Makes sense. Guess at this price it’s really hard to tell the difference between the M8 and something supposedly more high end. Would you reckon I’ll hear a bigger difference in sound quality investing in higher end headphones as opposed to dac/amps at this point?
I’m using the HD6xx right now and intend to keep it after I “upgrade”. Would the HD800S be a good choice for when I’m listening more analytically and want the extra sound stage and clarity?
I’ve looked at Audeze and Hifiman but there are mixed reports on comfort and reliability. The Sennheisers just seems to be more “pro” grade rather than “consumer luxury/leisure grade”, which is what I prefer.
I noticed the biggest difference of all when getting better headphones. I like the sound profile of Beyerdynamic, with its clean, controlled bass, crystal highs and clearly defined soundstage. But some people don’t like it and rather like the more warm, intimate profile of the HD650, or the massive (in my eyes inaccurate, but YMMV) soundstage of the HD800.
The headphone amps/DACs, when they reach a certain quality level, don’t really add or subtract anything audible from the sound profile, as long they have enough power to drive the headphones IMHO. I’m talking about transistor amps of course, they all pretty much sound equal when built correctly.
When you try tube amps on the other hand, you get some added distortion, which of course does change the sound profile audibly, some to the liking but others not so much.
I found the M8 to be good enough that I’d not miss any details, have enough dynamic range that complex music at high volume still gets the full soundstage and stays accurate, has enough power to drive any headphone, can be used directly off iPhone/Android/PC without any extra DAC, has a battery that lasts decently long, is small enough to carry, well build, with switchable gain for IE/Over ear and switchable output impedance so you effectively have a do-it-all package. I haven’t found anything else that does all this so well. Worth every penny I’d say.
So my advice: buy the best headphones you can afford, that suit you sonic preference.
Buy the M8 and start enjoying music wherever you are, spend hours listening to all the music you already knew from the past, but rediscover details that you’ve never heard before, appreciate the music to its full potential, the way the artists actually meant people to hear it but nobody does
Stop reading the audio forums, stop pondering what would sound better and spend as much time enjoying your setup, you really won’t be missing out. High end headphones are really that fantastic. Speakers are harder, you need to soundproof your listening room, position them correctly, power them correctly, with drivers that are compatible, correctly crossover, correct housing etc. It will never be finished. But headphones are already perfect they way they are, there’s no reflections, no room nodes, no standing waves, no decay etc.
If you want to have fun with your headphones, you could buy a ‘Buttkicker’ with amp and attach it to your chair, this way when you’re listening to your headphones you can feel the bass as well.
Drummers use this to feel the bass when they’re playing electronic drums.
