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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 10:43:55 GMT -5
Hello everybody,
I am trying out the HD800s and its weight is about the limit for my neck that has some issues. 330g.
Any suggestions on other lightweight high end headphones (below 400g). My max budget is about $2000, maybe $2300.
I want the soundstage and detail of the HD800S but with more extended low freqency bass response
Has anybody tried out the Ether 2 headphones?
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jun 28, 2021 11:05:17 GMT -5
Dan Clark Audio (Mr Speakers) headphones are very nice. I've only listened to their lower end, but sounded great to me. Audeze makes some very nice phones also that are under $2K.
Since headphones are such a personal device in terms of sound and comfort, I would suggest finding a local dealer with the ability to audition them.
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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 11:12:41 GMT -5
Dan Clark Audio (Mr Speakers) headphones are very nice. I've only listened to their lower end, but sounded great to me. Audeze makes some very nice phones also that are under $2K. Since headphones are such a personal device in terms of sound and comfort, I would suggest finding a local dealer with the ability to audition them. Which Audeze have you tried? I looked up the LCD-3 and it was at over 600 grams which my poor neck would not be able to handle. Also which Mrspeakers did you listen to? Have you heard the HD800S? How would you compare the soundstage? |
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cawgijoe
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"We made too many of the wrong mistakes." - Yogi Berra
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Post by cawgijoe on Jun 28, 2021 11:39:20 GMT -5
Dan Clark Audio (Mr Speakers) headphones are very nice. I've only listened to their lower end, but sounded great to me. Audeze makes some very nice phones also that are under $2K. Since headphones are such a personal device in terms of sound and comfort, I would suggest finding a local dealer with the ability to audition them. Which Audeze have you tried? I looked up the LCD-3 and it was at over 600 grams which my poor neck would not be able to handle. Also which Mrspeakers did you listen to? Have you heard the HD800S? How would you compare the soundstage? I own the Audeze EL-8 closed back model which is discontinued. They are very comfortable and easy to wear. I love the planar sound....I would say they are neutral with a touch of extra high end. The Mr Speakers model I've listened to are the AEON. Very light weight and comfortable. The sound is also neutral, however a bit laid back. I like them, but I prefer the sound of the Audeze. I also own a pair of Audioquest Nightowl's which are unfortunately no longer being made. They are lighweight, super comfortable, a bit on the laid back side in terms of sound. I switch between the two and enjoy both. I have heard the HD800S and hey are excellent in terms of quality of sound. They are a bit heavy to my taste. I really think it would behoove you to find a couple local dealers and do some listening. What I like may not be what you like. |
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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 11:48:52 GMT -5
Which Audeze have you tried? I looked up the LCD-3 and it was at over 600 grams which my poor neck would not be able to handle. Also which Mrspeakers did you listen to? Have you heard the HD800S? How would you compare the soundstage? I own the Audeze EL-8 closed back model which is discontinued. They are very comfortable and easy to wear. I love the planar sound....I would say they are neutral with a touch of extra high end. The Mr Speakers model I've listened to are the AEON. Very light weight and comfortable. The sound is also neutral, however a bit laid back. I like them, but I prefer the sound of the Audeze. I also own a pair of Audioquest Nightowl's which are unfortunately no longer being made. They are lighweight, super comfortable, a bit on the laid back side in terms of sound. I switch between the two and enjoy both. I have heard the HD800S and hey are excellent in terms of quality of sound. They are a bit heavy to my taste. I really think it would behoove you to find a couple local dealers and do some listening. What I like may not be what you like. Thank you! I totally understand that I may hear things very differently from you. I'm just trying to get an idea. How would you feel the soundstage size of the HD800S copmares to the Aeon? Was the aeon about as large? (i.e. a little bit outside of your head versus inside your head). |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jun 28, 2021 11:54:25 GMT -5
I own the Audeze EL-8 closed back model which is discontinued. They are very comfortable and easy to wear. I love the planar sound....I would say they are neutral with a touch of extra high end. The Mr Speakers model I've listened to are the AEON. Very light weight and comfortable. The sound is also neutral, however a bit laid back. I like them, but I prefer the sound of the Audeze. I also own a pair of Audioquest Nightowl's which are unfortunately no longer being made. They are lighweight, super comfortable, a bit on the laid back side in terms of sound. I switch between the two and enjoy both. I have heard the HD800S and hey are excellent in terms of quality of sound. They are a bit heavy to my taste. I really think it would behoove you to find a couple local dealers and do some listening. What I like may not be what you like. Thank you! I totally understand that I may hear things very differently from you. I'm just trying to get an idea. How would you feel the soundstage size of the HD800S copmares to the Aeon? Was the aeon about as large? (i.e. a little bit outside of your head versus inside your head). From my recollection, the HD800S had about the same level of "soundstage" as the AEON. Both sounded outside of your head. The AEON was more comfortable and very light weight....these are extremely comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. In fact all the headphones mentioned so far have sounded outside of your head. If I were you I would take a listen to the AEON and higher end Mr Speakers....you may find that you could save some cash with the AEON. |
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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 12:08:37 GMT -5
Thank you! I totally understand that I may hear things very differently from you. I'm just trying to get an idea. How would you feel the soundstage size of the HD800S copmares to the Aeon? Was the aeon about as large? (i.e. a little bit outside of your head versus inside your head). From my recollection, the HD800S had about the same level of "soundstage" as the AEON. Both sounded outside of your head. The AEON was more comfortable and very light weight....these are extremely comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. In fact all the headphones mentioned so far have sounded outside of your head. If I were you I would take a listen to the AEON and higher end Mr Speakers....you may find that you could save some cash with the AEON. The AEON was measured to have extremely low distortion by Audioscience review. So that was pretty cool. I definitely considered the AEON. But at my point in the jouryney I want to buy the best I can with what I can afford. So if the ether is better, even if by only a little, I would be comfortable going for it. Did you encounter any planar crinkle or microphonics from the cord? |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Jun 28, 2021 12:13:19 GMT -5
You kind of owe it to yourself to listen to real electrostatic headphones before you spend THAT much on planars... (And they come with an electrostatic headphone amplifier.)
