Well, I'm divided about the high high end, have a different viewpoint and won't be trashing them all. If you have the money, I'm sure there's really incredible components to have and enjoy. AND there are developments and steps forward in all aspects of playback that result from the development of these products.

I love my Decware components and feel they get me so close to the ultimate level I want to fly on in my listening world. And if I could live with just vinyl playback, my Decware amp, phono preamp and preamp and speakers just DELIVER in such a satisfying way that I would be done.

Where I've gone past that is with digital playback. I just was not ever as satisfied with a Decware digital component, and I have such a massive cd collection that I wanted to get to another level in playback, and went happily with PS Audio products, which are in the lower tier of the high end. I had to shell out really big money for me for the transport and DAC but it really transformed my listening and I have no regrets, only gratitude to be able to have this sound. And I feel I can stick with it for a long time and still be satisfied.

And the other aspect that sucked me up into the higher end is power treatment. First it was PS Audio power cords, I climbed the chain with these and their top items are AMAZING. I've bought these top of the line items used and still paid a lot, but they really allow my amps and preamps and sources to flow in a way that nothing else has. Like stone's Kimber cabling, they're just offering something I haven't found elsewhere and won't be without now. On top of that the PS Audio power conditioning has allowed everything to shine, probably because my house wiring and power is pretty bad untreated, but I bet they'll still transform the sound in my next home. It's just so much better than the isolation transformer route I went before, I will now always feel that is an essential foundation for my system.

Sure there's a lot of pretentious BS in the industry at the high end (and low end!) level. But I'm glad that there are these options out there, it helps all aspects of the industry, in my opinion. I won't just heap scorn on them all.

Interesting Palomino. Not sure what you mean by "speaker-like," because of course headphones, and the environment they create, are anything but speaker-like. Still, I find my LCD-2s very realistic.

Were there by chance any binaural recordings to listen to? That can make a huge difference if one is accustomed to speakers as the reference point. I recommend the HDTracks' Dr. Chesky Binaural+ recording as nearly essential for testing headphones. And of course the amp matters as well, but there are so many good amps for good headphones, that there is no excuse for a bad showing at the show.

I had Senn HD800, but I replaced them with the LCD-2, after several weeks of side-by-side listening tests. The very nature of the Senn design will allow them to sound more open, and I think they do sound brighter, but not to my ears "as good."

I can't help but imagine that if Steve had set up a room with a nice turntable, the ZP3, the CSP2+, the Torii Mk III and the HR-1s or ERRs, there would have been many doing double-takes. And a few doing back flips.

These are all just plain fine-ass music-making components no matter what price tag appears on them.