[hifimiami]

Hi please provide impressions with Omni Rosewood? Has anyone tried a silver cable with Omni?

 

[Stillhart]

  the 560 is airier faster and has more clarity and has a harder impact
 
but the worse tone IMO is what gives the omni an edge. The 560 just sounds compressed in comparison. The omni is also more detailed, better seperation, more ambiant bass and a overall more lush and pleasing sound.
 
In terms of balance the 560 is a tad too bright but the omnis is far too bassy. But you can modify the front damping to fix that on the omni.

 
Been spending the evening here comparing the Blackwood Omni to my HE-560 and I was startled to realize that the Omni is more detailed than the 560.  Now that I have a supremely detailed amp (Cavalli Liquid Crimson), it's really obvious.  I fully agree that the Omni is more detailed, has better separation, more bass and a lusher sound.  
 
It's odd because the 560 is brighter and airier, which most people equate with more detail.  It's just not so.  The 560 feels... soft... compared to the Omni.
 
I also completely agree that the 560 is a tad too bright and the Omni is too bassy (for me).  I wouldn't say it's FAR too bassy... the flavor of the Omni really favors certain genres of music and within those genres it's fantastic.  It's once you get out of its comfort zone that the bass becomes too much.  
 
My hat's off to Zach for pulling this much performance out of the humble T50RP driver.

 

[MLegend]

   
Been spending the evening here comparing the Blackwood Omni to my HE-560 and I was startled to realize that the Omni is more detailed than the 560.  Now that I have a supremely detailed amp (Cavalli Liquid Crimson), it's really obvious.  I fully agree that the Omni is more detailed, has better separation, more bass and a lusher sound.  
 
It's odd because the 560 is brighter and airier, which most people equate with more detail.  It's just not so.  The 560 feels... soft... compared to the Omni.
 
I also completely agree that the 560 is a tad too bright and the Omni is too bassy (for me).  I wouldn't say it's FAR too bassy... the flavor of the Omni really favors certain genres of music and within those genres it's fantastic.  It's once you get out of its comfort zone that the bass becomes too much.  
 
My hat's off to Zach for pulling this much performance out of the humble T50RP driver.

What made you decide that the Omni is more detailed than the 560? Don't forget, if it's too bassy for you then you could have Zach retune them for you. 

 

[Stillhart]

  What made you decide that the Omni is more detailed than the 560? Don't forget, if it's too bassy for you then you could have Zach retune them for you. 

 
Oddly phrased question there.  I have both headphones plugged into my amp so swapping between them is a simple matter.  The volume matching isn't quite right because of different sensitivities, but it's pretty close and honestly the difference in detail isn't particularly subtle.
 
I was listening to a song off "The Yes Album", can't recall which, and swapped back and forth and I could clearly hear more decay/reverb/spacial cues on the vocals with the Omni.  It's odd because, as I said, the 560 is brighter and going back and forth makes the Omni sound recessed in the treble (relatively speaking). Yet the extra detail is there.  Also, there is more space between the notes, which adds to the perception of the detail.
 
As far as the bass, once you listen to only the Omni for a while, it doesn't seem so out of place.  And yeah, I know Zach can tune it back a little if needed.  I'm not sure I want to sacrifice its strengths for that though.  I was listenening to some California Guitar Trio tonight and it was amazeballs.
 
Look this one up on Tidal:
  

 

[tvnosaint]

Agreed. You don't expect that lush sound to carry more information but it is undeniable. It takes a while for me to enjoy the 560 again after prolonged sessions with the omni. It's still a great hp as well, just not omnipotent .

 

[MLegend]

   
Oddly phrased question there.  I have both headphones plugged into my amp so swapping between them is a simple matter.  The volume matching isn't quite right because of different sensitivities, but it's pretty close and honestly the difference in detail isn't particularly subtle.
 
I was listening to a song off "The Yes Album", can't recall which, and swapped back and forth and I could clearly hear more decay/reverb/spacial cues on the vocals with the Omni.  It's odd because, as I said, the 560 is brighter and going back and forth makes the Omni sound recessed in the treble (relatively speaking). Yet the extra detail is there.  Also, there is more space between the notes, which adds to the perception of the detail.
 
As far as the bass, once you listen to only the Omni for a while, it doesn't seem so out of place.  And yeah, I know Zach can tune it back a little if needed.  I'm not sure I want to sacrifice its strengths for that though.  I was listenening to some California Guitar Trio tonight and it was amazeballs.
 
Look this one up on Tidal:
  

Thanks for explaining. Which version of Moonlight Sonata are you referring to on Tidal? There are a ton of different artists that have covered it.

 

[Stillhart]

  Thanks for explaining. Which version of Moonlight Sonata are you referring to on Tidal? There are a ton of different artists that have covered it.

