Alright so I am on the headphone hunt again, Looking for the next potential step past the T1. Third gen did not cut it as it’s a completely different signature but it’s let me wondering… the hell is there that will beat something that can be considered the step above the DT 880 of all things? T1 scales like hell, very wide soundstage, imaging is ridiculously accurate, bright yet smooth, relaxed, and yet despite being a bright tuned headphone it has more than neutral on the bass with great mids. I have been sitting here contemplating what would be the next step forward? So looking for thoughts and opinions on what would be the next step forward of the bright headphones yet sharing the characteristics of soundstage and imaging? I thought the Aryas but they definitely don’t have that kind of bass to my knowledge… focal are nice but clears are more of a neutral so im drawing a blank here. Is there actually a step forward from there?
If I could fix anything it would be slightly less on the treble, more accurate is always nice for me, maybe a bit more forward on the mids as the t1 emphasizes the treble a lot. oh and definitely more air I love that spacious sound signature(hence I liked the Sundara and arya for that)
I am looking for suggestions, I did try the Ad2000x but it definitely didn’t sync well with me like at all lol very mid focused by heavily lacking in the bass and not what I prefer for treble not to mention rather meh on the soundstage and imaging
have not bothered with grados high end but I usually stick to over ear
dunno, not super familiar with grado I tried I think in total 3 of the SR–E series. Just not sure if they will line up with what I am looking for, as last I checked grado weren’t known for rather large soundstages with level of imaging. didn’t even know you could make them over ear.
when I tried the GW100, I was very impressed. sounded nothing like what everyone else said the SR-E’s were like. now that they’ve been out for a while, it’s a known that they only sound good when used wirelessly as the DSP does a darned fine job. use the cable and bypass the DSP and they sound like shyte.
sounds more like something I would use portable than at my desk relaxing honestly. I will still add them to my list to check out next time I head out… Though I am not sure if they will be what I am searching for… finding something to best the flagship T1 2nd generation I feel would be rather difficult. Damn sure isn’t the HD800S one trick pony though
Pretty interesting topic! I’m curious about the next step after T1.2 aswell, even though I love them so much. But the hunt never ends I guess.
Very curious what the other guys with more experience have to say on this.
I would ask the all knowing @M0N but he may even be a little stumped on this one.
Agreed, I will just wait and see if a few of the others with much more time and experience with the higher end setups can potentially answer this. Where does the journey lead next?
I mean if you are really in love with the 1.2, perhaps just consider a better amp for it? Moving into the 1k ish range for a nice amp for it is pretty reasonable imo
But besides that, you might enjoy the clear, but the stage might be a bit too small for your taste, but it does have lots of depth and pretty sharp placement in that stage (along with pretty impressive dynamics). I wouldn’t say it hits hard in the bass, but it’s still pretty satisfactory at the same time
nope, I mentioned the clears not cutting this as the next step forward. Working on potential amp upgrades now which I made remark of in the other post I had asking about that one. Mid process of a violectric 220 test and flux amp in a couple months alongside some alternatives when I get some more time to sit with them of sorts…
though I still wanted to see if there was a step forward in headphones… such as detail retrieval, texture, less in the treble so less fatigue, more air, keeping that bass presence(this I think is what is knocking out a lot of headphones i noticed… but I really prefer this… might have to just resort to equalization as a fix in this regard).
I feel like the majority of things I would mention would end up being easily in the 2k+ used range for headphones, something like a diana phi would most likely do what you what you are after, I think if you went for a susvara you could have that bass you were looking for an air without fatigue, I would also mention the final d8000 pro which might be something you would really like although a tad v shaped so not meeting your midrange requirement. Also it is hard to have less in the treble while having more air at the same time though lol
Just wondering have you heard a th900 btw?
