Headhones: Is the sky the limit?

Over the past two days, I've managed to audition quite a few types of headphones. (My day ended with a great chance to hear the JBL M2 speakers in action, a $20,000 value.) But I'd like to focus on something a little more attainable.

We know I'm a headphone freak. And there are extremely valuable headphones out there. Ones that defy all logic in price.


The first is the Sennheiser HD800, considered by many to be the best headphones in existence. $1500.
The second is the Ultrasone Edition 10, handmade in Bavaria. Limited Edition, surreal sound. $2800.

I will never own headphones this good. I will be lucky if I ever encounter headphones like this. The question here is: How much value do these headphones add?

Can the listening experience TRULY improve over my best headphones, priced at $350 retail?

I've heard some incredible sound from cheap-o headphones from Panasonic, Monoprice, Nuforce, Skullcandy. Under-$20 with a dollar-for-dollar value that is impressive. Bass that shakes. Sound that makes you dance. Yet, it's all still headphone sounding, from the bottom to the top. The sound is good, but even the most expensive pair I own still create a room in my head and sort of blend the music into two ears.
Why would anyone spend $2800 on something that does that when you can buy a whole sound system for that price and get more out of it?

To find out, I auditioned a very valuable headphone at a show recently. The Beyerdynamic T90. CNET says these cans "[measure] up well against headphones that cost $1,000." At $600, these are in reach for people who want sweet speakers. But should we spend our money on speakers?



...maybe.

It's true, there is no sound like my speakers, wired with my amazing Outlaw Audio amp, connected with Audioquest cabling. There is an amazing soundstage there and an impact that can fill a room. Headphones, in my experience, haven't done that yet.

The Beyerdynamic T90's, however, have shown me that there really is something in that ultra-expensive range of headphones.

These headphones created an impressive image of the recording - I hadn't really heard anything like it outside of a studio. Every instrument is separate, unique, and present, and no detail goes unobserved. I could hear deep, deep into the recording; if there was a fly, if someone dropped a penny, I could hear it. It was the same with the tracks I tried with it: classical, pop, rock, jazz. Music was alive, nuanced, but not blended like in the other headphones. MP3s sounded different from FLAC. Everything was on display here, and the music called my attention. This is the closest SOUND to live I can imagine, leaving out soundstage.

In closing, I can imagine spending $2800 on headphones for that sound.

It isn't speakers, but it is truly worth the time spent.

- Flash