One $400 or Two $200 headphones?
Dec 18, 2012 at 1:49 AM Post #16 of 88
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It's all about what a specific sonic improvement is worth to you. Typically if you can even just get a chance to audition the target headphone for 5 minutes, it should be enough information to judge whether it is worth the cost or not. Relying on hearsay is a bit trickier.
 
The good thing about buying a nice all-rounder is, you have the chance to just sell all your other cans if it is well-rounded enough. That tends to squeeze up some extra dosh.

Very true. Now if only these places existed haha.  I feel like there's a market for a headphone rental store or something.  It would save everybody a ton of time and money.
 
You're doing a good job convincing me to just go with one good headphone that can handle everything well.  Thanks 
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Dec 18, 2012 at 1:54 AM Post #17 of 88
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What are your current headphones anyway? Just curious.

Full-Size: Sennheiser HD 558, Superlux HD668
IEMs: Klipsch X10i, Future Sonics Atrios MG7, Meelectronics M6, Yuin PK3.
 
I've tried the HE-400, Denon D5000, Denon D2000, DT 770 Pro, and DT 990 Pro.
 
The HE-400 knocked my socks off, and so did the Denon's.  The DT 770 Pro's sub bass was awesome.  All of the ones I've tried though were limited and I can't say I remember their sound perfectly.
 
BTW, I would have added this stuff to my sig, but I don't think Head-Fi will let me yet. 
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 2:18 AM Post #18 of 88
Full-Size: Sennheiser HD 558, Superlux HD668

IEMs: Klipsch X10i, Future Sonics Atrios MG7, Meelectronics M6, Yuin PK3.

I've tried the HE-400, Denon D5000, Denon D2000, DT 770 Pro, and DT 990 Pro.

The HE-400 knocked my socks off, and so did the Denon's.  The DT 770 Pro's sub bass was awesome.  All of the ones I've tried though were limited and I can't say I remember their sound perfectly.

BTW, I would have added this stuff to my sig, but I don't think Head-Fi will let me yet. 

You already have quite a few good headphones there and I think I can see why you started this thread. Are you feeling a little undecisive about whether or not you should dip your toes into deeper water?

I think it's a decision you need tto make and no choice is wrong. However, wouldn't it feel good to have one set of headphones that are (hopefully) a bit better?

Be aware of diminishing returns though. Whrn I listened to the D7000 it sounded good but not 4 times as good as my D2000. Personally I find myself more attracted to thr $200-400 bracket than the $1000 one.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 2:20 AM Post #19 of 88
Having quite a big headphone inventory of my own, it may seem unusual for me to say that perhaps one $400 headphone would be better.
In the end, you can only wear one at a time, and only a select few will get most of your use.
 
Unless, that is to say, you have some specific wants you want for your music... like a closed back for on the go, and an open back for home. Or if you want specific sound signatures for different playlists and your current best headphones simply cannot be the jack of all trades to your preference. Add in if the HE-400 cannot satisfy your sound preference to all your usual music genre.
 
I know I personally have many headphones and I use them for different occasions, but in reality I could as well sell them all except one, and be completely satisfied with it since it does the job for all my music.
 
 
And unless you are selling your current headphones to fund for the HE-400, then you still get this second headphone for other occasions.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 2:30 AM Post #20 of 88
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You already have quite a few good headphones there and I think I can see why you started this thread. Are you feeling a little undecisive about whether or not you should dip your toes into deeper water?
I think it's a decision you need tto make and no choice is wrong. However, wouldn't it feel good to have one set of headphones that are (hopefully) a bit better?
Be aware of diminishing returns though. Whrn I listened to the D7000 it sounded good but not 4 times as good as my D2000. Personally I find myself more attracted to thr $200-400 bracket than the $1000 one.

That's exactly it. I really like all of my current headphones, but having auditioned better gear, I know now what I'm missing out on. If I had all of the headphones in front of me right now it would be infinitely easier to figure this out.  Since I don't, this is a sticky situation. 
 
And having tried the D5000 and the D2000, I agree completely, for their old MSRP's I'm not sure the price differences were justified. Then again, this is Head-Fi 
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Dec 18, 2012 at 2:36 AM Post #22 of 88
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Having quite a big headphone inventory of my own, it may seem unusual for me to say that perhaps one $400 headphone would be better.
In the end, you can only wear one at a time, and only a select few will get most of your use.
 
Unless, that is to say, you have some specific wants you want for your music... like a closed back for on the go, and an open back for home. Or if you want specific sound signatures for different playlists and your current best headphones simply cannot be the jack of all trades to your preference. Add in if the HE-400 cannot satisfy your sound preference to all your usual music genre.
 
I know I personally have many headphones and I use them for different occasions, but in reality I could as well sell them all except one, and be completely satisfied with it since it does the job for all my music.
 
 
And unless you are selling your current headphones to fund for the HE-400, then you still get this second headphone for other occasions.

I loved the HE-400 with everything I piped through it, but like I posted earlier, a lot of people think that going that route wouldn't be preferable to something like what you said.  A closed-back for on the go and a open-back for at home.  If money wasn't an issue, I'd just get everything at once, and keep only the ones I use the most after a few months.  My budget sadly is an issue, so $400 on one headphone is the most I can justify.  If bang-for-the-buck is number one on the priority list, two headphones or one (Or three, or four, or 50?)  That's the million dollar question.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 2:53 AM Post #23 of 88
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this is more of a "quality vs quantity" debate... keeping that in mind, ask yourself the question again...