Construction is actually rather flimsy - but they are light and quite comfortable.
Of course you can spend a lot more for electrostatics.
From my recollection, the HD800S had about the same level of "soundstage" as the AEON. Both sounded outside of your head. The AEON was more comfortable and very light weight....these are extremely comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. In fact all the headphones mentioned so far have sounded outside of your head. If I were you I would take a listen to the AEON and higher end Mr Speakers....you may find that you could save some cash with the AEON. The AEON was measured to have extremely low distortion by Audioscience review. So that was pretty cool. I definitely considered the AEON. But at my point in the jouryney I want to buy the best I can with what I can afford. So if the ether is better, even if by only a little, I would be comfortable going for it. |
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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 12:17:04 GMT -5
You kind of owe it to yourself to listen to real electrostatic headphones before you spend THAT much on planars... (And they come with an electrostatic headphone amplifier.)
Construction is actually rather flimsy - but they are light and quite comfortable.
Of course you can spend a lot more for electrostatics.
The AEON was measured to have extremely low distortion by Audioscience review. So that was pretty cool. I definitely considered the AEON. But at my point in the jouryney I want to buy the best I can with what I can afford. So if the ether is better, even if by only a little, I would be comfortable going for it. WOW! Nice reccomendation. How expansive would you say the perceived soundfield was for you? Have you compared it to the HD800? |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jun 28, 2021 12:25:26 GMT -5
From my recollection, the HD800S had about the same level of "soundstage" as the AEON. Both sounded outside of your head. The AEON was more comfortable and very light weight....these are extremely comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. In fact all the headphones mentioned so far have sounded outside of your head. If I were you I would take a listen to the AEON and higher end Mr Speakers....you may find that you could save some cash with the AEON. The AEON was measured to have extremely low distortion by Audioscience review. So that was pretty cool. I definitely considered the AEON. But at my point in the jouryney I want to buy the best I can with what I can afford. So if the ether is better, even if by only a little, I would be comfortable going for it. Did you encounter any planar crinkle or microphonics from the cord? Understand completely. No wrinkle or microphonics. |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Jun 28, 2021 12:30:33 GMT -5
To be honest I'm not a major headphone listener...
And I haven't listened to any Sennheisers carefully in quite a long time (although I do like them)... so I really can't make a fair comparison there. I can say that the Koss ESP950 just might be the best sounding headphone I've ever heard. (I've certainly never heard anything, at any price, that I specifically think sounds better... although I have work headphones that were more comfortable.)
Because they're both electrostatics and open backed they really do sound like there's nothing there... but I don't have any specific recollections about the sound stage itself.
On first listen they seem a bit light on bass...
But after a while you realize that it's there, and goes all the way down (they're rated to 8 Hz), but it just isn't pushy at all... And the amount of detail and texture you hear in other sounds is downright scary...
Compared to some of the higher-end Stax models they do tend to be a tiny bit on the warm side - which I don't mind for headphones. However I do suspect that the Stax are more accurate.
(Stax higher-end models cost a lot more... and they don't come with the amplifier.)
I've heard some very nice sounding planar headphones... And, in the $500 range, they are definitely a contender... But, if you're willing to spend a lot of money, and deal with a dedicated amplifier, nothing really compares to electrostatics...
You kind of owe it to yourself to listen to real electrostatic headphones before you spend THAT much on planars... (And they come with an electrostatic headphone amplifier.)
Construction is actually rather flimsy - but they are light and quite comfortable.
