[JDFlood]

1. Get the Sundara and a Topping E30/L30 stack, JDS Labs Atom stack or Schiit stack.
2. Throw a TIDAL stream at it.
3. Stop worrying and enjoy the music.

There are definite advantages to getting all components from a single manufacturer. The components are made to work together. Over 40 years I slowly converged on all Audio Research Reference components for my main system. I never had any intention of doing this... it just happened very naturally as I zeroed in on the sound I desired... and to no small measure became wealthy enough to afford them. I can honestly say I am ecstatic at not being worried about which component I should buy next and now just enjoy the music. But the act of learning what I wanted, how to differentiate different sound characteristics and what was available to me was fun at the time and necessary part of getting there. However, I would think you might shorten the process by buying say, the best you can afford of Schitt, being done with it for a while until you knew the inside and out of the system. Then trade up a level (with some research to make sure it have more characteristics that you liked for your current system) and live with that. I would think that would be a pretty effective way of spending the most time enjoying the music and the least choosing components. I think I was always too impatient to wait. So as soon as I thought I could afford to one component I would go on the hurt. For many, the important thing is to get to the enjoy the music, unless the enjoyment is in the process and not in the destination. There are people like that... and that is cool.

 

[bluecar]

It's not unusual to be disappointed in TOTL headphones, especially in a demo setting. I use a simple measure for music - if I change out something in my system, I test it simply by asking myself "Did I enjoy that music more, or less, with that in the system?" - lots of switching back and forth helps, and listening for sustained periods of time. Generally, I make final decisions based on emotional effect, rather than clinical assessment.

After all, the whole point is the music, yes? Generally, I listen respectfully to the views of others, and heed advice, but my final decision on upgrades/additions is based wholly on my tastes, and nothing more. If we all followed the industry memes, and liked the same thing, we'd all be listening to Mogwai.....

Have fun, and enjoy the music.

 

[Paulycat]

I am definitely at the mid-fi stage of the hobby and really considering going to the next level but my biggest concern is that I am well past the point of diminishing returns and am going to spend twice as much for maybe 5% better performance.

 

[JDFlood]

I am definitely at the mid-fi stage of the hobby and really considering going to the next level but my biggest concern is that I am well past the point of diminishing returns and am going to spend twice as much for maybe 5% better performance.

That is very true. It is a question of values and the increase in pleasure you get. For those of us that enjoy the pursuit... increasingly with greater levels of performance the cost is absolutely worth it. You don’t know until you get there. I have a rule though... absolutely NEVER jump less than double the price... triple is better. Otherwise you frequently can end up in a situation of having the sound a little better... but maybe not... but you spent a lot of money, that is audio hell. The percentage better is an impossible quantity to gauge... it just ends up being: does the sound inspire you, sound magical, cause a real emotional response? when I listen to my current system it can send shivers around my body. The biggest changes have come the most recently (with the largest purchases). I think over my history my headphone amps went something like $150, $500, $1000, $1,900, and finally $5,000. The last jump was huge, absolutely the most worthwhile of any of them. Some folks stop upgrading because they make a lot of sideways purchases that result in no improvement, or even move backwards (buy a really good amp can highlight how bad a cheap DAC is for instance). Some folks stop because they are just happy where they are at, there just is no payback in more cost. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. My personallity is to seek the finest in... well, whatever it is I am pursuing... cameras, fountain pens... technology. I get great satisfaction from very high performance. Some people get tremendous satisfaction from good performance from really inexpensive equipment. Some people get great satisfaction out of upgrading equipment constantly and never staying at one level.

 

[GearMe]

It's not unusual to be disappointed in TOTL headphones, especially in a demo setting. I use a simple measure for music - if I change out something in my system, I test it simply by asking myself "Did I enjoy that music more, or less, with that in the system?" - lots of switching back and forth helps, and listening for sustained periods of time. Generally, I make final decisions based on emotional effect, rather than clinical assessment.

After all, the whole point is the music, yes? Generally, I listen respectfully to the views of others, and heed advice, but my final decision on upgrades/additions is based wholly on my tastes, and nothing more. If we all followed the industry memes, and liked the same thing, we'd all be listening to Mogwai.....

Have fun, and enjoy the music.

^ This!!!

I've actually found over time that uber high-end stuff, especially electronics for me, didn't really add any significant enjoyment. I followed that path in 2 channel audio when I was younger and I learned that speakers made the most difference to me. So I moved away from high-end electronics (Audio Research, Threshold, McIntosh, Krell, etc.) to high-value (Forte, GAS, Sumo) gear and focused on speakers that helped me enjoy the music!

