Quote:

mad lust envy said:

I mean that they are all I need for portability. They never move around, are open so you can hear around you, and aren't uncomfortable.
And lol@Chico.

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All right. Need more SQ, lol.
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mad lust envy said:

Hahaha, it's funny and somewhat true..
Still though, when you guys hear the Annie, you will be converted to true believers. I personally guarantee it. Much more than a recolor. I'd say Recolor in the sense that the tonal balance is recolored for more musicality.

I'm here listening to both the HE-400 and the Annie, and I don't see how in ANY way the HE-400 beats the Annie other than bass, and even that is debateable on certain tracks.
Another surprise... the Annie needs around the same on the volume pot and possibly less than the HE-400!

^You know you all want to.

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Well then, that's pretty awesome.
Quote:

evshrug said:

Chico,
If you are looking for the headphone that makes you look good with Any situation (and apparently, increases the confidence of everyone around you), we need not look any further than these:

I caved, and finally bought a pair of these sex machines, and OMG these are so end-game my heart skipped like a giddy school girl and probably end my life for a moment every time a song starts. The bass is amazing, somehow both heavy and elephantine-bodied while remaining tight and catholic-controlled – I guess the bass is best likened to a dense, sharp-edged solid brick of lead that kicks me in the arse (and head too, at the same time. They both hear it). The mids are, well, perfectly balanced inbetween forward and laid-back, liquid and dry, meteoric impact and dancer-dexterous. The highs are so sweet and pure, absolutely pure, it's like cherub angels are secreting their essence directly into my ears. Soundstage and refined detail are also godly, I'm hearing sounds even the musicians couldn't have heard, and with Dolby Headphone I can not only hear the direction of enemies in MW2, but I swear I can even hear if the player's thumbs are sweaty. I have never heard sounds from the rear this piquant. And so comfortable too: no headband bumps! The look is so sexy that my girlfriend admitted that she is no longer woman enough for me, and I can go date as many women as I want! I'll be hitting up the gym, swimming pool, the grocery store, and all manner of public places to see and be seen as da new hotness – tomorrow. Because now, it's too dark. So here's a pic of me in my black beauties, as my comparatively dirty, traintrack-spike-to-my-ear sounding Q701s sit dejected and defeated without competition:

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You are so witty and funny! lol. That's one hell of a description too. Aww, sad AKG's. They look huge too, lol. You even put a picture of yourself on the internet! Uh oh. You actually have me interested in these now! I would want a pair that's just like, the best, like these, then a pair like the AKG Annies that use a headphone jack so I can use them wherever, then an IEM for working out/highly mobile. What are these?

Btw, Chico, real funny, lol, preying on the innocent like that. Those shoulder mounted things are ridiculous! Lol. Wow@technology. That thread is indeed legendary and awesome. I sometimes miss out on sleep for the silliest reasons. Youtube, reading threads, research, lol.

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mad lust envy said:

Your amp is fine. I'd upgrade the source first. Trust me. The E7 is the weak link. I still enjoyed the E9K's (which should be the same sonically as the E9) sound recently even next to my SA-31. That was testing the 600ohm 990s too.
The X1 is going to be my next headphone (once it's on Amazon here), as I have a feeling I'm not gonna keep the HE-400. That damn Annie really screwed with my plans. Headphones aren't allowed to have bass, mids, clarity, large soundstage, extreme comfort, featherweight all at once!

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Finally, someone got it right. I'm always tired of having to sacrifice something. What is the X1 btw?

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namelesspfg said:

 
That was a joke reply, as I'm sure you've noticed by now...though Stax actually does make portable electrostatic IEM systems in the form of the S-001 and the new S-002. I'm going to have to try one of those at some point, though the S-002 is way out of my price range.
 
Alternatively, you could try a full-size headphone and an SRD-P loaded with batteries, but at that point, you're seriously compromising portability due to how big the SRD-P is compared to the amp portions of the S-001 and S-002 systems.
 
The K1000 takes the term "earspeakers" quite literally, in that they're meant to be driven right off a speaker amp/integrated receiver. It's a similar case for any electrostatic headphone system bundled with a simple transformer box instead of a direct-drive amp, which is why I haven't sent my Stax setup off to MLE to review yet. No point doing so if he lacks the required sort of amplifier to make it work.
 
