Around ear, closed back headphones

[Graham Bernard]

Decimal point missing?

[Steven Digges]

Nope, no mistake: $1,499.99 and for an additional $299.00 you can replace the stock cable with a balanced one. Of course the kind of guy that buys these is the guy that wants to waste your time trying to tell you vinyl sounds better than digital audio ;-) ;-) ;-)

Like Greg said, think about how much good kit you can buy for $1,800.00

I am sure the Japanese cherry wood would hold up for about three days in my audio kit......

Steve

[Garrett Low]

Well, if you really want to go crazy with headphones you could get the Stax SR-009

https://www.staxusa.com/stax-sr-009.html

And, since they're electrostatic drivers you need a good amp to power them. Something like this would do:

https://www.staxusa.com/driver/stax-srm-007tii.html

I've listened to them and yes they are better than any other headphones that I've ever heard.

[Greg Smith]

Well, if you really want to go crazy with headphones you could get the Stax SR-009

They're not headphones, they're "earspeakers" according to the site. :)

- Greg

[Derek Heeps]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

... the guy .... trying to tell you vinyl sounds better than digital audio ;-) ;-) ;-)

Well ..... it DOES :)

[Jon Fairhurst]

For those who's brains can ignore clicks, pops, and surface noise, vinyl sounds better. Me? I'll take analog tape, please. :)

[Derek Heeps]

Analogue tape is indeed a very good medium ( I still have a lot of original 15ips half track master recordings from the days when I used to record friends playing in bands ) but records , too , when well cared for and pressed in quality vinyl , really is the finest medium for home listening . My records don't have any pops or crackles , and even when played at 'realistic' levels , my recent purchases on 180g vinyl exhibit no audible surface noise .

I appreciate that digital media will measurably have a lower noise floor , but , subjectively , records do sound better .

[Richard D. George]

For Sony 7506's, you can get an upgraded coiled cable that is vastly superior to the stock cable. It is made by Remote Audio and sold by Trew Audio. I had two pairs of 7506's upgraded.

[Greg Miller]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

For those who's brains can ignore clicks, pops, and surface noise, vinyl sounds better. Me? I'll take analog tape, please. :)

Oh, so your brain can ignore only tape hiss? ;-)

[Jon Fairhurst]

Originally Posted by Greg Miller

Oh, so your brain can ignore only tape hiss? ;-)

I hear the hiss, but if it's low enough, I tend to forget about it. Pops and clicks are like percussive events, so they always intrude for me.

Have you ever watched a film on an array of TVs with gaps (the bezel) between screens? It's really interesting. At first, one is very aware of the gaps. As soon as the story gets going, the gaps disappear in the mind. As soon as the key actor's face is intersected by a gap, the gaps re-appear. It's an odd sensation and shows how we can ignore very obvious flaws. Of course, different people have different sensitivities.

In my case, I tune out hiss quickly, but am never able to tune out pops and clicks. It doesn't help that I don't want to spend time and money on perfect cartridges, records, and cleaning. Digital definitely wins the convenience test. My personality isn't vinyl-compatible. :) That said, I still have my collection from the '70s.

Back on thread, I think there's a similar situation for selecting headphones. Is comfort paramount, or do you tend to tolerate it? Do you need a secure fit while actively moving about? Do you want a flat response for mixing? Do you want sound that "cuts through" for live monitoring? Do you want great isolation for loud venues?

The right answer depends both on the use case as well as the nature of the user.

As they say, "know thyself."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_thyself