[immtbiker]

Please let me know about those DT-100 pads. They look perfect on screen.
If so, and they will ship to the US, they might be the end all cure for this concern of us H2 Owners (besides the amp).
I'm surprisingly happy with the Dared, but if there's something reasonbly priced that will make them sound better, the, "I'm all ears".

 

[stevenkelby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by immtbiker /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have found that my tubed Dared MP-5 sounds better than my solid state full sized Adcom. Perhaps tubes fair better with the piezos than solid state. Perhaps Jack Woo needs to to be contacted as well. A 300B 10 watt amp might do it nice justice.

Are you still using the TR2 with the Dared?

 

[immtbiker]

Yes, you still have to use the transformer with the Dared.

 

[immtbiker]

I received new experimental pads from Takei and didn't realize that I had posted in the "balanced" thread.

 

[catscratch]

I received the H2 today, 4 days after I sent my payment. I have to say, I didn't quite expect shipping to be this fast, even after reading this thread.

It's far too early to make any kind of sonic observations, since I don't have any quality gear to connect these headphones to. All I have is an Onkyo M504 amp (rubbish), a Denon PRE-1500 preamp, and Monster speaker cables (utter rubbish). So, with such dismal gear, sound quality is... reflective of gear quality.

But, there are a few things that I've learned.

1) The comfort level is... not very good. The wire headband system is dumb, and the original system, at least on paper, looked much better. The fit is not very secure, though the headphones are very, very light.

2) There IS an occasional rattle in the left side during heavy bass passages, as others have observed. I haven't yet figured out what's causing it. It is only occasional, though.

3) You really can plug the transformer box into an amp with 16 times the maximum power handling capacity and not fry anything. The Onkyo is 160 watts per channel with 500 watts peak power. If only its quality matched its power quantity! And on that note...

4) If you think you can get away with department-store level gear while you wait for a real system - you can't. With junk gear you will have junk sound.

5) The only sonic observations that I can make so far is that yes, the drivers are very, very fast, and yes, there is a lot of bass impact. I really can't tell anything else with my current system, since I think I am hearing the system and not the headphones (or so I hope).

6) Also, the headphones are extremely position-sensitive. The seal doesn't matter much as far as I can tell but moving the headphones on the head even slightly changes the sound quality by quite a lot. This is all the more reason to get the fit issues worked out as soon as possible.

****

I'll report back when I have a decent amp to work with. It will most likely be a Cayin integrated of some sort, though which one exactly will depend on how much luck I have selling my Stax rig.

For now, I should say that the headphones do need much thicker pads which will actually support the headphones on your head instead of letting the pressure of the drivers directly on your ears do all the work. Also, the headband system has to go, it's uncomfortable, not strong enough to support even the very light weight of the headphones, and not adjustable enough for my liking.

I will contact Mr Takei about the new pads and see where that goes.

I am hearing a lot of sonic potential, so this is only the beginning.

 

[b0dhi]

^ I agree with every point you make. Although I've modded mine to be comfortable using the stock pads, I found that using larger earpads which keep the ear further from the drivers than the stock pads do hurts the sound. Specifically, it makes them sound too bright, and reduces the dynamics IMO.

 

[stevenkelby]

Thanks, excellent impressions and a good read. I agree with pretty much everything you said.

They do seem like a Phase One product, Phase Two should be spectacular.

I need my listening room to be dead silent to enjoy these. I finally have a truly silent computer, but even traffic outside at night can be heard through the music.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by catscratch /img/forum/go_quote.gif A few more listening sessions have gone by. I still don't have the rig finished, and am still listening with rubbish gear. But, a few things stand out.

Great reading! Thanks a lot for sharing your impressions with us.

It sure looks like a really fun pair of headphones.

 

[Duggeh]

Wonderful to read your impressions, "It's not an amalgamation between dynamic and electrostatic drivers. Rather, it has the virtues of both, but they are part of a greater whole that's quite different in its own way." is the way in which I myself tried to phrase this new piezo sound.

I'm looking forward to plugging the H2 into the Pass Labs amp getting to me next week.

 

[Take T]

About the thick ear-pad which I passed to Mr.immtbiker.
There seems to have been some problems.
When listening again ,the bass shut oneself up, and the expansion of
the high pitched sound was also insufficient.
Then, I have done some trial purposes of improvement.
And, I think I succeeded in the production of a thick pad that excelled in tone quality.

The difference with the last pad is
1. Some part of a lower and forward of pad are cut.
2. There is a right and left distinction for that. The label of L and R is pasted on the back side of the pad frame to distinguish.
3. As a result, it has improved as shown in the sound quality.
4. Moreover, a leather color has been changed. though homemade finishing as usual.
It might be able to be said it is bright this time and active if the last color is chic and elegant.
We introduce about it on our homepage that updates recently.
URL; TAKET => TAKET | user manual
group-buy price ; JPY 5,000/pair (Carriage all-in)

 

[stevenkelby]

Paypal sent, thanks Mr. Takei.

 

[smeggy]

Oooh I so want a pair of these. They are just quirky enough to be really interesting. Alas, the wallet is empty *sigh*

 

[Hellenback]

Is this really a thread about $5000 headphones that don't even fit right or is someone pulling our collective legs?

 

[smeggy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellenback /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is this really a thread about $5000 headphones that don't even fit right or is someone pulling our collective legs?

You just need to reshape your head a little. No biggie

 

[Take T]

Dear Head-Fi members,

Merry Christmas though it is a little early.
I think this panel for the time limit to come and to be closed soon.
Moreover, it is likely to restart if there is a necessity.
However, the group-buy by Head-Fi members will continue for the present.
We will report in the order column on our homepage if there is a change.
We wish to express our gratitude for getting various impression and opinions while establishing this panel.

Thanks and Best Regards,
Takei