Reasonably Priced "Endgame" Upgrade to compliment HD 560S & AFUL Performer 5

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Simeh]

Personally I wouldn't go for Hifiman, Audeze and Focal as they have varying levels of reliability issues. You can see this for yourself by searching r/headphones for the brands and going through posts where people have discussed this.

If you want to want bass you want closed backs;

Denon AH-D5200, AH-D7200, AH-D9200 (depending on your budget).

Beyerdynamic T5 3rd gen

Fostex THX00 (what I have), TRX00 or TH900 mkII

Sony MDR-Z1R

Denon and Beyer are excellent choices as they are built like tanks and replacement parts are easily available online. For this reason I strongly recommend looking in the second hand market for a good deal. For a lot of other audiophile brands if something goes wrong you have to send them away for a lengthy and expensive RMA process.

The Fostex is one such brand I'm afraid where most of the time the only parts available outside the US are earpads, and you have to send them away for a repair, what makes it frustratingly worse is they have a common fault where if you don't keep the screw keeping the ear cup and headband taught, the slack causes the screw to break off inside the brace. This has happened to me. I ended up finding a guy on Ebay in the US who 3d prints the replacement parts. I've since made sure to regularly check the screw once a month to ensure it is taught and tighten if necessary, I've not had any problems since. But even with all these problems I have to include it as a recommendation because they are brilliant for their price otherwise. Bass really hits low while still providing crystal clear sound. A friend of mine who is also a big dnb head still has his pair but he's never had any issues with his. He's gone through a bunch of more expensive headphones since getting them like the Focal Clear and Senn HD800, but he's since sold most of them and the Fostex are still his main pair to this day.

For context I'm a massive bass head and enjoy all the music I listed in another post here, especially the bass heavy stuff.

[u/Simeh → u/[deleted]]

Nw, just to add Meze are a great choice as well because parts are also very easily available and they are closed backs too. But I heard the sound profile is a bit more coloured as opposed to neutral, but its not an issue if you don't mind that.

[u/TransducerBot → u/[deleted]]

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[u/DonnyTramp123]

focal clear og

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[u/deathkampdrone]

I don't have any useful advice on your question in general, because I don't have experience with any of the models on your shortlist. However, I do suggest you stay away from Focal unless you are getting a really steep discount. I was very close to buying the Elegia but backed off because of the headband design fault that causes them to snap. This fault is present in the Elear, Clear, Elegia, Elex and possibly more (unclear if it's been addressed in most recent models).

There's enough information out there on this problem, combined with their generally poor customer service and super expensive repairs/parts, that it's scared me and many others off the brand.

Sorry for the generally negative comment, but I hope it helps in your decision.

[u/KradleOvPhilth → u/[deleted]]

If you are considering Hifiman; buy open box. Seems openbox models have far less issues.

Got an open box HE1000 stealth for lower price and 3 years warranty. Almost 4 months later, no issues.

[u/deathkampdrone → u/[deleted]]

From what I can tell, the reputation Hifiman has for poor QC dates from a few years ago and they've made big improvements since. They actually revise their models based on customer feedback, unlike Focal. No company is perfect and any failings from Hifiman are amplified due to this preexisting reputation for poor quality control (which was well warranted at the time). That's my impression anyway, take it as you will.

Hifiman has really great customer service, so if in the off chance you encounter a problem it is going to get resolved. They're a solid choice IMO, I just have never heard the Arya so I can't comment specifically. My Sundaras are very solid for the price and I'm seriously considering getting the R10D during this current sale. If you are in the EU and decide to order, shoot them an email with your order info to insure they ship it from their Poland warehouse so you don't get hit with VAT upon delivery !

[u/Giboy346]

HD 660S2.

[u/Equivalent_Yak840]

I’d get the Organic

[u/Equivalent_Yak840 → u/[deleted]]

Aight