 
The one by California Guitar Trio.   Here:  http://listen.tidal.com/album/49222236

 

[zach915m]

Hah - it seems that everyone who talked of the Omni's being too bassy or on the cusp of too bassy has the Blackwood Omni.  It's amazing how Blackwood has such robust meaty bass.  I tried putting the cowhide pads on my set, and although the sound may be a tad lusher, the bass isn't as meaty as with the Protein or Lamb pads.   I hadn't done the comparison in a while but it does seem to be true. 
 
Also interesting, the couple of Bocote sets I have finished weigh the same and seem to be about the same hardness as Blackwood, but the overall sound including the bass is a touch more diffused and the bass seems a little less robust because of that.  This is because of the small micro-pores in Bocote and the slight less density of the wood. 
 
BTW I still stand by that I love all the woods, really whatever I am listening to is my favorite.  I discussed w @Stillhart the different woods, and although the presentations are slightly different the tuning is the same so they really are way more simialar than different.
 
------
 
Other note, I'm back at the office from my family trip and will be hammering out headphones and starting shipping by the end of the week.

 

[Stillhart]

Yep, they really are far more similar than different.  The changes from the different woods are pretty subtle.  The most obvious difference is the weight.  :-D

 

[MLegend]

   
The one by California Guitar Trio.   Here:  http://listen.tidal.com/album/49222236

Thank you. Wow this sounds really good. Thanks for introducing me to this band. Really nice find.

 

[Stillhart]

  Thank you. Wow this sounds really good. Thanks for introducing me to this band. Really nice find.

 
No worries.  Those guys trained with Robert Fripp and his League of Crafty Guitarists.  I saw them live a GAMH in San Franciso and it was fantastic.
 
Omni suits their music well!

 

[zach915m]

  Hi please provide impressions with Omni Rosewood? Has anyone tried a silver cable with Omni?

 
I only really have the DHC comp 4 silver and copper to compare, but the silver is surprisingly smooth and extended without any fatiguing qualities that can be associated with silver.  I don't know how much of this is the headphones or the cable being made of high purity/quality wire, but even my wife always says she prefers listening through the pure silver comp 4 over the copper version.  I think it may just add that upper upper octave air to the Omni that helps make it sound even more open without adding any harshness or anything.  So yeah, I can definitely say pure silver cables work well with the Omni!
 
As far as SPC, I haven't actually tested any cables that are SPC so I'm not sure, but I do remember in the past finding them harsher sounding then pure silver cables I have used in general.

 

[ninjapirate9901]

For those interested, below are some measurements from my rather unreliable rig (cardboard box/EMM-6/2i2) on the differences between the lambskin and cowhide pads:
 
Lambskin
 


 
 
 
Cowhide
 


(Note that the dips around 7kHz and 10kHz are likely issues with my coupler.)
 
 
Bonus pic
 

(sorry it's a bit blurry, mucking about with an old manual lens...)

 

[grizzlybeast]

For those interested, below are some measurements from my rather unreliable rig (cardboard box/EMM-6/2i2) on the differences between the lambskin and cowhide pads:

Lambskin








Cowhide





(Note that the dips around 7kHz and 10kHz are likely issues with my coupler.)


Bonus pic



(sorry it's a bit blurry, mucking about with an old manual lens...)

Like wood warmth a little eh? Me too. How would you rank those based on most head time or overall favorite?

 

[joeq70]

After some additional A/B'ing I've found that there is something kind of magical about the sound of the ZMF Lambskin Pads. 
 
The major differences/distinctions I hear:
 
Lambskin:
-Larger soundstage, better instrument placement
-More sub bass
-Slight softness to the sound (less fatiguing but comes across as perhaps a little less detailed)
-A more relaxed presentation
-More forgiving to bad recordings
-lighter and more comfortable
 
Cowhide:
 
-More immediacy to the sound--not harsh but more up front and aggressive sounding
-Sound is a bit crisper and comes across as more resolving
-Soundstage is less spacious--but imaging left/right is more pronounced 
-Firmer/punchier sound--some midbass emphasis
-less sub bass but the bass that is there sounds a bit tighter
-cowhide stays cool on the skin
 
 
It is easy to imagine a person preferring one over the other but there is honestly not an obvious choice. Now that I have given more head time to both pads it is not an easy choice at all! I previously fell in love with the Cowhides because they gave a sound that I was more accustomed to, coming from Magnums and HD600s. For now, I think I will be sticking with the lambskin because they sound better with more of my music and then I will revisit the pad issue when my balanced cable comes in and I am able to use my Mjolnir. 
 
By the way, a side note...may be hard for some to believe but the Omni sounds surprisingly excellent straight from my Aune T1.