[Malfunkt]

  Colder than HEdoublehockeysticks here in Alberta! Glad to have had the PXC550 as earmuffs this winter . Today was nicer though, only -1. But earlier in the week -18C which just sucks...

I wore my MDR-7520s over a light toque today too and from meetings. May havve asked before, you in Edmonton @dweaver ?

 

[dweaver]

I wore my MDR-7520s over a light toque today too and from meetings. May havve asked before, you in Edmonton @dweaver
 ?

Calgary

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Hunting around for a new pair (upgrade) of closed back portable headphones that match both the superb comfort and neutral imaging (timbre) of my B&O H6 cans.
 
Demoed a pair of Audeze Sines which were unfortunately uncomfortable and their imaging was slightly weaker than my H6s.  Awaiting to try a pair of the new MrSpeakers Aeons which I hope are superior both sonically and comfort-wise.
 
Any suggestions?

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Auditioned a new pair of MrSpeakers Alpha Primes... disappointing.  My B&O H6s are lighter and far more comfortable and sound just as good.  The Primes bass was more noticeable but not significantly and the imaging was weaker... definitely not a long wearing headphone either.
 
I guess I can 'chalk it up' to my minor hearing damage and sensitive ears as I didn't enjoy the Audeze Closed EL-8s or Oppo PM-3s either.. the EL-8 (closed) bass was much weaker than my H6s and they were just as heavy and uncomfortable as my open-back LCD-2s which I recently (and happily) gifted away.  The Oppo PM-3s, though a little clampy/sweaty, sounded very good but the imaging is still better on my H6s and they are definitely not as comfortable.  Tried the Sines again... a different pair that have been demoed/broken in far longer than the last pair I auditioned but they still are too uncomfortable and they don't sound as nice as my H6s... strange.  All were demoed/compared via the Deckard Headphone Amp (very nice amp!).
 
Guess I'll just have to wait and try the Aeons once they are out and about here in Siam... however, I may soon figure out that the H6s may be my end game. 
 
Definitely learned something today though... that my B&O H6s actually improved a little with a nice headphone amp so I will need to think on that.

 

[Evshrug]

WoodyLuvr, just curious if you've ever tried the B&O H7 & H8 they have at Apple Stores?

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Yes, I have... the H7 sounds the closest to the H6:
 
H7 (via cable): lacking clarity and wide soundstage of the H6, not as neutral as the H6; slightly better bass than the H6 but the mids and highs are noticeably weaker; heavier than the H6 not as comfortable for long sessions due to the weight
 
H9 (via cable): a fusion of the H7 & H8 models; veiled & slightly muffled sound signature so no where as nice as the H7 and especially H6 sonically; heavier than the H6, H8, and H7.
 
H8 (via cable): on-the ear (I prefer over the ear for better isolation and comfort during long listening sessions); sound signature is nothing like the H6 or H7... the bass is really boomy and disturbing; only slightly heavier than the H6 but not as heavy as the H7 or H9.

 

[Pass]

  however, I may soon figure out that the H6s may be my end game. --> That's what I was about to say!
 
Definitely learned something today though... that my B&O H6s actually improved a little with a nice headphone amp so I will need to think on that. --> Yeah, that's right for almost any headphone (except Bluetooth). Good luck tho for finding the perfect amp for your H6s. You well may just opened a door that you can't close anymore 

 

[WoodyLuvr]

--> Yeah, that's right for almost any headphone (except Bluetooth). Good luck tho for finding the perfect amp for your H6s. You well may just opened a door that you can't close anymore 

Well it appears that the door has actually been blown open... I believe my Xonar DX sound card has died on me; appears to be a bad cap
 
Purchased brand new (full original seal) back in early 2012 the sound card is actually circa 2008 as the store owner informed me that it had been in his storeroom for more than four years (he had bought it as a back-up for the DX sound card that he was still using in his audiophile PC + Benchmark DAC1 set-up at the store) and gave me a 25% discount on it.

 

[Pass]

  Well it appears that the door has actually been blown open... I believe my Xonar DX sound card has died on me; appears to be a bad cap
 
Purchased brand new (full original seal) back in early 2012 the sound card is actually circa 2008 as the store owner informed me that it had been in his storeroom for more than four years (he had bought it as a back-up for the DX sound card that he was still using in his audiophile PC + Benchmark DAC1 set-up at the store) and gave me a 25% discount on it.

