Oh, totally get what you're saying about finding that price/performance balance. It's like, yeah, there's a big leap in quality as you go up the ladder, right? Take headphones – the difference between something like an HE1000 and a Susvara, it's not just a small step, it's a giant leap! A 3k amp vs a 7k one, that's a game-changer for sure.
And tubes, man, that's another universe. Swapping out those standard tubes for high-end ones? That's like turbocharging your audio experience. But you're right, it's all about what's "enough" for you. Everyone's got their limit on how much they wanna spend on their audio hobby.
To be frank I never heard a true high-end pair of headphones partnered with a high-end DAC and amp, but I have heard a couple of 1000-1500 USD-ish headphones and in my opinion they didn't sound that much better than a 300 dollar pair.
Technicalities like detail delivery and resolution are not that important to me. For me it is the body and tonal balance that wins me over. To give an analogy , I still own a relatively old HD-ready TV, not a 4K. When I first got that TV it bothered me that everything looked so unrealistically sharp and vibrant compared to my old CRT TV: Wrinkles and nose hairs of TV presenters, no one asked me if I wanted to see that.
Same with music, I don't need to hear any imperfection in a mix and production.
To me the sweet spot sits around 300 USD, the price of a Sennheiser HD650.
The “sweet spot” for cans depends on the quality of the rest of gear, your music choice and sound profile preference. 600/650 could be the “sweet spot”, so could 800/800S, Utopia, Sus, X9000 or HE1.
If you are looking at price/performance ratio, you'll be hard pressed to do better than the HD6xx at Drop.com. I'm not even a great fan of these, but I recognize their worth. The botique headphone makers, with prices five to twenty times higher do not offer corresponding performance gains.
There are some things that the HD6xx/HD650 doesn't offer, like wide sound stage or thumping bass, but these attributes can be had for far less money than many of the headphones mentioned in this thread. You can get very good headphones under $400, and if you are really serious finding the best balance of price and quality, it can be done within this budget.
Heck, I love the sound of the Creative Aurvana Live!, and while I wouldn't recommend it for great resolution, airiness or even tight bass, I can have a good time listening to them. They cost less than $50.
The only thing I find as a sweet spot between price and performance are my ears. A little over $600 was the most I paid for an iem, which I love. Yet my $140 iem is giving me more fun and there is also the $18 power happy iem that I adore. Same goes with headphone a $2k that I love, a $600 that's always a pleasure and $200 that is just a bundle of joy. With all that I think price can be irrelevant when it comes to sound that aligns with you regardless if you have a certain price cap or not.
Filling out my list a little bit of the sweet spots I found in my audiophile journey...
Koss KPH 40s with an Apple dongle DAC – about $50. They're super comfortable, lightweight, and sound great. I have a small case for them and I throw them into my backpack. They don't block any background noise so not perfect. If I'm going someplace loud, I'll use some Moondrop Arias or Katos with an Apple dongle DAC instead.
AKG 361s with an Apple dongle DAC – About $110. I picked these up because I wanted some closed-back headphones when the laundry's going on in my office. They sound awesome and need very little power. They fold up nicely too if you want some bigger cans on the go. Some like the extra bass of the 371s and the construction is nicer but I don't need that much bass.
Sennheiser 5XXs with a Magni Modi Stack – about $500. This was my first real headphone amp and DAC and I loved it. I'd recommend a Magni Unity but I love using the WIIM streamer and it only has an optical out so a Magni Unity won't work with it. I love the Sennheiser 5XXs and love listening to them without equalization. It's a great system.
Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noirs with a Jotunheim and Bifrost – about $2,000. I just got the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noirs two days ago but I'm carrying them all over the house trying them in my different rigs. They just sound awesome. I love them so far. I probably don't need a Jotunheim and Bifrost for them. I bet an Asgard with a normal DAC would do fine and run about $1200 instead of $2000. But this is the set I have now.
Sweet spot is totally subjective and will be different to every user. It also depends on what you've been listening to, meaning .... I've listened to pretty much nothing but TOTL headphones for the last 4 years or so. So when I hear a bargain like the JM Audio XTC... To me that is huge value and definitely what I would consider a sweet spot of price versus performance. But to another user the XTC might be your summit-fi headphone and so the sweet spot to him/her is going to be a much more affordable headphone.
To be frank I never heard a true high-end pair of headphones partnered with a high-end DAC and amp, but I have heard a couple of 1000-1500 USD-ish headphones and in my opinion they didn't sound that much better than a 300 dollar pair.
Technicalities like detail delivery and resolution are not that important to me. For me it is the body and tonal balance that wins me over. To give an analogy , I still own a relatively old HD-ready TV, not a 4K. When I first got that TV it bothered me that everything looked so unrealistically sharp and vibrant compared to my old CRT TV: Wrinkles and nose hairs of TV presenters, no one asked me if I wanted to see that.
Same with music, I don't need to hear any imperfection in a mix and production.
To me the sweet spot sits around 300 USD, the price of a Sennheiser HD650.
Absolutely, I totally get where you're coming from. You're right, once you hit a certain price point, like the $300 mark for a solid pair of headphones like the Sennheiser HD650, the jump in audio quality can start to feel a bit more incremental. It's a classic case of diminishing returns, isn't it?
I also think that preferences in sound are super personal. You mentioned you're more into the overall body and tonal balance rather than the minute details, and that makes a lot of sense. It's kind of like how some people love the crispness of a 4K TV, while others might find that a less ultra-sharp display is more comfortable to watch. There's no right or wrong here, just what feels right to everyone
Nothing is more vague than "audio quality" but many like to put a price tag on them or tag it with specific headphone/s. What is god tier soundstage, clarity, imaging, separation blah blah and blah when it's tuning doesn't sit well with you?
Sweet spot is totally subjective and will be different to every user. It also depends on what you've been listening to, meaning .... I've listened to pretty much nothing but TOTL headphones for the last 4 years or so. So when I hear a bargain like the JM Audio XTC... To me that is huge value and definitely what I would consider a sweet spot of price versus performance. But to another user the XTC might be your summit-fi headphone and so the sweet spot to him/her is going to be a much more affordable headphone.
for someone entering the hobby, i would tell them to invest 15-20K and buy only open box or used. this would allow them to listen to and buy and sell different gear with a relatively low exit cost.
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