 
It'll be tough to tempt me with that price. I could get another SR-Lambda with SRD-7/SB for that much, with a little searching on the usual places.
 
But the bigger problem is that I just don't have that much. Maybe I should've held off on the PS3...nah, I wanna play some Yakuza already.

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I thought so, lol. Ooooh, sweet! Headphone jack I'm guessing? Hey, tell me, what separates STAX from the competition? School me. I'm good on the portable with full size and batteries, lol. Ah I see. All so interesting. Glad you made the foray into console gaming, as there are quite a few exclusives. You should experience all, lol, not just PS3. 
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jhalf said:

Well, screw it. I am buying the Annies.. Has to make a good set of first headphones right?
 
Now onto an amp..
 

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Has to make for a set of AMAZING first headphones.
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chicolom said:

 
I've got this bookmarked > http://camelcamelcamel.com/AKG-K702-65th-Anniversary-Edition/product/B00A8LZ5GU
 
But I need to wait for some spending money to accumulate first.   Plus I don't want to sell the Q701 without having a chance to compare the two first to see the differences.

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Woah, that website is awesome!! That $349 was a typo though, I believe.
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mad lust envy said:

Lol, trust me, I wouldn't wanna be me. XD
But I hope you're able to hear it at some point. The biggest reason I'd get the Annie over the LCD2 is the soundstage, weight, and comfort, in addition to the incredible sound they put out. The more I A/B with the HE-400, the more I realize the bass is actually almost comparable. It's crazy. At one point I forgot which one I was listening to when I was listening to music, and was laying down.

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The Annies continue to impress.

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mad lust envy said:

The Anniversary? Umm, have you heard them? The bass is quite potent. It's not a basshead headphone, but I do consider the bass emphasized above neutral. There are times when I feel it has as much bass as the HE-400, and close to it every other time. These are NOT like the Q701 or the older K701/2 in terms of bass.
Quantity-wise, If bass was neutral at 7 (I consider neutral good), the 990 would be an 8.5, HE-400 would be an 8, the Annie is an 7.8 (full and satisfying). The Q701 would be like 6.7 (just shy of neutral), and the old K701 would be like a 6.3.

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Can't knock something till you've heard it. Really glad to hear this of the Annies.
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mad lust envy said:

Roger, disregard those old bass scores. They weren't well thought out. Trust me, the Annie is fun. The most fun balanced can I have heard. The fun cans outside of the D7000 don't compare to it, unless you want specific bass bloat. Yes, not even the DT990.
I don't believe in that break in/burn in stuff. It sounds amazing now, it will sound just as amazing months from now.
As for amping, not sure how much my amp is doing to the sound, but the Annie sounded full even just off my phone. Still, I'd play to it's strengths and get a warm-ish amp. M-stage?

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Remember that link I posted? Burn in is BS mostly. What phone do you have btw?
Quote:

mad lust envy said:

With bass heavy music, the difference in bass is minor. I still need more testing, but even with non-bass heavy music, the bass is still nearly on par with the HE-400, despite the HE-400 having the sub bass that matches the mid bass. I dunno how the Annie compares in sub bass (which a lot of music doesn't tend to take much importance in anyways). This is why I originally sold my HE400 for the 990. The midbass was more present on the 990. But I missed the refinement, and soon went back to the HE-400 and didn't look back.
If you want basshead bass, neither the HE-400 or Annie have that bass bloat. However, the bass is full and quite satisfying especially when the music you listen to takes importance in the bass. Trust me, they do not lack bass, at all.

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Sweet Still interested in Stax now though, lol. Evshrug's "review" of them just, blew me away, lol.
Quote:

hailin said:

So I had the Annies in my cart. My brother got home from work turned on all his gear and I took them out of my cart and went to a Canadian website and order the DT770 LEs. To hell with it. lol I need to block these guys out.

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Booo!!!
Quote:

roger de ceiba said:

You make compelling arguments MLE. I'll see what the price is a couple of weeks from now, if it is less than $500 I'll probably buy it.This will probably be an early birthday gift to myself... even though my birthday is not for another six months. That's how I'll justify it.

