[ddre54]

That's a good suggestion. Does anyone have any suggestions for a decent desktop amp for the SINEs?

I ran them out of a Schiit Magni 2/ Modi 3 stack and they sound really good since the Schiit stack tend to be flat. I've found that the Sine have a bit of a V shape tendency, so pairing them with something more flat will make them sound better.

I could recommend the Chord Mojo as well for portability, but the Mojo tends to add some V shape signature to the music and it can make it enjoyable, but I tend to avoid pairing two things on the chain that add V Shape signature to the sound since it can make the vocals or mid section sound vail losing some of the spark.

 

[Plautus001]

That's a good suggestion. Does anyone have any suggestions for a decent desktop amp for the SINEs?

I have tried it with my Schiit Asgard 3 and THX789... personally, I prefer the Cipher cable with the EQ settings. The Sine and iSine 10 don't need a ton of power IMHO

 

[Gorktastick]

I have tried it with my Schiit Asgard 3 and THX789... personally, I prefer the Cipher cable with the EQ settings. The Sine and iSine 10 don't need a ton of power IMHO

I found the opposite to be true (I'm only speaking about the Sine closed back). I could never get even remotely enough power, even from the Cipher cable that came with it. So I emailed Audeze, and they responded saying that the Sine does need a fair amount of power, and that they recommended using a well powered desktop amp. They confirmed that the Cipher cable doesn't really provide enough power either. It was rather frustrating to hear that their own Cipher cable wasn't enough for the headphones it came with. I can't even get enough power out of my Radsone Earstudio ES100. It wasn't until I powered it with my Topping DX3 Pro+ in high gain mode, that I was able to finally hear what these headphones are capable of. It was pretty lame how quickly they discontinued both these, and the matching Cipher cable, given the almost $500 price tag.

 

[Chessnaudio]

I found the opposite to be true (I'm only speaking about the Sine closed back). I could never get even remotely enough power, even from the Cipher cable that came with it. So I emailed Audeze, and they responded saying that the Sine does need a fair amount of power, and that they recommended using a well powered desktop amp. They confirmed that the Cipher cable doesn't really provide enough power either. It was rather frustrating to hear that their own Cipher cable wasn't enough for the headphones it came with. I can't even get enough power out of my Radsone Earstudio ES100. It wasn't until I powered it with my Topping DX3 Pro+ in high gain mode, that I was able to finally hear what these headphones are capable of. It was pretty lame how quickly they discontinued both these, and the matching Cipher cable, given the almost $500 price tag.

I power them off the Centrance Hifi m8 v2 in high gain balanced to really fill out these headphones.

 

[Dragonmilenario]

Hi folks.

I recently got my hands on a second hand Audeze Sine DX quite well priced (250 euros) and in very good cosmetic condition (almost perfect). One of the drivers suffers from "crinkle noise" but it's only annoying when placing or removing them, so it's not a big problem.

The thing is that I was expecting a very marked "wow" effect due to the great reviews and the "hype" and what I have found at the end is a dark, very dark headphone. To make it sound more or less to my liking I have to turn up the high frequencies 6 or 7 dB. The rest is fine, but this is an issue that really worries me. Could I have a defective unit due to misuse by the previous owner that has caused this darkness?

The truth is that its other virtues are very noticeable, the air in the sound, the spatiality, the separation of instruments and the speed of everything, but that darkness... uff, I want to get out of the cave XD.

Regards from Spain.

 

[Dragonmilenario]

Well, well, well, well, this is something else... these headphones need equalization, and not only because of the delayed treble but also because of their extremely advanced mids.

II've used the "jaakkopasanen/AutoEq" settings and by adjusting their EQ a bit to my liking, I can now say that they are great (though small in size) headphones.

The factory profile is weird as hell, but they tolerate EQ like champs without distortion and without losing a bit of their properties, which are many: speed, separation and clarity.

More or less, the eq I use is to reduce the 1kHz-2kHz area by 3dB and raise the 4-8kHz zone by about 5dB.

If you find them at a good price, do not hesitate to buy them, but equalization, in my humble opinion is not only necessary but essential.

Best regards.

 

[mobbaddict]

Well, well, well, well, this is something else... these headphones need equalization, and not only because of the delayed treble but also because of their extremely advanced mids.

II've used the "jaakkopasanen/AutoEq" settings and by adjusting their EQ a bit to my liking, I can now say that they are great (though small in size) headphones.

