Top HeadRoom Picks For Audiophile Headphones and Personal Audio
Audiophile headphones provide the most precise musical resolution possible. Big room speakers will always present the physical intensity of sound better BUT great audiophile headphones can deliver complete emotional intimacy with the subtleties of a recording, resulting in a far more personal, deeply immersive and beautifully blissful listening experience. Read our HeadRoom product reviews under our 'What We Think' tabs for the very best audiophile headphones guaranteed to make even the most demanding audio enthusiast break into a literal 'ear-to-ear' smile with top high-end brands like Grado, Audez'e, Beyerdynamic, DENON, Sennheiser, Shure, JH Audio, AKG, HiFiMAN and more.
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High-End Headphones For Audiophiles
If you're an audiophile or music lover and don't own headphones, you should at least try a pair of Grado SR60i
-- it may be the most fun you've had with your stereo gear for $79. Audio seekers looking to replace 'stock' iPod earbuds will love the fairly priced and great sounding Etymotic HF5, and will be blown away by the upscale Shure SE535 3-microdriver in-ears. A compact 'on-ear' headphone for work or travel is the Audio Technica ATH-ESW9A. These lovely warm-toned headphones are elegantly finished in wood and soft glove leather. Long considered a favorite trifecta of affordable 'high-end' headphones, the laid-back Sennheiser HD650, the neutral and punchy AKG K702, and the light, airy Beyerdynamic DT880 still hold their own in price-to-performance for headphone audiophiles. The HiFiMAN HE500 is a new-style 'Orthodynamic' headphone taking the world by storm. It's perfectly round timbre and engagingly full, clear tone is a marvel of headphone audio engineering.
Amazing $1,000+ headphones have recently taken headphone listening to a new level of sonic performance, advanced technology, and gorgeous styling. The Ultrasone Edition 8 is every bit as good looking as it sounds; we've never heard "punch" and "smooth" ever done so well together in a portable sealed-back design. However, the full-size DENON AH-D7000 will easily give any headphone a close run and, in fact, many will prefer the comfortable circumaural fit, lushly textural bass response, and more expansive soundstage imaging ability of the DENON. 
The stunning Sennheiser HD800 reigns for many as the best 'open-back' headphone in existence. Lightning-fast transient response, precise tonal/timbral transparency, and a vast, deep soundstage image will make audiophiles forget they're even wearing headphones as the music comes pouring through completely pure and undiluted. With nearly the imaging of the HD 800, the slightly lusher Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 with a fuller-bodied bass and midrange will thrill those looking for a more romantic listening experience. Listeners seeking ultimate in juiciness and creamy accuracy have flipped their lids after hearing the Audez'e planar magnetic LCD-2 and LCD-3 headphones. Both have a wonderful sub-stratic richness married to Magnaplanar-like clarity that must be heard to be believed.
Great Headphones Deserve Great Audio Electronics To Drive Them
Great headphones by themselves don't make for great audio; the au
dio chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Your average headphone jack is just that: very average. The incredible resolution potential of high-end headphone performance is only possible with similarly high-quality audio electronics delivering the musical signal. The least expensive, and probably biggest single step up you can make for computer audio is a HeadRoom Total BitHead. Simply plug it into your computer's USB port and get rid of the noise and cheap audio electronics inside your computer with the Total BitHead's superior internal DAC, while also correctly driving your headphones with a proper headphone amp.
Hardcore audiophiles looking for great stereo music listening at home or on the road will love the Portable Desktop Amp, which includes a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) so you can feed it via USB direct from your computer or via optical and coax S/PDIF digital streams from your CD player. Just feed it 'lossless' audio files in tandem with your best headphones and you'll think you've snuck your home stereo rig on the plane.
Packing high-end electronics into the smallest possible space, the Micro Amp and Micro DAC will open lots of space on your desk for work, and will open lots of warm space inside your head filled with glorious, perfectly rendered music.
With exqusitely upgraded electronics and superior connectivity, the Ultra Desktop Amp is like an audio control center plus high-end big rig all in a small 6" x 6" space on your desk.
The pinnacle of what's currently possible on reference audiophile headphones is achieved with re-cabled [XLR connection] balanced headphones and the HeadRoom Ultra Desktop DAC (UDAC) and Balanced Ultra Desktop Amp (BUDA) , a truly transcendent headphone listening experience at your fingertips. Learn more about Balanced Drive with our HeadRoom article series.
