mironathetin
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Posts
- 299
- Likes
- 35
Recently, the german hifi magazine Audio published a comparison between the Grado GS 1000 and the Sennheiser HD 800. In a side note, they also wrote about the amps they used and rated them. The Musical Fidelity x-can V8p, that I own, was placed 3rd out of 4, while the Lehmann black cube linear won the competition hands down. Although this was not the reason why I started to check my amp choice, it contributed.
The real start of my investigation was a cheap investment that I did: I bought a filtered mains distribution unit. It improved the speaker sound a lot, but not the headphones via x-can. All of a sudden my headphones did not sound superior to my speakers any more.
So I grabbed some of my best sounding albums, my Sennheiser HD 650 and visited my favorite hifi dealer to audition the black cube linear with my own headphones. The black cube was fed by an accuphase cd player.
Lehmann black cube linear
-----------------------------
Well, as it has been stated elsewhere, the Lehmann reveals details that have not been heard before. For example Bruckner, Symphony no 4, 2nd movement (Celibidache and the Munich Philharmonic - absolutely gorgeous recording!). This is a slow and mostly quiet piece, but can you imagine to hear the musicians turn the pages of their sheets while the orchestra is playing? With the Lehmann you can. You also cannot avoid all details about the coughs of the asthmatic bavarian audience.
I quickly put in Dylan (Desire), AC/DC (Let there be rock) and Mozart (Cosi fan tutte, Concerto Cologne, Rene Jacobs, Veronique Gens). There is really not much to add to the existing reviews: all details are there, the dynamics is stunning, from deepest bass to highest screech, everything is there and absolutely unhidden.
But - I did not like it at all. Why? Because it does not sound natural. The Lehmann surely works perfect as a scrutinizing tool for sound engineers, as it puts a magnifying glass to all the details of the music. The sound ends in a perfect decomposition.
If you look closer to the reviews, you will indeed notice, that many are done by pro-magazines for sound engineers, as are the interviews (e.g. with Tacet). That makes a lot of sense to me.
For music lovers on the other hand, who want a piano to sound as a piano really sounds (replace piano with any other instrument including voices), the black cube linear does not fit. This was clear to me after 2 minutes of listening.
I also tried the HD 800 with the black cube. With them, the sound went a good step towards music again. Probably because the HD 800 moves the music farther away from the inside of your head to a larger external stage. I did not feel as close to the sound as with my HD 650. As a consequence, the level of scrutiny was less dominant. But still clearly audible and not nice.
Even with the HD 800, it was very clear that I listened to a piece of technical equipment instead of listening to music. Not my amp for sure.
Back home I tried to find an amp that was described as more natural sounding. Finally, the earmax-pro is standing side by side to my x-can v8. Since its arrival a week ago it is playing non-stop. I sneaked in from time to time and what I heard sounded really good.
Yesterday I spend a long friday evening comparing some of my favorite albums as played by the earmax and the x-can. The x-can has the nice feature of a line-out to which the earmax can be directly connected. I only had to plug and unplug the headphones. This allowed a very quick comparison ( ... and the immediate impression of the different build quality: while the headphone plug of the x-can is absolutely smooth and the plug literally glides into place, the notchy earmax connector seems to resist almost physically).
Earmax pro
--------------
I started with the same albums that I used for the Lehmann, but was carried away quickly and had to throw in also Hotel California (the guitar solo), Drive (REM, with the great moment, when the electrical guitar starts to play and completely changes the sound of the piece), more Dylan, Rumours (the great sounding remaster of Fleetwood Macs classic album) and Macbeth (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leinsdorf, Leonie Rysanek, Leonard Warren - one of the examples that there is absolutely no excuse, if recordings from the 60s sound bad. This one is from 1959 and the sound is unbelievably good).
Now whats the impression? If you ask me to characterize the earmax, the terms that fly into my mind are deep bass, space and clarity.
Deep bass shows best in an orchestra. Listen again to Bruckner, when the contrabasses play, their sound seems to float through the orchestra. It goes so deep and even if the rest of the orchestra is playing loud, this deepest hum is always there and never drowned - wow!
The space is also always there. With the earmax you literally hear the size of the concert hall. At the end for example, when the conductor stops the music suddenly, the fading sound of the instruments gives a gorgeous impression of space.