Nowadays...I listen via headphones and have a variety of cans with different sound signatures that I enjoy with different music genres. These range in cost from the 'low-end' Grado SR60, to mid-level Senns, Beyers, AKGs, Denons, B&W, HifiMans to the higher-end (but not TOTL) Focal Clears and Audeze XCs. I've picked all of these up on great deals over time and really enjoy listening to music with them.

Bottom line for me, if a set of cans doesn't provide that spark of enjoyment when I'm listening to my favorite tunes, then they're not worth the time (or money)!

 

[JDFlood]

^ This!!!

I've actually found over time that uber high-end stuff, especially electronics for me, didn't really add any significant enjoyment. I followed that path in 2 channel audio when I was younger and I learned that speakers made the most difference to me. So I moved away from high-end electronics (Audio Research, Threshold, McIntosh, Krell, etc.) to high-value (Forte, GAS, Sumo) gear and focused on speakers that helped me enjoy the music.

Bottom line for me, if a set of cans doesn't provide that spark of enjoyment when I'm listening to my favorite tunes, then they're not worth the time (or money)!

So you are right on track. Know thy self is probably the first requirement to get to audio nirvan.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

I've tried a lot of headphones in the range from 200 to 3000 USD and I can see your predicament. I wouldn't worry too much, try new ones when you have the opportunity to do it. The stuff you end up enjoying isn't necessarily TOTL and the brain is pretty good at filling in the gaps. Have fun and enjoy music.

 

[Blackwoof]

There no difference which you are the few to admit. It why i just stick with my ER2XR(waiting get one), DT 770 & maybe the HD560S as a my endgame. When i get my ER4SR refund sorted out.

 

[silent-circuit]

You're not insane your just actually noticing there really no difference. To any mid tier(ER2XR, DT770, etc) to anything over £400, Your better off finding a sound you like within £80 ~ 399 then just EQ it too taste or fix anything odd assuming the drivers can handle it(Anything Grado or HD650). I got more joy doing heavy EQ on my DT 770, ER2/ER4XR.

... This is patently false.

Edit: I mean, glad you've found what you like, but there's no question that many $1000+ headphones are in literally every way more capable than $100 stuff.

 

[DuncanDirkDick]

There no difference which you are the few to admit. It why i just stick with my ER2XR(waiting get one), DT 770 & maybe the HD560S as a my endgame. When i get my ER4SR refund sorted out.

Glad you've found your set of cans

 

[Stereo Skunk]

... This is patently false.

Edit: I mean, glad you've found what you like, but there's no question that many $1000+ headphones are in literally every way more capable than $100 stuff.

this is patently false

lol i just felt like saying patently

 

[JDFlood]

In general there are large relatively obvious improvements in sound moving from inexpensive to very expensive headphones. How appearent and the value to a particular person of these differences depend on the system you are using to drive them, what you value in sound characteristics and your abilities to hear differences. Under some circumstances better headphones can sound worse if there is a significant mismatch in the headphones and the components driving them.

 

[Blackwoof]

... This is patently false.

Edit: I mean, glad you've found what you like, but there's no question that many $1000+ headphones are in literally every way more capable than $100 stuff.

£160 get's you way more than it did in 2010, price to performance wise. It why I picked the ER2XR & HD560S. There are deals where the ER2SE is $60, yet it blows away any $400 IEM I tried regardless of driver type. The driver used in the HD560S measures much better than the HD650/HD800S, Can handle a bass boost without it distorting like on the HD650.

I know more people with the mid priced big shots than any TOTL headphone, I don't want to lose $1000 to find out that it not really worth it. Many objective data on headphone drivers show the mid tiers have the same strong drivers, but they focus on tuning the flagship first. Etymotic, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic are the few that where there oldies are still kicking it even now.

Why start with the SR60e when £380 gets you a HD560s with dac/amp combo in one package. Also with EQ the Beyer DT770 to flatten it out it sounds very clean without any muddy bass.

 

[Elseis66]

I am so grateful of all your answers. I ended going with the following combo (mostly all of this bought second-hand here and r/avexchange):

Portable: ES-100 MK2 + Fiio FH7 (best headphones I've heard in my life)

Desktop: ADI-2 DAC FS + HD650 (I love the DAC+AMP small combo, with a small footprint, and uber sexy!)

 

[ThanatosVI]

I am so grateful of all your answers. I ended going with the following combo (mostly all of this bought second-hand here and r/avexchange):

Portable: ES-100 MK2 + Fiio FH7 (best headphones I've heard in my life)

Desktop: ADI-2 DAC FS + HD650 (I love the DAC+AMP small combo, with a small footprint, and uber sexy!)

That desktop rig is a real price performance monster. Certainly something one can be happy with.