Thanks for these suggestions Michael!
From what I’ve gathered Focal are just a straight up upgrade to the Senheiser. As for planar I think either the sundara or Ananda would be great. I’m not sure if going up to the Arya will yield an experience that is worth the extra $700 USD. I’m in Canada and really there are only a few shops I could visit to audition setups. I hear a local shop called The Headphone Bar is good and they carry Focal and Hifiman, so I may give the owner a call to arrange a listening.
As for amps and DAC’s I was considering going with an RME ADI-2 FS, Jotunheim 2 /w phono add-on, and Bifrost 2. That would give me the best all round setup in addition to the Darkvoice 336se w/ tube selection. I’ll have to look into all of your suggestions though.
My end goal here is to set a destination for my stopping point. I love the hobby and so I feel that over the course of the next 5-10 years I can attain this goal. Given that things change and do get upgraded I could swap things on with their successors, but it’s a nice bullseye to aim for.
As far as speakers go I figure I could stick with the Denon amp I have and get a set of Klipsch RP600-M and call it a day. Maybe throw in some subs if I need more bass.
This all started with my almost buying the HD8xx sight unseen. Considering the price I felt it expensive, but if it could cover a lot of bases sound wise I was okay with it.
This is what I would have as a tentative goal as of today. This is also going off second hand advise.
RME ADI 2 - FS: I hear the Topping D90 can provide a higher quality sound. Though I have heard this is a great DAC with tons of options and a HW parametric EQ. I’ve also heard it’s great for IEM’s if and when I go down that rabbit hole.
Jottunheim 2 w/phono add-on: For headphones I’ve heard this amp is amazing for the price and should work with most of the headphones I select sans Electrostats. The phono add on is strictly for covering my bases on Vinyl. The Denon I have now includes a phono input so I could just be wasting money here.
Bifrost 2: Less analytical than the RME, but really good sounding. This and the RME should cover both ends of musicality and analytical DAC’s.
Headphones and Speakers that I am interested in are as follows.
Senheiser +DROP HD8xx: Early reviews peg it as “THE” headphone to get in the 800 range. Wide soundstage, great detail, good imaging, good mids. Lacking in a punchy low end, but great at most other things. Pre purchasing now would net me $200 usd to put towards an RME when Drop brings it back out.
Hifiman Arya/Ananda: I love the planar sound. Arya are like the HD800s but with better bass and less pain from what I have gathered. Good detail retrieval but a smaller soundstage. If Ananda can get me close to the Arya with the low end and at least %95 the detail I think I’d be happy. Luckily the local shop I mentioned earlier has both of these to try out. I’m not a huge bass head and having the option of a good set of speakers for when I wanna run the jewels should scratch that itch.
Sundara: Lower cost. Better than my HE4xx in all departments. Haven’t been able to hear the difference in sound quality between this and something like the Ananda.
Focal Clear/Elex : Everything the 6xx does but x2 with better bass. Elex could also fall into this spot if they sound almost as good as the clears.
ESP/95x w/ Stax exciter: A good entry point into electrostats. From what I gather the stock exciter is a bit lifeless and should be replaced. I have no idea what this style of driver sounds like and this seems like all I’d need to play with.
As far as speakers go I basically only know of the RP600-M. I’m in a condo so I can’t really pump up the volume. It would be for afternoon listening and sitting down to feel the music. Subs also could be added here.
I’m not yet on that Vinyl train yet, but it would be nice to get a good player for that too.
Given what I currently own I feel that stuff like gaming and movies are a wash as they all sound great as is.
Thank you again for the suggestions. I’ve been looking at all these forum posts but none have really given me a solid all round ecosystem.
PS: For clarification. I’m looking at this post to serve as a roadmap to a final plateau to rest my hifi head at. I am aware that this hobby can suck you dry if you let it and there are always going to be better things out there. As a 5 year plan I think this is a workable setup. I’m not really looking to drop $8000 USD to get it all at once. I mean I’m not rich but I’m a single dude with some disposeable imcome. Rather then but a PS5 I’d probably treat myself to some cans, or a year of TIDAL.