Also on stage. I have a recording of Bellinis Norma with Maria Callas and Christa Ludwig singing a Duet. Its possible to feel the size of the stage. The earmax does not put you right onto it, but only a few steps away from the two singers. Its so easy to hear the power of Callas voice, every detail of the phrasing as well as all the weaknesses that are going to kill her voice eventually. I could still imagine to come closer, but perhaps not with a recording from 1964.
Space pairs with clarity. Most instruments are well separated and with a little self-contemplation it is possible to listen to each instrument (or instrumental group) separately. Dylan for example. In Desire the earmax lets you hear the plec hitting the strings of Dylans acoustic guitar.
This sounds like the scrutiny that I have described for the Lehmann, but it is different. As opposed to the Lehmann, the earmax sounds very, very natural!
And the comparison to the x-can V8?
---------------------------------
The main thing to write is this: everything that has been said for the sound of the earmax is also true for the x-can. I have repeatedly listened to both amps, switching the headphones back and forth. Every detail that can be heard from the earmax, is also there in the x-can.
The real differences between them are very subtle: Neil Young, After the Goldrush. When I concentrated on the voice to find out differences while the plug was fed by the earmax, I noticed a very, very deep and silent bass in the background. Switching to the x-can, I also immediately noticed the bass with all its details, but in the earmax its presence showed even if I did not try to hear it.
And this is indeed the main difference. The deepest bass is always there when the earmax plays, even at low volumes. With the x-can I nearly never consciously noticed the contrabasses play, whereas the earmax presents the complete picture.
In the concert hall it is more like this. The basses are clear and loud, they usually can be felt physically with the whole body as a receptor. A headphone can of course never submit this feeling, but with the earmaxes sound its easier to imagine how the real thing would be.
The gentler bass lets the x-can sound a bit more lightweight and elegant. But I think this is not a quality. Its because something is missing.
To get more of the deep bass from the x-can, moderate or even loud listening levels are required. If you like that, I don't.
I have done all my earmax/x-can comparisons with my HD 650 (thats all I have). For my iPod I also use Sennheiser ie7. Just for fun, I plugged them into the two amps. The result: with the x-can I hear a hiss, with the earmax a hum. This is because of the low impedance of only 16 Ohm. The hum is clearly worse than hiss, but both amps are not made for phones with such a low impedance.
Of interest may be also to note how loud the amps drive the HD 650: With the x-can I can hardly go beyond 12 o clock (starting at 7, maximum is 5). Comfortable listening level is 9 o clock.
The earmax on the other hand has less power. I can stand full volume for a second. From 7 to 5, comfortable listening volume is around 11. But I must clearly say, If - with the HD 650 - the earmax should not be loud enough for someone, he or she clearly needs medical assistance.
Look and feel:
------------------
I wrote little about the look and feel of the two amps. The earmax is made of black plastic, a chromium plated tube protection and also chromium jacks and volume adjustment. The gold plated plug of the Sennheiser has been scratched by the earmaxes connector during this test session due to repeated in- and out. In many months before, going from the x-can to my computer and back, this has not happened.
Side by side to the x-can the earmax looks a bit cheap. But because of its tiny size, its also a cute piece of electronic. Your wives/girlfriends will love it!
The x-can on the other hand is a very well constructed black metal box with an aluminum front, a small bright blue power diode and a big volume adjustment that turns easy and smooth. The earmaxes volume knob needs more effort but still feels pretty good and solid. All in all, the x-can looks like the higher developed instrument, while the earmax could have been put together in my neighbors garage. The best idea is not to put the earmax close to a piece of high end equipment.
Now what is the conclusion?
-----------------------------
I hope you apologize that I mainly used examples from classical music and opera to illustrate the sound. I also (and mostly) listen to Rock music, but I think classical sounds are much more demanding for an amp than Rock. A weak bass is easier to detect if the bass is not amplified and less powerful.
But Rock music also sounds slightly superior through the earmax. Attack, punch and especially the amount of air that the earmax pumps between the instruments is simply great
.
But how to decide? As you might guess already, for me the Lehmann is no option. But looking at the earmax side by side to the x-can, a decision is tough. Sound wise, I would say, thumbs up for the earmax. But the x-can is close behind. For the looks and the craftsmanship its clearly the x-can. The earmax is no competition. For these two amps its not possible to get both.
My personal opinion is, for everyone who already owns an x-can, the sound improvements of the earmax are not worth a replacement. I would prefer to buy a high quality psu like the pinkie or the x-psu (I still run the x-can with the regular wall-wart power supply). The sound of the two amps is so close, the chances are high that the x-can paired with little pinkie is the better option.