 

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Lol, we are always justifying things.
Quote:

roger de ceiba said:

Like I said before, I haven't owned an "audiophile" headphone. I don't really want a bloated sound. I just want the bass to appear when it is needed.
 

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Go with the Annie sir.
Quote:

chicolom said:

 
Why do you want the 2011 mixamp?

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I'm guessing maybe because it doesn't have any of the problems that the newer mixamp has, coupled with less hiss? Idk.

Quote:

mad lust envy said:

Hahaha, it's funny and somewhat true..
Still though, when you guys hear the Annie, you will be converted to true believers. I personally guarantee it. Much more than a recolor. I'd say Recolor in the sense that the tonal balance is recolored for more musicality.

I'm here listening to both the HE-400 and the Annie, and I don't see how in ANY way the HE-400 beats the Annie other than bass, and even that is debateable on certain tracks.
Another surprise... the Annie needs around the same on the volume pot and possibly less than the HE-400!

^You know you all want to.

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Hey Mad is there any difference between the annies and the K702 that would make one sound so much better than the other?? Like as in spec wise they both are speced out as the same cans.. I wonder what akg did different to warrant soo much money for the annies?? Is it better padding more dampning matterial, a color change for 409? Then again its AKG's Anniversary Edition so i guess i understand the reason for the price..

I'm really not spamming, just catching up. My bad. I learned how to properly multi-quote now. It's much less frusterating. My fault for not reading. You can call this page the SoAmusing page, LOL.

Quote:

soamusing777 said:

I thought so, lol. Ooooh, sweet! Headphone jack I'm guessing? Hey, tell me, what separates STAX from the competition? School me. I'm good on the portable with full size and batteries, lol. Ah I see. All so interesting. Glad you made the foray into console gaming, as there are quite a few exclusives. You should experience all, lol, not just PS3.

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The thing that separates Stax from the rest is that they're the only headphone manufacturer that primarily utilizes electrostatic drivers.
 
Other brands like Koss (ESP series), Sennheiser (Orpheus), Beyerdynamic (ET-1000), Audio-Technica (various electrets), Sony (ECR series), and others have dabbled with electrostatic drivers of various sorts now and then, but those were always a side offering to their dynamic driver-based products. Stax only makes electrostatics, and as of right now, their headphones are the only electrostatic models in production, Koss ESP/950 aside.
 
However, electrostatic drivers require voltage. Lots of it. Stax normal bias is 230V, Stax Pro bias is 580V, and Koss ESP/950 bias is 600V, to give you an idea of what we're dealing with. The input wires are also balanced by design: one for each stator (placed on both sides of the diaphragm in a planar structure), and one for the bias voltage that charges the diaphragms (unless it's an electret, then it's permanently charged and doesn't need external bias).
 
That is why you need either a specially-designed electrostatic amp, which would plug into the conventional headphone jacks (or RCA line outputs) you're thinking of, or a box with a couple of big transformers and some other electronic bits to convert the powerful output from a speaker amp to a form usable by these type of drivers.
 
Some amps are remarkably small, like the SRM-212, SRM-252S, and the battery-powered ones bundled with the S-001 and S-002 portable IEM systems. Those are generally used with more efficient headphones or IEMs. However, most of them are big and bulky for a very good reason, especially the rare and sought-after SRM-T2 (whose basic design may have inspired the renowned Blue Hawaii SE amp).
 
Oh, and for the record, I've been a console gamer as long as I've been a PC gamer, which is frankly as long as I can remember deep into my early childhood. Playing on an NES, an SNES, and a Magnavox Odyssey2 (bet most people in here don't even know what that is) formed just as much of my early gaming memories as fiddling around in DOS and Windows 3.1 on my father's computer.
 
It's just that until now, the Wii was my only current-gen console, and the rest were older consoles. NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, Saturn, PSone, and the Xbox. That's not including my old GameCube that was sent overseas (due to the Wii having backwards compatibility) and the Neo-Geo CD I had for a bit before reselling it (since most of the Neo-Geo's best are AES/MVS-only, and without the NGCD's infamously slow loading times). Just because I'm best known here for a PC gaming audio guide doesn't mean I haven't had plenty of console gaming time.
 
