Is the headband colour random? I didn't see any option to choose, I recieved black. Nice to read your impressions, I don't think I'm experienced enough to give a detailed opinion on the sound, but with the hip DAC I do really enjoy the sound and I guess that's what matters for now.
When I ordered them, there were a couple of browns available, definitely fewer than the blacks. Not a massive fan of red stitching, so I'm definitely happy with my choice
The HipDAC from what I can tell is a warm source, so that would certainly be a suitable pairing for these phones!
For the record, I'm no expert either, I'm really just describing what I hear.
The Openhearts are definitely located on this continuum as well. They are also more affordable than the cheapest Grado and also built better + removable cable for easy balanced conversion, hence their appeal
They are very pretty but are also fingerprint magnets due to their high-polished mirror finish. I have a microfibre cloth on standby. I can confirm that the vents work, as cupping my hands around them ruins the sound.
Well, those Gold Planar GL2000 planars that you can get in either single-sided magnet or double-sided magnet configuration are now on Drop: the single-sided magnet variant is dropping for $499 and the double-sided for $50 more, $549:
Quite possibly, although if the Drop specs for the GL2000 are accurate, the 100 x 36 mm driver is really a skinny, tall one that doesn't seem to have been used elsewhere yet.
OpenHeart OH2000 Listening Notes
+ comparisons with my other cans (Creative Aurvana Live! and Sony MDR-H600A)
Prepare yourselves, for this will be a long one. Yes, I realize that the OH2000 are not like the other two because, well, it is open-backed. That means the OH2000 will always sound the most airy and spacious, and have the largest soundstage of the lot. However, soundstage is but one component of the overall presentation, and you should probably take this as impressions of what I'm hearing rather than worrying about the fairness of the comparison and whether open backs are inherently better than closed backs or vice-versa. I will not be commenting on soundstage again, at any rate.
Executive Summary:
The OH2000 has a neutral-bright signature, a cold tonality and a thin note weight. They absolutely do cross the line into harshness, shrillness and sibilance on various recordings. Even the most ardent treblehead will probably need to EQ the Openheart OH2000 to be able to live with them.
You can't really solve all the problems of the OH2000 with EQ. It's more of a compromise. You could increase the bass in order to make the overall sound less thin, but sibilance will still be present. You could decrease the treble, but you end up losing some detail and top-end dynamics. Doing both can lead to a rather dark-sounding headphone, which isn't really what the OH2000 is meant to be.
The OH2000 has substantial treble extension, but that added treble isn't exactly high-res. A sequence of cymbal notes, for example, often meld into an amorphous ssssssssssssss with each strike completely lost.
The OH2000 may have an expansive soundstage, but it is beat by the H600a in imaging, layering and instrument separation. While imaging and soundstage are often positively correlated, it is not really the case here. Complex sections can sometimes seem veiled, and the spatial position of instruments can be difficult to nail down.
The OH2000 can be pretty enjoyable with high-quality recordings that are primarily vocal and acoustic. The tonality and imaging weaknesses don't stand out as much when no complex arrangements (read: metal) or excessive brightness (read: electronic, most weeb music) is involved.
Generally speaking, the OH2000 at its best offers the most detail and sparkle out of the three headphones I possess. The CAL! is the most musical and dynamic but also the least resolving and technically proficient, and that allows it to just be switch-off-your-brain entertaining with just about any old MP3. The H600a is warm, smooth and rich with a textured but slightly bloomy bass, forward mids and rolled-off treble that benefits from EQ. While it is far from analytical or transparent, it's the best of the bunch in the technicalities department.
I ran the OH2000, CAL! and H600a from my NW-ZX300's single-ended output with Direct Source on. I attempted to volume match by ear. Generally, the OH2000 required an increment of about 20-25 volume steps to match the CAL! and H600a. The OH2000 were tested with the larger Grado G-cushion style donut foam pads attached. The CAL! and H600a had their stock pleather pads attached.
Track-specific Comments:
Scandal - Tonight: Bright tonality, tizzy cymbals. The track sounds busy. Not quite the best layering. A lot of treble energy. CAL! is boosted on both ends, maybe a little veiled. H600a has the most rolled-off treble but has the most soothing presentation as a result.
Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet: Vocals are recessed. Acoustic guitar sounds clear and natural but tambourines have an sharp edge to them. Drums are a tad bloated/muddy sounding. CAL! guitars sound less resolving but tambourines are also less sharp. Also suffers from a loose bass. H600a presents guitars on par with OH, but vocals are moved forward, less flat. Tambourines are smooth and in the background. The most refined bass of the three.
Prism - ClariS: Cold, thin tonality but can't fault the overall detail and clarity on display here. CAL! isn't the most resolving, really everything it's touched so far has been smoothed, but to my ears it has the most balanced presentation of this track. H600a brings warmth, note weight, soothing mids and vocals, but it lacks air.
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole: The bassline sounds flat and compressed. Vocals are recessed again. Sibilance is apparent when the line "superstar sucked into the supermassive" is sung. CAL! brings out the graininess in the synths well, complemented by low-end punch. H600a offers a prominent bassline and far smoother vocals but the top end isn't quite where it ought to be.
Toto - Africa: A lot going on here, but to its credit the OH actually does well. Maybe a bit sparkly and tizzy up top, but the bass is pretty tight, the snares are defined, and the vocals are, surprisingly enough, not crushed. Lots of air and soaring notes. CAL! has a substantially more bass emphasised (quantity > quality), closed-in presentation, with some veil in the mids, and the higher frequencies sound muted and further away. H600a presentation is wider and more expansive than the CAL! but not to the extent of the OH. The bass has perhaps the most definition of the three, but it's pretty close between the H600a and the OH. The flute part definitely sounds the richest on the H600a.
Roki - Wolpis Kater x Isubokuro: Thin note weight once again, but the bassline is actually present. Unfortunately let down by sibilance up the wazoo, pretty much any time cymbals or sss vocals are involved. Problem with utaite music is that they are already generally bright sounding and make liberal use of electronic samples, which really doesn't mesh with the OH. CAL! offers good extension top and bottom, making for a very dynamic listen, but vocals are slightly recessed. H600a reins in the treble energy maybe a tad too much; highs sound a bit veiled, but it adds necessary low-end weight and emphasises the mids/vocals.
500 Letters - Tarja: Female vocals are emphasised. Electric guitars are on the harsh and flat side. The bassline seems a bit lost here: it's Tarja and wailing, searing electric guitar. CAL! is the least analytical, but the melding of the electric guitar with Tarja's vocals somehow works, producing an full, soupy sound. Lots of lower-mid energy on tap, but maybe a bit light on treble. H600a takes the CAL!'s presentation and bumps up the detail and clarity while still being pretty rich and musical.
CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue: Clean, resolving presentation, albeit with a dry tonality. Vocals are emphasised but not overly hot (for the most part). Big treble energy leads to the synths sounding fizzy and tizzy in parts, at which point the vocals get a bit lost. CAL! sounds substantially less thin and more weighty and balanced. H600a builds on the CAL!'s presentation and dials up the richness and dynamics even more. Infinitely more listenable than the OH, sad to say.
Final Words:
My relationship with these OpenHearts is complicated. I really want to like them; they look and feel superb. But the tuning is situational at best. Yes, they have their moments. Yes, I can see what they were going for. Yes, the most serious issues can be DSPed into oblivion. But actual Grados have more resale value than the OH2000, so you should probably go with those if you're unsure about this type of can.
OpenHeart OH2000 Listening Notes
+ comparisons with my other cans (Creative Aurvana Live! and Sony MDR-H600A)
Prepare yourselves, for this will be a long one. Yes, I realize that the OH2000 are not like the other two because, well, it is open-backed. That means the OH2000 will always sound the most airy and spacious, and have the largest soundstage of the lot. However, soundstage is but one component of the overall presentation, and you should probably take this as impressions of what I'm hearing rather than worrying about the fairness of the comparison and whether open backs are inherently better than closed backs or vice-versa. I will not be commenting on soundstage again, at any rate.
Executive Summary:
The OH2000 has a neutral-bright signature, a cold tonality and a thin note weight. They absolutely do cross the line into harshness, shrillness and sibilance on various recordings. Even the most ardent treblehead will probably need to EQ the Openheart OH2000 to be able to live with them.
You can't really solve all the problems of the OH2000 with EQ. It's more of a compromise. You could increase the bass in order to make the overall sound less thin, but sibilance will still be present. You could decrease the treble, but you end up losing some detail and top-end dynamics. Doing both can lead to a rather dark-sounding headphone, which isn't really what the OH2000 is meant to be.
