[Skylab]

Ultrasone Ed 8, Denon D7000, and JVC DX1000 are among the very best current production closed headphones. I will remove my personal bias and add the AT W5000, although I disliked those. The AT W1000X is intriguing but not many people have heard them yet.

R10 is made of unobtanium. The L3000 is a little easier to get, but I thought they were nowhere near as good sounding as any of the others on the above list.

For me, the Edition 8 are the best sounding current production closed headphone.

 

[atothex]

R10 is damn near perfect.
4070... not so much. Had one very weird experience where they made drums sound mushy.

I do enjoy the W5000 and L3000, but they kinda got their own thing. They either work for you, or they don't, whereas the R10 sound seems to agree with most people.

 

[Deadmeatdh]

I have Sennheiser HD 800 and have the ability to test alot of high-end speaker sets too (sweden is not so hard to get,)

(Hit me up at skype,msn or message for more info.)

Intriguing of how neutral you can get with closed headphones.

If someone would like to, I myself am very oooaa when it comes to finding out neutrality or something very enjoyable.

 

[Deadmeatdh]

I and a few others are also going to visit Transmission audio.

 

[oqvist]

Sweden you say. Well I have to fly 800 km or there about to audition pretty much anything about koss porta Pros

 

[Necrolic]

R10/L3000, and as far as these go they don't really compare with actual reference cans. Closed cans seem to be all about the fun factor in general.

The next best thing if you want something cheaper would be W5000s or LA7000s, both of which have their imperfections that make them poor for reference listening though. W5000s can be harsh and have a peak in the upper mids, while the LA7000s have a bit too much energy in the top end, and are certainly not neutral in bass.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deadmeatdh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello there again. Now i'm back after a long time and have been upgrading and research a whole lot more. Was wondering if anyone could be able to give me a shot on what Closed headphone you would prefer for "reference listening". I myself have the ability to get almost anything there is.

Spending limit & genres?

 

[KingStyles]

I would have to add the LA7000 and the edition 8 for something between the d7000 and the l3000/r10 range.

 

[Deadmeatdh]

Limits are now kinda "gonne" expet mabey for very hard to comeby stuff

Genres are everything preferably being natural, (atleast in the aspect of a closed headphone*)

 

[Deadmeatdh]

Check out my profile for a few systems I had the luck to borrow at home-

 

[markmaxx]

How about the custom IE. Dynamic headphones? They isolate better then closed headphones and are attainable new, and are reference quality.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deadmeatdh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Limits are now kinda "gonne" expet mabey for very hard to comeby stuff Genres are everything preferably being natural, (atleast in the aspect of a closed headphone*)

For being natural, the R10 would be a great choice.. But again, you will be paying a lot, & I heard they are picky about amps.. The D7000 is the most TH like & have the deepest bass out of any closed dynamic that I know of.. One Octave lower then others.. The DX1000 is good, but heard the mid range has a weird colorization to them.. The L3000, from what I have read, has the best bass quality out of any closed dynamic headphone..

IMO the best (or 'reference') closed dynamic headphones in production would be
The D7000
The DX1000
The W5000
The Pro 900 with Kee mods
The DT48 (flame away, just my opinion. But they are very polarizing, genre specific, & I would advise a audition before purchasing.. But they are reference material as they are endorsed by NAGRA.. If neutrality & transparency is big with you, you should at least try them out.. Many owners compare them to the big boys in that regard.

Of course there is the Stax 4070, which, I'd be willing to bet, is the best closed headphone in production today bare none.. If you ever decide to go that route.

 

[John2e]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me, the Edition 8 are the best sounding current production closed headphone.

X2

Also at this level synergy, between equipment must be considered. You just can not buy the best of every component and expect the end result to be the best. Unless you buy Stax

 

[mikeymad]

+1 for L3000

 

[bdh]

-1 for L3000