HIFIMAN - HE1000se

I'd probably recommend Drop/ Sennheiser PC38x for multiplayer/ directional audio and HiFiMan Edition XS (or perhaps Sundara if you have small ears; not comfortable for me) for cinematic single player games for fairly affordable headsets within a few hundred bucks. I've read good things about the Audeze Maxwell. Going much higher will probably require an amp and get MUCH pricier. For PC and listening to music, I use an HE1000SE, which will challenge your statement about budget not mattering. It's by far the best set of headphones I've ever used for gaming (including the also excellent Sennheiser HD 490 Pro, which I also own) or music but definitely not low budget.

My most expensive set of headphones is currently the HiFiMan HE1000se, which is far and away the most detailed and has the most impressive soundstage of anything I've heard. You're going to have to spend WAY more to find significant technical improvements over this. I use it for both music and gaming (may be the best there is for this). It can be a bit spicy on the treble, so I EQ that down a bit. From there it's close to perfect for me. I'm generally satisfied with this as my "endgame" headphones for now and an not inclined to spend 4x or 5x more for the next step up like the Susvara/ Susvara Unveiled. There is a place in my area that has some Focals, so I may check out the Clear and Utopia when I have free time, but I'd have to be absolutely blown away to consider going any more expensive than what I already have.

Agreed, not likely to buy any of these. I might buy the Audeze Maxwell on a great sale. I have a couple of headphones for console that can be powered by a potato, the PC38x and Aune AR5000. For PC, where I'd play competitive games, I use HE1000se, HE6se V2, and HD490 Pro. I've heard the Arya Stealth is also excellent for gaming, but I don't have that one.

I am convinced the perfect two-headphone collection is something between the Ananda Nano - HE1000se and a pair of HD490 Pro’s.

Exactly. My HD490 Pro’s are my go to for long listening session and even while working. But my Ananda Nanos are untouchable for just sitting down and having a blast with an album or two. It’s two very different and enjoyable experiences.

Despite BD having invented modern headphones I've always had a hard time enjoying their products. Headphones are pretty impactful in your perception of media, then comes the media source, then probably the Digital to Analog Converter, and last but not least your amplifier. There are some products that sound better than others for specific purposes, and some that have characteristics that usually don't belong in cheaper tiers. I personally don't use wireless because of latency (declared ms timing values tend to be lies), and I mostly use in-ears for competitive FPS gaming because their imaging and separation is usually pretty good for the price. I also own and use two expensive over-ear headphones (HE1000SE being my favorite overall) but I also sometimes enjoy the KSC75 with the KPH40 headband, because it can be enough. The perception and psicoacustics journey is subjective, but devices do make a difference when the context is right and the whole chain from source to devices to ears has no qualitative bottlenecks deteriorating your experience. You don't need to spend a lot, but it all needs to be something that serves your purposes enhancing the characteristics you demand from each device.

Welcome to the chase, my friend!!! I've never heard the EdXS, but I've had these: OG Sundara, HE4xx, and Arya v2 - while still owning these: HE400i 2020, OG Ananda, Arya Stealth, and HEKSE. The first HFM can that I bought was the OG Sundara - and OMG, they blew every other dynamic can that I'd heard before then out of the water! That was until I bought the OG Ananda and then quickly said: "Effit, I'm taking the plunge" - and bought the Arya v2. Prior to the Aryas I couldn't fathom spending ~$500+, then ~$750+ and THEN ~$1,000+ on a headphone....that is, until I heard the Ananda and wondered "What if"? When I got the Arya and first heard them I was very impressed, but still kinda "Is this it"? Until I read that they took a few days or weeks to burn in before they'd sound their best. I let them marinate over the nights with some pink noise and bass heavy music for a few nights and then listened. HOLY MOLY - they had totally transformed and expanded in every direction (HxWxD + midbass, subbass, texture, and smoothness)!!! Like a "Shaking your head because this is TOO GOOD - my goodness!!!" kind of emotion, LOL. Of course, then I had to buy the requisite source chain to "maximize their SQ" - so I bought a used Gustard H20 Class A BAL amp and later on a Gustard x26pro DAC to stack with it - both working together to mitigate the roughest treble edges from both my Arya Stealth and HEKSE. I'm still in Bliss..... As you can guess, I'm still stuck - but I think I'm holding off right now on even hearing the HEK Unveiled and sticking with my HEKSE. They offer me literally everything there is to offer, IMO - not lacking in any facet of SQ, especially after experimenting with ZMF hybrid and perforated lambskin ear pads for the "cherry on top" effect. Happy listening - and keep us posted....

I'm so happy for you....that I'm smiling ear to ear with my HEKSE (with ZMF perforated lambskin pads).....

OMG this is the first time I've seen someone else spreading this gospel besides me on here. +12db bass shelf Sundaras checking in, after 5 years of love, now I'm using a he1kse and still doing the same.

I had those for a few weeks, long before I had the hekse though. All I can say definitively is their soundstage is "shorter" while the hekse is ridiculously "tall" - in vertical space to be clear. People describe the hekse as a sphere of sound around your head and it's a very accurate description. The difference in detail retrieval I don't think is that substantial, but the hugely tall soundstage with Hifiman's excellent imaging (in all their headphones) can make it seem like the hekse have better detail retreival even if it's hardly different. Plus, a brighter tuning with mids also more prominent. The treble in the hekse is really incredible, in the sense that it's prominent and clear yet even at high volume it never sounds piercing, to me at least - the Sundaras I would have to EQ the treble down when bass boosting and listening at louder volumes. From what I've heard, other hps in the HE1K line have those treble characteristics too and it's a big reason as to why the line is so respected. I don't remember piercing treble ever being a problem with the he6sev2 either, I recall it having a slightly dark tuning, and I don't remember what EQ I liked using with it. Ultimately, I wish I hadn't needed to sell my he6sev2, but I had to at the time (talking like 2018 or 19). Would love to still have them to compare better and have a more intimate and darker option - I miss having Sennheisers as well, some day I'll go back to em, but no idea when. My Utopia hps already hardly ever get listened to because they're just not substantially different enough from the hekse to me in the mids and treble departments, while the bass blows the Utopia out of the water.

senheiser hd800s or hifiman1000se. you can only get something on par with those or maybe slightly better but if you own one of these 2 you basically own as good as it gets.

My journey stuck at HE1000se and HD800s. If I want another CAN tungstein and susvara on the list but I need to get tired of current CANs first.

Please do come back with a reply. Arya Stealth were some of the headphones that impressed me the most. Amazing resolution and so close to my HE1000SE. Better width than the HE1000SE and easier to learn as well.

I have the Focal Bathys and I think they're fabulous for what you describe. They have 3 settings for sound cancelation. My wife can have her TV playing pretty loud and with the silent noise cancel on I barely can hear her TV and I'm talking about a nice surround system on our TV not some junk internal speakers. The comfort for long listening is fabulous and sound quality of the phones is great. They connect via Bluetooth to any device that supports it. As an aside when I don't need noise canceling I use Hifiman HE1000 SE headphones. The Bathys don't really compare to the Hifiman because they are a whole different level of sound quality but the Bathys are still very enjoyable when I don't want external sound distracting me.

If anyone finds the HE1K SE or Arya Unveiled for under a thousand, DEFINITELY jump on it...