Wait, also the he1000v2, that has more bass body than the arya, less treble than the arya but still good air, a more lush and smooth midrange, and is more resolving than the arya as well. Very large sounding stage in terms of height and decent width with good separation. Should be around 1.6k used, this could be a very feasible option if it addresses some of your complaints with the arya
All of the aforementioned headphones are really going to be something you want to upgrade your signal chain as well imo. Cost would depend on the headphones you decide to go with
T1.2 is kind of my go to headhpone… if it had less fatigue on the treble than it does it would be my absolute daily driver which is why I am looking for that step up at teh same time with a potential fix to this.
those two are abyss I will write them down but that would take a bit of time to snag those.
the susvara fits this? thats way up there and if it fits would be in my absolute “endgame” tier. I will write this down as a potential and try to find a way to test them. I thought hifiman was primarily rather bass lite though?
yeah, I noticed of late that I really don’t like the recession in mids from the V shape… it’s one of the reasons I had found so much appreciate from the 880s and T1 over all the other bright or V shaped headphones I sat with the moment that goes lacking and under neutral it throws me off completely. I suppose I could probably equalize if it’s not too bad but still…
if it helps? Sundara is spot on perfection in this regard more in this kinda treble is 100% accepted as I found that way of tuning the treble absolutely gorgeous.
no, thought that one was bassy as hell? Saw zeos’s review on it when he was flipping the cups around. I have tried 909 but not 900
that sounds very interesting… these headphones though how is the imaging? I game with the T1 as well… very accurate imaging is a definite need. Going to write down the he1000xv2
already working on that as mentioned which is why I am looking into all of your guys suggestions involving things like the flux, violetric, raptor, etc
Yeah this sounds like something that an amp can fix here (along with giving it a performance boost)
Ignore the 1266, that’s going to be too expensive to drive and most likely not feasible used on it’s own as well. The diana phi could be reasonable but it is also fairly amp demanding and while it has very precise imaging and staging, it’s not the largest sounding headphone but it has a ton of depth. Also resolution is really really good and bass is super controlled and is really really nice
The susvara isn’t bass light (neither is the hekv2 or the hexv2 or the older hifiman like the he6 6 screw or he500), but that being said, you would be spending most likely around 2x the cost of the headphone on source gear to get it to sound good imo (assuming you grab a susvara for 3k), so this most likely is out
So it is slightly v’d yes, but it’s a really unoffensive v, the mids are still very good, and I honestly used this headphone for some studio work despite it’s slight v, so it’s still fairly neutral. I mention this one as it’s got very good air and sparkle without being too much, and the bass hits hard and digs deep, really sharp imaging and very good depth as well. Stage is on the smaller size though but depth makes up for it.
Gotcha, what did you think of the 909? The th900 is really not that bassy on the right amp, more people have issues with brightness than bass with those headphones. I do think bass is one of it’s highlights though
Hmmm, it might not be as sharp as the t1 in raw imaging, but has more impressive layering and depth, more accurate stage recreation and placement imo. So imo better for music but probably not ideal for gaming. You would still keep the t1 though right? Although this being said if you find the sundara and ananda imaging good, this is a step up from that
For some of these headphones you might have to go much higher than that (namely the phi or susvara). But I would experiment with your t1 first which is what you are doing as I think this is the easiest and most effective way to accomplish your goals
I thought it was on the warmer side but still quite nice, stage was… relatively average-large I just chocked it up to probably being more that it’s open backed in that regard, not enough on the treble or air for me in particular but the bass was respectable and mids were present enough. Imaging could be better(I probably will always say this anymore lol) but it wasn’t bad either and seperation was quite nice. It wasn’t something that particularly fit in what I am looking for but it’s a headphone I would be okay with at some point if I decided on such a signature
good to know and yeah, I would keep the T1 less it truly was replaced in my opinion by another.
Personally I haven’t really found a direct replacement for it (or the 880 600) so that’s kinda unfortunate lol, but at least it scales well so you can continue to squeeze more performance out of it
To second this I felt the D8KP had recessed Mids when I first heard it, but it’s easy to get passed and I think a good portion of it is how well presented the Bass is.
It’s a headphone I equate with clarity, and excellent timbre across the entire frequency range especially on good SS amplification.
Having said that haven’t heard the Susvara, or the Diana.