Top 3 Headphones

I enjoy in my top three to be the focal Utopia, DanClark Audio Stealth, and the Meza Audio Elite.  DCA are approaching the Utopias for a closed can and non fatiguing for late night deep dives.  Happy listening

This is what the article says about the Grado:

 These are the best audiophile headphones at this price.

There have been times in my life where I've wondered if I could find a better sounding headphone. In the past decades I've attended both CES and AXPONA shows, sampling many different sets of headphones. In a situation like that, it's kind of tough to analyze each one, because they're usually being powered by different headphone amplifiers. So I would ask myself, if I liked what I was hearing from a headphone at one of these shows, would it sound the same on my gear at home? Many times it didn't. I love headphones, as they are my main source when critically listening. I think you really need to know what you're looking for in sound when shopping for a favorite set. I did, and after many years of auditioning headphones, I arrived at my (current) favorite, which is the Grado SR325e (they have since updated that model to the SR325x). I wasn't completely satisfied with the SR325e right from the start (as I felt the bass was a little lacking for my taste), but then did a little internet research, and noticed some owners were posting tweaks to the headphone that altered the sound a bit. One of them was to wrap one layer of electrical/vinyl tape on the outer edge of the foam headphone pads. I'm like WHAT?! I did this, and for me it brought the sound of this model to exactly where I wanted it. I also tried different foams that Grado makes, but decided to stay with the original ones, with the tape on the outer edge. Hopefully you can attend an audio convention, or a local dealer, and audition some headphones for yourself. No pun intended, but one size does not always fit all. Good luck.    

My favorite are my Stax 009s, however, you won’t find them around $1,000. There are better headphones out there, but again you won’t find them around $1,000. For that amount, I suggest you look into the Audeze line. I bought a pair of LCD-XC to see how closed-back phones might sound. They sound very good, although a bit heavy in the weight. I see lots of Audeze LCD-X at around $1K, and I think you could do a lot worse for your thousand dollars. Just my two cents. You might also try a used pair of Sennheiser 800 (800S, if you get lucky).

I just re-read your post, and realize your budget is "greater than" $1,000. In that case, I recommend Focal Utopia (on my shopping list too), RAAL, and the current top of the Abyss line. Also, be sure to get a dedicated headphone amp worthy of your initial investment (Blue Hawaii comes to mind). By all means, try to attend a Hi-Fi show to help you make the right decision.

I believe that in the $1,000.00 range new, the Audeze LCD2 open back headphones are a no brainer and available used for much less, Audeze has a great quality build and a strong factory support. If you  can stretch that budget the Hifiman HE1000V2s are the best phones I have ever heard and they follow the good company and good factory support  as well and have seen some new ones recently for a used price. Enjoy the music