It seems like a very nonintuitive crossover point, but I thought I had read 8 kHz previously.

prot said:

Dharma vs. he1k. Very different. You are right that the he1k should be very good for Jazz ... I'm a fan of jazz/classic/chillout and he1k's relaxed sound signature fits very well ... and I liked it a lot. Wont ever buy it though, because I think the price is ridiculously high and IMHO the bass is not exactly TOTL .. plus the usual hfman BQ issues. The Dharma was more dynamic, airier, faster ... hard to explain that "faster" thing but if you put a TOTL Stax near any hfman (or almost any other HP) you'll hear it immediately. The Dharma should be a much better match for your techno/house music .. or any other fast/energetic music like most metal/rock genres, etc.

Dharma vs. HE6. Different but not that much to my ears. Both are quite fast, dynamic, punchy. The Dharma has an extra airiness/clarity/ease in the treble area. He6 is no slouch there but if you put it near a stax 007/9 you'll hear the diff in 10 seconds. I would say the Dharma did sound like a midlevel Stax with more bass. For me Dharma vs. He6 would be a pretty close call in terms of SQ but I'd still take the Dharma without hesitation because of the much better comfort (HE6 is too heavy for my head), much easier amp pairing, etc.

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All in all, I think the Dharma is an excellent HP and quite amazing as a first-effort from Enigmacoustics ... and in terms of P/Q a *much* better option than almost any other new TOTL can. $1000+ is still *a lot* of money to pay for a HP but in the current landscape the Dharma price almost sounds like a bargain ... and at least in this case one can understand that Enigmacoustics had a big initial investment that has to be covered.
Not so easy to understand what many other HP producers like audeze and lately hfman do with their latest top models: turn the marketing-hype to max, add a little bit of shinny and a few cheap tweaks and then release a "new" model for $1-2000 more .. well, screw that!

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The Prot will get squashed with the Ban Hammer with more talk like you're going with at the end there.
 
The growing price ceiling this past 1-2 years has really been bothering me as well. I'm no engineer, I don't make headphones, so my opinion is baseless, BUT a price hike from ~$1500 to $3000-4000 for TOTL headphones that become less costly to manufacture every year due to communal advances in technology is a big hike for performance benefits that seem to be getting chopped down by good old "musical preference".
 
In my opinion, if the performance and price difference were so big personal preference wouldn't be able to call into question the price on that new level of quality so often. But that seems to be exactly what's going on, so are they really that much better or are they really just that much more expensive? 
 
And thanks for the rest of the feedback, always appreciated. Looks like these are firmly on my radar now. You wouldn't have any feeling/feedback of how they are vs. LCD 2.2s, would you? Or anyone else?

wildcatsare1 said:

Hey Guy's I thought in Aaron's review on the Headphonguru.com Enigma Accoustics said there was no crossover point. With both drivers were operating at full range augmenting each other at the extremes.

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vs.

bazelio said:

  It seems like a very nonintuitive crossover point, but I thought I had read 8 kHz previously.

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So, I wonder if we'll find this out or not? Wouldn't FR tests/graphs be able to show this if it weren't smooth?

benny-x said:

  The Prot will get squashed with the Ban Hammer with more talk like you're going with at the end there.
 
The growing price ceiling this past 1-2 years has really been bothering me as well. I'm no engineer, I don't make headphones, so my opinion is baseless, BUT a price hike from ~$1500 to $3000-4000 for TOTL headphones that become less costly to manufacture every year due to communal advances in technology is a big hike for performance benefits that seem to be getting chopped down by good old "musical preference".
 
In my opinion, if the performance and price difference were so big personal preference wouldn't be able to call into question the price on that new level of quality so often. But that seems to be exactly what's going on, so are they really that much better or are they really just that much more expensive? 
 
And thanks for the rest of the feedback, always appreciated. Looks like these are firmly on my radar now. You wouldn't have any feeling/feedback of how they are vs. LCD 2.2s, would you? Or anyone else?

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I can make the same amount of money selling five four thousand dollar cans as I can selling ten two thousand dollar cans. 
 
But my labor is cut in half.   It's a good deal.   For the manufacturer.   I wish people would really step back from these crazy priced items.  I'm thinking hard on the new HD800s and if it does come in at $1799 I'm just going to say no.   Just no.   NO.   You've got to draw a line in the sand somewhere.    But people don't, they get whomped up, and boom, they just spent a LOT of money. 

I've been listening to the Dharma D1000 for about 10 to 15 hours since I got it the other day, so my impressions are admittedly suspect. I don't know if the headphone will change, but here are my initial impressions.
 
