Only tried the Moondrop Chu, CCA CRA, and 7Hz Zero that I own so far. I like the CRA and Zero both pretty well with different sound signatures. No dealers anywhere near me to try others before buying. I was just mentioning to my wife that maybe the Amazon route and return wouldn’t be a bad option (being the germaphobe that she is, she responded with “Eww. After they’ve been in your ears??!!”). I think I just have a little fomo and am anxious to hear some of the higher tier iems that I hear so much about just to experience the difference in listening experience for myself.
You made me look at the Martin Logan website. I’ve always liked the electrostatic sound and have alternately lusted after the bigger Quads or one of the Martin Logans. I did hear the CLS and it was gorgeous, but a bit thin in the lower register. The CLX is supposed to be better, and there is a module for their Descent sub. They can be found, but they’re pretty big. WAF, WAF… last year a finally came close to replacing the 1972 vintage modified Rectilinear III Highboys that I bought in college and that my wife loves. (She claims to have married me for my stereo, but has occasionally um…swapped out parts).
I was at Overture with her, and they had a pair of Maggies, the 3.7i set up. WAF fail. Not going to get something bigger than our doors and that is not cat-proof. One advantage to ML is that their construction is highly cat resistant. There are no fabrics to attract our one aging kitty. In fact, I took the idea of a metal grille and had some metal mesh ones made for my Rec IIIs. Works like a charm. No cat interest at all.
But now, I’ll have to put those ESL 11A and 13A on my list to check out. The transparency and lightness of the e-stat panel just might get by WAF. Good sound encourages WAF. She likes Wilson Audio, but not the price of the mid-line ones we would need for the room. For a long time, I did not think that ML’s current speakers outperformed the vintage 1990-2000 line. But the new ones look very interesting.
Although I’ve started to think that I should get what I like while I still have hearing, being a tightwad at heart makes it difficult to pull the trigger.
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I hear ya, but I think it wise to start listening within the mid-tier first, as it’s saturated with really good choices. You’ll also gain more experience and better determine what you truly like and don’t like; having a reference before spending $1000+ on IEMs or headphone is the best way to find your “perfect” transducer. Audition everything you can, but don’t go from the under $50.00 tier straight to kilobuck; build a reference point first, ensuring you’re hearing the performance changes in each pricing tier. Just my $0.02.
I recommend trying the 7Hz Timeless, Moondrop Kato and the Thieaudio Elixir. All three are top tier IEMs in the $200ish price range.
Psssst: Amazon carries all of them. 
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Well, pennstac, methinks you are over-analyzing this, alternately blaming your wife and the cat for your inability to make a decision. You give the game away, however, with your last paragraph: it’s really that you are a tightwad. My suggestion is that you just do it sooner rather than later before your hearing inevitably goes down the tubes.
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Hi I need a lot of advice…
I listen to rock, pop, hip-hop, rap, pretty much any song that just hits home - here’s the playlist I listen to the most (the earlier songs are mostly just there from when I was younger and had less taste, but I keep them for the memories): The Good Ones 2791 on TIDAL
I’ve been into high quality audio for a while and I pretty much need a full comprehensive guide and what to do to get the top notch music I’ve always dreamed of. It’s like everything I do always has some sort of choke.
- I recently opted for a subscription for Tidal Hifi-Plus - which as far as I’m aware is the best option for music unless I want to fork over a bunch of cash to manually buy each song in Hifi quality.
- I’m looking for good headphones or IEMs (I’ll talk more about what I’m looking for in the end), and up until recently I thought that the combination of good headphones and high quality music would be enough…
- But then I learnt that even a PC’s built in ‘DAC’ isn’t good enough, let alone mobile, so now I don’t know if I should be looking into a portable DAC for my Moto-G(30) and a stationary one for my PC.
Right now I’m just running some old gaming headphones I had and Tidal Hifi-Plus on my PC, but I would like to listen to good music every where I go.
- I’m also super confused about audio settings on my PC and my phone. This is making my brain hurt. Like do I enable Audio Enhancements in control panel? Should I plug my headphones in the back or the front? What about spatial sound? Realtek audio console?
