How much are you likely to pay for headphones in the near future?

[Jasonovich]

How much would you spend on a good pair of headphones 🎧?

Headphones had always been the poor cousin to speakers, possibly the last consideration on the list of upgrades but for many, a pair of cans is the only option, due to lifestyle choices or living in a flat with thin walls making it impractical to have speakers.

Much of my music listening is predominantly on headphones and I live in a detached house!

My Hifiman Edition XS Planars opened the door for me, l liked what I was hearing, this was on a budget level and I was curious how much better it would sound, were I to upgrade to their costlier models.

The He1000V2 Stealth were on another plane. The Ed Xs lacked tampere, the vocals were clear but on a micro level, the Hexi's you can hear the supple changes in the voice, it's almost like a speaker experience, those cans disappear. I'm still evaluating them, so far, they're amazing.

It'll be great to have your feedback, is it the least significant part of the HiFi chain or do you rate them more highly and happy to invest a significant amount to get the best sound?

 

[R2D2]

My B&W PX8 headphones cost just under £300 from Amazon Germany and I still think they were a great buy, not so good at lower volumes but I have owned them nearly a year and listen to them quite a bit. I live in a detached house too with my dad and niece and my niece when she is not working likes her lay-ins so I listen to the headphones then. And generally just enjoy listening to them as a good quality alternative to my speaker system.

RRP they were £600 which is a lot for me and would’ve bought them unless they were just under £300, then I traded in my B&W P7’s that cost around £280 brand new. My B&W PX2 that went faulty after nearly 2 years were something like £260, so that’s how much I roughly spend.

I will now only have one pair at a time, so if I bought another pair I would sell my B&W PX8 headphones to help fund them. And I really like them so I am not going to do that at the moment but I was tempted by WHF’s recommendation for a wired pair because I know that they are better quality, but buying all the Apple adaptors again didn’t appeal to me, and now just listen to Apple Music instead of no cost Spotify to get a better sound quality from the headphones, and that’s proving to be enough for me.

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

I'm not likely to have enough money in the near future but, if I did, I think I'm looking at north of a grand to see a meaningful upgrade over my Elegias.

I don't see the point of spending money to get a tiny, incremental improvement, that I can only hear on certain pieces of music, when the wind is blowing in the right direction.

BTW, I have had the Elegias for a little over 5 years now and, still happy with them.

 

[Jasonovich]

I'm not likely to have enough money in the near future but, if I did, I think I'm looking at north of a grand to see a meaningful upgrade over my Elegias.

I don't see the point of spending money to get a tiny, incremental improvement, that I can only hear on certain pieces of music, when the wind is blowing in the right direction.

BTW, I have had the Elegias for a little over 5 years now and, still happy with them.

I really enjoyed the Focal Elegias when I had them. You're not wrong!!!

 

[RTHerringbone]

£500-£1,000 for me, because my current set are definitely the weakest part of the chain for me, and I've learned with my approach to upgrading all the other parts of the system that I end up costing myself more in the long run if I just go for an intermediate jump.

As ever, I feel that what you're prepared to spend should align with what your wallet permits, and ideally so there's a level of parity with the other parts of your setup.

It does feel like replacing my aged and average Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b should be "easy", so it's just a case of getting on with it. I just don't really listen through headphones in the warmer months, but now that we're on the turn in the UK, it might be time to start compiling a shortlist to try and listen to.

 

[Gray]

Things really have changed when it comes to headphones.
I remember thinking the HD-600 was the ultimate, unachievable luxury when they first came out.
Then later, at a show, I tried a valve- amped Sennheiser pair that cost 4 times the price of the car I was driving 🤑

I think WHF sum up my attitude with this article:

I’ve been testing audiophile headphones for 20 years, and these are the two pairs I would recommend for most people

Two over-ears that tick all the boxes

www.whathifi.com

 

[DougK1]

I'm hoping I've finally settled on my end-game kit with Marantz Ruby pair and Harbeth. Headphones wise, HD650, HD800s, Topping A90D, with balanced and unbalanced options.

 

[Jasonovich]

There's no thinking about upgrading to Susvara Unveiled or RAAL 1995 Immanis or even the Meze empyrean II (I really can't afford, unless it's an open box and greatly reduced or second hand!)

My Hexi's, that's it!
Not going to spend any more on headphones, I'll die with these 🙂

 

[DougK1]

I wouldn't mind trying some planar's at some stage, but as headphones just aggravate my tinnitus it's probably a waste of time and money 🙂

 

[Gray]

Not going to spend any more on headphones

😁

 

[Jasonovich]

😁

😆

 

[jjbomber]

These when they're half-price!

