[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Joe Bloggs Looking forward to the Hong Kong Head-Fi meet with its selection of amps (although no HP4 or XCans so far?). If I can't find an amp to 'naturalize' the R10s there I'd start listening to the HP1s for sure. The HP1 gave me less of that sense of weirdness--I think with extended listening there's a chance that I may prefer them to the R10s... esp. after experimenting with different pads

Yep. I don't think I've ever heard the HP-1 sound bad. I've heard the R10 sound bloody awful. However, when everything in the rest of the system is set up for it, the R10 can take advantage of a good system in ways that the HP-1 cannot. It's possible to get that same sense of naturalness that you hear with the HP-1 using the R10...and when that happens, it's no contest.

 

[Joe Bloggs]

And you thought high-Z headphones were difficult to drive.

 

[markl]

Quote:

The problem with the R10 was that its performance so far to my ears is very spotty. It sounded from acceptable to stellar on this album, and acceptable to mediocre on others... whereas the etys always sounded good--there are songs where I feel the etys leave something to be desired--usually visceral bass impact--but the etys come across as very balanced headphones with few sonic weaknesses. The R10s don't sound like that. On this audition equipment at least, the R10s seemed to sound best with tracks that have all its energy piled up in the upper mids to highs, where its frequency response is relatively even; instruments on the low end are recessed, while instruments that step across the midrange boundary sound distorted.

I would like to suggest that possibly the reason the R10 sounds so "different" to you on different recordings is down to the fact that they are indeed the "disappearing headphone" and have very little coloration of their own. They are the most "transparent" dynamic phone I've heard, and that means you are hearing exactly what's coming off of your source/source material. They don't "homogenize" the sound the way the HD600 does for example. They don't impose a wall of haze or wooliness between you and the signal.

Sometimes, the truth hurts. I think your comments *may* say as much about your associated equipment as it does the R10. I suspect your reaction is due in large part to the
1. The quality of the recordings used
2. The quality of the source used
3. The characteristics of the Headroom amp and its reaction to the R10.

So, basically, all the standard "excuses" one proivides when a Member doesn't like a headphone you treasure!

Quote:

Has anyone tried the R10 with either the Earmax Pro or the Headroom Max?

I tried mine with the Max at the Headroom meet (worst possible environment for such a test) and yet I found the Max sounded pretty darn good with the R10, especially in the bass department compared to the other amps there. Of course it was an unfamiliar source, source material, and a noisy environment. So....

Mark

 

[Joe Bloggs]

I thought it was pretty obvious that the R10 sounded good on some Iron Maiden tracks only because they played to its strengths and not to its weakness in this system (mids and bass incoherent with the highs)

My Miriam Yeung album is beyond reproach.

 

[Kubernetes]

What really scares me is that when I first started coming here and to headwize I thought a pair of $200 headphones was extravagant. The fact that enough people on this board have listened to or owned a pair of $4000 headphones to have a discussion about their merits is nothing short of astounding.

Having said that, I have heard Hirsch's R10s with the EAR HP4, and there was nothing about the sound that I could complain about! Anyone tried it with the Cary 300SEI (it was out of order when I was at the Headroom tour)?

 

[markl]

Sadly, it was broken on its arrival in the Bay Area so I couldn't listen to it! My goal is to ultimately buy a Cary CAD300SEI for my R10's. One day...

mark

 

[shivohum]

Quote:

nothing about the sound that I could complain about

Youch! That's damning with faint praise if I ever saw it...

 

[zzz]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl My goal is to ultimately buy a Cary CAD300SEI for my R10's. One day...

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...ube&1039919903

Just a couple of them power cords of yours

.

 

[DanG]

By the way, that's a great price.

 

[Edwin]

Kelly, I have looked all over my R10's and I cannot find a serial #. According to Vaka's friend (whom I bought the phones from) they were bought in the late 90's. As far as when they were made who knows?

