So I got a 20 year old Headline and have a very average pair of Shure headphones!

I like Grados because of how they sound. I find them dynamic and fun. Not the most comfortable headphones but the sound reminds me of my Olive active system. I have the old RS2E and an SR325 for my portable listening.

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I have a HeadLine 2 powered by a FlatCap XS that sees quite a bit of use in my house. I’ve owned a few different headphones with this setup including: Grado 325x, Focal Elex and most recently Audeze LCD-X (2021). I’m quite pleased with the LCD-X’s and if you’re interested in trying planner’s I would highly recommend them. FWIW, I also really love the build quality and there’s no contact points that can’t be easily replaced. They’re definitely on the larger/heavier side, but I got used to that quickly and I’ve never found it to be an issue.

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Whilst not needing anymore headphones (use Sen 600’s), I did listen to the new Focal Azury’s at the recent NW show (£499).
For a closed back headphone they were very good and are getting great reviews on the net.

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I really like the sound signature of Focal headphones and also how they look.

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I use the Focal Utopia, infrequently, but when I do, I really like them. Use then with my SN3 and Cardas Beyond Clear Headphone cable. They are my first headphones which I feel are not a reduction in SQ relative to my speakers. NYC hot humid summer weather precludes more frequent use. I will probably use them more frequently in cooler weather.

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Hell of a pair of Headphones for such occasional listening :flushed:

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There is a context to understand. No matter which headphones I tried over the years, I always felt there was a huge gap between speakers and headphones or that the headphones were just too uncomfortable. I then stopped listening after a month or two. The Utopia headphones are the first I can listen to without feeling “deprived”. I also wanted to see what a top flight pair of headphones would sound like. I also find them very comfortable which has been critical. Lastly when I made the purchase, my finances did not whimper. I did not audition before buying. I trusted my dealer as we have a long history.

I purchased to accommodate my husband, who asked me to listen on headphones when he is watching TV in the bedroom. Since he never questions my HiFi expenditures, I wanted to select headphones that I would likely continue to use over the long haul.

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Well, that is a very pleasant anecdote to read. I too am going to be investing for the purpose of listening to music in the house whilst my wife is watching TV. Sadly I have a budget limit currently set @ £750, but I hope to come in way under it. This is a 60th birthday present from my wife and she is prepared to go to £1000.
I must admit to feeling very stingy regarding Headphone expenditure, but I don’t know why.
I have listened today to a pair of Focal Elegia’s, that were brought over by a friend to trial.
I thought they were good and definitely an improvement over my Shure’s, but not 6x the price better.
I have some further trials lined up and I am particularly looking forward to trying out the Beyerdynamic Amiron Home’s.
I fear this is a process that will take its time, but I have until January so fingers crossed…:crossed_fingers:t4: :blush:

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If you have two headphones X and Y and X is 6 times the cost of Y, very rarely will X be 6 times as good as Y. In most things HiFi you pay proportionally more for incremental improvements. I would just select an expenditure range and just select the model that sounds best within that range. Don’t worry about proportionality.

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Oh, absolutely. I certainly was not expecting a 6x improvement, but I was expecting an improvement that left me feeling that it was worth a significant investment.
This is a hobby where the higher you climb the smaller the improvements.
The setting of a budget in this instance was decided between us, although given the occasion, Mrs Q feels that a greater investment is warranted🤷🏻‍♂️

Happy Birthday.

This is my first Naim system. Our previous Rega system got trashed during a home renovation. Also we had difficulty with the Rega interface and reliability issues. It was time to move on to Naim, Focal, Chord and Spendor. It also got us reunited to our previous dealer. Great move. I went through a number of upgrades since purchasing. I have to regrets and my dealer feels more upgrades are not needed beyond where we are.

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Wow! How long does it take to gift wrap all that?

Sorry, all of what Ardbeg?:man_shrugging:t2:

The 60 presents :slight_smile:

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I’m finding that funnier that it deserves X)

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:man_facepalming:t4:

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Although I am a naim fan, I have bought this tube headphone amp and I’m very glad I did. It has an amazing sound, very lively and deep. I can recommend it to you. It’s a German brand called Eternal Arts - Basic Line.


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Thanks for that Goldenman. I’ve had a quick look on Google and didn’t find a UK outlet, but I have in fact now purchased a Headline 2. It went away for servicing today along with the NAPSC I’ll be using to power it. :slightly_smiling_face:

I run my Headline 2 with an Olive Hicap….coz it has an ON/OFF switch :laughing:

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…so does the plug socket on my NAPSC SW😉