[FredA]

The MDR7506 you say, eh, are they alive and communicative with the R2R? They are not expensive cans and I've looked at them myself, just casually.

Yes. Only the treble is a little unrefined for classical. Otherwise, great match.

 

[FredA]

With the k553, bass is not as good, it's not as neutral either but you get a very nice soundstage, and smooth enough highs for classical.

 

[sennsay]

With the k553, bass is not as good, it's not as neutral either but you get a very nice soundstage, and smooth enough highs for classical.

I have done very little in the way of classical music with the R2R so far, though it certainly sounds really good with movie soundtracks in the main system, very clean and clear. I've had no experience with AKG cans at all, other than listen to a brand new set briefly in a store a little while ago. A top closed back model above the popular 50 series, I liked their neutrality and general clarity and an un-hyped bass response.

 

[starcraft2]

Anyone compared these two with smsl m8 or topping d30?

 

[FredA]

I have done very little in the way of classical music with the R2R so far, though it certainly sounds really good with movie soundtracks in the main system, very clean and clear. I've had no experience with AKG cans at all, other than listen to a brand new set briefly in a store a little while ago. A top closed back model above the popular 50 series, I liked their neutrality and general clarity and an un-hyped bass response.

Any obvious bass exageration is a deal-breaker for me. I got rid of the 99 Classics because of that.

 

[USAFPharm86]

Have you tried moving the internal jumper over to the 'warm' setting? The HD6xx are a little forward on my R2R as well, and, also more forward than the original HD650s I used to have six or seven years ago. I sold them quite happily as well, the HD6xx have come close ..... very close ... to the same fate. It's those stock pads, both the Brainwavz HM5s and the Dekoni Elite Velour relieve the HD6xx of all spikiness in the upper mids and lower treble ..... they also relieve the headphones of varying levels of life too! The HM5s being the worst for that in my systems, although both HM5s and the EVs are vastly more comfortable to my ears. In saying that, if you have a lean and bright amp or DAC/amp, then these pads could well be ideal!

Thanks for the info. Massdrop actually has the Dekoni Sennheiser pads on sale right now, so I purchased the velour pads yesterday. They may kill the sound, so we will see when they arrive. I have read that moving the jumper cable to the warm setting takes a lot of life out of the R2R, so I plan to try the dekoni pads first, if no luck then just sell my HD6XX.

Also thanks everyone for the recommendations on headphones for the R2R. I have researched the AKG K553 pro in the past and might have to buy a pair to test. The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home also look good, just comfort issues with my Beyerdynamic DT990 in the past led me to sell them. Maybe the higher end Beyerdynamics are more comfortable.

 

[FredA]

The k553 do not have so much punch, they are a little soft, the bass is not the deepest, but isolation, comfort are top notch and soundstage, for a closed design, is great. If you are after budget hp, this is hard to beat. The he-560 can be had for under 400 usd last time i checked, but they have quality issues. The only drawback combined with the r2r 11 is the bass is not as deep as it could be, other than this, great match. Classical sounds just great. All style of music are well rendered.

 

[Gambitek]

Been tinkering with "warm" jumpers on my R2R-11 with my Auteurs. It makes a lot of tracks sound better...but some not so much. Yarrrgh.

 

[393699]

Hey USAFPharm86, the Amiron Home is an extremely comfortable headphone. It does not have a tight clamp at all.

 

[USAFPharm86]

Hey USAFPharm86, the Amiron Home is an extremely comfortable headphone. It does not have a tight clamp at all.

After doing some research the Amiron Home look to be my perfect headphone, great sound signature for my music/media tastes. Has anyone tried/tested these with the R2R 11?

After issues with the sound of the R2R 11 and HD6XX, today I decided to break out the Hifiman HE-500 and they sounded great. The sound opened up and dynamics increased compared to the 6XX. No ear fatigue with the HE-500. The only problem with the Hifiman HE-500 is the weight, I can only use for maybe 30 minutes and they go back in there case. Maybe I will sell the Hifiman HE-500 (never use) and HD6XX and purchase some Amiron Homes.

I also plan to run my old Matrix M-Stage from 2012 by RCA to the R2R 11 and see if that improves the sound/decreases ear fatigue of the HD6XX.

Someone also recommended sending the R2R 11 back to Audio GD and getting the NFB 11.38, but I have read in the forum that there really isn't much difference in the R2R 11 and NFB 11. If anyone owns both please let me know. I also think that sending the R2R 11 back would be a big headache, so I will probably keep it and try a different amp or headphones.

In closing, does anyone run one of Audio GDs higher end amps with the R2R 11 as a DAC? This maybe my next step if I decide not to go with the Amiron Homes.

