Best 'Unlimited Budget' Headphones

Product Strengths

• The Aperio provides fullness and richness in the sound that exceeds the vast majority of electrostatic headphones, along with physical, well-extended bass.
• The Aperio headphones look quite unique and appear refined and rich, looking like they are an object crafted by an artisan.
• The Aperio headphones are extremely comfortable, even for long listening sessions.
• Aperio offers clear, consistent brilliance, and beckons one to stay a little longer every time to listen to albums all the way through and rediscover favorite music in a new light.
• The level of detail of each instrument, even in complex tracks, is such that it’s easier to spot details in recordings when listening to the Aperio than when listening to the real thing.

Product Considerations

• The headphones tend to be slightly on the “clampy” side.
• The Aperio system is one of the most expensive headphone systems in the world, making it unaffordable to many.
• Little soundstage depth.
• The included cable is robust and seemingly durable, but it’s also not really soft, and the flattened shape makes it often difficult to bend, and is quite heavy.
• A composer discussed how high-end headphones allow one to hear even the smallest details, then asked "do you think that they heard that when they mixed the track, did they want you to hear that?"

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs dCS Lina (DAC only): The Aperio DAC was closer in overall sound to the Lina DAC, with exceptional detail, and a general neutral sound with a slight sweetness to it.
• Vs Weiss DAC502: Weiss offers a slightly different sound which further enhances the timbre, as well as the feeling of body and weight in the image.

Takeaway: The Aperio offers top-of-the-line performance with a refined design and comfortable fit, making it an excellent choice for audiophiles seeking the best possible listening experience. This headphone system is among the best-sounding in the world, providing almost endless pleasure for those who can afford it.

Product Strengths

• Incredibly comfortable, feeling weightless on the head, with soft ear pads and a soft cushion on top.
• Exquisite build quality, with the marble being from the same stone used for Michelangelo's Statue of David.
• Vocals are incredible, airy, and realistic, conveying emotion from the singer, and instruments have unreal timbre.
• Dynamics are punchy, the bass is deep, full, spacious, and textured.
• The treble response stands alone and is smooth as butter, crisp, airy, and detailed without sibilance or harshness.

Product Considerations

• The HE-1 is not portable, and it is not suitable for working since it's too distracting for focused work.
• The pads do get a little bit hot.
• The crossfeed effect is quite subtle.

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs Focal Utopia: Utopia does everything well, but there isn't some novel thing that stands out, and the HE-1 is also more comfortable.

Takeaway: The HE-1 is a beautifully constructed headphone system that delivers an emotional and immersive listening experience. If you want the best possible version of the HD600 series sound signature and can afford it, this could be the perfect headphone for you.

Product Strengths

• The Shangri-La Sr. is the most technically accomplished headphone the reviewer has heard, conveying the most detail in a delicate and effortless way.
• The speed of the driver is the fastest the reviewer has heard, yet it never sounds artificial.
• It has an incredibly pleasing and balanced frequency response.
• Separation and imaging are top notch across the board, being the best the reviewer has personally heard.

Product Considerations

• For $18,000USD, the reviewer would have loved to see HIFIMAN go all out on space-aged materials and build quality.
• The Shang SR is slightly brighter, less warm, and more technically accomplished compared to the Susvara.
• The highs of the Shang SR are slightly bright, but not piercing and sibilant as some headphones can be.

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs Susvara: The Shang SR is like a slightly brighter, less warm, and more technically accomplished Susvara.
• Vs Abyss 1266TC: The Shang SR is a bit more detailed and delicate sounding, while the 1266TC has more impact and a wider soundstage.
• Vs Stax SR009S: The Shang SR does everything better, with more detail and a more even sounding frequency response.

Takeaway: The Shangri-La Sr. is the most technically accomplished headphone that the reviewer has ever heard, and it has an incredibly pleasing and balanced frequency response. It could be worth picking one up to experience a new level of headphone performance, if you have the means.

