JoeDoe
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2013
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After annoying countless head-fiers, reading every review I could find, and chiming in on multiple threads, I decided, why not take matters into my own hands? I'd been looking for a contrasting compliment for my PS1000 for a while now and I've owned a few T50rp mods (ZMF Master V2, Peterek T50, even a pseudo-thunderpants I did myself!), so after seeing a gorgeous pair of Cocobolo Omnis in the FS forum, well, one thing led to another and here I am.
I present my comparison between two of the most beloved (and incredible) T50rp mods out there: the ZMF Omni and the MrSpeakers Alpha Prime.
Source Material:
*All songs are FLAC 16-bit/44.1 kHz except for "On Day One," "Someone Like You“ (24-bit) and "A Good Name" (256 AAC).
"Late in the Evening" by Paul Simon: This anthemic pop tune that has a lot of little nuances i.e. hi hat splashes, vocal harmonization, organ riffs, extra percussion, etc. Really gives a headphone a lot to work with.
"A Good Name" by Shad: This hip hop track offers some excellent sythesizer texture that if not portrayed well, just sounds mushy. Not to mention a phat beat!
"Washed by the Water" by NEEDTOBREATHE: Great alternative/CCM song that shows of Bo's vocal talents as well as some sick Hammond B3-ing!
"Best for Last" by Adele: This one is from her first full release. Not the most technical complicated track, but the electric bass chords can be very cool if portrayed cleanly, not to mention her sublime vocal talents.
"Grown Folks" by Snarky Puppy: A Grammy-winning funk-jazz track off their newest album that brings the heat with percussion and synth/bass solos.
"On Day One" by Pat Metheny Unity Group: Had to have a jazz track. Several instruments playing almost continually. Really can make or break the nimbleness of a headphone.
"Jupiter" from The Planets by Holst: This is one my favorite classical tunes of all time. With upper-end headphones, I should be able to pick out any part I want.
Gear
For this review, I used a balanced setup consisting of the incredible Emotiva DC-1 and equally incredible Cavalli Liquid Carbon. Source material via optical came from my MacBook Pro running Fidelia. IC’s were Solid Silver XLRs courtesy of ELA-Audio, balanced headphone cables were all stock save a copper DIY cable from Allanmarcus for the Alpha (still en route). I used the Protein Pads on the Omni and the Alpha Pads on the Prime.
Listening Notes:
Conclusion
Honestly at this price point, rather than one headphone being directly superior to the other, we're just looking at different preferences/flavors. The ZMF is the more relaxed of the two, while the Alpha sounds more incisive. Neither are particularly extreme in any area of the frequency response, so basically my recommendation is this: if you prefer a slightly darker, easier-to-listen-to sound a la LCD2, Nighthawk, HE1000, etc. I think the ZMF is going to be your guy. If you like a more linear tuning a la HD800, Ether, T1, the Alpha may be your choice. Both are very capable headphones that really have managed to take the ol' T50rp and turn it in to something extraordinary.
So if you're in the market for something closed or semi-closed with a delicious low end, rich midrange, and slightly-forgiving-yet-detailed treble, the Omni from ZMF Headphones and the Alpha Prime from MrSpeakers are two options that you should give a long hard look at.
I present my comparison between two of the most beloved (and incredible) T50rp mods out there: the ZMF Omni and the MrSpeakers Alpha Prime.
Source Material:
*All songs are FLAC 16-bit/44.1 kHz except for "On Day One," "Someone Like You“ (24-bit) and "A Good Name" (256 AAC).
"Late in the Evening" by Paul Simon: This anthemic pop tune that has a lot of little nuances i.e. hi hat splashes, vocal harmonization, organ riffs, extra percussion, etc. Really gives a headphone a lot to work with.
"A Good Name" by Shad: This hip hop track offers some excellent sythesizer texture that if not portrayed well, just sounds mushy. Not to mention a phat beat!