I still favor PC gaming overall, but in the end, I play games, not platforms. If certain games are only released for consoles, I don't really have much choice in the matter other than to buy consoles for their exclusives. And in the PS2's case, there are a lot, some of which don't play nicely with PCSX2. The PS3 has less, but still a notable bunch, enough for me to warrant owning one that could also play PS2 games.

Quote:

namelesspfg said:

 
The thing that separates Stax from the rest is that they're the only headphone manufacturer that primarily utilizes electrostatic drivers.
 
Other brands like Koss (ESP series), Sennheiser (Orpheus), Beyerdynamic (ET-1000), Audio-Technica (various electrets), Sony (ECR series), and others have dabbled with electrostatic drivers of various sorts now and then, but those were always a side offering to their dynamic driver-based products. Stax only makes electrostatics, and as of right now, their headphones are the only electrostatic models in production, Koss ESP/950 aside.
 
However, electrostatic drivers require voltage. Lots of it. Stax normal bias is 230V, Stax Pro bias is 580V, and Koss ESP/950 bias is 600V, to give you an idea of what we're dealing with. The input wires are also balanced by design: one for each stator (placed on both sides of the diaphragm in a planar structure), and one for the bias voltage that charges the diaphragms (unless it's an electret, then it's permanently charged and doesn't need external bias).
 
That is why you need either a specially-designed electrostatic amp, which would plug into the conventional headphone jacks (or RCA line outputs) you're thinking of, or a box with a couple of big transformers and some other electronic bits to convert the powerful output from a speaker amp to a form usable by these type of drivers.
 
Some amps are remarkably small, like the SRM-212, SRM-252S, and the battery-powered ones bundled with the S-001 and S-002 portable IEM systems. Those are generally used with more efficient headphones or IEMs. However, most of them are big and bulky for a very good reason, especially the rare and sought-after SRM-T2 (whose basic design may have inspired the renowned Blue Hawaii SE amp).
 
Oh, and for the record, I've been a console gamer as long as I've been a PC gamer, which is frankly as long as I can remember deep into my early childhood. Playing on an NES, an SNES, and a Magnavox Odyssey2 (bet most people in here don't even know what that is) formed just as much of my early gaming memories as fiddling around in DOS and Windows 3.1 on my father's computer.
 
It's just that until now, the Wii was my only current-gen console, and the rest were older consoles. NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, Saturn, PSone, and the Xbox. That's not including my old GameCube that was sent overseas (due to the Wii having backwards compatibility) and the Neo-Geo CD I had for a bit before reselling it (since most of the Neo-Geo's best are AES/MVS-only, and without the NGCD's infamously slow loading times). Just because I'm best known here for a PC gaming audio guide doesn't mean I haven't had plenty of console gaming time.
 
I still favor PC gaming overall, but in the end, I play games, not platforms. If certain games are only released for consoles, I don't really have much choice in the matter other than to buy consoles for their exclusives. And in the PS2's case, there are a lot, some of which don't play nicely with PCSX2. The PS3 has less, but still a notable bunch, enough for me to warrant owning one that could also play PS2 games.

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I'm sorry, but that is just too technical for me, lol. I didn't understand some of that. I'm new to it all, if you didn't notice. Take it easy, lol. I did somewhat understand it though. All right then, there we go. So is that just it for headphones then? It's Stax vs the competition? lol. What I'm asking is, what are all the types of headphones? I realize there are closed, open, IEM, but this is completely new territory. If I'm to make an informed decision, I need to know what I have to work with.
 
600v? I have no clue how much that is. I just don't wanna blow anything up, lol.
 
Yeah, I have no clue what some of that is, but my apologies. That's awesome I understand.

Quote:

namelesspfg said:

 
The thing that separates Stax from the rest is that they're the only headphone manufacturer that primarily utilizes electrostatic drivers.
 
Other brands like Koss (ESP series), Sennheiser (Orpheus), Beyerdynamic (ET-1000), Audio-Technica (various electrets), Sony (ECR series), and others have dabbled with electrostatic drivers of various sorts now and then, but those were always a side offering to their dynamic driver-based products. Stax only makes electrostatics, and as of right now, their headphones are the only electrostatic models in production, Koss ESP/950 aside.
 
