The T50RP Paradox | reviews, discussion, & mini-tour impressions (index in second post) - Page 23

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Originally Posted by LizardKing1 

I had a chance to demo the HD800 a few days ago, which in Lisbon is really special - I made a note in my schedule to save the day. So now I'm wondering how does the Paradox compare to the HD800. I realize that comparing an open dynamic with a closed ortho isn't easy, but just a general idea would be great. Are they more or less detailed/fast? Do you lose a lot of soundstage? Any input from someone who had owned or tried both would be appreciated so I have an idea of how the Paradox might sound.

I used to own the HD800s, but don't have them anymore. So I'm going off memory here, but I liked the HD800 a bit more than the Paradox. The HD800 were one of my favorite dynamic headphones. The soundstage those things throw is gigantic compared to the Paradox. I believe they were slightly more detailed as well. It's hard for me to make any more direct comparisons without being off base due to not having heard the HD800 in nearly a year, though. Like most of the high end headphones, I think the HD800 are definitely better, but not two times better than the Paradox, as the price would suggest.

By the way, does anyone know what the headband suspension pad system on the Paradox is made out of? I hadn't had the chance to listen to them for a few days and left them on my maple headphone stand (finished with polyurethane). When I took them off tonight, I found they had left nice black marks on the wood where the raised padded humps in the headband are. The marks don't come off with just rubbing, so I will have to try to find some cleaning compound to get it off. Anyone else experience anything like this?

Also, while these are quite comfortable, has anyone else found the headband suspension system to yield inconsistent placement on your head? Sometimes when I put them on I have to play around with the positioning to get a proper fit, as these things are really sensitive to the pads fitting your face.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbandstefanwich 

By the way, does anyone know what the headband suspension pad system on the Paradox is made out of? I hadn't had the chance to listen to them for a few days and left them on my maple headphone stand (finished with polyurethane). When I took them off tonight, I found they had left nice black marks on the wood where the raised padded humps in the headband are. The marks don't come off with just rubbing, so I will have to try to find some cleaning compound to get it off. Anyone else experience anything like this?

 

Also, while these are quite comfortable, has anyone else found the headband suspension system to yield inconsistent placement on your head? Sometimes when I put them on I have to play around with the positioning to get a proper fit, as these things are really sensitive to the pads fitting your face.

No idea what it's made out of, best of luck getting those marks off.

I don't really like the suspension system at all.. Well, I like the suspension system in general, but not the way that LFF implements it. I like to make the suspension headband itself quite a bit longer.. just seems to fit my head better that way. I'm also just not a fan of that big chunk o padding. That's prolly because I have thick hair that negates the purpose of the padding though.

You could always take the headband off and just try them without it, if you find yourself needing a bit of padding you could use small towel or something. I have moved to a regular headband mod using a cloth belt between the two screws that hold the headphones together for the same reasons.. It's just tricky to get a consistent fit with the suspension one.

This may be a silly question, but has anyone tried experimenting with their Paradox by putting some of the new Mad Dog alpha pads on them? If not, would anyone be willing to try?  I was just really impressed with the new mad dogs when I listened to them, particularly with regards to their soundstage. I think I'd still prefer the sound signature of the paradox overall though, hence why I'm asking about trying the alpha pads on them...

And with regard to my last post here -- I finally got to try out those LCD-3's I was craving in person, and they sounded... good... can't say they 'wow'-ed me though. Pretty clean, natural presentation, nicer treble than the LCD-2's, but lighter/more 'delicate' bass than the LCD-2's as well. Overall, I'd have to agree that I prefer the HD800's over them too. I actually found that I even preferred the HE-6's over them to some degree. But yeah, it's really nice not to have an itch for such an expensive item anymore 

Quote:

Originally Posted by oblique63 

This may be a silly question, but has anyone tried experimenting with their Paradox by putting some of the new Mad Dog alpha pads on them? If not, would anyone be willing to try?  I was just really impressed with the new mad dogs when I listened to them, particularly with regards to their soundstage. I think I'd still prefer the sound signature of the paradox overall though, hence why I'm asking about trying the alpha pads on them...

The thing is, Luis tuned the sound of the Paradox with the HM5 pads. I'm not sure swapping the pads out would make for any sort of improvements. It looks like at the Austin meet we'll have the Paradox, the Alpha Dogs, and the Mad Dogs in one place though. (: Been looking forward to doing a side-by-side comparison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HideousPride 

The thing is, Luis tuned the sound of the Paradox with the HM5 pads. I'm not sure swapping the pads out would make for any sort of improvements. It looks like at the Austin meet we'll have the Paradox, the Alpha Dogs, and the Mad Dogs in one place though. (: Been looking forward to doing a side-by-side comparison.