The OH2000 has substantial treble extension, but that added treble isn't exactly high-res. A sequence of cymbal notes, for example, often meld into an amorphous ssssssssssssss with each strike completely lost.
The OH2000 may have an expansive soundstage, but it is beat by the H600a in imaging, layering and instrument separation. While imaging and soundstage are often positively correlated, it is not really the case here. Complex sections can sometimes seem veiled, and the spatial position of instruments can be difficult to nail down.
The OH2000 can be pretty enjoyable with high-quality recordings that are primarily vocal and acoustic. The tonality and imaging weaknesses don't stand out as much when no complex arrangements (read: metal) or excessive brightness (read: electronic, most weeb music) is involved.
Generally speaking, the OH2000 at its best offers the most detail and sparkle out of the three headphones I possess. The CAL! is the most musical and dynamic but also the least resolving and technically proficient, and that allows it to just be switch-off-your-brain entertaining with just about any old MP3. The H600a is warm, smooth and rich with a textured but slightly bloomy bass, forward mids and rolled-off treble that benefits from EQ. While it is far from analytical or transparent, it's the best of the bunch in the technicalities department.
I ran the OH2000, CAL! and H600a from my NW-ZX300's single-ended output with Direct Source on. I attempted to volume match by ear. Generally, the OH2000 required an increment of about 20-25 volume steps to match the CAL! and H600a. The OH2000 were tested with the larger Grado G-cushion style donut foam pads attached. The CAL! and H600a had their stock pleather pads attached.
Track-specific Comments:
Scandal - Tonight: Bright tonality, tizzy cymbals. The track sounds busy. Not quite the best layering. A lot of treble energy. CAL! is boosted on both ends, maybe a little veiled. H600a has the most rolled-off treble but has the most soothing presentation as a result.
Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet: Vocals are recessed. Acoustic guitar sounds clear and natural but tambourines have an sharp edge to them. Drums are a tad bloated/muddy sounding. CAL! guitars sound less resolving but tambourines are also less sharp. Also suffers from a loose bass. H600a presents guitars on par with OH, but vocals are moved forward, less flat. Tambourines are smooth and in the background. The most refined bass of the three.
Prism - ClariS: Cold, thin tonality but can't fault the overall detail and clarity on display here. CAL! isn't the most resolving, really everything it's touched so far has been smoothed, but to my ears it has the most balanced presentation of this track. H600a brings warmth, note weight, soothing mids and vocals, but it lacks air.
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole: The bassline sounds flat and compressed. Vocals are recessed again. Sibilance is apparent when the line "superstar sucked into the supermassive" is sung. CAL! brings out the graininess in the synths well, complemented by low-end punch. H600a offers a prominent bassline and far smoother vocals but the top end isn't quite where it ought to be.
Toto - Africa: A lot going on here, but to its credit the OH actually does well. Maybe a bit sparkly and tizzy up top, but the bass is pretty tight, the snares are defined, and the vocals are, surprisingly enough, not crushed. Lots of air and soaring notes. CAL! has a substantially more bass emphasised (quantity > quality), closed-in presentation, with some veil in the mids, and the higher frequencies sound muted and further away. H600a presentation is wider and more expansive than the CAL! but not to the extent of the OH. The bass has perhaps the most definition of the three, but it's pretty close between the H600a and the OH. The flute part definitely sounds the richest on the H600a.
Roki - Wolpis Kater x Isubokuro: Thin note weight once again, but the bassline is actually present. Unfortunately let down by sibilance up the wazoo, pretty much any time cymbals or sss vocals are involved. Problem with utaite music is that they are already generally bright sounding and make liberal use of electronic samples, which really doesn't mesh with the OH. CAL! offers good extension top and bottom, making for a very dynamic listen, but vocals are slightly recessed. H600a reins in the treble energy maybe a tad too much; highs sound a bit veiled, but it adds necessary low-end weight and emphasises the mids/vocals.
500 Letters - Tarja: Female vocals are emphasised. Electric guitars are on the harsh and flat side. The bassline seems a bit lost here: it's Tarja and wailing, searing electric guitar. CAL! is the least analytical, but the melding of the electric guitar with Tarja's vocals somehow works, producing an full, soupy sound. Lots of lower-mid energy on tap, but maybe a bit light on treble. H600a takes the CAL!'s presentation and bumps up the detail and clarity while still being pretty rich and musical.
CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue: Clean, resolving presentation, albeit with a dry tonality. Vocals are emphasised but not overly hot (for the most part). Big treble energy leads to the synths sounding fizzy and tizzy in parts, at which point the vocals get a bit lost. CAL! sounds substantially less thin and more weighty and balanced. H600a builds on the CAL!'s presentation and dials up the richness and dynamics even more. Infinitely more listenable than the OH, sad to say.
Final Words:
My relationship with these OpenHearts is complicated. I really want to like them; they look and feel superb. But the tuning is situational at best. Yes, they have their moments. Yes, I can see what they were going for. Yes, the most serious issues can be DSPed into oblivion. But actual Grados have more resale value than the OH2000, so you should probably go with those if you're unsure about this type of can.
Nice review Unifutomaki.I heard you mentioned the creative live have you ever tried the IAM the arvana trio. Or the earbud the arvana air I think it is. I'd be curious I've always wanted to get the earbud. Thanks for the review Erik
OpenHeart OH2000 Listening Notes
+ comparisons with my other cans (Creative Aurvana Live! and Sony MDR-H600A)
Prepare yourselves, for this will be a long one. Yes, I realize that the OH2000 are not like the other two because, well, it is open-backed. That means the OH2000 will always sound the most airy and spacious, and have the largest soundstage of the lot. However, soundstage is but one component of the overall presentation, and you should probably take this as impressions of what I'm hearing rather than worrying about the fairness of the comparison and whether open backs are inherently better than closed backs or vice-versa. I will not be commenting on soundstage again, at any rate.
Executive Summary:
The OH2000 has a neutral-bright signature, a cold tonality and a thin note weight. They absolutely do cross the line into harshness, shrillness and sibilance on various recordings. Even the most ardent treblehead will probably need to EQ the Openheart OH2000 to be able to live with them.
You can't really solve all the problems of the OH2000 with EQ. It's more of a compromise. You could increase the bass in order to make the overall sound less thin, but sibilance will still be present. You could decrease the treble, but you end up losing some detail and top-end dynamics. Doing both can lead to a rather dark-sounding headphone, which isn't really what the OH2000 is meant to be.
The OH2000 has substantial treble extension, but that added treble isn't exactly high-res. A sequence of cymbal notes, for example, often meld into an amorphous ssssssssssssss with each strike completely lost.
The OH2000 may have an expansive soundstage, but it is beat by the H600a in imaging, layering and instrument separation. While imaging and soundstage are often positively correlated, it is not really the case here. Complex sections can sometimes seem veiled, and the spatial position of instruments can be difficult to nail down.
The OH2000 can be pretty enjoyable with high-quality recordings that are primarily vocal and acoustic. The tonality and imaging weaknesses don't stand out as much when no complex arrangements (read: metal) or excessive brightness (read: electronic, most weeb music) is involved.
Generally speaking, the OH2000 at its best offers the most detail and sparkle out of the three headphones I possess. The CAL! is the most musical and dynamic but also the least resolving and technically proficient, and that allows it to just be switch-off-your-brain entertaining with just about any old MP3. The H600a is warm, smooth and rich with a textured but slightly bloomy bass, forward mids and rolled-off treble that benefits from EQ. While it is far from analytical or transparent, it's the best of the bunch in the technicalities department.
I ran the OH2000, CAL! and H600a from my NW-ZX300's single-ended output with Direct Source on. I attempted to volume match by ear. Generally, the OH2000 required an increment of about 20-25 volume steps to match the CAL! and H600a. The OH2000 were tested with the larger Grado G-cushion style donut foam pads attached. The CAL! and H600a had their stock pleather pads attached.
Track-specific Comments:
Scandal - Tonight: Bright tonality, tizzy cymbals. The track sounds busy. Not quite the best layering. A lot of treble energy. CAL! is boosted on both ends, maybe a little veiled. H600a has the most rolled-off treble but has the most soothing presentation as a result.
Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet: Vocals are recessed. Acoustic guitar sounds clear and natural but tambourines have an sharp edge to them. Drums are a tad bloated/muddy sounding. CAL! guitars sound less resolving but tambourines are also less sharp. Also suffers from a loose bass. H600a presents guitars on par with OH, but vocals are moved forward, less flat. Tambourines are smooth and in the background. The most refined bass of the three.
