[David1961]

Our end game setup depends on how much spare money we have, and how much we'd be prepared to spend.
I'm very happy with the audio equipment I have which is just aswell because when it comes to more audio gear, my wallet is virtually empty.
 I'll be getting a couple more headphones when I've the spare money to get what I want, but I'll be keeping my 009's even though I've never been 100% happy with them.
I'll also be keeping my HD-600's but one of the headphones I'll more than likely get is the TH-900.
I'll be looking at the new Senn stats headphones when or if they come out, however, I can't imagine the Senns being cheap, so it looks like I'll have to start saving money again. 

 

[Oof Oink]

No closed headphone endgamers out there?

Thought I'd chime in. Personally speaking, the Ultrasone Edition 8 (limited) remains my end game closed-back. The sound signature is near perfect for my intents and purposes; they're extremely comfortable on the ears; as portable as I could ask for, and don't require me carrying around a dedicated portable rig in order to sufficiently drive them. Truly a jack of all trades, in my case, and I couldn't be more satisfied. Granted, I've also had my fair share of 'bad apples' from Ultrasone, so it isn't all gravy. But the Edition 8 and I are almost inseparable.

 

[Takeanidea]

Well, I can afford headphones and/or amps that are more expensive than what I have now (HE-500, EF5, and Sansui 8080bd vintage receiver) but the headphones are the best I've heard so I have no desire to upgrade. I've been able to audition T1's, HD 700 and 800, HE-6 and others so it's not like I've only heard cheaper ones. Heck, I've even heard a couple of Stax models but wasn't overly impressed. Then again, I know that price doesn't always equate to better sound or performance.

So, call me not a true Head-Fier. See if I care. 

I call you a true headfier, an inspiration to others. You are evidence its not always necessary to buy the most expensive to get the best sound. I've not heard the he500 so I intend to at the next meet

 

[Takeanidea]

Thought I'd chime in. Personally speaking, the Ultrasone Edition 8 (limited) remains my end game closed-back. The sound signature is near perfect for my intents and purposes; they're extremely comfortable on the ears; as portable as I could ask for, and don't require me carrying around a dedicated portable rig in order to sufficiently drive them. Truly a jack of all trades, in my case, and I couldn't be more satisfied. Granted, I've also had my fair share of 'bad apples' from Ultrasone, so it isn't all gravy. But the Edition 8 and I are almost inseparable.

Excellent an ultrasone , first edition 8 endgamer. Do they go loud enough even through an ipod? What's the soundstage like on them given that we are lead to believe that a closed headphone is likely to be bassier and less instrument separation. I'd like to think once you get to this sort of quality theres a lot less difference in the sq between open and closed. Well done on arriving at a real practical solution phone which can go anywhere and doesn't let people know when you're listening to cliff richard

 

[Takeanidea]

Our end game setup depends on how much spare money we have, and how much we'd be prepared to spend.
I'm very happy with the audio equipment I have which is just aswell because when it comes to more audio gear, my wallet is virtually empty.
 I'll be getting a couple more headphones when I've the spare money to get what I want, but I'll be keeping my 009's even though I've never been 100% happy with them.
I'll also be keeping my HD-600's but one of the headphones I'll more than likely get is the TH-900.
I'll be looking at the new Senn stats headphones when or if they come out, however, I can't imagine the Senns being cheap, so it looks like I'll have to start saving money again. 

Wow, what's missing from your 009s? What did you think of the hd800s? I've been listening v carefully to the hd800's against my stax sigma pros. The hd800's seem to be more treble focused and much less warmth in the bass. But the trade off is the treble emphasis adds clarity to voice strings symbals etc.
The sigma pros are never harsh whereas on a bad day the hd800s might seem fatiguing in comparison. The soundstage on both is pretty good.
You know what I do when either headphone gets a bit too much. I turn the volume down. Problem solved

 

[Takeanidea]

My plan for end game is:
Resolution Audio Cantata -> Cavalli Liquid Gold -> LCD-3/HD800/TH900 (dynamic)
Lampizator Level4 -> BHSE -> SR009/SR007 (electrostats)
This is set up to never look back

Agreed. No weaknesses there. Tell us all when the plan us realused. Better still, cart it all to london for the meet in October and we will give it a once over for you entirely free of charge

 

[bbbonthemoon]

Quote:

Agreed. No weaknesses there. Tell us all when the plan us realused. Better still, cart it all to london for the meet in October and we will give it a once over for you entirely free of charge

Hehe, I'm holding back myself not to get it all at once

 

[David1961]

Quote:

Wow, what's missing from your 009s? What did you think of the hd800s? 

