Im not sure how accurate that is. I will say that its definitely more than the Mad Dogs but I like atleast one plug in. How much db boost would a Mad dog have?It means 4db boost from how it sounds with all ports closed. I will say that I am satisfied for sure. I dont think the pandora will have all the bass you want. I call it slightly above neutral but very impactful with good rumble on songs that have a lot of it. If the song is mixed with a lot of bass the pandora will reward you.
The amp I have now and the amp I had before could be the reason as well as there was a definite bass boost in my previous one, subtle but there as it gave my fostex mods some legs and the pandora sounded nice on it.
tried the AD2000 suedepads on the Pandora6...
very comfy, flatish kind of pancakepad
Didnt feel the grit of the drivers against my ears yet..
cups stayed in place.
neutralish, damped-recordingroom ambience,
(as if i am really hearing the can for what it is?).
The mids coming thru smoothly melodiously thru Josh Groban.."To where U Are",
"Colors of the Wind" Vanessa Williams soaring unhindered.
Stage reverbs on "BillieJean" wellcontrolled, bass pounding is taut, realistic.
Steve Winwood having a free clarion swing in "Higher Love", lovely.
Playing some Bach harpsichord music now.. beautifully resonating thru the churchhall .
So, I've been listening to the VIs for about a month or so now, and I find them addictive. They are not uncomfortable, but they are a bit small for my ears.... I am using them with a Lynx Hilo, as both dac and amp, fed from a vortexbox computer, via ifi iUSB and iLink. Everything is plugged into great power conditioning/cords, and I love the sound I am getting from this system.
I have not tried them with my phone or dap, but in my system, I really look forward to putting them on and just enjoying the music. These give me more of an 'out of head' stage than just about anything else I have tried, they have very natural timbre/tonality, and are dynamic. I listen to a lot of acoustic jazz, so I put together my system to get the instruments sounding right, that is, how they would sound if they were present. I do not want my system to alter the sound to get a particular sonic result....
I really do love these, for me they strike a great balance between richness/warmth/body and sparkle/liveliness........ when i am listening to them, I never wonder 'what-if' this or that sonic parameter was different, I just enjoy the music, and these make me want to listen more, rather than less.
So, I've been listening to the VIs for about a month or so now, and I find them addictive. They are not uncomfortable, but they are a bit small for my ears.... I am using them with a Lynx Hilo, as both dac and amp, fed from a vortexbox computer, via ifi iUSB and iLink. Everything is plugged into great power conditioning/cords, and I love the sound I am getting from this system.
I have not tried them with my phone or dap, but in my system, I really look forward to putting them on and just enjoying the music. These give me more of an 'out of head' stage than just about anything else I have tried, they have very natural timbre/tonality, and are dynamic. I listen to a lot of acoustic jazz, so I put together my system to get the instruments sounding right, that is, how they would sound if they were present. I do not want my system to alter the sound to get a particular sonic result....
I really do love these, for me they strike a great balance between richness/warmth/body and sparkle/liveliness........ when i am listening to them, I never wonder 'what-if' this or that sonic parameter was different, I just enjoy the music, and these make me want to listen more, rather than less.
the Pandora Hope 6 sounds incredible on the E18 in highgain, off a McAir...
the soundstage just took on a deep big spacious energetic feel, the synergy is fantastic !!
( didnt quite get this sound on my home setup..audiogd plus minus tubes blablabla )
Couple of words about metal music + Pandora Hope VI.
(Summary on impressions on metal + 37 cans is here http://www.head-fi.org/t/715478/headphones-for-metal-music-ultimate-solution)
Final Audio Design Pandora Hope VI
Headphones are assigned to the middle level category due to their excessive "nonflatness", although considering the price ($ 699) they are closer to the top level. It’s desirable in comparison with their colleagues to praise Pandora Hope VI, and not vice versa.
To begin with, the cans sound signature is “painted” furiously as psychedelic matryoshka on the Arbat street. Or taking into account country and manufacturer, let’s remember anime (robots and cyberpunk type). Timbre is filled with liquid metal. Bass is thick, greasy and full of balanced armature buzzy meat. To make such a fat sound (fat often not found in the original record) hard task even for LCD-2. And nevertheless bass is extremely fast and mobile. Strange and interesting experience. Mids are perhaps even dryish, no such sweetness and forwardness as one would expect from such a breed of Japanese headphones. Highs are sparkling (in a good sense of the word, not overly bright), armature-style highs. Soundstage is wide, especially for the closed cans.