"Washed by the Water" by NEEDTOBREATHE: Great alternative/CCM song that shows of Bo's vocal talents as well as some sick Hammond B3-ing!
"Best for Last" by Adele: This one is from her first full release. Not the most technical complicated track, but the electric bass chords can be very cool if portrayed cleanly, not to mention her sublime vocal talents.
"Grown Folks" by Snarky Puppy: A Grammy-winning funk-jazz track off their newest album that brings the heat with percussion and synth/bass solos.
"On Day One" by Pat Metheny Unity Group: Had to have a jazz track. Several instruments playing almost continually. Really can make or break the nimbleness of a headphone.
"Jupiter" from The Planets by Holst: This is one my favorite classical tunes of all time. With upper-end headphones, I should be able to pick out any part I want.
Gear
For this review, I used a balanced setup consisting of the incredible Emotiva DC-1 and equally incredible Cavalli Liquid Carbon. Source material via optical came from my MacBook Pro running Fidelia. IC’s were Solid Silver XLRs courtesy of ELA-Audio, balanced headphone cables were all stock save a copper DIY cable from Allanmarcus for the Alpha (still en route). I used the Protein Pads on the Omni and the Alpha Pads on the Prime.
Listening Notes:
| ZMF - SE | ZMF - 4pin | Alpha - SE | Alpha - 4pin | |
| Late in the Evening | Very fun. Bass is thicker, and mids seem further back compared to Alpha. Slight loss of upper treble detail. | Not a lot of difference to these ears honestly. There might be a little more BD slam, but it's arguable. | Mids are more forward than ZMF. Better detail retrieval. Slightly closer soundstage. | More noticeable improvement in the areas of instrument separation. Good know balanced operation isn't total nonsense  |
| A Good Name | Ditto from above. | Ditto from above. | Bass is much tighter. Not as hard-hitting. Vocals are more forward. | No difference. |
| Washed by the Water | Vocals and organ sound GREAT. Slight lack of clarity in cymbals. | Cleaner through the organ and toms used in fills. | Not as head-bobbing as ZMF but much more nuance information. | Overall slight improvement in upper end. Cymbals more clear and less splashy. |
| Best for Last | Delicious bass chords! | Even more delicious. | Adele's vocals are more upfront. Such a joy! | It's like she's whispering in my ear... |
| Grown Folks | Low end texture is killer. Dat bass tho... | Negligible improvement in bass decay and cymbal intricacies. | Cymbals/percussion more clear. Bass is faster but not as deep as ZMF. | See ZMF balanced comment. |
| On Day One | Bass is more prominent. Solo instruments further back in mix. Wider sense of space. | Maybe better instrument separation? | Great percussion textures. Instruments feel closer together. Guitar sounds good. | See ZMF balanced comment. |
| Jupiter | A little less clear in cellos. Better double bass presence than Alpha. Wider soundstage. | High-pitched instruments are coming through a little more clearly. | Great texture. Slightly lacking in double bass sound. Better harmonics, nuance retrieval. | Nuance-y stuff is even clearer. Also, slightly more bass presence. |
Conclusion
Honestly at this price point, rather than one headphone being directly superior to the other, we're just looking at different preferences/flavors. The ZMF is the more relaxed of the two, while the Alpha sounds more incisive. Neither are particularly extreme in any area of the frequency response, so basically my recommendation is this: if you prefer a slightly darker, easier-to-listen-to sound a la LCD2, Nighthawk, HE1000, etc. I think the ZMF is going to be your guy. If you like a more linear tuning a la HD800, Ether, T1, the Alpha may be your choice. Both are very capable headphones that really have managed to take the ol' T50rp and turn it in to something extraordinary.
So if you're in the market for something closed or semi-closed with a delicious low end, rich midrange, and slightly-forgiving-yet-detailed treble, the Omni from ZMF Headphones and the Alpha Prime from MrSpeakers are two options that you should give a long hard look at.
