My one headphone to rule them all (LCD2, 007MKII, ED8, T1, JH-16)? - Page 2

Maybe you can add Edition 10 to the list. 

If you are going to add the ED9 to the list, the L3000 must be included as it is more refined and even more musical to my ears.  When you have the right fit, the Qualia is nothing short of breathtaking.  I have yet to hear the LCD-2 and T1, but Qualia is second only to the R10 in my list, again, all preference of course.  The HD800 also got pretty high mark among my collection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth 

I can't believe the hubris of some of you people!  Passing opinions, comparative judgment, and even pronouncements upon equipment that you've admittedly never even heard!  Unbelievable!!

X2.

My only real suggestion here is not to consider the headphones separately from the rest of your system. The Stax O2MK1 (I also like the MK2) is my current main headphone, but although I always appreciated it, I do not like it in most systems I've heard, and it's wasn't until I was willing and able to drop some serious cash into the amp I now have, as well as make a source change, that I could say that I'm not looking to upgrade further, and even sold my beloved R10s, mostly because I wasn't able/willing to upgrade my amp/source in that rig to do them justice.

I heard the LCD2s in four different rigs at CanJam and was very impressed by them, though I'd have to hear them again in a less rushed, crowded setting to really get a feel for them.  They seemed to do quite well in each rig that I heard and seem less amp dependent than the O2s, though, again, meets are great for initial takes, but it's the subtleties that get missed in meets, just become so important once you have them at home.  

I was completely and happily surprised by the sound quality of the JH3A/16, especially since I've been happy with my JH13s since last canjam, and purchased it by 10AM on Saturday at this year's canjam. Mind you, I was only able to hear one full song and a few seconds of a couple more on Saturday and again on Sunday, so I'm not going to make comparisons to other high-end gear at this point, except to say, even though this was a prototype, it can certainly hold its own.  Will it replace my home rig?  I doubt it.  I do think others would be thrilled to have that sq as their only headphone rig, but do you really want iems for that?  Maybe.  I don't always want iems in my ears when listening.  One advantage of the JH3A/16 is that it is a whole rig, minus the source, and the price for that quality is astounding.  

I also listened to the T1s in numerous rigs, and though I didn't really give them a fair chance, my initial impressions didn't really make me want to listen to them more, though I do think they are very very good for closed headphones.  If I had some decent listening time with them in a different environment, my opinion might change.

I don't have enough experience with the Edition 8s to comment, other than to say I didn't really like them enough to care about them at all.  Again, that might be due to meet conditions (didn't even bother with them this year), but oh well.  If I'm missing out, so be it.

I think each of the headphones you mentioned are capable of making you happy, but you need to think about what you have already as far as gear goes, and what you're willing to get to build a system around a headphone if you're only choosing one.

I can only speak to the Stax 007 series, but I am an owner. At CanJam I tried my MkII on the BHSE, the fully modified Woo WES, the Woo WA5 with their new stat box, and Dr Gilmore's T2. All in unhurried, relatively quiet circumstances.

Why I am posting is... I have used the current top tube Stax amp at home a lot, and alternately an SRD7 box modded with a Spritzer board. Again, I own it and wired it myself (easy). At CanJam I heard, extensively, the new Spritzer box with the same board and $500 worth of high end transformers, again with my own phones, 007 MKIIs which Spritzer said are a new batch which are very similar to MkIs. All of these were driven by some very, very good speaker amps which I own.

What I have found is that using the Spritzer driven transformer boxes of both flavors, if driven by a really good speaker amp of low power and high Class A quality, the detail is nearly as perfect as a dedicated electrostatic amp yields - just a tiny bit slower in subtle, demanding situations - and gives all the "balls" and more that the top dog amps give. Not "dark," not recessed in the mids or anywhere else, definitely not soft in the bass. Just a speaker like experience dynamically, if you have ever heard really great speakers.

The top Stax phones are hard to beat but they need clean power, and more of it than they usually get. And there is more than one way to do that. I echo the opinion - you know you like them, get them. Their potential is so great that they have not yet been fully heard by more than a handful of people, if that. I suspect their potential has not been reached yet, unless the T2 Kevin built does it. I heard it and I'm still not sure. In some ways I prefer my amps driving the transformer box. The sound is so full and fun, kind of like the 404LE, but still has the 007 finesse.

Clark

You have to listen for yourself. That's all there is to it, really.

Don't think anyone would have ever thought about that. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by momomo6789 

wish i could audition he-60s

Dallas meet in July, my man...

WRT the LCD-2 vs he60, they are definitely comnparable, or in the same relative range. In this srea, it will come down to personal taste.

Finally, the hd800 has the most impressive bass extension of ANY headphone IFF you drive them correctly. I own one such amp, enough to feel the bass in my cheekbones. By way of reference, I am a bass player of about 30 years, so it is pretty easy to make the assertion. And, IMHO, the OII does not extend bass any better than the he60 - again, amp dependent.

