[Kaeru92]

Hello all,

After a long time not following the hifi industry, i am coming back with the feeling that it's time for an upgrade, and I need some help to narrow down my choices to a few options.

About me : I bought my first ever pair of audiophile headphones around 2013, the Philips Fidelio X1, and have kept it ever since. I have really loved the comfort of these headphones, you can wear them for hours and not feel any fatigue. The sound was also pretty good, well balanced and suitable for music, gaming, movies etc. I have used them mostly plugged into the portable first Fulla schiit.

I will definitely keep the Fidelio for all around use, but I'm looking to upgrade the sound quality for music listening specifically. I'm also keen to try using the new cans with a proper amp, which I will need to buy as well.

I am aiming for something in the 1-2k USD range, i am not dead set on the technology used, but I've never had planars, so why not.

From reviews i have read, the hifiman Arya sounds like a potential fit. The hd800s is also legendary but i wonder if it would be too "cold" and analytical for my taste.

Anything else you can recommend in this price range that would be a real step up i quality ?

I know nothing about amps and have not budgeted for it yet. I am looking for something durable, ideally not too bulky, that could scale well with the best headphones out there. Any suggestions in that department ?

Thanks a lot !

 

[voja]

I know there will be people recommending you the "popular" choices out there, so I will instead give you a recommendation that likely nobody else would've.

ES Lab ES-R10. $1650.

However, it's not a light set of headphones, so I'm not sure whether this is the one to go for. 520g is a lot.

I could give you other unpopular recommendations, but it seems as though you are located in the UK. One question: If you're open to purchasing second-hand headphones, look around on Classifieds. It will get you much farther in terms of value you're getting out of the money spent.

 

[Kaeru92]

Thanks, never heard of these ones I'll take a look.
Comfort (and thus weight) is very important for me as I tend to do some long listening sessions.

Actually I am in Hong Kong now. Haven't found much but pretty sure there is a secondary market to explore here.

 

[surfgeorge]

Hello all,

After a long time not following the hifi industry, i am coming back with the feeling that it's time for an upgrade, and I need some help to narrow down my choices to a few options.

About me : I bought my first ever pair of audiophile headphones around 2013, the Philips Fidelio X1, and have kept it ever since. I have really loved the comfort of these headphones, you can wear them for hours and not feel any fatigue. The sound was also pretty good, well balanced and suitable for music, gaming, movies etc. I have used them mostly plugged into the portable first Fulla schiit.

I will definitely keep the Fidelio for all around use, but I'm looking to upgrade the sound quality for music listening specifically. I'm also keen to try using the new cans with a proper amp, which I will need to buy as well.

I am aiming for something in the 1-2k USD range, i am not dead set on the technology used, but I've never had planars, so why not.

From reviews i have read, the hifiman Arya sounds like a potential fit. The hd800s is also legendary but i wonder if it would be too "cold" and analytical for my taste.

Anything else you can recommend in this price range that would be a real step up i quality ?

I know nothing about amps and have not budgeted for it yet. I am looking for something durable, ideally not too bulky, that could scale well with the best headphones out there. Any suggestions in that department ?

Thanks a lot !

Sounds like you have set yourself not just one but actually 2 ambitious targets - find a new headphone AND a new source.
Since you are in Hong Kong try to find a place where you can listen to high end stuff and listen yourself.
Going by reviews and ratings is helpful to identify products with a good reputation but is by no means an indicator if they are right for you.

Regarding sources I am personally a big fan of the CHORD products, and I think they are a very accurate and dynamic reference.
If you find a store where you can test headphones with a Hugo TT 2 or Hugo 2 it would be a good starting point to identify which headphones you like, then maybe listen to alternative sources and narrow down that part of the equation.

 

[voja]

Thanks, never heard of these ones I'll take a look.
Comfort (and thus weight) is very important for me as I tend to do some long listening sessions.

Actually I am in Hong Kong now. Haven't found much but pretty sure there is a secondary market to explore here.

ES Lab is from HK, you might be able to visit them in person.

I could always recommend the iBasso SR2... They are my favs, and these days you can find them below $500. However, try to find a pair to listen to first =) I've done my part writing every single thing about them and what I think about them. However, with a $2k budget, you can find AMAZING deals on the second-hand market (e.g. Classifieds on Head-Fi). Meze's, Focal's, HiFiMan's, etc.

Here are some I found on Classifieds:
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/meze-empyrean-black-copper.29304/
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds...-2-5m-xlr-bought-04-2021-20-hours-used.32876/
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/kennerton-thekk-bog-oak.33696/
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/raal-ca-1a-ta-1a-2150-conus.34030/

Meze Empyrean is, imo, a step up from the iBasso SR2, especially Empyrean Elite (but I failed to find it within your specified budget and within Europe). RAAL is a thing of its own, I don't think you'll find anything alike it. The CA-1a is a perfect headphone if you want to fiddle with it, mod it, experiment with pads, etc., but the amplification for their headphones is an investment (similar to e-stats). Considering your position as of now, I recommend to search for Empyrean's or Empyrean Elite's.

 

[Kaeru92]

Thanks for the recommendations. Yes ideally i will have to find some stores where i can sample the headphones, and see how they feel and sound on my head.

I think making a shortlist in advance is useful though, so i don't try everything in the store ^^
I will come back to this thread when i have a more definitive shortlist to discuss DAC/AMP solutions.

Thx !