[owenhan]

Thanks aimlink, those are very interesting insights. A lot of food for thought. I'm gonna go back to the store tomorrow and have a long listen to the 650's, d5000's and k702's. Though I'll probably end up liking them all for the individual merits you pointed out I have a feeling I'll be gravitating more toward the 650's.

There have been some ibasso recommendations in this thread and I initially dismissed them. However I just decided to check out the DAC section of the shop's website and was very pleasantly surprised to find a range of ibasso products! Including the D1, D2, MadT4 and D10. So how well would the D10's suit 650's? And would the D10's DAC sound better than an iPod's line out or an Auzentech Forte? Since I'll be using my headphones at home out of a computer I'll be using a sound card and the D10's DAC might be wasted. I'm assuming there would be better amps than the D10 at the same price.

*edit* Nvm, I don't think I'll be getting a portable.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenhan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks aimlink, those are very interesting insights. A lot of food for thought. I'm gonna go back to the store tomorrow and have a long listen to the 650's, d5000's and k702's. Though I'll probably end up liking them all for the individual merits you pointed out I have a feeling I'll be gravitating more toward the 650's.

Perhaps. I'm considering either getting back an HD650 or just going for the HD800's since I'm becoming more aware of the kind of sound that I'm really after for the long haul. One thing I couldn't do and which you've been doing, is auditioning. I've never been able to audition any cans or equipment. I can only purchase and if I don't like then I sell it.

 

[owenhan]

Wow I can't imagine buying headphones without auditioning them first. But I'm just a poor student so I really need to be 100% sure about something before I part with any money. I'm lucky enough to be in Shanghai for a short while where there are a few actual shop fronts that sell these, unlike back home in Sydney where I'm not sure such a place exists. And besides, Australian prices are a joke.

Guess I better make the most of my access to these expensive toys. The HD800 really does seem like a huge leap of faith though if you haven't played around with them already.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenhan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow I can't imagine buying headphones without auditioning them first. But I'm just a poor student so I really need to be 100% sure about something before I part with any money. I'm lucky enough to be in Shanghai for a short while where there are a few actual shop fronts that sell these, unlike back home in Sydney where I'm not sure such a place exists. And besides, Australian prices are a joke.

I've had to rely on opinions on head-fi, as well as doing some bold purchases. For instance, I bought the SR325is to see what the fuss was all about. It seemed like a controversial pair to buy, so I did so out of curiosity to better understand some of the opinions here as well as to better understand my own tastes relative to others here. I know that as a student, this sort of practice isn't always possible.

It's been very meaningful and I've grown to be able to predict with a high degree of accuracy what I'm to expect.

My Ed8 purchase was made from careful appraisal of the impressions here. I did get what I wanted. I had steered away from the HD800's because I was looking for a sound with a more weighted bass presentation. I was happy at first, but then I felt something wasn't quite right. Again, I went with a reputable, but bang for the buck can, i.e., the K702 which are supposed to be quite different from the Ed8 in tonal balance. Again, interesting discoveries.

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenhan /img/forum/go_quote.gif Guess I better make the most of my access to these expensive toys. The HD800 really does seem like a huge leap of faith though if you haven't played around with them already.

IMO, if you have experience with other cans and read the experience of HD800's owners, i.e., worshipers, appreciators and dislikers, you get a good impression of what to expect. After the positive experience with the K702 sound, I think I'm on the right track.

For the future, I'm having a feeling that I may well become a fan of electrostats and may well venture there before trying a tube amp.

 

[owenhan]

Yeah I see what you mean. It all comes with experience and time, and I'm trying as hard as I can to skip as much of the learning curve as possible. I guess it's impossible to jump straight to something I'll be happy with forever but I think I can make a good start. I suppose the journey is important, I just hope it doesn't end up costing me too much.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by owenhan /img/forum/go_quote.gif ..... I just hope it doesn't end up costing me too much.

After reading this, you know what came to mind.

Vincent Pryce's laugh at the very end of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.

Sorry about your wallet!

Call it a salutation way in advance.

 

[cmanc]

Lol. You went from considering a 325i to a Sennheiser. They're almost completely the opposite. The thing I like about grados is that you can create a very pronounced change the sound signature simply by changing the earpads. In fact I feel a major part of the 'burn-in' for grados is headband pressure change and ear-pad wear. This is a cheap way to see what kinda taste you have without spending big. The sound from my spare Bowls (pretty much brand new) compared to my worn bowl pads (3+ year olds) has changed so significantly that I can no longer say they sound shrill from my worn pair. Try a pair of flat pads on a 325i and tell me it's bright.