Prism - ClariS: Cold, thin tonality but can't fault the overall detail and clarity on display here. CAL! isn't the most resolving, really everything it's touched so far has been smoothed, but to my ears it has the most balanced presentation of this track. H600a brings warmth, note weight, soothing mids and vocals, but it lacks air.
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole: The bassline sounds flat and compressed. Vocals are recessed again. Sibilance is apparent when the line "superstar sucked into the supermassive" is sung. CAL! brings out the graininess in the synths well, complemented by low-end punch. H600a offers a prominent bassline and far smoother vocals but the top end isn't quite where it ought to be.
Toto - Africa: A lot going on here, but to its credit the OH actually does well. Maybe a bit sparkly and tizzy up top, but the bass is pretty tight, the snares are defined, and the vocals are, surprisingly enough, not crushed. Lots of air and soaring notes. CAL! has a substantially more bass emphasised (quantity > quality), closed-in presentation, with some veil in the mids, and the higher frequencies sound muted and further away. H600a presentation is wider and more expansive than the CAL! but not to the extent of the OH. The bass has perhaps the most definition of the three, but it's pretty close between the H600a and the OH. The flute part definitely sounds the richest on the H600a.
Roki - Wolpis Kater x Isubokuro: Thin note weight once again, but the bassline is actually present. Unfortunately let down by sibilance up the wazoo, pretty much any time cymbals or sss vocals are involved. Problem with utaite music is that they are already generally bright sounding and make liberal use of electronic samples, which really doesn't mesh with the OH. CAL! offers good extension top and bottom, making for a very dynamic listen, but vocals are slightly recessed. H600a reins in the treble energy maybe a tad too much; highs sound a bit veiled, but it adds necessary low-end weight and emphasises the mids/vocals.
500 Letters - Tarja: Female vocals are emphasised. Electric guitars are on the harsh and flat side. The bassline seems a bit lost here: it's Tarja and wailing, searing electric guitar. CAL! is the least analytical, but the melding of the electric guitar with Tarja's vocals somehow works, producing an full, soupy sound. Lots of lower-mid energy on tap, but maybe a bit light on treble. H600a takes the CAL!'s presentation and bumps up the detail and clarity while still being pretty rich and musical.
CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue: Clean, resolving presentation, albeit with a dry tonality. Vocals are emphasised but not overly hot (for the most part). Big treble energy leads to the synths sounding fizzy and tizzy in parts, at which point the vocals get a bit lost. CAL! sounds substantially less thin and more weighty and balanced. H600a builds on the CAL!'s presentation and dials up the richness and dynamics even more. Infinitely more listenable than the OH, sad to say.
Final Words:
My relationship with these OpenHearts is complicated. I really want to like them; they look and feel superb. But the tuning is situational at best. Yes, they have their moments. Yes, I can see what they were going for. Yes, the most serious issues can be DSPed into oblivion. But actual Grados have more resale value than the OH2000, so you should probably go with those if you're unsure about this type of can.
This is so similar to how I feel about AKG K92. I really wanted to love them for being my first ever AKGs but they're good one minute and meh the other.
OpenHeart OH2000 Listening Notes
+ comparisons with my other cans (Creative Aurvana Live! and Sony MDR-H600A)
Prepare yourselves, for this will be a long one. Yes, I realize that the OH2000 are not like the other two because, well, it is open-backed. That means the OH2000 will always sound the most airy and spacious, and have the largest soundstage of the lot. However, soundstage is but one component of the overall presentation, and you should probably take this as impressions of what I'm hearing rather than worrying about the fairness of the comparison and whether open backs are inherently better than closed backs or vice-versa. I will not be commenting on soundstage again, at any rate.
Executive Summary:
The OH2000 has a neutral-bright signature, a cold tonality and a thin note weight. They absolutely do cross the line into harshness, shrillness and sibilance on various recordings. Even the most ardent treblehead will probably need to EQ the Openheart OH2000 to be able to live with them.
You can't really solve all the problems of the OH2000 with EQ. It's more of a compromise. You could increase the bass in order to make the overall sound less thin, but sibilance will still be present. You could decrease the treble, but you end up losing some detail and top-end dynamics. Doing both can lead to a rather dark-sounding headphone, which isn't really what the OH2000 is meant to be.
