I am familiar with all those . There were alot more i listen to just didnt want to ramble on about it.
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I would see if there is a place to audition Stax somewhere near to you. Probably could get away with L300/L500 mk2 + used energizer from eBay etc for 1,5k. (and for ~100-150 bucks there are a lot of good cheap DACs if you need). Im suggesting Stax because I personally i am liking my new, cheap Koss electrostats much more than my Ananda and would definetelly go Stax route if I had 1,5k to upgrade 
Dont think id own a pair of stax on just how ugly they are and the fact that i will be taking these headphones too and from work.
Speaking of how headphones look, can we all agree that Focalâs are soooooo pretty? 
Audeze headphones also look cool but in a different way
@M0N how about a used sony Z1R I think they would be a nice music pairing I remember loving them but I havenât put serious time into them as they werenât mine.
Due to watching and reading multiple reviews it looks like ZMF Aeolus and The focal clears are my top runners.
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About the Clears, what you have to consider is that the Elex is very very similar for like half the price, the Aeolus and especially the Auteur are pretty damn good from what I know, solid choices but you have to ask yourself if its worth the extra money over a Elex which is $600
Im hard pressed right now to not pull the trigger on the Aeolus so its really no big deal.
Honestly just buy an Orpheus 
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Lol yeah ill drop 50 grand sure.
You can get the Clears for around $700-$800 pretty easily if you are willing to get used. IMO at that price they are worth the upgrade.
Fair enough if you wanna deal with used 
When they go on sale for $1000 still worth it. Elex is hands down the better deal, but the Clears are great⌠if you have a good amp for them.
If you are making a $1500 investment, you should really go to a HiFi dealer you trust and listen to some headphones in this category yourself.
The taste of all of us is so different, when it comes to eating, drinking, women, music and the necessary technology and their sound behavior.
If you would ask me for headphones in the price range around $ 150-200, I would tell you the brand and accessories without feeling guilty.
But for $1500 or may be More it is a MUST get a âpictureâ of it for yourself, because there are quite significant differences that ultimately only you can decide for yourself and your taste.
I myself spent weeks at various dealers, listening to headphones rehearsing against each other and then again weeks trying to find or listen to a suitable headphone amplifier. Apart from the fact that it was fun, it also opened my eyes to how big the differences in sound behavior are and how different tastes can be, because I ultimately decided on a combination of some (also here in the forum), rather than evaluate sub optimally.
For me, my taste and my listening habits, it is just perfect, apart from the fact that I am lucky and can choose from several headphones the best in my eyes to suit the music style.
Where i live theres only a few and they really only carry focals and audeze and sennheiser which i am going to listen too.
Of course thatâs bad.
Here in Germany we have some dealers where you can have several headphones or headphone amplifiers sent home.
You can listen and rehearsal them at Home in peace and then just send back anything you donât like.
You must first identify youself with Your credit card data, which also serves as a deposit.
Maybe you have something like that too.
HeadphoneCompany.com for example
In Romania we have a place where you can go to demo headphones but itâs very far away from where I live, I might visit there when I buy my expensive open back headphones in the future, to get a better picture my choices.
Have any of the ZMF headphones been mentioned? Those are very, very nice.
Yeah the zmf aeolus so far are my pick just by reviews. Wish i could listen to them.
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