Would you mind elaborating about what loudspeakers you're using, as well as some recommendations for someone getting started with that kind of thing?
http://www.klipsch.com/products/reference-premiere-floorstanding-speakers?model=rp-250f
http://www.klipsch.com/blog/reference-vs-reference-premiere-whats-the-difference
Well, first off, you'll want to get something suited to your listening space. I'm only using a bedroom. While you can use towers even in a room this small, the larger the speakers, the more easily they can overpower the room. Ironically, for whatever reason, I have less problems with room acoustics with these larger speakers than I did with JBL LSR305 studio monitors placed on full-size stands.
Experimenting with placement/positioning can yield better results.
Try to keep plenty of space between the speakers and walls. (As well as the ceiling.)
Many prefer to have the listening position in the horizontal center of the room, with the speakers equidistant from the side walls, an equilateral triangle between the speakers and listening position, and the speakers angled towards them so the sides are not visible.
Isolating the speakers (by placing them on stands, putting isolation footers under them, etc.) is important. You want to avoid too much sound resonating through the furniture, walls, and so on.
With a simple microphone and free software, you can measure the frequency response from the listening position and make it (basically) perfectly neutral at the push of a button. (Something you can't do with headphones.)
According to most in the know, acoustic treatments throughout the listening room are worthwhile. (I haven't bothered with them, but plan to.)
All this is very general advice that you may have already known. I am by no means a speaker expert, as I only got into them last year. You'll have to do lots of research if you want to become knowledgeable on this topic.
It's nice to see that you like the Stax L300. I very nearly ordered a new pair last night, but ended up getting a used 407 that was $100 cheaper instead. I'm pretty sure I'll be very happy with either one, and getting the cheaper one seemed a better idea than stressing over whatever minor differences there are between them.
The differences between the three Lambdas I had were not so minor. The new "advanced Lambda" series sounds more solid and focused, with there being more of a stereotypical ethereal sound the further back in production time you go. (All three are among the most neutral headphones.)
I do see where you're coming from about the Koss KTXPro1. I don't agree with you, like at all, but I'm not about to pretend my opinion is any better than yours
But I've been looking back at how my tastes in music have changed along with changes in my audio gear, and I believe the two things to be causally related. So it's entirely possible that the kind of music you like sounds great on KTXPro1s and doesn't necessarily benefit from something "better." Maybe that's the artist's intention, maybe it's a coincidence, but it doesn't really matter. I think lots of classic rock came about because the bands wanted to sound good on the record players of the time, and my modern high end system is ridiculous overkill. I love Led Zeppelin--their BBC Sessions is one of the best rock albums ever--but I don't enjoy it substantially more with my Mr. Speakers or Stax gear than I do with my PortaPro.
How much time have you spent listening to the KTXPRO1? Which systems did you pair it with? Which music genres did you test with?
FYI, I am an experienced musician and listen to nearly all types of music.
It sounded great with all music. I even preferred it over STAX for some energetic, impactful music like metal and some electronic. (And STAX are usually my favorite headphones for most types of music. STAX is obviously more accurate, though.)
I never said that some other headphones don't sound better. You seemed to imply that that is what I was claiming. But that is not what diminishing returns is; it is when you do not get an improvement directly proportional to what you put in. A $150 headphone is not going to be ten times better (many are actually worse); a $1,500 headphone is not going to be a hundred times better; and so on.
I think the KTXPRO1 is 90% as good as any headphone at any price. The reason I think this is because it reproduces most of the sound, and any improvements beyond what it is capable of (the types of things we audiophiles appreciate) only account for a small percent of the overall sound. Others may think of it as a different number, and this is subjective.
I don't like the Porta Pro, by the way. Out of the six Koss headphone models I have owned (including the ESP950), it is my least favorite. I found this strange since it has almost the same drivers as the KTXPRO1, but not coated with titanium. The main difference is the enclosure, which I confirmed by swapping the drivers. I did love the comfort, though, and primarily used it for videos in the past, since I'm not so picky with sound quality for those.
Cheaper gear is obviously no impediment to getting immense enjoyment from music. But the EDM I spend most of my time listening to seems especially demanding of gear. I think the "better" gear I have makes worlds of difference there
I listen to lots of EDM and am blown away with how it sounds on my speakers.
Check out this record label. All the releases are available for free lossless download aside from the newest one. (A 2 CD compilation limited to 100 copies. So glad I snatched one up, because it's some of the best electronic music I've heard!)
https://luckylotus.bandcamp.com
