Within the context of the recent discussion on soundstage, some headphones have a distant-sounding soundstage and others don't, and I happen to prefer the ones that don't, and then you go and posit that I'm not a "headphone guy after all"? What is that supposed to mean? I used to own the Stax OII MKI, as you know, and I really liked the sound of that headphone (and I didn't sell it because I stopped liking its sound, I sold it for other reasons). So I don't understand your comment, particularly when there are plenty of other headphones that I've really liked as well, just not ones like the HD800, SR-009, or now the HE1K. If you meant to say that I'm not into headphones that have a distant-sounding soundstage that would be accurate, but to say I'm not a "headphone guy" is simply inaccurate.
And while we're on the subject of soundstage, headstage, etc, particularly in the context of flagship headphones, that reminds me of darth nut's excellent 2003 review of the OII MKI: http://www.head-fi.org/t/40313/stax-sr-007-omega-ii-a-review-after-4-years-of-ownership
I can understand your perspective, but I also listen to classical a fair amount and don't like expansive soundstages with it, at all. I'm sure that's probably intended to provide the illusion of a concert hall, but for me when a headphone expands the soundstage and I'm listening to classical music, I lose my connection to the music. I want to feel like I'm as close to the orchestra as possible, not away from it.
And it's now clear to me that there are at least two different perspectives on this when it comes to classical music and soundstage. Clearly you and Wildcatsare1 have the same perspective on needing that expanded soundstage for classical music to sound life-like.
But I'd challenge both of you on this perspective, because that's just not the whole picture of getting life-like-sounding classical music. True, classical music is usually performed in some type of concert hall or auditorium otherwise, and I definitely understand that some people seek to replicate that "soundstage" at home, whether it's on loudspeakers or headphones.
But as a musician myself (violinist, specifically), to equate "speaker-like" to "life-like" isn't the whole picture. What about the aspect of tonality? Don't you care if the strings sound fake or glossy? Or if the brass sounds shrill or too bronzy? Or the woodwinds nasal? Or that the percussion delivers ground-shaking impact? Or that loud fortissimos hit you in the chest from their intensity? Life-like includes that too, it's not only the soundstage.
For me, an orchestra in front of me is exactly what I want. Ideally I'd like to feel like I'm in the conductor's position, and not in the audience. The Stax OII MKI delivered exactly that for me when I owned it, which is just one reason why I liked it so much. It consistently made me feel like I was either directly in front of the orchestra, or even in it, and that was just one factor that contributed to it sounding life-like & realistic to me, as a violinist. I've played in orchestras before and know just how intense everything around me can sound; and if I can get that experience from headphones, then that's something I want!
That's just my take on this subject of classical music & soundstage, anyway, because this difference of opinion on Head-Fi isn't usually clearly seen & understood enough by those who listen to classical music. We're all fans of classical music, but it's obvious not all of us are really listening to the same thing.
