[1timer]

I don't think you understand my comments....the HPA4 is a powerful amp...no noise. With my DAVE and Hugo2 alone, no noise. Hiss, hum, etc... a good rig should be dead silent and offer a complete black background. The GS-X Mk2, GS-X mini, etc...all offer black backgrounds (dead silent) too. I think a little more research is warranted. Again, its about the whole chain and TOTL headphones are the "start" of a journey with regards to your setup as they can scale to heights that mid-fi headphones/speakers, etc... cannot. Now I'm not saying that the T1.3 can't sound great out of a budget friendly setup...'cause they do. But they do scale higher...thus my comments for the "start of a journey and not the termination".

I don't think you understand my original comment about oversaturation, but yes congrats on your $3K resistor lol.

It's HIGHLY ironic that you are here pontificating the necessity of a costly chain for a headphone that was explicitly designed to not require one. . .

 

[SSL443]

If you read his post right after yours....it appears to be the JJ tube....so it appears to be setup related. I am quite familiar with this tube and it is great if you have a "darker" pair of headphones and if you're looking to liven them up. But for more neutral headphones, it can be a bit strident in the upper mids.

Let's keep the discussion focused on the headphone.

I don't recall anything being said about the upper mids. If the treble is elevated, that is a trait of the headphone, period.

I'm happy for you that you think you've found a $10k+ chain that synergizes with the T1.3. But that is of no help to those of us trying to learn about the headphone itself so we can judge what gear might work with it in our price ranges.

 

[kman1211]

Let's keep the discussion focused on the headphone.

I don't recall anything being said about the upper mids. If the treble is elevated, that is a trait of the headphone, period.

I'm happy for you that you think you've found a $10k+ chain that synergizes with the T1.3. But that is of no help to those of us trying to learn about the headphone itself so we can judge what gear might work with it in our price ranges.

I did decide to try the headphone some other gear, the JJ tube does in fact add upper region energy to other headphones as well at least in it’s pre-burned-in state. The treble is less prominent on my Magni Heresy or my Beyer Impacto. I’ll be testing the headphone on other gear ranging from basically straight from a laptop to my Lyr 3/Bifrost 2 to have a clearer picture of its sound. So far early testing seems to show the treble to be mostly neutral and can shift to brightness or darkness depending on the system.

 

[SSL443]

I did decide to try the headphone some other gear, the JJ tube does in fact add upper region energy to other headphones as well at least in it’s pre-burned-in state. The treble is less prominent on my Magni Heresy or my Beyer Impacto. I’ll be testing the headphone on other gear ranging from basically straight from a laptop to my Lyr 3/Bifrost 2 to have a clearer picture of its sound. So far early testing seems to show the treble to be mostly neutral and can shift to brightness or darkness depending on the system.

"Upper region energy" from gear coloration isn't the same as actual elevated FR, though, and should be distinguishable. This wouldn't be the first time I've heard the JJ tube described as tending bright, but I'm more interested in the sound of the headphone than the amp.

Thank you for your ongoing impressions.

 

[kman1211]

"Upper region energy" from gear coloration isn't the same then as an actual elevated FR, though, and should be distinguishable. This wouldn't be the first time I've heard the JJ tube described as tending bright, but I'm more interested in the sound of the headphone than the amp.

Thank you for your ongoing impressions.

Oh I know basically what I’m saying is the tube adds an edge to most of my headphones that isn’t there on other gear or tubes and I haven't been spending much time with my other headphones much as I'm enjoying the sound of this headphone so much. That’s why I need to try it on other amps and dacs at length to make sure I have a clear picture of the headphones sound as they really were just listened to on my new amp.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Since we are talking about dacs and amps what you guys experienced users recommend for me rather budget oriented gear. Headphone is Ananda so not fan of tube. Any experience with the latest zen can ?

I don't think you understand my original comment about oversaturation, but yes congrats on your $3K resistor lol.

It's HIGHLY ironic that you are here pontificating the necessity of a costly chain for a headphone that was explicitly designed to not require one. . .

Being 32 ohms DOES NOT say that it won't scale with gear. Have you even heard them? Have you heard them with say an entry level gear and higher up the food chain? Everything here you've posted is more about you than me. Please go back and re-read my comments...being easy to drive does not mean plug them into anything and you'll hear them at their best. But hey, you've been here since May, so you are the expert.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Let's keep the discussion focused on the headphone.

I don't recall anything being said about the upper mids. If the treble is elevated, that is a trait of the headphone, period.

I'm happy for you that you think you've found a $10k+ chain that synergizes with the T1.3. But that is of no help to those of us trying to learn about the headphone itself so we can judge what gear might work with it in our price ranges.

What? That's what we were doing....he had an issue with a tube known for being upper-mid forward, changed the tube and the issue went away. If the treble is elevated, it could be MANY different things...headphones, amp, DAC, music, cables. He rolled a tube (in case you missed it) and it went away...so the culprit was likely not the headphones.

