CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => The Meeting Place => Topic started by: Anaxilus on January 06, 2015, 03:23:45 AM
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Now taking requests. I'll be a bit pressed for time this year so it'll be in and out but let me know what people want to hear or see and I'll try my best.
On my agenda so far:
Audeze phones - New portable and 1000ohm monster (22018)
Hifiman - HE1000 (21806; 30-219); re-1000 dual dyanamic IEM with UM
Sennheiser - whatever is going on (20606)
Stax - stuff (21048)
LH Labs - (Sands Expo 75522 Level 2 Hall A-C Venetian; not tower)
Westone - ?
Koss -
Bluetooth ? -Nakamichi, Parrot, ..?
LG - OLED; 8K; quantum dot; Flex 2; 21:9
Sharp - IGZO; borderless phone
Panasonic
Samsung - nano crystal (I really hate the Samsung exhibition spaces btw. Herds of people staring at army formations of mediocre looking panels interrupted by some Hunger Games overhead presentation every hour like some weird Korean Dr. Who episode.)
Sony - Alphas; Bravia; Morpheus; phones, DAPs and headphones, XBA Z5, etc. - (14200)
AMD - X
Nvidia - (30307)
Toshiba
HGST
WD
Sandisk
The SHOW (exhibitors not parsed yet) Looks like the Vegas SHOW is done for 2015 expanding the Newport edition
Janszen speakers?
Vapor Nimbus?
Lowther DX3?
Selah Gamechanger?
Oh, please don't ask me about wearables....
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Chinese-Tacky-Chrome-Grill Headphones
Odessey headphones (only if they finally depart from their rolled-off to hell and back sound)
Whatever full-sized headphone Senn has up their sleeve
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Any impressions of new TOTL headphones would be most appreciated. I'm glad to hear you're going; there's too much noise surrounding these products at the moment. Comparatively, a few trusted words are of great value. :)p5
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Auduze is releasing a 1000ohm headphone? Haven't seen a 1000ohm headphone since the senn hd414 from the 70's using mic drivers.
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^ It was presented as a prototype at RMAF last year, if I remember right. Naturally there's a HF thread if it's of interest, though I don't think there's actually much out there in terms of real information yet (beyond 1200 ohms)
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Ask the Hifiman people about the re-1000 dual-dynamic ciem they are doing with unique melody.
Ask them, with a straight face, if the re-1000 will have the reliability of Hifiman combined with the customer service quality of Unique Melody.
Listen to the sony xba-z5, your impressions should be fun!
Definitely interested in whatever the hell is going on with Sennheiser. Please give Axel Grell a bro-fist, if he's there.
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Anax,
what's a HGST? Are you by any chance referring to a KGST? Do these things even show up in a show like this? Thanks.
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Anax,
what's a HGST? Are you by any chance referring to a KGST? Do these things even show up in a show like this? Thanks.
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies who was bought by Western Digital. Thankfully not Seagate.
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Boy was I way of the mark? I thought it was an amp :-00 .... of the DIY stat variety.
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So, Audeze EL-8, Nighthawk and HE-1000. Please remember CES is very noisy place.
EL-8.
(http://i.imgur.com/vKdLiNml.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/DNWYqPjl.jpg)
Essentially they are step-down version of LCD-X and LCD-XC, with reduced weight and enhanced comfort. But they are still quite heavy (almost 500g)
Open version's tonality is actually between LCD-X and LCD-2, slightly darker but not as dark as LCD-2. I guess a lot of people will like the sound.
You guys can safely forget about closed version. It is the brightest Audeze I've heard so far.... harsh and emphasis on treble. I don't understand why so many expensive closed headphones (XC, TH900, Denon, Beyer, etc) have all torturing high. It seems such adjustments are done to make the headphones sound airly.... but this is the worst way IMHO.
No sign of high Z. I asked and the answer was 'somewhat June', but I won't betting that date. EL-8 headphones themselves will be soon available for order.
