I have JVC DX1000 and like them a lot, any thoughts on your preference between ZMF Omni and Blackwood to augment the DX1000? Particular looking for similar or more sub and mid bass experience. Open vs Closed is fine for me. Thx
I'll do you one better and add the TH-X00 (and Vibro):
The Omni is subjectively one of my favorite headphones. The cherry version I have has a warm tilt with accentuated bass, slightly rolled off treble at the extremes, and forward mids. It has more detail than other T50RP mods I’ve heard such as the Alpha Dog and Blackwood, but is ultimately not as resolving as the price assumes. Instead of absolute technical superiority, the Omni is limited by its driver so it’s tuned for tonal balance rather than absolute resolution. I’m slightly biased because I have similar preferences to Zach at ZMF so I may be rating it higher than others who have different preferences. If I have any major complaints, the upper mids may very slightly too forward for some, which is a characteristic of the T50RP driver.
The JVC DX1000 is like a nice blanket. It’s warmer than the Omni with a very natural texture to its midrange, arguable more natural than the Omni. The bass is seemingly limitless, having the deepest sub bass and the most midbass of the four. It’s also surprisingly controlled. I expected such bass to be a muddy mess like it is in cheaper bassy headphones like the Crossfade LP, but the DX1000 shows little sign of mud. Treble isn’t the most detailed, but the drivers are surprisingly resolving of midrange.
The Vibro MKII is a marked improvement from the original Vibro to my ears. I did not like the upper midrange peak in the original. The MKII uses the T50RPMKIII baffle, which I can only assume is the biggest culprit for the less polarizing sound. It’s more neutral than the original Vibro, but I’d still describe it as warm. My favorite combination is two pegs in with pleather pads, which brings forward the midrange and treble compared to the other pads yet does not suffocate the bass. Treble is a little rolled off on top and there still is evidence of an upper mids peak inherent to the driver. The midrange is unabashedly forward which makes it great for acoustic music, but loses out slightly for my preferences to the Omni, which has more body. Bass is much the tamest in this configuration of the three but it is still quite bassy.
The TH-X00 I bought out of pure hype. I love the TH-900 but felt like it had a bit too much treble for me. The X00 definitely tamed it, but I also feel like it lost a lot of the charm of the TH-900. It doesn’t extend in either direction as much as the TH-900, but then, at a third of the cost why should it? It seems like a moderately better TH-600 from (very fuzzy) memory with less treble. The treble is a little rolled off on top but also has some peaks that fatigue me. I want to say that it resolves slightly more detail than the Omni on the high end, but I hear slightly more midrange detail out of both the Omni and DX1000. The midrange is pushed back relative to the treble but I wouldn’t call it recessed. Vocals are slightly more forward than other instruments. The bass is looser than I’d like it to be, and it is out of my OTL, SS, and hybrid amps.
Treble quality: Omni>=TH-X00>Vibro>DX1000
Treble quantity: TH-X00>Vibro>Omni>DX1000
Midrange quality: Omni>DX1000>Vibro>TH-X00
Midrange quantity: Omni>Vibro>DX1000>TH-X00
Bass quality: DX1000>Omni>Vibro>TH-X00
Bass quantity: DX1000>Omni>TH-X00>Vibro
Other brief comments:
The Omni is by far the most expensive headphone, but if you’re like me and prefer tonal balance to clarity, I feel it justifies the extra cost. I got the Omni as an upgrade from the LCD-2 and the only thing I think I’m missing is a very slight amount of midrange clarity. The Omni seems to be an upgrade in every other sense.
The DX1000 is pretty hard to come by. If you can get it for around $500, it is, in my opinion, the basshead end game headphone. But their build isn’t the best.
The Vibro at $429 new or $379 for B-Stock is a screaming deal. They’re an interesting alternative to the TH-X00 in that they have a slight n shape. They’re also actually closed (I used them on a plane with great success). You do lose out on microdetails and they like a lot of power.
I’m kind of disappointed in the X00 compared to the others, but compared to the rest of the market, the X00 is a pretty good value if you understand the sound signature you’re getting before buying it. It’s easy to drive (but it is picky; it sounded different out of all my amps best out of a bright-ish SS amp. An OTL veiled the sound a bit), attractive, and comfortable. I just wish it actually isolated sound.