Massive collection of BS portables
Apple Beats Studio 3 (brah. W1 chip and some sweet employee discounting of MSRP, be gentle)
AKG Y50BT
K181 DJ UE
K81 DJ
Skullcandy Aviator
Apple Lightning EarPods
Apple two-way balanced armature in-ears
Bluetooth KZ ZST
VE Monk+
Sennheiser PX100
Grado iGrado
Koss KSC75
Beyers are a mixed bag for me as well. Of what’s currently made and that I’ve heard, I like the DT 150, Amiron Home, DT 1990 Pro, DT 1770 Pro(not as balanced sounding as it should be but didn’t irritate my ears), and the DT 880.
The Amiron Home is the Beyer with the least dry sound among the Teslas, it’s pretty much a fixed T90. The DT 1990 is a different headphone, a bit on the dry side like DT 880 but it’s much more dynamically lively. Treble on both of the Amiron and DT 1990 aren’t issues for me, first open back Beyers I owned that didn’t irritate me treble wise. I found the Amiron treble and overall softer tone more to my liking of the two, to my ears the Amiron is the best Beyer currently made.
I had a T1.2 and it sounded hazy and it’s treble drove me nuts. If I got a good one I would probably view them more favorably.
Well, if you do decide to go in that direction, I would suggest saving a few hundred bucks and buying a new or used pair of the older HD800 model verses spending more for the 800S. While the newer model has been modified for flatter mids, it really is virtually the same drivers as the original 800 model.
For me, what sets these cans apart from the rest is the amazing 3D experience you get. Apart from the enormous sound stage, its an ethereal sound with pin point location accuracy…even up/down (however that works). But what still gets me is how I am sometimes startled by a sound that I think is coming from somewhere in my living room only to realize it was in the recording!
And you will also want to re-listen to almost every album in your collection again and again. I notice something new almost every time.
My HD650s still have there place though. The 800s are not as punchy and lack a bit on the very low end (a bit of proper EQ fixes that if so desired). So when I’m in the mood to just rock out or do my mix work, I break out the 650s. But when I really want to dig into the music and be part of the performance itself, nothing beats the 800s…not even my Focal Utopias!
I’ve only used the HD650 with solid-state amps. I’ve heard a lot of recommendations to do them with tubes (with the Bottlehead Crack being the go-to recommendation of course).
It is a fun setup! I have tried them with several solid-state amps, and definitely prefer the way that they sound on a tube amp. The 650s are sometimes criticized as being too dry, harsh, or clinical. I’d rather characterize them as “accurate”, but they do lack a certain gentle warmth to their sound, in my opinion, on a solid state amp. The tubes bring that to the sound, in a way that I really enjoy. I’ve not tried them with the Bottlehead Crack however. I wouldn’t mind doing so at some point, but I’m happy enough with my current setup that I wouldn’t spend money to buy one, just to try it.
I’ll keep this to my “main” rig, though the other rigs (office, bedroom, portable etc.) can be found in my profile:
Short version, the primary chain is:
Roon -> Custom Roon End Point -> Chord DAVE -> Woo WA234 MONO Mk2
and then that feeds whichever of the following headphones I feel like listening to at the time:
Focal Utopia
Abyss AB-1266 Phi
Audeze LCD-4
Sennheiser HD800S
Sennheiser HD660S
Sony MDR-Z1R
I use Roon as my primary music server/client. That feeds a Roon endpoint/streamer that I designed and built myself (it’s not simply a headless PC running Roon Core) that drives DAVE via either USB or AES inputs.
The Woo WA234 Mk2 can run different settings (cathode or plate output, and hi or low impedance) and allows the use of 300B, 2A3 and 45 series power tubes. The vast majority of the time I’m using it with 300B tubes, and the full complement of tubes in it for “serious” listening is:
Western Electric 300B (NOS)
Takatsuki 274B (rectifier)
RCA 13EM7 (signal/driver)
The Abyss Phi, driven in plate-output/Lo-Z mode, are the best I’ve heard them and are probably the most overall fun headphones I own. Though the Utopia get about the same amount of head-time - sometimes more due to the way they fit and depending on what I’m doing.
I am currently using the Stax L300 driven by the Emotiva A-100 through the Woo Audio Wee. The DAC I am currently using is the Emotiva DC-1, which I believe is probably the weakest link in that line. That combo has been an eye opening experience for me, as I have gone through MANY types of planars and dynamics to eventually land in the electrostatic world.
Some of the notable cans that I have enjoyed over the years would include the following:
HD800
Audeze LCD-2
Sony MDR-Z7
Hifiman Edition X v2
All of the above are perfectly good at certain genres of music, but I have been looking for a system that I could use daily to play well with the insane playlists that I enjoy. The range of music includes jazz, classical, some edm, classic rock, folk and even some spoken word tracks. While the above list, especially the HD800, provided great listening experiences… they all tied me to my desk (with the exception of the Z7).
I have to say that the electrostatic experience, to me, has been the single largest smile I have had on my face while listening to music. I have tried several versions of electostatics including the Koss ESP-950, L700 and 007a. The L300 (with L700 pads) has hit the sweet spot with me. The cost is relatively low, and the sound of them is just fantastic.
If you have not tried an electrostatic setup, then I would highly recommend doing so. If you’re in to detail retrieval, soundstage and speed… I am fairly certain an electrostatic just cannot be beat.
The EL8 line has been discontinued, but you can find them on the used market in the $300 range.
I agree that it’s tough to beat the C version at that price point. I am fairly certain that the EL8c will go to the grave with me… as it’s the only headphone that I take out with me.
Cans include: Sennheiser HD 580, HiFiMan HE 560, or Etymotic ER4s
Electronics
Livingroom: Schiit Jotunheim with multibit DAC board
Entertainment Area: Bel Canto DAC 2.7
Home/Office: (desktop) Massdrop x Alex Cavalli Tube Hybrid Amp (CTH)
Under the desk (waiting for new capacitors): Home “Max” Headroom (First version)
On the road: Audioquest Dragonfly into ThinkSound ON2 cans or Westone W10 (with Bluetooth cable)
Buried in some drawer: Ultrasone iCans, Sennheiser HD 4.50 btnc, HiFiMan SuperMini, 20 pair of iPhone pack-ins, headphone jack lube
Master Bath: Philips Sonicare (with two heads, which are vastly superior to one)
Ok, those are the STAX SR-L300 with the L700 pads. Why did you opt for the different pads?
I’ve had a chance to listen to the the HD800s and own a pair of HD650s. This was one they first came out. They are definitely an improvement over the HD650s, but the cost of return was not worth it to me. I’ve purchased the Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 (1st generation) instead, which I liked better than the HD800. Compared to them the Tesla T1 sounded livelier and had a better soundstage. In comparison the HD800 sounded “drier” to me. These STAX SR-L300 look like a bargain.