So from what I have actually heard (sitting 5 feet from the Audeze guys at CanJam, or about 12 hours), the LCD-2 is a player in your search, BUT, you will have to amp it properly... you know, from what I have actually heard.

/Rant ON:

I believe HF would be a better place if EVERY '...from what I've READ...' reply was deleted. On sight.

Guys, if you haven't heard it, just resist that urge to pad your thread count.

/Rant Paused.

One more thing...

there is one valid conclusion one can draw from reading other's posts.  To try or not to try...  That is the conclusion!

O2 is quite a bit better than HE60 at bass extension.  I own both.  And I'm pretty sure your bass guitar isn't hitting 20Hz.

I apologize in advance because I'm going to talk about a headphone system I haven't heard yet (but will hear at the first opportunity). I realize it is not the best forum behavior, yet please hear me out.

I noticed that you have owned and still own many headphone models, some of which intersect with mine. You are not satisfied with them and look for another one. Just like me. Yet you only list one set of monitor speakers - Klein + Hummel - and I guess you are as satisfied with them as I'm satisfied with my Adam A-7 monitors, which have a similar sonic signature (or rather a lack of it, being almost perfectly neutral).

Based on first principles, I recently came to a conclusion that in the near future in the realm of headphones only JH16/JH3A has a chance to satisfy me enough now that I'm used to the Adam sound. Why? Because JH aim for them is precisely the one Adam had - to be an almost perfectly neutral professional monitor - and JH reportedly has a technology to back it up.

The fundamental approaches used by JH are precisely those that made the contemporary high-end monitor speakers so darn good - multiple transducers optimized for specific frequency bands, active frequency response correction, and phase correction. None of which are used by traditional full-size headphones.

I'm still on the fence about JH16/JH3A, yet I already started selling some of my reference-class headphones. I need to raise at least 1/2 of the price of JH16/JH3A by selling used equipment (a self-imposed financial responsibility rule :-) and also actually listen to their demo version before I can pull the trigger. Yet it does look increasingly probable that I will pull it after all.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lunatique 

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I have heard some of your suggestions (please look at my reviews in my profile), and they typically don't cut it for me because they lack bass extension or presence. My ideal pair must sound like a full-range speaker system with a subwoofer--not bass-heavy, but authoritative and substantial (which to me means accurate and neutral. Too many people seem to think that neutral = bass-shy, which is untrue for me). The HD800 for example does not have enough bass presence and does not sound like a full-range speaker system with a powerful and clean subwoofer.

 

Once again, please check out my reviews to see which ones I've already heard and what I thought of them.

 

As for the suggestion of HD650--it's in my signature.

 

Out of production models are not really an option for me because it's too risky if I need parts replaced.

 

Also, please only comment on models you have actually heard and tested. Saying that you don't think a model can compete without hearing it is not really helpful. For example, it's widely known that Edition 8 sounds nothing like the rest of the models from Ultrasone, and the LCD2 is currently considered by some to be the best headphones they've ever heard, and some prefer it over the Stax line of products or the current top dynamic headphones.

 

I agree that sometimes you should just buy and enjoy instead of constantly comparing, but I've been burned before by acting too rash without checking all of my options first. I really should just try to find ways to hear the models I'm considering, but I have no idea how I can accomplish that, short of waiting for the next big meet and hoping that all those models will be present and available for listening.

 

Anyway, thank you all for putting up with me. I wish I still lived in the States--I'd just buy and test and return and repeat that process until I find The One.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krav 

I apologize in advance because I'm going to talk about a headphone system I haven't heard yet (but will hear at the first opportunity). I realize it is not the best forum behavior, yet please hear me out.

 

I noticed that you have owned and still own many headphone models, some of which intersect with mine. You are not satisfied with them and look for another one. Just like me. Yet you only list one set of monitor speakers - Klein + Hummel - and I guess you are as satisfied with them as I'm satisfied with my Adam A-7 monitors, which have a similar sonic signature (or rather a lack of it, being almost perfectly neutral).

 

Based on first principles, I recently came to a conclusion that in the near future in the realm of headphones only JH16/JH3A has a chance to satisfy me enough now that I'm used to the Adam sound. Why? Because JH aim for them is precisely the one Adam had - to be an almost perfectly neutral professional monitor - and JH reportedly has a technology to back it up.

 

The fundamental approaches used by JH are precisely those that made the contemporary high-end monitor speakers so darn good - multiple transducers optimized for specific frequency bands, active frequency response correction, and phase correction. None of which are used by traditional full-size headphones.

 

I'm still on the fence about JH16/JH3A, yet I already started selling some of my reference-class headphones. I need to raise at least 1/2 of the price of JH16/JH3A by selling used equipment (a self-imposed financial responsibility rule :-) and also actually listen to their demo version before I can pull the trigger. Yet it does look increasingly probable that I will pull it after all.

Out of respect for Jerry, no comment.
 

Don't they organize meetings in Singapore on jaben.net?