Distortion looks to be taking a roller coaster ride after those mods...
I cannot find any information about this company. Does it have any website anyway?AFAIK they do not have a website. They are a brand new company and don't think they have anything for sale yet. I believe this is their first product.
I can't help but see the logo as: "cover your nuts like a boss", or one of several other lewd "like a boss" interpretations.It is a bit sad to see this pic as an Arsenal fan.
(http://i.imgur.com/8ecdGaw.jpg) (http://fifasoccerblog.com/files/2009/06/freekickwall.jpg)
The very center of the logo is a human torso in the listening room surrounded by speakers while sound waves are also making A and Z letters within the golden ratio. I suppose everyone knows about the role of golden ratio in audio. Those who saw the human body in the logo were also correct, that is what Da Vinci saw in the golden section but there is a lot more to it and Wikipedia could be a pretty good start for those interested:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio)
HUGE THANKS to Marvey and Hans for posting their impressions. I will post my comments a bit later, when I get my own measurements up. Spoiler: they quite literally measure three times more linear then anything else I have ever measured.
My hedgegog that is.
Cool to see others following in the great footsteps of the legendary George Cardass. :)p2
Cool to see others following in the great footsteps of the legendary George Cardass. :)p2
I apparently come from a different culture which makes it clearly difficult for me to understand some things here and I don't just mean this forum.
Here is an image of a pentagram : (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Pentacle_2.svg/220px-Pentacle_2.svg.png), Claritas, you must have missed a few geometry lessons at school. Tried to Google fuckin' Commie Satanist with no luck, did you really come up with it on your own? What a genius! Moreover, if you have a cock in place of a belly button which I assume could be a mark from above for your ingeniousness, you really don't have to make everyone on this forum aware of it (there are other more appropriate forums for such ..... just Google ;-). As for your gay thing, you just got my personal message. Be honest, the whole thing is just too dirty to be funny.
(click to show/hide)
always told me not to fuck with a Russian bear even if you have an advantage of a shotgun!
Wait, you have a pet bear? AWESOME headbang ! Is that a common pet in Russia?Good one zero! Finally a funny and tasteful joke. Believe it or not I was planning to refraze that one just didn't have time. You caught me, the score is 1/0.
pervenets -- for people like myself that already own the Oppo PM-1/PM-2, will you be offering to mod them for a fee or will you just be shipping finished products.Yes, owners of the original PM1/2s will be able to send their sets in for the mods. Expect the price to be $699.00 for the mod and $1398.00 for the brand new set directly from Audio Zenith. All my sets will come with a plot of unsmoothed original vs modified frequency response for that particular set.
I am curious as to what testrig you are using and how it is calibrated.I have spent a ton of time and effort on making my measurements truly reflect how we perceive our headphones to sound while coupled to our own ears. This explains why you feel they mirror very closely with your perception of the ones you personally heard. I personally feel these aforementioned sets do sound precisely how they measure on my rig and hope most if not all audiophiles with properly trained ears should and essentially would feel exactly the same way.
Those plots look great and suggest a neutral headphone only slightly 'lacking' top highs and perhaps being a bit lean on the subbass.
The comparative plots of DT880 (owned), HD650 (own), K701 (owned), HD800 (auditioned never owned) mirror very closely how I perceive(d) these headphones.
Would also be interested in how UB's rig would measure this same headphone.
His measurements seem 'closest' to those of my own.
I am quite sure my rig (cheap non calibrated home-made test rig) would measure it differently yet again, but perhaps closer to yours.
The most intriguing part (differences) of measurements always lies above 1kHz.
The difference between your and CS measurements is substantial (I think 10dB is substantial).
Plots like this should (IMO) always be viewed in the light of comparisons of other plots on the same rig.
Kuddos for including those measurements, UB and Hans often put comparisons in their plots as well which I really like.
I have not found measurements that appear to be accurate in an absolute sense but don't think it is really possible as well.
I have spent a ton of time and effort on making my measurements truly reflect how we perceive our headphones to sound while coupled to our own ears. This explains why you feel they mirror very closely with your perception of the ones you personally heard. I personally feel these aforementioned sets do sound precisely how they measure on my rig and hope most if not all audiophiles with properly trained ears should and essentially would feel exactly the same way.
