[devilboy]

I'm looking for impressions and opinions as to what headphone is your favorite headphone for classical music and why. What characteristics make it your favorite?
I currently have a Meze Elite and I am pleased with it for classical. I have limited experience with other headphones in this price range so If I change headphones, I don't know if it will be an upward/downward move or a lateral move.

 

[msing539]

If I was listening to classical alone, I'd probably opt for a high end Stax setup.

The Elite is pure enjoyment though, I'm hard pressed to find another totl that I like as much for my tastes.

 

[rlanger]

Yeah, Stax or HD800S would probably be my choice.

 

[Dawgfish]

ZMF Verite Open. The large soundstage, great tone, speed, detail, dynamics, and pinpoint imaging all contribute to make it a great classical phone. I also have and enjoy the HD800 which is also great for classical. I can't listen to the HD800 for long periods however like I can the Verite Open. To me the Verite is almost as good as the HD800 with soundstage and does everything else better.

 

[Mr Rick]

I use Sennheiser HD-800 because they are the best headphones I have.

 

[Spawn300Z]

If you could swing the system for it the Susvaras. Otherwise the HE-1000SEs or the New HE-1000 Stealths which are cheaper then SEs right now.

Also if you have good power and current the DCA Expanse is also an option. But Namg for the Buck I would go with one of the HE-1000 series. So much easier to drive.

 

[Sandro Sena]

Any true ear-speaker, no matter the model.

AKG K1000
Raal SR1a/b
Stax SR-Sigma NB/PRO/404/700
mySphere 3.1/3.2

Nothing can be compared with them when it comes to electronic reproduction of classical music. This is for the simple fact that they are the only ones that present the distribution of sound in space in a coherent way in the land of "headphones". This has nothing to do with the size of the soundstage, which, moreover, is actually wider than in conventional models. But what is spatial coherence? How to describe it? It is not possible, it is such a basic, but so basic experience of our hearing experience that to conceive of it linguistically is an impossibility. It is like trying to describe what is salty or sweet, soft or rough.

But I have good news. You don't need a description of spatial coherence, because you already know very well what it is like, and you know especially when you lose it, for example if you overuse alcohol and the experience of incoherent space makes you stagger and stumble.

It is this everyday experience that you have always and necessarily forgotten, but essential, that you will recognize in the ear-speakers and give you a delicious WOW!

 

[Sandro Sena]

entirely devoted to classical music

 

[devilboy]

entirely devoted to classical music

Oh my. Simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I was always curious about Stax headphones but unfortunately I have never heard any.
Obviously you're a lover. So I guess it's safe to say that you don't feel you are lacking in the bass region for classical music? I know some people question the bass response on Stax headphones but I question whether or not they are trying to play more aggressive music on them.

 

[Sandro Sena]

So I guess it's safe to say that you don't feel you are lacking in the bass region for classical music?

Hi devilboy,

To try to answer your question, two positions need to be taken into consideration (and sorry for the bad English, it's not my first or second language):

I do not agree with the widely spread opinion (I am not saying that this is YOUR opinion) that classical music compositions do not invest intensely in the low frequencies; as you know, there are works that incorporate a monumental use of deep bass (the third movement of Jean Sibelius' violin concerto is an example that occurs to me now) and there are works composed to be played with as much energy and aggressiveness as any track on a death metal album; therefore, a system dedicated to classical music has to be adequate to reproduce these characteristics.

I do not agree with the widely spread opinion (I am not saying that this is YOUR opinion) that Stax respond poorly to low frequencies, the case is that they respond very poorly to certain types of bass recording, and they respond to these types worse than other technologies. There are recordings whose bass reproduction in the electrostatic system drops to abysmal levels, and then in the next recording that response to the same frequency range is something completely disappointing. My bet to explain this difference in performance is in the phase correlations of the recording, I think that Stax are very sensitive in this area, it only takes a few degrees of difference for everything to be lost. A possible "proof" that this assumption is not completely wrong, is that recordings with inverted polarity, for example, which are not so easy to detect in dynamic headphones, are completely obvious when we hear them in the Stax... and if the recording is out of phase, then confusion is in the daylight, the recording is unusable and listening is impossible.

