The best of the best (Headphones and Headphone amps)

[JoshCohenMorgan]

Hey, as well as looking for a portable solution (which I have started another thread for) I also am looking for an ultimate Hi-Fi solution headphones wise. I'm willing to save for a of year or two (pr threee or four!) for a truly ultimate headphone/headphone amp combination as I want something truly fantastic, as a speaker system for me is and will be for a long time inconviniant/impossible! At the moment I'm using an iPod classic attached to a Fiio e7 via dock connector to 3.5mm jack, playing through my Beats By Dre Pros (I know, but for now I like them).

All my music is ripped straight from CDs and kept in uncompressed WAV format. I listen to a lot of late 90s and early 2000s hip hop such as Cypress Hill and D12, reggae including Ini Kamoze and Damian Marley, and even venture into the likes of Cold Play and Kasabian! What I want to do is pool together a list of really good headphone/amp combos with source suggestions (I will most likely end up sourcing with a Cyrus player such as the CD 6).

I want to spend probably between £1000 to £1500, excluding the cost of the source as I want something truly fantastic. Just because I have Dr Dre headphones doesn't mean I'm deaf to good sound, as I'm really not, I truly admire my Uncles Hi-Fi system of a cyrus DAC X+, AVI intergrated amplifier and monitor audio bookshelf speakers (can't remember which model), as well as his grahem slee novo feeding of his DAC, which he listens to on his ATH-M50s 'phones. At the moment I'm really liking the idea of a beyerdyanmic T1/A1 pairing, but other than those I really don't know what else to consider. Thanks in advance for any suggestions, and hopefully this will also help out those with a fair amount of spare cash also trying to decide a really good headphone system. They can be open, closed or semi-open headphones, it doesn't matter, and the amp doesn't have to matc by company. I'm just looking for a really nice system for home listening!

 

[BronC]

A bit above your price range - but I can recommend Grado GS1000i + Beyerdynamic A1 headphone Amp. If you go onto ebay you may be able to get them in your price range.

I have the GS1000 + A1 and I have not heard any speakers better

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

hmmm, could you describe the sound quality a bit more and also what are you sourcing it with?

 

[dalethorn]

Stax SR009 and either the valve(tube) amp or the solid state amp they sell. That's the ultimate at this time. Make sure and buy from the very best source.

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

PS I'm not to keen on valve amps, they don't have enough attack for my liking.

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

They sure look nice and I didn't even know they made electrostatic headphones, but they are far to out of my price range, I'm looking to source with a nice 2nd hand cyrus CD player, some really nice cable which my uncle will make for me (he makes really good cables) and really a max of £1500 on the headphone/amp combo, and although I could probably push a bit more than that those SR-009 are like three and a half thousand before you add the cost of the amp!

 

[dalethorn]

If I wanted to sell someone the very best sound under £1500, I'd sell them a Senn HD800 and a decent DAC-plus-headphone-amp combo. Just try it out with some good high resolution music tracks.

 

[BronC]

Sourced from a Cyrus CD and Amp.

Its hard to describe how it sounds. The base is incredable deep and I think I can actually feel. The soundstage is precise. You can hear the individual voices and instuments. As an example in (I think) Leonard Cohans Greatest hits - on of the tracks has some bells which move from one speaker to another. On the headphones you can easily trace the path of the bells.

Probably a rubbish explanation - but the best for now.

As for price- I got the GS1000s not the GS1000i's because they were half the price and 90% of the quality. That should bring the total costs down to your price range.

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

Nice suggestions guys, I think I'm edging more towards the grados rather than the sennheisers, as many believe the grados to have a more dynamic sound and incredible soundstage, but then again, I've liked every pair of sennheisers I've owned and they are tempting to(the HD800 that is). However, I'm still considering the beyerdynamic t1/a1 combination as that is also supposed to be fantastic. Anyone had any experience with the T1 or the A1?

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

PS would the sennheisers run well on the audiolab m-dac, or the grados for that matter? Any other suggestionsn for a headphone amp or amp/dac combo?

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

PS would the sennheisers run well on the audiolab m-dac, or the grados for that matter? Any other suggestionsn for a headphone amp or amp/dac combo?

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

Also how does the bass response compare between the sennheiser hd800 and the grado gs1000i, after reading both reviews i'm starting to see they're more equal than i originally thought.

 

[dalethorn]

From the specs the M-DAC appears to have very sufficient output. Grados are not known to be very neutral. I had the PS500 which was excellent with some upper-bass reduction, but the ultimate detail was still lacking compared to the HD800. I have no reason to suspect that the PS1000 or GS1000 will equal the resolution of the HD800, although the Grados may sound warmer and make instruments sound more colorful.

