I once own the Heed Quasar. My friend had the EAR 834P. We did a comparison: the EAR had noisy cap etc. and needed another $1k upgrade to sound its best. It already costed $800 used to purchase. The Quasar was brand new and sounded very quiet and dynamic. The Heed is a well built and great value for the money. The EAR 834P requires a bit more $$ to get it on par but the again, why not just go for the Heed instead at $1200 brand new.