The OH2000 has substantial treble extension, but that added treble isn't exactly high-res. A sequence of cymbal notes, for example, often meld into an amorphous ssssssssssssss with each strike completely lost.
The OH2000 may have an expansive soundstage, but it is beat by the H600a in imaging, layering and instrument separation. While imaging and soundstage are often positively correlated, it is not really the case here. Complex sections can sometimes seem veiled, and the spatial position of instruments can be difficult to nail down.
The OH2000 can be pretty enjoyable with high-quality recordings that are primarily vocal and acoustic. The tonality and imaging weaknesses don't stand out as much when no complex arrangements (read: metal) or excessive brightness (read: electronic, most weeb music) is involved.
Generally speaking, the OH2000 at its best offers the most detail and sparkle out of the three headphones I possess. The CAL! is the most musical and dynamic but also the least resolving and technically proficient, and that allows it to just be switch-off-your-brain entertaining with just about any old MP3. The H600a is warm, smooth and rich with a textured but slightly bloomy bass, forward mids and rolled-off treble that benefits from EQ. While it is far from analytical or transparent, it's the best of the bunch in the technicalities department.
I ran the OH2000, CAL! and H600a from my NW-ZX300's single-ended output with Direct Source on. I attempted to volume match by ear. Generally, the OH2000 required an increment of about 20-25 volume steps to match the CAL! and H600a. The OH2000 were tested with the larger Grado G-cushion style donut foam pads attached. The CAL! and H600a had their stock pleather pads attached.
Track-specific Comments:
Scandal - Tonight: Bright tonality, tizzy cymbals. The track sounds busy. Not quite the best layering. A lot of treble energy. CAL! is boosted on both ends, maybe a little veiled. H600a has the most rolled-off treble but has the most soothing presentation as a result.
Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet: Vocals are recessed. Acoustic guitar sounds clear and natural but tambourines have an sharp edge to them. Drums are a tad bloated/muddy sounding. CAL! guitars sound less resolving but tambourines are also less sharp. Also suffers from a loose bass. H600a presents guitars on par with OH, but vocals are moved forward, less flat. Tambourines are smooth and in the background. The most refined bass of the three.
Prism - ClariS: Cold, thin tonality but can't fault the overall detail and clarity on display here. CAL! isn't the most resolving, really everything it's touched so far has been smoothed, but to my ears it has the most balanced presentation of this track. H600a brings warmth, note weight, soothing mids and vocals, but it lacks air.
Muse - Supermassive Black Hole: The bassline sounds flat and compressed. Vocals are recessed again. Sibilance is apparent when the line "superstar sucked into the supermassive" is sung. CAL! brings out the graininess in the synths well, complemented by low-end punch. H600a offers a prominent bassline and far smoother vocals but the top end isn't quite where it ought to be.
Toto - Africa: A lot going on here, but to its credit the OH actually does well. Maybe a bit sparkly and tizzy up top, but the bass is pretty tight, the snares are defined, and the vocals are, surprisingly enough, not crushed. Lots of air and soaring notes. CAL! has a substantially more bass emphasised (quantity > quality), closed-in presentation, with some veil in the mids, and the higher frequencies sound muted and further away. H600a presentation is wider and more expansive than the CAL! but not to the extent of the OH. The bass has perhaps the most definition of the three, but it's pretty close between the H600a and the OH. The flute part definitely sounds the richest on the H600a.
Roki - Wolpis Kater x Isubokuro: Thin note weight once again, but the bassline is actually present. Unfortunately let down by sibilance up the wazoo, pretty much any time cymbals or sss vocals are involved. Problem with utaite music is that they are already generally bright sounding and make liberal use of electronic samples, which really doesn't mesh with the OH. CAL! offers good extension top and bottom, making for a very dynamic listen, but vocals are slightly recessed. H600a reins in the treble energy maybe a tad too much; highs sound a bit veiled, but it adds necessary low-end weight and emphasises the mids/vocals.
500 Letters - Tarja: Female vocals are emphasised. Electric guitars are on the harsh and flat side. The bassline seems a bit lost here: it's Tarja and wailing, searing electric guitar. CAL! is the least analytical, but the melding of the electric guitar with Tarja's vocals somehow works, producing an full, soupy sound. Lots of lower-mid energy on tap, but maybe a bit light on treble. H600a takes the CAL!'s presentation and bumps up the detail and clarity while still being pretty rich and musical.