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

Hmmm, so you would say the grados have a deeper but more coloured bass response while the sennheisers are more transparent? Also does anyone know how the sennheiser hd800 or the grado gs1000i compare to the beyerdynamic T1 'phones. Also does anyone have any thoughts on the denon ah-d7000, or for any other 'phones or amps?

 

[dalethorn]

Hmmm, so you would say the grados have a deeper but more coloured bass response while the sennheisers are more transparent? Also does anyone know how the sennheiser hd800 or the grado gs1000i compare to the beyerdynamic T1 'phones. Also does anyone have any thoughts on the denon ah-d7000, or for any other 'phones or amps?

The HD800 goes more or less flat to the lowest audible frequency. The Grado with EQ may equal that, but would require EQ to suppress the bass emphasis. The Beyerdynamic T1 response tests show a large peak around 8 to 9 khz, which may not offend some users, but I'd pass on that one. I've had Beyer DT48's, DT1350's, maybe others, and while they have razor-sharp definition, they can sound harsh due to uneven response.

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

Hmmmm, some good ideas, I may consider the grados or the senns a lot more seriously now, although the beyerdyanamic t1/a1 combo still is tempting due to their being lots of very good reviews on them...

 

[JoshCohenMorgan]

By the way I saw a pair of Grado GS1000i going for 700 quid on ebay, although I'm not buying straight away are they better than the beyerdynamic t1/a1 combo? Any headphones I eventually get I probably plan to pair with the Beyerdynamic A1 amp.

 

[BronC]

I could not find anywhere to actually try out the T1/A1.

There are plenty of places that sell Grado - but not many sell the GS1000i. Most also sell Sennheisers as well. I suggest that you should try out some of the "cheaper" Grados such as the 325is against the Sennheisers just to get some feel for the differences.

I always preferred the Grados - so I saved up and got the 325 and plugged that into my Cyrus amp. You will need to be an adapter since the new cyrus amps only have the little plug - not the bigger one you get on the more expensive Grados. The 325 sounded great this way. I eventually got the GS1000 ex demo at a great price and they blew the 325s away.

I did a long review - like you - about headphone amps - and the A1 seemed to be the best non-dac headphone amp so I bought one "un-heard". When I connected it to the direct output of the amp (which had a better DAC then the CD player) the improvement in quality was dramatic. The bass was deeper and the treble crisper and the sound far more solid.

Whichever headphone you go for - I would recommend the A1 to partner it when you can afford it

 

[quadpatch]

Hmmm, so you would say the grados have a deeper but more coloured bass response while the sennheisers are more transparent? Also does anyone know how the sennheiser hd800 or the grado gs1000i compare to the beyerdynamic T1 'phones. Also does anyone have any thoughts on the denon ah-d7000, or for any other 'phones or amps?

I really like the HD800, they are very revealing and super detailed. I loved them very much until I heard the Grado PS1000 and those totally stole my heart. They do suit different music differently. If I was to pick one it would be the Grado because the bass is much nicer and I didn't think they were lacking much but then they are nearly twice the price of the Sennheisers! For now I am totally happy with the Denon AH-D7000. They have a similar style to the PS1000 and are much cheaper (if you can still find them) but just not as clear, detailed and open sounding as the Grado. Although I have not heard them another contender would be the Audeze LCD2, or LCD3 if we are talking about the PS1000 prices.

I have also heard the M-DAC and love it, that's what I heard the HD800 and PS1000 on and it's stunning! I've also heard great things about the Burson HA-160DS which is the same price.

 

[dalethorn]

I would like to be able to compare the PS1000 to the HD800 to see which has the ultimate music detail. The PS500 certainly was no match for the HD800. Very few people today grow up on neutral sound, which undoubtedly is a major factor in their headphone preferences. Most of my listening is on non-neutral headphones, but I find it very important to be grounded in neutral sound to avoid getting way off balance.

 

[quadpatch]

Yeah I totally agree. I think the hd800 would win on detail still but the ps1000 is just a more enjoyable sound presentation for me. The hd800 is more comfortable, and if that helps.

 

[idc]

It is such a problem having nowhere to go to try highend head-fi.

 

[dalethorn]

It is such a problem having nowhere to go to try highend head-fi. You could try here: http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/headphone-demo.php

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting,

As I am already considering An A1 & T1 combination!

Upgrading from My G S Solo with psu1 & Audio Technica W1000X’s

Like you Josh I've been reading plenty of good reviews on this pairing & although at present I cannot speak from personal experience the reviews don't really suggest a harsh sound.

My impression is that their very detail yes! With a great Tonal Balance But initially don’t stand out and the pleasure of just how good they are encompass you the more you listen but are more about a controlled sound than an attacking one.

Words like the best Bass weight under £1000 are being bandied around which is also a draw for Me as I just want it all!!!

One thing though Josh about this pairing that strikes Me as something you might not like is that aspect of a controlled sound over an attacking one …..