[DavidMahler]

Quote:

David,
               My curiosity got the best of me and lead me to compare your previous 20 Headphone Review to your current 57 Flagship headphone review.  Needless to say, I found something interesting.  What I discovered is how some headphones in the old review fell only a few spots down when compared to their ranking in the new review.  This is inevitable as you discovered new headphones (like the Stax line).
 
Sony R10    were: 1 / now: 3  (held their place quite nicely)
 
Other headphones rank fell deep from the old review to the new review.  Once again, this seems to be due to the discovery of the Stax line along with stiff competition and new, excellent releases in the sub 1000$ headphone market.  Refined versions of some models were also released at this time.  Understandable.  A typical, usual and predictable occurrence.
 
K501     were: 9 / now: 37
D7000   were: 11 / now: 32
 
Others took the fight to the new-comers and ended up still in a very good position, even though it may appear that they fell deep in the ranking.
 
K1000    were: 5 / now: 19
HD650    were: 7 / now: 20
HD600    were: 8 / now: 21
 
What is interesting though are the next figures...
 
Certain headphones that were in the old review and are also in the new review overtook the previous leader in the new review.  Bare with me here and allow me to explain with an example of what I am getting at.
 
LCD2    were: 2 / now: 12
Vs.
HE-6     were: 3 / now: 9
 
What I see here are the HE-6's overtaking the LCD2's by 3 spots in the new review where as before before the HE-6's were a spot behind the LCD2's. Why is that?  Why did all of the sudden the HE-6 become the preferred headphone over the LCD2?
 
Another one...
 
K501      were: 9 / now: 37
Vs.
UE8 LE  were: 10 / now: 33
 
Here we see the Ultrasone's moving up 5 spots on the K501's were as before they were 1 spot behind the K501's.  Once again, what happened?
 
Now -- here are the figures which stood out the most...
 
HD-800   were: 4 / now: 6
 
The HD-800 fell only a couple of spots in the new ranking while their gain in the new review relative to the LCD2's were 6 spots and 3 spots on the HE-6's.
 
LCD2     were: 2 / now: 12
HE-6      were: 3 / now: 9
 
This anomaly peaked my interest.  Did you develop an appreciation for the HD800 sound that wasn't there before (in 2010)?  Or is it the opposite. Were you smitten with the LCD2's/HE-6's so much that a high ranking was given at the time?  Did your musical tastes change during the last two years that allowed you to develop an appreciation for the HD800?  Was it gear synergy?
 
My apologies for such a loaded question.  This BY NO MEANS is an attack of any sorts on you or your review but a simple case of my curiosity.  As a result, I too may be joining my cat shortly.
 
From those numbers I concluded that the R10's and the HD-800's are most likely your most enjoyed dynamic headphones and quite possibly your two favorite headphones in your collection (not counting Stax).  The R10's being the chocolate to the HD800's vanilla.  This is simply a guestimation on my part and no way represents your true feeling.  Although, please, correct me on this if I am wrong in my assumption
 
To others new to this hobby (and some that are knee deep in it), there's a lesson to be had here if you read between the lines.
 
Cheers.
 
P.S. You also developed quite the taste for the T1's but I won't get into that.
P.S.S. David's old rankings in relation to the new rankings
 
R10       were: 1 / now: 3
LCD2     were: 2 / now: 12
HE-6      were: 3 / now: 9
HD-800  were: 4 / now: 6
K1000    were: 5 / now: 19
T1         were: 6 / now: 13
HD650   were: 7 / now: 20
HD600   were: 8 / now: 21
K501      were: 9 / now: 37
UE8 LE  were: 10 / now: 33
D7000    were: 11 / now: 32
K702      were: 14 / now: 38

 
Nice post!
 
If you read my synopsis for the HD800, LCD-2 and HE-6 I believe I touch on precisely what you're saying.  There were new revelations granted new amplification and I talk specifically about these three headphones in question!

 

[rgs9200m]

I haven't used them in a while, but brought out my Senn HD800s today for a long session and they sound awesome, with pristine highs that somehow sound natural and not overly or painfully bright at all. The mids are full and the bass, when the music has it, comes through not overblown at all, but very very satisfying and seems extremely deep, deeper than I had thought.
So now the HD800s are 100% good to me. 