It's an excellent headphone.  I would say it competes with other flagships.  Let me start with the gripes.  I feel. as some others have said, that the treble could be smoother and more natural.  It does seem a bit crisp.  It is clear and resolving but it almost sounds if the gain of the treble is slightly greater than the rest of the frequencies.  It doesn't sound disjointed from the other frequencies per se, but it is super clear and I would say emphasized a bit more than I would prefer.  I also feel that the midrange/upper midrange is a bit bright / bleached...just a touch.  I hear this in the vocals too. I would say the upper frequencies of a vocal are SLIGHTLY emphasized, robbing the headphone of just a bit of richness.  If I could boost the lower midrange ever so slightly that would be preferred...and I'm not talking by much.  I also have a slight complaint about the very upper bass frequencies.  I feel, at times, I hear them as too emphasized - sounds like a truck some times ...ok that's a bit overstating it, and truthfully, it could just be the recordings.  But the result is that slightly boosted upper bass, which doesn't really sound like a bass hump to me, can rob the headphone of a holographic / transparent sound that it would otherwise be capable of.  The sound can come off as a bit dry too.
 
Bass is very strong, but I would say balanced overall.  However, when you have slightly dominant lower frequencies and slightly emphasized treble, you can wind up with a v-shaped frequency response - recessed mids.  I would say I would prefer the presence region to be just a bit more forward.   i would characterize the sound as neutral to very slightly recessed,  I certainly wouldn't characterize it as forward sounding, but it's neutral enough that if you play a forward song the mids will sound slightly forward.  Also, I find that due to the tonal balance I prefer to turn the volume up more to get the best from the mids.
 
Ok, so by now you may be asking ...is there anything he did like about the headphone?  The answer is a resounding yes.  Even though I listed series of what I perceive to be shortcomings, they are just to subtle degrees.  Overall, I think the headphone sounds great.  I like the clarity.  It may not be the absolute in clarity, but it's definitely up there with the best.  I like the overall tonal balance.  No, I don't think it is perfect, but it doesn't have glaring flaws that persistently annoy me ...at least to my ears it's pretty balanced sounding across the frequencies.  I don't hear any real spikes.  In addition, the sound is relatively large and the impact is extremely good.  Bass is plentiful, tight, and full bodied.  In fact, I would say that overall the headphone has a full-bodied sound, maybe just slightly warm in the bass and slightly bright on the top,  I'm also sensitive to channel imbalance and the Dharma is perfectly left/right balanced.
 
I do think the headphone reveals equipment.  It sounds a little different out of my laptop than my (tube) MicroZOTL 2 or my GS-X MK2.  I also think the headphone is good for most genres. I need more experience to say for sure.  I've been listening mostly to classic rock and easy listening.  If I had to compare it to a headphone others may know, I might say the AKG 812 which in my mind does plenty right, but has excessive treble, and a slightly dry, but clean sound.  I think the Dharma may have a slightly brighter upper midrange, which I actually think is an advantage over the AKG which in the mids can sometimes sound slightly mellow.  I also briefly compared the Dharma to the McIntosh and the Dharma has a thicker, more full-bodied sound.  I compared the Dharma to the HD800.  I'm not sure I would say it is better than the HD800, but I would say that the Dharma has more impact in the lower frequencies, which is welcomed by me.  The soundstage of the HD800 is probably better, but not significantly so to me..
 
I really need to listen further before my impressions can be credible but I thought I'd throw a few of my initial impressions out there.  Of course everyone hears things differently and I would not be surprised to see some disagree with my assessment. I also am a believer in burn in, though my experience with burn-in isn't always positive, I am hopeful that the Dharma will continue to improve with time.  I own many flagships (AKG, Audeze, Audio Technica, Grado, Hifiman, Oppo, Audio Zenith, Sennheiser, Stax to name a few) and I would say the Dharma will likely fall near the top of my list.

Got my pair about 90 min ago and have been listening since. Dont have time to report much right now since I need to head to work, but FIRST impressions are that Im a bit disappointed. I dont have any firm, set in stone takes as of yet, of course, but They are quite a bit different than I expected.

Ill report more later.

wildcatsare1 said:

Hey Guy's I thought in Aaron's review on the Headphonguru.com Enigma Accoustics said there was no crossover point. With both drivers were operating at full range augmenting each other at the extremes.

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Did read that too .. and a few other reviews .. everyone seems to have a different "opinion" about that crossover.
Doubt that any of those drivers can go full range, especially the electrostatic/electret or whatever that thing is. But if indeed there is no true crossover point, are all the people who reported so called "crossover issues" talking about unicorns? .. hm .. could be I guess .. wont be the first sample of audiophile group delusion.

Benny-x dont worry I'll survive .. the mods around here seem to be quite reasonable but you never know and talking about money is always dangerous .. especially about other people's money . In any case, the bans worry me a lot less than those marvelous prices of late.

Well, like with other headphones, the difference might also come to sample variation.
Wnen you have 2 drivers (wellI'll count the electret) per cup, I imagine that can be a PITA to match and consistently produce with similar results ...
Just a thought

conquerator2 said:

Well, like with other headphones, the difference might also come to sample variation.
Wnen you have 2 drivers (wellI'll count the electret) per cup, I imagine that can be a PITA to match and consistently produce with similar results ...
Just a thought

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oh no, now we're already getting into production serial number segmentation... Only numbers 0000007-0000283 have the crossover point exposed, the ones from 284-xxx are the better matched ones! But wait, they aren't numbered in sequence, so it's going to be tough to find the right numbers!!
 