Well, I can say EL-8 Open version is good. It is as good as LCD-2, better tonality, better comfort, and cheaper price.
Yes, they have a DAC+amp with 699. I think they use sabre chip. I have no interest in DAC and amps, so I did not ask any questions.
AudioQuest Nighthawk.
(http://i.imgur.com/sUnGGcPl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/l9NHrHLl.jpg)
It's warm-sounding headphone without being dark. Completely non-fatiguing with still enough air and good soundstage and refinend sound. Not a slight hint of harshness or uneven responses. I bet the frequency response of this headphone is very smooth overall. Think of it as a step-up version of HD650.
And a price tag of $599. Well, I am buying this. They said it will be available around March or something.
HiFiman HE-1000
(http://i.imgur.com/WQUdOaUl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Ybs2X2il.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SQYpqLvl.jpg)
At least they look better in person than in picture. But I really do not like the colors. They said both products (headphones and amp) are not finalized design, and subject to change.
I said HE-1000 is 30% better than LCD-X... Well, after I heard them for a while, now I'd say about 20% with come catch. They sound incredibly natural (very neutral, to be precise) headphones, sounds somewhat between typical ortho and e-stat. It is not ethereal as e-stat (thank god) but the sound is more lighter than typical headphones.
Good thing is that as planar, it comes with incredible bass response. I was very surprised and pleased when I heard Hotel California.. Very well done.
Yes, the amp is vacuum-tube powered, but no easy way to replace them. I made some comments and they said they are planning to change the chassis design. That's good.
They have not set up the price yet. Only issue I am seeing is that it seems they are trying to sell them as a combo (Headphone + Amp) rather than separated products. (Thus making it expensive to buy regardless of the price tag they will set) Not a good idea, since I (and some others also said similar things) have no interest in buying yet another amp when I already have amps such as Beta22 and Ragnarok. I talked this issue to one of their senior employee, and I think he said something line of selling them as separated products is not out of the picture. They may make them available as separated purchase after sometime combo is released.
...to be continued..
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Ah, forgot to say about 'catch' for HE-1000.
Issue is, once for a while, it sounds rough... Well I am not talking about harshness or uneven responses (dips, peak) or anything, it is just rough overall. It rarely gave me that rough sound for a brief moment.
Sigh, hard to describe. Maybe it is still prototype so this may be drivers being unstable or something? I have no idea.
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Thks for taking the time wnmnkh ;)
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Wnmnkh, thanks for the time. On the 1000, just wanted to know if you have listened to the HE 6 and if so, how's the compare?
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If you have time could you try out the 3D sound demo that Oculus has?
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I'd like some first hand impressions of the sony high-end dap, wnmnkh, please.
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I'm suddenly quite interested in the EL-8, but then I have this strange obsession with less expensive orthos. It's disappointing that the closed model is so problematic; along with the Oppo PM-3... I guess manufacturers are having a hard time tuning these.
What kind of driver is in the Nighthawk? Dynamic? It looks kinda neat. Wasn't on my radar, but I guess it is now.
The HE-1000... definitely curious to hear it, but if it's only bundled with that 300B amp, forget it. It's kind of a lose-lose situation: if Fang doesn't bundle it, the amp wont sell on its own. If he does, fewer people will be interested in the HE-1000.
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What kind of driver is in the Nighthawk? Dynamic? It looks kinda neat. Wasn't on my radar, but I guess it is now.
Dynamic, biocellulose diaphram: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/audioquest-reveals-upcoming-headphone-nighthawk
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Thanks!
An aside: I never knew the B&W P7 used biocellulose...
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Did anyone get to check out the supposed current output DAP from Questyle?
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Ok, Now the rest of impressions from the Show.
Phiaton :
(http://i.imgur.com/bKzm3IDl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/McnBqPBl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2Mj0JVcl.jpg)
I liked their noise cancelling, bluetooth IEMs. Decent sound except the battery time is relatively short (I think it was 7 hours or something)
Beyerdynamic :
(http://i.imgur.com/0cQv9dEl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/gwf8iJIl.jpg)
T70 was ultra-terrible. Just... wow.