- Is there anything else I should know about? Once/if I buy headphones and a DAC will my search be over? Or is there some other miscellaneous product I’ve never heard of.
About the headphones:
-
High quality, doesn’t have to be perfect, but to the points where I’ll barely notice a difference (as an inexperienced listener), preferably around 150 - 250 euros.
-
If headphones - I’m not sure if open-back or closed-back is better, I would like to listen to music in public so I don’t want the music to leak.
-
I’m happy with IEM’s or really good earbuds (if they exist) of some kind. They don’t have to be wireless, but if there’s a good pair where wireless doesn’t sacrifice audio quality, that’s always a plus.
Thanks in advance… :')
P.S. I may edit this post frequently if I remember something that’s important to me.
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The Harman-tuned AKG N700NC M2 should be on your list to consider. Only thing I didn’t like about these were the pads, but those were easy to upgrade if you don’t like them.
If a wired IEM is more to your liking, then the Moondrop Kato is almost universally loved by the community.
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I forgot to mention I would preferably like to wear the phones/iems at the gym, does that influence your answer or is that impossible?
The gym is not a high-quality audio environment. Probably best to get something just for the gym and something else for home. For gym, if using IEM, you need to be sure that it will stay put and not have issues with sweat. Something from Etymotic might be in order. They insert deeply, and you probably will tolerate the comfort issues if you are working out. Alternatively, an on ear with easily replaceable foam pads like Koss Porta Pro or Sporta Pro, buy extra pads from YAXI. Neither of these choices are terribly costly and will sound much better than stock buds.
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See @pennstac above. Many of us have moderate price/quality stuff that’s suitable for workouts and is water/sweat resistant.
For general non-gym use (and a bit above your price point), get the Sennheiser HD 600, HD 650, or HD 6XX. They are the best intro products and have the best price/performance.
I’m a huge proponent of True Wireless for exercise, as I can’t hear audiophile grade quality in noisy, sweaty environments anyway. Wires are a pain in the neck for physical activity but essential for top quality. None of the top quality stuff cares about water resistance either.
Contra @pennstac, I’d not used wired Etymotics or wired Porta Pros either.
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Until you hear equivalent Magnepan’s. Significantly more phase coherent and less fatiguing.
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First things, first: Welcome to The Headphone Community, Turica! Some itemized deductions:
- I recently opted for a subscription for Tidal Hifi-Plus - which as far as I’m aware is the best option for music unless I want to fork over a bunch of cash to manually buy each song in Hifi quality.<<<<<
First piece of advice: Cancel Tidal and get Qobuz. It’s cheaper, sounds better and doesn’t use MQA encoding and rendering. The library is similar in size, too.
- I’m looking for good headphones or IEMs (I’ll talk more about what I’m looking for in the end), and up until recently I thought that the combination of good headphones and high quality music would be enough…
- But then I learnt that even a PC’s built in ‘DAC’ isn’t good enough, let alone mobile, so now I don’t know if I should be looking into a portable DAC for my Moto-G(30) and a stationary one for my PC.<<<<<
You could buy a powerful mobile DAC/amp and also use it as a desktop unit. Something like the iFi GoBar, iFi Gryphon or XDuoo XD05 or XD05 Plus.
- I’m also super confused about audio settings on my PC and my phone. This is making my brain hurt. Like do I enable Audio Enhancements in control panel? Should I plug my headphones in the back or the front? What about spatial sound? Realtek audio console?
- Is there anything else I should know about? Once/if I buy headphones and a DAC will my search be over? Or is there some other miscellaneous product I’ve never heard of.<<<<<
Don’t turn on Audio Enhancements, spatial audio or any of that crap in Windows audio. Unless your PC has a killer DAC chip, you’re better off using an external DAC/amp, even if it’s portable. Quality audio is not a priority for laptop manufacturers.
You could be very set once you get a set of headphones and a DAC/amp. Maybe a cheap stand for your new cans would be the only extra. No need to get into extra stuff like aftermarket cables, balanced cables, etc., at this point.
About the headphones:
- High quality, doesn’t have to be perfect, but to the points where I’ll barely notice a difference (as an inexperienced listener), preferably around 150 - 250 euros.
