to all the Mixamp 2013 owners:
 
Astro released a firmware update last week and not only has the noise-gate been improved for mic use, but the EQ presets are better.  Sports preset is out completely (it basically just sounded like an echo chamber, so good riddance) and the Core preset is far more neutral than it was before.  Definitely a very good firmware update.

mad lust envy said:

Mwahahaha. :veryevil:

I'd still hold out a few weeks. I will send them to you first!

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Yeah, but... What if, once he has them in his hands, he starts singing Rick Askey's famous song to them? "Never gonna give you up, never gonna set you down, never gonna run around and desert you..."
Also, about calling it quits... You're too young to retire!

Chico/gollum,
Did you also notice they have nice blue accents? And that their improved comfort may allow you to enjoy them longer each day? Just a few thoughts

Nice. I wish I would have held on to it. The sports preset really was friggin' horrible, and the core preset had that warmth+bass tip which made them not exactly linear (though pleasing).

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mad lust envy said:

Anyone want my pair of HE-400s for $300? Yup. Just remember, the Hifiman branding and L/R markers on the headphone are gone, so it looks 'protoype-ish'. The cables have the L/R markers though.

Obviously, not selling them for a few weeks as Evs and Calpis need their turns. Cal, if you can, please hold them for me until I sell them.

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That is seriously tempting, especially for a set of headphones at that price that's relatively forgiving of amplification.
 
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burritoboy9984 said:

NamelessPFG /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I'm officially a stax convert now. Haven't had much gaming time, but I've officially gone crazy with electrets and electrostats. Got a pair of Numark ES701's which lead to SR 34's which lead to SR 80's with SRD-6, which finally lead to SR Lambda with SRD-7. Thx for killing my wallet, lol.
 
-Erik

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Sorry about your wallet!
 
I didn't know you went through that many electrostatic sets already, heh. I'm actually curious as to how the electret and pre-Lambda electrostatic models hold up to the SR-Lambda.
 
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mad lust envy said:

I think the best starting point, if money permits, is something like the DT880. Very balanced, with a slight tip towards bass and treble (I stress slight). Not perfectly neutral, but colored in an agreeable way. Not sure on it's competitive gaming nature (I really need to re-visit the DT880 in higher impedances, as I feel I may like them a bit more than waaaay back when I owned them).

Just a shame the price has gone up now, and only the DT880 Pro is in a logical price range. For the price the Premiums go for, I would just save the extra money for a K702 Anniversary, really.

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So it's a dynamic HE-400? Might have to give it an audition, if the bass and treble emphasis is as slight as you say.
 
Funny thing is, the DT880 was poised to be my post-AD700 headphone after all that I had read, until I saw that $250 Stax Lambda + SRD-7/SB deal over a year ago. I feel spoiled now.

Nah, the HE-400's bass and treble are quite a bit more emphasized. I mean the HE-400's bass isn't exactly emphasized in the same sense as a dynamic headphone would tend to be, but is potent in that planar magnetic way (same with the LCD2). Planar bass is so different from dynamic bass in that it doesn't hamper other frequencies in the same manner. The DT880 has a quick, unobtrusive bass, just very slightly north of neutral. Very good, natural bass, but not in the same way as the HE-400. It will sound bass light in direct comparison.

Headamp is actually gonna loan out some new Stax headphones with the amp needed to power them, and I'm gonna be very quick to sign up as soon as it's available.

Ironically, Mad's "care package" will arrive here around the same time as I'll have the chance to audition some stuff from another local head-fi'er, such as the DT880, HD650, and A1000x. He also has an LCD 2 that's staying at home, lol. Maybe if we become friends, I'll hear those some day too.

OT: I had orientation today as a Wendy's shift manager. After a ton of paperwork and videos, it's nice to come home and semi-nap while listening to my Q's and the tube amp. It sounds detailed and yet forgiving after concentrating on reviewing the E12.

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mad lust envy said:

I literally have to unplug both my USB signal going to the Compass 2 as well as the RCA out going to my laptop speakers for it to be quiet. I get hum if I plug either one in when using the Line In.

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Okay cool you just saved me about $600. Or not, now I am thinking I can get an amp to compliment my Maverick and just use it as a dac. Audio-GD is definitely on that list with the SA-31 and some other choices. Going tube would be nice I know that is what Mal did with his Maverick to LD to Emotiva. The thought of tube rolling scares the ever loving crap out of me.
 
Thanks again MLE I will try unplugging some stuff tonight.

I'm all for getting the best x70x I can get.  I know I always say I love the Q701 bass, and I do, but I'm not opposed to a little extra bass.  And the nice headband and all that is just icing on the cake. 
 
I'm am opposed to a smaller soundstage though.  If it's like going from an old x70x to the Q701, where it might seem slightly smaller because the sounds are thicker and weighter but is essentially the same - then I'm OK with that. 
 
But if it the bass came at a cost, and they sacrificed the soundstage to muscle in more bass I'm not sure about that.  I'm not sure how those non-angled pads affect things.  So far no one has said anything like that though.  Everyone has said the soundstage is basically the same. 

I think it's just as you think. The soundstage seems smaller because notes are thicker and more rounded off. While I'm not gonna say that is exactly the case, I still feel the Annie to have a very large soundstage.

hmm, yea I'm with you. I like a BIG [er] sound stage. My Xb 700's [hate all you want] have great sound stage because well they are HUGE, and the pads are well HUGE! So natrually I loved the dt 880's sound stage and hated the HD 25-1 II... HATED IT. 
 
