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?
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.