Disagree with your assessment of FR of my Audio Zenith PM-2 set.
Alex, if you don't mind, I just wanted to clarify a little. (And correct me if I am wrong.)
Alex's measurement rig and his measurement techniques are proprietary. That is why he didn't answer you directly about his rig and technique. His mods are also proprietary, being a commercial product.
I believe Alex's measurement rig and techniques are a very big part of his "secret sauce" to getting the mods done as well as he has.
I can't see half the pix you guys are posting because I am at work with certain pix blocked. I am curious now. Will take the PM-x measurement on the "free-air" foam coupler on my V1 rig.
FWIW, Han's measurement so far seems to reflect closest to what I hear.
So you are saying your shit don't stink and you like the smell of your own farts.Have nothing against measurements from Hans, Marv, Ultra etc. and you all know my view, it's only valid when they are judged against other measurements from the same rig. Now, whose measurements are closer to reality is another story and it's up to you to decide for your self whose shit smells better so you can stick to it and finally become a happy individual.
This whole headphone measurement business is way too much of a commitment that I am not willing to make even if I personally think mine are superior and I do, otherwise why even start this whole modification business? But don't ever ask me to measure your own set, will not happen!
On the heroism of the Russian people. Yes, they performed heroically.
I never offered to take my measurements to anyone for any set except my own. Moreover I take every chance to skip on providing my own measurements of anything rather then my own set when possible (Ultra posted his measurements of one of my sets half a year ago, then Marv posted his, and then it was Hans).
I then posted mine to give people a view on how things are done here and why I make my sets sound the way they do. Like I already mentioned somewhere earlier in this tread every one Audio Zenith PM-2 will come with comparison frequency response graph, my graph, not from someone else. I actually feel obligated to do so, unlike so many other companies.
This headphone measurement business is way too much of a commitment that I am not willing to make even if I personally think mine are superior and I do, otherwise why even start this whole modification business?
But don't ever ask me to measure your own set, will not happen!
It's nice that you are here and hopefully having a better life, but you aren't the only one. This country is made up of immigrants with horrible stories from horrible places, don't think for a second your story is unique.
I suppose that's why you started off by using all the data from Ultrabike's rig for your use. I don't think it's quite fair to rely so much on the help and transparency of others and then tout your 'superiority' in a rather closed and absolute fashion.You have got to be kidding me man! Why use someones measurements if I always had my own even from before you guys knew PM-1 or PM-2 even existed!!! What would Ultra's measurements do for me, honestly can't even understand can you explain? You have all heard my K701s half a year before Ultra took my modded set, those AKGs were the first headphones I DSPd based on my own, not anyone's measurements! I thought you all were impressed with the results, well that's at least what you all told me or was I wrong and my measurements were junk then and trash now and you were just lying?
Fact is Stalin also had squads who job it was to shoot retreating soldiers, no need to hide the truth of the matter. They aren't the first to do so and not the last. As for the Battle of Brest Litewski, I'm not sure you can use that as an example of defending Mother Russia since it was in POLAND! Unless you are saying Poland is like the Crimea and belongs to Russia.
On the heroism of the Russian people. Yes, they performed heroically. So did the French, Brits, Americans, Canadians Chinese and even the Germans and Japanese among others. Your grandfather wasn't the only one ever to fight in a war and you weren't the only one ever subject to "extra scrutiny". It's nice that you are here and hopefully having a better life, but you aren't the only one. This country is made up of immigrants with horrible stories from horrible places, don't think for a second your story is unique.
What you babbling about?This is so much of uneducated and childish BS that I won't even bother answering, every sentence is a joke except for the first one and that point I am willing to accept and try making it more clear later.
No one cares. People don't buys gear to see grafs.
You are saying your measurement is superior because you make fake grafs that gives your headphone best results. This is conflict of interest and makes you smeel like horse poop.
No one will ask you.
They stayed humble along the way on their road to success.
No one will buy your headphones. They cost too much. Audeze LCD-F is always better than PM-1. This is truth.
This is so much of uneducated and childish BS that I won't even bother answering, every sentence is a joke except for the first one and that point I am willing to accept and try making it more clear later.
