[a_recording]

 
Quote:

Ah, really, you have XBA-4's as well. I would have loved to try them as well! Damn! Being a bit of a bass head myself, what would you recommend for portable listening? The XBA-4, SM3 v2, W3, or would you recommend something different in that price range? It will probably be a while before I buy some better universals, but it would be great to have your impressions

 
I haven't heard the W3, just the UM3x. I was comparing the SM3v1 with the Um3x when I bought the SM3v1. Unfortunately I lost the SM3's so I replaced them with XBA-4's.
 
If you are a basshead, I actually don't think you can look past the Atrio MG5s. I really like my XBA-4 but it seems to get such a bad rap here on Head-fi that I suspect its probably better you have a listen to them (either my pair or demo them at the Sony direct kiosk in Chatswood Westfield like I did.) The SM3 is definitely the more natural sounding of the two, with a good timbre. However the XBA-4 is absolutely fun and engaging, and amazing for modern studio recordings. At the current Japanese Amazon price (about $270) I think they are a steal, especially if you want something with an iPhone mic cable.
 

 

[AyeCee]

Yer, I like how the XBA-4 can be bought much cheaper than the other two, it also looks better in my opinion. I will consider trying them out first, maybe at a future meet or at the store like you said. I really don't mind if they get a 'bad rap' on head-fi, what matters to me the most is if I enjoy their sound!
 
Also the atrio's are much cheaper on than the XBA-4's, the atrio's don't sound better do they? When I say I'm a BassHead, I mean I do prefer my bass a little forward, however I do look out for the mids and treble too.

 

[a_recording]

 
Quote:

Yer, I like how the XBA-4 can be bought much cheaper than the other two, it also looks better in my opinion. I will consider trying them out first, maybe at a future meet or at the store like you said. I really don't mind if they get a 'bad rap' on head-fi, what matters to me the most is if I enjoy their sound!
 
Also the atrio's are much cheaper on than the XBA-4's, the atrio's don't sound better do they? When I say I'm a BassHead, I mean I do prefer my bass a little forward, however I do look out for the mids and treble too.

 
To me the XBA-4 is noticeably better and belongs in the top-tier group. Soundstaging is their most standout feature

 

[AyeCee]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by a_recording /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
To me the XBA-4 is noticeably better and belongs in the top-tier group. Soundstaging is their most standout feature

 
Ok thanks, I'll definitely consider them when I buy them

 

[cheeq88]

thanks for the great time and sharing your beloved headphones with me.
 
to be fair, i'm too new to the critical listening circles to make very informed comments. I was also only able to listen to things straight out of my HPP1 so a more powerful/better amp might be required by me for next time, this will be rectified when my stepdance arrives. But I can say that I very much enjoyed the meet, but was a bit overwhelmed (and hungry). My recollections are hazy, and I'm not used to expressing what I hear in words, but in the spirit of head-fi here goes:
 
HD580: Really enjoyed these, the soundstage is not as wide as I'd hope for, but the overall balance was incredibly pleasing. I thought they did every genre that I threw at it well from acoustic, jazz and electronic. I enjoyed their slightly ?warm sound signature and good amount of bass. I could just sit and enjoy the music without worrying too much about something being lacking.
 
K701: The first time i've heard a very cold ?bright can, they had good separation and soundstage, but the sound was far too cold for me to enjoy. I just like a warmer sound.
 
Denon ADH2000: very very v shaped in my mind. the bass was to my ears overwhelming and quite boomy? it definitely ate into the midrage and made the vocals hard to enjoy. listening to acoustic music was just off balance.
 
MS1: I couldn't put a finger on what was happening with these headphones, maybe i didn't have them on correctly but they did sound a bit vague to me. They however were indeed very comfortable. I think i was overwhelmed by this stage...
 
SA3000: With whatever pads you ended up putting on them they had the widest soundstage I've ever heard. I felt that it was a bit too diffuse a sound for my liking, but I could definitely hear lots of layers. Once again, need another listen to remember what they sounded like, and maybe with stock/more normal pads to lessen the soundstage.

Z1000: Didn't really like them too much to be honest, and it was at the end of the night. They didn't particularly sit well on my massive head, and were not in the league of the HD580 (for overall awesomeness) or GR07 (for fun).
 
GR07: I very much enjoyed these. They sounded very sweet to me and reminded my the most of my beloved RE-262's. They had a good pace, relatively good soundstage, and did not emphasise one part of the spectrum too much. Definitely would like to spend more time with these, and at their price I'd be happy to invest in a pair if every I lost my 262's.
 
XBA-4: I first heard these on a recent trip to Japan, but was good to hear again. I thought these had great pace, they sounded very precise in the way that they produced everything. Not as bass heavy as I thought they would be. They did everything very well, and I was very impressed, but weren't as "fun" as i thought they would have been. Maybe I just love warm sounding earphones...
 
I also listened to the TR50Ps which were really good all rounders as well, but I'll leave my impression for when i hear them again. I'm not in a position to talk about the amps I listened to because i just have no experience with them.
 
good to meet you all!
 
