I don’t get too caught up with staging either. As long as the imaging allows me a sense of instrument placement I’m pretty good. Sure it’s a bonus to have good staging, good imaging and a good sense of venue but they’re still headphones.
Trying to recreate a concert hall experience is a noble pursuit; the closest reports I’ve seen regarding that are with either mysphere or SR1a’s which are unfortunately $$$.
Not all concert halls or concert hall seats are equal.
https://audioxpress.com/article/why-doesn-t-my-stereo-sound-like-a-live-concert
In addition to soundstage and imaging precision, there also are atmosphere and room information elements.
Thank you for these articles, @bpcarb - they made for some great reading. I’ve bookmarked them for the next time I buy tickets to Carnegie Hall and other venues. I’d heard it said before that the nose-bleed, balcony seats at the Met Opera (and other similar concert halls) are the best for sound, so it was good to have a confirmation of that. That’s where I was the last time I heard live music, some 14 months ago.
Churches often make for excellent venues for classical music, and not just because they accommodate great big organs. There’s a tall church in Brighton, England (near where I’m from originally) named St. Bartholomew’s which has wonderful acoustics, especially for choral works.
I remember reading somewhere - and I can’t find it now - about a recording engineer who was famous for his excellent small ensemble jazz recordings. Perhaps it was Rudy Van Gelder? I’m not sure. In any case, the story is that this guy had figured out where best to place the mics for recording, and since this was a vital trade secret - and to throw off his rivals - he’d move the mics around whenever someone came in to do a photo shoot (for album art and the like).
Apologies for double post, but I couldn’t mention all other users that replied before in my previous post (new user restrictions). I’d also like to mention:
@monochromios
and
@Panzer_Applehusky
Did you copy/pasta that list from r/headphones?
No, I compiled it myself after researching what headphones fit my criteria that I wrote in the previous posts. Not quite sure what made you think I copy/pasted it tho.
Anyway, apologies for not clarifying, but I meant this post more for
since they were the ones who were helping me before.
If you’re curious tho, here’s my first reply that I made in this thread answering all that you asked:
I’m glad you found the articles interesting. No shortage of quality venues in your parts.
Churches tend to have excellent acoustics. It might have to do with favorable early reflections and reverb in the large space. Church Acoustics: Four Must-Know Basic Concepts - Church Production Magazine
The Coryells and Macy Gray, Stripped are two albums recorded in churches in NYC.
Thank you.
I would suggest adding the K371 to your research list. IIRC, it doesn’t have giant surprises in the frequency range (unlike the DT770), it won’t require an amplifier, and it’s closed back as you required. Because of it’s tuning, I think it would be adept for movie and music use.
It also has a Bluetooth version (K371-BT), but I don’t know how that one sounds or compares to the wired version.
Hah! Absolutely not 
I just put the upper limit there to keep things in the realm of reality (for me). Thanks for the heads up on the 880’s. The 600 ohm version would pair with the DarkVoice, seems to review quite well, and not break the bank. That’s a trifecta in my book! -Cheers
Hey, Yes, Orchestra and generally trying to capture that ‘feel’ of a live event. Many thanks for your, and other’s, insights on the practicality and issues for trying to capture that experience in any headphone. Very informative and helps to center the urge to chase the dragon in that pursuit. -Cheers
100% agree. I was just trying to make sure i wasn’t missing something obvious. However, this discussion has been awesome and illuminating, many thanks for throwing in. Makes me think I should try the Beyerdynamic 880s as a new addition to the stable and spend any left over funds on local concert tickets. -Cheers
All I’ve done was to call in some of the experts and try and identify people who might be able to help, especially given your location. @ProfFalkin was not on the list only because he is US-based, and may not be aware of what is available to you. I’d pay attention to his thoughts on specific headphones, especially if they are easily bought in your market.
We have had a number of people here, as we grow, that have brought lists and opinions from other forums on the web. While that’s not necessarily bad, we strive to be friendly, open, and helpful to all. Your answer to the Prof was just fine, and his reply is well worth heeding.
I hope this explains a bit more. We hope you stay and give us your opinions of the headphone you eventually purchase. A review showing what’s good in a price range, or for particular purpose is always valuable.
I haven’t tried all of the headphones on your list but here are my comments on the few that I have:
I wasn’t a fan and much prefer the Custom Studio, which is in your budget but I am not sure if it is easily available now. Here is my review of them.