Hahaha, I'm paying $1200 for them to put the right effort into pairing and matching the drivers seamlessly(zing), so that's what they better do  
 
No doubt though, there is bound to be a bit of product to product variation. Let's just hope it's Sennheiser HD800 type variance and not Audeze LCD-3 type variance...

Balance issues that I reported yesterday, do not exist today.  The problem was all in my head, it was  isolated when I removed the headphones, blew my nose and cleared my ears.  The wonky sounds were in the tracks I was listening to, "Adele", "Hello" has a few spots in the mastering that can fool your ears.  I did find one small problem though.  I tried to swap the cable L to R, and the R would fit into both sockets, but the L would not seat into the R cup socket.  Another thing to note, the HD800 plugs are the smaller old type, the jumbo new HD800 connectors will not fit the recessed sockets on the Dharma!  I have the older type HD800 plugs coming, so I can use my DHC aftermarket cables with the Dharma.  All is well with the Dharma, it is an excellent headphone that outperforms it's price in the current market!  Been listening all day, just feed it quality tunes and it will satisfy!

Have a few minutes while it's slow at work to share some (very early) impressions...

First of all, the build QUALITY is solid. Very impressed with these, and I agree with whoever said they seemed like they could fall and smack into the ground and not end up with a scratch. That being said, and I find the comfort just ok. They feel quite stiff on my head, and I really miss having cups that swivel up and down. These do swivel side to side, but the vertical adjustment would have been nice given how stiff these headphones are.

Now for the part that really concerns me...I agree with those who have said they have a relatively wide soundstage. But unfortunately I'm not hearing coherent imaging or a "natural" soundstage. What it sounds like to me is a lot of width to either side, but very little imaging or soundstagein front or behind. Here's the best way I can illustrate it: Let's say U2 is performing acoustically. With the HD800s, or the LCD-X (two flagships I"m familiar with), it sounds like one cohesive performance, instruments and vocals identifiable in space, and overall the sense of space is very natural and accurate. With the Dharmas, it sounds like Bono and the boys were cloned....and U2 v.1 is on my left side, while U2 v.2 is on my right side. And both are performing in unison. There is almost a complete absence of anything out front, above, or behind...it's all right and left.

That being said, the detail retrieval is quite good...the music and vocals sound relatively accurate and natural, though a clear step below the two headphones I mentioned above. Also, while they don't sound thin or harsh, vocals and instruments just lack body. That's the best way I can describe it. I just don't feel like it brings me deep into the nuances of the performance.

I know this sounds very negative, but this is what I've experienced thus far...it may just be that these are not a good match for my preferences, whereas others will love them - as with most headphones. I'm going to give them about 10-20 hours of burn-in before I listen more, just to see if that makes any difference. They just don't really sound like stats to me at all....they sound like a good-but-not-great dynamic driver-based headphone.

I'll report more over the weekend.

cute said:

  Balance issues that I reported yesterday, do not exist today.  The problem was all in my head, it was  isolated when I removed the headphones, blew my nose and cleared my ears.  The wonky sounds were in the tracks I was listening to, "Adele", "Hello" has a few spots in the mastering that can fool your ears.  I did find one small problem though.  I tried to swap the cable L to R, and the R would fit into both sockets, but the L would not seat into the R cup socket.  Another thing to note, the HD800 plugs are the smaller old type, the jumbo new HD800 connectors will not fit the recessed sockets on the Dharma!  I have the older type HD800 plugs coming, so I can use my DHC aftermarket cables with the Dharma.  All is well with the Dharma, it is an excellent headphone that outperforms it's price in the current market!  Been listening all day, just feed it quality tunes and it will satisfy

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oufff! Few! it is a relief...
 
i have no other one thousand dollars headphone miracle in view....All the other TOTL cost way more and if you ask me too much ...

focker said:

Now for the part that really concerns me...I agree with those who have said they have a relatively wide soundstage. But unfortunately I'm not hearing coherent imaging or a "natural" soundstage. What it sounds like to me is a lot of width to either side, but very little imaging or soundstagein front or behind. Here's the best way I can illustrate it: Let's say U2 is performing acoustically. With the HD800s, or the LCD-X (two flagships I"m familiar with), it sounds like one cohesive performance, instruments and vocals identifiable in space, and overall the sense of space is very natural and accurate. With the Dharmas, it sounds like Bono and the boys were cloned....and U2 v.1 is on my left side, while U2 v.2 is on my right side. And both are performing in unison. There is almost a complete absence of anything out front, above, or behind...it's all right and left.
 

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You have perfectly described exactly what I heard when I auditioned them at the San Diego meet last week.
 
I was disappointed with their strange and unnatural soundstage and so-so comfort.  

xero1 said:

 
You have perfectly described exactly what I heard when I auditioned them at the San Diego meet last week.
 
I was really disappointed with their strange and unnatural soundstage and so-so comfort. 

 

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Do you know if that pair was broken in? I'm really trying not to be unfair to this headphone, but in all honesty it would take a complete transformation with break-in for me to decide to keep these.

Really a bummer...I had very high hopes.

Break-in will never completely transform any headphone.
 
They aren't necessarily a "bad" sounding headphone, just not what I'm looking for.