4K headphone + headphone amp/dac system recommendations please
I have 4K to spend on a better headphone system and have no expertise in the headphone zone.
Currently using old Grado SR 225 cans with Schiit Jotunheim 2 amp (single ended connection). Source is Jay's CDT2 transport and I'm using the internal DAC in my Hegel H390.
While the Hegel's onboard DAC is pretty good, it is a bit thin in the mids. I'd prefer something a bit more fleshed out in that frequency range.
I'm not finding many headphone amp/DAC combos. I am not interested in Chord or import brands that cannot be serviced in US.
The Teac UD 507 looks like a possibility. Moon Audio sells it and recommends HiFiMan HE100 V4 Stealth Magnet currently on sale for $949 to pair with the Teac.
Please Note: This budget will also need to accomodate a power cable and an AES/EBU cable to connect to transport.
In terms of sonics, I favor musicality over detail. I'm very sensitive to fatiguing highs. At the same time, I prize tight bass.
I listen to 3 types of music: acoustic Jazz, non-classical acoustic (NewGrass, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, etc) and some Classic Rock.
Just a follow up on JM Editions I requested cans with similar level of detail as my electrostatic speakers with tight bass. By providing him with the spec details of my headphone amp and DAC, he recommended: XTC2 openback with 50 mm beryllium driver, 64 ohm at 101 dB efficiency, extended blissfull tuning. All of these parameters are customisable. With 3 sets of ear pads The results were spot on. |
@stuartk -I’m going to second the recommendations made by @johannm I have a pair of JM Editions XTC21 with extended blissful tuning (say that 3x fast) and at one time, before getting a Quicksilver headphone amp, was driving them with a Violectric HPA. The combo provided the sound/tuning you are looking for, and as they say, "Punches above their weight class." This will give you ample funds to get a decent set of connects, also. David
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And to follow up from @wharfy , the Vioelctric he mentioned is also available from JM Editions (btw I am not affiliated to any vendor) https://www.jmaudioeditions.com/product-page/violectric-hpa-v324-reference-headphone-amplifier https://www.jmaudioeditions.com/product-page/violectric-hpa-v281-reissue-headphone-amp |
Focal Clears are super harsh imo. Way overpriced. Can see by the amount of used ones. I bought them thinking they were end game. Returned and got a pair of senn hd6xx from Drop and they crushed the clears top to bottom for $189 lol. Audeze LCD X 3 are sick but aren't comfortable for long sessions imo bc of weight primarily. But those are the best I found for vocal content. I also agree with others. You have to try before buying. Headphones.com had a free trial not sure if they still do but I returned my clears after a few months bc I just couldn't love them and for over a grand, you'd better love your headphones. Don't think if you buy 4k headphones they will automatically be better than $200 headphones for YOU. Everyone is different. I'd recommend looking at frequency response graphs to get an idea of the response you like. Then try different headphones that are in your budget. Listening to random people and pulling the trigger on a $4k headphones setup is akin to buying an extremely expensive meal only to take one bite and spit it out. Don't do this. If you can afford it, you could buy 2 or 3 pairs of headphones and then keep the ones you like most. THEN once you've decided on the cans, look at your front end upgrades. Especially since you're not interested in tubes. The headphones will have way more to do with the sound you enjoy than the choice of solid state amp and DAC. Although they also significantly alter the sound, the headphones are the biggest factor. Also not sure why you're not willing to try tubes. It may be the only way you get the nice smooth highs if you're super picky in that frequency range. Best of luck to you!!
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