Product Strengths

• Outstanding sound quality with clarity, texture, and detail
• Natural sound provides a you-are-there presence
• Improved microdynamics make them quick and fast
• Easier to drive than the original Susvara due to a changed metal trace on the diaphragm
• Very comfortable, with good weight distribution
• Driver is exposed, making it vulnerable to damage

Product Considerations

• Can be unforgiving on poor recordings
• Lacks soundstage depth and layering compared to some competitors

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs Mesa Elite: The Mesa Elite offers greater bass weight and depth in the soundstage
• Vs Audeze LCD-5: The LCD-5 provides more insight into the music, but the Susvara Unveiled excels in reproducing the attack and energy of plucked strings and in bass reproduction
• Vs Focal Utopia 2022: The Utopia balances everything well—tonality, punch, detail, staging—however both have a little edginess from the treble
• Vs HiFiMan HE1000 Unveiled: The HE1000 is brighter and seems a little faster and more detailed, but the Susvara Unveiled is smoother
• Vs Original Susvara: The Unveiled model is more agile and lively, with added energy, clarity, and upper-treble extension, and the original is more laid back

Takeaway: The Susvara Unveiled provides detail and resolution that one has likely never heard before, making them astonishing headphones. If the priority is a reference-style tuning for orchestral music with excellent balance, scale, and tonal response, these headphones can provide a massive sonic treat.

Product Strengths

• Exceptional natural sound, with naturalness of tone and timbre, and an overall accurate rendering of music
• Detail retrieval is among the best, allowing listeners to discover new things in familiar recordings
• The design is comfortable, especially for long listening sessions; the weight is well-distributed, and the earpads are soft
• Impressive technical performance, with speed and dynamics described as fantastic; noted as both a technically impressive and a fun, lively headphone
• The soundstage is wide, spacious, and precise, with excellent imaging and instrument separation; the depth of the soundstage is also highlighted

Product Considerations

• Requires a very powerful amplifier to perform at its best; many reviewers recommend using speaker amplifiers or high-powered headphone amplifiers
• The stock cable could be better
• Revealing nature can highlight flaws in poorly recorded music
• One review notes the headphone weighs 450g
• Some note the slightly brighter sound signature and a small peak around 7kHz, potentially causing slight sibilance on certain recordings

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs. Audeze LCD-4: Considered better overall due to a more balanced tonality, larger stage, and lighter weight, although the LCD-4 might have slightly better slam/punch
• Vs. Final Audio D8000 Pro: Offers better technical performance, detail retrieval, a larger soundstage, and is more comfortable
• Vs. HiFiMan HE1000se: Has a more realistic tonal balance and lacks the HE1000se's treble peak, although the HE1000se is easier to drive
• Vs. ZMF Verite: Is better for detail retrieval and instrument separation, but the Verite might be more natural sounding and have better slam
• Vs. Focal Utopia: Has more detail retrieval and better space and stage characteristics, although the Utopia might slam harder and is a more 'normal' headphone
• Vs. Audeze LCD5: Delivers better performance when it comes to detail retrieval and overall image clarity

Takeaway: The HiFiMan Susvara is a top-tier headphone known for its exceptionally natural sound, detail retrieval, and comfortable design, making it enjoyable for hours of listening. For those seeking a flagship headphone that delivers the best sonic experience possible, the Susvara could be a worthwhile investment.

Product Strengths

• Outstanding detail and transparency, class-leading in dynamics, both micro and macro.
• Best bass performance and quality with the amount of bass presence, the extension without drop-off or roll-off, the speed, the texture, and the slam.
• Superior clarity and detail capability, even surpassing the clarity and detail capability of a lot of songs, showing that they are hitting a level that is capped out by the actual recording, making you feel like one is listening to some sort of transient extra layered system of sound that one does not normally pick up with other headphones

Product Considerations

• Comfort can be an issue due to the weight, fitment, and the way the headphones need to be adjusted for ideal sound quality, requiring adjustments every time they are put on.
• The tuning requires some EQ.
• It's ultra source picky and hard to drive, requiring very high-end amplifiers to sound its best.
• The review unit had high distortion behavior and an unnatural vocal presentation.
• The unit's midrange temper can sound very unnatural, shouty, and aggressive, to the point of painful.

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Compared to the Diana 5, the AB1266 has a far superior bass response and is wider.
• Compared to the Susvara, the punch and slam on the AB1266 are harder, and the macro contrast quality is more so than on the Susvara, whose sound is more even-keeled and gentle and has more presence in the midrange.
• The bass response is insane, and does not have the mid-range bloat of something like an LCD4, while the vocal response is preferred with something like a LCD4, a thicker sound, even though this is more detailed in the vocal response.

Takeaway: The Abyss AB1266 TC is exceptional, an impressive detailed headphone for listeners who want to experience a fast and transparent sound with modularity, and are willing to spend extra effort on dialing in the sound quality. If an audiophile with a taste for electronics, then this is one of the best listening experiences available.

