MrD
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2005
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This is my first real post here, but as seasoned lurker and owner of several midrange headphones the traditional greeting is perhaps redundant, as my wallet is truly beyond salvation. This monetary imbalance has compelled me to start paring down my collection.
I had originally intended to discuss the relative strengths of all four of my major headphones in different listening situations, I realised this would make the thread exhaustingly overlong. Instead, I will focus only on the most contentious of all the rivalries, between my Alessandro MS2is and Sony CD3000s. Some of my views on each of these are controversial but most of which are merely seriously misguided, differing in at least some ways from those I often read on here. I'd be interested to see whether anyone agrees or disagrees with me to any extent, and perhaps more importantly if there are any changes I should consider making.
They're driven through an Earmax Pro amp using non-stock but otherwise unspectacular valves, with either an Arcam CD93 as source (though I've recently returned to my old Marantz CD6000 OSE as to my ears the two are virtually indistinguishable), except for mp3 listening which is through my obviously quite poor onboard nForce2 outputs.
The Alessandros are my most heavily used headphones by far and provoke the strongest feeling of ambivalence, so I'll start with them. As with my earlier Grado SR80s, I have found them to be most at home not with rock, as is the traditionally accepted view, but with "indie"; that is, while they certainly have other strengths, I find their superiority at handling the less aggressive end of the guitar music spectrum to be more incontestable than that with any other genre. Their sparkling mids and upfront presentation are perfectly suited to this style, where invididual instrumental threads are often strongly discernable and the music is generally more intimately presented than weightier guitar-based fare. This extends all the way to stripped-down, sparsely presented acoustic material, which benefits particularly from the narrow sound(head?)stage.
Since the Sonys are indisputably inferior in the mids department, they can't rival the Alessandros at reproducing vocals or subtle textures so I'm not really considering them as a total replacement. For pure rock, however, they present much stiffer competition - it is only very recently, and due either to extended burn-in (unlikely) or mental adjustment attributable to my strong belief based on other people's opinions that the Alessandros should be superior (more likely), that I have stopped favouring the Sonys outright. The bright, forward nature (I tend to use the two terms almost interchangeably, see earlier disclaimer about my cluelessness) of the Alessandros seems to result in a somewhat thin and congested sound that's often bordering on uncomfortable to listen to, if perhaps not to the same extent as they are physically uncomfortable to wear.
The Sonys offer a very different listening experience which I don't believe can be unequivocably deemed inferior to that provided by the Alessandros, even though received wisdom seems to dictate that upfront and aggressive music demands headphones with similar attributes. They are much less visceral with reduced physical impact, particularly from percussion, but also more spacious and dynamic, which to my ears lends a pleasingly expansive "live" feel to proceedings, though many will probably regard this as a compromise compared with the oft-quoted "front row" or even "onstage" Grado experience. The high peaks in the uppermost treble regions (or some other characteristic I'm incapable of perceiving) prove surprisingly satisfying with heavily distorted guitars, maintaining or perhaps even improving on the all-important serrated edge without being overly harsh or fatiguing as the Alessandros often are.
Unfortunately, I find this phenomenon is not restricted to rock - while with the right material the Alessandros are capable of achieving virtual perfection, all too often the upper mids and treble are fairly abrasive, occasionally to the point of mild discomfort. They usually still remain the best overall choice at least from my selection, but it sometimes feels as if I am punishing myself unnecessarily in my quest for detail and vibrancy. I will concede that the headphones are quite possibly not to blame, as for whatever reason - and I'm beginning to suspect it's either my music collection or my ears rather than my equipment - I am heavily susceptible to harshness in the upper frequencies, and I find sibilance to be more or less a universal trait regardless of what I'm listening to or with, even my HD600s.
Does anybody else feel the same way about any of the above, or is there something seriously wrong with me? I know the Alessandros broadly offer the signature I'm after for much of my listening and at times sound more or less as good as I can ever imagine headphones sounding. However, with my experience I can't tell whether the grating high-end is a necessary evil (as either an inherent characteristic of headphones with a Gradoesque tonal balance or a consequence of some particular aspect of my hearing being more acute than it is for normal people) which must be endured if I'm not going to give up and go Senn full-time, or whether it can be addressed in some way.
If the latter, could a simple pad exchange produce the transformation I'm after, or should I be looking at a completely different model in the range? Not necessarily with the intention of replacing the Sonys outright, as their presentation of rock material is a matter of preference upon which I'm not yet decided, but to de-emphasise the occasionally searing highs while sacrificing as little detail as possible. And as loathe as I am to spend yet more cash on this "hobby" - particularly given that even a lateral move from my current configuration will irreperably damage my already ailing finances - would a different amp perhaps serve me better? I've seen some suggest that greater synergy with Grados is achieved using solid state amplification whereas others claim the taming effect of valves cures their tendency for over-brightness, at which point my head usually starts hurting. Even if I'm not wearing the Alessandros.
