Well, that’s a great way to do it. You’ll have to report back on what you went with and your impressions
Will do, I will still take any recommendations as I will be using whatever I pick for the next 3-5 years most likely.
I’d say hifiman hekv2 sound better then good. I tired the hekse and all 2 times the driver failed right out of the box. Tell you one thing boy did they contact me quick like they had telepathy. They may have qc issues but they handle it quike.
That was a similar experience for me regarding my headband. Haven’t had any issues with my he6se and arya though
Not to be ultra nerdy, but I live 35 minutes north of TPA (Hudson) if you wanted to try either the Modhouse Argon or the Thieaudio Phantom before you make your decision.
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wheres tpa? I’d to try Argons.
I live in NJ across from PA
I’m in Tampa. R2Y2 mentioned he lives there also.
I’m going to throw in a vote for Argons despite feelings on the limits of the Fostex planar driver. My Argons are the T60RP version but I own the oppo PM-3 and have auditioned the Massdrop x Hifiman 4xx, and feel like it brings something the other two planars do not.
Vs. the PM-3: feels wider and more musical/exciting; the oppo feels flat and narrow by comparison, though they’re nicely neutral and extend well.
Vs. the 4xx: open back so it’s less of a fair comparison, but width and SS are surprisingly competitive on the Argon. Maaayyyybe the driver in the Hifiman provides a bit more slam (auditioned a long time ago and need to try them again)
Vs. the Fidelio X2 (non-planar): better bass, more detail, just as wide, just as fun - the X2 just gets beat in every way, though they’re still a fantastic choice for the price point they hit nowadays
I would def agree with the argon vs x2, as I think the argon is great in that regard. I would say the pm3 is more detailed then the argon but otherwise agree. The 4xx is definitely an interesting comparison, because I think it depends on how you power them.
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Can you like PM me where you live so I can drive up and try them, at your convenience of course.
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I found best way to audition headphones was through Amazon. Tired a few before settling on the Avia’s.
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I been looking for a planar at 350$ and uhhhhhhhh! It’s always something…
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I tried the argons and a modded pair of thieaudio phantoms thanks to XyleFBB and I can easily say that the phantoms are the clear winner. It’s not even a competition, the argons have distortion and are only better in sub bass than the phantoms.
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Huh, was kinda guessing that would be the case, as you really have to like subbass to like the argon’s. Well now we have impressions from someone who has less potential bias then phantom owners 
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It was also nice to get an in-person validation of what I was hearing from the Phantom. It doesn’t suit his particular uses, but I think R2Y2 was impressed with the sound of it for sure and how badly (in our opinions) the Phantom beat the Argons.
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I’ve been as honest as possible when it comes to what I think about the Phantoms, and did my best to describe how they sound to me.
I’ve never needed to justify my purchase to myself or anyone else for that matter as a originally I bought them for shits and giggles, but over the last month or so they’ve become what I reach for over my 660’s tube or ss driven, not all the time or all genres of music but what people refer to as “daily drivers”.
So a random purchase that for me was defiantly worth $350, others will disagree…so lets agree to disagree and let the music play on 
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I definitely have to trust myself more when it comes to what I hear. I think going through this process has helped me greatly with that. I definitely don’t regret the purchase and I’ve learned a lot going back and forth with you guys. That part has been fun. 
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Your own hearing is always going to be the best for you, so just keep up what you like
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I have made this for now https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gWNi11t5QHt9O_nYsXDrsogJ80uC2YcO0s7PJeLaI9s/edit?usp=sharing
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