 
Are you on about my new headband or the problem I find with the 009's, if it's the problem, I've mentioned it already in some of my posts, to which other head-fiers are not totally happy with how they sound.
I've only heard the HD-800 once at an head-fi meeting and wasn't that impressed, however some are saying the GS-Xmk2 makes them sound very good.
Even if the GS-Xmk2 did make the HD-800's sound very good, I've got the HD-600's which I'm very happy with so I've no plans on getting the HD-800.
 
The main reason why I'm keeping my SR-009's is because of how they now look, to me they are now one of the best looking headphones I've ever seen.
Not only that, they're now the most comfortable. I find the HD-600's to be very comfortable but even though my 009's are heavier then the 600's, they are still more comfy.

 

[purk]

 
 

Originally Posted by Takeanidea
 
No closed headphone endgamers out there? Fostex or beyer t5? Mdr10s are closed headphones I think.
I was thinking mamy might be settled with the sound signatures of the akg k1000s or the taket over ears. Both headphones it's an ambition to at least have a listen to. Surely either of these are the bezt to some headfiers ears?
Ambitions realised so far are owning lcd2 r2s (sold) owning hd800's (had for 6 months) owning stax sigma pros(had for a month). Listening ambitions realised : all thanks to the london headfi meet - orpheus, ps1000, t1, sr007 mk1 and 2,.
Yet to realise : he6, akg1000 , jeklin float, taket, sr009, he60, mdr10 bass or no bass.
Woo audio (anything) bhse, beta22, lavry, benchmark, dx100, tera player, colorfly c4
There's a whole world left for me to explore. Some of you have heard all of these and are satisfied you have reached the pinnacle. This makes you as legendary as this kit 

 
Yes, the R10 are the end game closed phones for me.  After hearing the properly driven R10 in my own setup it was no going back.  I,  of course, build my system to enhance its shorting coming, which is the bass output.  Now, my R10 is able to compete head-on with the SR-009+BHSE system.  The R10 has such a sweet, natural, and transparent presentation that is unmatched by other closed headphones that I've tried including  the new arrival such as the W3000anv.  
 
 
Quote:

 
Are you on about my new headband or the problem I find with the 009's, if it's the problem, I've mentioned it already in some of my posts, to which other head-fiers are not totally happy with how they sound.
I've only heard the HD-800 once at an head-fi meeting and wasn't that impressed, however some are saying the GS-Xmk2 makes them sound very good.
Even if the GS-Xmk2 did make the HD-800's sound very good, I've got the HD-600's which I'm very happy with so I've no plans on getting the HD-800.
 
The main reason why I'm keeping my SR-009's is because of how they now look, to me they are now one of the best looking headphones I've ever seen.
Not only that, they're now the most comfortable. I find the HD-600's to be very comfortable but even though my 009's are heavier then the 600's, they are still more comfy.

You should really give the HD800 a try.  With a balanced drive from the GSX-MKII, the HD800 will transform into a much better phones....something that the HD600 won't be able to match.  I used to own the HD800 in past and the difference b/w single-end vs. balanced is drastic.  Recabling it with a warmer cable also help take care of the extra energy on the top ends.  

 

[HideousPride]

Pretty done with my headphone setup, although I've had guarded interest in some of the new releases. The Fostex combo sounds very good to my ears. It ticks a lot of boxes of desirable traits on my list. I've heard something more preferable in the Stax-009 combo, but I prefer the Fostex TH-900 to the 3000 Annis, Senn 800 and LCD-3.
 
I have a pair of Audioengine speakers that serve as a very budget pleasing solution to music at home, since I'm currently residing in an apartment I feel zero urge to upgrade here.
 
Portable audio is probably where I'm most interested in making changes. Looking for that last 10-15%, and hoping it can be found in the source. Picked up a Fostex HP-P1 and will be giving the AK100 a shot as well.