Shame on Musical Fidelity that they don't offer an adequately priced single plug psu for the x-can.
The real start of my investigation was a cheap investment that I did: I bought a filtered mains distribution unit. It improved the speaker sound a lot, but not the headphones via x-can. All of a sudden my headphones did not sound superior to my speakers any more.
So I grabbed some of my best sounding albums, my Sennheiser HD 650 and visited my favorite hifi dealer to audition the black cube linear with my own headphones. The black cube was fed by an accuphase cd player.
Lehmann black cube linear
-----------------------------
Well, as it has been stated elsewhere, the Lehmann reveals details that have not been heard before. For example Bruckner, Symphony no 4, 2nd movement (Celibidache and the Munich Philharmonic - absolutely gorgeous recording!). This is a slow and mostly quiet piece, but can you imagine to hear the musicians turn the pages of their sheets while the orchestra is playing? With the Lehmann you can. You also cannot avoid all details about the coughs of the asthmatic bavarian audience.
I quickly put in Dylan (Desire), AC/DC (Let there be rock) and Mozart (Cosi fan tutte, Concerto Cologne, Rene Jacobs, Veronique Gens). There is really not much to add to the existing reviews: all details are there, the dynamics is stunning, from deepest bass to highest screech, everything is there and absolutely unhidden.
But - I did not like it at all. Why? Because it does not sound natural. The Lehmann surely works perfect as a scrutinizing tool for sound engineers, as it puts a magnifying glass to all the details of the music. The sound ends in a perfect decomposition.
If you look closer to the reviews, you will indeed notice, that many are done by pro-magazines for sound engineers, as are the interviews (e.g. with Tacet). That makes a lot of sense to me.
For music lovers on the other hand, who want a piano to sound as a piano really sounds (replace piano with any other instrument including voices), the black cube linear does not fit. This was clear to me after 2 minutes of listening.
I also tried the HD 800 with the black cube. With them, the sound went a good step towards music again. Probably because the HD 800 moves the music farther away from the inside of your head to a larger external stage. I did not feel as close to the sound as with my HD 650. As a consequence, the level of scrutiny was less dominant. But still clearly audible and not nice.
Even with the HD 800, it was very clear that I listened to a piece of technical equipment instead of listening to music. Not my amp for sure.
Back home I tried to find an amp that was described as more natural sounding. Finally, the earmax-pro is standing side by side to my x-can v8. Since its arrival a week ago it is playing non-stop. I sneaked in from time to time and what I heard sounded really good.
Yesterday I spend a long friday evening comparing some of my favorite albums as played by the earmax and the x-can. The x-can has the nice feature of a line-out to which the earmax can be directly connected. I only had to plug and unplug the headphones. This allowed a very quick comparison ( ... and the immediate impression of the different build quality: while the headphone plug of the x-can is absolutely smooth and the plug literally glides into place, the notchy earmax connector seems to resist almost physically).
Earmax pro
--------------
I started with the same albums that I used for the Lehmann, but was carried away quickly and had to throw in also Hotel California (the guitar solo), Drive (REM, with the great moment, when the electrical guitar starts to play and completely changes the sound of the piece), more Dylan, Rumours (the great sounding remaster of Fleetwood Macs classic album) and Macbeth (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leinsdorf, Leonie Rysanek, Leonard Warren - one of the examples that there is absolutely no excuse, if recordings from the 60s sound bad. This one is from 1959 and the sound is unbelievably good).
Now whats the impression? If you ask me to characterize the earmax, the terms that fly into my mind are deep bass, space and clarity.
Deep bass shows best in an orchestra. Listen again to Bruckner, when the contrabasses play, their sound seems to float through the orchestra. It goes so deep and even if the rest of the orchestra is playing loud, this deepest hum is always there and never drowned - wow!
The space is also always there. With the earmax you literally hear the size of the concert hall. At the end for example, when the conductor stops the music suddenly, the fading sound of the instruments gives a gorgeous impression of space.
Also on stage. I have a recording of Bellinis Norma with Maria Callas and Christa Ludwig singing a Duet. Its possible to feel the size of the stage. The earmax does not put you right onto it, but only a few steps away from the two singers. Its so easy to hear the power of Callas voice, every detail of the phrasing as well as all the weaknesses that are going to kill her voice eventually. I could still imagine to come closer, but perhaps not with a recording from 1964.