However, electrostatic drivers require voltage. Lots of it. Stax normal bias is 230V, Stax Pro bias is 580V, and Koss ESP/950 bias is 600V, to give you an idea of what we're dealing with. The input wires are also balanced by design: one for each stator (placed on both sides of the diaphragm in a planar structure), and one for the bias voltage that charges the diaphragms (unless it's an electret, then it's permanently charged and doesn't need external bias).
 
That is why you need either a specially-designed electrostatic amp, which would plug into the conventional headphone jacks (or RCA line outputs) you're thinking of, or a box with a couple of big transformers and some other electronic bits to convert the powerful output from a speaker amp to a form usable by these type of drivers.
 
 

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I don't know why but i just impulse  purchased the last Koss- EP-950 from amazon maybe because when last i checked it was very close to a grand and now its at $645 for me minus $40 with amazon points so i jumped on it.  If i like the electrostats i will keep them if not return em for a refund lol.. Wow so i wonder if i will cook my brain cells with 600 bias volts within an inch or so of my ears and side of head lol. So Nameless how is that Radiation dosage going at 200 volts lol..

Quote:

chicolom said:

 
Why do you want the 2011 mixamp?

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I'm thinking he meant 2013...
 
-Erik

Why the hell don't I just buy a Stax Setup hmm? The PS3 is not a mobile unit. I have to leave it at my place of residence. Stax works perfectly there. Not to mention, if I had a good computer nearby, I could use the Stax on that too, for music. Help Nameless?

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mad lust envy said:

Your amp is fine. I'd upgrade the source first. Trust me. The E7 is the weak link. I still enjoyed the E9K's (which should be the same sonically as the E9) sound recently even next to my SA-31. That was testing the 600ohm 990s too.
The X1 is going to be my next headphone (once it's on Amazon here), as I have a feeling I'm not gonna keep the HE-400. That damn Annie really screwed with my plans. Headphones aren't allowed to have bass, mids, clarity, large soundstage, extreme comfort, featherweight all at once!

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Ahah, good to know you're enjoying the Annie. Gonna make those hp sell like hotcakes in the next few days...You'd definitely make a great salesman!
 
Looking forward to reading your thoughts on the X1 in the future. Hopefully, those "damn" Annie won't make you change your mind later, ahah.
 
*edit*
Forgot to ask what to get to replace the E7. What would you personally suggest?
Quote:

cib24 said:

 
Now, the game changes a bit if we are talking about cinematic gaming. I'm talking about when you are playing something like Mass Effect, Max Payne, Crysis 2, Skyrim, The Witcher 2, etc. and want to really be engrossed in the experience. I think both headphones do an overall great job immersing you into the experience but the X1 does it all just a bit better because it is less bright than the DT 990 and handles the sub bass very well. Watching the cinematics in Mass Effect was more rewarding because the ship lasers and the low bass signature of the reapers and the mass relays had a fuller sound on the X1, kind of like I was watching Star Wars in the theatre. Crysis 2 is another one where the X1's control of the sub bass helps out. When you switch suit modes the robotic voice that says "stealth engaged" or "maximum armor" and stuff like that sounds pretty sweet. Also, Crysis 2's main score, which was composed by Hans Zimmer, sounds sweet due to how well the X1's handle brass instruments and the slightly better depth perception compared to the DT 990. Still, the DT 990 was by no means a slouch and was miles better than the DT 880.
 
This leads me to the conclusion that if you prioritize competitive games then the DT 990 is the better headphone because of how bright the headphone is, and it is pretty good for cinematic experiences as well. But if you aren't an extremely competitive gamer and want even better immersion with a warmer signature with tighter bass control then I think the X1 is a very good choice.
 

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That sounds sweet...Even more interested in getting the X1 now...

Regardless, Stax are freaking awesome, but those Annies are coming to me <3

Quote:

burritoboy9984 said:

 
I'm thinking he meant 2013...
 
-Erik

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Nah, he meant the 2011/Pro. MLE has a 2013 already and the only mixamp he hasn't tried yet is the 2011. I'ld also like to see how the noise floor and sound signature differs between the 2011 and 2013.