Looking to get first audiophile grade headphones/IEMs

[EternalSugarHigh]

I'm willing to spend $600-$800 (possibly more if there's a compelling reason) on an audiophile grade headphone or IEM (I could potentially be happy with either), I suspect I will also likely need desktop DAC and amp in this price bracket.  I mostly listen to hard rock so I definitely appreciate good bass, but I appreciate the rest of the spectrum as well (lately can't stop listening to the FF7 AC version of One Winged Angel ).

I suspect the noise isolation of IEMs would be of particular benefit in my case as my kids can occasionally be very loud, but I can find ways to isolate myself if there's a headphone option with significantly better sound for the price (will mostly be listening alone so I'm not worried about sound leak from open back).

[rice guru]

You can go much cheaper than that to get great sound 600-800 is abut much to start off with $400 is a but more reasonable. But I have suggestions if you really want to jump that high right away. What hind of music do you listen to?

[EternalSugarHigh]

Mostly hard rock, but I enjoy a fairly wide variety of genres (as mentioned above, I've been particularly hooked on One Winged Angel which is blended rock and classical).  I've been suspicious that spending more than $400 would have pretty diminishing returns which is why I'm asking for advice, but again, the budget isn't really an issue unless it starts getting more than $800 for the headset itself.

[geo3]

For headphones in that price range I would suggest looking into something from Dan Clark Audio, formerly called Mr. Speakers.  Their 2 main lines are Ethers and Aeons, there are several versions of both of those.  Drop sometimes carries them.

[HM-2]

If you're looking at splashing that much I would seriously consider some extended play-tests.

Personally I'm a big fan of the Shure SRH-1540 and 1840 which also shave a few hundred off your budget. There's also the Beyerdynamic Amiron.

 

There's a bit of a "no-man's land" between the ~$400 headphones and the $1000+ headphones like the HD800s which is largely inhabited by stuff that's overpriced for no good reason and performs no better than cheaper sets. It's kinda up to you whether you think the latter is worth the 2-and-a-half times price tag.

[EternalSugarHigh]

I've been leaning towards the HiFiman Sundaras, but I keep second guessing myself because of the bass roll off inherent with planar magnetic drivers.  I'm just not that familiar with what types of sounds are 50Hz and below (just rumbling explosions in movies or will this affect drum lines in rock songs?).

[rice guru]

Aybe look into something like a focal elex or a Audeze LCD 2c. But personally I thi k you should try to do a smaller budget go with a lower end option first. The Sundara is great though. Iems though it's really easy to get awesome sound for cheap look at the ikko oh10 or fiio fh3