I might have to try a Q701 and see how I enjoys it! As much as I have disregard for Sennhesier [because it's so popular] I also need to try the HD 650... and stop hating on it q.q. At least the HD 650 LOOKS nice, I always though the HD 600 [which is hideous I think] was the 650.... stupid me
 
STILL BUYING DT 990 TOMMOROW . Just w8ing for the Sales rep I'm chattin wid to cut me a deal e.e... I might have to call her up! 

Now that I've had a taste of the LCD-2, I'm wondering how the Mad Dog by Mr. Speakers (modified Fostex T50RP) sounds like. The frequency curve is very, very similar to the LCD2, and people have labeled it the poor man's LCD2. For $300... I think it warrants a listen...

The main difference is that the Mad Dogs are fully closed, undoubtedly changing the soundstage compared to the LCD2.

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mad lust envy said:

Now that I've had a taste of the LCD-2, I'm wondering how the Mad Dog by Mr. Speakers (modified Fostex T50RP) sounds like. The frequency curve is very, very similar to the LCD2, and people have labeled it the poor man's LCD2. For $300... I think it warrants a listen...

The main difference is that the Mad Dogs are fully closed, undoubtedly changing the soundstage compared to the LCD2.

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eww yea, I would never compare closed to open... Closed Can bass and open can are [to my ears] totally different... I prefer open... still that is a good point and who doesn't want a T50RP mod xD

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chicolom said:

 
"EACH SCORE IS REFLECTING A HEADPHONE'S OWN MERITS, AND NOT COMPARED TO ANOTHER UNLESS I SPECIFICALLY STATE SO."
 
That's the reason ^

 
Not to mention that scores for "Fun" and "Competitive" are just very broad categories that themselves are determined by summing/averaging a bunch of other more complex subcategories - like overall signature, bass impact, warmth, treble, airiness, detail/resolution, soundstage size, imaging, etc.
 
So even if two headphones have the exact same scores they will still be different as all the parts that contributed to those scores are different and unique.  And your own personal sound preference can/will influence which of the two "identical scoring" headphones will actually sound better to you. 

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That's kind of what I was getting at, tho I guess I wasn't very clear... MLE purposely chose these general categories to score them in no? (making it useful for general purposes and/or gaming)
 
He chose not to purposely map more specific sound characteristics and rank them against each other, unlike guides like joker's that are supposed to be much more of an A/B comparison in much more specific qualities. Though even w/joker's scoring, the overall scores say nothing about specific sound signature really... (so he just ends up doing a lot of direct comparisons for people from memory and notes anyway, heh)
 
If MLE still had every single one of those headphones (or a lot of 'em) he might've gone w/a different ranking scheme.
 
In a way his approach might even be more helpful for someone that already knows what they want (better indication of overall character than quality)... Only problem is that a lot of the people that end up referencing guides like this are doing so because they don't have the ability to test a very wide variety of headphones, so they focus on the numbers either way regardless of what the first line of the thread says.
 
There's no easy solution to that if you can't travel to somewhere w/better stocked stores nor order a bunch of expensive stuff to then return most of it... I guess the next best thing would be like grabbing a bunch of cheaper quasi-equivalents, e.g. Superlux 681, CAL, JVC RX700, etc. in order to figure out what ya like.
 
Plus many of us aren't married to one specific sound signature and may even want to seek out multiple headphones/sounds, which just complicates the hell out of everything.

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impulse said:

Plus many of us aren't married to one specific sound signature and may even want to seek out multiple headphones/sounds, which just complicates the hell out of everything.

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I know don't even mention it :/, I'm considering the Mad Dogs for portable use [so long as the isolate half decently] I like DARK cans for my portable EDM... but open bass cans at home always! 
 
Still I like 2 sound sigs so far... DARK/warm and CLEAN/Bright 

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mad lust envy said:

Just a shame the price has gone up now, and only the DT880 Pro is in a logical price range. For the price the Premiums go for, I would just save the extra money for a K702 Anniversary, really.

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Their price seems to jump up and down to a more abnormal beat than anything else out there ('cept maybe the HD 600/650?)... I had old Camelcamelcamel price alerts still active this past holiday season and I saw the Premium 250/600 ohm versions on Amazon drop down to $230-250 several times. I think there was a $350 deal on HD 650's too.
 
I've been very happy w/my DT 880 Premiums (250), for someone that's starting out I think they're worth seeking out if you aren't in a hurry to find them at a good price (and you're investing in a half decent amp)... Almost everything else I end up looking at now seems to make more tradeoffs than I'm willing to take in order to gain any substantial improvements, hrm.
 
I need to seek out a high end store in the Baltimore/Washington DC the next time I travel there (or a fellow Head Fi'er w/a nice collection!).
 
 
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evshrug said:

Ironically, Mad's "care package" will arrive here around the same time as I'll have the chance to audition some stuff from another local head-fi'er, such as the DT880, HD650, and A1000x. He also has an LCD 2 that's staying at home, lol. Maybe if we become friends, I'll hear those some day too.

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That should be fun... So you're basically taking MLE's HE-400 on a playdate w/a bunch of other cans? Just make sure they don't bite each other!