 

[spritzer]

Quote:

You just scared the living lights out of my wallet.

 
Just stay out of the hardcore DIY stuff and there is an end, BHSE and all the TOTL phones.  The real problem is when one sees the need to have three Blue Hawaii's on hand to make comparisons... 

 

[David1961]

Quote:

You should really give the HD800 a try.  With a balanced drive from the GSX-MKII, the HD800 will transform into a much better phones....something that the HD600 won't be able to match.  I used to own the HD800 in past and the difference b/w single-end vs. balanced is drastic.  Recabling it with a warmer cable also help take care of the extra energy on the top ends.  

 
Thank you for your suggestion, but SQ in all the audio gear I have isn't only the reason why I got it, looks are as important, and to me the HD-800's are ugly.
When I first saw the SR-009's I also thought they were ugly, but that was only because of their headband.
So even before I got them, I was thinking about a different headband which is now on, and now I think my 009's look beautiful.
 
I got the HD-600's because they have a similar shape to the HE-90's, so if Sennheiser were to build an HD-800 that looked exactly like that HE-90, I wouldn't hesitate in getting one.

 

[Oof Oink]

Excellent an ultrasone , first edition 8 endgamer. Do they go loud enough even through an ipod? What's the soundstage like on them given that we are lead to believe that a closed headphone is likely to be bassier and less instrument separation. I'd like to think once you get to this sort of quality theres a lot less difference in the sq between open and closed. Well done on arriving at a real practical solution phone which can go anywhere and doesn't let people know when you're listening to cliff richard

Indeed, they'll go plenty loud through an iPod. Truly a very portable solution to high end audio. The open-back vs closed-back (and vice versa) stereotypes hold true in many instances, but there are always exceptions of course. As far as I'm concerned, the Edition 8 is one such exception, in that it's one of the few Ultrasones I've owned where the implemented 'S-Logic' actually delivers a very convincing soundstage. Instrument separation is one of the Edition 8's most apparent strengths, as is transparency, and bass is never out of line.

I'd agree, that the gap between open and closed certainly does become narrower as one climbs their way up. But from my experience, there's just no mistaking a closed-back for an open-back, and vice versa. There are times, however, where I prefer the more persona and intimate feel of a closed-back, while there are other times when I simply reach for my HD800 and nothing else. In that sense, I prefer to cover all bases (open, closed, portable, etc.), as one (open/closed) doesn't mutually exclusively replace the other. And thank you. It took me quite a few tries before I landed myself the 'right' set (Ultrasones lack of quality control can be thanked for that), and now that I have, there's no looking back.

 

[WNBC]

Not to derail the thread, but they say the TH-900 has a v-shaped response.  How are the mids on the TH-900 compared to the LCD-3 HD800?  For many the mids are very important.  With that said, I have the TH-600 and it is an enjoyable headphone even with the slightly recessed mids.  
 
Quote:

The Fostex combo sounds very good to my ears. It ticks a lot of boxes of desirable traits on my list. I've heard something more preferable in the Stax-009 combo, but I prefer the Fostex TH-900 to the 3000 Annis, Senn 800 and LCD-3.

 

[HideousPride]

Quote:

Not to derail the thread, but they say the TH-900 has a v-shaped response.  How are the mids on the TH-900 compared to the LCD-3 HD800?  For many the mids are very important.  With that said, I have the TH-600 and it is an enjoyable headphone even with the slightly recessed mids.  
 

Honestly, I'd say find a chance to listen and compare yourself because it seems like people have different opinions when it comes to what the "best" high-end headphone is, and it's primarily according to taste.
 
I like all of the TOTL headphones I mentioned for one reason or another - the mids on the 3000 Annis were the most euphonic for female vocals, the HD 800 has speed and clarity, LCD-3 did a lot of things very well, but they all had things I disliked that made me want to keep exploring my options. The overall sound signature on the 3000 Annis was a bit wonky and didn't have the clarity I was looking for. I only like the HD-800 with certain amp/source pairings and in certain moods. The LCD-3 is just not comfortable for me when it comes to long term use.
 
The TH-900 is the least offensive to me, with my only key complaint the slightly over-accentuated lower range.
 
If you really enjoy the TH-600, I think the TH-900 will treat you well. Just don't expect double the performance despite the price.