What are the best headphones on the market in 2014?

[thievesarmy]

Orpheus isn't currently "on the market", so I don't think that would qualify.
 
There are a handful of headphones in production today that could be considered "the best". There is no singular answer as not everyone agrees, but the Stax 009's I think are widely considered the best in production today, though as someone else mentioned they're quite pricey. Most all that are considered among the best today are.
 
The Senn HD 800's are very highly praised, especially here on Head-Fi. If you're already considering those, I think you'll be pleased with them - just make sure you read up on good amp pairings, as those are known to be finicky / particular when it comes to pairing with amp's. 

 

[lukem5]

   
Because the kind of people who are even glancing at products on that level won't settle for a knockoff. 
 
 

 Everybody is glancing at these phones, everyone wants the absolute best sound they can get but $10k+ is out of the question. 
 
I'm just wondering if these phones are all they are hyped up to be, or if there are just a few crazy's who need to justify spending so much on headphones.
 
It seems to be that diminishing returns of sound quality/price from headphones is a steep slope.
 
A pair of $500 headphones, won't be much better than a pair of $5,000 headphones, in fact most people couldn't even tell the difference.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

   Everybody is glancing at these phones, everyone wants the absolute best sound they can get but $10k+ is out of the question. 
 
I'm just wondering if these phones are all they are hyped up to be, or if there are just a few crazy's who need to justify spending so much on headphones.
 
It seems to be that diminishing returns of sound quality/price from headphones is a steep slope.
 
A pair of $500 headphones, won't be much better than a pair of $5,000 headphones, in fact most people couldn't even tell the difference.

 
The same is true of a Rolex watch or a bottle of scotch. The average person might not be able to tell the difference between a shot of Jameson and a MacCallen 30, but the man buying a bottle of the latter for $1300 is going to be dead set certain that it was worth the price. 
 
Think of it like this: it doesn't matter "how much" better the $10,000 headphones are than the $500 headphones or the $5,000 headphones. What matters is that they ARE better. For those who seek the absolute perfection, there comes a point where it doesn't matter how much it costs. If A is better than B, they will buy A. Period. For the people genuinely looking at them, the point is that they want the absolute best, regardless of price.
 
The fallacy is in thinking that the people with their eyes on a Stax or Abyss are doing so with an optimal ratio of price/performance. That's the mindset of someone with a specific budget. That's someone saying "what's the most I can get for what I deem to be a reasonable amount of money." You're looking to squeeze the maximum amount of every dollar you're dropping down. You have an amount you're willing to spend, but you're hoping you don't "need" to spend that much because such-and-such isn't really worth THAT much.
 
All of us want the best sound we can get, but for most of us there's a point at which we're not willing to spend any more money. We're not actually trying to get the best sound possible, just what's within our means. When your means extend into the infinite horizon, all that matters is what's best, not what's cost-effective.
 
And realize this: in the world of high fidelity home theatre audio, $20,000 is basically an entrance fee. They would laugh at anyone thinking they can get a good system for a four digit price. 

 

[paradoxper]

  The Stax SR-009 is considered the best headphone right now, but to build a rig around them would cost you over 10K. 

Simply not true. But the SR-009 is a fine headphone.

 

[superlowfi]

The same headphones that were the best on the market in 1994, the Koss Portapro and the Koss ESP950 

 

[SomeGuyDude]

  Simply not true. But the SR-009 is a fine headphone.

 
No? I was under the impression the SR009 was sort of recognized as "the headphone of headphones". The Orpheus was more of a museum exhibit. 

 

[paradoxper]

   
No? I was under the impression the SR009 was sort of recognized as "the headphone of headphones". The Orpheus was more of a museum exhibit. 

Best is subjective. IMO, for 2014 -- nothing does beat out the SR-009, it spanks everything.
There are some unobtaniums that are really good though, but they're not feasible.
I was more objecting to Lin's figure of $10k needed to build a 009 rig.

 

[lin0003]

  Best is subjective. IMO, for 2014 -- nothing does beat out the SR-009, it spanks everything.
There are some unobtaniums that are really good though, but they're not feasible.
I was more objecting to Lin's figure of $10k needed to build a 009 rig.

Meant a good rig. There are some cheaper amps, but I'm guessing people who go for the SR-009 will go for the BHSE, LL, WES, A-10 or something like that. 

 

[paradoxper]

  Meant a good rig. There are some cheaper amps, but I'm guessing people who go for the SR-009 will go for the BHSE, LL, WES, A-10 or something like that. 

With either 007 or 009 there are some fantastic amps out there in the DIY world, which have been found to be better than the commercial offerings from Woo or Cavalli. And better still, the 009 out of one of the Stax amps is still above anything else in the dynamic world. 
 
So again, it does not necessarily have to break the bank. You could easily be looking at $5k-sh for a 009 and amp.

 

[lin0003]

  With either 007 or 009 there are some fantastic amps out there in the DIY world, which have been found to be better than the commercial offerings from Woo or Cavalli. And better still, the 009 out of one of the Stax amps is still above anything else in the dynamic world. 
 
So again, it does not necessarily have to break the bank. You could easily be looking at $5k-sh for a 009 and amp.

In Aus the 009 is already 6 or 7K. 

 

[Chefguru]

  The Stax SR-009 is considered the best headphone right now, but to build a rig around them would cost you over 10K. 

 
Less. The sr009 import price right now is $3,600. Match it with a used srm-717 or feedback-modded srm-727 for around 1500~ and a half-decent dac like the parasound zdac which is selling for around $300... were talking under $5500 for a system that would beat everything short of another more expensive sr009 setup.

 

[SonnyA85]

Where do people think the law of diminishing returns kicks in?
 
Basically, is there any point in spending say $2000 on a pair of headphones when a $500 pair will give you 95% of the sound? Is it worth paying that extra $1500 for 5% difference?
 
It all depends on how much you value money therefore it's very subjective.
 
The best headphones in terms of SQ, comfort and price IMO are currently (brand new):
 
HD 558 (mod them to 598's), Fidelio X1's or HE 400 if your looking for  large open back headphones
 
HD25-1 II (mod them using dampening material) for portable setups or AKG K451
 
DT770  for closed large headphones
 
Spend more than what you can get these for (brand new) and your paying a lot of cash for very little improvements to the sound.

 

[DJDREEM]

HD650...

Why? because it's been around for years, has the most lush, seductive sound out of any headphone south of the LCD2. It is Hifi but priced the same as midfi headphones. It's still a big seller and it's not terribly difficult to drive so you don't need to go into debt!!

Look at teh HD800, No amp in teh world can make them sound as lush, and engaging as the 650. The 650 at it's best also isn't that far behind all these so called super hifi headphones.

Best phone in the world always because no other headphone has been around as long and held it's own like it.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Aside from the part about the HD800, I can't really disagree there. The HD650 is a stalwart of the headphone world and I don't think there will be many people who can't enjoy a pair. In terms of reliable recommendations, that might be the #1.