That said, setting up an electrostatic system dedicated to classical music reproduction is a risk, because the dependence on the interaction between system and recording (as far as phase is concerned) is much greater than others. But Stax offers other wonders besides the occasional good or bad bass response, its ethereal, diaphanous and dreamlike nature fits very well with our favorite genre of music. Works from the Baroque period are unbeatable on the Stax.

These are some of the reasons why I answered your question that opens the thread the way I did. No matter what technology is employed, they will all have both deficiencies and countervailing strengths. What to me is non-negotiable in classical music reproduction is spatial coherence, only provided by ear-speaker design. Conventional headphones do it wrong by being... headphones and that cannot be changed.

This is why I have deep admiration and eternal gratitude for the geniuses Naotake Hayashi (Stax SR-Sigma), Heinz Renner and Helmut Ryback (AKG K1000 (for me, the greatest headphone ever made for classical music) and mySphere) and recently Aleksander Radisavljevixc (Raal SR1a). The only ones who seem to have understood one of the most important things in the electronic reproduction of music through "headphones": if the distribution of sound in space is not convincing, the musical truth does not happen as it should happen, and this truth is its moving beauty, the only truth to which a high fidelity system must be fidel to.

 

[Axel]

Hi @devilboy ,

Have you listened/auditioned Stax electorstats before?
I'm a classical music listener as well (80-85% of my listening).
The Stax sound is unique and the new X9000K is truly a high-end product.
Resolution is amazing, ambiance and sound space is one of the best (for an over-ear headphone).
However, I'm not sure it would be my top choice for classical music.
Classical music is a very wide term for many types of music.

On some recordings I prefer my Susvara to the X9000K, it gives an extra body to the music and more weight.
I'm still learning my newly purchased Spirit Torino Pulsar, but it has a beautiful tonality with acoustic instruments, which combines extremely well with most classical music genres.

If I had to choose my desert island headphones for classical music, Stax won't be it.
I'll probably take the Susvara, or possibly the Pulsar (still breaking in).

Just my 2 cents...

 

[devilboy]

Thank you all for the information and recommendations. Much appreciated.

I have an opportunity to purchase a T+A Solitaire P and was wondering if anyone had a chance to hear it.

Taking the plunge on electrostatic headphones is something I'm questioning because I will have to get a new amplifier and basically redo the system. I've never even heard electrostats before so It's a big jump to take blindly.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

I have an opportunity to purchase a T+A Solitaire P and was wondering if anyone had a chance to hear it.

Great choice for classical music. I’d say that Sol P are absolute best when it comes to reproduction of cello, wood winds or opera recordings. One of the best for symphony orchestra.

I’ve had Susvara, Ab1266 and SolP at the same time. While all of these are great on it’s own, I think SolP and 1266 are the best options for classical. Abyss is more energetic and powerful, T+A is more refined and neutral. I decided to keep Ab1266 and sell other cans, but that’s mostly because that I like both rock and classical. If I only listened to classical music, I would probably keep Sol P.

 

[chesebert]

Oh my. Simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I was always curious about Stax headphones but unfortunately I have never heard any.
Obviously you're a lover. So I guess it's safe to say that you don't feel you are lacking in the bass region for classical music? I know some people question the bass response on Stax headphones but I question whether or not they are trying to play more aggressive music on them.

Bass response is absolutely a problem on Stax. Without great sub bass and bass response, you will not hear the hall and the minor vibrations you hear/feel when you are attending a live performance - I am obviously talking about big orchestra performance not some cadenza passage. The only approximation for that level performance is a T2 with X9000 together with one of the best dacs you can buy.

In any case, be prepared to throw $50k at this problem if you really want to get it right or spend a fraction and go speakers.

Susvara will work just fine if you are sticking with dynamic headphones, but it needs some EQ due to the wonky frequency response; ditto for HEKs.

 

[paradoxper]

Bass response with STAX is a consideration to address.

KGSSHV 450V with an 009 is quite adequate and comparable to dynamics such as HD800 or Utopia - not the last word but very good.
You can scale things with the DIY T2 as it really is gripping and provides great punch and extension.

I would rate Omega as my first choice especially when paired with T2.
A secondary consideration would be the 1266 as the visceral response and sense of scale proves to display the complex nature of compositions with aplomb.

I believe each takes effort to optimize at a high level. However, compared to Empyrean, a direct and obvious step up in key areas of resolution, imaging and depth of space.