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Which headphones are best for under 1500


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13 hours ago, Martykt said:

Head down to Addicted to Audio.

They're great to deal with and are happy to spend the time demoing different headphones and amps to find the right headphone combination for you.

No headphones demo at Addicted to Audio at least as of last Saturday. I am not sure about the amps, but might be worth calling ahead to check.

Edited by rx79ez08
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14 minutes ago, rx79ez08 said:

No headphones demo at Addicted to Audio at least as of last Saturday. I am not sure about the amps, but might be worth calling ahead to check.

due to covid 19 ? 

 

as that was a good reason ive seen folk there when i have gone there....

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23 minutes ago, betty boop said:

due to covid 19 ? 

 

as that was a good reason ive seen folk there when i have gone there....

They sent out an email a while ago advising no demo of headphones due to Covid19, but I think you can still demo speakers subject to social distancing measure. I think it was also on their website for a bit.

I called ahead last Saturday to their Melbourne store to ask whether I could demo headphones and was told no.

I think in store pickup is still OK though.

Edited by rx79ez08
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I can recommend the Focal Elex form personal experience but I acknowledge that they're hard to come by if you don't want to wait for Massdrop's lead times. If you've got the budget, the Clears would be the next logical step up in the Focal line and I'd be confident they'd perform at least as good as the Elex. The general consensus is the Clear is the better headphone (as it should be for the price).

For an all in one DAC/amp, you might be interested in the Monoprice THX all-in-one (https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24459). From accounts I've seen it measures and sounds as good as the well regarded Massdrop THX AAA 789. I personally use the Topping D30 + THX AAA 789 and it can be a little clinical at times so looking at a Schiit Jotunheim may also be a good option.

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13 hours ago, elisix_ said:

A2A aren't doing any headphone demo's during COVID, fortunately/unfortunately. 

I was in the A2A Leederville store yesterday to pick up an order and asked about the possibility of headphone auditions returning. The staff there said that they were okay with auditions of IEMs and headphones with leather pads as they could be wiped down after use. Velour pads were a no go. I'm not sure if this policy varies store by store.

Edited by infinitelivez
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While I’ve only had my HD6xx for a few weeks and put 30-50 hours through them, I couldn’t pass up the A2A deal on the Focal Elegia at $499. For a closed back alternative that I can wear at work, these will fit the bill nicely.
 

For under $1500 per the topic, it seems they’re perhaps the best closed back option out there in this range, and at $499, definitely the best option. 

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On 15/05/2020 at 4:22 PM, elisix_ said:

While I’ve only had my HD6xx for a few weeks and put 30-50 hours through them, I couldn’t pass up the A2A deal on the Focal Elegia at $499. For a closed back alternative that I can wear at work, these will fit the bill nicely.
 

For under $1500 per the topic, it seems they’re perhaps the best closed back option out there in this range, and at $499, definitely the best option. 

Me neither. I ordered some last night. Can’t wait to try ?

 

I’ve never experienced high quality phones. I’ve never valued that sort of music listening. I live in the bush alone most of the time, so I just crank whichever speaker/s I’m listening to. And I just spent a fortune on hifi components, but couldn’t resist the chance to get what (by all reports) are excellent hp’s for a massive price reduction. 

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In the states they still buy them for 700 USD and that's *cheap*.

 

500 AUD is stupid.

 

New, they are unbeatable at that price.

 

It doesn't gaurenteed you'll like them, still sounds like a Focal, but most seem to.

 

Happy listening!..and replace that God awful cable.

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Well it was short lived.

 

Picked up the Elegia yesterday, unboxed and played this morning. I immediately discovered an issue. Unfortunately the left speaker is buzzing like something is vibrating or loose. I've tried different music and it's most apparent on low-mid bass tracks. Occurs at various volume levels and is easy to replicate. 

 

It was explained to me by A2A that B Stock is literally package damage only and that the headphones are brand new and no different to a full retail unit. Looks like they're going back on Tuesday first thing when A2A open. I'm undecided if I will get a refund or exchange as this concerns me overall.

 

$500 or not, they shouldn't have these issues, though I understand these things happen. I was told all of the B Stock boxes were damaged, and mine certainly was with a big gouge out of the side. The inside box was fine, but perhaps the force of whatever damaged the outside box caused this?

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Tough luck @elisix_

 

That’s really disappointing, but from a personal pov I’m happy to hear that b-stock is unused. Just hope mine don’t have issues ?

 

I’ve seen and read several reviews all praising them generally, so maybe it’s just unlucky.

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I was told that all of the boxes are like this. No idea what actually happened to them, but the outer box is relatively thick cardboard. As I said they were gouged, not just dropped/crushed. 

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Just closing the loop on my last post regarding the Focal Elegia from A2A.

 

Exchanged with no issue. New Elegia running great from the 10hrs i've quickly put into them (to test) these past 2 days.

 

I will add that the iFi HipDAC with the bass boost is great for these headphones. Without this feature, I imagine the bass might be lacking a little.

 

Probably doesn't help that I am wearing glasses and there might be a little bass leak.

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14 minutes ago, Bengineer said:

Care if ordering online. Apparently it's often their demo/floor models, which they don't disclose. If it isn't new, kick up a fuss.

except they will only offer alternative of another off floor model. DJ have down sized stores and no longer stocking this sort of high end thing, hence clearance of shop floor stock and yes thats all it is ...pick best of them but to do that will need visiting the store or ... ordering online getting something and if not happy taking back to a store so they can send you another from another stores shop floor ...

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Are you guys saying these are used off the floor, or new in box from out the back across various stores?

 

Nowhere that I could see from the DJ’s site does it state this. I’d be very surprised if a used item shows up. 
 

I’ll likely just use this price to get a price match elsewhere tomorrow, as again, it doesn’t state floor/used stock.

Edited by elisix_
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2 minutes ago, elisix_ said:

Are you guys saying these are used off the floor, or new in box from out the back across various stores?

I doubt they would be floor stock, Brisbane has floor stock but it's not on their website for sale online. They wouldn't sell floor stock as new. Easy return of they tried.

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