Any recommendations or thoughts on anything I've been said, even if it's just to express your disagreement in the strongest terms possible, would be greatly appreciated...
I had originally intended to discuss the relative strengths of all four of my major headphones in different listening situations, I realised this would make the thread exhaustingly overlong. Instead, I will focus only on the most contentious of all the rivalries, between my Alessandro MS2is and Sony CD3000s. Some of my views on each of these are controversial but most of which are merely seriously misguided, differing in at least some ways from those I often read on here. I'd be interested to see whether anyone agrees or disagrees with me to any extent, and perhaps more importantly if there are any changes I should consider making.
They're driven through an Earmax Pro amp using non-stock but otherwise unspectacular valves, with either an Arcam CD93 as source (though I've recently returned to my old Marantz CD6000 OSE as to my ears the two are virtually indistinguishable), except for mp3 listening which is through my obviously quite poor onboard nForce2 outputs.
The Alessandros are my most heavily used headphones by far and provoke the strongest feeling of ambivalence, so I'll start with them. As with my earlier Grado SR80s, I have found them to be most at home not with rock, as is the traditionally accepted view, but with "indie"; that is, while they certainly have other strengths, I find their superiority at handling the less aggressive end of the guitar music spectrum to be more incontestable than that with any other genre. Their sparkling mids and upfront presentation are perfectly suited to this style, where invididual instrumental threads are often strongly discernable and the music is generally more intimately presented than weightier guitar-based fare. This extends all the way to stripped-down, sparsely presented acoustic material, which benefits particularly from the narrow sound(head?)stage.
Since the Sonys are indisputably inferior in the mids department, they can't rival the Alessandros at reproducing vocals or subtle textures so I'm not really considering them as a total replacement. For pure rock, however, they present much stiffer competition - it is only very recently, and due either to extended burn-in (unlikely) or mental adjustment attributable to my strong belief based on other people's opinions that the Alessandros should be superior (more likely), that I have stopped favouring the Sonys outright. The bright, forward nature (I tend to use the two terms almost interchangeably, see earlier disclaimer about my cluelessness) of the Alessandros seems to result in a somewhat thin and congested sound that's often bordering on uncomfortable to listen to, if perhaps not to the same extent as they are physically uncomfortable to wear.
The Sonys offer a very different listening experience which I don't believe can be unequivocably deemed inferior to that provided by the Alessandros, even though received wisdom seems to dictate that upfront and aggressive music demands headphones with similar attributes. They are much less visceral with reduced physical impact, particularly from percussion, but also more spacious and dynamic, which to my ears lends a pleasingly expansive "live" feel to proceedings, though many will probably regard this as a compromise compared with the oft-quoted "front row" or even "onstage" Grado experience. The high peaks in the uppermost treble regions (or some other characteristic I'm incapable of perceiving) prove surprisingly satisfying with heavily distorted guitars, maintaining or perhaps even improving on the all-important serrated edge without being overly harsh or fatiguing as the Alessandros often are.
Unfortunately, I find this phenomenon is not restricted to rock - while with the right material the Alessandros are capable of achieving virtual perfection, all too often the upper mids and treble are fairly abrasive, occasionally to the point of mild discomfort. They usually still remain the best overall choice at least from my selection, but it sometimes feels as if I am punishing myself unnecessarily in my quest for detail and vibrancy. I will concede that the headphones are quite possibly not to blame, as for whatever reason - and I'm beginning to suspect it's either my music collection or my ears rather than my equipment - I am heavily susceptible to harshness in the upper frequencies, and I find sibilance to be more or less a universal trait regardless of what I'm listening to or with, even my HD600s.
Does anybody else feel the same way about any of the above, or is there something seriously wrong with me? I know the Alessandros broadly offer the signature I'm after for much of my listening and at times sound more or less as good as I can ever imagine headphones sounding. However, with my experience I can't tell whether the grating high-end is a necessary evil (as either an inherent characteristic of headphones with a Gradoesque tonal balance or a consequence of some particular aspect of my hearing being more acute than it is for normal people) which must be endured if I'm not going to give up and go Senn full-time, or whether it can be addressed in some way.
If the latter, could a simple pad exchange produce the transformation I'm after, or should I be looking at a completely different model in the range? Not necessarily with the intention of replacing the Sonys outright, as their presentation of rock material is a matter of preference upon which I'm not yet decided, but to de-emphasise the occasionally searing highs while sacrificing as little detail as possible. And as loathe as I am to spend yet more cash on this "hobby" - particularly given that even a lateral move from my current configuration will irreperably damage my already ailing finances - would a different amp perhaps serve me better? I've seen some suggest that greater synergy with Grados is achieved using solid state amplification whereas others claim the taming effect of valves cures their tendency for over-brightness, at which point my head usually starts hurting. Even if I'm not wearing the Alessandros.
Any recommendations or thoughts on anything I've been said, even if it's just to express your disagreement in the strongest terms possible, would be greatly appreciated...
