u/Pabu1323

I typically sear my steaks on cast iron but it would fit with the bone. Tried my hand at a charcoal sear! Flavor was good but hard to beat that cast iron crust!

Been in the audiophile hobby for a few months now and figured I’d share where I landed after trying a bunch of stuff.

Headphones I’ve owned or spent time with: the Arya Stealth, Arya Organic, HE1000 Stealth, HE1000SE, Sennheiser HD 660S2, Sennheiser HD 600, and now the Sennheiser HD 800 S.

DAC/amps along the way were the FiiO K7, FiiO K13 R2R, Topping DX5 II, and now the Luxsin X8. Also spent a lot of time using the APOS Gremlin with Mullard tubes.

I learned pretty quickly is synergy matters more than I expected. Some setups instantly make you want to keep listening , some overcomplimented the headphone, and others just feel “okay cool that sounds detailed” and that’s about it.

The X8 surprised me the most honestly. I always read the whole “amps don’t matter if your headphones get loud enough” thing and technically yeah, all my setups got loud enough already.

But with the HD800s specifically the X8 changed them a lot for me. They sounded fuller, more engaging, less thin, while still keeping the giant soundstage and separation. I EQ’d on my other amps too but something about the X8 just works better with them to my ears.

I also thought the AI stuff was going to be corny marketing nonsense but it actually helped me figure out my EQ preferences faster instead of me sitting there moving sliders around for 3 hours pretending I knew what I was doing.

As for the headphones themselves, diminishing returns are definitely real. Every headphone I listed was good. Realistically you could stop at an Arya Stealth and probably be completely happy. I honestly thought I was going to stop at the Arya Organic after my initial “high end” headphones and just learn to enjoy music instead of chasing upgrades.

But I kept wondering if the grass was greener on the other side and eventually just kept climbing the ladder anyway. Glad I did honestly because hearing better gear helped me understand what people were actually talking about in this hobby instead of just reading impressions online.

The HE1000SE is still the most technically impressive headphone I’ve heard. Detail retrieval, layering, separation, bass quality, imaging, all of it is crazy. Especially with tubes. There were multiple times listening to the HEKSE where I literally started smiling because certain songs sounded so ridiculous. (I’m looking at you Hotel California Live)

I do think the HEKSE sounds better than the HD800s technically. Pretty much across the board honestly.

But I still kept the HD800s.

I’ve posts saying the HD800s should be like a $600 headphone in today’s market and after owning them I really don’t agree. I paid around $1200 for mine which wasn’t some insane deal or anything, but after spending real time with them I completely understand why these things have stayed relevant for so long.

some planars can sound better technically, but at what cost? Maybe the QC concerns are exaggerated online, maybe not, but I realized I personally couldn’t fully relax owning an expensive headphone while always having that thought in the back of my head about driver reliability long term.

And as comfortable as the egg-shaped headphones were, I still couldn’t see myself wearing them long term the same way I can with the HD800s. The HD800s just disappear on my head. I can wear these things forever. Gaming, music, movies, YouTube, doesn’t matter. Some considerations I had to make being my first MAIN pair of cans.

The HD800s honestly grew on me over time too. At first I didn’t fully get the hype. But between the comfort, build quality, reliability, versatility, and then hearing them improve more with better amps like the X8, I finally started understanding why people keep these for years.

And with EQ plus the X8 pairing, I honestly feel like I’m getting most of what I loved about the HEKSE while getting a headphone that feels way more practical for me long term.

For now my setup is probably going to stay the HD800s and the 660S2. I honestly think they complement each other really well. The HD800s for the huge stage, detail, immersion, and the 660S2 when I want something more intimate and relaxed.

I won’t use the “EG” because I’ve already learned how dangerous that word is in this hobby lol. But what I will say is this whole auditioning process helped me build a really solid home base setup. I’ve heard a lot, figured out what I like and dislike, and now I feel like I can either comfortably stop here or slowly add things later on that genuinely catch my interest instead of blindly chasing hype.

Looking forward to continuing to read everyone’s experiences and seeing what piques my interest next.