I’m sure this topic could potentially be offensive to true audiophiles, but as the headline states… I want my first pair of headphones to be all I need. For month’s now I’ve become obsessed with closely following this community, and have spent dozens of hours watching every review possible of all the high-end headphones favored by this Sub… What I have narrowed it down to, essentially, is the HE1000SE, Focal Clear MG, Arya Stealth Magnet… If I purchase one of these, will I ever be truly satisfied with just the one pair? Or will I long for an experience that other pair’s of headphones have to offer?
Go to a CANJAM
it is you who has to decide what you call endgame! some stop at the hd600 and some stop at the he1000 or susvara
Nope. You have no idea which pair of headphones will truly satisfy you.
HE1000 v3 is my end game but I’m not sure I would appreciate them without the journey through gaming headsets, HD650, Elegia, and LCD-X (which is now my end gaming headphones). Hopefully you have access to a retailer that will let you demo so you find something that suits your taste. We have definitely heard from first time purchasers that take a big swing and wonder why they prefer their Beats to a $3k set.
if you have a shop to demo stuff and you took months to narrow down your search and eventually bought your endgame then sure. if you’re like the majority where you’re shooting in the dark by buying online based on other people’s thoughts, opinions and recommendations then no you’ll never be satisfied. i’ve got endgame stuff but it’s not a single headphone. shits not cheap either.
Let’s start with, have you actually listened to any of the headphones you are thinking of getting?
Why HE1000se vs v2 or v3? The v3 are tuned very closely to the SE but are significantly cheaper. The v2 would be my pick because of the larger soundstage and are very much just an upgraded arya. At least that’s why I gather without ever hearing them.
Nope. Satisfaction is under 1k.
There is zero chance you know your preferences without actually listening to any headphones. What are you using now? What do you like/not like about them?
Companies continually making and improving the audio tech industry which makes it hard not to be tempted to crave for something new, innovative or maybe even better audio than the one we have, that is just part of the business
I’ve spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on headphones and DAC/amps throughout the years. If I could go back in time and just get my forever setup and not wasted all the money, I’d have gotten me a nice pair of IEMs for ease of use, and spent rest on a banging stereo setup. Even modest speakers are more enjoyable to me than the best headphones I’ve tried.
But to answer your question, no, you will never be satisfied even if you start at the top. There will always be someone else’s glowing review that piques your curiosity, some new headphone with new tech that manufacturers claim revolutionize the industry. Even if you hold off at first, see enough ads and read enough impressions and your curiosity may get the best of you. And that’s ok, because the hobby is fun.
If you have to start at the top (or near it), I’d buy something that’s EQ’able like a nice planar from Audeze or HifiMan, even the HD800s. Then spend your money on a decent DAC/amp combo that allows EQ profiles like the RME-ADI. You can even go cheap and get a cheap DAC and connect a Minidsp in between it and the amp to use EQ profiles.
You would likely be happy with all of those options. But I’m going to add the LCDX as a suggestion. It EQs better than most headphones. So you can zero in on the exact sound that tickles your fancy.
Forget all of those, and look at ZMF.
There has to be a city around you that is a road trip, a bus ride, or a train ride away where you can walk in to an audiophile store and listen to a bunch of headphones, including the ones you mentioned. Make sure you call them before and check if they’re happy with you coming in for a listen to determine what headphone you like.
I never recommend anyone to spend over $1K without first listening themselves to that pair of headphones and deciding if THEY like those headphones themselves.
Do you have a preference already? If so go for it. You don‘t? Buy one and never listen to something different or find a way to listen as much different sounding headphones you can be that at Hifi-show like Can-Jam, a retailer (as example Hi-fi im Hinterhof like or any other HiFi-shop that has headphones), find the sound that suits you best and go for the endgames
If you only want one pair I would seriously consider the DCA Stealth. I’m probably a bit biased, but for me they do just about everything right and they’re closed back so you can use them in places where open back doesn’t work.
I bought them specifically because I didn’t want to have ten different headphones. I wanted just one really high end pair for everything and they do that for me.
They are a fair bit more expensive that the other options you list though.