I think the TH600 is shaping up to be ideal office headphone for me. Like the TH900 it blocks some outside noise, but overall it's not particularly isolating and thus allows me to still hear important stuff. The arc assembly isn't the most robust thing in the world, but the magnesium cups (perhaps erroneously) instill a certain sense of confidence as well.
 
Sonically it comes pretty close to the TH900 in key respects. So far I'm finding it to be just a bit more polite, a bit more subtle. As I said in my initial impressions, it's almost as if Fostex did this to keep the overall presentation open and clear-sounding since the bass and treble aren't quite as refined as those of the TH900. Spatially the TH600 is slightly more closed sounding, and with regard to imaging it's not quite as easy to zero-in on everything, but separation is still excellent. Presentation on these is overall above average.
 
The more I listen to the TH600, the more I feel as though it's not a "TH900 lite" so much as something which follows that trajectory but has its own distinct patterns.

Well, I've finally found a flaw with my HD600.
 
Classical music. 
 
My collection has grown over the last few months, and it was portrayed beautifully by my DT880. The HD600 seems so much less dynamic and open when I need it the most. The DT880's treble took the experience to another level.
 
Sigh.

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mimouille said:

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lee730 said:

Do any of you have issues hearing your own heart beat

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I do not hear it...does this mean I am....

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Nah, you just have more inner peace. 
 
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jgray91 said:

my problem with hearing my heartbeat seems more pronounced when im wearing my t50rp. I thought it was the clamp at first, but even after i loosen it,this still is a problem for me.

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Your heart is trying to tell you to get better headphones...
 
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veyrongatti said:

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warrenpchi said:

Umm... trying to remember... okay my give up.  Exactly how young are you again?

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Very. Well compared to the rest of the diary members

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Which reminds me.  I shared a table with Wolfetan at the SF meet.  Didn't know anything personal about him before then.  Imagine my surprise at spending a pleasant morning with a 14-15 year old that was well-versed in the hobby.  I was particularly amused when he had to leave early for baseball practice (or something similar)... though I admit that it did sound like fun.
 
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muppetface said:

but I liken such "controlled organicism" to the Japanese

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If you read this really fast upon first waking up, it takes on an entirely different meaning.
 
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gelocks said:

My question is though... would people REALLY be into buying these monstrosities?!?!

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Umm... I'm pretty sure that Mupps will get one.  It's no Muramasa, but she generally doesn't take the time to post about cans that she doesn't have at least a passing interest in.  Plus, IIRC, it's supposed to have like some next-generation planar techmologies in it.
 
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gelocks said:

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warrenpchi said:

 
Because, though it's a technicality, "weird/non-popular headphones" don't count.  Incidentally, what'd you get? 

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LOL!
Recently I received the Spider Moonlight's and I also ordered the House of Marley Rise Up headphones (Saddle style) just because I liked how it looked ... lol
 
http://www.thehouseofmarley.com/rise-up-over-ear-headphones.html
 
Actually I had their Exodus on-ear and it was quite pleasant sounding, hopefully these will sound Ok too.
 
Finally, I also wanted to try one of those California Headphones (Silverado), just for the heck of it...

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We all do that from time to time.  My inventory happens to contain a bevy of lesser cans.  However, in my defense, I've only purchased 11 out of the 37 cans/iems currently in my inventory.  I guess you could say that I've been following a freemium-like path in this hobby so far.
 
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mimouille said:

Well I did it...ordered the Tera....in stealth version...because I could not resist the idea of paying significantly more for a player without anything to recognize the buttons.

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Congratulations!  You're officially crazy!    Honestly, I haven't heard/experienced the Tera so I have nothing real to say either way.  But in my mind, the Tera occupies the same space as the K3003 (i.e. really?  that much for that thing?).  I'm understandably curious as to whether you say it's worth it. 
 
