I thought this would be fun, and help future people asking for recommendations too. What's the best three you've owned or tried? Any price point, can be best value for money, or best at any price. Optionally try to include the setup it was connected to.
What are the top 3 headphones or IEMs you've had/heard?
- Thread starter dunring
- Start date
Slowly expanding my collection, but the best 3 I have tried/owned are as follows:
ZMF Atrium Open paired with BF 2/64 & Mjolnir 3/Vali 3: very natural sounding yet intimate staging, with plenty of slam for harder hitting tracks. I have been told to get a Tube amp for them, but have yet to try it on a non hybrid tube amp. If you are mostly into fast paced music, you might be better served with a planar though.
SJY Audio Starry Night v1 preferred pairing with BF 2/64 & Vali 3 (GE JG-5670 tube): It is the most open sounding closed back I have tried to date (limited reference points though). It leaning more natural/smooth in timber than some of my other planars, but has decent detail retrieval. Depending on the source chain it will go deep into the bass, and have some decent slam (still not to the level of a dynamic driver though). It is fairly niche in appeal due to it being a little picky with source chain (decent variety of gear that does pair well though).
Hifiman Arya Stealth paired with BF 2/64 & Mjolnir 3/Vali 3: Arguably one of the best values in the sub $1,000 price point. It is detailed, airy, and can get some decent bass/slam given the right source chain. To be honest the Vali 3 drives them well, and you need only pair it with your DAC of choice to get a setup with a wow factor for under $1,000 (Arya Stealth + Vali 3 + insert DAC here).
Happy Listening!
ZMF Atrium Open paired with BF 2/64 & Mjolnir 3/Vali 3: very natural sounding yet intimate staging, with plenty of slam for harder hitting tracks. I have been told to get a Tube amp for them, but have yet to try it on a non hybrid tube amp. If you are mostly into fast paced music, you might be better served with a planar though.
SJY Audio Starry Night v1 preferred pairing with BF 2/64 & Vali 3 (GE JG-5670 tube): It is the most open sounding closed back I have tried to date (limited reference points though). It leaning more natural/smooth in timber than some of my other planars, but has decent detail retrieval. Depending on the source chain it will go deep into the bass, and have some decent slam (still not to the level of a dynamic driver though). It is fairly niche in appeal due to it being a little picky with source chain (decent variety of gear that does pair well though).
Hifiman Arya Stealth paired with BF 2/64 & Mjolnir 3/Vali 3: Arguably one of the best values in the sub $1,000 price point. It is detailed, airy, and can get some decent bass/slam given the right source chain. To be honest the Vali 3 drives them well, and you need only pair it with your DAC of choice to get a setup with a wow factor for under $1,000 (Arya Stealth + Vali 3 + insert DAC here).
Happy Listening!
1.Subtonic storm(easily)
2.Arya organic: They are more natural to my ears than HD800s with more refined treble compared to Arya stealth. Vocals might be a bit thin tho.
3.Elysian Apostle: Very well extended highs and warmer bass compared to other Elysian models. The tuning is more musical than the diva and more fun in tracks
2.Arya organic: They are more natural to my ears than HD800s with more refined treble compared to Arya stealth. Vocals might be a bit thin tho.
3.Elysian Apostle: Very well extended highs and warmer bass compared to other Elysian models. The tuning is more musical than the diva and more fun in tracks
Nice, I would love to try the Arya Organic, but I got other headphones on my to buy list first. What chain are you using with them?
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