Joelc87
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2007
- Posts
- 392
- Likes
- 25
I'm not really sure if I should put this here or in the portable thread. Anyway I just did some AB-ing with my HeadRoom Micro and P-51 just to get a feel for what is making the differences in audio; amp, dac, headphones, cables, etc. Kinda interesting results actually. I'm sure many of you have done this before and it seems obvious that this would be the first thing to do but actually I've never really listened to my amps back to back. (I don't even know if they've ever been in the same room)
Testing setup:
Desktop Computer ALAC -> Micro DAC -> (P-51) / (Micro Amp) -> (Grado SR225i) / (HD650)
After listening to a wide variety of music I came to a few generalized conclusions. First of all the Micro Amp is much more authoritative in driving both the HD650's and the Grado's. Bass is louder and has more presence. However, that being said, with the Grado's the bass is still equally as punchy with the P-51 or very close to it. Obviously the HD650's need more voltage swing being a 300 ohm can but I wouldn't say they sound bad on the P-51 just not as articulate. After confirming this expectation I continued to test with the Grado SR225i's only.
As I said before the bass is punchy with both the P-51 and the Micro, the Micro's bass being a little bit heavier and fuller, whilst the P-51's bass seemed a bit thinner but still punchy and detailed. Mids on the P-51 to me sounded a little bit more forward but not colored. Perhaps they were a bit warm but even so voices and acoustic guitars sounded very natural. Mids on the Micro seemed a little bit retracted but still maintained their timbre and so didn't sound distorted, at least to my ears. The treble range on the P-51 sounded more articulate to me than with my micro, I'm not sure if this is due to the micro's heavier bass presence or if the treble range is just a bit less emphasized but either way the P-51 gave me the impression of being sharper and crisper whilst the Micro was warmer and smoother. The Grado's don't have much as far as soundstaging so I didn't even compare those.
Overall I'd say that I prefer listening to my Grado's on my P-51, they both have a very punchy character and seem to mesh well together for certain genres of music Rock Techno etc. On the other hand the HD650's seem to synergize decently with the Micro. The HD650 and Micro combo have this odd way of surrounding the sound with warmth without sacrificing any apparent detail. I'm sure some detail gets lost in there somewhere but they do it in such a way that you don't really notice it until you switch to a more treble emphasized setup like the Grado's. At the time of writing this I can't honestly say which setup I prefer as they're both very fun setups to listen to. I like the crispness of the Grado's and the P-51, but I know that this setup can be fatiguing after a few hours. The 650's and the Micro on the other hand I could probably listen to all day. Just different styles for different moods I guess.
Anyway, just some of my impressions, not meant to be a critical review or anything, just curious to see what other people have to say, about their various equipment.
Testing setup:
Desktop Computer ALAC -> Micro DAC -> (P-51) / (Micro Amp) -> (Grado SR225i) / (HD650)
After listening to a wide variety of music I came to a few generalized conclusions. First of all the Micro Amp is much more authoritative in driving both the HD650's and the Grado's. Bass is louder and has more presence. However, that being said, with the Grado's the bass is still equally as punchy with the P-51 or very close to it. Obviously the HD650's need more voltage swing being a 300 ohm can but I wouldn't say they sound bad on the P-51 just not as articulate. After confirming this expectation I continued to test with the Grado SR225i's only.
As I said before the bass is punchy with both the P-51 and the Micro, the Micro's bass being a little bit heavier and fuller, whilst the P-51's bass seemed a bit thinner but still punchy and detailed. Mids on the P-51 to me sounded a little bit more forward but not colored. Perhaps they were a bit warm but even so voices and acoustic guitars sounded very natural. Mids on the Micro seemed a little bit retracted but still maintained their timbre and so didn't sound distorted, at least to my ears. The treble range on the P-51 sounded more articulate to me than with my micro, I'm not sure if this is due to the micro's heavier bass presence or if the treble range is just a bit less emphasized but either way the P-51 gave me the impression of being sharper and crisper whilst the Micro was warmer and smoother. The Grado's don't have much as far as soundstaging so I didn't even compare those.
Overall I'd say that I prefer listening to my Grado's on my P-51, they both have a very punchy character and seem to mesh well together for certain genres of music Rock Techno etc. On the other hand the HD650's seem to synergize decently with the Micro. The HD650 and Micro combo have this odd way of surrounding the sound with warmth without sacrificing any apparent detail. I'm sure some detail gets lost in there somewhere but they do it in such a way that you don't really notice it until you switch to a more treble emphasized setup like the Grado's. At the time of writing this I can't honestly say which setup I prefer as they're both very fun setups to listen to. I like the crispness of the Grado's and the P-51, but I know that this setup can be fatiguing after a few hours. The 650's and the Micro on the other hand I could probably listen to all day. Just different styles for different moods I guess.
Anyway, just some of my impressions, not meant to be a critical review or anything, just curious to see what other people have to say, about their various equipment.
