[TwoEars]

I'm NOT judging.. Just prefer the soundstage and the vocals atm.. That's why I'm trying to find out which phones have good ssoundstage.

You can NEVER judge a head phone Anyways.. Since almost every one of them will sound different and people have DIFERENT tastes

Talking about the analogy of a woman.. Some people prefers the cup size, some people prefers the face, and some people might prefer the rear end size.. So... All about personal preference... Plus... Probably be hard to find a PERFECT woman.. Lol

 
I'm only joking

 
You could also try to find a pair of AKG K1000's. Hard to find collectors piece, but will most likely only increase in value.
 
Or you could try this: http://www.head-fi.org/t/555263/foobar2000-dolby-headphone-config-comment-discuss
 
Does interesting things with the soundstage which you might like!

 

[elvergun]

 

Even better than the hd800? Wow! Are they easy to buy?

They have been discontinued, so they are not easy to buy.  You can still find them used on ebay or Amazon.
 
Quote:

   
Judging a headphone by soundstage alone is like judging women by their cup size.
 
It can be quite captivating, but after a while you realize that there are other parts that actually matter.

 
The F1's other parts (the ones that actually matter) are also quite engaging.  
 
I find myself reaching for the F1 more often than the HD800.  The HD800 is more technically capable, but the F1 is something special.  The Sony didn't have a great following on Head-fi back in the day...I believe the reason for that is that the F1 is not a bass cannon (they have about the same amount of bass as the K702).

 

[punit]

After that I would actually get an inexpensive tube amp. Many people who start out thinking that they want to drive the HD800 with solid state end up going to tubes.... after a lot of money and trial and error. The Bottlehead Crack + Speedball is fantastic for the HD800 and will cost you next to nothing. You will get a fantastic combo in HD800 + crack amp.  

 
+1 for BHC. If you are not into DIY, then i would recommend DarkVoice 336SE as a nice budget alternative (there is a Mdrop happening on them right now).

 

[LugBug1]

Yeah the AKG Q/K7** do have a large soundstage area but the sound is distant and more 2 dimensional. The imaging is nowhere near as good as the HD800 for instrument placement and overall size and definition. The MDR MA900 soundstage is more of a gimmick in that it seems very open and airy but the actual image is quite compressed. The treble is rolled off but edgy at about 2k and there is no sub bass at all. Stay clear.
 
To the guy that was concerned about upgrading from the 650's with his mid-fi set up - I would say that any set up that you happy with the 650's plugged in to, the hd800 plugged in will sound a lot better. So yes I would buy the headphones first then look to eventually upgrade amp and dac. But theres no hurry as the HD800 are a lot more versatile than its reputation would have it. It's just some folks take a while to adjust to higher fidelity Anyways, they are great for EQ'ing if you find them lacking or edgy because of a lower end source.       

 

[Maxvla]

a little food for thought as all headphones only show a little soundstage and nothing like speakers . why look for sound stage and not great detail and timbre of music ?
al

That's pretty short sighted. Creating the space is the most important part of music, IMO. If you don't start with at least an attempt to create reality, the timbre/etc falls flat anyway. That's like worrying about graphics in a video game without developing an engaging story.

 

[ALRAINBOW]

We all have our likes
It was just my opinion. And a video game that has great graphics is better thAn the plot.
It's eye candy for me. But again it's what I like
The HE6 is more like speakers than the hd800 but the hd800 is soo much more detailed
It's just crazy to say one is better. It's all our very own likes
Al

 

[preproman]

We all have our likes
It was just my opinion. And a video game that has great graphics is better thAn the plot.
It's eye candy for me. But again it's what I like
The HE6 is more like speakers than the hd800 but the hd800 is soo much more detailed
It's just crazy to say one is better. It's all our very own likes
Al

 
When you say "soo much more detailed" - are you saying you hear things on the HD800 that you don't on other headphones?  

 

[Canadian411]

Hmmm weird I thought HE6 had more details. .. puzzled.

 

[punit]

   
When you say "soo much more detailed" - are you saying you hear things on the HD800 that you don't on other headphones?  

Think what he means is (this is based on my personal experience , please correct me if I am wrong Al) that the HE 6 & HD 800 both shine a clear light on the minute elements of a track so they can be seen clearly, but the HE 6 light is the morning pleasant light whereas the HD 800 is the afternoon bright sunlight. So if the song is not recorded properly you can still listen to it on HE 6 (you know its not recorded well but but can still listen) but on HD 800 you tend to skip to the next track, its brutal that way.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/493214/hifiman-he-6-planar-magnetic-headphone/13380#post_10524912
 
 

 

[TwoEars]

   .... the HE 6 & HD 800 both shine a clear light on the minute elements of a track so they can be seen clearly, but the HE 6 light is the morning pleasant light whereas the HD 800 is the afternoon bright sunlight...
 
 

 
Have you been writing anything for "The Absolute Sound" lately?  You're starting to sound like a professional.
 

 

[punit]

   
Have you been writing anything for "The Absolute Sound" lately?  You're starting to sound like a professional.
 

Alas as much as I may try I can never write as well as Srajan from 6moons

 

[LugBug1]

It was just my opinion. And a video game that has great graphics is better thAn the plot.
 

Hang about, Al's is just as good!  
 
Some fab metaphors happening here..

 

[ALRAINBOW]

Punit is saying what I said much nicer but the same. . As good as they both are I would have to say the details award goes to the hd800. Now the he 6 has more body but is also more like speakers as such it looses a little of the close up detail in achieving this. .
This is a side by side listing of the same ttracks and same amp and DAC . Again just my observation. Now as compared
To the stax 009 with has even more details and even less body shows me the high detail goes toa thinner presentation.
Al

 

[punit]

 Now the he 6 has more body but is also more like speakers as such it looses a little of the close up detail in achieving this. .
 

Bingo....I was a speaker guy before & always wished I could listen to music sitting very close to my speakers inorder to catch the micro details but It was always a trade off between soundstage & extreme clarity : If you sit close you do not get optimal sound stage & imaging but if you sit at the right distance then you loose out on the micro details unless you pump the volume up (which you can't always do ). He 6 feels like I am listening to speakers attached to a head band. As Al says: its bcos of the body, especially on the Bass.
But i differ with Al in that I feel it dosen't loose any detail but they are not brought to the forefront , like the HD 800.
 
For example just yesterday I was listening to a track which had a sharp treble based percussion happening in the background , on the HD 800 it sounded very rough  & my mind was just focussing on that sound & I got irritated. I tried it with HE 6 i could hear the same sound but it just about blended in the background & wasn't as irritating & I could listen to the track.

 

[preproman]

 
Think what he means is (this is based on my personal experience , please correct me if I am wrong Al) that the HE 6 & HD 800 both shine a clear light on the minute elements of a track so they can be seen clearly, but the HE 6 light is the morning pleasant light whereas the HD 800 is the afternoon bright sunlight. So if the song is not recorded properly you can still listen to it on HE 6 (you know its not recorded well but but can still listen) but on HD 800 you tend to skip to the next track, its brutal that way.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/493214/hifiman-he-6-planar-magnetic-headphone/13380#post_10524912
 
 

 
I'm trying to dissect your analogy here.  On the same rig with the same recordings my ears cannot hear more detail either way.  Soundstage yes HD800 clarity = tie, resolution = tie, Imagaing = Big Band - HD800, Trio Jazz - HE-6.
 
Are you guys saying the brighter the headphones are the more detail it has?