CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Headphone Measurements => Topic started by: atomicbob on February 24, 2015, 12:59:57 AM
-
I wish I could find a headphone that had:
1. sound stage and distortion of the HD800
2. mid to high end response like the HD800
3. low mid response like the HE-500
4. very low end like the AH-D5000, maybe a little tighter
5. well balanced timbre across the spectrum of the HD600
6. open, spacious sounding but still a fun cross between the HD800 and D5000
7. Comfort of the HD800 or HD600
8. Closed back like the D5000 even though it has the little air leak and doesn't isolate all that well
Any suggestions, comments or remarks, though I've got a hunch the answer is "keep dreaming".
-
the Sansui SS-100 does half of 1 (soundstage isn't as wide), 3, 4, 5, and 6
but yeah keep dreaming lol
-
DIY, semi-open HD800
-
Well... I think probably the only thing that can get close to all of those is a semi-open planar-magnetic headphone.
According to its creator, the DIY closed HD800 trades soundstage, and possibly a few other things, for being closed. Not sure how good it really is, but I hope I'll have the chance to audition the actual thing comes this summer.
-
Maybe, Orpheus? :)p8
Said anything about the price :P
-
Never knew about the SS-100. Will have to research along with the. DIY HD800. Knew about the Orpheus but never had the privilege to hear it. All good suggestions. Given $5k in cans in inventory now, only the Orpheus would be beyond what I can justify. More suggestions welcome.
-
I wish I could find a headphone that had:
1. sound stage and distortion of the HD800
2. mid to high end response like the HD800
3. low mid response like the HE-500
4. very low end like the AH-D5000, maybe a little tighter
5. well balanced timbre across the spectrum of the HD600
6. open, spacious sounding but still a fun cross between the HD800 and D5000
7. Comfort of the HD800 or HD600
8. Closed back like the D5000 even though it has the little air leak and doesn't isolate all that well
Any suggestions, comments or remarks, though I've got a hunch the answer is "keep dreaming".
Pick five.
-
You know what. As much as the Orpheus is one of my more preferred stats, it's kind of overrated. At this point I'm almost inclined to add it to the mythical status list with the B22 and Chupacabra.
Then again, if people are charging $1K-$2K for garbage sounding gear, maybe the Orpheus is a true value.
-
Haven't heard it, but what about the HE-1000? Still have no idea if it is truly TOTL status but early reports seem promising.
-
Haven't heard it, but what about the HE-1000? Still have no idea if it is truly TOTL status but early reports seem promising.
It is seemingly good. I just haven't heard it from upstream gear I'm familiar with and haven't A/B'd in a controlled environment. Hifiman amps tend to prefer romanticism so it's not ideal for spotlighting certain issues if they exist.
The low bass is phenomenal. The kick drum on the Hotel California hit harder and tighter than on anything I've ever heard before. My concern was whether it was a bit accentuated and whether the amp and/or phone was responsible.
-
Pick five.
And alcohol or other imbibement of choice will solve the rest.
-
Quote from: anetode on February 23, 2015, 09:05:30 PM
Pick five.
Quote from: Armaegis
And alcohol or other imbibement of choice will solve the rest.
At home during recreational listening that is a really good strategy and works well for me. :)p13
But during work hours that strategy might be frowned upon.
-
If you drink Chinese Fire Water (aka. Turpentine), you can narrow the choices to one or two.
-
I thought Turpentine is used of painting?
-
I think Anaxilus is making a commentary on the quality of Chinese Fire Water. :gross:
-
I thought Turpentine is used of painting?
He's not referring to actual terpentine.
Real terpentine (or terebinth) was and is the distilled oil from the resin of pinus palutris, the long-leaf pine (although I've seen it produced from pinus pinaster as well). It has a number of uses, including dilute topical application for musculo-skeletal pain. Its use to strip paint is why a cheap but very strong liquor would be named after it. Well, that and the fact that it's poisonous when taken orally.
-
I knew that Mike wasn't really referring to turpentine but I also had no idea how to link that to Chinese fire water...which mostly are made from white rice. popcorn
-
Its use to strip paint is why a cheap but very strong liquor would be named after it. Well, that and the fact that it's poisonous when taken orally.
So the lesson here is that if you don't take it orally, you'll get all of the high but none of the poison...
