drarthurwells
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2005
- Posts
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- 15
HP listening tips:
Headphone listening is different from speakers just like speakers are different from live - you have to learn to be content with a smaller soundstage in going from live music to recorded music played on speakers, and in going from speakers to headphones you reduce it to a really miniature soundstage.
You will have a tendency to turn the volume up to bring the music closer and larger to make it more like speakers. This will collapse or compress the fore and aft soundstage and increase the distortion.
You must discipline yourself to turn the volume down some, to put the music further away from you. Instruments in the back should not sound loud but soft. The distance from near and far instruments will increase - too much volume and this distance compresses.
You absolutely need a quiet environment - no noises in the background - to hear soft passages at lower volumes.
Volume can't be too low or the tones won't bloom.
With headphones you can get a natural timbre that is unadulterated by speaker-room phase distortions and phase distortion from cross-fed speaker sound. This affords better focused imaging with more distinct instrument separation, and better inner detail, compared to room speakers, but at the cost of some good attributes of speaker sound: weight to the music, fullness to the tone, and a larger sound stage.
You must live with these deficits but many try to duplicate speaker sound by turning the volume up with HPs. However, this will cause other problems and should be avoided. Headphones offer enough compensating virtures over speakers to make up for what you miss.
I only use my headphone system when I want to engage in intensive and maximally concentrated listening. So I keep the volume down to the point of no distortion, and good fore and aft soundstaging with depth of distant instruments. Adjusting the volume properly is critical to getting the best sound.
If you get noises or other problems in one of the two channels, change the tube from right to left - front (tall tubes) first in the Doge. Does the noise switch sides? If not, switch the sides of the back (short) tubes. In this way you can tell which tube is bad - replace the suspected one and see if the problem goes away. Sometimes it is poor pin contact from pin corrosion. You can bend the pins very slightly inward to get better pin contact, or better, clean the pins to remove corrision. Always turn the amp off, and allow the tube to cool a few minutes, before removing a tube.
The new Chinese tubes that come with the Doge need 5 hours of use to burn in and start sounding good. I have found the Chinese 6N14 (EL84 or 6BQ5 type) to be useful, but not when combined witht he Chinese 12AX7 tube. Any brand of 12AX7 tube needs to be properly mated to the right 6BQ5 tubes to get a good match - some combos give too much euphonic distortion and other combs are overly lean in tone body richness.
I rate tubes from 1 to 5 on richness.
1 is very lean in tone body but has sharp tone edges giving a highly detailed and sharp imaging sound with excellent instrument separation. This sound is very hard and can cause listening fatigue.
5 is very euphonic. This gives an overly rich or fat tone body with poor edge definition so the tone spreads out in an overly liquid soundstage, tones that tend to blend together with poor instrument separation, and poor or blurred/muddy imaging. Bloated or tubby bass that is poorly defined is obvious here.
For me, a rating of 3 to 3.2 is best but sometimes I prefer the slightly greater sharpness and focused images of down to a 2.8 and sometimes I prefer the slightly greater smoothness and rich timbre of up to a 3.4.
I am continuously updating my tube recommendations - check from time to time. Here are some good tube combos with the Doge - bad ones are not mentioned:
Use the two Chinese 6P14 in front with two GE 12AX7 (long plates of 17mm) in the back. Rated 2.9 on richness. Strong bass, detailed, but high resolution (need a good source).
Use two Russian 6P14P EB (or harder to find EP instead of the EB for slightly more power - good for the AKG K701) in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two Baldwin made in Japan 6BQ5 tubes in front with two GE 12AX7 long plates in back (or even two Electro Harmonix 12AX7) in back - neutral and uncolored, good for vocals and choral works. Rated 3 on richness. These Japanese 6BQ5 have one short rectangular slot in the middle of the plate and two long rectangular slots at the top and bottom. Other Japanese 6BQ5 tubes have one short rectangular slot in the middle of the plate and two short (not long like the Baldwin-Japan) rectangular slots at the top and bottom, and also sound good with the 12AX7 GE long plates. Rated 3 on richness.
Note: Many will prefer slightly more tone body richness (bloom) than the above and should use Use two Baldwin made in Japan 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Groove Tube (GT) 12AX7 long plates in back. This also adds slightly more deep bass (may be too much for the HD650) and gain (turn the volume knob down some). Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB in front with two Groove Tube 12AX7 (11mm plate length) in back - one of the very best - I would go with this one if forced to use only one combo. You could "hot rod" this combo some by using the Russian 6P14P EP (instead of the EB) for slightly more power but I prefer the EB myself. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use the two Chinese 6P14 (EL84 or 6BQ5 types) in front with two Mullard GB 12AX7 (medium plates - 14 mm) in back. Rated 3 on richness. Very slightly softer than above - more forgiving of the source.
