What Brands of Headphones and Headphone Amplifiers do Fans of High Efficiency Speakers and SET Amps Enjoy?

[caesar]

Looking for the polar opposite taste of Sennheiser 600/ 800, which I find severely sterile.

Thanks in advance

 

[Brucemck2]

Decwared Taboo amp has all the 300B magic you could hope for. It's tube rolling friendly and has plenty of power to drive just about any headphones.

DECWARE Planar Tube Headphone Amplifier model TABOO MK4

Reference grade tube headphone amplifier is great with Dynamic and Planar headphones! Made in USA with a Lifetime warranty

www.decware.com

HifiMan HE100V2 headphones and Dan Clark Audio Stealth are my current favorites. Focal Utopias are terrific too, but too similar to what you are trying to get away from to recommend for you:

HE1000-HIFIMAN Flagship Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone with World's First Diaphragm in Nanometer Thickness

Boasting the World's First Diaphragm in Nanometer Thickness, HIFIMAN HE1000 is the best Hi Fi planar magnetic headphone with cool look and high quality

store.hifiman.com

STEALTH

STEALTH is Dan Clark Audio’s closed flagship headphone, and its striking matte black and red design offers a teaser of its stunningly smooth, rich and spacious sound. STEALTH is a closed-back headphone that delivers great isolation, while our proprietary Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System...

danclarkaudio.com

Both of those headphones benefit from better cables. I've liked Moon Audio's cables over the years.

 

[Klonk]

You could always try a DNA Stellaris amp paired with a Mysphere headphone.

 

[LL21]

Looking for the polar opposite taste of Sennheiser 600/ 800, which I find severely sterile.

Thanks in advance

Interesting...I own both the newer models of both (800S and the HD650 (not 600 which I have heard is quite 'cool'). The 800S is technically very solid for the money, but not for me. After 60 days of trying to get it to work...I have decided having gotten it at a big discount to let it go. By contrast, the 650 is nowhere its technical equal, but I could listen to that all day long (and have done). Strong bass, smooth warm mids and overall a lifelike presentation even if again not a hugely technical performer...certainly a solid technical performer. For the money, in today's market, a steal.

I am now considering the Meze Empyrean and not even looking at the new flagship Meze Elite which by most accounts takes the Empyrean up technically but also towards more neutral territory. Unlike the main system, I am not listening critically on headphones...just looking to enjoy organic warm nature with enough technical prowess to satisfy.

 

[K3RMIT]

A planner type is what you may like, I have a few sets of varying types. the 800 are a bit sterile to me
stats are too aside of Hifi man audezse should be considered. the amp you use has a big effect on the chain. i would look up local headfi meets or audio shows. headfi is the place to read up on a huge amount of reviews. A word on the type of can open or closed matters in both isolation and total effect of sound.

 

[caesar]

just looking to enjoy organic warm nature with enough technical prowess to satisfy.

Yes, that is exactly what I am looking for also. And "natural" also But due to how the human brain processes subjective experiences, these terms mean different things to different people, based on their preferences and what they have experienced in the past. Hence, I titled the thread the way I did.

 

[caesar]

Anyone try the Woo Audio WA 234 Monos? Pricey at $16K, but do they deliver for you or not?

 

[KeithR]

that blue whatever thing that folks were raving about at can jam

 

[Ron Resnick]

"My favorite headphone amplifier was the Blue Hawaii Special Edition Electrostatic."

See https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/a-brief-stroll-through-the-headphone-garden-canjam-2021.33558/

 

[LL21]

Yes, that is exactly what I am looking for also. And "natural" also But due to how the human brain processes subjective experiences, these terms mean different things to different people, based on their preferences and what they have experienced in the past. Hence, I titled the thread the way I did.

Yes, that makes sense. Speaking of which, if you hear the Empyrean please let us know what you think. Be interested. I do like them so far...have been borrowing a set for the last 2 weeks.

 

[gestalt]

TRON Electric offers the Antares. It's a headphone amp from a guy who builds remarkable SET amplifiers for horns.

Antares Headphone Amplifier - Tron Electric

A number of TRON owners around the world have been asking me for years to produce a headphone amplifier. Clearly if I was going to make one it would have to be something very special. So after listening to a number of top headphones and amplifiers it was clearly evident there was a massive...

tron-electric.co.uk

Heads up that I'm a TRON dealer.

 

[LL21]

Great stuff! Had I known about this, I might have inquired...but having just acquired the EAR Yoshino HP4 (2nd hand in Singapore and refurbished by EAR in UK also)...unfortunately, it is the headphone itself I am now looking for.

That said, what a great website with some interesting designs! Thanks for posting this.

If I may ask, how do you compare their equipment (preamps/amps) to Lamm since you carry both?

 

[caesar]

Thanks to all replies and suggestions! I had just purchased plane tickets to go to RMAF so I could hear some of this stuff, but the show was canceled. Hoping to catch some of these brands at future shows.

 

[caesar]

Great stuff! Had I known about this, I might have inquired...but having just acquired the EAR Yoshino HP4 (2nd hand in Singapore and refurbished by EAR in UK also)...unfortunately, it is the headphone itself I am now looking for.

Hi LL,

Thanks for bringing up EAR Yoshino!!! How are you enjoying it?

