CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Headphone Measurements => Topic started by: ultrabike on July 22, 2014, 09:35:10 AM
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These are Gelocks very own Enigmas...
Sound
These have a somewhat warm signature. Not too bassy though. Treble might be a bit mellow and smooth. Pleasant and impactfull. No edginess. Pretty nice. Like. While the signature might be on the warm side of things, the treble and upper mids offer good detail on strings and recordings with ambiance.
Comfort
Tight. Pads are comfy. But tight.
Presentation
Pretty organic. Like the fact that they are black. These are real wood cups, from who knows what endangered tree species.
Price
Dunno. Ask LFF.
Overall
A very good sounding full-size closed ortho can. Kicks ass.
(http://i745.photobucket.com/albums/xx92/FirePhoenixAudio/ChangApproved5Star_zps0229f778.jpg)
Measurements
Frequency Response
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1682.0;attach=7096;image)
Distortion Right
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1682.0;attach=7100;image)
Distortion Left
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1682.0;attach=7098;image)
CSD Right
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1682.0;attach=7102;image)
CSD Left
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1682.0;attach=7104;image)
Impedance
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1682.0;attach=7106;image)
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Hmm... wasn't expecting that dip from 1k to 4k D:
I wonder how different the custom pads on my pair sound from the alpha pads.
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I don't know for sure, but based on my listening of the Alpha Dogs and the similar pad shapes, I doubt it would fill out that dip. Jerg pad technology might.
That said, from my listening impressions, that dip is not as bad as it looks.
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The dip is somewhat filled in the CSD quickly, probably not that problematic. The imbalance, however...
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I noticed the bass imbalance in the measurements as well. Fortunately, IMO it is fairly minor in what I would consider the critical spectrum (for sound localization): 200 Hz - 14 kHz. To me it is fairly subtle, but it may depend on ones sensitivity to imbalances in the bass area. An aberration smacked right at 1 kHz might be easier to pick up.
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I've had pairs with imbalances in the 40-300 Hz region and it drove me nuts (2-3 dB being enough). Doesn't help that in most electronic music the kick drums are dead-center. Of course, YMMV.
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The laid back upper mids make sense, probably why it reminded me of the 007. Tasteful little bass hump.
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The laid back upper mids make sense, probably why it reminded me of the 007. Tasteful little bass hump.
Yup. I agree with that. These have a little more impact though, while distortion is lower as usual with the Staxes.
I've had pairs with imbalances in the 40-300 Hz region and it drove me nuts (2-3 dB being enough). Doesn't help that in most electronic music the kick drums are dead-center. Of course, YMMV.
:)p13 It may very well be that you are sensitive to that region. Milos 009s (http://www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,23.msg32768.html#msg32768) might drive you nuts too.
Personally these imbalances in the bass region did not bothered me that much. Perhaps over time they might. Dunno.
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I'm getting a 404 on the images... Did you take them down Ultrabike?
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I see them now. Proly server upgrade...
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Hmm... wasn't expecting that dip from 1k to 4k D:
I wonder how different the custom pads on my pair sound from the alpha pads.
Yeah, kind of a weird dip, I don't remember being so much of a problem once listening to them (and I do love my vocals, pianos and violins). I guess it's probably because I'm used to the Alpha Dogs on which a dip seems more evident to my ears but they don't bother me either. :)
All in all, I like the Enigmas with the exception of the "comfort" factor (I feel they are made for small heads...)
Thanks for the measurements ultrabike!
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Welcome! :)
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Here's some photos of my new Enigma's I picked up from Luis at the LA Head-Fi meet.
Enigma with the Solemn Blue finish. INSANE!
(http://www.head-fi.org/image/id/6360531/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
(http://cdn.head-fi.org/c/cc/900x900px-LL-cc46eb8c_PXE0009_3869GCC_HD.jpeg)
(http://www.head-fi.org/image/id/6360538/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
Thanks @LFF!