Thanks,

James

 

[393699]

The 11.28 uses the ES9028 DAC chip. The 11.38 uses the superior ES9038 DAC chip. I will definitely message you though after I get the C-2 amp and let you know how it is with my Amiron Home.

 

[sennsay]

Thanks for the info. Massdrop actually has the Dekoni Sennheiser pads on sale right now, so I purchased the velour pads yesterday. They may kill the sound, so we will see when they arrive. I have read that moving the jumper cable to the warm setting takes a lot of life out of the R2R, so I plan to try the dekoni pads first, if no luck then just sell my HD6XX.

Also thanks everyone for the recommendations on headphones for the R2R. I have researched the AKG K553 pro in the past and might have to buy a pair to test. The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home also look good, just comfort issues with my Beyerdynamic DT990 in the past led me to sell them. Maybe the higher end Beyerdynamics are more comfortable.

I've a good mind to have one more go with the HD6xx and go for a Massdrop Dekoni pads deal again(!), as the Elite Velour have not been as successful as I thought they might be, thinking they might balance out the issue I have with the Senns and the Schiit stack. Nope. Beautifully comfortable they are, sonically magical they are not. Too warm and dampening some of the life of the music, yet could be just fine with leaner gear, maybe the O2 DAC and amp and some of the amps I used to like ......... now there's a thought, I do actually have an amp or two that could do with some warming.
So, maybe the Elite Hybrid pads - looking at the Dekoni frequency graphs - will basically leave the upper mids and highs alone, while dampening the lower treble peak I don't like. It was the lack of linear bass extension I particularly didn't like about the HD6xx. They are improved with the R2R, yet still a little pushy and forward, while being a little better balanced than with the Mimby/M3, as good as they can sound like with certain tracks.
It's a given, of course, that these are only my experiences and may not be someone else's

 

[sennsay]

After doing some research the Amiron Home look to be my perfect headphone, great sound signature for my music/media tastes. Has anyone tried/tested these with the R2R 11?

After issues with the sound of the R2R 11 and HD6XX, today I decided to break out the Hifiman HE-500 and they sounded great. The sound opened up and dynamics increased compared to the 6XX. No ear fatigue with the HE-500. The only problem with the Hifiman HE-500 is the weight, I can only use for maybe 30 minutes and they go back in there case. Maybe I will sell the Hifiman HE-500 (never use) and HD6XX and purchase some Amiron Homes.

I also plan to run my old Matrix M-Stage from 2012 by RCA to the R2R 11 and see if that improves the sound/decreases ear fatigue of the HD6XX.

Someone also recommended sending the R2R 11 back to Audio GD and getting the NFB 11.38, but I have read in the forum that there really isn't much difference in the R2R 11 and NFB 11. If anyone owns both please let me know. I also think that sending the R2R 11 back would be a big headache, so I will probably keep it and try a different amp or headphones.

In closing, does anyone run one of Audio GDs higher end amps with the R2R 11 as a DAC? This maybe my next step if I decide not to go with the Amiron Homes.

Thanks,

James

You might like to give the Dekoni pads a go. They most certainly dampen down any fatiguing edge ... sometimes too much for me (the Elite Velour) and the bass extension increases all the way from the lower mids/upper bass on down. It's a relatively cheap way of finding out if you still want to keep the HD6xx.
If you want to check out the Dekoni graphs available here on Head-Fi, you'll get a good idea of which parts of the frequency range is affected by the different pad designs. I thought the EVs would be ideal, but no, it's too much for my gear - mostly, Katie Melua sounds wonderful. The Elite Hybrid pads change the mid/treble balance a lot less than the EVs, by the looks of it.

 

[sennsay]

Since these Dekoni pads have been mentioned a couple of times, here is the pdf from Dekoni via this site. Hope it uploads ok.


Hmm, it doesn't seem to be showing here, so you'll have to look it up yourselves on this site, cheers.

 

[USAFPharm86]

You might like to give the Dekoni pads a go. They most certainly dampen down any fatiguing edge ... sometimes too much for me (the Elite Velour) and the bass extension increases all the way from the lower mids/upper bass on down. It's a relatively cheap way of finding out if you still want to keep the HD6xx.
If you want to check out the Dekoni graphs available here on Head-Fi, you'll get a good idea of which parts of the frequency range is affected by the different pad designs. I thought the EVs would be ideal, but no, it's too much for my gear - mostly, Katie Melua sounds wonderful. The Elite Hybrid pads change the mid/treble balance a lot less than the EVs, by the looks of it.

Definitely will give the dekoni pads a try before I sell the HD6XX. Already ordered through Massdrop, but I don’t think they ship till July. Once I get them I will post again with sound impressions using the R2R 11. If they help with the fatigue that will be awesome, hopefully not too much of a clarity/soundstage loss. Thanks again for the help.