Short version: I like the Audeze LCD-2's (my budget stopped at $1000-ish). I listen mostly to music between Diana Krall and Mumford & Sons (jazz to pop/rock), though i'm finding the nicer my equipment, the more varied my tastes are becoming. Also, take advantage of the balanced headphone input the BHA-1 offers!
Reviews:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-ultimate-ears-uerm-added-4-14-13Long version: I spent a long time reading, hoping to make the best purchase. I loved this review because it was the same person listening to various headphones, so if I could identify with something we had in common or opposite, i could apply it to all his reviews.
Historically, I'm a long-time Sennheiser fan. They offer the best in comfort and I've loved their sound for over a decade. However, I never owned/listened to anything more expensive than their 500 series (595's were my last), and never with GOOD dedicated amplification. I now work nights AND have a baby on the way, so headphones have become my most frequent method of listening, both to music as well as movies & TV.
Grado RS-1I started with a new Rega EAR amp (apparently, the new version is better than the original, but I have not basis for comparrison myself) and pair of Grado RS-1's. I found them to be too bright. As I wanted to turn music up, the bright/treble parts literally became somewhat painful due to their volume level. By comparison, i found other parts to be too quiet, especially the bass.
Sennheiser HD700As a longterm fan of Sennheiser, I figured this was my golden spot. Unfortunately, I felt they also were too "bright", the treble being almost painful at louder levels, though the Sennheiser's were better overall than the Grado's, especailly having better bass.
Sennheiser HD650I figured the old "gold standard" HD650's would do it, and they did. They had the Sennheiser sound I loved and were well balanced tonally for me, though I did find them a tad "dark"?
HiFiMan HE-500At the same time I had the HD650's, I had HiFiMan's HE-500, my first planar magnetic headphones. The detail absolutely made short work of the Sennheiser HD650, though I had a real problem getting use to the lack of comfort compared to Sennheiser.
At this point, I got my hands on (and then purchased) a Bryston BHA-1. Such an amazing difference! The Bryston amp is far cleaner, and made me realize the Rega EAR sounded darker and had less detail.
I also noticed something interesting with the HE-500's: as I was listening to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", some of the sounds/effects in the music sounded odd. They had always been in the music, but now they stood out so much that they sounded "apart" from the music. They were absolutely NOT blended in. That made me concentrate more on those sounds, and it completely ruined the "toe-tapping" effect of listening to music in the first place. As i started to listen to other music, I noticed the same thing.
I wholeheartedly believe this is a byproduct of modern day sound studio mixing, and that it would not be present in any live recording or well-recorded music. While the HE-500's are detailed (and to me, "bright"), I didn't not notice this synthetic quality in anything from Diana Krall, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, etc.
Audeze LCD-2The brightness turned me off though, and I read lots that the Audeze LCD-2's also had a "dark" sound. I got my hands on a pair and fell in love! They are darker without losing detail. Kinda impressive really. That being said, I really believe what the person who reviewed all the headphones in the link I included said over and over: which headphone you like will change depending on what music you are listening to. For me, the Audeze's are it.
Bryston BHA-1You really should switch to a balanced headphone cable. Regular stereo plugs share the negative terminal of the left and right headphone. I don't know if that is what causes the difference, but the balanced input has more volume range and (to me) better sound stage and musicality.
I had an unfortunate instance where the tip of the stereo headphone jack broke off on two different (brand new) HiFiMan cables. HiFi Man sent me the second set free when the first broke. I had to open the Rega EAR and remove the tip. Ugh. Anyway, after the second set broke, I figured I'd just go to Radio Shack and buy a connector and solder it on. It was a Friday, and I didn't want to miss using my headphones all weekend.
Bryston is kind enough to include the wiring diagram for the balanced inputs in the owner's manual. So I figured why not try that too? I made one pair with a stereo plug and one with balanced plugs. I did some google-ing about soldering and bought some cheap wire and plugs to do a practice run on. I picked up Neutrik connectors at a nearby store and by Friday evening, I was A/B testing the two cables, the only difference being the connectors.
So, soldering the balanced connectors isn't very difficult, should you be so inclined. If you're not though, i highly recommend getting it done. It'll be worth the time and money to get the most out of your BHA-1.
