What is your dream headphone setup?

I’m assuming this is “skies the limit” with no regard to financial limit. Okay, here we go!
Headphone, DAC and amplifier: Sennheiser HE 1. $50,000
CD/SACD Transport: dCS Vivaldi. $40,000
A custom stand: A wild guess, $10,000 easy
A computer to store and rip hi-def files: An iMac Pro with 2 TB SSD hard drive, and an Apple Super Drive external disc drive. $6000
A PS Audio DirectStream P15 Power Plant. $7,500
Cables, both AC and component: $15,000 easy
Various odds and ends, some tweaks. $2000 easy
I sent a message to Sennheiser whether or not HE 1 will accept an analog input from a phono amplifier. From what I’ve learned so far, I’m going to say no. But this open ups a real can of worms.

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I very much want to hear the new HD 820 and the HDV 820. Thinking it will appeal to my ears very much. Top of my wish list!

Whatever @Torq is currently using… Lol

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An Orpheus would be nice but I can’t actually bring it with me so…
If I money no object definitely the Focal Utopia, Chord DAVE and a Eddie Current Studio.

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i have three primary current headphone arrangements, and i find all three to be perfectly delightful - don’t see any reason to change.

for now, anyhow.

roon -> yggdrasil -> ragnarok -> lcd-4 (or) utopia

roon -> soekris dac1541 -> lyr 3 (psvane 6sn7-se) -> focal clear

wm1z -> lcdi-4

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What is the best camera? The camera that you carry on you. Unrelated, maybe not?

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My dream setup would be a room with 50-100 different headphones along with a bunch of DACs and amps (10+ DACs and 20+ amps) so I could go and try almost different combo that I wanted to try. I like variety in “wine, woman and song” so I’d also like to have a large wine cabinet stocked with 400+ bottles (vodka, scotch, tequila, gin, beer, sake, soju and other booze is also welcome) but I’d still only have my current GF and her friends.

I would love to own the Utopia’s and chord Dave. I am pretty satisfied with my Andromeda’s and SE846’s regarding a portable setup.
-Paul-

Great insight. Portability (around the house) matters to me a lot because I rarely have the opportunity to stay in exactly one place (nor do I really like to be tied to just one spot). To that end, lately I use my LG V20 almost exclusively, together with full-size over-ears rather than IEMs. The sound quality is very good, it’s totally portable and it provides continuity - I can stop listening at any time and any place, and resume right where I left off hours or even days later.

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:thinking: So you’d STILL only have your current GF AND her friends?

:thinking: So you’d STILL only have your current GF AND her friends?

Yup, her friends are great company, 2-4 of them are usually over at our place once a week to cook, drink wine (sometimes its cocktail making), listen to music (usually speakers but some of the girls do have some great headphone setups) and we try to play golf 2-3 times per month. This is going to sound weird but my current GF (Seoung) is also good friends with my old GF (Lily) who decided to move back to Korea to run the family business so we parted as best friends so I know most of Seoung’s friends longer than I know her.

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I need more friends that share my hobbies (my wife tolerates my hobbies) but having a 21month old severly limits time to foster said relationships. Thankfully the internet is here to save the day! Adult conversations here on the forum and other locations…now if only there was a place with mature gamers (that is like saying Hawaii is freezing year round) lol.

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If its under 65F then to some who live in Hawaii its considered freezing, LOL.

Kidding aside, a 21month old is a handful, thankfully my son is 22 and has 2 years left to finish his masters, my second wife’s daughter has already finished college and my old GF Lily’s daughter has also finished college so no young ones around these days. I’m lucky that my current GF Seoung and old GF Lily were in to music (both are good singers) so its something we have in common which as one gets older I’ve come to appreciate more these days.

We have been going to Hawaii every year since my daughter was born as a vacation, we love it there! My wife is a Business lawyer for Cloud/Data Centers so her hobbies are work, work, and more work lol(she actually enjoys it), so she doesn’t take time to just chill unless it is with our daughter or we have date time =). I might give her my Element for her office and a pair of headphones here soonish, I just need to decide which headphones to give up that also fit her style and comfort.

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Just looking at the changes that have happened in the last two years is breathtaking. It would have been hard to fathom the changes that have been wrought by companies like Raal Requisite, ZMF and others since then.

I have completely revamped my audio systems since then. It appears you have as well @Torq from reading your postings.

I feel like I am “set” now, with my end-game system, But could the next two years provide the kind of dramatic advancements as the last two?

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Sonnet Morpheus > EC Aficionado W/ feedback mod > ZMF Auteur & Verite C

Not the most expensive combo one could put together, but I’d be happy with it.

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There have definitely been some major changes in my setup since I posted in this thread (some of which I talked about here and here, and maybe another post or two in that thread).

Some of those were expected, or at least the potential, based on awareness of a new product or technology, was apparent.

Today?

Not so much.

There are literally two potential releases I’m aware of that, my situation at the time depending, I am interested in - if they happen at all. Otherwise … I don’t know how to get better than what I have (headphone rig wise).

Closer to the end of the month I’ll post where I ultimately wound up, along with the remaining items I will be unloading (there are a LOT), on my other thread.

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Basically, owning HE1, Susvara, HE90, og Omega and a R10 would be my dream come true.

I’ve only heard the HE1, and Susvara, but having the last three would be nostalgic and fun. :smile:

I’d be happy with my Grado RS1e, powered by a modest Schiit Stack, strategically placed in the main salon of the boat below, (paid off, and with plenty of cash for fuel and maintenance).

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Dream setup would include:

Headphones: Abyss Diana Phi (as well as others)
Amp: Xi Audio Formula S + power supply
DAC: Probably a dCS Bartok + Mscaler or a Light Harmonic Da Vinci
Wires/power supply: AQ Niagara 7000 + Dragon power cable. AQ Earth or higher.
Preamp – undetermined at this time (but tubes, definitely)
Source: undetermined at this time

And if I had the money left over, I’d probably buy the HE1 which honestly isn’t that much money — it’s about the price of a luxury family car, or a Hummer.

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