Which headphones are best for under 1500

[elisiX_]

The best closed backs are;

 

Focal Stellia

ZMF Verite Closed
Sony MDR-Z1R
Foxtel TH900

Focal Elegia

 

Pretty much in that order.

 

Elegia is incredible value amongst that crowd. 

[MAST88]

Have you experienced it with the hugo2? chords are no where near tube sounds.

thanks @Elisix

Edited June 25, 2020 by MAST88

[elisiX_]

I haven’t. Take your Chord to some stores and test it?

 

Im just advising what the top closed options are. 

[Bengineer]

Budget?

 

[MAST88]

Done. ill give Elegia a try, prefer not to do any testing at these times.

cheers

[chaddy]

These look like a bargain if you don't mind ex-demo

 

https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/collections/headphones/products/mrspeakers-ether-open-planar-magnetic-headphones

 

 

[barbz127]

Worth noting that a2a are no longer agents for mrspeakers so unsure if these would have any warranty or otherwise.

 

A2a had them listed for $1200 2 months ago so must want to move them on

[Gabehcuod]

Stax Mafia member here.

The absolute objectively best headphones period are the Stax 404 Limited. You can buy these if you look hard enough, for around $700 once you factor in import costs.

They then require an adapter like the SRD7mk2 or Woo Wee which together is under your $1500 limit.

Finally instead of getting a tinny headphone amp, you run these boys on a big, heavy vintage power-amplifier.

[MAST88]

I tried the Ether last year and wouldn’t mind their sound with the Chord, quite transparent, lacks a little mid bass due to memory, also tried the LCD2c and id actually prefers their sound without going into much details the are easier to my ears.

For some reasons I cant get used to to Stax look, its just looks and feel cheap to me? 

[rx79ez08]

56 minutes ago, Gabehcuod said:

Stax Mafia member here.

The absolute objectively best headphones period are the Stax 404 Limited. You can buy these if you look hard enough, for around $700 once you factor in import costs.

They then require an adapter like the SRD7mk2 or Woo Wee which together is under your $1500 limit.

Finally instead of getting a tinny headphone amp, you run these boys on a big, heavy vintage power-amplifier.

You might be able to get a SR-404 Ltd at that price, but you have to look quite hard. Then there is the maintenance issues then you have to deal with.....

SRD7 Pro are also hard to come by and you don't necessarily want to run a Pro headphones off normal output. Apparently Woo Wee needed to be modified with burden resistor to stop it from killing the driver. Probably better off with a dedicated energizer like SRM-1Mk2, SRM-T1 or the modern SRM-353X, which cost somewhere between $500 - $1000.

Either way not quite a simple exercise. I gone through the exercise with multiple pairs of Stax. Also tend to escalate quite quickly, soon you will be after a SR-007 and a KGSShv.....

Although you are right, the sound out of Stax Lambda is quite good for its price range even with all the complications involved...

Edited June 27, 2020 by rx79ez08

[rx79ez08]

24 minutes ago, MAST88 said:

I tried the Ether last year and wouldn’t mind their sound with the Chord, quite transparent, lacks a little mid bass due to memory, also tried the LCD2c and id actually prefers their sound without going into much details the are easier to my ears.

For some reasons I cant get used to to Stax look, its just looks and feel cheap to me? 

Probably because all the plastic in the Lambda headphones. I really like the look of the SR-007 and SR-009, which are more or less all metal.

Then there is the Sigma....

[Gabehcuod]

6 minutes ago, rx79ez08 said:

You might be able to get a SR-404 Ltd at that price, but you have to look quite hard. Then there is the maintenance issues then you have to deal with.....

SRD7 Pro are also hard to come by and you don't necessarily want to run a Pro headphones off normal output. Apparently Woo Wee needed to be modified with burden resistor to stop it from killing the driver. Probably better off with a dedicated energizer like SRM-1Mk2, SRM-T1 or the modern SRM-353X, which cost somewhere between $500 - $1000.

Either way not quite a simple exercise. I gone through the exercise with multiple pairs of Stax. Also tend to escalate quite quickly, soon you will be after a SR-007 and a KGSShv.....

Although you are right, the sound out of Stax Lambda is quite good for its price range even with all the complications involved...

The newer versions of the Woo Wee do not need the ballast mod, only the older versions that have both NB and PB outputs.

The dedicated energizers simply don't have enough voltage swing for the stax headphones and make them sound almost broken.

When I had mine, I was able to get it for $580AUD + shipping & fees from buyee.

The modern lambdas after the edifier have much thicker diaphrams and sound more like a planar than an estat.

This was to significantly cut costs. They also use a casemate for that exact reason.

There's no maintenance issues, you just have to treat a precision instrument, like a precision instrument.

 

The reason its plastic is because its designed to be acoustically neutral. Its an impregnated plastic so they're very very strong.

Metal resonates alot and wood less so, both terrible choices for a headphone, unless its free field.

If you're favoring looks over sound then you're a consumer, not an audiophile.

[MAST88]

12 minutes ago, Gabehcuod said:

If you're favoring looks over sound then you're a consumer, not an audiophile.

Let me ask you this...do you date a girl just for personality only? Pss...audiophiles lol

[MAST88]

22 minutes ago, rx79ez08 said:

Probably because all the plastic in the Lambda headphones. I really like the look of the SR-007 and SR-009, which are more or less all metal.

Then there is the Sigma....

Now thats a good looking pair!

[rx79ez08]

1 hour ago, Gabehcuod said:

The newer versions of the Woo Wee do not need the ballast mod, only the older versions that have both NB and PB outputs.

