[silvermuse]

If you're in Seattle, I'd check out Definitive Audio and maybe the Best Buy in Northgate. Definitive Audio has some flagships you can demo like the HD800S and Focal and Best Buy usually has Sennheisers up for demoing.

I agree about the JM XTC Open, imo exploring boutique options is something best done when you have a better handle of what you want in a headphone.

Thankfully, I literally live around the corner from Definitive Audio, less than 2 blocks. Unfortunately, I had the impression that they just did appointment-based home theater sales, but it looks like they have headphone demos. Absolutely checking them out this week and will learn a lot.

660S2 definitely seems like the option, just more expensive than other 6-series. I've seen it as low as $300 and I think I'll get one for that.

I'm going to pass on the 800S for now, but I'd grab an Arya if another one shows up for like $600.

Otherwise, I definitely may look for a focal Elex just to see the build quality and get something that ought to complimen the Hifimans, at least I've heard?

 

[phoneslave86]

I agree about the JM XTC Open, imo exploring boutique options is something best done when you have a better handle of what you want in a headphone.

I would generally agree about that advice unless you have some kind of confirmation of the legitimacy of the small business in question. These are quite well reviewed. Just have to get the "warm and detailed" tuning which is very safe overall tuning for all day and all genre listening. This is what most go for. It can always be sent back and retuned to be tweaked to perfection just for you as an individual (what value is that in one headphone) There really are some advantages that make it worth it. There was just no going back after I got these. Night and day. It's hard to believe one person could produce these and have any superior elements versus such large companies. As someone who definitely struggles with fatigue and upper sensitivity these are easily less difficult to use for all day long overall listening (while maintaining endgame levels of resolution). These are easier to work with for me than an Arya, HD800s, Clear OG, Z1r ect. The XTC also sound relatively great straight off of my cellphone without a dongle and take my Topping DX3 Pro + to the next level but they can also do great on XLR balanced and low impedance capable tube amps too. These are even easier to pair up with things than my edition XS. The only thing they don't work well with is high impedance tube amps. Comfort is also well above average, one can wear them all day long if you had to. The JM tuning deals with peakiness, it's the only high resolution headphone I've seen like that yet. There is just zero peakiness yet somehow maintains a large dynamic range. It's true the fit and finish isn't mainstream level as one can see in these pictures but there are still some nice quality elements to work with which I find worth it as a tradeoff. Also must mention the customer service is up there with the best I've seen. It seems to be a general consensus from a wide range of audiophiles (including novice) that the value is really good with these and I would not be afraid of them. If you've never experienced Beryllium or BionNanoWool drivers I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone to give it a shot! It's something you can definitely hear that has some real magic like nothing I've heard before.

These open backs have held up quite well so far. They are chipped. They have been dropped, banged many times, travelled several times and abused. I am pretty rough on stuff like this. All of my headphones end up looking bad after a while if I travel with them ect. So far these are holding up, I still haven't had to tighten a screw yet or anything like that. Please ignore how dirty they are.

 

[silvermuse]

I would generally agree about that advice unless you have some kind of confirmation of the legitimacy of the small business in question. These are quite well reviewed. Just have to get the "warm and detailed" tuning which is very safe overall tuning for all day and all genre listening. This is what most go for. It can always be sent back and retuned to be tweaked to perfection just for you as an individual (what value is that in one headphone) There really are some advantages that make it worth it. There was just no going back after I got these. Night and day. It's hard to believe one person could produce these and have any superior elements versus such large companies. As someone who definitely struggles with fatigue and upper sensitivity these are easily less difficult to use for all day long overall listening (while maintaining endgame levels of resolution). These are easier to work with for me than an Arya, HD800s, Clear OG, Z1r ect. The XTC also sound relatively great straight off of my cellphone without a dongle and take my Topping DX3 Pro + to the next level but they can also do great on XLR balanced and low impedance capable tube amps too. These are even easier to pair up with things than my edition XS. The only thing they don't work well with is high impedance tube amps. Comfort is also well above average, one can wear them all day long if you had to. The JM tuning deals with peakiness, it's the only high resolution headphone I've seen like that yet. There is just zero peakiness yet somehow maintains a large dynamic range. It's true the fit and finish isn't mainstream level as one can see in these pictures but there are still some nice quality elements to work with which I find worth it as a tradeoff. Also must mention the customer service is up there with the best I've seen. It seems to be a general consensus from a wide range of audiophiles (including novice) that the value is really good with these and I would not be afraid of them. If you've never experienced Beryllium or BionNanoWool drivers I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone to give it a shot! It's something you can definitely hear that has some real magic like nothing I've heard before.

These open backs have held up quite well so far. They are chipped. They have been dropped, banged many times, travelled several times and abused. I am pretty rough on stuff like this. All of my headphones end up looking bad after a while if I travel with them ect. So far these are holding up, I still haven't had to tighten a screw yet or anything like that. Please ignore how dirty they are

It's funny, I really bounced back and forth on these. I first ignored your suggestion since it sounded so unusual, then I was fairly convinced, and then I got convinced again to put it off to the side and focus on finding some deals on Aryas, Focals, and Senns in some combination.

