Can headphones ever be as good as high end stereo?

If you haven't already seen it, I think you'll find this review by Chris Martens in "The Absolute Sound" to be informative and helpful.

My Stax experience is limited to an older model, but based on that experience, and consistent with the author's comments, I suspect that the most notable upsides to the current higher end Stax models relative to most speaker-based systems are likely to be cleaner, faster, more accurate transient response, and increased detail and resolution. And putting aside the obvious differences in imaging and soundstaging, I suspect that the most notable downside (depending on your present system) may be some reduction in the "weightiness" of the bass.

And of course there will undoubtedly be differences in tonality relative to your present system, which you may or may not prefer. As others have noted, subjective reaction to any headphone model will tend to vary widely among different listeners, so an audition is essential.

Personally, I find having electrostatic headphones and dynamic speakers to be nicely complementary, and I wouldn't want to be without either.

Regards,
-- Al

08-28-14: David_l
I recommend you get something that allows you physical freedom - be able to move around and do stuff with your hands while you're listening.

Good point. I'll mention that on my older Stax Lambda Pro phones the cord is about 8 feet long, and I use it together with an earlier version of this 5 meter Stax extension cable, resulting in an overall length of 24 feet.

Regards,
-- Al