[realmassy]

^ still considering it! The iDSD pro seems to be out of stock in UK, but one dealer is trying to find a unit for me to demo. Currently considering the Burson Conductor 3, the Hugo 2 and the iDSD pro

 

[iFi audio]

^ still considering it! The iDSD pro seems to be out of stock in UK, but one dealer is trying to find a unit for me to demo. Currently considering the Burson Conductor 3, the Hugo 2 and the iDSD pro

Thanks! You might want to drop us a direct line here: support@ifi-audio.com

I can't promise anything, but perhaps our UK office will be able to help you out

 

[realmassy]

That’s what I’ve done and they have recommended that specific dealer, thanks for your help!

 

[catscratch]

Very interesting!
So when u say that there’s Trade-offs, what do u mean?
Also is the l700 tall as well, or only wide?

Btw, regarding the utopia, I heard that the HEDDphone has a similar sound sig and what I’m looking for is a replacement to the HEDDphone..

What I mean is that while the L700 is considerably better than the Clear in staging and treble resolution, it's not as good in bass extension and punch or frequency response accuracy. There is no perfect headphone and you have to pick and choose what strengths/weaknesses you want to deal with. And yes, the staging is tall and has depth. It's a very 3D stage. The Clear is also fairly 3D but a lot smaller.

 

[mendye770]

What I mean is that while the L700 is considerably better than the Clear in staging and treble resolution, it's not as good in bass extension and punch or frequency response accuracy. There is no perfect headphone and you have to pick and choose what strengths/weaknesses you want to deal with. And yes, the staging is tall and has depth. It's a very 3D stage. The Clear is also fairly 3D but a lot smaller.

I understand.
Wow I’m not sure what to do.

If u had to choose between the 2 headphones, what would u take?

 

[catscratch]

Haha sorry. It's like that Tolkien quote, "do not go to the Elves for advice for they will say both 'no' and 'yes'".

I prefer the L700, because I find the Clear to be fatiguing, and I can only listen to it for an hour or so before I have to take a break, whereas with the L700 I can listen as long as I want. However I'm more sensitive to treble harshness and fatigue than most people.

 

[mendye770]

Haha sorry. It's like that Tolkien quote, "do not go to the Elves for advice for they will say both 'no' and 'yes'".

I prefer the L700, because I find the Clear to be fatiguing, and I can only listen to it for an hour or so before I have to take a break, whereas with the L700 I can listen as long as I want. However I'm more sensitive to treble harshness and fatigue than most people.

That’s a good thing lol.
That means your hearing is still good.
Another thought I had was to get a really powerful amp like the ifi can and see how my 6xx and Hd 540 reference 1 and 2 will scale.

 

[KaiSc]

That’s a good thing lol.
That means your hearing is still good.
Another thought I had was to get a really powerful amp like the ifi can and see how my 6xx and Hd 540 reference 1 and 2 will scale.

Waste of money IMO.
I have the Sennheiser HD6xx, the HD545 and HD560-Ov-II.
No amp pairing can lift them up to STAX level, not even close.
You might gain a few percent of change to the better or worse, but won’t turn them into different headphones.

If you already own the HD6xx the Clear will only give you a variation of the same flavor.


IMO from where you are it’s time to move on, if you’re about to spent $2k.

Do yourself a favor and have a listen to the STAX SR-L700, or at least any of the STAX Lambda line to get an idea what electrostatic can give you.
If you never heard that it will be an eye opener.
The SR-L700 is the culmination of 40 years of development, quite special in this regard.
It’s more “earthed”, warmer tuned than previous models, while improving on the already exceptional resolution of it’s predecessors.

BTW: With the very simple “STAX SR-L700 Blu-Tack Mod” it can be changed to deliver earth shaking subs instead of an elevated (musical range) bass:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-stax-sr-l500-and-sr-l700-impressions-thread.785949/post-15017877

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

‘Scaling’ has got to be one of the most nonsensical things in this hobby..and the continuous tall tales of Sennies developing wings, strong subbass and resolving capabilities akin to estats because they’re hooked up to a powerplant of an amp..are well..madness.
What these monsteramps provide you with is the opportunity to turn up your music beyond what’s healthy...and LOUD always sounds better.

 

[mendye770]

Waste of money IMO.
I have the Sennheiser HD6xx, the HD545 and HD560-Ov-II.
No amp pairing can lift them up to STAX level, not even close.
You might gain a few percent of change to the better or worse, but won’t turn them into different headphones.

If you already own the HD6xx the Clear will only give you a variation of the same flavor.


IMO from where you are it’s time to move on, if you’re about to spent $2k.

