To be honest I’m really leaning towards purchasing them some point this year so if I do I will definitely review them for people interested. I’m not the most well versed in the vocabulary for audio but I do know what I like and I guess how to disprove why I like something. Time will tell.
You can have this combo for under $900 right now:
Or substitute the edition XS instead of sundara and add a couple hundred…
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Yea the Edition X is probably what I’ll be learning towards in the future. I already have a decent Focal and don’t really think the Elex would make sense if I have the Radiance already. I’ve heard the Clears, wasn’t loving the sound. Technically impressive, but not really my taste. Found it alittle too clinical and I know people who appreciate that, but it’s not me. From what I understand, the Elex is a budget Clear? But I could be wrong. If that is the case though I don’t think I’d be interested in it.
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Yeah if you already have the radiance and not a fan of the clear then probably no need for the elex.
I appreciate the input. The more opinions the better. Especially if they are common conclusions. Those help if people widely consider the same things. It’s not always the case. Most people are repping the Edition X and Sundara so something must be right there.
There is a clone of the Hifiman HE1000/Susvara I heard on a Youtube sound demo and it sounded amazing. I think it sells for somewhere around $800/$900. Original Voice 972 Pro
i started going through some of those listings and holy shit that dude is doing some serious copying but also doing some crazy redesigns too by the looks of it. the raal copy looks pretty interesting
Is the the susvara copy you are speaking off?
IMO to get the most out of a $1k headphone you probably need to send 1.5x-2x more than that in dac/amp/cables. If your total budget is $1k, reconsider your options. I fell in to this trap buying 3 $1k headphones thinking I could get away with a Dragonfly Red or a modi/magni stack. I was very wrong.
Noted. I do intend on upgrading my amps at some point. But a different flavour of headphones is priority for me as long as I can properly drive them.
For headphones so far, it’s been mostly a lot of disappointment, and I doubt happiness exists in this price range, sadly. My favorites would be:
- Vokly Erupt (scooped mids)
- M40x (no soundstage)
- HD660 (sad bass)
- Mobius (great, standard sound, but headphone gets too HOT and is over-engineered for basic use)
- LCD-2 (nice overall, though a flavored sound)
For IEMs, there’s been a LOT of nice stuff(and a LOT of disappointment, also). I am very happy with, so far:
- FD7
- Hook-X
- ZAS
Some of the headphones I’ve disliked most, hm…
- HD700
- DT770/990/900
- W1000x
Some of the IEMs I’ve disliked most…
- Blessing 2
- Oracle
- EST112
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I actually owned the erupts. Was one of the people who funded the indiegogo project for them. Waited two years, got them to great disappointment because they changed the pads and the cable was garbage. Even bought the original pads they had on the preproduction model they used. And still, was severely disappointed. Nearly $500 investment. Total let down.
I use Dekoni hybrid elite, hart cable. I really hope they make a higher end phone. This is exactly the type of project I want to support more of. I like the bass, the sparkle/detail, the 3D stage, the warmth and pleasantness. Was fun to experience the prototype, and order a custom, non-painted version 
I might have kept them if they didn’t do the bait and switch with the pads. The headband was just garbage, the cables were a nightmare and the wiring pin outs were also atrocious. In my mind, they were un redeemable. Like I said, I ordered the original pads they had on the preproduction model which were Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin for AKG headphones. Too many faults and too long of a wait. The only thing that was good about them was the milled aluminum cups. Everything else I’m sorry to say wasn’t even sub par. I was also really hoping for stupidly wide and clean soundstange, the literal only reason I purchased them, the gaming aspected being a bonus, and they were just decent. Decent clarity, decent soundstage, but that was it. Nothing to write home about. And I was on the forum for these, I know I’m not the only ones with these thoughts about them unfortunately. I wish Vokyl all the best, but I doubt I’d ever support or by any of their new products.
I’m sure the solid unfinished aluminum did look amazing! That is something I was I had suggested.
Huh. I don’t recall that they were supposed to sound super wide or clean. I do believe bass was advertised, and delivered in the prototype(and final). You would probably love the Hook-X, for its wide and clean sound.
If you did not like the Erupt sound or stage, do you instead like how Sundara/K702/K712/X2 sounds?
The k712 were ok. Wasn’t fond on the build quality again. But the soundstage was really good I do remember. Had those 3years ago before I gave them to my dad.
I just noticed this thread. My whole collection is sub $1,000.00US and makes me very happy. I think I am just a mid-fi guy.
HiFiman HE6se V2’s, HiFiman HE-R9’s, Grado GH2’s, Focal Elex’s, Grado Hemp’s, CFA Cascades, T60 Argon’s, LSA HP-2’s and Focal Elegia’s.
Would I like a higher end Grado, Focal, HiFiman or Kennerton? Yes sir. Will I make that jump? Maybe used.
I do have some very nice amps, which I bought used.
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most cans, DAC n amp at the upper $1000 range are excellent and if you buy used and save, even better!
Sub $1,000 contentment - interesting thought. I would have to say, now that I am sitting here thinking about it, that I am probably there. Was in a session last night and I started to ponder the question.
So far, everything I have purchased over the last year has been a compromise because I didn’t want to spend over 1,000 bucks on any one component. And I am just not one that normally buys used stuff. I have never had good luck when trying to buy used. Fortunately for me, I took a chance on buying the Bifrost 2 from a member here, and it worked out great. But that is most likely a one-off for me.
So, instead of the Arya, I got the EDXS. The Soloist gave way to the SA-1 and so on. How much performance have I really sacrificed? It’s hard to say, but the extra cash in my pocket tells me that whatever it is, it’s worth it to me. The system I have been able to put together sounds fantastic and can produce any one of 5 different sound signatures, just by selecting different combinations of things.
Is this my end game? I honestly don’t know. It depends on a lot of things, obviously. No one really knows what is going to happen down the road, and I still have my eye on a few things that I may decide to go for. But as I sit and enjoy this system, I will say that if this is it, I’m quite OK with it. I love what I have here, and it didn’t break the bank.
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