HP1000 vs. L3000 (now with head size discussion!)

[recstar24]

OK, need your help. It's one or the other. Pairing with ZD and meridian 508.24. Which one should you go with?

For me, Hp1000 is the good ole familiar girl I always knew would be there, apparently will still take me back after all the times I've ditched her, and since its familiar territory I know how she will work and know that we will go very well together.

L3000, flirted with her a couple of times before, have always been impressed, never been around her long enough to really know who she is as a person though. Starting a relationship with her would be fun, different from the typical girls I usually mess around with, but the uncertainty of how we will gel together is somewhat holding me back.

Yah.

[Dusty Chalk]

Get both, that's what I did. Wife in the kitchen, mistress on the side.

[postjack]

I've never heard the L3000, and am a fan of the HP1000, but I'd say get the L3000, just for the fun of living with a new can.

[Augsburger]

Get both, that's what I did. Wife in the kitchen, mistress on the side.

Like Dusty says, "get both". There can never be too much (wife/mistrees) goodness.

[grawk]

A choice between HP2s and L3000s is like a choice between distilled water and mineral water (pellogrino, etc). Do you want pure or awesome?

[Smeggy]

I've flirted briefly with the L3000 and your girls cousin, the HP-2 and frankly I prefer the cousin. I found Ms L3000 to be a little unexciting and, well, rather plain. Yes she has big cups and is nicely put together, very presentable but not as exotic as I'd like for a bit on the side.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly wouldn't kick her out of bed. She's looker, and, for all I know, goes like a bunny with with the right bits inserted. We're not that close though. I do know she's high maintenance though and gets picky about who she hangs out with.

Old Grado. A bit skanky in places, that bit older and more mature. She knows a trick or two and will go for it at the drop of a hat. Has few inhibitions and is not so sleek. Like you say, she's reliable, dependable and plays well with others. She has a nice firm bottom and is well spoken. Definitely been around the block o few times but always comes back looking good.

[jinp6301]

A choice between HP2s and L3000s is like a choice between distilled water and mineral water (pellogrino, etc). Do you want pure or awesome?

One of the best lines Ive seen in hc

[grawk]

The HP2 is way more finicky about amps than the L3k, imho. With the perfect amp, I may pick the grado. In most situations, it's all about the audio technica. If you're gonna build an amp around either, go L3000. If your'e not, go L3000. If you already have the perfect amp for the hp2, go hp2. If you want sterile rather than fun, go hp2.

[mulveling]

Well, you know me - I preferred the L3000 for day-to-day listening enjoyment, but I still respect the HP1000. The HP1000 is better at simulating the pure tone of a live sound, but the L3000 is much better at simulating the energy.

Both the hp1000 & L3000 did great with my Meridian in the past...haven't heard the hp1000 with the Zana, but the L3000 is an excellent match there, for sure.

Remember the good days when you could get an L3000 AND hp1000 for not much more than the price of an hp1000 today?

[909]

I'd buy both and live with them for a month then sell second place.

Between the L3000s and HP1000s, I'd pick the L3000s, but I listen primarily to rock, pop, folk, and small group jazz stuff. Two things to know about the L3000s, if you don't already--(1) have the seller check to ensure there is no bass buzz, though, it's usually an easy fix; (2) they come with a large black outer box, a large blue velvet box, a small black cord bag, a large tan headphone pull string bag, and warranty cards about the headphones, leather and possibly something else. And I wouldn't buy a re-cabled pair.

As much as I like the ZD, I think it's better suited to drive high impedance headphones. Whereas with low impedance cans I prefer the BA, HD2, Si2A3(H) and EC2A3--though it's a mute point since both the HP1 or the L3000s are low impedance. Damping on the Grados, or L3000s with EC2A3, or BA is something like a 9 and the ZD is around a 5. The bass punch and control isn't as ideal with the ZD--this only applies to low impedance headphones like the Grados and the ATH.

[LFF]

I'd take purity of sound over awesomeness anyday.

Awesomeness I reserve for speakers. That's why I have JBL 4311's. They play almost everything at an awesome level.

For headphones, I prefer purity of sound as I use most to monitor and for special listening.

[boomana]

After reading this thread so far, a couple of you guys (recstar and smeggy) are scaring me just slightly more than a little.

