Best Headphone under 1k$?


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K2LHB1J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I had enjoyed using SoundMAGIC E11C while out of town for 3 weeks on May.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077XDWT7X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But I also got HIFIMAN SUNDARA from Amazon 10 days ago to compare it with SoundMAGIC E11C .


Although I will keep SoundMAGIC E11C for travel, I enjoy the sound from HIFIMAN SUNDARA much better.
It sound open and balanced.
I use Chord Dave to drive it.


Now my question is whether there is any headphone under 1k$ which will sound significantly better than HIFIMAN SUNDARA.
I wish to get transparent and open sound out of it with just enough tight bass.
Of course, if it provides wide and deep soundstage, it will be better.
I do not wish to get bright sound.


Can anyone recommend best headphone under 1K$?
thanks in advance
Thomas
128x128shkong78
Geoff

I agree with your overall opinion about Hifiman RE earphone.

It sound metallic and spitty but with fast and lively dynamics.

But Sundara is very musical which beat Grado SR60 that I tried last month handily.

If you can afford, Sundarda is a real deal at 350$.
I agree with you. But I’m quite certain the HIFIMAN HE-600S V2 will not (rpt not) sound like that after it has been completely burned in. I’ve only got 250 hours to go. 😛 My Sony Walkman earphones sound much better than HIFIMAN does now. Much much better. I don’t think HIFIMAN would allow one his products to sound that bad. It would not be good for business. Also, remember the reviewer stated the initial crappy sound did not change at all for the first 200 hours.

I would certainly hope the Sundara could beat the Grado SR-60.
It is taking strange turn.

Hifiman RE 800S is listenable with more bass and tamed but fast treble after 70 hours of burn in.

Now I find sound from Sundara a little bit closed on top although it sounds very musical.

I use earphone when I work on Photoshop.

It is not comfortable to wear magnifying glass on headphone.

Thus I prefer earphone to headphone for my personal reason.

It may be too early to judge Periodic Audio BE IEM only after 10 hours of burn in.

But I prefer open and fast sound from Hifiman RE 800S to the neutral sound of Periodic Audio BE.

To experience the best earphone under 1K$, I placed an order for MASSDROP X EMPIRE EARS ZEUS UNIVERSAL IEM.

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-empire-ears-zeus-universal-iems?mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Transactional%3A%20Shipping%20Notification&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Transactional%3A%20Shipping%20Notification&utm_content=1560968955870.083665385797592302809037&referer=67VW66

Thomas
Geoff

You may like Sundara.

It is a really good deal at 350$ with magical sound although slightly closed on top.


Now I may have to change the subject to "Best earphone under 1k$".


I placed an order for MASSDROP X EMPIRE EARS ZEUS UNIVERSAL IEM based upon following review.

https://headfonics.com/2016/03/the-zeus-by-empire-ears/

Tone onset has an accurate articulation – smooth and fast, and when properly driven Zeus displays excellent dynamics. The combination of its forward center midrange and high resolution creates a clear center image, while accentuating subtle effects of echo and reverberation – making them more present, while contributing to that sense of standing in a great hall. This resolving nature brings detail to the foreground, without having an analytical or bright tone. This reflects quality, as it is technically more challenging than simply ‘turning the light up’.

The soundstage is about average in width, but both tall and deep. It wouldn’t suffice to say imaging is excellent, for it has a precision and 3D feel that reflects an incredible degree of technical engineering. Instrument position is incredibly precise in the different layers spreading along the width and depth of the field, and together with the exceptionally high resolution provides a clear image of the instruments in space. Zeus inherently has a clean background and is highly transparent; although the warmth in the atmosphere is highly sensitive to the source, and can vary accordingly.