Tried comparing the Novo with my M1HPAP (and quickly tested with the XM6 also) now. These are only some brief-ish impressions, but I can at least say that the Novo seems to have no problem driving the HE-560 whatsoever. As far as power is considered it actually drives the HE-560 with slightly...

I gave my Novo to my father, but I'll be able to test it within a week or so. Might do it out of curiosity. I did listen to the HE-560 on Solo Ultra-linear already before ordering them though, and with those it at least worked perfectly. Didn't need to crank the volume even halfway up, and it...

Well, I'll be getting a HE-560 too it seems. Got to listen to it finally, and boy the comfort is something else compared to the earlier HiFimen. I couldn't compare them to the HD800 without a longish pause from traveling, but it was a close call between the two. The Sennheisers definitely win in...

I've tried them actually.  Gotta say that the currently reduced price is pretty tempting. And I agree about them being formidable in sound quality also, but the older hifimans are sorta heavy and not very comfortable. The supposedly increased comfiness is one of the major reasons why I'm looking...

  I know, I know. I'm still gonna give them a listen and a fair chance. Just not going to jump on them without properly testing the alternatives within the same price range also. Around here its price is directly comparable to HD800 and T1 for example, neither of which I own for now.

  Damn. I was on my way to already audition and possibly buy a HE-560 to serve as my endgame-ish headphone for general music & entertainment use, but your post pretty much stopped me right on my tracks. Guess it's better to wait for a while and look at alternatives (especially the HE-400i)...

I like cats.

I own both the Spirit Pro and DT1350 and did a ~30 min listening session with both of the headphones. Here's some impressions on both.   I used mostly metal by Eluveitie and Edguy to determine how the speed/attack factor is between the two. I'd say the attack factor is mostly even but it's...

Upgraded the amp a bit. My only regret is now that the DAC/power supplier isn't black.

Quote:   Testing just now from audiocheck.net I could hear the low frequencies with plenty of power up to lower 20s in the Hertz range. No bass boost used. 24 Hz went easily still, but I'm not sure if I heard 20 Hz anymore. 24 Hz was powerful enough that I wouldn't believe the roll-off to...

Quote:   That's a really weird statement. Most of the reviews speak of emphasized bass on the Spirit One. It's not heavily emphasized, but it goes very deep and stays very sharp and fast despite the power. There are certainly headphones with punchier, more emphasized bass but if you say...

I'd put Beyerdynamic DT770 there also. Beyers from DT770 all the way to T1 are pretty much the comfiest headphone brand I know. Noise isolation is a little bit less spectacular though. You might wanna look at closed headphones intended for mobile use if you really want good noise isolation.

Quote:   We might get a bit off from Senn's and Focals and such, but good luck trying to find Grados or Shures and such with prices comparable to the US market! Around here you need to pay as much for a Grado RS1i as for Sennheiser HD800.   So yeah, especially from an European point...

They're not as widespread as some others are. I'd say it's more of a marketing thing or lack thereof. At around 199 € they're very competitive IMO. The sound signature might be a bit dark and not "fun" enough for some though. I personally use these for EDM over all the other headphones that I have.

I found the Momentums one of the better portable headphones while I was looking for them. Compared to what I was used to the sound was a little bit "loose" on the other hand. Didn't end up getting them. But yeah, portable headphones at that price range are a little bit difficult regarding...

Quote:   You must be coming from much bassier headphoens because as far as better headphones go, Focal Spirit Ones are bassy. It doesn't have that wam mid-bass hump, but the sound *does* go really deep and low when needed. With the bass response being very fast and tight it can kinda take...

I've heard that Little Dot I+ is the best one of the little dot amps for Grados actually. Most power for low impedance headphones. Mk.III has less power for that impedance, but it also works as a preamp.   I'm using the Graham Slee Novo myself. Great synergy with Grados, though the lack of...

I have a bit of a dilemma with this amp. I really like the looks and reviews of the Little Dot Mk III but AFAIK the amp isn't too good for lower impedance (32 Ω) headphones. Most of my cans are within that impedance range. Headphone amps with good frequency extension that also work as a preamp...

Neither of the headphones you mentioned are too power-hungry so a smaller and cheaper headphone amp might be good enough for you. Both are also pretty trebly, so you might want to make sure that there's enough extension on both ends of the headphone amplifier and that the curve is flat. And if...

I got an RS1i as a christmas present. That was supposed to be the do-all end-all set of headphones that lets me be in peace and not need any other personal audio equipment ever again. Oops. A few purchases later I've caught the upgrade-itis. Right now I'm trying to find a solid state amp/preamp...

Quote:   I think Jude himself recommended the HD25-1 II for pop/rock when compared to DT1350 in a Head-Fi tv thing. It should work fine, and is pretty comfortable as far as portable on-ear things go too.   Both of those were were also something I tested while choosing my headphones...

I do not like the ultrasones all that much either, but all I've listened so far have been the pro 550s. Different cans. Sure, the M50s are a very popular choice for entry-level audiophile cans, but I would not recommend them for rock/metal in particular.

Out of those two I'd choose the ultrasones. M50 has kinda recessed mids, and rock/metal benefits from some emphasis around the freq range of electric guitars.