great info:

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/the-entry-level-stax-thread.676272
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-stax-thread-iii.677809
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/stax-sr-l300-impressions-thread.813511
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/the-stax-sr-l500-and-sr-l700-impressions-thread.785949

You'd have to drive the headphones from either an electrostatic headphone amp or an electrostatic converter powered by a speaker amp.

The used market has better deals. Go to these sites and search for STAX:

https://devbrada.com/classifieds
https://www.hifishark.com

 

[Muinarc]

He said he didn't want to spend $1,000 on an amp, Electrostats aren't the best direction for him. The issue I think you're going to run into @Keenix is a lot of these will sound quite bright compared to your HD598 and I can't tell if you have experience with other bright cans and if you liked them. Honestly, our taste in genres seems to align at least a little and more forgiving headphones work better with popular music acts that tend to have less than ideal mastering on their albums. The HD 600/650 or even Grado might be good options for you.

Of course the best thing you can do is go to a bunch of stores and local head-fi meets and hear lots of equipment. Then you could come back, tell us what you do and don't like, and we can zero in on how to invest that audio cash you have burning a hole in your wallet

 

[Music Alchemist]

He said he didn't want to spend $1,000 on an amp, Electrostats aren't the best direction for him.

Entry-level STAX amps are available in the low three figure range. The SRM-252S retails for $360 and sells used for lower than that.

Look at the prices I paid for used STAX:

SR-L300 + SRM-252S + extras: $650 (Retails in the US for $790.)
SR-207: $180
SRM-212: $150
SR-Lambda + SRD-6SB: under $300
SR-30 + SRD-4: under $100

Also, he said $10K, not $1K...not that it matters.

 

[Muinarc]

He did say $10k lol oops. Still, I love Stax but they can sound a bit lean, I'm just not sure the OP would be ready for that drastic of a sound signature change.

 

[Music Alchemist]

He did say $10k lol oops. Still, I love Stax but they can sound a bit lean, I'm just not sure the OP would be ready for that drastic of a sound signature change.

The new SR-L series is more solid, focused, and full-sounding; more resolving and less ethereal than older STAX.

(Though they're all more neutral than nearly anything else in my book, and the measurements demonstrate this.)

 

[Keenix]

1K for an amp is fine in the future but I'm not sure an electrostatic amp is the right direction for me. How different are they than tube amps? I know there are cheaper but I have a feeling they won't drive them as well and another problem comes in if I get a new pair or want to use my old headphones for whatever reason and can't do that without having to buy another amp or bring back and set back up my MK2. Not sure an entire switch is the way to go.

The only stores that have headphones close to me are basic stores like Bestbuy and Walmart, and they tend to only have Beats and $40 Sony headphones. Nothing audiophile and I'm not sure local head fi meets are an option in Canada but i dont know too much about this site. Worst come to worst I could get a brighter pair and find a nice amp that I can customize to my liking, is there any like that? @cossix said that a tube amp would make the LCD2s sound too warm. If you have any experience with these, are they also brighter than my 598s?
I also always make sure returning is an option when buying something this expensive.

 

[Music Alchemist]

1K for an amp is fine in the future but I'm not sure an electrostatic amp is the right direction for me. How different are they than tube amps? I know there are cheaper but I have a feeling they won't drive them as well and another problem comes in if I get a new pair or want to use my old headphones for whatever reason and can't do that without having to buy another amp or bring back and set back up my MK2. Not sure an entire switch is the way to go.

The only stores that have headphones close to me are basic stores like Bestbuy and Walmart, and they tend to only have Beats and $40 Sony headphones. Nothing audiophile and I'm not sure local head fi meets are an option in Canada but i dont know too much about this site. Worst come to worst I could get a brighter pair and find a nice amp that I can customize to my liking, is there any like that? @cossix said that a tube amp would make the LCD2s sound too[i/] warm. If you have any experience with these, are they also brighter than my 598s?
I also always make sure returning is an option when buying something this expensive.

Electrostatic amps can be solid state, tube, or hybrid, and can range from a few hundred dollars to five figures.

In the second part of your post, it seems that you understand you can't use a non-electrostatic headphone amp to drive electrostats, but in the first part, you make it seem like you think you can. I'm not sure what you mean about tube amps not being able to drive them as well. All of the top-tier electrostatic amps are either tube hybrids or all tube (the KGSSHV Carbon is solid state, but is generally considered to be a level below the best amps available), but that doesn't apply to anyone but the most hardcore enthusiasts.

There are countless conventional headphone amps that don't cost much at all that can drive ultra-high-end non-electrostatic headphones. And there are DAC/amps that can do digital to analog conversion and drive headphones from the same unit. (Chord are my favorite in that category, though they're not cheap.)

Here's the link to keep track of Head-Fi meets: https://www.head-fi.org/forums/local-regional-head-fi-meets-parties-get-togethers.24/

As for the LCD-2, it's on the darker side of neutral. You won't need to worry about brightness with it.

But you can use a free parametric equalizer to tweak the tonal balance of any headphone to any frequency response you want. Tonal balance is the least important factor for me since it's one of the few things you can change about a headphone.

If you want to buy new, then you won't be able to get the SR-L700 and an amp; you'd have to go with a more affordable model there.

 

[seamon]

I don't think Electrostats would be a good choice for the kind of music you listen to. Electrostats have a very thin-bodyish signature and pop,rap and hip-hop tend to sound lifeless on them. Electrostats are some of the best in the world for detail retrieval, soundstage and openess but for the kind of music you listen to, Electrostatic headphones would be a very bad choice. You would also have to pay upward of 1k to get a good amp too because Electrostats also sound very bad on the stock STAX amps.

I would suggest
LCD 2/3 - Overall Good dark sounding headphone. LCD 3 especially sounds very good with Pop. I own a pair and listen mostly to Pop, some hip-hop, rap, rock, Alternate Rock.
HEX V2 - Sounds very Open and very good for the genres you listed, might lack a bit body compared to LCDs.
ZMF Eikon/Atticus - Some of the best closed cans if you want closed.