Of course you can spend a lot more for electrostatics.
WOW! Nice reccomendation. How expansive would you say the perceived soundfield was for you? Have you compared it to the HD800? |
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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 12:34:21 GMT -5
To be honest I'm not a major headphone listener...
And I haven't listened to any Sennheisers carefully in quite a long time (although I do like them)... so I really can't make a fair comparison there. I can say that the Koss ESP950 just might be the best sounding headphone I've ever heard. (I've certainly never heard anything, at any price, that I specifically think sounds better... although I have work headphones that were more comfortable.)
Because they're both electrostatics and open backed they really do sound like there's nothing there... but I don't have any specific recollections about the sound stage itself.
On first listen they seem a bit light on bass...
But after a while you realize that it's there, and goes all the way down (they're rated to 8 Hz), but it just isn't pushy at all... And the amount of detail and texture you hear in other sounds is downright scary... Compared to some of the higher-end Stax models they do tend to be a tiny bit on the warm side - which I don't mind for headphones. However I do suspect that the Stax are more accurate.
(Stax higher-end models cost a lot more... and they don't come with the amplifier.) I've heard some very nice sounding planar headphones... And, in the $500 range, they are definitely a contender... But, if you're willing to spend a lot of money, and deal with a dedicated amplifier, nothing really compares to electrostatics... WOW! Nice reccomendation. How expansive would you say the perceived soundfield was for you? Have you compared it to the HD800? I have never heard planar or electrostatic headphones. I've heard the Mangepan speakers for planars. And martin Logan Aerius for electrostatics. Though they both sounded reasonably good, they didn't stand out to me in a "buy me" kind of way. Thanks for your impressions! |
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Post by Boomzilla on Jun 28, 2021 12:37:20 GMT -5
Dan Clark Audio (Mr Speakers) headphones are very nice. I've only listened to their lower end, but sounded great to me. Audeze makes some very nice phones also that are under $2K. Since headphones are such a personal device in terms of sound and comfort, I would suggest finding a local dealer with the ability to audition them. "Local dealer?" Not without a time machine... The biggest headphone selection around here is at Guitar Center. And if we're going to talk headphones, the best I've heard were some Sennheiser 500 series (520? 540? something like that...). I bought them at a yard sale & thought that if the 500 series were good, the 600 series just HAD to be better. Alas, no. I sold my 500 Senns to buy a pair of 600x ones, and the 600s were inferior on almost every count. Less bass, less dynamic midrange, less extended treble. So the lesson I've learned is: Find something you like and stick with it (at least in headphones). I sure wish I had those 500 series Sennheisers back... Boomzilla |
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Post by garbulky on Jun 28, 2021 12:43:45 GMT -5
Dan Clark Audio (Mr Speakers) headphones are very nice. I've only listened to their lower end, but sounded great to me. Audeze makes some very nice phones also that are under $2K. Since headphones are such a personal device in terms of sound and comfort, I would suggest finding a local dealer with the ability to audition them. "Local dealer?" Not without a time machine... This is the sad reality. In Louisiana there are almost no local dealers for high end headphones. Even Best Buy magnolia didn't have the HD800 for me to try. |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Jun 28, 2021 12:49:48 GMT -5
Dan Clark Audio (Mr Speakers) headphones are very nice. I've only listened to their lower end, but sounded great to me. Audeze makes some very nice phones also that are under $2K. Since headphones are such a personal device in terms of sound and comfort, I would suggest finding a local dealer with the ability to audition them. "Local dealer?" Not without a time machine... The biggest headphone selection around here is at Guitar Center. And if we're going to talk headphones, the best I've heard were some Sennheiser 500 series (520? 540? something like that...). I bought them at a yard sale & thought that if the 500 series were good, the 600 series just HAD to be better. Alas, no. I sold my 500 Senns to buy a pair of 600x ones, and the 600s were inferior on almost every count. Less bass, less dynamic midrange, less extended treble. So the lesson I've learned is: Find something you like and stick with it (at least in headphones). I sure wish I had those 500 series Sennheisers back... Boomzilla I'm in the Washington DC metro area....there still are dealers other than magnolia, believe it or not. No need for a Flux Capacitor! |
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jun 28, 2021 12:50:57 GMT -5
You kind of owe it to yourself to listen to real electrostatic headphones before you spend THAT much on planars... (And they come with an electrostatic headphone amplifier.)
Construction is actually rather flimsy - but they are light and quite comfortable.
Of course you can spend a lot more for electrostatics. The AEON was measured to have extremely low distortion by Audioscience review. So that was pretty cool. I definitely considered the AEON. But at my point in the jouryney I want to buy the best I can with what I can afford. So if the ether is better, even if by only a little, I would be comfortable going for it. Those KOSS electrostats are quite good. Indeed Koss in general is surprisingly good these days. |
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