What is the best quality/price headphones for 1500€ max ?

[Takanaka]

Dangerous! There is a good chance after fiddling with all 3, you'll want to keep them all. I cant speak for the Arya but the LCD and the 800 are still very different after EQ but I love them both.

Oh I bet! I thought I was done with this rabbit hole after getting a ZMF Auteur 3 years ago, but the everlasting upgraditus itch has surfaced once more. Would love to see the Arya and Auteur measured here at ASR to see if they hold up to their praise and prices.

 

[Moonhead]

You got rid of the LCD X because of the weight and now your getting them again?
- not trying to provoke, just don’t see the logic, maybe look at HD800S vs. Arya.

 

[Takanaka]

You got rid of the LCD X because of the weight and now your getting them again?
- not trying to provoke, just don’t see the logic, maybe look at HD800S vs. Arya.

Just missing the sound when I tested them a few days, I heard they have a new headband now that distributes the weight better and there’s also some aftermarket ones if the new one doesn’t cut it.

In the meantime I also got used to pretty hefty headphones like the Clear and the Auteur so I don’t think the LCD-X’s weight will be problematic anymore.

 

[Moonhead]

I see, load your weapon and fire away.

 

[knownunknown]

i want to upgrade from a pair of HD600 (+ topping e30/l30) and have a similar budget. overall i think they are good cans and i love their detail, but they sound incredibly boring with rock and electronic music. thing is, my taste in music is all over the place, so i really need an alrounder. hd600s with a little bit more warmth + bass would be ideal. auditioning is kinda hard at the moment, so can anyone point me in the right direction pls, thanks!

edit: was thinking about the audeze lcd 2, but could also get a pair of HD800S for 1100€

 

[Moonhead]

LCD2 will come closer to the sound signature of HD650, but HD800S is leaps better than audeze, even better made, IMO.

 

[SRKRAM]

Audeze LCD-3 (buy used - the warranty transfers)

Martin

I read your earlier posts where you were debating whether to keep the Focal Clears or LCD-3s. Did you settle on the LCDs?

 

[Martin]

I read your earlier posts where you were debating whether to keep the Focal Clears or LCD-3s. Did you settle on the LCDs?

I did: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...headphones-plus-a-newcomer.18400/#post-600646

Martin

 

[Takanaka]

Well, in the meantime I got to test the Senn HD800S and the Hifiman Arya. With one I was positively surprised, with the other, not so much.

The Arya being not all that comfortable so far, clamps pretty hard on my head and jaw, seems to aggravate my tinnitus quite a bit. The HD800S was a tad uncomfortable every now and then but eventually I found the right headband notches for my head and all was good.

Sound-wise, the HD800S with stock tuning sounded a bit skinny but did everything well. A little bass EQ works wonders and a few EQ tweaks in the midrange can help tame the remains of the 6K peak and make the music sound a little fuller while not subduing any details. The soundstage albeit somewhat artificial with some tracks never really bothered me and let me enjoy the tracks I was familiar with in a very unique way.

The Arya on the other hand, is a little cleaner in the bass department, takes EQ like a champ without any noticeable distortion. However the midrange is rather soft and distant and the first thing I noticed is that the treble with it’s 5K peak is very sharp and edged. It’s odd, being rather similar to the HD800S 6K peak yet where it rarely bothered me on the HD800S the Arya takes it a step too far and makes things like cymbals, hi-hats and trumpets almost downright painful.

I found the soundstage to be the star of the show on the Arya lot’s of width, depth and height. It’s one of the very few headphones that’s able to let you hear the back of the room and it can give this subtle but amazing 3D sound effect and can be a little more intimate when called for.

I took Oratory’s Arya ADI-2 EQ profile and it made the mid range sound a little fuller and tamed the treble slightly but it was still very bothersome, and still seemed to aggravate my tinnitus greatly, but that might be down to classic planar ringing.

You can take my opinion with a grain of salt as I’ve had the HD800S for a month and the Arya for a few days, I’m still giving it some head time to see if I can still psychologically adjust to the sound a little. Though there’s a big chance you might see the Arya for sale on here soon, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re interested in one.

 

[SOULKAT]

Agreed. While my Verites are the best headphones I've had or tried, the difference between them and my 6xx is definitely not $2000 of a difference.