Oh, I'm aware of the elaborate tuning process that's involved with these, I was merely curious for experimentation's sake -- partially cause of the soundstage that it gave the mad dogs, and partially cause they're just so damn comfortable, lol.

Definitely come back with some detailed impressions if you get a chance to compare them! I know there was supposed to be a pair of paradox at the last meet I went to, but then they never showed up so I didn't get a chance to compare them myself .

Hows this for strange. I was testing sine waves through my Paradox and the right driver can't do 5.62kHz. It also cuts out from 8.22kHz to 9.08kHz but comes back in at 9.19kHz. At 9.30kHz my left driver cuts out.

Thankfully it was just the software being strange. I retested with other headphones and got the same effect, albeit randomized through different frequencies with each different headphone.

I got an impression that some of the treble is grainy on the Paradox. I heard the graininess when practicing high note passages on my silent Yamaha piano (Chopin's 1st Ballade to be exact). It's probably the piano itself but I'll test this with other headphones to be sure. Has anyone had any experience with grainy treble with their Paradox?

Quote:

Originally Posted by temporaryname 

Hows this for strange. I was testing sine waves through my Paradox and the right driver can't do 5.62kHz. It also cuts out from 8.22kHz to 9.08kHz but comes back in at 9.19kHz. At 9.30kHz my left driver cuts out.

 

Thankfully it was just the software being strange. I retested with other headphones and got the same effect, albeit randomized through different frequencies with each different headphone.

 

I got an impression that some of the treble is grainy on the Paradox. I heard the graininess when practicing high note passages on my silent Yamaha piano (Chopin's 1st Ballade to be exact). It's probably the piano itself but I'll test this with other headphones to be sure. Has anyone had any experience with grainy treble with their Paradox?

I have received A LOT of complaints about graininess. One notable complaint I get OVER AND OVER again is from "Don't Know Why" from the Norah Jones album "Come Away With Me". 

The answer is complicated and simple at the same time. The reason it sounds grainy on some stuff is because it is actually present on the recording itself. I can verify them on my mastering set-up and have plenty of times. The follow up is usually the following...

Q: "But LFF, I heard this same recording on X headphones and couldn't hear it. I even played it on Y and Z and couldn't hear it either!? Z is a $2000 headphone and Y is electromajig $10,000 set up! What gives? It's definitely the Paradox!"

A: Correct! If you or I could hear it on X, Y or Z headphones, the Paradox would NOT exist. The Paradox is brutal when it comes to revealing flaws if you have it on a revealing, neutral chain. That's why I use it to restore music. That's why I use it to master. I have HUNDREDS on examples of tiny little noises that bug the F out of me that I couldn't hear before on most headphones but that really stand out with the Paradox. These aren't bad recordings and in fact, most are audiophile demo recordings. This is a major reason why I tell my customers that the Paradox isn't for everyone. It's not meant to make your music sound nice. It's meant to be a reference and show you EXACTLY what is on the recording - warts and all.

Also...those Yamaha piano samples aren't all that great...as you heard yourself. I usually use run a low-pass filter when those are involved.

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Originally Posted by FlySweep 

So.. this is pretty cool.. Tyll's got a Reddit Q&A going.. about halfway down the thread:

 

 

 

Nice job, Luis!  Don't go all "corporate" on us when you blow up .

Thanks!

I do enjoy seeing someone sit down at my station and smiling when they listen to some music. I love it when they tell me "I've never heard that before!".

That's why I do what I do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlySweep 

Headfonia has done a solid review of the Paradox.. with some snazzy photos, too.

The last 2 lines has me really interested:

"And secondly, maybe LFF indeed does have something planned using a larger driver. That’s all I can say at the moment…"

LFF, please elaborate on this!! I was just thinking about how the natural limitations of the T50RP driver prevent the Paradox from being truly incredible. It already sounds better than most headphones I've heard thanks to its tuning, but the T50RP will always have wooly bass to a degree...

Yes... I remember asking Luis about this earlier.

That was months ago, so who knows what he's currently working on.

Since a large part of the cost is in labor and QC, using a better driver (or enclosure) shouldn't raise the price too much, I hope.

I could see some additional increase, mostly due to time committed towards research...

Quote:

Originally Posted by oblique63 


Of course this news had to come out the week after I finally decided to place an order for these... sigh.

Even if they come out to be more expensive and are still a few months away or so, If he's still aiming for the same goal of neutrality, I would've gladly waited a while longer... Oh well.

Anyways, considering LFF's Colonel Sanders approach to headphone modding, I doubt we're gonna get much more info on them until they're released

Hey Luis, a few hints can lead to some very beneficial Paradox-awareness-raising hype. *nudge nudge*