Use the two Chinese 6P14 (EL84 or 6BQ5 types) in front with two Ken Rad 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.1 on richness. Even slightly softer than above - more forgiving of the source.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Sovtek 12AX7WA in back. Rated 3 on richness. Slightly more laid back than other combos. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Telefunken smooth plate 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness - slightly more forward (less laid back) than the above.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two RCA 7025 gray plates in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Ken Rad 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Amperex EL84/6BQ5 (I have halo getters but D getters may be even better) in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two RCA 6BQ5 in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB in front and two Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plates in back. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Raytheon 6BQ5 made in Japan and two Ken Rad 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Philips-Heerlen EL84 in front with two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Mullard-England EL84 (with D getters, not Halo getters) in front and two GE 12AX7 long plates (17mm) in back, to get a nice slightly sweet timbre - rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Raytheon/Japan, Hitachi, or other brands of 6BQ5 made in Japan, in front, with two German RTF (short plates of 10mm) in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB (or harder to find EP instead of the EB) in front and two GE 12AX7 medium plates (13mm) in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Volume note: With two 12AX7 GE long plates and two Chinese 6P14, I turn volume knob up very little but if I switch the Chinese 6P14 for two Philips-Holland EL84 (that test strong as new), I have to turn the volume knob way up over the previous setting, and the richness changes to 3.2. Some combos do require turning the volume knob up more than usual. Most are not too different though.
Use the two Chinese 6P14 in front with two GE 5751 in back. Rated 3.2 on richness - this is my favorite rich combo.
5751s are richer and softer than 12AX7s. Some 5751s should match well with the lean and detailed Chinese 6P14 - richness and softness is complemented with leanness and sharpness. pftrvir clued me in to this combo in liking the Sovtek 5751 with the Chinese 6P14 (which I haven't yet tried).
Use the two Chinese 6P14 in front with two Sylvania 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.3 on richness.
Use two Sylvania 6BQ5 in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.3 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB in front and two RCA 12AX7 or 7025 gray medium (13mm) rib plates in back. Rated 3.3 on richness - a fun, rich and lush sound that some will like (I like it occasionally, along with the one above and below).
Use two Mullard (Halo getters, not D getters) in front and two Sylvania 12AX7 or 7025 with long (17mm) gray T plates and halo getters. Rated 3.35 on richness.
The match is the thing: The Russian 6P14P EB, or even the Chinese 6P14, as output tubes give great sound when matched to the right 12AX7. I never thought such great sound was possible from a Chinese tube but the Chinese 6P14 sounds great with the tubes such as the GE 12AX7 long (17mm) plates.
Headphone listening is different from speakers just like speakers are different from live - you have to learn to be content with a smaller soundstage in going from live music to recorded music played on speakers, and in going from speakers to headphones you reduce it to a really miniature soundstage.
You will have a tendency to turn the volume up to bring the music closer and larger to make it more like speakers. This will collapse or compress the fore and aft soundstage and increase the distortion.
You must discipline yourself to turn the volume down some, to put the music further away from you. Instruments in the back should not sound loud but soft. The distance from near and far instruments will increase - too much volume and this distance compresses.
You absolutely need a quiet environment - no noises in the background - to hear soft passages at lower volumes.
Volume can't be too low or the tones won't bloom.
With headphones you can get a natural timbre that is unadulterated by speaker-room phase distortions and phase distortion from cross-fed speaker sound. This affords better focused imaging with more distinct instrument separation, and better inner detail, compared to room speakers, but at the cost of some good attributes of speaker sound: weight to the music, fullness to the tone, and a larger sound stage.
You must live with these deficits but many try to duplicate speaker sound by turning the volume up with HPs. However, this will cause other problems and should be avoided. Headphones offer enough compensating virtures over speakers to make up for what you miss.
I only use my headphone system when I want to engage in intensive and maximally concentrated listening. So I keep the volume down to the point of no distortion, and good fore and aft soundstaging with depth of distant instruments. Adjusting the volume properly is critical to getting the best sound.
If you get noises or other problems in one of the two channels, change the tube from right to left - front (tall tubes) first in the Doge. Does the noise switch sides? If not, switch the sides of the back (short) tubes. In this way you can tell which tube is bad - replace the suspected one and see if the problem goes away. Sometimes it is poor pin contact from pin corrosion. You can bend the pins very slightly inward to get better pin contact, or better, clean the pins to remove corrision. Always turn the amp off, and allow the tube to cool a few minutes, before removing a tube.
The new Chinese tubes that come with the Doge need 5 hours of use to burn in and start sounding good. I have found the Chinese 6N14 (EL84 or 6BQ5 type) to be useful, but not when combined witht he Chinese 12AX7 tube. Any brand of 12AX7 tube needs to be properly mated to the right 6BQ5 tubes to get a good match - some combos give too much euphonic distortion and other combs are overly lean in tone body richness.
I rate tubes from 1 to 5 on richness.
1 is very lean in tone body but has sharp tone edges giving a highly detailed and sharp imaging sound with excellent instrument separation. This sound is very hard and can cause listening fatigue.