(http://i.imgur.com/DO7aYNSl.jpg)
T90 and T5p were not that bad, but I'd rather buy DT880.
Audio-Technica
(http://i.imgur.com/FmQp4psl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/740Mb29l.jpg)
Unfortunately AT decided to NOT present their real audiophile lines, instead they put crappy sport-oriented ones. They did put their gaming lines (simply their audiophile headphones + mic) and a new MSR7 headphones. MSR7 sounded good and I liked it. Sounded very neutral-ish.
(http://i.imgur.com/KJZibUXl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/DiYP3DKl.jpg)
Blue Mo-Fi
Sounded ok, it's dark. The problem is weight. Jesus.
(http://i.imgur.com/2i898hhl.jpg)
Sennheiser
(http://i.imgur.com/ltB4dtal.jpg)
Orpheus
(http://i.imgur.com/wGZAxXQl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oahPTn2l.jpg)
It's about third time I heard this legendary headphones, and my opinion has not been changed. It's slightly warmish estat. Very good sound. But I do not sense any special about it. The price of HE90 is probably based on rarity rather than sonic performance.
(http://i.imgur.com/QPz9NDbl.jpg)
Urbanite XL.
God, They are not that good. Too boomy and too dark.
Little Dot and Yulong
Both of them are first timer at CES. Little Dot's representative (I think he was the owner of the Little Dot. Businesscard says he is a general manger). Hardly could speak English so people from Yulong helped him.
Little Dot MK6+ with LDP 500 power supply
(http://i.imgur.com/QahkBhTl.jpg)
Wow, these ones are seriously good. Sure, they sound indeed mellow, but in really good way. I could not believe what I heard from T1.... It completely tamed T1 while not sacrificing much on details and soundstage. I could listen to this amp all day. Amp costs around 800 bucks.
Little Dot III
(http://i.imgur.com/bkqOOcvl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zQLpr0xl.jpg)
It has automatic impedance detection. It will change the operating mode depend on the headphones. Again mellow and slightly less spacing than MK6+, but I say the amp is decent. It took a while to completely power up.
Yulong U200 WiFi DSD DAC.
Yes folks, it can play DSD via wifi indeed. Unfortunately with so many wireless devices in CES, it did not work properly due to overcrowded wireless signals. It works with normal computer and NADs.
(http://i.imgur.com/RqBQnJ1l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/024K3JXl.jpg)
Here is a Wifi module.
(http://i.imgur.com/gJdw5xMl.jpg)
D200 and DA8.
(http://i.imgur.com/mQhTtmSl.jpg)
Unfortunately I got too lazy so I did not hear them. The funny story is that during the development of these ones, they destroyed several pairs of HD800 (they used HD800 as reference headphones) They bought so many HD800 that they eventually got a discount price from Sennheiser.
Dune
(http://i.imgur.com/0ypKpmSl.jpg)
B1 Their upcoming class-A portable amplifier. Will cost 199 and the battery should last about 6 hours.
Panasonic
Other than their overpriced new Technics stuffs, they also put their newest flagship headphones, RP-HD10. Sorry folks for no picture here, but for some reason the pictures I took were too terrible. Typical good V-shape sound. Emphasis on treble, yet still tolerable and clear enough.
Sony
(http://i.imgur.com/mYDrtnYl.jpg)
Personally I have no interest in DAP, but due to Kunlun's request, I decided to bother going into Sony's booth.
ZX2
(http://i.imgur.com/zNebeADl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1e6moeVl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zNebeADl.jpg)
I don't know man. They are heavy, thick (but well-built). Well, it feels good. Sound is... well I can say good enough. But for $1200 price tag, I'd expect at least a balanced output, not a single 1/8. And with that thickness around the phonejack, they could had put a stronger, more luxurious 1/4 inch instead. Sorry for this lame impression, but I have little interest in expensive DAPs.