The factory profile is weird as hell, but they tolerate EQ like champs without distortion and without losing a bit of their properties, which are many: speed, separation and clarity.

More or less, the eq I use is to reduce the 1kHz-2kHz area by 3dB and raise the 4-8kHz zone by about 5dB.

If you find them at a good price, do not hesitate to buy them, but equalization, in my humble opinion is not only necessary but essential.

Best regards.

I understand the DX is a different animal from the closed-back Sine, which is actually very natural in my opinion. The DX is said to have a darker upper midrange and treble, and it translates well in the frequency response charts.

 

[borrego]

Hi folks.

I recently got my hands on a second hand Audeze Sine DX quite well priced (250 euros) and in very good cosmetic condition (almost perfect). One of the drivers suffers from "crinkle noise" but it's only annoying when placing or removing them, so it's not a big problem.

The thing is that I was expecting a very marked "wow" effect due to the great reviews and the "hype" and what I have found at the end is a dark, very dark headphone. To make it sound more or less to my liking I have to turn up the high frequencies 6 or 7 dB. The rest is fine, but this is an issue that really worries me. Could I have a defective unit due to misuse by the previous owner that has caused this darkness?

The truth is that its other virtues are very noticeable, the air in the sound, the spatiality, the separation of instruments and the speed of everything, but that darkness... uff, I want to get out of the cave XD.

Regards from Spain.

I would not worry. The "crinkle" sound is caused by the air pressure between your ear drum and the driver membrane.

Try this: Swap left and right when putting on your Sine DX, and see if the "crinkle" noise is still on the same side. If yes, then the problem is with your eardrum.

Also try opening your mouth slightly when putting on the Sine DX to balance out the air pressure (same trick during flight take off).

 

[mobbaddict]

Just randomly tried some fullsize pads which are comically big for the Sine but which actually fit (albeit a bit loosely). And the result is quite good
These are full leather with only the inner side being perforated (not sure what's the point). They are so big they seem to clean any resonance the Sine might usually have with smaller pads, and also improve transients while preserving bass impact and yet not messing too much with the tonality. They do make the Sine more sparkly/airy (borderline sibilant sometimes) than these but not really bright. Still HD600 territory in terms of overall balance. It works really well and it's super fun to listen to. Definitely beats both my Quad Era-1 and Avantone Planar.

 

[Gilles De Rais]

Hi folks.

I recently got my hands on a second hand Audeze Sine DX quite well priced (250 euros) and in very good cosmetic condition (almost perfect). One of the drivers suffers from "crinkle noise" but it's only annoying when placing or removing them, so it's not a big problem.

The thing is that I was expecting a very marked "wow" effect due to the great reviews and the "hype" and what I have found at the end is a dark, very dark headphone. To make it sound more or less to my liking I have to turn up the high frequencies 6 or 7 dB. The rest is fine, but this is an issue that really worries me. Could I have a defective unit due to misuse by the previous owner that has caused this darkness?

The truth is that its other virtues are very noticeable, the air in the sound, the spatiality, the separation of instruments and the speed of everything, but that darkness... uff, I want to get out of the cave XD.

Regards from Spain.

Try a different set of ear pads. The stock Sine DX pads don't do it any favour. Options range from the old Creative Arvana Live ($7 on amazon) to Brainwavz ($40) to Vesper Audio ($xxx). There area a number of posts on this topic on the changes to the Sine DX signature. With the CAL ear pads, I don't find it dark at all. (Using AK Pee 51, Hiby RS6, Sony Wm1a etc.)

 

[Happytalk]

CAL pads are my fav

 

[Andreeww]

Hi all! I have a pair in decent condition and no driver flex at all for sale in the classifieds if anyone is interested

 

[Kevintj604]

I just received an email back from Vesper Audio. 30 Business days for a set of pads is absolutely ridiculous. ZMF can build an entire headphone from scratch in that amount of time.

Anyone have a set that they are looking to sell?

What's the other best pad option aside from the Vesper ones?

 

[mobbaddict]

I just received an email back from Vesper Audio. 30 Business days for a set of pads is absolutely ridiculous. ZMF can build an entire headphone from scratch in that amount of time.

Anyone have a set that they are looking to sell?

What's the other best pad option aside from the Vesper ones?

I haven't tried the Vesper pads but those do an excellent job at preserving the original tuning of the Sine while improving the bass a bit
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175146801345
Just make sure you get the sheepskins leather version.

 

[Kevintj604]

If anyone has a mint set of SINE's that they are wanting to sell please PM me.