Need help deciding on headphones. Budget £650

[kiwikozo]

Edit - Bought PM-2. Didn't wait for "burn in" period. Soundstage was very narrow and I was unimpressed. Played music for 2 hours and came back to them and they're exactly what I was hoping.

Thanks for the responses, however I'm think I'm very relieved now that the Oppo pm-2's live up to my expectations.

They seem like a great pair of headphones now that'll shine when my upgraded dragofly black>red / PM-1 earpads arrive.

 

[banco-sg]

focal elear for sure, there is a promotion going on now, so you can buy it for only $699.

 

[cossix]

+1 for the Elear, however I forget what the general consensus on the soundstage is

 

[kiwikozo]

focal elear for sure, there is a promotion going on now, so you can buy it for only $699.

Focal Elar is £899, and I presume it needs more power than a dragonfly red which costs £170 + £40 for the jitterbug.

Ideally I'd like to spend a max £650 on headphones and £200 on a amp/dac so a total of £850~

Elear

I have only had the PM-2's for a couple of hours. Maybe the sound will open up this week and I will get the wider soundstage I want. But I have never considered focal, regardless the Elar is out of what I want to spend and I can't find much praise of its soundstage.

Any other options? I don't know if the HD600/650 will be much of an upgrade. DT1990 - are these any good?

 

[banco-sg]

Focal Elar is £899, and I presume it needs more power than a dragonfly red which costs £170 + £40 for the jitterbug.

Ideally I'd like to spend a max £650 on headphones and £200 on a amp/dac so a total of £850~


I have only had the PM-2's for a couple of hours. Maybe the sound will open up this week and I will get the wider soundstage I want. But I have never considered focal, regardless the Elar is out of what I want to spend and I can't find much praise of its soundstage.

Any other options? I don't know if the HD600/650 will be much of an upgrade. DT1990 - are these any good?

Dont buy it from UK store, the US$699 is only available in US Stores. You can use forwarder imo.
Elear is very easy to drive, heck, you can even run it just using your phone.

 

[kiwikozo]

I have read a few reviews. Also I'm not sure how much it would cost to order it. $699 = £530 but then there will be delivery / import fees maybe. And what if I dislike it, I guess I could put it on ebay, or try to send it back.

"In many ways, it sounds like a closed headphone. In air, width and, especially, depth, there are closed headphones that can outperform the Elear. If sound stage is a huge selling point for you, this is the one time I can say this for sure, the Elear might not the headphone for you." https://www.headfonia.com/review-focal-elear-hyperior/2/

Can pick up used HD800 here for less than £600. Could this be a good option - and what amp/dac pairing would I need? Could I get a decent enough pairing from schiit for £250 to power the HD800? Is the HD800 too harsh for movies/tv shows/youtube?

Sorry for the 20 questions!

 

[banco-sg]

IMHO, Senn HD800/S sound is not for everyone. Have you listened to HD800/s previously? If not, i strongly suggest you to audition it first, before you pull the trigger on HD800.
It's easier to recommend Elear than HD800 to most people, since Elear is fun, warm and engaging.

 

[kiwikozo]

IMHO, Senn HD800/S sound is not for everyone. Have you listened to HD800/s previously? If not, i strongly suggest you to audition it first, before you pull the trigger on HD800.
It's easier to recommend Elear than HD800 to most people, since Elear is fun, warm and engaging.

I haven't tried the HD800 yet, there isn't anywhere close with them to demo.

 

[banco-sg]

I haven't tried the HD800 yet, there isn't anywhere close with them to demo.

If you are getting HD800, you must be prepared to buy the right amp/dac for it. And potentially, it will cost more than your budget. HD800 is known to be very picky with the setup.
HD800 will sound very thin, dry, analytical and less bassy, without the right amp/dac and EQ tweaks.

 

[kiwikozo]

Now after playing music for 2 hours and leaving the PM-2's running at a level a little bit higher than what I'd normally listen to.......

The soundstage has opened up. When new - I say 10 minutes old it felt like the soundstage was as wide as my cheek bones. But now it goes past my ears and is completely different. It's not unrealistic and far fetched, incredible separation of detail but a natural sounding sounstage not as if the driver is all over the place. Everything from the bass, treble, clarity has vastly improved. I was impatient not waiting for 30 hours burn in. When I pair it with the dragonfly red and the PM-1's earpads I expect it will become even greater, and the drivers would have burned in. I will wait until they get delivered at the end of this week but already I am pleased with the PM-2

I didn't ever believe in burn in, never have I been so wrong when it comes to Hi-Fi!

 

[banco-sg]

Now after playing music for 2 hours and leaving the PM-2's running at a level a little bit higher than what I'd normally listen to.......

The soundstage has opened up. When new - I say 10 minutes old it felt like the soundstage was as wide as my cheek bones. But now it goes past my ears and is completely different. It's not unrealistic and far fetched, incredible separation of detail but a natural sounding sounstage not as if the driver is all over the place. Everything from the bass, treble, clarity has vastly improved. I was impatient not waiting for 30 hours burn in. When I pair it with the dragonfly red and the PM-1's earpads I expect it will become even greater, and the drivers would have burned in. I will wait until they get delivered at the end of this week but already I am pleased with the PM-2

I didn't ever believe in burn in, never have I been so wrong when it comes to Hi-Fi!

Just be careful to not exceeding the limit of safe listening volume.

 

[kiwikozo]

Just be careful to not exceeding the limit of safe listening volume.

I have a dragonfly black right now, they're on level 10/100 in windows. I could comfortably listen to them at this level but I usually stick with 7/8 and never go above. Will let them burn in overnight at this normal level to get the 30 hour burn in time. Will just play regular music that I would normally listen to. Thank you

 

[ostewart]

Focal Elar is £899, and I presume it needs more power than a dragonfly red which costs £170 + £40 for the jitterbug.

Ideally I'd like to spend a max £650 on headphones and £200 on a amp/dac so a total of £850~


I have only had the PM-2's for a couple of hours. Maybe the sound will open up this week and I will get the wider soundstage I want. But I have never considered focal, regardless the Elar is out of what I want to spend and I can't find much praise of its soundstage.

Any other options? I don't know if the HD600/650 will be much of an upgrade. DT1990 - are these any good?

Where in the UK are you?

Also the Amiron Home might be better than the DT1990, it has a smoother sound with a wider soundstage too.

 

[kiwikozo]

Where in the UK are you?

Also the Amiron Home might be better than the DT1990, it has a smoother sound with a wider soundstage too.

The Amiron Home looks great, I would love to hear a pair. Read a few promising reviews, and it seems like a headphone I should consider if I want to change my PM-2.

An interesting review which compares it with the PM2 http://www.soundstagexperience.com/index.php/equipment-menu/774-beyerdynamic-amiron-home-headphones.
But it seems much more difficult to drive so I'd need a proper desktop DAC / Amp.

 

[100VoltTube]

I would like to second @ostewart and also mention that even though the Amirons are 250 ohms, they are very high sensitivity, which in theory makes them easier to drive than most headphones. That said the PM-2's are probably even easier to drive, being efficient planars.