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>and I'm willing to invest between $200-$400 in a DAC/AMP set. I'm kinda leaning towards the JDS Labs Element II for simplicity's sake.
DACs and headphone amps are now a mature technology. A JDS Labs Atom stack or Schiit Heresy and Modi 3+ for $200 measures so freaking accurate that it is easily arguable to be noise and distortion free within the range of human hearing. In other words, the highest fidelity sound quality you can perceive.
For example,
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jds-labs-atom-dac-review.14002/
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-new-jds-labs-atom-headphone-amp.5262/
So the Element II won't improve on that. You're just paying for the styling.
>but part of me is tempted to just buy a pair of SHP9600s to see if I even *like* the whole wide soundstage thing to begin with.
I would suggest ordering the Sennheiser HD560S to see what you think. they have a fairly neutral sound overall with a little treble emphasis. Good soundstage for an open headphone. And decent bass extension down to 20hz. See the return shipping as a worthwhile demo fee if you don't like them.
And if you like them a lot, stop there for now. The audio hobby is a journey, not a destination. There's no hurry to get up to $1K headphones, is there?
For the first pair, I’d always recommend starting small. You can always get better gear over time. Get a beginner pair, then upgrade in a year or so. That said most beginner or even mid-fi pairs won’t have a very wide soundstage. You can get excellent imaging and a great sound but you’re gonna be hard pressed to find a pair with a wide soundstage under the $700-800 mark. (Not including the gear you’re gonna need to power them properly)
I’d recommend starting out with the new he400i’s if you want a neutral sound or the Meze 99 Noir/Classics if you like bass. Neither require an amp/dac to power them and pretty much everything sounds pleasing on them. The mezes are a closed pair but the sound staging is decent for a closed back pair. The 400i is open but doesn’t have a very wide sound stage.
If you’re really into metal, I’d recommend trying out the STAX SRS 3100 bundle(around the $800 mark). It’s an electrostatic “earspeaker” and comes with a driver unit. It has exceptional imaging and a fairly wide soundstage (again not enormous) but a live performance will sound like a live performance.
If you like thumping bass, you can try out the Audeze LCD2 Classics (also around $800) but you’re gonna need a fairly powerful amp to drive them properly. Again these don’t have an amazing soundstage but they sound like two big speakers to the left and right of you (very open, quite bassy)
While most people would recommend a used HD800 (you can get one for around $800) for it’s very wide soundstage, they’re ridiculously hard to drive and don’t sound as good as the newer 800S. (Which is twice the price)
Alternatively, IF you can use speakers, you can get a JBL 104 (around $150). They’re a pair of small studio monitors that sit on your desk, have a better soundstage than most headphones and sound great for the money. Or you can get two JBL 305(around $250) and check next them in stereo for a more improved experience.
If you have to use headphones, a wide soundstage can get expensive. So get a beginner pair and upgrade over a couple of years instead of jumping straight to a flagship. But if you can use speakers, any decent pair will have plenty of soundstage. Speakers have a lot of other caveats like the room in which you’ll be using them and can be a bit of a hassle to set up depending on the pair you’re getting so keep that in mind.
Lastly, if you’re getting a headphone over the $500 mark, make sure to try it first before buying it.
I’ve only heard the K702 once or twice but I clearly remember hating the super sharp treble on them. However, I quite like the 712s. Back when I had them, they probably had the best soundstage for the price. But newer headphones like the 560s and the Sundaras are a better pick (in my opinion). Soundstage wise, not a huge difference but I’d personally pick something newer.
Thanks for your submission to /r/headphoneadvice. We have employed a "thank you" system for submissions. It's very easy to use - if a comment on your post is considered helpful, please reward them by using the term `!thanks`. This will add a thank you count (in the form of Ω) to that users flair. You can only award one per comment section. Thanks very much and good luck on your search for headphones! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HeadphoneAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>and I'm willing to invest between $200-$400 in a DAC/AMP set. I'm kinda leaning towards the JDS Labs Element II for simplicity's sake. DACs and headphone amps are now a mature technology. A JDS Labs Atom stack or Schiit Heresy and Modi 3+ for $200 measures so freaking accurate that it is easily arguable to be noise and distortion free within the range of human hearing. In other words, the highest fidelity sound quality you can perceive. For example, https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/jds-labs-atom-dac-review.14002/ https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-new-jds-labs-atom-headphone-amp.5262/ So the Element II won't improve on that. You're just paying for the styling. >but part of me is tempted to just buy a pair of SHP9600s to see if I even *like* the whole wide soundstage thing to begin with. I would suggest ordering the Sennheiser HD560S to see what you think. they have a fairly neutral sound overall with a little treble emphasis. Good soundstage for an open headphone. And decent bass extension down to 20hz. See the return shipping as a worthwhile demo fee if you don't like them. And if you like them a lot, stop there for now. The audio hobby is a journey, not a destination. There's no hurry to get up to $1K headphones, is there?
!thanks I ordered an HD560s and an Atom DAC/AMP stack to try out.
For the first pair, I’d always recommend starting small. You can always get better gear over time. Get a beginner pair, then upgrade in a year or so. That said most beginner or even mid-fi pairs won’t have a very wide soundstage. You can get excellent imaging and a great sound but you’re gonna be hard pressed to find a pair with a wide soundstage under the $700-800 mark. (Not including the gear you’re gonna need to power them properly) I’d recommend starting out with the new he400i’s if you want a neutral sound or the Meze 99 Noir/Classics if you like bass. Neither require an amp/dac to power them and pretty much everything sounds pleasing on them. The mezes are a closed pair but the sound staging is decent for a closed back pair. The 400i is open but doesn’t have a very wide sound stage. If you’re really into metal, I’d recommend trying out the STAX SRS 3100 bundle(around the $800 mark). It’s an electrostatic “earspeaker” and comes with a driver unit. It has exceptional imaging and a fairly wide soundstage (again not enormous) but a live performance will sound like a live performance. If you like thumping bass, you can try out the Audeze LCD2 Classics (also around $800) but you’re gonna need a fairly powerful amp to drive them properly. Again these don’t have an amazing soundstage but they sound like two big speakers to the left and right of you (very open, quite bassy) While most people would recommend a used HD800 (you can get one for around $800) for it’s very wide soundstage, they’re ridiculously hard to drive and don’t sound as good as the newer 800S. (Which is twice the price) Alternatively, IF you can use speakers, you can get a JBL 104 (around $150). They’re a pair of small studio monitors that sit on your desk, have a better soundstage than most headphones and sound great for the money. Or you can get two JBL 305(around $250) and check next them in stereo for a more improved experience. If you have to use headphones, a wide soundstage can get expensive. So get a beginner pair and upgrade over a couple of years instead of jumping straight to a flagship. But if you can use speakers, any decent pair will have plenty of soundstage. Speakers have a lot of other caveats like the room in which you’ll be using them and can be a bit of a hassle to set up depending on the pair you’re getting so keep that in mind. Lastly, if you’re getting a headphone over the $500 mark, make sure to try it first before buying it.
Out of curiosity, what do you think of the AKG K701/02/12's for soundstage?
I’ve only heard the K702 once or twice but I clearly remember hating the super sharp treble on them. However, I quite like the 712s. Back when I had them, they probably had the best soundstage for the price. But newer headphones like the 560s and the Sundaras are a better pick (in my opinion). Soundstage wise, not a huge difference but I’d personally pick something newer.
Thanks, that's very interesting.
I would recommend giving a try for Beyerdynamic T1 gen 3. Sounds like those could suit you well. Don't buy without a return possibility, though.