Sorry for your loss. Losses in fact... your sound card and your future money 

 

[WoodyLuvr]

 
Sorry for your loss. Losses in fact... your sound card and your future money 

All good!  Got my money's worth out of it I believe!  Served three computers faithfully!

 

[WoodyLuvr]

 
Sorry for your loss. Losses in fact... your sound card and your future money 

While in Hong Kong the past week I demoed Audioquest's DragonFlys with my H6s and I was actually extremely impressed... surprisingly so.  Very powerful and quiet amps.
 
To my ears there wasn't a huge difference between the Red and Black using my H6s.  I ended up buying the Black with the Jitterbug and not the Red model as I preferred the Black DragonFly's slightly darker/softer (more mellow?) sound signature and lower volume control... it was much easier to fine tune and adjust to a lower volume than on the Red which was much, much louder due to its higher amp output.  So I saved myself some money choosing the black variant over the red one as I hadn't quite realized there was a dramatic price difference between the two!  
 
I listened to another Audeze Deckard (my H6s sounded as great as they did on another one a few weeks back) and when comparing with the DragonFlys I honestly couldn't pinpoint any major improvement with the Deckard so I am definitely pleased with that revelation.  I guess my H6s just needed a little bit more juice to deepen (tighten up) the bass and expand/broaden the sound stage and timbre... anything beyond the DragonFly Black level is simply overkill.  All in all I now have a perfect home and portable headphone dac/amp solution! 

 

[Pass]

  While in Hong Kong the past week I demoed Audioquest's DragonFlys with my H6s and I was actually extremely impressed... surprisingly so.  Very powerful and quiet amps.
 
To my ears there wasn't a huge difference between the Red and Black using my H6s.  I ended up buying the Black with the Jitterbug and not the Red model as I preferred the Black DragonFly's slightly darker/softer (more mellow?) sound signature and lower volume control... it was much easier to fine tune and adjust to a lower volume than on the Red which was much, much louder due to its higher amp output.  So I saved myself some money choosing the black variant over the red one as I hadn't quite realized there was a dramatic price difference between the two!  
 
I listened to another Audeze Deckard (my H6s sounded as great as they did on another one a few weeks back) and when comparing with the DragonFlys I honestly couldn't pinpoint any major improvement with the Deckard so I am definitely pleased with that revelation.  I guess my H6s just needed a little bit more juice to deepen (tighten up) the bass and expand/broaden the sound stage and timbre... anything beyond the DragonFly Black level is simply overkill.  All in all I now have a perfect home and portable headphone dac/amp solution! 

I seriously thought that you would've spent more money than that. Good thing you gave them a try. I have a DragonFly 1.2 and was looking at both the new Black and Red. Now I must go test them after what you've experienced. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[keppes]

Hey guys, so i really like this thread. I do owned and do actually own a few headphones like the first momentums over ear,the sony mdr-1a and the fostex t50rps mk3's etc.... I realized that you prefer here a group of certain headphones like the h6,m2,p7,pm3 etc. I'm wondering how some older classic headphones would be ranked in the list at the beginning. Right now i am going to sell my momentums, because the treble cut really annoys me. I like the sony mdr-1a more, even when they are a little bit worser in the general sq than the momentums. The bass of the sonys isn't the tightest and the treble is also a little bit cut off. I know a few headphones which i would rank higher than my sonys and i'm curious if anybody of you have had a listen to them. I would say that the Focal Spirit Professional (and also the Classic) and the Beyerdynamic dt250 are the best closed sets of headphones that i have heard so far (and yes i didn't have heard many of the headphones from your list). I know that they are not really portable (and the dt250 are really ugly too), but the sound is really awesome. What do you think about these headphones? Ps: Sorry for the bad english, it is not my native language.

 

[MacedonianHero]

I've got a pair of the Meze 99 Neo here and I'll be writing up a full review for them on Headphone.Guru, I will also be updating my listing here when that this done. After only a few days with them, I can say they are special headphones!

 

[subguy812]

I've got a pair of the Meze 99 Neo here and I'll be writing up a full review for them on Headphone.Guru, I will also be updating my listing here when that this done. After only a few days with them, I can say they are special headphones!

I agree Peter they are special headphones. I have some 99 Neo on the way that hopefully should arrive this week. I have really enjoyed the 99 Classics.