Fiio
X1 and X5
(http://i.imgur.com/IOh7pl1l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/x5OPIGYl.jpg)
Wow, they are really thick and heavy, and bigger than I imagined. All I can say. :P
....to be continued...
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In Venetian, there were areas dedicated for Audio only, with hotel rooms (where I listened to Nighthawk and HE1000)
This particular room was prepared for High-res audio playback. Once again I had pleasure meeting with Dr. Mark Waldrep. He also liked me for buying his CDs. Here him explaining to people about High-res playback.
(http://i.imgur.com/jNpwLMXl.jpg)
He uses his Benchmark DAC 2, Oppo 83 and recently Oppo's HA-1 and several PM-1 headphones. Not an ideal setup but not bad as far as I heard.
(http://i.imgur.com/LOncLOnl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/4F023Vil.jpg)
His collections here that you could 'donate' some money to get several of them. Yes, it is not permitted to buy stuffs in CES, but... his stuffs are too good to ignore. Too bad I am not a fan of Jazz, which takes majority of his company's releases. I ended up buying 5 of them.
(http://i.imgur.com/9NjEilsl.jpg)
Finally, I could listen to Sony Z7 here, in much quieter and more choices on songs.
(http://i.imgur.com/fowuXMBl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/CVsGDWml.jpg)
My impression is that they are not that bad. They sounded good. The high is a bit muffed and bass is loose.... Oh well, then I was reminded that these cost 700 bucks... Yeah, not that really good for the money. Nighthawk is far better in comparison since the high goes really high.
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Finally before I went to the airport, I decided to hear EL-8 closed version again to re-check if I heard in yesterday was indeed the case.
...It is not that closed version has super boosted treble... it is more of a nasty peak happening that ruins everything. In contrast, Panasonic's HD10 does not have this peak issue despite the fact that it actually has boosted treble due to being V-shaped sound.
Oh well, at least Dan and LFF do not have to worry about new Audeze I think.
This is it folks. Hope you enjoyed my crappy pictures and short impressions. CES is not really a ideal place to listen to audio devices.
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Fck, forgot about Pono. They were scattered, everywhere.
(http://i.imgur.com/DXtGgWTl.jpg)
Again I have little interest in DAPs, so I did not pay any attention. I guess Anax will post impressions....
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Wnmnkh, thanks for the time. On the 1000, just wanted to know if you have listened to the HE 6 and if so, how's the compare?
HE-1000 is simply better headphone. No contest here (but then, I am one of people who cannot stand against HE-6's treble, I mind you)
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Ha, thanks wnmnkh!
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Did somebody hear the AKG N90Q?
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wnmnkh is my deity of the month! he is deserving of all of us contribute to paying for his CES expenses, if indeed he gets out of Vegas alive.
based on his listen and chowmein83 elsewhere, I'm off the EL-8 hype train.
but now have Nighthawk on the radar hot spot, Oppo PM-3 got demoted.
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over on hf, a guy who heard the sony zx2 said it was underpowered, which a pre-fanboy tried to spin, but there it is.
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underpowered for what though?
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Some portable headphones, I believe it was.
The AK240 and AK120ii powered them better.
To be honest, I found the AK120ii to be a little underpowered even with some power-hungry dynamic driver iems/ciems and stupid people on HF are sending in their AK240s to a third party to add mo' powah for $500 or whatever.
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Thanks wnmnkh. You also saved me from buying the EL-8. Need to use that against the Yggy.
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Still typing up my impressions and gathering photos, but as a quick tide me over...
Pono
Boy was this disappointing. Tuned a la Meridian Exploder with dull and congested over warmth. Not quite as bad as that original model but close enough. Also not at all what one would come to expect from the engineers over at Ayre with their clean, transparent resolving and well balanced sound signatures I've heard in the past. Really makes you wonder what the hell speakers and phones Neil Young uses. With all the stiff and capable competition out there in the DAC/Amp/DAP segment these days, one certainly would have hoped for more after everything Neil Young was bitching about. I suppose for people that like that sort of nebulous goo sound, this could be their DAP. However, if one wants a warmer sounding device with better technical proficiencies I would steer them toward the Schiit Fulla (for far less money) as long as it runs in their intended application.