The only time I really liked the HP2s were with Frank Cooter's set up at MOA, and with Johnny Number's HD2, even though I've always appreciated them. I've really liked the L3000 every time I've heard them, even when I was in a bratty, pouty mood at a mini-meet. After announcing to everyone that all their new gear sucked and meaning it (Transporter, Woo5, GS1000s, D5000s), I sat curled up on a sofa and listened to a baseball game and bad Creole music on a Clix2 radio, unamped, and was perfectly happy. Yep, they're that good.

Oh, I've never heard them with the Zana.

[guzziguy]

After reading this thread so far, a couple of you guys (recstar and smeggy) are scaring me just slightly more than a little.

The only time I really liked the HP2s were with Frank Cooter's set up at MOA, and with Johnny Number's HD2, even though I've always appreciated them. I've really liked the L3000 every time I've heard them, even when I was in a bratty, pouty mood at a mini-meet. After announcing to everyone that all their new gear sucked and meaning it (Transporter, Woo5, GS1000s, D5000s), I sat curled up on a sofa and listened to a baseball game and bad Creole music on a Clix2 radio, unamped, and was perfectly happy. Yep, they're that good.

Oh, I've never heard them with the Zana.

They don't sound too bad with a Platinum Extreme either.

[aardvark baguette]

I've never heard either, but want both.

Reading this thread reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw yesterday:

Sex is alot like pizza: when its good, ITS REALLY GOOD...

when its bad, its still pretty good!

I think I'd probably love either one

[deepak]

I used to own both. The L3000 are good, but I sold them since they aren't $2500+ good especially considering the variety of speakers available in that price bracket. Ultimately both have too many flaws for me (again given how much they cost).

[Fing]

I'd love to listen to an HP1 some day.

I flirted with selling the L3000 and couldn't do it. I agree that there are flaws, but as an everyday work phone I think it's without peer. As a result, I've listened to my L3000 more than all my other headphones combined in the past year and have grown to like and appreciate it more.

It's fustrating at times, especially when doing some tube rolling with it on the Extreme for that perfect balance of musical enjoyment, low fatigue and still being able to concentrate on work.

[laxx]

I've only heard a L3000 out of a G08/Apache pairing and it was just aweful.

[deepak]

I've only heard a L3000 out of a G08/Apache pairing and it was just aweful.

L3000 revealing its upstream trash

[spritzer]

L3000 revealing its upstream trash

[Dusty Chalk]

How important is midrange magic to you? I think the HP-2 has just a little bit more of it. Just a little.

Sorry, I keep forgetting to bring my L3000 in to work to compare, I'll try to remember this week.

[recstar24]

How important is midrange magic to you? I think the HP-2 has just a little bit more of it. Just a little.

Sorry, I keep forgetting to bring my L3000 in to work to compare, I'll try to remember this week.

Well to me, the bass and hi end are like 1st impressions when you 1st meet someone. You right away hear how the bass sounds and how the hi end sounds. But the midrange is the true personality of what music is about, IMO. Can't be with a girl that long if she is dull and boring where it counts, right? So I'm a midrange man myself. I need to get together with msport911 who is local to me and has the L3000 and a couple of hp1000's to boot.

[Dusty Chalk]

I need to get together with msport911 who is local to me and has the L3000 and a couple of hp1000's to boot.

Yeah, that'd be perfect.

[recstar24]

Let me throw one more monkey into the mix: Which do you feel would be a better compliment to my current headphone stable (assuming that I don't let them go), which consists of vintage RS-1 and HD650?

[Dusty Chalk]

I assume that's a question for the group, and as a member of the audience, let me respond with: I need to think about it. It's actually a very good question, because I find the RS-1 forward (to a fault, most of the time), and the HD600 laid back (again, to a fault, most of the time) (yes, I realize you were asking about the HD650, but I don't have as much experience with those); whereas I find the HP-2 and the L3000 closer to neutral, albeit in entirely different manners (I find the HP-2 neutral in an analytical manner, whereas I find the L3000 neutral in an exciting manner, if that makes any sense). I think the short answer is either one, but not by much, but that's subject to change.

[tkam]

I like both but prefer the L3000 by a pretty big margin.