My initial reaction to my R10's was; boy, those HD600's are really good for the money. That was listening to them through my MG Head OTL. Then I bought your old Headmaster (a great amp BTW). I love the clarity of the Headmaster and I much prefer it to my MG Head. However, my opinion of my R10's remained the same. I thought that the R10's were certainly better than any other dynamic headphones I have tried but not really worth the money (even used). In the last week my opinion has completely changed, the difference, the EAR HP4. For the first time I have a heaphone system which I get as much pleasure listening to as my speakers (albeit a different type of sound than speakers). I think that I can safely say that at present, the EAR is the finest commercially available amp for the R10's. I would like to audition the R10's with the RKV and the Twinhead again. And I am eager to hear them with Carlo's Melos (I would like to get an idea of the sound that Markel likes). But I think that my opinion wouldn't change.

When I first read Nik's posts about having an amp built for the R10's I thought why bother, a headphone system will never give as much pleasure as speakers. I think differently now. Now I wish I could afford a custom amp like Nik's. I am sure the R10's would sound even better. It really suprises me the difference the amp makes to the sound of the R10's. Maybe the best commercial amp for the R10's will be Doc Bottlehead's latest amp. I hope an R10 owner would buy one and post his or hers opinion about it. For me I now have the best headphone system that I can afford. Of course if I win the lottery an Orpheus would be nice. Beauty and brains, what a combination!

 

[jatinder]

Hi Edwin,

The serial # should be on the inside of the LHS magnesium frames which holds the earcup. It is engraved into the metal.

Did you receive the "book" that comes with the R10. The serial number and date of manufacture is pasted into the book (at the back I think).

I did notice from the pictures of Vkas friends R10 that the leather-case design was slightly different to mine. The interior colour appeared to be slightly different as was the location of the R10 gold-metal plate.

My R10 is serial number: 1012 (or 1013 I think) and was manufactured in Dec 1998 (I think).

Where did you get your HP4 from eventually then? The HP4 that I was selling for a friend a couple of months ago went to Hirsch as he was top of the list the last time it was up for sale.

I've had my HP4 for nearly two years now, and my R10 for nearly four years. As I've mentioned before, powering the R10 via a power amps speaker outputs makes a huge difference in the sound - not sure yet which is better though (in my setup).

--Jatinder

 

[kelly]

Edwin
I knew ultimately the EAR was the right amp for you--I have no doubt at all about those who claim the EAR and R10 pair well. If you have a good audio memory and a very active imagination, you can almost pair up audio components in your head if you can isolate a signature in both components. Some day, I must hear this combination myself.

I hope you can still find use for the Sugden. Still using it in that "desk rig"?

 

[Nik]

Yes Edwin,

you are in the right way about R-10. The first impression I had was: “This cans needs something special to give all the potentiality”.

I know that with the EAR HP-4 you are listening 70% of the R-10, with an ultimate amplifier, custom for the R-10 with the best components inside, you can to listen all the 100% of the virtues of the best cans in the world, this is my experience. Very, very important is the correct position of the headphone in your head!!!!

I haven’t heard the Orpheus yet, but I think that the R-10 with a amplifier just for them… is even better… (but consider that I do not like a lot the electrostatics cans, not so natural sound for me).

My designer has now built a OTL amp cheaper than my R-10H, he says that this amp will be very, very good for the R-10. The price is 1033 euros. I have a photo, but is too large for the HedaFi.

Nicola

 

[kelly]

Nik
Is he claiming his OTL amp is better than your amp?

There are few enough OTL amps on the market that one for 1100eu could draw some serious interest.

 

[Hirsch]

Nik,

I'm interested in the OTL amp as well. I've had very good luck improving the EAR's performance by using different tubes, but I think the output transformer may be the ultimate barrier to complete transparency with the amp. An OTL amp that drives the R10 properly would be very nice indeed. There are very few OTL amps that can drive a low-impedance headphone well.

If your picture is too large to post, feel free to email it to me, and I'll shrink it down and post it for you.