Space pairs with clarity. Most instruments are well separated and with a little self-contemplation it is possible to listen to each instrument (or instrumental group) separately. Dylan for example. In Desire the earmax lets you hear the plec hitting the strings of Dylans acoustic guitar.
This sounds like the scrutiny that I have described for the Lehmann, but it is different. As opposed to the Lehmann, the earmax sounds very, very natural!
And the comparison to the x-can V8?
---------------------------------
The main thing to write is this: everything that has been said for the sound of the earmax is also true for the x-can. I have repeatedly listened to both amps, switching the headphones back and forth. Every detail that can be heard from the earmax, is also there in the x-can.
The real differences between them are very subtle: Neil Young, After the Goldrush. When I concentrated on the voice to find out differences while the plug was fed by the earmax, I noticed a very, very deep and silent bass in the background. Switching to the x-can, I also immediately noticed the bass with all its details, but in the earmax its presence showed even if I did not try to hear it.
And this is indeed the main difference. The deepest bass is always there when the earmax plays, even at low volumes. With the x-can I nearly never consciously noticed the contrabasses play, whereas the earmax presents the complete picture.
In the concert hall it is more like this. The basses are clear and loud, they usually can be felt physically with the whole body as a receptor. A headphone can of course never submit this feeling, but with the earmaxes sound its easier to imagine how the real thing would be.
The gentler bass lets the x-can sound a bit more lightweight and elegant. But I think this is not a quality. Its because something is missing.
To get more of the deep bass from the x-can, moderate or even loud listening levels are required. If you like that, I don't.
I have done all my earmax/x-can comparisons with my HD 650 (thats all I have). For my iPod I also use Sennheiser ie7. Just for fun, I plugged them into the two amps. The result: with the x-can I hear a hiss, with the earmax a hum. This is because of the low impedance of only 16 Ohm. The hum is clearly worse than hiss, but both amps are not made for phones with such a low impedance.
Of interest may be also to note how loud the amps drive the HD 650: With the x-can I can hardly go beyond 12 o clock (starting at 7, maximum is 5). Comfortable listening level is 9 o clock.
The earmax on the other hand has less power. I can stand full volume for a second. From 7 to 5, comfortable listening volume is around 11. But I must clearly say, If - with the HD 650 - the earmax should not be loud enough for someone, he or she clearly needs medical assistance.
Look and feel:
------------------
I wrote little about the look and feel of the two amps. The earmax is made of black plastic, a chromium plated tube protection and also chromium jacks and volume adjustment. The gold plated plug of the Sennheiser has been scratched by the earmaxes connector during this test session due to repeated in- and out. In many months before, going from the x-can to my computer and back, this has not happened.
Side by side to the x-can the earmax looks a bit cheap. But because of its tiny size, its also a cute piece of electronic. Your wives/girlfriends will love it!
The x-can on the other hand is a very well constructed black metal box with an aluminum front, a small bright blue power diode and a big volume adjustment that turns easy and smooth. The earmaxes volume knob needs more effort but still feels pretty good and solid. All in all, the x-can looks like the higher developed instrument, while the earmax could have been put together in my neighbors garage. The best idea is not to put the earmax close to a piece of high end equipment.
Now what is the conclusion?
-----------------------------
I hope you apologize that I mainly used examples from classical music and opera to illustrate the sound. I also (and mostly) listen to Rock music, but I think classical sounds are much more demanding for an amp than Rock. A weak bass is easier to detect if the bass is not amplified and less powerful.
But Rock music also sounds slightly superior through the earmax. Attack, punch and especially the amount of air that the earmax pumps between the instruments is simply great
But how to decide? As you might guess already, for me the Lehmann is no option. But looking at the earmax side by side to the x-can, a decision is tough. Sound wise, I would say, thumbs up for the earmax. But the x-can is close behind. For the looks and the craftsmanship its clearly the x-can. The earmax is no competition. For these two amps its not possible to get both.
My personal opinion is, for everyone who already owns an x-can, the sound improvements of the earmax are not worth a replacement. I would prefer to buy a high quality psu like the pinkie or the x-psu (I still run the x-can with the regular wall-wart power supply). The sound of the two amps is so close, the chances are high that the x-can paired with little pinkie is the better option.
Shame on Musical Fidelity that they don't offer an adequately priced single plug psu for the x-can.
