Advice needed for upgrade path
I need some advice on how to proceed with a HP system upgrade. It's for a second home, a condo, where a good 2-channel speaker system just isn't practical. In 5 years or so my wife and I will downsize and the condo HP system will then be it for critical listening. I currently have a set of HD650s. For the interim I could simply buy a used Naim Uniti Atom HE and enjoy that with the Senn's until the dreaded downsizing. Or I could start to put together a HP system for critical listening. How to start, though? Maybe get the Naim and a couple of mid-priced used cans from TMR. Take my time listening to a few different brands like Audeze, ZMF and Meze. I've visited the HP room at Axpona the last two years but just did not find that setting helpful. And then there are amps, days and streamers. My head hurts at the options. Suggestions? Thanks.
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- 19 posts total
@treepmeyer - I would go along with what some of the other responders posted. The ones that I have are small, hand-built ones with very long waiting periods, but there are loads of others. Headphones.com is a good place to look, as are Moon Audio, Upscale Audio, The Music Room; you could find others with a google or AI search. After checking out the websites, you might want to call some of these places and see what they would recommend for your tastes and budget.... Many of these places will allow you to audition gear for 30 days or whatever and if you don't like it, you can send it back for another or a refund. |
I'm a headphone junkie. I only use 3 amps, but have many HPs. My favorite amp is a Woo WA22. You can go crazy (and broke) rolling tubes, but by doing so will give you many flavors of sound. It is an OTC amp and works well on all my phones. My Schiit Jotunheim is Solid State with a ton of power and is fully balanced as well as the Woo. The biggest surprise is the Apos Gremlin. It is a tube hybrid running balanced only and costs a whopping $120. It looks like a starter DIY kit, but sounds awesome. My mostly used headphones are Focal Utopia, ZMF Verite Open, Sennheiser HD800, Fostex TH900 v2, Abyss Diana Phi, Hifiman HEX, Audeze LCD2, Pioneer SE Master One, and the ones I would recommend for you, the JM Audio XTC Open headphones. You can choose from Biowool or Beryllium drivers, and they will tune them to your preference. If you don't like the initial tuning, they will re-tune them for the cost of shipping. John, the owner, is super to work with. I just ordered the new Megaverse model, and he called me to confirm all the tuning options before finalizing the order. Who else does that? On top of that they are cheaper than most TOTL headphones. Sorry if I sound like a fanboy, but no other company has impressed me as much. John is very knowledgeable about amps and willing to discuss those with you also. Good luck on your journey! |
- 19 posts total