-
I knew that Mike wasn't really referring to turpentine but I also had no idea how to link that to Chinese fire water...which mostly are made from white rice. popcorn
I assure you the Chinese Fire Water (no doubt it was cheap) I've had has much more taste in common with turpentine than Junmai Daiginjo sake. It made Bombay Sapphire taste like Evian.
-
After the first distillation you are bound to end up with a ton of toxic and yucky tasting crap along with the alcohol (not dissimilar from embalming fluids, etc., hell I wouldn't be surprised if there are trace amounts of turpentine as well). The sane and responsible thing to do is to get rid of these through fractional distillation and other filtering, then distill again and repeat the process, but when talking about cost-conscious moonshine purveyors, they might just sell the first product they get which even somewhat resembles booze.
-
Haha, I only have limited experience with Chinese firewater, but I also have used turpentine to get rid of glue on the turbular tires for my bike, never crazy enough to drink that though.
-
I assure you the Chinese Fire Water (no doubt it was cheap) I've had has much more taste in common with turpentine than Junmai Daiginjo sake. It made Bombay Sapphire taste like Evian.
Back when we were doing the Wineass video wine reviews, we had some of that stuff...one of my friends opined that it would probably taste better if it was run through a new garden hose. Eddie (of Schiit fame) poured most of a bottle into a length of garden hose, capped it off at both ends, and left it a few days. It *did* taste better. Not that any of us would drink it either way.
-
Well... I think probably the only thing that can get close to all of those is a semi-open planar-magnetic headphone.
I have yet to hear a closed planar that I enjoyed. They always sounded veiled to me. I think I'm using right word here.
-
I have yet to hear a closed planar that I enjoyed. They always sounded veiled to me. I think I'm using right word here.
I have yet to hear a planar that I really enjoyed, though the HE-500 is not bad, still have it. Audeze never floated my boat. Did you ever hear a Denon AH-D5000? I see you have the D600. Some say the D600 is not quite as good overall as the D5000 or D7000 was. Then again the TH900 should be better, right? I've heard the TH900 but not A/B with the D5000.
-
I have yet to hear a closed planar that I enjoyed. They always sounded veiled to me. I think I'm using right word here.
I think that's more as a result of tuning rather than as a fault of the technology.
I think Audeze was the first company to attempt a serious closed-back planar, but they just couldn't tune it right. I heard the pre-production tuning, and I liked that better than production tuning.
Right now, to me, the best closed back headphone is a modded Sony MDR-Z7, but... since I'm the one that did the modding, I'm probably biased. Still, it's still lacking the last bit of clarity and detail extraction that my pre-fazor LCD-2 is capable of (this one is also tuned, so it'll sound very different from your regular LCD-2).
-
The only TH900 I heard that actually sounded decent to me was the Markl fully modded one, with wood cup change and new dampening and cable change.
-
I might come across as silly but Takato knows this too. There are some vintage headphones that are surprisingly good, the Pioneer Monitor 10 is a good example. I have had numerous headphones to try in the past and a Pioneer Monitor 10 or 10 II, should get close to the OP's wishes.
If you want to go alternative, the Sennheiser HD250 II Linear is one of the rare headphones that can do many things right.
My experience with planars is non-existent unfortunately. Even so, there are still some gems in the vintage realm.
-
The only TH900 I heard that actually sounded decent to me was the Markl fully modded one, with wood cup change and new dampening and cable change.
Someone changed out the cup on the TH900??
-
Someone changed out the cup on the TH900??
Yes, I have seen pictures of wood cups shaped like muffins! Personally, I love the urushi lacquered wood that the 900 has.
-
Replacing a cheap plastic Grado or Fostex shell is one thing, but those Urushi cups are a pretty big cost component.
-
Someone changed out the cup on the TH900??
Yes http://www.lawtonaudio.com/
-
I have yet to hear a planar that I really enjoyed, though the HE-500 is not bad, still have it. Audeze never floated my boat. Did you ever hear a Denon AH-D5000? I see you have the D600. Some say the D600 is not quite as good overall as the D5000 or D7000 was. Then again the TH900 should be better, right? I've heard the TH900 but not A/B with the D5000.
My D600 is super comfortable but the sound is a large step back (I only use mine at work) from the older Denons like the D5000 (these older Denons were actually made by Fostex). Yes the TH900 is noticeably better than the D5000, IMO.
-
Someone changed out the cup on the TH900??
yes
and it was absolutely fucking hideous