Let's look at the bright stripes of this cocktail: Alternative: Perhaps for the first time listening for metal music I hear so metal. Indeed, steel notes are present in a voice of Pandora. Unique, fascinating. Doom: And here all is perfect. Isodynamic top cans can do better, but the price tag is going to be top also. Sludge, Stoner: At Doom it was good and it’s good here also. Buzzing bass meat is in it’s place. Power: Have fun. Rollicking. Bells are ringing. Gypsy-style power metal Very worth of listening, very special. Grindcore: A clear, sharp, powerful attacks do not show faults found on Death and Black. Balanced armature creates a background, really interesting in the context of grindcore. Thrash: Wow. Roller coaster with a stop in the pool and splashing fountains. Refreshes and invigorates. Does not come off. Even a slight lack of punch is forgivable, perhaps.
Let's look at the dark stripes: Industrial: The problem with punch is still present plus it’s multiplied by visible on industrial music insufficient extension of the bass. Black: First impression – dynamic and fleshy at the same time. But final impression is spoiled by the cluttering of small details by armature-style buzzing. Progressive: Broad soundstage pleases certainly, but for the genre more neutral and more technical presentation would be a plus. Playfulness is clearly superfluous. Although such a rollicking version can really please somebody.
Cans - feast, cans - holiday. Unnatural, but very exciting. At the middle level – positively are monsters. If you don’t care too much about neutrality – Pandora could be even top cans for you.
I just stumbled across this sad news in another thread and thought You might be intersted since you have a phone of his (or think about it) .
Kanemori Takai, the founder of FAD has passed away in June 2014.
Its always sad to see a visionary go... I've only listened to Pandora IV and VI for a short time (while quite a lot of fun it might not fit my taste in the long run), but looking over all of his creations there was a tremendous will to create unusual designs, not feeling limited by common wisdom. Interesting. I think its not easy for FAD to follow up...
I've been lusting after a pair of these for a while now and decided to bite the bullet and order some. I've dabbled with a number of headphones over the last few years (can't say I haven't enjoyed it) but now seems like the time to settle down with a long term partner
Prices here in the UK are fairly steep (£699 which I think equates to around $1200 USD) so I'm considering importing from Japan.
Buying headphones from Japan doesn't seem all that easy though so I'm thinking of using a forwarding service. The only one I've really heard much about is Tenso but I've also seen the odd post on head-fi about BuySmartJapan and right now they seem a good bit cheaper, as they're currently offering free EMS shipping on headphones and charging a 10% handling fee rather than their usual 15%. Even after I factor in import taxes etc. it works out around £410-£420 landed which is a considerable saving but I can probably kiss the warranty goodbye.
Did any of you use such a service to buy your PH VI's and, if so, how did it go?
Also are there any known reliability issues with the Pandoras that I should take into consideration before ordering?
I've been lusting after a pair of these for a while now and decided to bite the bullet and order some. I've dabbled with a number of headphones over the last few years (can't say I haven't enjoyed it) but now seems like the time to settle down with a long term partner
Prices here in the UK are fairly steep (£699 which I think equates to around $1200 USD) so I'm considering importing from Japan.
Buying headphones from Japan doesn't seem all that easy though so I'm thinking of using a forwarding service. The only one I've really heard much about is Tenso but I've also seen the odd post on head-fi about BuySmartJapan and right now they seem a good bit cheaper, as they're currently offering free EMS shipping on headphones and charging a 10% handling fee rather than their usual 15%. Even after I factor in import taxes etc. it works out around £410-£420 landed which is a considerable saving but I can probably kiss the warranty goodbye.
Did any of you use such a service to buy your PH VI's and, if so, how did it go?
Also are there any known reliability issues with the Pandoras that I should take into consideration before ordering?
I haven't used them for the Pandoras, but have used them for other headphone orders, haven't had any problems using them, much easier to use than others that are popular,like Tenso imo.
I haven't used them for the Pandoras, but have used them for other headphone orders, haven't had any problems using them, much easier to use than others that are popular,like Tenso imo.
I've been lusting after a pair of these for a while now and decided to bite the bullet and order some. I've dabbled with a number of headphones over the last few years (can't say I haven't enjoyed it) but now seems like the time to settle down with a long term partner
Prices here in the UK are fairly steep (£699 which I think equates to around $1200 USD) so I'm considering importing from Japan.
Buying headphones from Japan doesn't seem all that easy though so I'm thinking of using a forwarding service. The only one I've really heard much about is Tenso but I've also seen the odd post on head-fi about BuySmartJapan and right now they seem a good bit cheaper, as they're currently offering free EMS shipping on headphones and charging a 10% handling fee rather than their usual 15%. Even after I factor in import taxes etc. it works out around £410-£420 landed which is a considerable saving but I can probably kiss the warranty goodbye.
Did any of you use such a service to buy your PH VI's and, if so, how did it go?
Also are there any known reliability issues with the Pandoras that I should take into consideration before ordering?
And I highly recommend that you check out these guys for a shipping service from Japan: http://request.whiterabbitexpress.com/
Hadn't I had the great help of a kind member on here I would have definitely went with them. They're all English speaking and accept Paypal which sets them apart last time I checked.
I'm still rocking the Pandora. Great headphone! It does so well with electronic music. De-li-cious.
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