I did try running the Pono via LO into my Leckerton and things do become a bit less congested and a little cleaner from the mids up but still below average in clarity and technical performance while the bass still sound rather soft, indistinct and one-note. As a DAC or All-In-One the Geek Out crushes this thing and already devastated far more competent sounding devices than the Pono (e.g ODAC, JDs Labs, etc).
I also found the UI rather clunky and less than a polished or premium experience. It was very Sansa Clip-esque except with low rez pictures and images. Wasn't the most snappy and responsive, but not what I'd call slow either.
In the end, I'd rather listen to 320kb on my portable rig than FLAC or hirez on the Pono. These things also did quite a disservice to the Audeze EL8's they were paired with. I would also steer people looking to pair hard to drive phones with this device away as well. It is not a weak device but it certainly doesn't have the headroom one would hope for at this size.
Verdict - Decent ears used to decent gear should steer clear of this device unless they need a DAP to serve as a caution marker next to the side of a road.
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based on his listen and chowmein83 elsewhere, I'm off the EL-8 hype train.
Well, he had positive impressions about the open EL-8. Just not the closed model.
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Well, he had positive impressions about the open EL-8. Just not the closed model.
indeed.
yet if the EL-8 open doesn't have appreciable/better sonic improvements over HE-400i, (ie. soundstage about the same, tonality the same, detail retrieval very similar)
I'm not tossing away +$200 more dollars just for the Audeze name or (heavier) form factor.
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Little Dot and Yulong
Both of them are first timer at CES. Little Dot's representative (I think he was the owner of the Little Dot. Businesscard says he is a general manger). Hardly could speak English so people from Yulong helped him.
Little Dot MK6+ with LDP 500 power supply
(http://i.imgur.com/QahkBhTl.jpg)
Wow, these ones are seriously good. Sure, they sound indeed mellow, but in really good way. I could not believe what I heard from T1.... It completely tamed T1 while not sacrificing much on details and soundstage. I could listen to this amp all day. Amp costs around 800 bucks.
Little Dot III
I had a MKVI+ for about a year and loved it. It was powerful and quiet. Great sound. Unfortunately mine started breaking which meant back and forth to China. That kinda ruined it for me.
Thanks for the info from CES with actual details and not just hype and excitement because "OMGZ NEW THING"
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Thanks for all the effort wnmnkh and Anax. Much appreciated!
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Thanks for all the effort wnmnkh and Anax. Much appreciated!
No worries. More to come, stay tuned!
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I agree the closed EL-8 was too bright, but I'd also say the open one was bass-light and a tad strident. They aren't quite finished with the tuning of them yet, so I expect we'll see some changes before release.
Fang's HE-1000 was an astonishingly pleasant surprise. Really clean, wonderfully well balanced, best thing I've heard from him in orthos to date. Really, really nice.
I found the Nighthawk a disappointment. Had a muffled sounding lower mid-range. mid-mids and up were very nice, but I suspect 5db too low relative to the bass to lower-mid range.
Now, did anyone else hear the Enigma Acoustics Darma headphone? No? We'll, holy shit you missed out. A real stunner. Hybrid dynamic w/estat tweeter. Crossover at 8kHz. Expected price at $1.5k, I think. This and the HE-1000 were the best things I heard at the show.
Didn't hear it, but Pass labs was showing a new headphone amp. (Not designed by Nelson.) That's one I'm looking forward to hearing.
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Is Tyll finally going to review a Hifiman?
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I agree the closed EL-8 was too bright, but I'd also say the open one was bass-light and a tad strident. They aren't quite finished with the tuning of them yet, so I expect we'll see some changes before release.
^This! I told Sankar the same thing. I actually liked the EL8 closed more because of that, and I think it's obvious that treble peak is a resonance from the closed enclosure. Some damping should do the trick. Much more musical sounding than the Oppos that have that zombie blur with zero articulation.