As far as tube headphone amps go, I have only seriously heard Woo audio before. I know it's a popular brand among the head-fi enthusiasts, but every time I've heard it, it sounds slow, boring, and analytical, regardless of source or headphone. Interesting how the headphone culture has accepted and learned to love that type of sound....

Recently, I had the pleasure to hear it at a guys house. I snuck away into the headphone room for 30 minutes while the others were listening to the MSB system on famous box speakers (not my cup of tea). And it was a friggin epiphany! I never realized that headphones can carry so much emotion! Emotionally speaking, it sounded just like his horn - SET system! Even though the system was cold and not fired up in months.

Also, want to commend you on your Patience of Job for acquiring gear! I always prided myself on that ability, and now trying to teach my kids to delay gratification , but you definitely win the prize, hunting this thing down on another continent and getting it fixed at the factory!

Again, Thank you so much!

 

[LL21]

Hi LL,

Thanks for bringing up EAR Yoshino!!! How are you enjoying it?

As far as tube headphone amps go, I have only seriously heard Woo audio before. I know it's a popular brand among the head-fi enthusiasts, but every time I've heard it, it sounds slow, boring, and analytical, regardless of source or headphone. Interesting how the headphone culture has accepted and learned to love that type of sound....

Recently, I had the pleasure to hear it at a guys house. I snuck away into the headphone room for 30 minutes while the others were listening to the MSB system on famous box speakers (not my cup of tea). And it was a friggin epiphany! I never realized that headphones can carry so much emotion! Emotionally speaking, it sounded just like his horn - SET system! Even though the system was cold and not fired up in months.

Also, want to commend you on your Patience of Job for acquiring gear! I always prided myself on that ability, and now trying to teach my kids to delay gratification , but you definitely win the prize, hunting this thing down on another continent and getting it fixed at the factory!

Again, Thank you so much!

Wow...I am turning red just reading this! It is a remarkably great experience...not that I would know having only ever owned one other amp (Arcam rHead for 250 bucks)...but given my experience with traditional speaker-based high-end audio, I CAN say I feel very much like the sound is 'consistent' with the sound I am getting out of the main system. I suppose that is best way I can put it.

As for patience, well...it has been worth it in the end!

 

[heihei]

The Ayon head amp is v good - currently using it with Utopias and provides great balance to the transparency and detail of the Focals

 

[LL21]

Hi LL,

Thanks for bringing up EAR Yoshino!!! How are you enjoying it? ...

...Recently, I had the pleasure to hear it at a guys house. I snuck away into the headphone room for 30 minutes while the others were listening to the MSB system on famous box speakers (not my cup of tea). And it was a friggin epiphany! I never realized that headphones can carry so much emotion! Emotionally speaking, it sounded just like his horn - SET system! Even though the system was cold and not fired up in months....

Hey Caesar,

I was meaning to ask you...which headphone did this person have with his EAR HP-4 Yoshino?

 

[oldvinyl]

I use a Cary 300-SEI integrated amp and Sennheiser HD800. The WE-300B output tube driving the headphones really brings out the warmth and tone ... to my ears anyway. My amp has the Western Electric 300B's from the 1990's production run.

 

[caesar]

Hey Caesar,

I was meaning to ask you...which headphone did this person have with his EAR HP-4 Yoshino?

Hi LL,
Sorry for the relatively late reply, I've been swamped and can't believe it's already February. I listened to Audeze 4, Meze Empyrian, and some Focal model (not Utopia). For context on my comments, I was just coming off listening to an MSB / SET / horn system.

Typically, I find MSB lean, clean, and sterile in 70 percent of the systems, unless it's partnered with a very musical high - efficiency or horn type speaker and a SET (just as guys like Morricab and other SET - first aficionados advise), or a well - designed , emotion - first tube amplification, such as CAT or Jadis or Zanden (not Audio Research) .....

And that speaker system I just heard was incredible in dynamics, immediacy, resolution and musicality...So I was primed with all that putting on the headphones...

With all that said, I thought that both planar headphones - Audeze and Meze lacked dynamics and had a very smooth, detailed sound. (I thought that Audeze was great, but Meze was even better).

And previously, whenever I heard Focals in multiple setups at shows, I found them analytical. But just as in the horn - SET - MSB system, I found that with Focals, the EAR had much better speed and power, and I perceived the planar headphones sounding more soft and round.... More importantly, I found the Focals really differentiated themselves with excellent macro dynamics and outstanding micro dynamic shifts that gravitates me toward the SET - high efficiency gear vs. the traditional box speakers...

 

[LL21]

Wow...thank you! Very interesting reading. I am enjoying the Meze Empyrean/EAR combination so far. Since trialing it several weeks ago and putting on the Alcantara (foam-like) ear pads, it has not triggered any of the ringing which the Senn 800S used to do for some reason. And having compared them side by side with the EAR, I found the Meze gave me all of the elements the 800S did well but with a richness of presentation, life-like purity and EASE which was more to my personal taste.

its always interesting to hear other people's experiences with equipment we know. I can quite imagine that the EAR/Focal combination would be sensational. In our case, given that we had a unique opportunity to pick up the Empyrean at a great price with an 8-12 week auditioning period from the Vendor to determine if it would trigger ringing in the ears...we took it and have recently confirmed we're keeping them and done.

If I get a chance to hear the Focals I will remember your 'listening notes'.