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Just got the loaner in. Very quick impressions relative to my HE-500 or HD600:
- Definitely a bit on the warm and bassy side, though nothing absurd. Tasteful. I thought it was a bit better with one or two of the bottom vents plugged up (maybe). Sorta seems to bleed into the rest of the sound, but just a tiny bit.
- Slight channel imbalance, though this seemed pretty easy to mitigate by shifting the HP around a bit.
- Has a sort of slightly cupped, slightly veiled sound to it. Missing information in the mids (not sure where yet exactly), which helps them sound laid back, but also a bit strange. Not offensive, but I do wish for more detail and a bit of bite there.
- Treble is definitely on the mellow side, but still clean and surprisingly detailed and quick for how mellow it sounds. Very, very smooth.
- Does not sound overly closed or anything. Sounds more open than the PM-1, hehe.
- I think the sound is a bit better if I pull the cups off my head slightly, so that they are just barely making a seal. Makes them a bit less mellow and veiled sounding, less overall warmth.
- I'm assuming this could be easily tuned otherwise with various pads and different venting amounts. (Did I see pics of them with a couple different types of pads?)
- Love the looks. You can tell someone carefully and passionately crafted these.
- More comfortable than it looks, though it is a bit tight. This might annoy me with longer sessions...remains to be seen. The pads are comfy, but I might prefer something a bit thicker and stiffer...uh...
- I might see how the alpha pads work with it...might have some other random pads as well.
Looking forward to listening more and will provide measurements in the coming days.
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Glad to see you got it!
- I think the sound is a bit better if I pull the cups off my head slightly, so that they are just barely making a seal.
I also discovered this on accident.
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I noticed they were quickly growing on me, but I would still prefer different pads and maybe some slight tweaks to address what I mentioned.
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Okey dokey, measurement time. I know I normally write a bit set of impressions when I include my full set of measurements, but I think I covered it pretty well a few posts above with early impressions. I still feel the same way about them. Didn't feel like fluffing up my points and repeating myself. :P
Interestingly enough, I could not replicate the channel imbalance in measurements despite clearly hearing it. Oh well!
I think measurements explain what I hear on these and share some similarities with ultra's measurements. Definitely a warm response with a dip centered around 4-5KHz and mellow treble. CSDs look very clean, and they certainly sounded clean. THD has some funky looking spots, but everything is at low levels and should be no problem at all.
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I have have been listening to them for about a month now. This was the biggest "leap of faith" HP purchase for me so far , considering that these are "Home-made" & there is no way that I can demo them + there are not many reviews out there. I was on the fence but the fact that I got a deal for them used finally tipped me. Highly impressed. I am a detail freak (the HD 800 & HE 6 are my fav HP's) , my experience with smooth HP's so far has always left with a feeling (maybe imaginary) of loosing out on the hyper-details ex. HD 650, LCD 3. The Enigma's pull off that magic act of being smooth yet highly detailed. Also these are the best portable closed HP's I have heard so far (these are not "on the Bus" portable but "in the Back yard "portable). They form a really enjoyable combination with Hifiman 901. Plus also the fact that I am a bass head & these have great bass resolution + quantity seals the deal for me. These are part of my bedside rig now, I was using the Audeze XC + Schiit Mj previously. The Enigma's have replaced the XC, the Enigmas are better across the entire spectrum IMHO. They have very good synergy with Sc Mj. headbang
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Made product of the year. Not that it matters much but good to see some recognition for a niche product
http://headphone.guru/product-of-the-year-2014-reviewer-picks/2/
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The Paradox also got an honorable mention. It's been a good year for LFF. Congrats! :)p6
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Anetode was super cool and let me demo his pair a few weeks ago - many thanks to him for the opportunity. Just getting around to posting some notes I took:
I was able to listen to the Enigma through two different amps, the Ragnarok and the Bottlehead S.E.X., Gungnir/Wyrd was used as a source for both. Like others, I also found them to be a bit warm with a tasteful bass emphasis, while simultaneously remaining articulate and not compromising detail. Great continuity of tone, and cleverly tuned for a slightly "colored" headphone. On the S.E.X., the sound was noticeably more laid back and gentle; very pleasant and relaxing. The Ragnarok woke them up, and the presentation was comparatively aggressive, while still being very smooth. Bass impact and body with the Ragnarok was holy-fuk powerful and very controlled. Electronic and beat-heavy music in particular was really visceral. For a closed headphone, the staging was surprisingly spacious, falling pretty close to the LCD-2 I used to own (based on memory); pretty awesome considering you get the isolation benefits of a closed headphone. All in all, I was very impressed. I personally prefer something a bit more neutral, but I'd absolutely recommend these for someone looking for a more laidback sound with slightly emphasized bass.