Product Strengths

• Offers a combination of electrostatic resolution with dynamic timbre and planar bass extension, delivering the 'best of all worlds'
• The build quality is superb, with premium materials and craftsmanship that surpass competitors
• Delivers perfectly extended bass with a planar-like slam, with detail, texture, and physicality
• Has a wide soundstage with excellent imaging that creates a holographic feeling of voices and instruments, with a true 360-degree experience
• Very comfortable to wear, despite being somewhat heavy, with good weight distribution and no hot spots

Product Considerations

• Requires a powerful headphone amp to get the most out of it, due to the need for a current drive interface/transformer
• The weight (610g) may be a concern for some users, though the weight is distributed well
• Some vocalists, particularly some female vocalists, may sound more distant than desired
• Bad mastered songs tend to immediately show problems
• Frequency response is dependent on synergy with the amplifier

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs HIFIMAN Susvara, it combines the weight of the original Susvara with the soundstage and resolution improvements of the Susvara Unveiled—more power is needed
• Vs Abyss 1266, it has more body of sound, smoother highs, and tighter, more natural bass, while the Abyss has a wider soundstage, better positioning, and more bass impact
• Vs Dan Clark Audio Stealth, it has a wider soundstage and feels more effortless, and is more open, while the Stealth is closed, has more bass quantity, and a more pleasing treble
• Vs RAAL-requisite CA-1A, it improves upon the CA-1A in terms of body of sound, bass, and timbre, while remaining comfortable, and the CA-1A has a lighter and more forward soundstage

Takeaway: The Immanis is an exceptional headphone that blends various sonic qualities together, boasting great build quality and an immersive sound experience. With the right equipment to support it, one can enjoy a detailed and spacious sound that makes it a top contender in the flagship headphone market.

Product Strengths

• Astoundingly resolving, pulling out a lot of detail from the music signal
• Very light unit made with nice materials and a comfortable design
• Detachable cables with thick pins, spaced far apart to prevent damage and shocks
• The best electrostatic that Stax has made, a culmination of their experience
• Purity, tonal neutrality, rhythmic ease and resolve that reviewers have not previously experienced with headphones

Product Considerations

• Head size adjustment could be more solid, and it slides on the head a bit
• Bright tonality and forward resolution can be fatiguing after long listens
• Lacks bass punch or slam, it's there but not powerful in rumble or physicality
• The bass region on these headphones is a hit and miss
• Underwhelming soundstage

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Vs HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr: The Shangri-La Jr is a little warmer but not as detailed, nor as holographic in its spatial presentation
• Vs Susvara: Susvara has more warmth and fullness, a more natural timbre, and more sub-bass rumble and slam, whereas the SR-X9000 can come across as a little bit dry at times
• Vs SR-009S: SR-X9000 smoother, richer, and had better micro-details, while the 009S seemed a tad more dynamic and brighter
• Vs Meze Elite: SR-X9000 is the clear winner on soundstage size, speed, transient response, instrument texture and realism, however, the Elite was the winner when it comes to density, body, dynamics, and bass

Takeaway: The SR-X9000 is the most complete and competent Stax headphone, its resolution is stunning, and its spatial presentation is very holographic. It is worthy of being in that top-of-the-line tier, a solid effort from Stax.

Product Strengths

• Considered by many as having the best sound achievable in an in-ear headphone, making it an exceptional audio experience
• The sound signature is mostly balanced with tasteful coloration, where the treble imparts a particular element that is potentially preferable
• The midrange is extremely well done
• Features unique SLAM subwoofer, woofer, midwoofer, mid tweeter, tweeter and EST technologies
• Built with Grade 5 titanium, providing sturdiness and high quality

Product Considerations

• Treble performance can be hit or miss depending on the listener's anatomy and HRTF
• Requires more power than typical IEMs, potentially draining the battery of portable audio players
• Shells are on the larger side
• The included cable is nice, but the chin cinch tends to slide down

Comparisons (according to reviewers)

• Compared to the Hi-Senior Megafest and Dusk Default DSP, the Storm is an editorialized or enhanced version of those IEMs, particularly regarding bass and mids
• Compared to the 64 Audio U6T, it has similar balance with similar tasteful colorations, but Storm's bass is more punchy and the upper treble is more to the reviewer's preference
• Compared to the Empire Ears Odin, the Storm is preferred because the Odin is not as versatile, and the Storm sounds more detailed
• Compared to the Empire Ears Raven, the Storm is more normal in a good way because the Raven has massive bass and a strange lower midrange resonance feature
• Resolution, stage and tonality are better on the Storm compared to Grand Maestro

Takeaway: The Storm is a high-end IEM with exceptional sound quality and great build, even if pricey. It could be worth buying for those who want the best possible audio experience and appreciate a balanced sound with unique features.