5 is very euphonic. This gives an overly rich or fat tone body with poor edge definition so the tone spreads out in an overly liquid soundstage, tones that tend to blend together with poor instrument separation, and poor or blurred/muddy imaging. Bloated or tubby bass that is poorly defined is obvious here.
For me, a rating of 3 to 3.2 is best but sometimes I prefer the slightly greater sharpness and focused images of down to a 2.8 and sometimes I prefer the slightly greater smoothness and rich timbre of up to a 3.4.
I am continuously updating my tube recommendations - check from time to time. Here are some good tube combos with the Doge - bad ones are not mentioned:
Use the two Chinese 6P14 in front with two GE 12AX7 (long plates of 17mm) in the back. Rated 2.9 on richness. Strong bass, detailed, but high resolution (need a good source).
Use two Russian 6P14P EB (or harder to find EP instead of the EB for slightly more power - good for the AKG K701) in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two Baldwin made in Japan 6BQ5 tubes in front with two GE 12AX7 long plates in back (or even two Electro Harmonix 12AX7) in back - neutral and uncolored, good for vocals and choral works. Rated 3 on richness. These Japanese 6BQ5 have one short rectangular slot in the middle of the plate and two long rectangular slots at the top and bottom. Other Japanese 6BQ5 tubes have one short rectangular slot in the middle of the plate and two short (not long like the Baldwin-Japan) rectangular slots at the top and bottom, and also sound good with the 12AX7 GE long plates. Rated 3 on richness.
Note: Many will prefer slightly more tone body richness (bloom) than the above and should use Use two Baldwin made in Japan 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Groove Tube (GT) 12AX7 long plates in back. This also adds slightly more deep bass (may be too much for the HD650) and gain (turn the volume knob down some). Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB in front with two Groove Tube 12AX7 (11mm plate length) in back - one of the very best - I would go with this one if forced to use only one combo. You could "hot rod" this combo some by using the Russian 6P14P EP (instead of the EB) for slightly more power but I prefer the EB myself. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use the two Chinese 6P14 (EL84 or 6BQ5 types) in front with two Mullard GB 12AX7 (medium plates - 14 mm) in back. Rated 3 on richness. Very slightly softer than above - more forgiving of the source.
Use the two Chinese 6P14 (EL84 or 6BQ5 types) in front with two Ken Rad 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.1 on richness. Even slightly softer than above - more forgiving of the source.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Sovtek 12AX7WA in back. Rated 3 on richness. Slightly more laid back than other combos. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Telefunken smooth plate 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness - slightly more forward (less laid back) than the above.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two RCA 7025 gray plates in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two GE 6BQ5 tubes in front with two Ken Rad 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Amperex EL84/6BQ5 (I have halo getters but D getters may be even better) in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3 on richness.
Use two RCA 6BQ5 in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB in front and two Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plates in back. Rated 3.1 on richness.
Use two Raytheon 6BQ5 made in Japan and two Ken Rad 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Philips-Heerlen EL84 in front with two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Mullard-England EL84 (with D getters, not Halo getters) in front and two GE 12AX7 long plates (17mm) in back, to get a nice slightly sweet timbre - rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Raytheon/Japan, Hitachi, or other brands of 6BQ5 made in Japan, in front, with two German RTF (short plates of 10mm) in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB (or harder to find EP instead of the EB) in front and two GE 12AX7 medium plates (13mm) in back. Rated 3.2 on richness.
Volume note: With two 12AX7 GE long plates and two Chinese 6P14, I turn volume knob up very little but if I switch the Chinese 6P14 for two Philips-Holland EL84 (that test strong as new), I have to turn the volume knob way up over the previous setting, and the richness changes to 3.2. Some combos do require turning the volume knob up more than usual. Most are not too different though.
Use the two Chinese 6P14 in front with two GE 5751 in back. Rated 3.2 on richness - this is my favorite rich combo.
5751s are richer and softer than 12AX7s. Some 5751s should match well with the lean and detailed Chinese 6P14 - richness and softness is complemented with leanness and sharpness. pftrvir clued me in to this combo in liking the Sovtek 5751 with the Chinese 6P14 (which I haven't yet tried).
Use the two Chinese 6P14 in front with two Sylvania 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.3 on richness.
Use two Sylvania 6BQ5 in front and two Electro Harmonix 12AX7 in back. Rated 3.3 on richness.
Use two Russian 6P14P EB in front and two RCA 12AX7 or 7025 gray medium (13mm) rib plates in back. Rated 3.3 on richness - a fun, rich and lush sound that some will like (I like it occasionally, along with the one above and below).
Use two Mullard (Halo getters, not D getters) in front and two Sylvania 12AX7 or 7025 with long (17mm) gray T plates and halo getters. Rated 3.35 on richness.
The match is the thing: The Russian 6P14P EB, or even the Chinese 6P14, as output tubes give great sound when matched to the right 12AX7. I never thought such great sound was possible from a Chinese tube but the Chinese 6P14 sounds great with the tubes such as the GE 12AX7 long (17mm) plates.