This is so much of uneducated and childish BS that I won't even bother answering, every sentence is a joke except for the first one and that point I am willing to accept and try making it more clear later.
I will agree that that post was random and full of ridiculousness but you've entered this thread with a lot of hubris and I suspect it has rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. I would consider whether that is the impression you want to continue bringing to the fore or if you'd like to be seen as humble.Thank you zero. All the points are taken. Will try to be humble, if I can;-).
You have got to be kidding me man! Why use someones measurements if I always had my own even from before you guys knew PM-1 or PM-2 even existed!!! What would Ultra's measurements do for me, honestly can't even understand can you explain? You have all heard my K701s half a year before Ultra took my modded set, those AKGs were the first headphones I DSPd based on my own, not anyone's measurements! I thought you all were impressed with the results, well that's at least what you all told me or was I wrong and my measurements were junk then and trash now and you were just lying?
Brest Fortress belongs to Belarus, former republic of USSR not Poland. Can't you even read what's in that link I posted!!!
But don't ever ask me to measure your own set, will not happen!
As far as which one is superior, for me it is very hard to say. I would not say mine is superior to anyone's FWIW because that I honestly do not know.
Also, the mods seem pricey... But I know I'm a cheap bastard and might say 99% of all things hi-fi audio are pricey anyway so who cares.
Hmm...maybe you should read what you posted. From link:
"The area around the nineteenth-century Brest Fortress was the site of the 1939 Battle of Brześć Litewski, when German forces captured it from Poland during the Polish September Campaign."
No, we were in SD where Ultrabike helped supply you with data using his measurement rig before you ever supplied a 701 for listening.
Is this the new 'Pravda' or R/T?
Btw, my video was not a documentary talking about WW2, it was having some fun at your driver mods. It's called humour. If anyone needs help with reading I'd suggest you reconsider who that might be.
Pervs. I think it rubs people the wrong way when you say your measurement rig is private and secret sauce, though you based it on the work of other folks. I based my rig on what I learned from here and there (specially from Marv's posts and to some extent on Innerfidelity and Stereophile)... and so did others I think. It is of course your choice and your work.
As far as which one is superior, for me it is very hard to say. I would not say mine is superior to anyone's FWIW because that I honestly do not know.
I'm not saying this to lecture you, or because I feel Marv, Hans, Solderdude, Tyll, Atkinson, Gargamel, Gandalf, or I need your recognition or acknowledgement. Heck, I don't give much of a crap. But because I feel you deserve to know why perhaps some folks are giving you a hard time.
I also don't know much about the history of the USSR or if half of Europe, Asia, American and Africa where once part of the USSR. TBH you are here in the US and life is good.
Also, the mods seem pricey... But I know I'm a cheap bastard and might say 99% of all things hi-fi audio are pricey anyway so who cares.
Is that because you don't want others to have your calibration and or be able to simply duplicate your method ?
Don't want it to benefit the DIY community ?
Scared Neumann copies the rig ?
Hint: perhaps stick (and post) to your 'knowledge' with some humbleness applied and take the rest as 'jokes'.
Price: there are many reasons for the $1399.00 number announced.
1) They simply can not be sold for less then $1200 as it will be unethical and disrespectful to OPPO, it has to cost more then their PM-1.
I actually have a mod for the HD700 (http://www.head-fi.org/t/614011/sennheiser-hd700-review/210#post_11118177), I am going to charge $1600 for it complete with headphone as it would be disrespectful to Sennheiser to charge less than the cost of an HD800.
With all due respect, it seems like you're constructing a story to suit you. One could just as easily turn it around and say that selling a modded PM-2 for more than OPPO's flagship PM-1 is taking the piss out of Oppo and is disrespectful.
You put in a lot of work creating these mods, I get that, and that alone should be enough to justify your price tag. Believe me, I know and respect how much work goes into modifying a headphone. I think you do a disservice to yourself however by saying it's because of being ethical toward Oppo. Let your mods and hard work stand on their own merits for the price you are asking.
Price: there are many reasons for the $1399.00 number announced.
1) They simply can not be sold for less then $1200 as it will be unethical and disrespectful to OPPO, it has to cost more then their PM-1.