 

[Alondite]

Quote:

The GR07 is not worthy for this thread nor is it worth Dave's time (unless you wanna see it score last place 

 ), on the other hand how about those fitears and tralucents?

Lol. The GR07 is hands-down better than the AD900, which he scores quite well. It sounds better and costs less. I own both, and it's no comparison. It's also better than the IE8, SE535, and UM3X, as far as universal IEMs go. I'd put it ahead of the PFE 232 as well, because it's far too colored for my tastes (I prefer the 112). Never heard the Westone 4, so I can't comment.

 

[zachchen1996]

Quote:

Lol. The GR07 is hands-down better than the AD900, which he scores quite well. It sounds better and costs less. I own both, and it's no comparison. It's also better than the IE8, SE535, and UM3X, as far as universal IEMs go. I'd put it ahead of the PFE 232 as well, because it's far too colored for my tastes (I prefer the 112). Never heard the Westone 4, so I can't comment.

I guess I'm just mad that it lacks this sense of transparency and no matter what I do to try and enjoy it, it seems...I don't know, the sounds just lack this crispness to it, and vocals especially don't sound very natural. I'm really upset about the uha-6s mkii purchase too because it really only beats the j3 on neutral by a tiny tiny bit, not worth the 280 bucks. Im done with the toys, on to the big boys, (LCD3, fitear, tralucent etc.) I did like em for a few months but now I just can't tand them no matter how hard I try. 

 

[Alondite]

Quote:

I guess I'm just mad that it lacks this sense of transparency and no matter what I do to try and enjoy it, it seems...I don't know, the sounds just lack this crispness to it, and vocals especially don't sound very natural. I'm really upset about the uha-6s mkii purchase too because it really only beats the j3 on neutral by a tiny tiny bit, not worth the 280 bucks. Im done with the toys, on to the big boys, (LCD3, fitear, tralucent etc.) I did like em for a few months but now I just can't tand them no matter how hard I try. 

Yeah there are some times when their tonality bothers me. Usually I enjoy them too much to really notice, but sometimes they downright drive me crazy.

For crispness and clarity try a few dB down at like 400-500 Hz (though the whole bass region benefits from knocking it down a few dB) and 6 kHz seems to do the trick pretty well. They're very quick for a dynamic, they perform exceedingly well in regards to distortion, and there's more or less no excessive ringing to speak of across the spectrum. The drivers are clearly quality units, but the tuning isn't what it could be; there are a few peaks which throw off the tonality more than I would like. That said, for $180 retail, you aren't going to do better.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

I broke out my frequency charts to confirm if what I was hearing would be reflected in their measurements as provided by Audeze.  Sure enough here it is "in black and white"....
 
 

Wow, that's a pretty good spike at 10K, mine is fairly new but doesn't shoot that high. Must be a new batch or "special" tuning for a reviewer who called them "dark" in a first place.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

I'm listening to the LCD-2 rev 2 right now for the second time.  One thing I notice is that my pair sounds both brighter than than my previous LCD-2 and my LCD-3.  I haven't followed any deviations in the recent production changes, but these are my finding thus far.

 

[veracocha]

This thread is encyclopaedia of the headphones !!! Fantastic job , well done !

 

[MDCLXVI]

Hello David,

I would just like to thank you for your staggering collection of reviews. It was your description of the ATH-W3000ANV that convinced me to get them, they are now my favourite headphones and probably will be for a very long time.

I would defy any person to say they aren't jealous of your collection!

 

[preproman]

Quote:

LCD2     were: 2 / now: 12
HE-6      were: 3 / now: 9
HD-800  were: 4 / now: 6
K1000    were: 5 / now: 19
T1         were: 6 / now: 13
HD650   were: 7 / now: 20
HD600   were: 8 / now: 21
K501      were: 9 / now: 37
UE8 LE  were: 10 / now: 33
D7000    were: 11 / now: 32
K702      were: 14 / now: 38

 
Very interesting..
 