My comments to help you "learn" about the headphones are that they sound great out of most things...but scale as improvements are made to your upstream chain. That is what transparency is all about. I don't recommend spending $1,000 on a pair of TOTL headphones, pairing it with a starter system and then critiquing the headphones without hearing what they are like on higher-end setups. I could very much enjoy them with the Zen DAC for sure. I loved the Zen DAC...great bang for the buck. Here's my review:

https://headphone.guru/the-new-ifi-zen-dac-and-zen-blue-a-killer-one-and-super-affordable-two-punch/

Do they sound better out of the Hugo2? Sure, they are quite revealing and capable of quite a bit more...that is my whole point.
That said, the Hugo 2 is a much better match

 

[MacedonianHero]

I did decide to try the headphone some other gear, the JJ tube does in fact add upper region energy to other headphones as well at least in it’s pre-burned-in state. The treble is less prominent on my Magni Heresy or my Beyer Impacto. I’ll be testing the headphone on other gear ranging from basically straight from a laptop to my Lyr 3/Bifrost 2 to have a clearer picture of its sound. So far early testing seems to show the treble to be mostly neutral and can shift to brightness or darkness depending on the system.

Excellent comments. There are two newer members who don't fully appreciate how upstream issues can cause issues. To mistake these headphones to just plug them into any old thing is a mistake. Yes, they are easier to drive, but they will reward you as you improve your setup. I'm not so sure why this is so hard for others to comprehend?

 

[MacedonianHero]

"Upper region energy" from gear coloration isn't the same as actual elevated FR, though, and should be distinguishable. This wouldn't be the first time I've heard the JJ tube described as tending bright, but I'm more interested in the sound of the headphone than the amp.

Thank you for your ongoing impressions.

The amp can change the sound of a headphone...so you can't isolate transparent headphones from the gear without hearing them across several different setups. JJ tubes are "meh" at best for the issues noted and I've always rolled them OUT of my setups. Going with US or British made NOS tubes is ideal.

 

[SSL443]

What? That's what we were doing....he had an issue with a tube known for being upper-mid forward, changed the tube and the issue went away. If the treble is elevated, it could be MANY different things...headphones, amp, DAC, music, cables. He rolled a tube (in case you missed it) and it went away...so the culprit was likely not the headphones.

No, if the treble is elevated, the treble is elevated. Gear measures flat, transducers don't.

FR quirks can of course be compensated for with good gear pairings, but in order to plan for that you need to know those quirks exist to begin with.

Excellent comments. There are two newer members who don't fully appreciate how upstream issues can cause issues. To mistake these headphones to just plug them into any old thing is a mistake. Yes, they are easier to drive, but they will reward you as you improve your setup. I'm not so sure why this is so hard for others to comprehend?

Please save the condescension. If anything, you're confusing the issues of synergy and scaling.

The amp can change the sound of a headphone...so you can't isolate transparent headphones from the gear without hearing them across several different setups. JJ tubes are "meh" at best for the issues noted and I've always rolled them OUT of my setups. Going with US or British made NOS tubes is ideal.

Not saying that upstream gear doesn't change the sound, even drastically, but FR is going to remain the same, low damping factor notwithstanding.

 

[MacedonianHero]

No, if the treble is elevated, the treble is elevated. Gear measures flat, transducers don't.

FR quirks can of course be compensated for with good gear pairings, but in order to plan for that you need to know those quirks exist to begin with.


Please save the condescension. If anything, you're confusing the issues of synergy and scaling.


Not saying that upstream gear doesn't change the sound, even drastically, but FR is going to remain the same, low damping factor notwithstanding.

Then why did changing out the JJ tube fix the issue? Again, have you heard them? Synergy and scaling can be the same thing if the synergy works with the gear. I don't use tube amplifiers anymore due to their colourations that are limited to specific headphones. Tube amps can drastically change sound (including FR)...I suggest you go listen to several tube amps and the same pair of headphones...you'll be surprised. Listening to them on a setup that can supply the best power and measures with incredibly low distortion is the best way to comment on their sound. But again, have you heard them? Why is this so hard?

 

[SSL443]

My comments to help you "learn" about the headphones are that they sound great out of most things...but scale as improvements are made to your upstream chain. That is what transparency is all about. I don't recommend spending $1,000 on a pair of TOTL headphones, pairing it with a starter system and then critiquing the headphones without hearing what they are like on higher-end setups. I could very much enjoy them with the Zen DAC for sure. I loved the Zen DAC...great bang for the buck. Here's my review:

High- or low-end is irrelevant to synergy. A headphone could just as well sound worse out of a high-end setup if the synergy is bad.

My comments are to help you "learn" about this.

 

[MacedonianHero]

High- or low-end is irrelevant to synergy. A headphone could just as well sound worse out of a high-end setup if the synergy is bad.

My comments are to help you "learn" about this.

All they do is confuse others. You are making a straw man and then attacking it. That's why I prefer neutral front end setups and let the headphones do their thing. Tube amps (like the one he used) don't.

Again, have you heard them? My biggest pet peeve is people commenting on stuff without any experience whatsoever on the gear.

 

[SSL443]

All they do is confuse others. You are making a straw man and then attacking it. That's why I prefer neutral front end setups and let the headphones do their thing. Tube amps (like the one he used) don't.

Again, have you heard them?

"Neutral" is a myth. Everything has a sound. But it is possible to separate these differences with careful listening.

 

[MacedonianHero]

"Neutral" is a myth. Everything has a sound. But it is possible to separate these differences with careful listening.

I prefer neutral front ends is not saying it IS dead neutral...your statement here is yet another straw man. Have you heard them?