I appreciate your post and support. It is a good thing that I am a music lover and not an audiophile! I am a technophile though. I get very excited by new technology of almost any kind, so that definitely bleeds over into my headphone gear selections at times. I also EQ nearly everything too! I hear audiophiles absolutely hate that. 
Although I find EQ on the Stellia is less necessary than any other headphones that I have tried. I EQ everything else. As most people know, the HD800S need a little 'Q now and again. They go from very good to nearly perfect with some proper EQ. Listening to the new Gorillaz album on them now. Windows 10> Equalizer APO> Peter’s EQ APO Extension>$5 USB> Monolith 24459 desktop DAC/amp>HD800S= Sublime!
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For technophile sublime, and audio goodness, I like the Quad 2912. One of the speakers that I would consider as a replacement when I pull the trigger on speaker replacemnts.
The other considerations, depending on my budget at the time are the Magnepan 3.7i or whatever is it’s replacement with a Maggie bass panel or two, or if I get lucky, something in the lower middle of the Wilson Audio range, like the DAW.
But this is a headphone blog… So much harder to choose - at least for me.
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This brings back a happy, almost embarrassing memory: I spent an inordinately long time auditioning the Audio Technica and the AKG K553 at Audio46 out of my iPhone back in the day. The staff were incredibly generous and patient. I really agonized over that decision - the idea of spending $150 on a pair of headphones was preposterous then. (I got the AKG and they served me nicely for 3 years).
As someone who owns two pairs of the original ESLs, which are still going strong (they were refurbished in the late 90s), it’s nice to see some love for Quad speakers. (Alas, they’re in the UK, which is not where I live now).
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When I was studying at university I bought Revox 3100 headphones 1987. I’m still using them. Before that I had only closed back mono headphones and open back stereo headphones I made myself at school 10 years earlier.
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Not sure if they qualify as “good” but I still have my pair of Yamaha YHD-1’s from the mid 80’s. I ended up with these when my local hi-fi store lost the brand new Aiwa walkman I had brought back for a button issue and they weren’t able to replace it. (Apparently it was a prototype or a very limited run…) Anyway…the manager felt so bad for me (I was 12!) he gave me the closest , and much cheaper, replacement he had in stock plus a generous store credit and suggested I use it for the best pair of headphones he had that would work specifically in a walkman. Used these until switched to car audio as my favorite source for music, but never got rid of them.
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I do … Sennheiser HD650 from 10+ years ago. Still have the box for them too. 
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Still rocking my hd650’s and my bose before that 
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I do as well, still have my 15+ year old Sennheiser HD600.
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Still have my Sennheiser HD430 from the 70s
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I still have my hd 580s that I bought in Dresden, Germany’s top department store. I was teaching there on a 6-week gig at the law school at the Technical U of Dresden. I wonderful 6 weeks. I’d heard that Senns were the thing in headphones, so i decided to go for it. Paid in marks (pre-Euro days). They still sound really good, making me wonder why I have so many other Senns (600, 6xx, 58x, 800s), not to mention the other brands I have.
It’s hard to let it go.
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First good, didn’t know they were good and they now long gone, was a Koss TD 75 semi open back…
Quite old but sounded great out of my Sony CD player [with anti skip], they eventually died and I wound up with some Sony On Ears before getting a Sony XB 700 and then finally my first great headphone the DT 880
I did not keep the DT 880 as I felt the HE 4 I replaced it with was better, these days tho I feel I ought to have another 880 just for reference,
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My first were Sharp HA-10A’s, with liquid-filled earcups. This was the late 60’s, and they leaked into my ears a long time ago…
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It all started quite harmlessly with the sennheiser HD at the mid 70s:
Then it developed further in the mobile area, when I pimped up my Sony Walkman:
Went over the exotic “at least here in Germany at the time” GRADO SR325
And is meanwhile in the state of absolute madness 
:
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Nice collection and photos! There is beauty in madness!
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I’m new in this hobby but I still do have my first “good” headphone. Started out with Sennheiser HD650 (before I knew the 6xx existed) and an IFI Zen DAC\Amp. That got me to where I am today. I don’t know if I can ever get rid of my HD650. Plus they are killer on tubes.
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My first “good” IEMs were the Noble Savant, and I actually managed to track down my original set and own them again for the past year or so.
Handed them off to a friend as an early Christmas gift since he’s interested in the hobby! Figured I would share the love with something sentimental that got me addicted in the first place.
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That’s a really great gesture. Great stuff.
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My first “good” headphones, the HD555’s were inherited by my little brother almost a decade ago. They are in pretty rough shape but they still work (pads need replacing).
My first truly high end headphones was a pair of used LCD-2 r2 (pre fazor) I purchased back in 2011. . It’s still one of my all time favorite headphones even without EQ (sometimes you just want dark and warm, with zero harshness). I don’t think I’ll ever let this pair go, since a) it’s probably not worth much, and b) it has some level of sentimental value I suppose. It’s mostly been made redundant with the addition of the RAD-0 to the collection, but even then, it’s a nice point of reference (plus its a crap load more comfortable… sorry Alex, the headband sucks…).
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I still have my first pair of Revox 3100 I bought in 1986.
I love them. They still sound great to me.
And now I’m adding new 3.5mm jacks and ordered a set of cables.
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Sadly, I somehow got separated from my first good pair of headphones: the Koss ESP 6, purchased in 1972. They were electrostatic and, while heavy as all get out, amazed me with sound quality that I thought rivaled that of good speakers.
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