I like the tuning of these more than the K371 (for music) and they are good value for their price but I found the K371 to be better overall. Here is my review of them
A bit more bass than the K361, also a good value for money. Here is my review of them.
I have only tried these briefly in a store so I don’t have a coherent opinion. They didn’t strike me as anything special.
See SRH440.
Used these in recording sessions for monitoring. They do their job but would not be my choice for listening to music (or movies).
I hope this helps a little.
Headphones can’t do anything about the venue, mic placement or mastering of the recording. It is what it is.
It seems to me the question is how best to experience the orchestral recording and whether headphones will work for you at all.
I don’t think headphone soundstage properties equate to whether you will enjoy orchestral music with that product.
If your current headphones are not working for orchestral music I’m not sure going for the “best soundstage” will fix it.
Hopefully you can find something that works for you.
Hi - just joined the forum - some interesting reading here!
I am looking for advice on a headphone purchase.
My main headphone currently is an HD6XX - and I love the midrange and the tonality. Other headphones are AKG K7XX, Philips L2BO, Koss Porta Pro and Sony WH100 XM3 (for travelling).
I am looking for something for listening while I am working at home - so probably open back. It will be running out of a FiiO K5 Pro at my desk, and out of a FiiO Q3 if I ever take it anywhere.
Basically I want something to complement the HD6XX, which means cans that do what the HD6XX doesn’t do - soundstage and air. However, they need to be ok for long listening sessions so anything fatiguing is out. I’d like something fairly resolving - better than the 6XX, but forensic resolution is not a priority. Good timbre and tonality are more important to me.
My library is mostly redbook quality flacs. I have tried a few 24 bit, 96 khz albums and A / B-ing I can’t hear the difference over CD quality. Maybe there’s folks with super powers who can (and I am not looking to get into an argument with them) but for me personally, hi res is a waste of money and disk space.
My music library is about 30% jazz, 30% electronica (mostly beatless, not EDM) and about 40% bands and solo performers - no preference regarding the gender of vocalists.
Budget ideally is around US$1000 - could go a few hundred higher if necessary.
Advice and suggestions gratefully received.
Do you have anywhere to try out headphones?
If you do, then the Ananda and Arya are worth a listen.
(And welcome!!)
My thoughts parallel @SenyorC for planar headphones. It’s hard to beat HiFiMan for quality at the price (given quality control and reliability concerns).
If you prefer dynamic drivers, consider Focal’s products. The original Clear is on close out at $1K now (headphones.com). The new Clear MG is $1,500. The Clear is technically superior to the HD-6XX in most every way. It’s not known for a wide soundstage, however. Some find it bright, so consider the amp pairing.
Many here are strong ZMF fans too (see threads). Some models would fit your budget while others are $$$$$.
As written by @SenyorC and @generic I’d give a try to Hifiman stuff as complement to you Dynamic Driver headphones.
Which one depends on your budget: Sundara at 350, Ananda around 700/800, Arya at 1700.
If planars are not your thing I’d give a try with Focals as they punch very well and have a pleasing sound signature.
Thanks SenyourC - I live about an hour south of Sydney, Australia. There are a couple of headphone stores in Syd that stock HiFi Man, so I could audition those. Arya is nearly double the price of Ananda in Australia.
When auditioning headphones - is it a bad idea to try out cans way more expensive than your budget - just because you’re curious? I worry that might make me dissatisfied with the headphones I actually buy.
Re Generic’s question about preferring dynamics over planar - I have never listened to a planar so I don’t know - but I will take a trip up to the city to find out.
I haven’t found that driving my friend’s porsche makes me hate my pickup. Rather, it informed me that it is cool, but I would not benefit from ownership enough to sacrifice what it would take to own one.
If I heard a pair of speakers I couldn’t afford, and couldn’t live without, I would know I needed to save more money before I made a purchase.
In all sincerity given the system you’re gonna use I wouldn’t go over Sundara (Ananda with a maybe).
Listen to headphones before buying is important but even more important is listening to them with your system.
Synergy is the key to me.
Arya will sound great in store with proper amplification but what when you listen to them with your equipment?
I’m not criticising your equipment, I want it to be clear.
I want to point you to the idea of synergy since it is the key to happy listening and IMO wise purchasing.
Go, try but keep in mind what’s your chain and what power to drive low sensitive headphones it has.
To sum my words, Sundara IMO will be a perfect complement to your 6XX.