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muppetface said:

I'll admit I'm interested in the Abyss just because it's a new "high-end" orthodynamic, and they've done some interesting things from an engineering standpoint. For instance it has one-sided drivers; to my knowledge the only other example of this currently is the black sheep of the HiFiMan family, the HE-4.

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Hey gelocks... I told ya!    But yeah Mupps, I see where you're going with this.  Their sheer hubris almost overshadows whatever merit the cans might have.  Still, I suspect you'll be among the first to know (and knowing is half the battle).
 
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333jeffery said:

 
Dr. Pall Bearer....

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As in WWF/Undertaker?

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eke2k6 said:

Well, I've finally found a flaw with my HD600.
 
Classical music. 
 
My collection has grown over the last few months, and it was portrayed beautifully by my DT880. The HD600 seems so much less dynamic and open when I need it the most. The DT880's treble took the experience to another level.
 
Sigh.

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Hmm, perhaps the ESP-950 is next?  http://www.head-fi.org/t/614073/dt880-vs-hd600-vs-esp-950-vs-a1000x

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warrenpchi said:

 
 
We all do that from time to time.  My inventory happens to contain a bevy of lesser cans.  However, in my defense, I've only purchased 11 out of the 37 cans/iems currently in my inventory.  I guess you could say that I've been following a freemium-like path in this hobby so far.
 
 
 
 
As in WWF/Undertaker?

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37? Wait 'til my sister gives me crap again about having too many headphones.....lol
 
And re: Pall Bearer, I had the same thought. If it is him, did you know he just passed away recently?

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achmedisdead said:

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warrenpchi said:

My inventory happens to contain a bevy of lesser cans.  However, in my defense, I've only purchased 11 out of the 37 cans/iems currently in my inventory.

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37? Wait 'til my sister gives me crap again about having too many headphones.....lol

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Yeah, and I'm not even listing a few new things yet... like the five Dunus I got at CES.  Still, I am but a child:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/u/129046/katun
http://www.head-fi.org/u/11725/clieos
http://www.head-fi.org/u/118389/ljokerl
 
But hey, it's not a quantity thing, it's all about quality right?  Damn, still a child.  Oh well, more room to grow I guess! 
 
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achmedisdead said:

Quote:

warrenpchi said:

As in WWF/Undertaker?

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And re: Pall Bearer, I had the same thought. If it is him, did you know he just passed away recently?

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Was about to make a crack about the Undertaker, but nah. 

Nope, this was a different Pall Bearer. He hosted a local horror movie show called Creature Feature back in the 70's and 80's, along with his spider sidekick "Spinjamin Bock". They told really cheesy jokes, and made really bad puns. Kinda what MST3K would do years later.

warrenpchi said:

Hmm, perhaps the ESP-950 is next?  http://www.head-fi.org/t/614073/dt880-vs-hd600-vs-esp-950-vs-a1000x

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I really can't decide which is the better FS headphone for <$1200 (there the HE-6 reigns supreme), the TH600 or the ESP-950. They're very different animals but brilliant in their own way. I guess, if you don't mind the extra weight, and limited versatility, the nod would go Koss. But, the Fostex are so easy to drive (sound great out of my iPhone), more attractive, and easier to live with. If you shop around, you can find them both for $1500, which is still a roll of cash, but you'd have just about all your bases covered. They'd be an epic combo and you wouldn't need anything else (except maybe some inexpensive Grados for Dick Dale and 80s/90s arena and glam rock).

Ratt on my modded SR60i is a guilty pleasure. (Round and round, what comes around, goes around.)

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magick man said:

Ratt on my modded SR60i is a guilty pleasure.

(Round and round, what comes around, goes around.)

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LOL!  Nope, got nothin' to say about the Grado... But you do understand that it's hard to see:
 
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magick man said:

you'd have just about all your bases covered. They'd be an epic combo and you wouldn't need anything else (except maybe some inexpensive Grados for Dick Dale and 80s/90s arena and glam rock).

