The elex is great imo, and just a higher tier of headphone imo
The 4xx is going to be wider then the 58x, wider then the elex possibly (but it doesn’t have as much range as the elex imo). The 4xx is wider then the m570 imo (although the m570 might also have a slightly greater range).
The ananda’s presentation is almost like a large, grand presentation that some enjoy and some don’t. The soundstage can be pretty deep and wide, but also has some aspects pushed forward and some not regardless of the music. So vocals are a bit distant while other instruments might be a bit closer (sometimes). Just not as consistent soundstage as the aforementioned options.
People shit talk almost every headphone. No one shit talks the Elex. Never saw a negative opinion anywhere.
Maybe it does make sense for me to get 58x and 4xx and figure out what I like and don’t like about each one, then I’ll part with either of them or both if I can and pay the return shipping. I’ll also drive the hour to the big city headphone bar and try some other stuff out then I’ll maybe know where to go. Even if I keep both of those it would be less than $300.
Also the Ananda sounds extremely interesting. I gotta try it.
I have heard some people complain about their elex having some qc issues from a recent batch, but sound wise it’s been mostly positive from my knowledge (unless people try it on a single ended tube which does not help the sound lol)
I think getting the 2 headphones is the way to go. One planar, one dynamic so you can see the difference. I think starting at the “entry level” will help you appreciate what the Elex and Ananda can do more than you would if you made the leap to either from the start. I put entry level in quotes because both are great headphones, and will be more than good enough for most people
Trying a new approach to asking people what headphone they like the most. I would have made a new post altogether for it if it wasn’t glitching out on me. Would love it if someone could just copy and paste it to make a new post.
In order of importance: (Spoilers FR is basically last priority.)
Priority 1. Under $500
Priority 2. Wide soundstage without center hole.
Priority 3. Images well within that large soundstage.
Priority 4. Organic Timber for instrument separation.
Priority 5. Detail.
Priority 6. Bass that shows up when it needs to. No roll off.
Priority 7. Easy to power.
Priority 8. Rest of the frequency response
What’s your favorite for these priorities? If you got something that hits them all for you then that’s even better, but I bet #1 will make that difficult.
I mean in that price range, the 1990 or the lcd1 would be my picks. I would also say the focal elex if you find a used example in that price. Or the edition xx might be able to be had used in that price
Edit: I would say the ndh20 might fall in that range as well
I would say that the 1990 would have consistently the largest soundstage. The xx has kinda a hole in imaging not soundstage. It’s got the 3 blob imaging where stuff is very accurate to your left, right and center, but in between it can become kinda hazy. The elex has a very open stage and has good range so stuff can be wide or intimate depending on the song, but I wouldn’t say its the widest you can get. The lcd 1 has around a bit wider then average width, but fits the rest of the requirements pretty well
The ndh20 is kinda wide for a closed back, but not to the level of the 1990 imo.
1990 is another one that I rarely hear anything bad about. I think maybe I’ve heard that there’s a potential for fatigue, but as long as a headphone isn’t ridiculously sharp it’s not a big issue for me because I never listen very loud.
I imagine after I try out the 58x and the 4xx I’ll know what kind of soundstage I prefer and what kind of signature to decide between Elex, LCD1, and the 1990.
I think most important will be if the LCD1 is wide enough for me. I’m assuming it’s in between the 58x and the 4xx and that the 1990 is close to the 4xx, while the elex is just… Different. More like the 58x but better…
$600 Elex or $400 LCD1? Oluv cried to the Elex although he seemed to be amazed by the LCD1. Oh and now DT1990 is right in the middle.
A sale is not exaaaaactly the best reason to get a headphone or I’d have the $250 m570 right now. Damn what a blessing that there are so many options. I guess just take my above priorities and change the first one to $600. Do the Elex win on those first 5 at least? Maybe the 1990 still wins.
I mean, I would say the elex beats out the 1990 in most except the 1990 has the wider soundstage and better bass (but not by much imo).
I would rather take the 600 buck elex because imo it’s a higher tier of performance in my mind. But there are reasons to consider the lcd 1 (portability, the audeze house sound (ish)
I guess I’ll just add it it the stock of 30 day return drop headphones… Too bad the sale is supposedly one day or I’d just wait and see what’s up with the 58x and 4xx that are already on the way… I mean if the drop return policy is legit then all this shipping is totally worth it honestly.
Well, I hope you find as much enjoyment as Oluv lol. I would suggest once you get them in, spend about a couple days listening to only one of the headphones, and then after like a week then compare and see what you want to do, just so you really get a feel of what you really want to keep (as especially with the elex, I see peoples first impressions as lukewarm, but then after some listening find that they really like them)