2) Most of the mods for T50RP are at least 3 times the price of the original and go all the way up to 10 times more with latest "Prime" as an example.
3) Audio Zenith is a start up company so all the expenses are very much different then those of the well established business and I was actually surprised by the total cost for parts and labor.
4) Level of performance and pricing of the direct competition had to be the major factor as well.
5) I want to keep the price to be the same for all over the world and dealers don't work for nothing.
6) This Audio Zenith PM-2 is truly unique and that should account for a tiny bit of premium look and cost.
Price: there are many reasons for the $1399.00 number announced.
1) They simply can not be sold for less then $1200 as it will be unethical and disrespectful to OPPO, it has to cost more then their PM-1.
hello,
this seems to be a very strange way to justify a pricing strategy.
if the base is the PM-2, why is pricing not based on it's MSRP plus the cost of the mods?
as an ancient veteran of the retail wars, i would think that the OPPO MSRP would be based on keystone (i.e. wholesale =50% of MSRP.)
i am not sure if you are purchasing the original headphones at retail and then marking up from there, which perhaps could justify the premium you are charging. if so, you are being unrealistic in deciding to go commercial with your mod at all regarding cost of materials.
also, amortizing your start-up costs with your first product is a sure way to alienate potential customers IMHO.
Difficult not to fall into arrogance trap when what seems like everyone starts pissing on your baby. Tough to understand and even less so agree if never had one.
Ignoring and hiding is never a way for a Bear and the end is predictable: crushed sculls on one side and dead Bear on the other.
Looking back through this thread, I don't see much pissing on the headphones though? That's actually pretty rare for these forums.
The flaming seems to all be about your online persona. It's a matter of forum culture: people here are less interested in hearing stories of your childhood and philosophy of the golden ratio. It's considered "noise" here. Personally speaking I think that kind of stuff is interesting, and I think it would be better received on head-fi: I would enjoy reading about your history there.
Eventually people were just baiting the bear, especially all the complaints about pricing.
Lol, you should be the one to talk about pissing on other headphones. First you apply some PEQ to the K701 and champion it as the HD800 and Stax 009 destroyer. Now it's the modded PM2 which is the destroyer of all flagships. Everything you touch is the destroyer of ALL and you can't take a little criticism? You must be kidding. Russian Bear?? Lol, you strike me more as a Laika:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika
(http://sciencepenguin.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Laika-1.jpg)
He never made it back from his mission btw. Woof! Woof!
Are you interested in a pair being on demo at the SF Bay mini meet (recommended in post #92)? You would get a lot of people comparing your headphones purely on merit against other flagships if you are interested.Didn't ignore your previous post zero, what is the date? All my units are out for testing but I should have one after the SoCal meet this week where we will be putting it against SR-009, LCD-3f, ESP-950 and HD-800. All of those were purchased, 009 borrowed by me personally for one particular reason: to demo along and possibly destroy the Audio Zenith PMx2 (the destroyer per Anax ;-). I will try to either come to your meet if allowed or will ship it to you if there is enough time.
You........
.......To me personally they were a clear winner and was never a secret.
Moreover I honestly believe many audiophiles value different things in sound quality simply because it's difficult to experience proper FR with anything except for life concerts but even those become less and less so while being EQd and amplified all over the place. How you can put this personal opinion of mine against what everyone else values in sound quality is beyond me though. When and where did I publicly proclaim that any of my sets are best of the best and the absolute truth in audio?
My PM-2 measured three times better then most anything else on MY OWN RIG and so what, do you suggest I should just hide it?
Funny and sad how you mentioned Laika, she (not a male dog as you say) underwent incredible training, was selected for a mission to cosmos and She Has Been There. This makes her an astronaut but what does this make you, those who make fun of the first astronauts?
Either way, I feel your latest comments are becoming less and less sensible while being more and more personally insulting at the same time. Not sure how you can't see it yourself but sorry no one is telling you.
I think it'd be cool if the PM-X was renamed as "The Destroyer" or "PM-K19"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_K-19
All my units are out for testing but I should have one after the SoCal meet this week where we will be putting it against SR-009, LCD-3f, ESP-950 and HD-800.
