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Head-Fi Sh*t

Jeff,

Don't scrimp on the can amp. That's all I'm going to say.

Joe
 
Jeff,

OK, I lied. I'm going to say more.

You have to hear cans for yourself. One dude's detailed beyond belief is another dude's etched, fatiguing highs.

Joe
 
Joe,

I'll say more too: are there cans and can Amps that have cardioid dispersion and head correction that makes them more desirable?

Are they on permanent dem at purite?

Best,

Glickman
 
yuckyamson said:
Interestingly the audeze lcd4 seems to have many people tipping the scales on the Utopias.

Thoughts here??
Click to expand...
imo, the two best headphone, minus various stax (which need very expensive amps), under 5k are
utopia and hifiman he-1000v2

the lcd-4 are not for everyone, best try before buying. and well, audeze reliability history is very problematic.

to compliment my Utopia, id buy the he-1000 v2 over LCD-4. I also think that my senns hd-800 are better then elear if modded. best vfm in the headphone worls is imo a hd-800 with SBAF+SDR mods
 
Ayya Khema said:
imo, the two best headphone, minus various stax (which need very expensive amps), under 5k are
utopia and hifiman he-1000v2

the lcd-4 are not for everyone, best try before buying. and well, audeze reliability history is very problematic.

to compliment my Utopia, id buy the he-1000 v2 over LCD-4. I also think that my senns hd-800 are better then elear if modded. best vfm in the headphone worls is imo a hd-800 with SBAF+SDR mods
Click to expand...

Having heard all the top headphones, I'd buy the HD800s and save yourself a wad of cash. If rock is your thing then the Utopias provide a warmer balance.
 
yuckyamson said:
The Focal Elears made everything else sound broken. Quite literally. Holy F. What a pair of headphones. I wouldn't let the guy let me try the Utopias for fear of crying. I didn't hear any Audeze but I'm assuming they are likewise amazing (LCD2? I dunno I don't know this market that well).
Click to expand...


I like the Elears, but the frequency response, with a big dip at about 4 kHz, means that they don't work ideally for all genres of music, in this case solo piano. I also own the LCD 2.2 and they are a bit more recessed up top and weightier in the bass, and the frequency response works better with more music that I listen to (mostly classical). The Beyer T1s are the best all around cans I own (or have heard, though I've not heard the newer class of $4000+ cans or Stax), and the extra high frequency energy makes them sound more open and detailed than either the Elears or LCD 2.2s, though they lack the bass weight of the latter and the articulation of the former. The Elears are superb for rock and pop music, perhaps the best of the three, but my musical tastes are elsewhere.
 
I've gone down the Stax electrostatic route and couldn't be happier. I really rated my HD800s but what I use now is (to my ears) much better sounding. Haven't heard the Focal Utopias, and I daresay they may well sound better, but 006T+L700 is a sweet, sweet system. I'm contemplating changing the 006T for a KGSSHV Carbon, as consensus has it that the Stax energiser amps don't give you the best out of their headphones, but that won't be for a wee while yet.
 
I've just taken a punt on the Thinksound On2 headphones via massdrop. Price worked out about £130 including shipping. Stereophile gave them a great review and they are supposed to be great for long listening sessions.
 
JTC said:
I've gone down the Stax electrostatic route and couldn't be happier. I really rated my HD800s but what I use now is (to my ears) much better sounding. Haven't heard the Focal Utopias, and I daresay they may well sound better, but 006T+L700 is a sweet, sweet system. I'm contemplating changing the 006T for a KGSSHV Carbon, as consensus has it that the Stax energiser amps don't give you the best out of their headphones, but that won't be for a wee while yet.
Click to expand...

JTC

Did you see my post re the new Trilogy Energiser launch? You might find it helpful...

http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=203959
 
I recommend at least listening to the 353X, which is all solid state, before abandoning Stax energisers. I thought it suited the 007s well, to the point of increasing my respect for the 007. (I think going from memory, the valve energisers better suit the 009 though.) I use my 353X with Muamp#5 headphones.
 
Worth a try, but the HeadFi consensus seems to be unanimous that the Kevin Gilmore designs are universally better than all the Stax ones, with the exception of the über-rare and expensive Stax-T2 (which is also highly unreliable, hence the rarity and price). The difficulty is auditioning these things. I've found a reputable UK builder of KG designs, at fairly reasonable prices (compared to Mjolinir say) and I'd love to try the L700 with the Carbon. However, until I find a new job non-essential purchases are on hold anyway, so it's a moot point.... :/
 
I have a pair of HD800, which I found already excellent when driven through a number of amps, to the point that I've since stopped spending money on headphones.

I've then recently purchased Sennheiser's own HDVA 600 headphone amp to power them.

To say the result is outstanding is an understatement. I cannot believe the effect this amp makes on these headphones.

I'm happy, though in the future I would like to try some high-end Stax - I remember testing some 507 (I believe) during the Bristol HiFi show, and telling myself "one day..."
 
Talking to Mike at Chasing the Dragon Records yesterday, and he reported that comments from the public were the Focal Utopias and Tron Antares were universally preferred to the matching Stax set up he also had on his stand at CanJam London last weekend.
 
G T Audio said:
Talking to Mike at Chasing the Dragon Records yesterday, and he reported that comments from the public were the Focal Utopias and Tron Antares were universally preferred to the matching Stax set up he also had on his stand at CanJam London last weekend.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, what were the reasons? I understand Mike uses Stax 009s to monitor his binaural recordings.
 
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