Very good post rezolver

 

[agoston.berko]

"David's old rankings in relation to the new rankings"
 
funny

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

This thread is encyclopaedia of the headphones !!! Fantastic job , well done !

Thank you
Quote:

 
Very interesting..
 
Very good post rezolver

I try to touch on precisely this:

the following two comments are extracted from the LCD2 prologue and HE-6 prologue respective
 
In my 2010 review of my top 20 headphones, the LCD-2 was my runner-up choice, just behind the R10 bass-heavy model. At number 12, the LCD-2's noticeable difference in rank may deceive some into thinking that it has fallen out of favor with me. This is not the case.  The reason for this is that since writing the original review in 2010, I have acquired an abundance of headphones and gear which gave way to several new front-ranking inclusions. The HE-6 and HD800 are the only two headphones on my current list to move in front of the LCD-2 from the previous list. The reason for this has to do with improved amplification. However, the most feasible reason for the LCD-2's fall in the ranking is the LCD-3; the LCD-3 essentially does everything the LCD-2 can do but with a greater sense of clarity and transparency. The two models sound quite a bit alike and perhaps I see less reason to give the LCD-2 head-time because of this.
 
In the time since writing my 20 Headphones Compared thread, I have acquired a Woo Audio 5. Hearing the HE-6 through the K1K output (which is designed to pump 8 watts per channel at 150 Ohms) has really opened my eyes to just how amazing the HE-6 really can be. Iron Dreamer's review of the HE-6/EF-6 combo has piqued my interest in the EF-6 amp, but I haven't yet pulled the trigger on purchasing it. The EF-6 is an amp specifically designed by the manufacturer to power the HE-6. I also have yet to hear the HE-6 paired with Ray Samuels Audio's Dark Star, which like the EF-6, was designed in order to meet the power requirements of the HE-6.

 

[DavidMahler]

Quote:

Hello David,

I would just like to thank you for your staggering collection of reviews. It was your description of the ATH-W3000ANV that convinced me to get them, they are now my favourite headphones and probably will be for a very long time.

I would defy any person to say they aren't jealous of your collection!

I'm glad you like the headphones! And thanks! I know my ex girlfriend was not jealous of my collection She resented it haha.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Thank you
I try to touch on precisely this:

the following two comments are extracted from the LCD2 prologue and HE-6 prologue respective
 
In my 2010 review of my top 20 headphones, the LCD-2 was my runner-up choice, just behind the R10 bass-heavy model. At number 12, the LCD-2's noticeable difference in rank may deceive some into thinking that it has fallen out of favor with me. This is not the case.  The reason for this is that since writing the original review in 2010, I have acquired an abundance of headphones and gear which gave way to several new front-ranking inclusions. The HE-6 and HD800 are the only two headphones on my current list to move in front of the LCD-2 from the previous list. The reason for this has to do with improved amplification. However, the most feasible reason for the LCD-2's fall in the ranking is the LCD-3; the LCD-3 essentially does everything the LCD-2 can do but with a greater sense of clarity and transparency. The two models sound quite a bit alike and perhaps I see less reason to give the LCD-2 head-time because of this.
 
In the time since writing my 20 Headphones Compared thread, I have acquired a Woo Audio 5. Hearing the HE-6 through the K1K output (which is designed to pump 8 watts per channel at 150 Ohms) has really opened my eyes to just how amazing the HE-6 really can be. Iron Dreamer's review of the HE-6/EF-6 combo has piqued my interest in the EF-6 amp, but I haven't yet pulled the trigger on purchasing it. The EF-6 is an amp specifically designed by the manufacturer to power the HE-6. I also have yet to hear the HE-6 paired with Ray Samuels Audio's Dark Star, which like the EF-6, was designed in order to meet the power requirements of the HE-6.

 
 
So how did the HE-6 and the HD800 flip flop?

 

[dan.gheorghe]

Quote:

I'm glad you like the headphones! And thanks! I know my ex girlfriend was not jealous of my collection She resented it haha.

If I were in her shoes I would have seen it a major plus to continue  the relationship ). You would be a hit for all audiophile ladies out there.
 
Just joking here