Do yourself a favor and have a listen to the STAX SR-L700, or at least any of the STAX Lambda line to get an idea what electrostatic can give you.
If you never heard that it will be an eye opener.
The SR-L700 is the culmination of 40 years of development, quite special in this regard.
It’s more “earthed”, warmer tuned than previous models, while improving on the already exceptional resolution of it’s predecessors.

BTW: With the very simple “STAX SR-L700 Blu-Tack Mod” it can be changed to deliver earth shaking subs instead of an elevated (musical range) bass:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-stax-sr-l500-and-sr-l700-impressions-thread.785949/post-15017877

I hear ya!
Seems like that’s what they I’ll do.
I have to first return the HEDDphone and wait till the money comes back in...

 

[iFi audio]

That’s what I’ve done and they have recommended that specific dealer, thanks for your help!

Sure, no problem.

BTW: With the very simple “STAX SR-L700 Blu-Tack Mod” it can be changed to deliver earth shaking subs instead of an elevated (musical range) bass:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-stax-sr-l500-and-sr-l700-impressions-thread.785949/post-15017877

OK, that got me interested. It turns out that I've been using blu-tack the wrong way for years

 

[realmassy]

Quick amp update: I'm demoing two source/amps with the HEDDphone and trying to figure out if I my RME is a potential bottle neck.
I've ordered a Burson Conduction 3 Reference, but is not available at the moment and a Performance has been sent instead. The other one is the Chord Hugo 2.

Let' start with the Hugo first: I'm a bit puzzled by its build quality, for the price I was expecting something more substantial. The sounds is...how shall I put it? not to my liking
It does sound rough, edgy and not impressive at all. I feel the instruments timbre (especially strings) is unnatural. It's not a volume or gain problem, I can't pass the green light, louder than that and it sounds offensive to my ears. It will probably go back to the dealer at the end of the week.

The Conductor on the other hand is piquing my interest: it drives both the Ananda and the HEDDphone nicely, with authority. The HEDD has a live feeling now, with the RME it feels like a recording, with the Burson it's more like a live concert. It seems a bit muted on top and I'm missing the crossfeed of the RME but I'm enjoying it. Don't know if the Reference is going to be even better but even the Performance seems a good combo (as someone in this thread already mentioned).

For reference Bartók 3rd String Quartet sounds great on the Conductor...by the way any metal fan should give Bartók a listen

 

[LCMusicLover]

...Let' start with the Hugo first: I'm a bit puzzled by its build quality, for the price I was expecting something more substantial. The sounds is...how shall I put it? not to my liking
It does sound rough, edgy and not impressive at all. I feel the instruments timbre (especially strings) is unnatural. It's not a volume or gain problem, I can't pass the green light, louder than that and it sounds offensive to my ears. It will probably go back to the dealer at the end of the week.

Not consistent with my Hugo2 ==> Heddphone experience in any way. For me, green is 'comfortable', and my sound impressions don't match yours at all.

Any chance your source is over-driving the Hugo2 inputs?

As for the 'build quality' thing, that seems like a personal 'expectations' thing. To me it feels solid, although the whole 'glowing balls' show takes a bit of getting used to.

Anyway, your ears/my ears. I just wanted to comment that I have that rig and don't find it at all disappointing or offensive. I will say that I don't prefer Hedd w/ classical (especially stuff like the string quartet you posted). To my ears, HEKse does a better job.

 

[realmassy]

I'm using the USB input of the Hugo (Macbook -> Audirvana -> Hugo 2), I don't think it's a source issue.
As for the HEKse, I've never heard it, I'm sure it's a fantastic headphone, but it's way over my budget.

 

[KaiSc]

The Conductor on the other hand is piquing my interest: it drives both the Ananda and the HEDDphone nicely, with authority. The HEDD has a live feeling now, with the RME it feels like a recording, with the Burson it's more like a live concert. It seems a bit muted on top and I'm missing the crossfeed of the RME but I'm enjoying it. Don't know if the Reference is going to be even better but even the Performance seems a good combo (as someone in this thread already mentioned).

Don’t give up on the RME ADI-2 too early.
Have you tried the various DA-Filters on the ADI-2?
The default “Sharp” isn’t my first choice.
Their sound difference is bigger than that of different amplifiers!

I assume you have calibrated the amps in comparison for exact same level within less than 0.05 dB using a level meter, and have a direct switching possibility?

Else you would just compare level differences, not DAC/Amps.

I’ve conducted hundreds of A/Bs of all kind during my work as studio equipment developer, whenever levels didn’t match the result was useless.
You need an A/B switch box with double output - one for the headphones, one for the calibrating meter, to calibrate under load conditions.

I’ve built my owns,but something like this works well, for connection cut some cables and use the clamps to connect:
https://smile.amazon.de/Dynavox-AMP...lautsprecher+umschalter&qid=1612459017&sr=8-4