 
 
 

 

[mrAdrian]

 
Quote:

thanks for the great time and sharing your beloved headphones with me.
 
to be fair, i'm too new to the critical listening circles to make very informed comments. I was also only able to listen to things straight out of my HPP1 so a more powerful/better amp might be required by me for next time, this will be rectified when my stepdance arrives. But I can say that I very much enjoyed the meet, but was a bit overwhelmed (and hungry). My recollections are hazy, and I'm not used to expressing what I hear in words, but in the spirit of head-fi here goes:
 
(...)
 
 
 

 
I was waiting for your impressions while thinking to myself, if you don't post any comments by tonight, I'll kick you out from our next meet XD
 
I'm happy that the HD580 really got you guys hooked Given how much you adore mids, I think they are the right headphone to go for. I liked how the grado can give me more soundstage when I couldn't find it on the Senn, so I agree with you with its soundstage. Most of the time it is a very cozy listening experience, but if they can grow larger while maintaining the balance/tonality, it would be a killer headphone.
 
And the Denon hehe, its not how you didn't like them, but they didn't like you. XD I loveed how you asked me are these supposed to be bass heavy hahahaha
 
And the MS1 is, weird. I'm pretty sure there is something wrong with them somewhere down the FR. Maybe I'll compare with a_recording's NEW ALUMOD MS1 haha.
 
The SA3000 with 'whatever pads you put on' (lol!) is what I need in my collection! large soundstage like my MS1 but better details and maybe erm, more 'logical' than 'emotional' for a new taste of music. Gf's gonna very dislike your comment on the SA3k soundstage being the widest however, and she will not be happy if you didn't mention them
 
 
Can't comment on IEMs because I didn't try as much. I'm glad you didn't put a comment on the TF10 because I think you will at their midrange. GR07 is no hype at all hehe. Next time I'll try your RE262
 
 
And lastly, I think someone has to sell of his Z1000 to fund something else~
 

 

[mrAdrian]

Totally irrelevant, but the Denon Dx000 line just got discontinued. D7000 replaced by the D7100...
 
From this,

 
To this,

 
 
Ridiculous. Time to buy some D7000 cups and install them on my D2000, to keep the King of Bass's glory.

 

[a_recording]

 
Quote:

And lastly, I think someone has to sell of his Z1000 to fund something else~

 
Actually I do use the Z1000 whenever I actually need to do production work where I need a studio monitor. They do quite well for that.
 
Quote:

Totally irrelevant, but the Denon Dx000 line just got discontinued. D7000 replaced by the D7100...
 
From this,

 
To this,

 
 
Ridiculous. Time to buy some D7000 cups and install them on my D2000, to keep the King of Bass's glory.

 
I am pretty sure that render will not resemble the final phone. It would be such a drastic offshoot from a target demograhic. I can believe this is a render for lower end fashion phone Denon would release, but I very much doubt they will suddenly forget the high end market with a flagship product that has none of those 'audiophile' design qualities.
 
Edit: Don't tell your girlfriend this mradrian lol but the problem I have with the AD900's soundstage is that it sounds a little diffuse / smeared, particularly because of their lack of micro-detail and grain on the sound. So the soundstage appears to be very wide but placement within the soundstage is quite poor. Meanwhile its funny, the T50RP has fantastic placement but being a closed phone the soundstage is very narrow. The SA3000 is a little in the middle ground. Placement could be better, but soundstage is quite wide.

 

[mrAdrian]

They are for real...
 

 
And you can search for the relevant threads...
 
 
Your impressions on the AD900 matches my own thoughts of the MS1000 (?!!), maybe that's why I lust for something with more precision, hence your SA.

 

[a_recording]

 
Quote:

They are for real...
 

 
And you can search for the relevant threads...
 
 
Your impressions on the AD900 matches my own thoughts of the MS1000 (?!!), maybe that's why I lust for something with more precision, hence your SA.

 
Those are honestly, ghastly.

 

[svyr]

We're thinking of organizing a new meet this year. For details please see http://www.head-fi.org/forum/newestpost/608735

(hehe I feel very spammy. Sorry for the intrusion)

 

[a_recording]

I don't see how that's an intrusion! I'm excited about a meet.
 
I don't mean to spam myself but I'm hopping another Aussie might see this, since the classified is rather obscure in the accessories subforum. I'm after a pair of stock Denon D2000 / D5000 D700 earpads for experimentaiton. Does anyone have a pair that need a good home?
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/608755/wtb-stock-denon-d2000-d5000-d7000-earpads

 

[audionewbi]

Such a shame i missed it, it would have been great considering UNSW is my uni! 

 

[mrAdrian]

Well 'fortunately' uni is about to start again in a week's time, maybe if we get enough people - 3~5, we can host another one? I'm all for it

 

[audionewbi]

^yea it wouldnt be as fun considering I am graduating next session.  
So that explains the few exotic looking headphone/iem I see around uni.