Headphone newbie seeking recommendations

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

my question is: is it normal for £400 headphones to be more resolving and detailed than £1000+ speakers?

It’s often said that to achieve the same sound quality with speakers as headphones, you need to spend 4 times as much. Not everyone agrees though and, of course, the listening experience is very different.

 

[Fidelity dom]

Just got the HD650 today (for some bizarre reason, the HD600 will be delivered tomorrow) - first impressions are quite good.

Did a very quick A/B with my speakers (Focal Aria 906) and I think I actually prefer the Sennheiser - i can definitely hear the bass more clearly than through the speakers and despite many people talking about the HD650 being veiled, I find them and as clear as the Focal. The latter might have just a smidgen more bite though.

Anyway - as a total HP noob - my question is: is it normal for £400 headphones to be more resolving and detailed than £1000+ speakers?

Many of us are listening in sub optimal rooms, the room probably has the greatest impact on sound quality & getting it right with room treatments is not always easy with the lived practicalities of multi use spaces. Headphones take the room out of the equation & I find myself at times preferring a relatively cheap set of cans over my system speakers. I am not surprised your finding the headphones giving you more, there is a reason why recording engineers master using headphones as well as monitor speakers😀

 

[Jasonovich]

Just got the HD650 today (for some bizarre reason, the HD600 will be delivered tomorrow) - first impressions are quite good.

Did a very quick A/B with my speakers (Focal Aria 906) and I think I actually prefer the Sennheiser - i can definitely hear the bass more clearly than through the speakers and despite many people talking about the HD650 being veiled, I find them and as clear as the Focal. The latter might have just a smidgen more bite though.

Anyway - as a total HP noob - my question is: is it normal for £400 headphones to be more resolving and detailed than £1000+ speakers?

Headphones you don't have room acoustics to ruin the sound of your speakers.
Once you step up to top notch planars, you'll be blown over.