The dedicated energizers simply don't have enough voltage swing for the stax headphones and make them sound almost broken.

When I had mine, I was able to get it for $580AUD + shipping & fees from buyee.

The modern lambdas after the edifier have much thicker diaphrams and sound more like a planar than an estat.

This was to significantly cut costs. They also use a casemate for that exact reason.

There's no maintenance issues, you just have to treat a precision instrument, like a precision instrument.

 

The reason its plastic is because its designed to be acoustically neutral. Its an impregnated plastic so they're very very strong.

Metal resonates alot and wood less so, both terrible choices for a headphone, unless its free field.

If you're favoring looks over sound then you're a consumer, not an audiophile.

I am not arguing you can't buy them cheap, the 404Ltd is quite rare nowadays although I admit I don't check Japan website very often. Last time I saw one in Australia was about $700 here a few years ago, but that got snap up really quickly. I think I see them for about $700 USD on Head-fi every once in a while. Interesting even a standard pair of 404 is costing about $1000 AUD on Buyee.

In my opinion the SRM energizers are not great for 007, but for Lambdas they are quite sufficient.

Old Stax have foam dust cover in front and behind the elements, they tend to disintegrate with age. Those then get into the element and often cause buzzing, which can be very difficult to fix. There are also issues with channel imbalance. The plastic head-arc also are known to snap, and can be difficult to get a hold of spare part for replacement. Also apparently UV degrade the plastic and foam, so don't leave the headphones out too much. All issues are not unmanageable but good to know before hand.

Tuning of modern Lambdas are quite different to old one. I personally don't mind the L700, and prefer it to the 009 as I think it is a good balance of speed but not being too "polite" like the 009. I really like the Nova Signature, but again they are getting rarer and more expensive with age.

The modern elements with better sealing should be much more robust, but time will tell.

I recently been playing with a SRM-Monitor with the Lambda Signature or the Lambda Nova Signature. That's probably my favorite Stax combo for a while.

Edited June 27, 2020 by rx79ez08

[rx79ez08]

2 minutes ago, MAST88 said:

Now thats a good looking pair!

Looks even better when you wear them LoL. Sigma is a very interesting experiment and some people swear by it. I am personally so so. Also very hard to drive properly.

[MAST88]

38 minutes ago, rx79ez08 said:

Looks even better when you wear them LoL. Sigma is a very interesting experiment and some people swear by it. I am personally so so. Also very hard to drive properly.

Jesus i cant imagine falling asleep with those on haha

[gwurb]

On 25/06/2020 at 9:13 PM, MAST88 said:

Have you experienced it with the hugo2? chords are no where near tube sounds.

thanks @Elisix

I haven't heard hugo2. I've read reviews. 
 

I think this looks pretty good

On 25/06/2020 at 9:10 PM, elisix_ said:

The best closed backs are;

 

Focal Stellia

ZMF Verite Closed
Sony MDR-Z1R
Foxtel TH900

Focal Elegia

 

Pretty much in that order.

My comment would be that it seems that hugo2 reviews talk about treble being clear and emphasised. If you think you need to stay with hugo2 then I would look at the Sony. Focals can have a sharp treble. I enjoy mine but I would not an amp that makes the treble stand out more. 

[gwurb]

On 27/06/2020 at 6:34 PM, rx79ez08 said:

Looks even better when you wear them LoL. Sigma is a very interesting experiment and some people swear by it. I am personally so so. Also very hard to drive properly.

I would pay not to wear those lol

[elisiX_]

I’ve actually been using the Hugo 2 with my Utopia and Stellia this weekend and it’s amazing. Seriously, not an issue at all.
 

I’m super critical of treble and I find the pairing to be awesome. Better on Stellia than Utopia, but really great on both.

 

Edited June 28, 2020 by elisix_

[MAST88]

2 hours ago, elisix_ said:

I’ve actually been using the Hugo 2 with my Utopia and Stellia this weekend and it’s amazing. Seriously, not an issue at all.
 

I’m super critical of treble and I find the pairing to be awesome. Better on Stellia than Utopia, but really great on both.

 

Good to hear it works with the Focals

[elisiX_]

There seem to be a lot of people on HeadFi forums who are using the Stellia and Hugo 2 or Mojo.

 

Seems to be pretty consistent that the Hugo 2 trumps the Mojo, but i'd expect that at 4x the price!

[rx79ez08]

Stellia is very good, I found it very close to the Clear which is an excellent accomplishment for a closed headphones.

 

It doesn't isolate very well when I tried it though. Without good isolation, I couldn't justify the getting it especially with a set of Clear and Z1R already.

[elisiX_]

I’ve tested all of these options extensively. Multiple sessions over many weeks and across various source and amp components. 
 

Stellia stands above all in the Focal line, including the Utopia in many cases, particularly as an all purpose solution. I feel like the Stellia has a sound signature closer to Clear, but the speed and detail of Utopia. That’s why it’s one of the best headphones available - closed or open.

 

I used the Stellia all day at work last week and I could easily drown out the Sonos cranking above my head in the office, though I have no idea how much of my music bled. My desk isn’t even particularly close to others so I doubt I’d get any complaints anyway. 
 

Edited June 29, 2020 by elisix_

[MAST88]

The Elegia came today, thanks for the recommendation @elisix. never knew the packaging is already this nice at the entry level (if only speakers come like this!), made a very well pleasant unboxing experience. The Bonus is $999 from $1400 with a Dragonfly Red, they said I took the last one?. Will be running it in for a few days before I use it. Will be selling the Dragonfly Red & Black since I dont need them.