[sugarshark]

No, quite seriously QA 2050i is indeed $500 price point. They sound more detailed than my RH-A30 headphones, but definitely less than Alpha Dogs, with which I can hear very subtle things. I was wondering maybe if I remove speaker covers I'd get better sound, but still it's not going to be Alpha Dogs grade. When I was buying QA 2050i I have also given a listen to wharfdale Diamond 155 and 157, and I really didn't like their sound signature. I liked clarity of cymbals on QA 2050i more. However at home I can see that Diamonds would probably give me more detail. Anyone other opinions? Main question remains: Which loudspeakers you recon will sound exactly the same as Alpha Dogs? Maybe monitors? How about KRK?

 
Yes monitors could be a good choice.. bit OT though, i'll pm you some details.. Adam A7 monitors are my pick

 

[swspiers]

I've been to an audiophile shop and guy told me that better cable would change a lot if it comes to detail. I started wondering if that can be true. In theory it makes sense, but I think it's probably a bulls***t, and it's these QA 2050i not delivering enough detail. What do you think? Are there any loudspeakers you can think of that sound like Alpha Dogs?

Magnepans. 
 
http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMG
 
I personally love them, but they are extremely picky about location and set-up, require a lot of power,  and they have a very narrow sweet-spot.  For those reasons, I don't own them.

 

[olegausany]

Speakers are placement and room acoustic dependent which means they could sound great at the shop or your friend's house but not so good in yours so when buying speakers it's best to have a home trial or ability to return for full refund in case you don't like how they sound. But still I wouldn't use $10 cable

 

[feverfive]

  Speakers are placement and room acoustic dependent which means they could sound great at the shop or your friend's house but not so good in yours so when buying speakers it's best to have a home trial or ability to return for full refund in case you don't like how they sound. But still I wouldn't use $10 cable

 
Exactly (bolded).  If you're not willing/able to spend a nice chunk of $$ on treating your listening room, it's largely a waste of time, IME.  People worry so much about the gear, but spend way too little time thinking about acoustics of the room, typically speaking.

 

[miceblue]

 
Speakers are placement and room acoustic dependent which means they could sound great at the shop or your friend's house but not so good in yours so when buying speakers it's best to have a home trial or ability to return for full refund in case you don't like how they sound. But still I wouldn't use $10 cable

Exactly (bolded).  If you're not willing/able to spend a nice chunk of $$ on treating your listening room, it's largely a waste of time, IME.  People worry so much about the gear, but spend way too little time thinking about acoustics of the room, typically speaking.

Indeed.
http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=KB_Columns&document_srl=1921&m=0

Speakers account for ~1-20 dB of change, whereas the listening environment accounts for ~5-20 dB.

Since this is Head-Fi and the Alpha Dog is a very good noise isolating headphone, the environment doesn't really matter as much.

 

[dc-k]

Indeed.
http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=KB_Columns&document_srl=1921&m=0

Speakers account for ~1-20 dB of change, whereas the listening environment accounts for ~5-20 dB.

Since this is Head-Fi and the Alpha Dog is a very good noise isolating headphone, the environment doesn't really matter as much.

Very interesting article, thanks

 

[vincent215]

For thoese who interested, here's a comparision between the Alpha Dog and Audeze LCD-XC http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2014/01/audeze-lcd-xc-headphones-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=audeze-lcd-xc-headphones-review&utm_reader=feedly

 

[koolas]

Indeed.
http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=KB_Columns&document_srl=1921&m=0

Speakers account for ~1-20 dB of change, whereas the listening environment accounts for ~5-20 dB.

Since this is Head-Fi and the Alpha Dog is a very good noise isolating headphone, the environment doesn't really matter as much.

Article is interesting and I would agree room is something that plays big part in proper performance. However note that if you have low-end setup moving things around your room won't change much. And this is different when you've got higher end setup. Because then you can start changing your room to see what works best for you. Nevertheless every room has its limits, and thus the choice of best setup for given room is a challenge. However I believe there could be some ball park figure around which setup for an average 20-30sqm living room with sofa and coffee table can be made. Changing the room basically changes frequency response, but what about detail? I think detail depends highly on setup and not room.

 

[gelocks]

  For thoese who interested, here's a comparision between the Alpha Dog and Audeze LCD-XC http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2014/01/audeze-lcd-xc-headphones-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=audeze-lcd-xc-headphones-review&utm_reader=feedly

 
Ugh... definitely the same guy from 6moons!!! LOL
 
Anyway, thought this was interesting:
 

Will the thrice-the-price bill settle this offset to your satisfaction? Here reviewers take the fifth. The Alpha Dog sets such a high bar for a lot less that the extra sophistication Audeze milk from their LCD-XC costs disproportionately more. But you also get the more efficient load. As one descends from the spectacular 15-watt Bakoon to lesser and lesser amps, this begins to weigh more and more in the XC’s favor.

 
Still want to try the XCs some day, but my current collection (including the Alpha's) is good for now! I think ... ... ...

 

[vincent215]

I have not yet own the Alpha Dog, but have been following the thread since Jude's announcement.
My thought so far is the Alpha Dog will replace my want for the HD800, since it is quite revealing, sound stage is not bad, and as neutral as compare to the HD800. For those reasons, the Alpha Dog fit with more music genres compare to the HD800. However, I still prefer the look of HD800, and probally comfort.

 

[JeremyR]

  My thought so far is the Alpha Dog will replace my want for the HD800, since it is quite revealing, sound stage is not bad, and as neutral as compare to the HD800. For those reasons, the Alpha Dog fit with more music genres compare to the HD800. However, I still prefer the look of HD800, and probally comfort.

 
Someone who knows more can chime in here, but it's my understanding that the HD800's are a better headphone in every way. The reason you would want something like the Alpha Dogs, is to get as close to what the HD800's are, in a closed back headphone, so you don't bother others, or get bothered by others.
 
So for most use cases, I would not think they are interchangeable as optimum solutions. If your environment affords you the option to listen to an open backed headphone, I am not sure why you would not do so.

 

[froger]

My thought so far is the Alpha Dog will replace my want for the HD800, since it is quite revealing, sound stage is not bad, and as neutral as compare to the HD800. For those reasons, the Alpha Dog fit with more music genres compare to the HD800. However, I still prefer the look of HD800, and probally comfort.

I agree with JeremyR. As good as the Alpha dogs are, I personally feel that it is not near the level of HD800. HD800 can scale much higher and is much more transparent to allow you to get closer to music and forget that you are actually listening from a pair of headphone. It is like listening to 'live' music. Alpha dogs, on the other hand just produces nice and enjoyable music.

 

[skeptic]

Hoping to be able to weigh in on how the ADs and hd800s compare to and complement one another very soon.

My Nov 9 order was evidently one day too late to be included in Dan's last shipment. Very excited for them to arrive. Should I be expecting a shipping notification when they leave San Diego?

 

[skeptic]

Nevermind that last question - shipping notification received!

 

[mrspeakers]

Hoping to be able to weigh in on how the ADs and hd800s compare to and complement one another very soon.

My Nov 9 order was evidently one day too late to be included in Dan's last shipment. Very excited for them to arrive. Should I be expecting a shipping notification when they leave San Diego?

 
Orders through the 11th are shipping today.