It's like a completely different pair of headphones - it becomes dark with more body and warmth, like a sennheiser, but now the mids sound muffled and you lose the intimacy in the vocals. The Yellow HD414 pads give you an in between sound.

 

[Bilavideo]

The $300 325's are a better value than the $700 RS-1s. After a full burn-in, the RS-1 has its merits. It has significantly better bass (by about 3-4 dB at 100 Hz). But between 200 and 500 Hz, the RS-1 is warmer than the 325 (which may be as much a liability as an asset). While both headphones share a very close pattern from 700 Hz through 10 kHz, the RS-1 has a slightly sharper spike at 2 kHz, a slightly deeper trough near 3 kHz, a slightly higher spike from 5 kHz - 6 kHz only a better signature from 6 kHz to 8 kHz and from 12 kHz to 14 kHz.

To my ears, the RS-1's overly warm signature in the 200 - 500 Hz region made it less attractive to my ears. For all the hew and cry about the 325's strident highs, I found the HF patterns so similar that I wouldn't again spend $700 on the RS-1 over the $300 325. But that's me. I did spend $500 on the HF-2, which splits the difference between these two headphones and does it quite nicely.

 

[sampson_smith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif For all the hew and cry about the 325's strident highs, I found the HF patterns so similar that I wouldn't again spend $700 on the RS-1 over the $300 325. But that's me. I did spend $500 on the HF-2, which splits the difference between these two headphones and does it quite nicely.

Good points, all 'round. True story.

 

[owenhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif After reading this, you know what came to mind. Vincent Pryce's laugh at the very end of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. Sorry about your wallet! Call it a salutation way in advance.

Hehe, owell. I guess I knew what I was getting into when I joined this community.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmanc /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lol. You went from considering a 325i to a Sennheiser. They're almost completely the opposite.

Yes they really are quite different but after a while with both I'm starting to get a better idea of what I want. And I just don't have enough faith in the ability of burn in or pad wear/type to lay down this kind of money and expect the phones to change to my liking. The RS1i isn't too far off but for the 325's to change to the point I want just doesn't seem possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif The $300 325's are a better value than the $700 RS-1s. After a full burn-in, the RS-1 has its merits.

This is pretty much what I expect, and if they were a few hundred dollars cheaper I'd seriously consider them. Unfortunately I can't find a seller of the HF2's.

 

[regal]

Another to consider are the MS-Pros, to me they have the best qualities of the 325is &the RS1i's and you can buy them for around $500 new . I prefer them to my HF-2s , the HF2's are too sennheiser sounding for my tastes.

 

[gopack87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by regal /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another to consider are the MS-Pros, to me they have the best qualities of the 325is &the RS1i's and you can buy them for around $500 new . I prefer them to my HF-2s , the HF2's are too sennheiser sounding for my tastes.

I've thought about getting the Pro's, but according to Alessandro's site, there the same price as the RS1i, $700. Where can you get them for $500 new?

 

[owenhan]

Well I went ahead and got the 650's. I listened to the Dark Voice 3322's and quite liked them but the amp is just too heavy for me to fit in my suitcase and I'm not entirely comfortable with diving straight into the tube scene yet.

So I spent an hour or two agonising between the Novo and Solo SRGII and actually made up my mind on one or the other several times before changing it. I finally arrived on the Solo just because it just sounded better overall and I couldn't bear the thought of buying an inferior amp. I'm just lucky I didn't test something better than the Solo. There's also the option of upgrading to the PSU1 at some point, and Solo's seem to resell pretty well if I ever plan to replace it.

While my 650 + Solo combo doesn't sound quite as good or is as comfortable as what I demo'd in the store I couldn't be happier. I just wished time would speed up so these will burn in faster and the 650s will stop clamping my head but still, very very happy.

My source is currently an iPod touch lod which is the next thing I'll need to upgrade. I have a feeling a sound card dac isn't going to cut it, but I'll worry about that another time.

Thanks for all the help and insight, especially aimlink. While I'm significantly out of pocket, these headphones certainly take my mind off it.

 

[EddieE]

Congrats, IMO you've got one of the finest sets of cans ever made there. Enjoy!

 

[aimlink]

Enjoy your new toy!!! And be careful being drugged by comments about how a particular can leaves your HD650 in the dust or that comparing their favoured cans to your HD650 would be no comparison. All bullocks!! The rest will put either a new approach on the table or offer some improvement in sound that's left to the listener to decide whether it's worth a change for or not. The HD650 is a great pair of cans to build your source and amperage on. It scales very well in that it gets better as what it's connected to get's better. I do regret selling mine, a decision I now realize was a hasty one.