Congrats to LFF on a great headphone. These deserve more attention. :)p1
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Well, I stole Ravi's pair just very recently.
Here are some confessions to the crime:
- Indeed a bit warm as stated. I have heard this headphone a few times already, but could never grasp its sound until now.
- In fact, sounds like it has a phat bottom end, with a fairly lean midrange, and very fast/detailed treble that rolls off pretty early.
- Midrange loses a bit of texture and articulation due to a dip around 2-4KHz (I'd guess a dip at 3KHz?). I think this region is really hard to get right, because too much and it'll break coherence, so... safe tuning is to push it down... a la Audeze, Senn's HD800, etc... Overall just a very slight "huh?" moment for me since I'm used to headphones that elevate this region.
- Bassy without much impact, but with good body. That's how I'd describe the bass here. It doesn't necessarily sound bloated either. I guess that's one of the other mysteries. In contrast, my ES10, which measures much less in bass, actually hits harder IMO.
- I can hear sparkles, and a wee bit of sibilance, so there is some energy in the 6-10KHz region. In fact, the "sharp" imaging, I think, can be attributed to a peak at around 10KHz. String instruments sound okay-ish, which means 4-6KHz isn't that elevated, but I'm sure as heck 4KHz isn't a dip because Eric Clapton's voice is just a wee bit raspy/grainy.
- Darkness can probably be attributed to either a sharp roll off starting at 10KHz, or slightly more decay in the bass region than usual.
But I may very well be talking out of my arse, as my impressions above don't really chime with any graph being presented here...
Hopefully will get Audeze LCD-2r2 (non-fazor) in soon, so that I can do a direct comparison.
Edit: couple of things on ergonomics: the leather band that's hanging loose actually does a disservice to this headphone IMO, because it has a tendency to slide around, is pretty hard to get right, and if it's not on right, clamping force may be tighter on one side vs the other, which results in channel imbalance. Wondering if taking it off will help with clamping force and all, but... this ain't my headphone (yet, until the police gives up on looking for the thief, hrah hrah hrah!), so I won't mess with it. Honestly, though, Ravi's pair is already very very very comfortable compared to ALL of the Enigma I have heard thus far. It might well be the most balanced pair, too.
On amping: I have found that some amps cause channel imbalance at high volume for some weird reason. Not sure if this is as a result of uneven impedance, or something else. Definitely not a power issue. The Leckerton UHA-6S Mk.II does excellent here... even on high gain at max volume, whereas on my iPhone 6+, and the TTVJ Portable Tube Hybrid, right side gets obviously louder than left at higher volume.
Kidding aside, this thing sounds good. Good enough that I'd consider stealing it for real! Or... well, place an order with LFF. I think I might prefer reddish cherry wood better than black suji. I'm just flashy like that. :)p1
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Remove the comfort strap. I just put it on recently but I don't use it.
They actually slam a lot more with a meatier amp. Imbalance at volume is weird, haven't had much time with them since CEE TEE's long audition :)
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Well, comfort strap removed since I got permission. ;D
Immediate wow! It's like 1000x more comfortable. Much less clamping force.
Bonus: just did frequency response measurement with the output of the Leckerton. Guess what?
(http://s15.postimg.org/oilm94eyj/image1.png)
I'm surprised I got the FR almost spot on. This headphone actually sounds to me exactly like how it measures!
Oh, and ignore <100Hz. iPhone microphone sucks. Will probably build myself a measurement rig by summer or so... for more accurate measurements.