I appreciate it bro. I ended up going with the FiiO FA7 and I'm blown away by the textures and details on these tiny little ear monitors.

Can’t go wrong with those, glad you like them.

AirPod Max
They’re okay

HD 800S coming soon, will definitely be my end game for cans.

Sennheiser HD 579

Make sure to get aftermarket pads for those.

From what I've read, these are perfect for the 800s and they're currently on sale

dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-elite-hybrid-replacement-ear-pads-for-sennheiser-hd800-series-headphones

Nice, I’ll have to find somewhere that sells them here. Don’t want to pay import charges.

the uk struggle fr. lol how many pairs of headphones do you have?

Just those and 660s which I’ll probably end up selling tbh. You?

I was close to getting the 660s but heard they weren't as forgiving when it came to bad recordings, so I just got the 6xx and Sundaras instead.

I'm still new to this audiophilia stuff, but my next part will be the LCD-2C because I'm a sucker for that thick and dark sound.

Didn't really hear a difference between the 660s and 6xx tbh, would love to try the LCD range, heard Planar headphones are quite good.

Also really depends on the dac/amp you have too, currently looking at the HDV 620 but it's so expensive.. spent over 2K in the past week

Such an expensive hobby.

Planar headphones are what evrybody claims to be. Music has never sounded so open, exciting and detailed IMO. It almost makes my 6xxs sound dead by comparison, but I still listen to my 6xxs because i love the warm nature of those headphones. I'm currently looking into getting a tube amp to warm these suckers up and give them that golden honey glaze As for my sundaras, I listen to them mainly on JDS atom stack, but one day I'll upgrade my DAC/AMP because it's only a matter of time before I pick up something high end. It's an expensive hobby, but I still haven't went over 1k yet lol that will change in a few months

Gotta demo some planar's, heard nothing but great things about them.

Was looking at the Schiit tube amps but apparently those are quite bright, might pickup the JDS Atom. Great price and heard it will power the 800S.

Think it's best to buy the dac/amp first as that'll most likely make most headphones sound premium. Chord Hugo 2 is pretty damn good which should be arriving in a few days, I love their line as they are all mostly warm with great sound stage. Qutest is the desktop version which pairs well with most headphones.

I didn't even know anything about planars until I picked up the Sundaras, but I can vouch for every positive thing said about them for sure. Tbh, I can only see myself listening to planars from this point on, tbh. What is it about the Sennheiser brand that has your loyalty? I initially fell in love with the warmth and intimacy. My girl has the schiit stack and the sound between those and my jds atoms stack are less bright , but it's only noticeable to those who can pick up on the small details. I agree. What made you go with the 800s though? I'm not a fan of the design but I've heard the soundstage is ridiculous

Well the 600 line is imo still the standard for mid range headphones, and yeah like you say, the warmth and intimate listening experience is great and works well with any genre.

It was between the Focal Clear's and the 800S, I tried the original 800 and I liked them but the treble was too harsh and caused ear fatigue after only an hour or so of listening. I found the design to be extremely comfortable, more so than the 600 which do clamp quite a bit.

I got a good deal on the 800s brand new for like 400 less so I went with those, I just thought it would be a slight upgrade over the 600 but they honestly blow them out the water. Soundstage is insane, really feels like you're there when listening to live albums. They literally got everything right, mids, highs & the lows are fine for me although I know some who listen to really bass heavy stuff might not be as happy with them.

I've owned so many Sennheiser products and they've never really done me wrong, they are so good when it comes to presenting music naturally.

Those Focal Utopia's look insane though.

The Focal Clears were high on my list a few months ago. I've heard that they were intimate but also had a wide soundstage, which didn't make any sense to me, since those are on the opposites side of the spectrum, but it piqued my interest. I also love the design so much. Pretty headphones for sure. I still might get them someday. Man, I might need to do a little more research on the 800s because from what you're telling me those are godly, but I do have a soft spot for bass heavy music as well, but I can always listen to that kind of music on different headphones. You gotta get those aftermarket replacement pads though. I heard it adds certain characteristics to the sound that enhances the experience without taking away from the sound signature. Which is rare, because it's usually the opposite for most headphones.

The Utopia's are unforgiving when it comes to bad production / mastering and mixing though :(

These are the Top 3 for when I finally do upgrade to high-end.

1. LCD-X

2. Hifiman Arya

3. Focal Clear

Also, how come you haven't tried tube amping yet? Those go hand in hand with sennheiser headphones. Bread and butter!

Clears are great and from a few friends have said is that it competes with the 800S, only difference is the soundstage doesn't come close to the latter. Yeah the bass is quite hollow but can definitely add some low-end with eq or certain dac/amp.

Will definitely try and source those pads, all for adding more comfort and that seems great if they enhance the sound without amending the sound signature negatively like some others I've tried.

Damn really? That's a shame, they seem really good but that just shows that expensive headphones aren't always guaranteed to be good. LCD-X is another that seems to be an all-round good set of cans, can't got wrong with those or the Arya's.

Would like to try some tube amps, most of the great ones are all US brands and cost a fortune

The god of soundstage is the 800s from what I heard, unless you're willing to spend thousands on a slight upgrade in soundstage lol

It seems like the sweet spot is in the higher hundres to mid thousands. Anything above that is diminishing returns. That's why all of my "end games" aren't above $2000.

You can get the Darkvoice 336SE for $200 (on sale) on Massdrop right now and you'll have the perfect amp for your senns if you want. I've heard nothing but stellar things about the warm glaze it brings to those headphones.

Yeah completely agree, anything over 2K for headphones seems like a waste.

Would you recommend those over the JDS Atoms?

Tbh, if you're trying to step outside of the Sennheiser brand than you should just get a JDS Atoms stack. It has a cleaner sound is more compatible with planars, magnetic drivers, etc. However, if you're committed to the perfect Sennheiser experience and want to have the perfect marriage between those headphones and a amp it's a no brainer to choose the Darkvoice. Especially if you're into classic rock, pop, soul, etc. (50's-80's) It makes the music sound warmer and more "vintage".

Well I'll eventually get the HDV 820 amp as they can drive anything and are specifically tailored for the 800S, Plus I have a dac coming so it would just be the amp I'm looking for.

That Darkvoice amp seems to be a great choice, seeing nothing but great things but sadly like the pads, literally impossible to buy here. A few on eBay so I'll message and see if I can pickup from there.

Are the 800s hard to drive? If so, aside from the bass, might be the only weak spot it has. Oh man, That sucks. The only alternatives to the Darkvoice that I know of is the Little Dot MK2 and Little Dot MK3. So, if you can find those across the pond, you should give them a look, but only if you're ok with tube rolling too.

AKG Studio 245 gang