How dare you! Kapitalist, Imperialist swine mock Soviet heroes of nuclear technological revolution that paved way for modern world. These heroes of Mother Russia showed great comradeship sharing radiological poisoning in name of human progress. Could not have Chernobyl without. Not so much hero level of dead dog in metal can spinning around earth at 8km/s, but still hero like not seen since anschluss of Crimea!Well, while I understand your sarcasm and jokes pointed towards pervenets, and its probably deserved, lets keep it at bay.. We are not joking about Three Mile Island accident or annexation of Texas, okay? ;P
Well, while I understand your sarcasm and jokes pointed towards pervenets, and its probably deserved, lets keep it at bay.. We are not joking about Three Mile Island accident or annexation of Texas, okay? ;P
We are not joking about Three Mile Island accident or annexation of Texas, okay? ;P
(http://couldhavetakenitsolo.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/stalin-u-mad-bro.jpg)Nope, just a bit tired :) and Stalin was great ruler, eeeyup.
Nope, just a bit tired :) and Stalin was great ruler, eeeyup.
Anaxilus, aha, like USA totally not involved, lol.
I guess you read about crimea annexation in wiki too? And i was there.
I dont think its a place for such discuss, and it was not my point to anyway.
The meet is on the 27th but we're all full up. I can make sure a pair is compared to other cans if you want.Sad to realize you can't find a single spot for someone willing to travel half a thousand miles just to bring something you wanted to listen/compare. I would still do my best to get you the unit on-time.
We have enough Natural Gas in the US to supply Europe and Ukraine without them having to endure the Kremlin's stupidity and barbarism. :)p5Sure you do. Go for it, possibly you still have some time until your shale bubble explodes.
Sad to realize you can't find a single spot for someone willing to travel half a thousand miles just to bring something you wanted to listen/compare. I would still do my best to get you the unit on-time.
A few thoughts:
- This is my house. There is a finite amount of space. We're already over what would be a comfortable capacity. It's not a huge house; this is the Silicon Valley and property is generally $650-1100/square foot in my neighborhood. I've already spent quite a bit on scotch, power strips, and food for the event. I'm already turning away people I know.
- Again, this is my house. I don't know you, and based off the way you've conducted yourself online combined with impressions from a number of friends on how you choose to conduct yourself at mini meets down south, I don't want you or your product in my home anymore. Sorry for wasting your time suggesting it was a good idea.
- Once again, this is my house. All of the attendees save Elysian's +1, Casey from Light Harmonic, and one other are folks I've at least met and had a cordial conversation with in real life. A significant percentage of the people coming are my actual friends, including Gavin from Light Harmonic. You seem like a pompous asshole and I don't want your energy anywhere near the house where I'm raising my child nor am I comfortable from a safety perspective. I don't want someone lifting jewelry or other expensive items from my home.
I'm confused due to your nebulous wording. Is this your house?
Anaxilus
It's worse than I thought. facepalm I can only smile at this "Czarist Imperial Putin" propaganda. You still don't understand whats going on, and possibly will never do. Its fun to blame our propaganda, and be completely blind about USA one. I know, I will not be able to change this opinion, and its not my point. I just asked to stay away from questionable points, but if you insist, then I will not interfere.I'm out :gross:
I'm confused due to your nebulous wording. Is this your house?
A few thoughts:
- This is my house. There is a finite amount of space. We're already over what would be a comfortable capacity. It's not a huge house; this is the Silicon Valley and property is generally $650-1100/square foot in my neighborhood. I've already spent quite a bit on scotch, power strips, and food for the event. I'm already turning away people I know.
- Again, this is my house. I don't know you, and based off the way you've conducted yourself online combined with impressions from a number of friends on how you choose to conduct yourself at mini meets down south, I don't want you or your product in my home anymore. Sorry for wasting your time suggesting it was a good idea.
- Once again, this is my house. All of the attendees save Elysian's +1, Casey from Light Harmonic, and one other are folks I've at least met and had a cordial conversation with in real life. A significant percentage of the people coming are my actual friends, including Gavin from Light Harmonic. You seem like a pompous asshole and I don't want your energy anywhere near the house where I'm raising my child nor am I comfortable from a safety perspective. I don't want someone lifting jewelry or other expensive items from my home.