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Now, did anyone else hear the Enigma Acoustics Darma headphone? No? We'll, holy shit you missed out. A real stunner. Hybrid dynamic w/estat tweeter. Crossover at 8kHz. Expected price at $1.5k, I think. This and the HE-1000 were the best things I heard at the show.
Interested in eventually hearing these out.
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When are those Enigma due?
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Now, did anyone else hear the Enigma Acoustics Darma headphone? No? We'll, holy shit you missed out. A real stunner. Hybrid dynamic w/estat tweeter. Crossover at 8kHz. Expected price at $1.5k, I think. This and the HE-1000 were the best things I heard at the show.
Quick search on the Enigmacoustics Dharma sounds very interesting at least for the tech involved. I don't remember seeing many full sized hybrid headphones around.
(http://www.6moons.com/news/january/16.png)
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I went looking myself - didn't find much. Any good links you can share?
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You probably found the same links I did. Nine moon, Facebook and partimeaudiophile's tweet. Nothing even on Enigmacoustic's site. I am usually curious about hybrid stuff and how they work together.
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Do you need a special amplifier for the Darma hybrid?
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Doubt it. Probably similar to the K340.
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Yeah, and $1500 seems steep if it resembles anything like the K340.
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I doubt it they resemble anything like the k340. They're not an akg after all. Who knows, they might perform beyound expectations and make other high priced/high end headphones a run for their money. I wouldn't automatically make assumptions yet.
Me, personally, would love to hear an interesting headphone like them.
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Do you need a special amplifier for the Darma hybrid?
If it's like K340, it will need a tube amp to integrate the treble with the rest. If I had to guess based on Tyll's quick listen, it isn't an issue. But at that price, might as well go with an e-stat rig.
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CES Show Report 2015
(http://www.soundstageglobal.com/images/stories/ces2015/201501_brent_amps/ayre.jpg)
Ayre has long been a respected player in the 2 channel domain, but it wasn't until Charles Hansen and company designed the Pono that they realized there was an untapped market ready and waiting for high performance products from prestigious names. Enter the Codex. It is a DAC/headphone amp projected to sell around the $1500 mark. Can also be used as a preamp. Seen here driving some sennheiser headphones, it sports both 1/4" and 3.5mm jacks for compatibility with both portable offerings and serious studio affairs. At a show that featured kilobuck power strips and speakers that could fund a warlord, Ayre's first foray into the field comes as a breath of fresh air. "Why don't you take a seat right over there?" Hansen would offer, as he graciously runs down the feature set of the Codex, which includes up to 2X DSD and 32/384 resolution for compatibility with even the most obscure audiophile releases. As for the sound? Well, let's just say Ayre will have to fend potential suitors off with a stick when this releases.
(http://www.soundstageglobal.com/images/stories/ces2015/201501_brent_amps/pass.jpg)
Pass Labs has their own rabid following among sound enthusiasts. Nelson Pass has long been respected as "the Einstein of audio", a phrase he took such a liking to that he trademarked it and prevented anyone else from using it. With the explosion of personal audio in the audiophile sector, Pass has chosen to make its first incursion into the niche market with its as-yet nameless headphone amp. This amplifier will bring the famous brute force Class A low feedback oblation to the table. Sporting volume control, this beast of an amp will retail for $3500, making it far cheaper than entering the Pass realm in the speaker world. As for the sound? This amp isn't some half-nelson. The gentlemen at Pass Labs will be fending off potential customers with shotguns on their rooftops as if it was a zombie apocalypse.
