Here are two headphone ideas:Sennheiser HD650 They've been around forever, and pretty much do no evil. They're not bright nor are they super revealing. I've had a pair for 15(?) years, and still enjoy listening to music through them. I keep them in my Taiwan system/desk system.Audeze LCD-2: I really like these cans. Power them with a nice HP amp and decent DAC, and there's nothing these headphones can't do. I have these in my home's desktop system. They're a bit on the heavy side, but I really like how they sound.
Just a headphone recommendation the Focal Clear MG.
thank you, what do you enjoy most about them?
I took a look at USaudiomart this morning, someone has a pair of Stax SR-009s for sale at a good price and you won't find anything better than that. You'd need a dedicated amp, though, and you said that you don't want separates.
thank you, I know your audio tastes as we have traded a few amps:-) What amp / Dac do you like with the Audeze? I know amp pairing with HP can be tricky with certain HP's
Yeah, I do like that Kootenay 120! The Audeze are paired with a Tom Christiansen Audio (TCA) HPA-1 headphone amplifier that I bought back in 2019. [It's a keeper.] It doesn't include a DAC, so I paired a TDA1543 based NOS DAC with my HPA-1. Together, they give me a very nice, warm yet clear presentation. The DAC is no longer made - it's a dB AudioLabs Tranquility USB DAC.I've used my HD-650 headphones, my Audeze LCD-2, and a pair of HD800 HPs with the above combo, and the LCD-2 standout as the most enjoyable. The HD800 headphones sit in a closet waiting for the LCD-2 to die [They've been waiting forever...and I may someday sell them.] https://neurochrome.com/products/tca-hpa-1
A very quick snoop through the audiomarts for headamp streamers... FiiO R7 on USAM for $400Burson Conductor 3 for $1400 CAD on CAMMatrix Element X for $1550 CAD on CAMHeadphone acoustics are highly subjective which makes recommendations very difficult because literal ear shapes and ear canals are so different. Speaker impressions can vary a lot from person to person, and headphones are even worse than that. That said, I will echo the suggestions for Sennheiser HD600/650 or Audeze (LCD-whatever fits in your budget). They are relatively "safe" choices, the latter moreso. Personally I liked the 007 more than the 009, but yeesh getting into dedicated stax amps is a whole different ballgame. There *is* the iFi iDSD Phantom which is a combined streamer/dac/headamp/electrostatic-amp all in one, but you blow the budget on just that piece before the headphone. Another option is a normal integrated streamer/amplifier (or perhaps grab one already in storage) and getting a low sensitivity power hungry headphone and running it directly off the speaker taps. I did this for years.
@Morganc : About Audeze consider the LCD-2 $995 (wood ring) if you want a more transparent sound and the LCD-2-Classic $800 (black magnesium ring) if you want a warm forgiving musical sound character.With Audeze price level you always will be paying factory XLR-4 balanced cables and fancy travel hardcase, what seems desirable IMO.The other more expensive Audeze models dont have the price/performance value of the LCD-2 Line, in this case your could be better served with an HifiMan Arya or Arya Organic, however avoid the HifiMan Unveiled Line due the lack of dust filter screen.
