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Doccks71 t1_itzf0ii wrote

Now get out of this subreddit before you are in few thousand grand deep!!

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Abraxo_Grammaticus OP t1_itzztzx wrote

But.. but.. electrostatic.. tube amps.. Focal Clear.. oh god what have I become?

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Doccks71 t1_iu0w75t wrote

He has been bit, he is already changing!!

Soon you will be looking for HD650 KISS and JAR600 with a tube amp that is worth a small bike

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Kn0thingIsTerrible t1_iu3dbsu wrote

Don’t worry, you bought Hifiman.

The low build quality basically guarantees it’ll crap out on you before you want a new headphone.

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6ixpool t1_iu3ners wrote

Its actually an issue of getting a pair with no QC issues out of the box. If you get a functional pair, the drivers last forever since planar magnetic headphones are very simple devices.

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akeep113 t1_iu0pxht wrote

but really though. i think the $350 sundara is probably the best headphone you can get before you start hitting hard diminishing returns. the ananda, hd800, focal elex, lcd2c, etc are all fantastic headphone but are they twice as good as the sundara? are they really worth another $300+ on top of the price of a sundara? then you look at headphones a tier above those (arya, focal clear, lcd3, etc) and have to wonder if these are really x4 better than the sundara like the price would indicate.. if 'bang for your buck' is your goal, i would seriously consider stopping at the sundara.

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mr_sinn t1_iu0t5db wrote

If you're not happy with them price is meaningless.

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HuckDFaters t1_iu0yida wrote

If you can't be satisfied by a Sundara-tier headphone, the next tier isn't gonna be that much better, nor the one after that.

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mr_sinn t1_iu0zze4 wrote

Value of money is different to everyone. I own $1000 tier headphones and couldn't have stopped at the $300 price point as a general reflection of quality.

I think they're talking more generally, that most people feel they're good enough for the price.

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HuckDFaters t1_iu13fkz wrote

Yeah I'm just saying Sundara is already quite close in quality to higher tier headphones. People can stop with a Sundara and be perfectly fine. Other people can and will pay $700+ more for 5%-10% of improvement over the Sundara and that's fine too.

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GOBBLESHNOB t1_iu3hw8n wrote

What exactly is "better quality" in a $1000 headphone vs a $300 headphone?

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mr_sinn t1_iu41fox wrote

That would be like trying to explain colour to a blind person.

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GOBBLESHNOB t1_iu41xw3 wrote

I know a lot about audio. What is objectively better in a more expensive headphone? I don't believe there's anything different besides frequency response and that is easily fixed with eq.

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mr_sinn t1_iu536ur wrote

If you "know a lot about audio" I'm more surprised you need to ask. Go somewhere to try a pair it watch some reviews, there's generally a correlation between price and objective quality of a product

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GOBBLESHNOB t1_iu6n9ox wrote

I'm just curious. What would you say is objectively better in an expensive headphone? I want to see a measurable difference that's audible. Something other than frequency response, because like I said you can very easily eq anything below very high frequencies. Transient response doesn't matter so long as the headphone has a response up to 20khz. Group delay is practically inaudible on the sundaras. THD is inaudible on the sundaras. Soundstage has nothing to do with price as it's based on earpad shape, depth, and driver angle. Resolution is not real, it's just frequency response. A "bad resolving" headphone would have a bad frequency response that masks other frequencies in an unnatural way. I just want to know what you think is objectively better. Looking at the LCD-2s, their frequency response is terrible even compared to the sundaras. The only expensive headphones I'd ever buy would be the dan clark stealths.

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akeep113 t1_iu0ta6w wrote

Not sure what point you are trying to make

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TRX808 t1_iu3pzkl wrote

I think that a great value (or lack of) doesn't mean that you click with a headphone. If you think the Sundara's sound sucks then the value proposition doesn't mean shit, and to the contrary if you click with an expensive headphone then the price tag may not matter as much.

(I own Sundaras and think your point is accurate but trying to explain for the person above)

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akeep113 t1_iu4duci wrote

ah got it, yeah i agree. gotta like the headphone for it to be a good value to you

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LTHardcase t1_iu27pl6 wrote

Prices don't suggest x-times better, never have and never will so this line of arguing has always been completely pointless. When the manufacturers start using that in their marketing come back with that.

Diminishing returns are not hard at the Sundara either, the Arya is clear proof of that.

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GimmickMusik1 t1_itzxs17 wrote

This is the best advice here. I’m only about 7 months in and I’ve spent a little over a grand. 🙃

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Qazax1337 t1_iu059pa wrote

I started with the HD600 then got the sundara because of this subreddit. Now look.

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Realistic_Cry642 t1_iu0g5de wrote

Glad to see you’ve only made minor decisions, such as the Empyrean of course. A healthy budget option for sure. +1 coming your way good sir

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Qazax1337 t1_iu0qf98 wrote

I wouldn't change it, but I do warn others. It's a slippery slope, but the journey down sounds amazing.

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Realistic_Cry642 t1_iu0yrr8 wrote

Glad my sarcasm was received well. Was worried I’d be taken seriously haha

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Qazax1337 t1_iu0qgfl wrote

I wouldn't change it, but I do warn others. It's a slippery slope, but the journey down sounds amazing.

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