But guess what? I read this post of yours and did a bit more review searching, and despite one of my friends advising a bit against boutique sellers because they can't really afford to include as expensive components as the mass manufacturers, I still got convinced again. Then I saw an excellent deal for used XTC Opens for $630 pre-tax and I snagged it. I might still grab Aryas on a deal and compare and resell, but for now, I've got the JM's in the mail.

All thanks to you! Hopefully they're amazing! And if not, it's awesome that JM will fully support my headphones despite being bought used (at least I've heard that said and confirmed many times).

 

[phoneslave86]

It's funny, I really bounced back and forth on these. I first ignored your suggestion since it sounded so unusual, then I was fairly convinced, and then I got convinced again to put it off to the side and focus on finding some deals on Aryas, Focals, and Senns in some combination.

But guess what? I read this post of yours and did a bit more review searching, and despite one of my friends advising a bit against boutique sellers because they can't really afford to include as expensive components as the mass manufacturers, I still got convinced again. Then I saw an excellent deal for used XTC Opens for $630 pre-tax and I snagged it. I might still grab Aryas on a deal and compare and resell, but for now, I've got the JM's in the mail.

All thanks to you! Hopefully they're amazing! And if not, it's awesome that JM will fully support my headphones despite being bought used (at least I've heard that said and confirmed many times).

Congrats!! Your gonna love it for sure!! That is quite incredible sound at $630. All you have to do is wait until the day he builds it, and he will tune it on that day for you. It's pretty easy he will guide you through it all. I can't wait to hear what you think. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. They are SO good. I think about mine every day and that more people need to hear these things. Always makes me happy when someone finds out about them.

**Edit** Oh wait you got used ones. Did it say what kind of tuning it had? JM headphones offer free retunings for life so I think you'll be ok if it isn't good tuning I got one retune so far and it took an incredible headphone and made it even more incredible.

 

[silvermuse]

Congrats!! Your gonna love it for sure!! That is quite incredible sound at $630. All you have to do is wait until the day he builds it, and he will tune it on that day for you. It's pretty easy he will guide you through it all. I can't wait to hear what you think. Feel free to message me if you have any questions. They are SO good. I think about mine every day and that more people need to hear these things. Always makes me happy when someone finds out about them.

**Edit** Oh wait you got used ones. Did it say what kind of tuning it had? JM headphones offer free retunings for life so I think you'll be ok if it isn't good tuning I got one retune so far and it took an incredible headphone and made it even more incredible.

The listing said: "Tuned warm, yet detailed." This is, I think from what I've heard, the default tuning, which seems to be the main recommendation for the XTCs and often an easy winner. One reviewer really praised the bass and soundstage which are two things I really like, though I haven't heard that comment everywhere about them, but again I can hopefully get them retuned easily if necessary! (Not to improve soundstage I imagine, but other things.)

 

[phoneslave86]

The listing said: "Tuned warm, yet detailed." This is, I think from what I've heard, the default tuning, which seems to be the main recommendation for the XTCs and often an easy winner. One reviewer really praised the bass and soundstage which are two things I really like, though I haven't heard that comment everywhere about them, but again I can hopefully get them retuned easily if necessary! (Not to improve soundstage I imagine, but other things.)

That tuning is a reasonable starting point. That sounds like a variant of warm and detailed, it might have custom tweaks but it should be in a range that isn't a bad start. The soundstage has much above average depth in a sense of resolution/texture on regular stuff with an average height and width, not small or huge. It gets much wider and taller on bigger amps and the like to a point I'd call it simply a huge soundstage for a headphone. Of course no headphone can reproduce a full soundstage like speakers so it's all relative. I really love the XTC soundstage though, it's like a little portal and it sounds real inside of it. Tuning does effect the soundstage for sure. The bass is so good. Beryllium bass is less than Bio but very precise and revealing in midbass, will show you bass you didn't know existed. Bio is much warmer and fuller sounding overall but the bass isn't as precise at least with what I've seen. Both separate the bass 100 percent from ever muddling the mids or uppers. Did you get Bio or Beryl?

 

[silvermuse]

That tuning is a reasonable starting point. That sounds like a variant of warm and detailed, it might have custom tweaks but it should be in a range that isn't a bad start. The soundstage has much above average depth in a sense of resolution/texture on regular stuff with an average height and width, not small or huge. It gets much wider and taller on bigger amps and the like to a point I'd call it simply a huge soundstage for a headphone. Of course no headphone can reproduce a full soundstage like speakers so it's all relative. I really love the XTC soundstage though, it's like a little portal and it sounds real inside of it. Tuning does effect the soundstage for sure. The bass is so good. Beryllium bass is less than Bio but very precise and revealing in midbass, will show you bass you didn't know existed. Bio is much warmer and fuller sounding overall but the bass isn't as precise at least with what I've seen. Both separate the bass 100 percent from ever muddling the mids or uppers. Did you get Bio or Beryl?

Continuing this conversation in PMs now that the recommendation thread has fulfilled its purpose, thanks to everyone who helped!!