Utopia - Reference open-back hi-fi headphones | Focal

Utopia, Reference open-back hi-fi headphones : enjoy your favorite music wherever you are with Focal headphones. They combine modern, elegant design with high-intensity sound.

www.focal.com

 

[Cricketbat70]

For me it will be less than £100. I currently have Sony WFC50 in ear. I only listen to music through head/ear phones at night in bed to help me sleep and as I sleep on my side I only put one earphone in, spending anymore would be pointless. I do have a pair of QC35 that I will use in bed for half an hour or so then the little Sony go in.
Lay in bed tossing and turning for hours before I fall asleep. Put my little Sony earphones in and I'll be asleep before the first track has finished and wake up to the message "battery low please charge" 7.5 - 8 hours later.

 

[Mrcolin]

As a student I'd probably spend less than £100 , anything more feels like a stretch given budget priorities.

 

[Gray]

As a student I'd probably spend less than £100 , anything more feels like a stretch given budget priorities.

Now that its price has dropped, the Sennheiser HD-560S is within your budget.
Get them and believe me, you won't feel like your budget has compromised your listening 👍

 

[Shrek]

Rather than spend £800 on a phone i would spend it on headphones RTD2 iPhone thread got me thinking now .

 

[Jasonovich]

Rather than spend £800 on a phone i would spend it on headphones RTD2 iPhone thread got me thinking now .

A £800 mobile operates just the same as a £300 one plus the vapour and branding but if you have £800 for a headphone, the difference between that and a budget headphones costing less than £300 is pretty big in terms of sound quality.
You got £800 to blow on a headphone, get yourself a hairdryer hahaha 😅, get yourself a decent planar.

 

[Shrek]

A £800 mobile operates just the same as a £300 one plus the vapour and branding but if you have £800 for a headphone, the difference between that and a budget headphones costing less than £300 is pretty big in terms of sound quality.
You got £800 to blow on a headphone, get yourself a hairdryer hahaha 😅, get yourself a decent planar.

Since i got my headphone Amp ive got the itch im very cautious of the unknown not so well know Brands i always like Sennheiser for build quality .Had a few brands over the years and the materials always seem to fail after a period or degrade.ive got a set of HD600 ive had for a very long time and they still look and feel the same,even the ear pads are still ok.

but i do have a itch lol

 

[Jasonovich]

Since i got my headphone Amp ive got the itch im very cautious of the unknown not so well know Brands i always like Sennheiser for build quality .Had a few brands over the years and the materials always seem to fail after a period or degrade.ive got a set of HD600 ive had for a very long time and they still look and feel the same,even the ear pads are still ok.

but i do have a itch lol

Scratch that itch bro 😂!

 

[Shrek]

Scratch that itch bro 😂!

Lots of research to do before i part with that amount of money on headphones .

 

[Jasonovich]

Lots of research to do before i part with that amount of money on headphones .

Oh absolutely!

 

[Shrek]

I used to use my headphones for mixing back in the day when i used to DJ in Ibiza, only one ear was live .
I now use them for serious listening a lot more .
I like base treble and stereo separation what would you recommend i see you have a few nice sets Jason ?

 

[DougK1]

I used to use my headphones for mixing back in the day when i used to DJ in Ibiza, only one ear was live .
I now use them for serious listening a lot more .
I like base treble and stereo separation what would you recommend i see you have a few nice sets Jason ?

My 2p's worth. I've never heard planar's so can't comment. But if you're looking for soundstage Sennheiser HD800 range are very good. When I first got mine I thought they were great, then went off them and preferred HD650 for the enhanced bass. Went back to the HD800S a couple of months ago and given them a bit of volume they're great headphones. See if you can hear a pair somewhere.

 

[Angle Poise-Lamp]

I used to use my headphones for mixing back in the day when i used to DJ in Ibiza, only one ear was live .
I now use them for serious listening a lot more .
I like base treble and stereo separation what would you recommend i see you have a few nice sets Jason ?

You might want to give Focal Celestee a try, the successor to my Elegias, depending on budget.

 

[Cricketbat70]

For me it will be less than £100. I currently have Sony WFC50 in ear. I only listen to music through head/ear phones at night in bed to help me sleep and as I sleep on my side I only put one earphone in, spending anymore would be pointless. I do have a pair of QC35 that I will use in bed for half an hour or so then the little Sony go in.
Lay in bed tossing and turning for hours before I fall asleep. Put my little Sony earphones in and I'll be asleep before the first track has finished and wake up to the message "battery low please charge" 7.5 - 8 hours later.

WFC500 by the way not 50 🤦‍♂️