[ardgedee]

Quote:

The Signature Pro is, for all intents and purposes, the most even-handed creation Ultrasone has made thus far. The Edition 9 was a bass monster and the Edition 8 was a treble monster, but the Signature Pro is surprisingly linear.

 
I've only heard the three of these at meets, in totally unlike circumstances each time, but the Sig Pro is the first one to actually grab me with its uninterestingness, so to speak. It didn't betray a typical closed-headphone sound -- neither did the Ed 8, but for whatever reason it failed to make me think I might want one some day. If I were to buy an Ultrasone purely based on what I've experienced, I'd get a Sig Pro. As it stands, it's certainly a headphone I want to try again in better circumstances, and possibly add to my shortlist of headphones to buy. It's very nice and, as a bonus (by my perspective), it's considerably less ostentatious than the Edition series phones.
 
Meets are not the place to try out headphones and write reviews of them, but it is a good place to establish first impressions, if one can keep an even mind about it ("well, that didn't sound good, but it was an open headphone and unfamiliar music in a noisy room, so I won't write it off...").
 
(Edit: Oh hello there, Page 500!)

 

[jgray91]

Quote:

When audiophiles start talking about listening to nothing but this or that symphony in the highest caliber lossless format---getting hyper specific about how detailed certain things are like the sound of bows touching strings with this or that piece of $5000+ equipment---I have this involuntary reaction where my eyes roll back into my head and I start groaning. It's a legitimate condition, so it's not my fault.
 
"I only listen to classical music."
 
"But what do you make love to?"

I read a review of a DAC or an amp, where the reviewer touched on burn-in of amps and DACs. It was something funny about how his "eyes rolls around in [his] eye sockets". I swear it was damn funny. Spraying-coffee-over-computer funny.

 

[jgray91]

All my hate past, present and future towards the RUssian Post. My stock T50RP ear pads is going loose by the minute and can't support pad-stuffing no more, and the Beyer gel pads I bought from a Head-fier as a replacement, which btw should be only a week from Romania IIRC, is overdue 3 weeks. This is way bad than usual. Not seeing additional big purchases when I'm back in Moscow after summer.
 
/rant-cry

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

So, tonight is all about writing my CV. There's really not a lot to write though ... 5-6 years worth of studying and a few jobs. We'll see if anyone bites the bait. My friend got himself a job rather quickly (took him three days to get a job). Oh well, when I'm done writing my CV and making it look good, I'll send it out to a plethora of recruiters. If I'm lucky, I should get some kind of job, hopefully something within databases, programming or information security. Just something that pays well enough, and is a good working environment - not really looking into it with my "career" in mind.

 
Enter into this with a healthy mindset and try to have some real respect for your accomplishments. My partner suffered similar angst while wrapping up her thesis and looking for work, and after a couple rounds of interviewing for jobs that she had to compete hard for and wasn't enthusiastic about, a job that suited her unique skillset to a T was practically handed to her. That was luck, true, but luck favors the prepared mind.
 
Quote:

When audiophiles start talking about listening to nothing but this or that symphony in the highest caliber lossless format---getting hyper specific about how detailed certain things are like the sound of bows touching strings with this or that piece of $5000+ equipment---I have this involuntary reaction where my eyes roll back into my head and I start groaning. It's a legitimate condition, so it's not my fault.

 
I think it's a perfectly valid path to take in the hobby; if that's what they're looking for, godspeed. I think, though, that they, as we, generalize their tastes as the normative approach, and on the whole it's just too precious and idiosyncratic to be appealing even to many people who can afford that tier of hardware.
 
The accentuated "hi-fi" highs are kind of a part of the convention of what middle aged men are looking for; now that they're established professionally and have the money to indulge in what they've long wanted, but their hearing isn't quite as acute as it was, letting the hardware make up for their own weaknesses is not really a fault. And some people just like an uptilted treble. I kind of do, from time to time, but at best as one color in a palette of several.
 
In other random thoughts, I'm finding it hard to talk myself out of the Gui Ling in the for-sale section. My self-imposed ban on buying another set of customs is weakening. If the price was low enough, I would probably snap.

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

I swear, I love reading your posts Muppetface. So much goodness

 
 
I personally have my eyes set on 3 things to try: ASG1.2, ATH AD2000, or some ATH ESW9a's. I love my M80's, don't get me wrong, but something about the ESW9's makes me want to drop everything to try them.
 
 
So many people love Audio Technica, and I really wish there was something <$200 that was full sized to test it >_< AD900 anyone?

 
I think the AD900 would be a decent (but not great) indicator of what the AD2000 would sound and feel like, but not a great indicator of what the ESW9 will be like. I love Audio Technica myself but strangely currently only have one pair of AT's, the Pro700 MK2 ANV, which is almost like another company entirely. The mids are typical AT, even on the Pro700 though.
 