Ah...so that's where the Texas thing came from. Putin on R/T News and Russian controlled media. So much for independent thinking.
http://www.redding.com/newsy/putin-compares-tension-with-west-to-chaining-a-siberian-bear
This bear shit is just frickin' hilarious.
Some numbers...
BS to on topic ratio for this thread sofar....
72% - 28%
72% off topic BS that is.
positive Zenith: IMO 'King Jude' followed by Pervenents post of comparative plots.
negative Zenith: too many too mention.
Let's hope he does .... and the other pirates as well. :D
Price: there are many reasons for the $1398.00 number announced.
1) They simply can not be sold for less then $1200 as it will be unethical and disrespectful to OPPO, it has to cost more then their PM-1.
The PM-1 was a disappointing listen with its rather dull and unengaging sound. And the pads didn't work at all with my ears creating irritation from the start.
I much rather take the LCD-2 fazors even though the weight is too high.
This mod is needed for this headphone IMO just like a mod is needed for the HD800, perhaps even more so.
To get back on topic, Alex generously sent me a revised version of the headphones. I am using Gilberto's measurement rig for this. My own V2 measurement looks essentially looks like first revision, except this has sharper peak (so I am not going to bother to post it.) I think Gilberto's measurement rig is more reflective of the sound.
Again, different rigs, different results - just like Jude says in his Head-Fi profile. Closed rigs will cause certain peaks from standing waves within the volume of the cup against the head. Whether or how this effect is heard is debatable.
The FR really is fantastic. It is almost perfect to my ears. Last one was was just a tad bright and lacked some heft in bass. This is just right.
I'm curious to give these a more in-depth listen. I thought they sounded great at the SD meet.
Gosh, that looks very good....Have you mateys listened to various genres on the Pm-X? How well do you think it does with rock? Thanks.
Awesome Marv! Looks like the treble rolls up a bit there. Oppos seem to have that limitation. I think I heard them that way too...
Still looking for an ortho with good treble extension without hardness, seems to be either one or the other. Having just had a chance to hear the PM-2 loaner though, I'm fairly impressed. Except for a little bit of muddiness in the mids it sounds pretty good. Laid back, though not to the level of an Audeze, and good bass extension/definition, if not slam. If the PM-X were sanely priced I would have to seriously consider it.
Last ones I heard were pretty soft in the kicks drums and snares. Strings (even electric guitar) didn't have that energetic and clean bite. Definitely more of a laid back, relaxed tempo type of driver rather than aggressive and energetic. I'd recommend what I have heard so far for more relaxed jazz and acoustic genres and people not interested in extreme resolution or micro detail. Even though the clarity and soundstage has improved quite a bit over stock, the driver still has it's character to me.
Thanks Anax...I've found very few orthodynamics that give me the visceral kick that the HE 6 does...
Anetode, the He 400 probably "kicked" the hardest but the rest of it was not bearable to me... Not heard the Abyss
Wait, you have a pet bear? AWESOME headbang ! Is that a common pet in Russia?
Yeah, definitely turned into a shitshow...
More seriously, I do like the PM-X quite a bit. Alex has worked hard on tuning these, and he's really ameliorated to a large extent the negative aspects of the stock PM-1/2 that folks have here have noted - especially with the current iteration which I believe you have your hands on. Excellent tonality.
Bit less sensitive than stock PM2 according to my ears and volume knob. Makes sense; adding damping can never boost sensitivity
Sensitivity is just about the same for stock PM-2s and Audio Zenith PMx2s and mine does not have more damping, though it is distributed quite a bit differently.
In my opinion the differences we could be hearing are:
sensitivity on stock varies by a couple of dBs and in some cases by up to a dB within the same set while I try keeping it pretty much the same for all sets, maybe 0.5 db between different ones but overall it sits at the lowest sensitivity of the stock PM-2s. To be more precise originals are between 101-103dB while mine are all around 101dB.
more neutral FR allows you to listen a bit more loud in general. When nothing is sticking out of linearity to disturb your senses, you would just subconsciously feel safe turning it up a bit higher.Both original PM-2 and my PMx2 can be easily driven by a typical smartphone to uncomfortable listening levels and I personally never turn volume on my Note 3 all the way up listening to either of them.