Headphones to stand in for HiFi Speakers - divorce avoidance

[cornishgiant]

Finally got the DT990s today - had a listen to a couple of tracks via the Schiit (Bring me the Disco King - Bowie and some brass band music). Now this I can live with! I don't know how much is the amp and how much the cans, but (whilst not being quite as visceral as speaker listening) I am confident my late night listening can begin in earnest!

I tried the phones out via the Dragonfly first and at full chat they were at listenting volume. It was ook, but nowhere near as good as via the little Schiit.

HD6XXs to arrive some time in March. Be interesting to see how they compare

 

[Dank Towel]

I use my old Bose QC3's linked to my iPhone running through a Chord Mojo, on Amazon HD music the sound is superb and my wife sitting just over from me doesn't hear a thing.
I think the Bose QC3's are the best headphones by far, although this weekend I had a pair of Focal Stelia's on loan and they have a better sound stage but not that much better sound. I have bought 3 spare pairs of QC's on e-bay recently. For the record I have tried many headphones regardless of budget and reckon the QC3's are my preferred choice

 

[dannnielll]

The thing about headphones is that one size does not fit all and it is a process of accomodation.
My current experience is with .
Sennheisser Momentum on ears
Sony MDR1 and also MDR1
plenty of Sony and sennheisser ear buds
SonyX1000 M3 noise cancelling
Mitchell and Johnson model 2

The earbuds are surprisingly good and I can go to bed and even sleep without disturbing herself. Sennheisser CX5 and Momentum models. They are even comfortable against a pillow.
The Sony X1000 is very very comfortable and I will happily wear them outside on my 5km Covid walks . In terms of fidelity I rank them inferior to the MDR1A...which are more traditional .
Finally the MJ2 .. see Amazon . They are incredible. The accuracy of strings, of cymbals is superb. They will also go down to as low a bass as necessary. They are an odd technology, ..sort of electrostatic . Unfortunately they need careful placing or they cause chafing on the ear lobes. So they are perfect for sitting down in an easy chair and just listening. Hopping around is not an option. They are on special offer as remaindered stock in Amazon.. and the price is unreal.






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[FlakeMeister]

It’s such a shame you don’t have the ability to listen to something like the Abyss Diana Phi headphone I have, connected to a Burson Conductor 3XR, I think you would be blown away.
I’ve a very nice redundant KEF R-Series set up and also B&W Formation Audio and Formation Duo’s that very rarely get turned on now as the Diana’s now seem to me planted on my head all day.
It’s actually ruined traditional listening for me as my headphones are so detailed with clarity I’m finding sitting on the settee a struggle now.
I have a new set of Diana headphones also I’m going to try and trade shortly for some focal utopias also excellent cans.
Good luck with your purchase, but if you get the chance to listen to some high ends, I think you would love them....

 

[Steven]

The Diana Phi are £4k headphones that will require a dedicated amplifier with power and are £3,500 above the set budget. So not meeting the partner criteria

 

[cornishgiant]

Yeah, I'd love to listen to some high ends..... right now I am listening to some HiFiMan HE400i 2020 through a Schiit Vali 2+ fed by the outputs on a Primare i15 Prisma. I can live with this and it is wife suitable.

Still have a pair of MassDrop HD6XXs on their merry way at some point.... Be interested to see how they compare. The HiFiMan sound good but aren't the most comfortable

 

[FlakeMeister]

The Diana Phi are £4k headphones that will require a dedicated amplifier with power and are £3,500 above the set budget. So not meeting the partner criteria

Hey absolutely get that.
I just think sometimes it’s worth people maybe looking at their audio listening experiences differently and seeing if going down another route is favourable to speakers etc.
Actually the Diana Phi and the Diana will power through an ifi xCan which they come bundled with, although maybe at 95% potential.
For a £300 portable it’s a brilliant solution and why Joe paired this up.
When we sold this set up it always sold well, although the listening conditions were not great in the environment, being open back.
I personally wanted the Burson just to ensure I was getting the best experience possible.
I can’t be without music and understand how a partner would be driven up the wall with a system on day and night.