Quote:

When you guys call the ASG rev 1.2 dark, just how dark do you mean? For instance I have Miles davis tribs which I consider relatively bass/mid heavy and "dark" but I'm not sure what the word "dark" means.

 
I generally think of 'dark' as different from 'warm', in that while warm might mean a mid-bass hump, something sounds 'dark' to me when the sub-bass is at least as prominent as the mid-bass, if not more. Something that sounds dark usually sounds warm, but something that sounds warm isn't necessarily dark. 
 
I consider something like the XBA-4, Meelec CC51 or SM3 dark for instance. However the terms dark and warm are sometimes used interchangeably because they are interrelated, that's just my interpretation of them.
 
In truth the only IEM I've ever heard which is dark but not warm is the MG5, and I'm not even sure I would consider that dark because of the distinct V shape of the sound.
Quote:

 
"I only listen to classical music."
 
"But what do you make love to?"

 
Sorry Muppet, but you've given me the image of two people making love with headphones on.
 
Or better yet, two people making love, having hired a Professional DJ to be in the corner of the bedroom and spin some tunes appropriate to the action.
 
The second idea appeals to my sense of absurdist humour, but the first is actually kind of... intriguing.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Yeah, and the 8's too.

 
Cool.  Thanks
 
Quote:

When audiophiles start talking about listening to nothing but this or that symphony in the highest caliber lossless format---getting hyper specific about how detailed certain things are like the sound of bows touching strings with this or that piece of $5000+ equipment---I have this involuntary reaction where my eyes roll back into my head and I start groaning. It's a legitimate condition, so it's not my fault.
 
"I only listen to classical music."
 
"But what do you make love to?"

 
Possibly the headphones.  Never buy used from that sort of person.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Sorry Muppet, but you've given me the image of two people making love with headphones on.
 
Or better yet, two people making love, having hired a Professional DJ to be in the corner of the bedroom and spin some tunes appropriate to the action.
 
The second idea appeals to my sense of absurdist humour, but the first is actually kind of... intriguing.

 
Better use HD25s and DT1350s so they stay put...

 

[ardgedee]

I'm finally getting around to listening to The Books' last album.

It's jarring how angry it is. All the albums have dark undercurrents to some degree -- it's the balance of their musical playfulness and dense emotional complexity that first drew me in -- but this seems bludgeoning and black compared to the back catalog.

 

[gelocks]

Arrrrghhhh stop talking about the Ultrasones pleeeeeaaassseeee!!!!
(my Signature Pros still have not arrived yet!!)

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

I have also been using the W3000ANV for daily commute lately. This morning I am wearing my W3000ANV using a portable iPhone-Fostex-SR71A combo (which is hidden in my Burberry suitcase) on the MTR (the sub / underground in Hong Kong). A kid walked by wearing BEATS BY DR DRE and turned around at me and had that look of he is using something superior to mine. Well, who knows, may be true.  

 
For $DEITY's sake he actually did it...
 
The R10s are next...

 

[compoopers]

I generally think of 'dark' as different from 'warm', in that while warm might mean a mid-bass hump, something sounds 'dark' to me when the sub-bass is at least as prominent as the mid-bass, if not more. Something that sounds dark usually sounds warm, but something that sounds warm isn't necessarily dark. 

I consider something like the XBA-4, Meelec CC51 or SM3 dark for instance. However the terms dark and warm are sometimes used interchangeably because they are interrelated, that's just my interpretation of them.

In truth the only IEM I've ever heard which is dark but not warm is the MG5, and I'm not even sure I would consider that dark because of the distinct V shape of the sound.

Thanks, I'm slowly but steadily understanding all these hifi terms.

Happy 500 pages, by the way!!

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

I'm finally getting around to listening to The Books' last album.
It's jarring how angry it is. All the albums have dark undercurrents to some degree -- it's the balance of their musical playfulness and dense emotional complexity that first drew me in -- but this seems bludgeoning and black compared to the back catalog.

 
It definitely is a darker album, and a few tracks verge into a kind of biting sarcasm or mockery of the source samples that I didn't really find present in their earlier albums. I did enjoy it for its kind of dark whimsy (I've had great reactions from friends playing "A Cold Freezin' NIght" to them in the car) but it doesn't approach the same kind of sublime level as the other albums - except for the one track, Free Translator, which I think is easily one of my favourite feel-good tracks of all time.

 

[veyrongatti]

wow 500 pages weve gone a long way..... 

 

[DigitalFreak]

I wonder what will happen when we hit page 1000...maybe Jude will send us all limited edition Fostex TH-900's???

 

[veyrongatti]

Quote:

I wonder what will happen when we hit page 1000...maybe Jude will send us all limited edition Fostex TH-900's???

we can dream