I wish it was that easy.  I'd take 1 headphone at 100% quality any day over 2 at 50% quality. It's much more difficult because you get 80% of the headphone for half the price, and can cover more ground with regards to isolation and portability with 2 headphones. If I valued sound quality over everything else, this wouldn't be an issue (Hopefully admitting this doesn't get me kicked of Head-Fi 
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).  I also take into account long-term comfort, and how well they handle everything that's thrown at them. Although this is making the decision process that much muddier.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:01 AM Post #24 of 88
Before, I might have thought that two $200 headphones would've been the way to go...but then I got a taste of Stax. That's when Head-Fi did irrepairable damage to my financial well-being.
 
Even if it is on the expensive side given what I've seen them sell for ($250-350 most of the time), I'd definitely consider paying $400 for another original SR-Lambda, or another headphone of that caliber. (Not that I've found a suitable replacement yet; the SR-202 and SR-303 certainly weren't.)
 
In general, I agree with the poster above in that I'd rather have one really good product than two almost-good-enough-but-not-quite products. If it takes me a few more weeks of saving up to afford it, so be it.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:09 AM Post #25 of 88
Just throwing it out there .......

Buy used on the forums (your buck will go a lot further and most people here 'baby' their gear). I know I do!

Aim for former flagships - there is a reason why they were flagships - and they still sound as good today.

Sample until you find the house sound you like. By buying and selling on the forums you won't lose a lot of dough - but you will find the 'house sound' that you prefer, then at some stage in the future narrow it down to a single headphone if that's what you want to do. I believe with my current set-up, I have something to cover everything, and they all get pretty much equal head-time ...... just depends on my mood, what I'm listening to, and what my preferences are for any given day. I aimed for former flags, and like to believe for my musical tastes I have the best of many worlds.

DT880 / HD600 / K701 / SR325i

Your ideal list will probably be a lot different - but if you buy carefully it should allow you to satisfy both variety and desire for quality. I did consider selling all of them at one stage and buying one flagship - but I couldn't bear to part with any of them. Funnily enough my curiosity to hear the different flagships is still there. But my desire to own one has diminished over time. With these cans, I simply don't need one.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:10 AM Post #26 of 88
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I loved the HE-400 with everything I piped through it, but like I posted earlier, a lot of people think that going that route wouldn't be preferable to something like what you said.  A closed-back for on the go and a open-back for at home.  If money wasn't an issue, I'd just get everything at once, and keep only the ones I use the most after a few months.  My budget sadly is an issue, so $400 on one headphone is the most I can justify.  If bang-for-the-buck is number one on the priority list, two headphones or one (Or three, or four, or 50?)  That's the million dollar question.


Having yet to hear a HE-400 for myself it is slightly hard for me to say which would be the best bang for the buck... but considering your current two other headphone have already been open/semi-open, is it safe for me to assume that you take your IEMs for on the go anyway? If yes and you do not plan on changing this status-quo, I would definitely lean towards the HE-400 if you liked them that much.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:10 AM Post #27 of 88
My way of thinking is:

A. I can only wear one headphone at once, and more then likely I will have a "favorite" anyway. Might as well start of with your "favorite" and make it the most expensive, then if needed by a "side" headphone to fix what your favorite does wrong. But I'm a big fan of getting a quality one first priority.

B. It would get annoying constantly switching between headphones for different songs. I tend to listen to my entire music collection at shuffle, so one track can be Pop and the next could be Dubstep then it could become Jazz. You get the point. For situations like that, one great headphones that is able reproduce all genre's to a enjoyable listening experience > Three headphones that specialize in something. I could not shuffle my entire collection with a "Specialty" headphone and that is always a negative for me.

C. I also have the way of thinking that nothing really NEEDS to be perfect. Yes all of us here want it to be, but honestly I don't think it can ever get that (it could get close though) and the time, effort and money needed to get there would probably be very hard to obtain. I am able to just accept the fact that not only are my all-around headphones great as they are, I don't feel the need to "Upgrade" because there isn't a genre they do that I can't sit back, close my eyes and just enjoy.

For a example I had the Pro 900's. Yes they were amazing for Dubstep and most Hip-Hop but I stopped missing them past the first week I returned them. Even if my HE-400's don't do as good of a job as my Pro 900's for those two specific genre's I am still able to enjoy and fall in love with my music and at the end, that is all that matters to me. If I had a chose between keeping my Pro 900's and getting some other $200-300 pair of headphones for the rest of genre's I would still go with the HE-400's just because I love having the versatility they provide in one single package.

That's just my view though, some people love to collect headphones, some love to hear and experience new things (And I do too, to a certain point) but each person has there own preference at the end.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:16 AM Post #28 of 88
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:19 AM Post #29 of 88
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:56 AM Post #30 of 88
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I used to be, now I've upgraded myself to a HE500 fanboi 
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 I could pick on HE400's flaws all day, but I really can't find any flaw with my HE500s even when I try.
 
Shame OP can't spend $700 instead, I daresay HE500 flat-out beats anything (non-'stat) at that price bracket in terms of overall well-rounded performance and musicality.
 

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