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What are the most expensive headphones you own or have listened to?

solderdude

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How does it sound?

Best sound I ever heard from a headphone (and listened to quite a lot).
Wouldn't ever pay that amount and for a lot less you can already come really close.
Completely 'effortless' sound.
 

Oddiofyl

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I have two pair, Grado RS2e and Klipsch HP 3. I’ve had the Grados about two years and the Klipsch about two months

The Grados were $495. The Klipsch were $850 with an MSRP of $1379

They are totally different but I like them both. I tend to find myself using the Klipsch most of the time, they really sound great paired with my Quicksilver Headphone amp. Are they worth their msrp? Not sure but they are great for what I paid new.
 

Celty

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My ZMF Auteur LTD Cocobolo is my most expensive and the best I have heard. Love them!
 

phoenixdogfan

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I own Sennheiser HD 800 SD Modded, and Audeze LCD X. Haven't listened to anything more expensive than these two, and don't even feel the need to.
 

Certainkindoffool

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Most expensive would be the HD800. Only listened to once, and I went in with high expectations. But, I just didn't like them.

I own:
Oppo PM-1
Sennheiser HD599
AKG Q701
Audioquest nighthawk
Shure srh840

The PM-1's are great. They didnt blow me away initially. But, I've found it next to impossible to go back to my other headphones. The Shure's are easily my next favorite, except for them being stupidly heavy.
 

Spinitch

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Own:Sony R10 and Z7.
Sennheiser HE90 With Stax amp, limits usage.
Sensaphonics custom IEM silicon soft-loved the comfort isolation but dog destroyed, miss but IEMs meant to be used and abused so Replaced with Shure 535, another Shure??, and Noble Falcon TWS (IPX7!).
Bose wired sound sport best for jogging, comfortable, minimal microphonics , open so can hear approaching bikes, cars , panthers etc... but wire was very thin, fragile. All taped up now.
Mainly use Falcons and Z7 (have a Sony PHA-3 amp dac with balanced outs for Z7). Love the R10s, comfort sound stage, but since discontinued classics so try to keep safe.
 

A Surfer

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I have owned and or currently own: TH900/600, D7000, HD800S/700/650/600, MDR 1A/Z7/Z1R, WH1000XM3, DT880/770, PM3, HP-3, HP50, HE Edition X V2/560/400i, ZMF Vibro X, SR125/225i, LCD 2F, Pioneer SE Monitor 5, KEF M500/Space One Wireless, B&W P7 Wireless/PX, B&O H7, NightOwl/NightHawk and several more. I have had extended listening with so many more through a friend who collects pretty expensive headphones and has me sell them for him.

Currently I most enjoy the Edition X V2, but I also had the Verum 1 on hand for a few weeks and was quite impressed.
 

Jimbob54

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Sennheiser HE1, MSRP (with amplifier) is approximately USD 55.000.
View attachment 56906

How do you rate the Pioneers in your signature? Toying with the idea of a pair as on sale at amazon. But already have d7000, LCD XC, Audio Technica W5000 and Ether CX as good closed backs, so not sure Pioneer would add much to the party?
 

henryadams678

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I've started with Senheiser HD 212 Pro, but now using Audio-Technica ATH-M50 -- best choice, imho. I use it to master tracks, really good sound. Also checked out some AxelVox's, not bad for the price, but still AT is a better coice
 

restorer-john

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I did a "don't tell me the price" compare a few years ago and the ones that impressed me most on classical instrumental timbre were AKG Q701, better than the Sennheiser HD800 I thought.

Funny, I did the same thing a while back and bought 701s, then a pair of 601s and 702s. The 601s are lovely. The 702s have squeaky plastic articulating joints which utterly ruins their otherwise beautiful sound. I don't use them anymore and can't be bothered pulling them apart to "lube" the plastic ball/socket/bearing joints from the headband to the earcup. Not good enough AKG.

The prefect ones IMO were the 601s. Proper 1/4" plug instead of a horrible 3.55mm (+adapter), better looking and just a bargain. Pity they killed them off- like all good value things.
 

Foxxy

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Listened to: first generation Sennheiser Orpheus. That amp looked stunning. Sonically I preferred the HD580.
Hahaha, I wouldn't go that far. But yeah, they were pretty underwhelming. I mean, maybe I simply wasn't used to the absolute neutrality but especially bass didn't wow me. In that regard I liked the HD800 much more. Just super tight and springy.
 

maxxevv

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The more expensive I have tried ? Focal Utopia, Abyss Phi, Raal SR1a, Stax SR009, Hifiman Susvara, Arya, Jade II, Meze Empyrean, Focal Stellia. HD800, HD800S, HD820.

Favourite ? SR1a.

In terms of closed type ones, the Focal Stellia and the HD820 are both good in their own ways. But for most people, I would tend to think the Stellia sounds better as it hardly sounds like a closed back headphone.

What I would pay my own money for ? Hifiman Arya and Sennheiser HD800.
Because they are both at a performance level that leaves very little to be bettered despite they are both about mid-tier in terms of price.
 

jhaider

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Hahaha, I wouldn't go that far. But yeah, they were pretty underwhelming. I mean, maybe I simply wasn't used to the absolute neutrality but especially bass didn't wow me.

I had my HD580 and a HeadRoom portable amp with me when I heard Orpheus. So I’m confident in the comparison.
 

Jimbob54

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I had my HD580 and a HeadRoom portable amp with me when I heard Orpheus. So I’m confident in the comparison.

How long did you get to spend listening to the O?
 

Rja4000

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Stax Lambda. Loooooong time ago.

I still own the (relatively) inexpensive electret Stax SR44 I purchased in... 1979.

Other than that, my current Focal Elegia isn't cheap either. And I like it.
(Although the output level is too low when driven from the Yamaha DM1000 mixer headphones output. But I just hook them to the RME ADI-2 Pro fs and issue is solved)
 

Sal1950

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Own - My Senn HD-650's
Listened To - I don't really remember, I've done a couple at shows here and there. But I don't really pay much attention as I'm not really into headphones.
 
D

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Other than Senny HD800S (SOTA) which a colleague lent me for 1 week, the rest I purchased.

I owned the following:
Beyer DT880 600 ohms - excellent
Audeze LCD-2, LCD-4 - excellent. Had to sell - uncomfortable to me.

Current:
Stax SR-009BK limited edition - SOTA. Best I ever heard.
Focal Elex - excellent
Senny HD650 - dare I say SOTA for 500$ ???

Note: I EQ all my headphones using MOTU 8A.
 
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