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and then see:
 
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Cans: STAX SR-009, STAX SR-007 Mk1, STAX 4070, Fostex TH900, Sennheiser HE60, HiFiMAN HE-6, more...
Amps/DACs: Cary SLI-80 Signature F1, Antelope Zodiac Gold, Woo WES, STAX SRM-717, Eddie Current BA, more...

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  Or are you talking exclusively of the <$1,200 space?

warrenpchi said:

LOL!  Nope, got nothin' to say about the Grado... But you do understand that it's hard to see:


and then see:


  Or are you talking exclusively of the <$1,200 space?

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Of course, that's why I said <$1200.

Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm campaign is pretty baller so far. Love it way more than Wings of Liberty's one.

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magick man said:

Of course, that's why I said <$1200.

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Okay, just that, you know... "all your bases covered" is one of those statements that sound pretty far reaching.
 
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jgray91 said:

Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm campaign is pretty baller so far. Love it way more than Wings of Liberty's one.

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Never played it.  I was exclusively on Linux at the time, and didn't game very much at all back then.

warrenpchi said:

Okay, just that, you know... "all your bases covered" is one of those statements that sound pretty far reaching.

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If I had to choose between the TH600/ESP-950 combo and HE-6s, I'd take the combo. They complement each other very well, the ESPs with their juicy mids and the TH600 with its amazing bass and clear treble, there's not a better pairing for the money.

Chrono Trigger vs. Jay Z mashup album. What it says on the tin.
 

 
 
http://2mellomakes.bandcamp.com/album/chrono-jigga
 
Quote:

jgray91 said:

Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm campaign is pretty baller so far. Love it way more than Wings of Liberty's one.

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Is that released now eh?
 
////
 
So I'm having an interesting time with the ATH-CKN70's. I am really liking the ear-loop system - they are much more comfortable than the FXD80-Z and I think going forward you're going to see a similar system on all micro-driver IEMs. The cable is truly dismal. Its stiff and has a horrible memory and just doesn't seem to befit anything that is labelled 'premium' by AT - but I feel like they have a tendency to use substandard rubber in all their consumer IEM cables / eartips.
 
In terms of sound they are throaty and warm, nice to listen to and surprisingly detailed - at low volumes. At high volumes this note of sibilance seems to cut through and everything gets very messy. I'm not sure what to think about an IEM that I can only enjoy on slightly lower than normal listening volumes.
 
The FXD80-Z is as I remember it meanwhile. Sharp as a knife and oh-so-clean. Driver flex issue seems to have gone away once I switched to a smaller eartip. Maybe my ears are changing shape?
 
I think my new pair is definitely less bassy. I like it more but this kind of production variation does not bode well for ease of recommendation.
 
The past few nights I've been A/Bing stuff while laying in bed going to sleep. The EX1000 is such a wonderful, beautiful IEM that just seems a little inappropriately tuned for modern studio recordings. I was listening to some John Adams orchestral works last night and the EX1000 just grabbed me by the ears and shook me violently (a good thing). I'm intrigued by the possibility of using Phonak PFE filters in the EX1000 nozzle - I will have to check with my friend who owns a pair of PFE's to see if thats possible. Considering the company is closing up doors on their IEM's I want to snap up some of those filters before its too late! (31 March). I want to see if I can achieve a happy medium between the 7550 and the EX1000...
 
Here is my personal hierarchy of preferences for IEM's for those who are interested. Note that these are all favourites - just different kinds of favourite. I don't necessarily think the XBA-40 is a better IEM than the EX1000, I just enjoy it more. I would put the SM3 in there but since I no longer have it I can't say for sure how I would think about it. 
 
7550 > GR07 > FXD80 > XBA-40 > EX1000 > RE0
 
I really gotta get my hands on some of those HE-400's!

@a_rec, I think it's released based on tmie zones, since I can play it on March 12 in Moscow while US is still March 11. Whatevs, it's still awesome. Love all the zerg characters so far. So much more interesting than plain ol humans.