REVIEW: HiFiman HM-601 - Page 12

Quote:

Originally Posted by mangamonster 

I just recieved mine today and I have to agree with everything that kernmac ssaid. This player is rediculously musical and so damn moving when listening to some of my tracks. Not so overly done that it sounds eq'd, but instead sounds very natural. Vocals are nice and lush. Wow, so much to say here. Just amazing. Im pairing this with my d2000's and i must say, these cans may have found their permanant home.

Will be posting an unbox review soon.

*just when I thought my sflo2 and pa2v2 combo couldnt be beaten, the 601 comes along!

I am looking forward to your unboxing, do you ever get around to reviewing as well as I notice in most you say you will do a video review but I don't see them, apart from a couple,on your site on youtube, do you have a seperate channel for reviews?

Thanks for taking the time to do the videos though, I do enjoy them very much and would love to see  reviews as well if you have the time. I have noticed a couple of reviews and enjoyed them a great deal!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanity8me 

Thanks for your impressions.

 

I used to have the NWZ-A818 so I'm with you on it's SQ, but the hiss was a bit much for my customs. Would you say that the Sony is darker than the 601 or vice versa?

 

The HiFiman HM601 is definately more full bodied, has a bigger soundstage than the Sony NWZ-A818, and has a different sound signature altogether, I will keep both but prefer the HM601. I think I would describe it as "warmer".  The treble crispness is still there perhaps even more impactful, and there appears no additonal bass bloating (in fact bass is solid and tight) and the vocal presentation of the HIfiman is superb.  There is no hissing at all using my TMA-1 (very efficient supa-aural), however I will take the HM601 for a spin with the RE-Zeo to see if it is still black.

I get some hiss starting at volumes I would not listen to anyway so it doesn't affect me. I've only tried my customs so don't know about other players. I get that with every source I connect them to however.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawrster 

I get some hiss starting at volumes I would not listen to anyway so it doesn't affect me. I've only tried my customs so don't know about other players. I get that with every source I connect them to however.

I take it you're pleased with the 601? :D

That's correct. I am enjoying my 601 so far but I think I'm going to keep the J3 if I keep both. I'll do some A/B to find out but if I keep the 601 I will either keep the J3 or sell it and get the C30 or the N2 from mp4nation as another dap that would go with the set of customs I'm planning on buying in a couple of months.

The 601 isn't perfect but as long as you can handle 2GB internal but having SDHC support and the fact that the UI is not the best and have some good phones to use them with I think you will like them. They are also bigger than your typical dap's from apple, sony, etc. and it kinda reminds me of one of the older ipods which I believe is the photo in size but a bit thicker.

How does HM-602 and HM-601 compare in term of sound quality?

They are very comparable. I know that Fang said the HM601 may have a heavier bass, but both sound very similar. Yooss's 602 proved that to me, though I only listened to it about 15 minutes. Still in that time (and with my SD card), I could tell that they are more similar than different, if not identical.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natha 

How does HM-602 and HM-601 compare in term of sound quality?

Hrmmm, well I still got end of December to decide lol.  I don't think I recall reading it, but what is the expected battery life on the 601?

Battery life varies wildly. Mine never gets more than about 7 hours whilst using SD cards, but with internal media, it might be better. Some say 5 or 6, but the battery is marketed as 9-10 hours. I don't think anyone will get that under even the most mundane of circumstances.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo 

They are very comparable. I know that Fang said the HM601 may have a heavier bass, but both sound very similar. Yooss's 602 proved that to me, though I only listened to it about 15 minutes. Still in that time (and with my SD card), I could tell that they are more similar than different, if not identical.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natha 

How does HM-602 and HM-601 compare in term of sound quality?

 

Thanks for sharing.

Which phones were you using?

hrmmm, that might be the killer for me, granted I would never listen to any DAP for that long.  But, still having a nice long battery life is pretty nice to have.

Well, I listen and then charge at night. My iPod goes through a similar routine (obviously doesn't need to) since I use it to write on the train and when I come home, I sync my notes, articles, and music. It's second nature to have a DAP plugged in - at least to me.

I used:

Beyerdynamic DT880 (favs)

Audiotechnica CK10 (favs)

Audiotechnica ES7 (not the best match with either player)

ACS T1

Interesting.

I know the CK10's are slightly bass shy, wonder if you noticed a better low end response with the 601's.

And if I'm not mistaking the DT880's are known to be quite dark and warm sounding. I'm under the impression that my JH16's, which have similar characteristics, will not synergize well with the 601's, but more so with the 602's...

Am I correct in my assumption that my Walkman X is very similar in sound signature to the NWZ-A818 -- with the same bit of hiss?  If so, this is just the kind of comparison I've been hoping for -- and it makes me want to get a 601 even more than I already did :)  

I wonder if any of you have tried the 601 with JH16s (I just got my JH16s today!) and have impressions about that combination?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kernmac 

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanity8me 

Thanks for your impressions.

 

I used to have the NWZ-A818 so I'm with you on it's SQ, but the hiss was a bit much for my customs. Would you say that the Sony is darker than the 601 or vice versa?

 

The HiFiman HM601 is definately more full bodied, has a bigger soundstage than the Sony NWZ-A818, and has a different sound signature altogether, I will keep both but prefer the HM601. I think I would describe it as "warmer".  The treble crispness is still there perhaps even more impactful, and there appears no additonal bass bloating (in fact bass is solid and tight) and the vocal presentation of the HIfiman is superb.  There is no hissing at all using my TMA-1 (very efficient supa-aural), however I will take the HM601 for a spin with the RE-Zeo to see if it is still black.

I have tried the combination - excellent. I even tweeted about it without explaining myself well... bother. I only have the universal JH16Pro at my disposal, but I can tell you that it pairs very very well with the 601. The 601 hisses much less than the Sony (one of my other DAP loves), and has distinctly more sonorous upper bass and low mids than the X does with any exciting earphone such as the CK10, JH13Pro, JH16Pro, etc.. Again, more laid back earphones with less obvious treble such as EM3Pro or SM3 aren't as good of matches, but still sound excellent.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by alyanm 

Am I correct in my assumption that my Walkman X is very similar in sound signature to the NWZ-A818 -- with the same bit of hiss?  If so, this is just the kind of comparison I've been hoping for -- and it makes me want to get a 601 even more than I already did :)  

 

I wonder if any of you have tried the 601 with JH16s (I just got my JH16s today!) and have impressions about that combination?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kernmac 

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanity8me 

Thanks for your impressions.

 

I used to have the NWZ-A818 so I'm with you on it's SQ, but the hiss was a bit much for my customs. Would you say that the Sony is darker than the 601 or vice versa?

 

The HiFiman HM601 is definately more full bodied, has a bigger soundstage than the Sony NWZ-A818, and has a different sound signature altogether, I will keep both but prefer the HM601. I think I would describe it as "warmer".  The treble crispness is still there perhaps even more impactful, and there appears no additonal bass bloating (in fact bass is solid and tight) and the vocal presentation of the HIfiman is superb.  There is no hissing at all using my TMA-1 (very efficient supa-aural), however I will take the HM601 for a spin with the RE-Zeo to see if it is still black.