(http://www.soundstageglobal.com/images/stories/ces2015/201501_brent_audiophile/hifiman.jpg)
Fang "Because I'm Crazy" Bian is no newcomer to headphilia. Ever since designing his first headphone at age 16 to hide his bald spot (it failed, they were IEMs) Fang has been pursuit of ultimate headphone fidelity. With the minor exception of some brief missteps along the way (HE400, 500, HE-6, all his DAPs) Fang has developed some truly world class headphones, such as the headphone that eventually became LFF's triumph, the Code-X. In recent years though, Hifiman has been overshadowed by upstart competitors like JDS Labs and Obravo. Enter the HE-1000, Hifiman's gaudy statement headphone that "buying Chinese" is no longer an act of economy, but one of preference. Sporting a diagraphm so thin it cannot even be measured in quarts, the HE-1000 really screams "flagship" in every possible way (other than being the ship in a fleet that carries the commanding admiral.) Fang was inspired to try for an asymmetrical magnet design atypical of any competitor on the market, and the resulting product is indeed one that will go down in the annals of cached defunct websites. As for the sound? Let's just say Fang went out and murdered a few people after the show on the off chance they'd end up hounding him for a pair. I know I will.
(http://www.soundstageglobal.com/images/stories/ces2015/201501_brent_amps/meridian.jpg)
Meridian, long a household name in households with hifi magazine subscriptions, has released their new Explorer 2 combination DAC-amp. This product is a culmination of decades of experience and innovation in a field. Bob Stuart and company recognized that their first release in the quadrant was an unmitigated success by all measures and many purchasers had already re-written their wills to include a stipulation that they be buried with their Explorers, there was an equally loud outcry that the product support an as-yet unreleased proprietary high resolution format in a cluttered, oversaturated market. Enter the Explorer 2, capable of decoding Meridians MQA lossless format. Sporting curves that would have even the most linear triode jealous, the Explorer 2 chassis is truly a reference product for the on-the-go audiophile. Sound quality? Lets just say Bob Stuart has been slowly poisoning the water supply at audiophile meets over the last two decades as a precautionary measure lest he is set upon by clamorous customers.
(http://www.soundstageglobal.com/images/stories/ces2015/201501_brent_audiophile/audeze.jpg)
Audeze has long been known as a company not around for long, that has a history perhaps paralleling that of the fledgling market it has come to represent. Over the past few years it has helped proved emphatically that "headphones don't have to be hi-fi's special needs cousin", as paraphrased from a talk Alex Rosson probably gave. With their first fruits all sporting very similar packages and with ergonomics that make the egg chair seem comfortable, Audeze went back to the drawing board for their newest release. Partnering with BMW Designworks, Audeze finally look posed to release their first product with mass-market aspirations. Given Audeze's new Nofux™ technology, the new EL-8 will have diehards and newcomers alike elated with the direction Alex and Sankar have taken this company. As for the sound? Audeze went back in time and killed your grandmother just to be sure.
Note: All pictures courtesy of sounstageglobal.com. This show report did not involve any listening to actual gear on the part of the author, he kind of just looked at pictures online and figured how they would have sounded, and let's face it, this has provided about as much usable impressions as your average show report.
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:slow clap: :money:
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I doubt it they resemble anything like the k340. They're not an akg after all. Who knows, they might perform beyound expectations and make other high priced/high end headphones a run for their money. I wouldn't automatically make assumptions yet.
Me, personally, would love to hear an interesting headphone like them.
If they're powered by a normal dynamic HP out (TRS etc) then it's very likely they're crossing over the treble duties to the electret driver and using a small step up transformer inside the headphones to get the voltage levels high enough to drive the electret.
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Tari, thanks for the report!
Do you think the HE-1000 grills will fit my '39 Studebaker?
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Tari:
the only question is: have Dr. Fang and Bob Stuart been charged with murder ? :)p13. I am also trying to visualize Audez'e and the grandmoms. Wait, that's euthanasia.
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If the new RE-300 are any indication, Hifiman's build quality stepped up from "broken Chinese cables, swanky looking undampened shell" to "Chinese cables, nonresonant dull OEM shell". Which is good.
So, hopefully, they will combine retuned RE-300 driver with RE-272 driver while preserving the new qualities.
(Or it could be half-wooden, painted red gold with silver inserts. Ugh. :spank:)
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res
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res
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hello,
@Tari, coffee just came out my nose. :money: