Hi DaveDerek,
I think ive owned almost every headphone ever made as I pump a lot of my spare money into this 'hobby'. The only headphone ive never owned is the Orpheus, although ive heard it a few times in good conditions. its exceptionally musical, even though I think a few other headphones might deliver more 'ultimate' resolution.
I think it all depends on the music you enjoy and the amplifier you pair the headphones with. The Hifiman He6 are exceptionally good, but the work they require to get them singing right would put a lot of people off.
One of my favourite headphones is the Beyerdynamic T1 and while I know a lot of people will say im mad, that headphone really comes to life with a good cable. Same as the HD800. The T1 would be my 'go to headphone' along with the Denon D7000, both of which I have had recabled to balanced. I also use one of my pairs of Grado HP1000 fairly regularly, especially when im traveling with the HPA2 amplifier. Its so easy to power and it sounds great with compressed files. I tend to stay away from Mp3's when I can at home.
Denon D7000 in stock form is a lot of fun, but the bass is a little boomy IMO. The closed design and the powerful driver needs a little taming. I had Frank at Toxic cables recable the headphone and after 30 hours it sounds fantastic now. I wouldn't use it for classical or orchestra works, but its a fun headphone and 'larger than life' with some recordings.
The Sennheiser HD800 was an experience for me, I hated it when I first got it, and thankfully found a great thread on headfi years ago which explained that much of the problem was due to the stock cable. I never thought about it at the time and bought a Cardas cable which took it to a new level. The piccilino cable is stunning with that headphone as it has the clarity of silver, but the gold elements in the cable design ensure that the bass response is never lacking either. The only problem I have with the Hd800 is the slightly grainy treble which I can hear from time to time on certain recordings.
I can live with it, but I find myself using it less and less. It has a similar soundstage to the R10, but can't hold a candle in the mid range or high end. The R10 is just so smooth and can totally make me forget im actually listening to headphones. Normally im listening to a 'problem' rather than enjoying the audio experience.
The T1's i use regularly, and they sound fantastic with the Leben CS300X. very warm, yet detailed. Quite a large soundstage and almost perfect for a huge range of music. Acoustic, classical, rock and vocals.
I loved my LCD2 when I first got it, used it almost exclusively for a year, then one day I tried the T1 again and forgot how good it was. There is too much variance for me between Audeze headphones. Some of them are just above average, and others are superb. Its a problem with a smallish firm, the standards can often slip.
LCD3 is great, but I ended up with a few of the flat curve units and I can't enjoy them at all. I recently sold a pair to a nice guy in Poland, and I hope he is happy. I certainly wasn't.
JVC DX1000 is another great headphone, but I don't think it is as good as the Denon D7000. Not after both are recabled to balanced anyway. Its slightly more 'congested' to my ears and I haven't been able to completely adjust to the sound quality. It can sometimes sound really disjointed with some recordings. hard to get into words.
Stax 007 and 009 are fantastic headphones. Not sure I could say anything that hasn't been said before. For classical and demanding, complex musical works they are phenomenal.
R10, is my favourite headphone. If I only listened to rock id probably use the T1 and the Hp1000 almost all the time, but as im getting older im finding more enjoyment looking into genre's id never have contemplated in my youth, when I mainly listened to metal. I am finding enjoyment recently with jazz and world music. I dont think there is a single headphone to convey this genre with the same impact as the R10. (Orpheus im sure is better, but I can't really comment on that as ive not had a lot of time with it).
There is a huge 'anti cable' squad on Headfi, who seem to just dismiss the whole concept of changing the signal from amplifier to driver, but I couldn't disagree more. I think the differences might be less with lower quality amplification, but I can normally tell which cable im even using now.
I have to add, that I have a slight hearing disorder. I have extremely sensitive ears and have had to have treatment in previous years. I need to wear pads over my ears at night as I can often fixate on a distant sound that people think im imagining. I also have a hard time at concerts as I can't handle the volume either, I need to wear special ear protection or I would probably pass out from the noise. been dealing with this since I was a kid. It sounds like a great thing, to be able to hear very distant noises and pick up frequencies that maybe some people dont hear. But trust me, its a curse.
In regards to my R10's - the older model which looked in bad condition, has been restored by Frank and it now sounds exceptionally good, even better than the mint R10 I have in the box. I have never owned more than two R10's so im not sure if the older one I bought from Cobra_verde was one of the best they built, or whether the refoaming, new pads and recabling have all helped improve it even further.
it is ideal for me however as I can keep the mint #808 headphone in the box in my house in good temperatures, while I use the #365.
I used to spend all my money on motorbikes, so this option is less dangerous. So the women in my life say anyway.
