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Headphone Upgrade Path: Electrostatic vs Dynamic vs Planar

If I want a major upgrade from the midrange cans I have now, what's the best upgrade path?

  • Electrostatic headphones & amp

    Votes: 14 43.8%
  • TOTL Planar headphones

    Votes: 15 46.9%
  • TOTL Dynamic headphones

    Votes: 3 9.4%

  • Total voters
    32
  • Poll closed .

solderdude

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What makes them significantly better than my current planars, the HiFi Man HE 400i?

Are they really a major upgrade?

Or is it more of a side grade / slight upgrade?

Would I be spending $600 to get something that is only a smidge better than what I already have?

To me the Ananda is an upgrade but what one person calls a smidge better or no real improvement can be a substantial improvement to another.
It does not sound the same but the differences are not huge for most folks.
I found the HE400i a good entry level headphone that improves with EQ. The cheaper 2020 version (HE4XX ?) is higher VFM.
Ultimate SQ is not about VFM though.
 

JohnYang1997

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Imo, the HE400i was a bit too grainy and sharp to my liking. This affected the feeling of listen through the headphones to the recording. I preferred the less resolving HE400s which is more forgiving.
To me best headphones aren't the ones make you go wow but the ones make you forget about the headphones and not draw your attention from the music.
 

Helicopter

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That may be because most headphones are dynamic and you haven't included the option
O I don't care about the operating principle.

Most folks that care about sound quality realize that it is not only dynamic headphones that are the best possible solution.
One can find more people that believe only stats or planars are 'superior'.
Agree. I thought planars were good until I heard Focal Clear.

I didnt vote because of the TOTL designations. I can only think of Sennheiser hd800s as best at TOTL from a brand I like.

Proactive edit: some people do prefer 600 series to 800 and same for 500 over 600, but not as many as I have seen with some other brands. Certainly the Sennheiser construction follows pricing.

I recommend Focal Clear. These, as John Yang describes an attribute he does not prefer, are a 'wow!' Headphone for me, but mostly because of the extra detail, like street noise in studios, and realism, i.e., that I kept thinking the sound was coming from some distant source and taking them off to check at first. I would take Focal Clear over TOTL Utopia. Whatever might be good in Utopia is incorporated into the newer Clear.

...and then there is the not TOTL Ananda I want to try.

For Audeze, pricing is pretty poorly coorelated with sound too, so it really depends on what you want in terms of FR, magnets, housing, etc. Look at what is actually used to construct inexpensive magnesium transparent LCD GX and see you pay for combinations not any specific attribute or component. Unlikely TOTL is the best for you if you get Audeze, and good chance the best will be under $1200.
 
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Red@

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a +1 for ZMF Vérité Closed.
1- best soundstage in a closedback.
2- engaging sound signature
3- punch and slam in the same standards as focals.
4- most natural tamber I've ever listened to (not metallic at all)
5- confortable.
6-lifetime warranty (there is also exchangeable parts too).
 
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