Good to keep perspective on the ridiculousness of this hobby.

I have had my Sennheiser HD 650 for wow too many years 20 at least and they still work but not as good as before as i overloaded by mistake & they have never worked as before
What do i get to replace them in 2021 about the same price as these Now { I'm tempted to re buy them as i loved them so much but Technology must have moved on since } Any thoughts ?? I am using Topping E30 Dac and will buy a headphone amp soon. Should i buy the L30 Or go for the iFi one ??
Thanks Dan

 

[SOULKAT]

I did go and buy another new pair of HD650s so a side grade not an upgrade.

 

[Noodles]

600’s line are still good in todays standards. Especially if you like the sound signature.

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

So my question is : Dear ASR members, What headphones would you buy for a 1500€ budget max ?

Salut, j'habite en France aussi, et j'ai un E30/L30 aussi

For a 1500 € budget max, I wouldn't buy a single 1500 € headphone. Because like you say, the sound difference will be really small, ESPECIALLY if you have access to EQ. I would buy instead :

• A Sennheiser HD 600 (electrodynamic, open, intimate soundstage, natural sounding, great on vocals, guitars, strings, acoustic, jazz...)
• A Hifiman Sundara (planar, open, very versatile, bigger soundstage, great on almost everything, just not very comfortable for my taste)
• An Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon (electrodynamic, semi-closed, impressive bass down to 20 Hz, very little distortion, amazing 3D imaging, great when EQed, great on most modern music, and EXTREMELY comfortable), which you can still find on eBay or some websites. Get one while you can !
• A Meze 99 Classics (electrodynamic, closed, nice bass, maybe not as good and detailed as the others, but they're closed so you can travel with them, and they're really beautiful)

And I would have more fun with them than with a single pair of 1500 € headphones...
... oh wait, that's exactly what I did !

 

[Jimbob54]

Salut, j'habite en France aussi, et j'ai un E30/L30 aussi

For a 1500 € budget max, I wouldn't buy a single 1500 € headphone. Because like you say, the sound difference will be really small, ESPECIALLY if you have access to EQ. I would buy instead :

• A Sennheiser HD 600 (electrodynamic, open, intimate soundstage, natural sounding, great on vocals, guitars, strings, acoustic, jazz...)
• A Hifiman Sundara (planar, open, very versatile, bigger soundstage, great on almost everything, just not very comfortable for my taste)
• An Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon (electrodynamic, semi-closed, impressive bass down to 20 Hz, very little distortion, amazing 3D imaging, great when EQed, great on most modern music, and EXTREMELY comfortable), which you can still find on eBay or some websites. Get one while you can !
• A Meze 99 Classics (electrodynamic, closed, nice bass, maybe not as good and detailed as the others, but they're closed so you can travel with them, and they're really beautiful)

And I would have more fun with them than with a single pair of 1500 € headphones...
... oh wait, that's exactly what I did !

View attachment 161866

Or save $200 and not buy the Meze which is just awful (IMO). What is the far left?

 

[Jose Hidalgo]

Or save $200 and not buy the Meze which is just awful (IMO). What is the far left?

I hear you Jimbo, but there's a reason for the Meze. Like I said it's closed, so it's actually the only one I can take on a travel (plane, train, etc.). It comes with a nice rigid travel case BTW. That and the fancy looks on my shelf are reasons enough for having it. I got mine for only 140 € from a contact in Romania. With that said, I won't fight over that choice : any CLOSED suggestions for a similar budget ? (maybe a Bose QC, good for travel too)

The Meze may sound... "fun" without EQ, but thankfully EQing it (which I do with all my cans) makes it decent. Oratory has a nice preset for it. Remember, people also said that the Nighthawks were awful. That's only because they didn't understand their potential. The Meze and the Hawks are very warm, with recessed treble, so to some people they may sound "veiled" out of the box. But you just need to EQ them to Harman (or any other target to your liking), and BAM ! Everything sounds right. I really don't understand people who don't EQ their headphones. To me that's WAY more important than buying 1500 € headphones. It should be mandatory, lol.

The far left is a cheap pair of OneOdio DJ Studio Pro bought on AliExpress, which I don't use for HiFi purposes.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I third the recommendation of the Verite.