CHVRCHES - Clearest Blue: Clean, resolving presentation, albeit with a dry tonality. Vocals are emphasised but not overly hot (for the most part). Big treble energy leads to the synths sounding fizzy and tizzy in parts, at which point the vocals get a bit lost. CAL! sounds substantially less thin and more weighty and balanced. H600a builds on the CAL!'s presentation and dials up the richness and dynamics even more. Infinitely more listenable than the OH, sad to say.
Final Words:
My relationship with these OpenHearts is complicated. I really want to like them; they look and feel superb. But the tuning is situational at best. Yes, they have their moments. Yes, I can see what they were going for. Yes, the most serious issues can be DSPed into oblivion. But actual Grados have more resale value than the OH2000, so you should probably go with those if you're unsure about this type of can.
Yup, I’ve pretty much come to the same conclusion as you. At least with the stock driver. The shell and overall package is a deal and a half for driver swaps though, so as soon as they are back in stock I plan on ordering a few more
This is so similar to how I feel about AKG K92. I really wanted to love them for being my first ever AKGs but they're good one minute and meh the other.
The striking takeaway from the OpenHearts, at least for me, is a newfound appreciation for my Sonys. I was starting to think they sounded a tad boring and had half a mind to put them up for sale, but I've come to realise how refined, relaxing and balanced they really are, with a downright immersive (albeit intimate) soundstage. Like a warm embrace after being out in the cold. Dial up the treble a couple of notches to bring them back in line with the mids and they really work for me. An underrated pair for sure.
FR chart is of the predecessor to my MDR-H600A, the MDR-100AAP. But they are essentially the same headphone with the same drivers but different paint jobs.
The striking takeaway from the OpenHearts, at least for me, is a newfound appreciation for my Sonys. I was starting to think they sounded a tad boring and had half a mind to put them up for sale, but I've come to realise how refined, relaxing and balanced they really are, with a downright immersive (albeit intimate) soundstage. Like a warm embrace after being out in the cold. Dial up the treble a couple of notches to bring them back in line with the mids and they really work for me. An underrated pair for sure.
FR chart is of the predecessor to my MDR-H600A, the MDR-100AAP. But they are essentially the same headphone with the same drivers but different paint jobs.
I had Sony 100aap and it was great. Sad that Sony discontinued those but they were available for $60 for a long time. Tastefully bassy, comfortable, foldable magnesium build. Stupid, stupid me for selling those. I think I've said before that for the discounted price Sony's made all chi-fi obsolete.
Usually well known planar manufacturers make their own drivers. Sure there are rebrands originally made by big Chinese companies and sometimes large scale manufacturing might be outsourced for effiency but process of making the drivers is simple. Audeze, Hifiman, mr.speakers, kennerton, avantone, Rosson etc make or atleast design their own drivers. There are even many one man businesses that make their own planars but I don't think I've ever heard of a small business manufacturing dynamic drivers.
@Slater was the driver transplant with oh2000 easy? No hidden self destruction mechanism that one should know about? I might buy used openhearts. Drivers are 50mm? There was some confusion about the driver size earlier somewhere.
The striking takeaway from the OpenHearts, at least for me, is a newfound appreciation for my Sonys. I was starting to think they sounded a tad boring and had half a mind to put them up for sale, but I've come to realise how refined, relaxing and balanced they really are, with a downright immersive (albeit intimate) soundstage. Like a warm embrace after being out in the cold. Dial up the treble a couple of notches to bring them back in line with the mids and they really work for me. An underrated pair for sure.
FR chart is of the predecessor to my MDR-H600A, the MDR-100AAP. But they are essentially the same headphone with the same drivers but different paint jobs.
Usually well known planar manufacturers make their own drivers. Sure there are rebrands originally made by big Chinese companies and sometimes large scale manufacturing might be outsourced for effiency but process of making the drivers is simple. Audeze, Hifiman, mr.speakers, kennerton, avantone, Rosson etc make or atleast design their own drivers. There are even many one man businesses that make their own planars but I don't think I've ever heard of a small business manufacturing dynamic drivers.
I haven’t done the transplant yet. I’ve had no free time for mods lately because of OT at work. When I first got them and took everything apart to see how they were put together, it’s looked very straightforward. So I don’t expect the driver swap to be a problem.
I’m not sure if they are 40mm or 50mm. I’ll check later tonight.
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