- If headphones - I’m not sure if open-back or closed-back is better, I would like to listen to music in public so I don’t want the music to leak.
- I’m happy with IEM’s or really good earbuds (if they exist) of some kind. They don’t have to be wireless, but if there’s a good pair where wireless doesn’t sacrifice audio quality, that’s always a plus.<<<<<
If you insist on closed back, then I think IEMs are the best bet at your price point. There are far more good options in the IEM market at less than 250 euros than there are quality closed-back cans. Open back? Well, that’s a different story.
But for IEMs, the Moondrop Kato and Timeless 7hZ are gems in your price range. If you could stretch to around 300 or 325 euros, the Moondrop Blessing 2 is excellent.
Good luck! Feel free to ask any follow-up questions. Again, welcome!
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Thanks for the warm welcome! :D.
For Qobuz, it’s not available in my country unfortunately… But just out of curiosity, how come it sounds better? I was under the impression that Tidal has lossless 9200kbps audio.
Everything else makes sense.
I think I settled on IEMs, it just makes the most sense; here are a few that I compiled from various reviews and such, including your beloved Katos and Timeless :).
For some reason I’m really drawn towards the Hana 2021s though, and very seriously considering them. But if not, I’m not sure if I should go for the Kato or Timeless. The Katos are giving better vibes… not sure why. Let me know what you think and if there’s any big differences I should consider.
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Qobuz offers files up to 24-bit, 192 kHz – well beyond CD quality. I also read where Qobuz gets some of its files straight from the masters of the recording. Qobuz also doesn’t use MQA for rendering – it’s straight lossless.
Finally, the ear test. I did trials of Tidal and Qobuz side by side for about a week, and even my tinnitus-ravaged ears could hear a clear difference in the quality of Qobuz.
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I love Maggies. But as I said Barbara put the kibosh on 3.7i that I was ready to order. And she heard them. The sound was not the problem; form factor plus likely cat attraction was.
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@pennstac I can relate! I wish I could have some Maggies too… Alas I can’t blame WAF, home layout doesn’t accomodate dipoles, not to mention 4 cats 
A shame since there is now an economical option…
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There’s always Harbeth. Barbie approves of the HL5XD. I like them too but have a concern that they might be just a touch light in my room. So might need subs . But personally would want the 40.3. Just wish there weren’t such a price jump between the HL5 and the big Harbeth. Yes I know it’s not planar or estat.
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Same with my wife, mine says, no way. Plus the room placement to her is out of the question. I need a BIGGER room.
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Tidal also uses 24-bit, 192 kHz - but I did hear that the MQA makes it a bit more lossy. It shouldn’t be too noticeable though, especially to an untrained ear like mine.
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Yes, all of that. My wife likes speakers that don’t look too weird. Room placement is an issue, as you say. The room is big enough, but she would not like door sized speakers 4-5 feet into the room. Klipsch corner horns could work, but would require some modifications - including removing vintage through the wall AC and putting in a split unit, which we would like to do anyway. But we have a full-size upright piano near one corner and the entertainment center in the other. Center window and radiator, and I don’t think we want to brick over the window to get more wall space.
New house? That’s Barbara’s suggestion. With a she-shed and mancave. Plus she and I still like my old Rec III’s which are actually bigger than Harbeth 40.3 XD would be. Might be able to sell her on Vandersteen 3 or 4, but they are kind of pyramidal. She really likes the EgglestonWorks Nico Evo in my office, but we can’t find a place in reasonable distance to hear Oso or Kiva.
Plus, as has been pointed out, a tightwad enjoys dithering more than spending 10-25K on speakers…. The Maggie price point for 3.7i is under $10K, as would be Harbeth HL5 Super XD
The CLX is definitely fuller in the nether regions than the CLS, though I would gladly live with either.
The CLS and CLX also both look better to me than the current ESL offerings (YMMV), so I would go for a used CLX over a new ESL 11A or 13A. And, of course, the CLS and CLX are full e-stats, not hybrids. Really wish I had the $$ for these.
4 figures instead 5, even with shipping. Pull the trigger. 