s0matic
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2006
- Posts
- 18
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Just nearly around 2 months w/ this current setup (Revolution 7.1 -> Zhaolu D2C w/ discreet amp -> HD-595.) This is my first official "Head-fi" setup (prior heard before these include IEM's like e2c's, EX71-LP's.) At first listen, I was not immediately impressed, but after fine-tuning in the form of minor EQ adjustments, using ASIO instead of DirectSound, and just overall more time spent with them, I have come to gain a much deeper appreciation for these things. In general, I am now very pleased with my setup.
So what's next?
I have several thoughts and questions.
- Since I have little experience with other headphones, I do not know if the Zhaolu and 595 have good "synergy" or not. My impression from others, is that the Zhaolu is a bright sounding DAC, and that the 595's are somewhat balanced yet slightly leaning to the bright side. How would you relate synergy to these kinds of descriptors?
- Speaking of descriptors like "bright" and "warm", where does this current setup fall under? I may have answered my own question here in the previous question, but I would like to get more input from other Head-fiers.
- I am terribly unsure of what my sound preferences are. I don't know if I lean towards the "warm" side, or the "bright" given my limited experience with high-end headphones. Therefore it's difficult for me to describe what I like and don't like in formal terminology. I'll list some of my observations though:
KSC-75:These definitely sound lively, but the harsh high's make them very uncomfortable for me to listen to. Plugged into the Zhaolu, sibilance is very apparent, and grating at times. EQ'ing them by decreasing the high's seems to help a bit, but then they lose their liveliness.
e2c:Very muddled. Low-end seems to be emphasized a bit, and treble lacks punch. Sounds very "compressed." Lacks clarity.What descriptor words would these IEM's fall under?
HD-595:The best way I can describe these, is that they're "in the middle, and just right." Their comfort makes them suitable for use for hours on end, and the sound is not as fatiguing as the KSC-75's are to my ears.
Electronica, such as ambient, trance, and house, sound incredible through the HD-595's (anything too bass driven such as jungle or drum and bass don't particularly shine however, but I'm assuming not many headphones fare well with these.) Is this the lower mid-range that's being highlighted here?
Rock tracks like sound pretty great. "Porcupine Tree - Trains" sounds incredible. I feel acoustic guitars, and some electric guitar, is well represented (not too much distortion.) In Muse's "Knight's of Cyndonia," the vocals in the middle of that track especially, sends chills down my spine. However, I do kind of feel that vocals could be a little more crisp as a whole, but I'm afraid that if I start seeking more crispness or detailed high-range, I'll experience the bad effects I don't like with the KSC-75's. Would Grado's fill this void without the negative side effects?
Given the above, would I be more suited to "warm" or "bright" sounding headphones? Or am I well suited with the HD-595's as is?
Last but not least, here's a shot of my very minor (no more than 1.6 DB) EQ adjustments on WinAmp:
So what's next?
I have several thoughts and questions.
- Since I have little experience with other headphones, I do not know if the Zhaolu and 595 have good "synergy" or not. My impression from others, is that the Zhaolu is a bright sounding DAC, and that the 595's are somewhat balanced yet slightly leaning to the bright side. How would you relate synergy to these kinds of descriptors?
- Speaking of descriptors like "bright" and "warm", where does this current setup fall under? I may have answered my own question here in the previous question, but I would like to get more input from other Head-fiers.
- I am terribly unsure of what my sound preferences are. I don't know if I lean towards the "warm" side, or the "bright" given my limited experience with high-end headphones. Therefore it's difficult for me to describe what I like and don't like in formal terminology. I'll list some of my observations though:
KSC-75:These definitely sound lively, but the harsh high's make them very uncomfortable for me to listen to. Plugged into the Zhaolu, sibilance is very apparent, and grating at times. EQ'ing them by decreasing the high's seems to help a bit, but then they lose their liveliness.
e2c:Very muddled. Low-end seems to be emphasized a bit, and treble lacks punch. Sounds very "compressed." Lacks clarity.What descriptor words would these IEM's fall under?
HD-595:The best way I can describe these, is that they're "in the middle, and just right." Their comfort makes them suitable for use for hours on end, and the sound is not as fatiguing as the KSC-75's are to my ears.
Electronica, such as ambient, trance, and house, sound incredible through the HD-595's (anything too bass driven such as jungle or drum and bass don't particularly shine however, but I'm assuming not many headphones fare well with these.) Is this the lower mid-range that's being highlighted here?
Rock tracks like sound pretty great. "Porcupine Tree - Trains" sounds incredible. I feel acoustic guitars, and some electric guitar, is well represented (not too much distortion.) In Muse's "Knight's of Cyndonia," the vocals in the middle of that track especially, sends chills down my spine. However, I do kind of feel that vocals could be a little more crisp as a whole, but I'm afraid that if I start seeking more crispness or detailed high-range, I'll experience the bad effects I don't like with the KSC-75's. Would Grado's fill this void without the negative side effects?
Given the above, would I be more suited to "warm" or "bright" sounding headphones? Or am I well suited with the HD-595's as is?
Last but not least, here's a shot of my very minor (no more than 1.6 DB) EQ adjustments on WinAmp: