Quote:
Originally Posted by ampgalore
How do HD650, CD3000 stack up against the electrostats?
I currently have the HD600 and ER4S. I would like my next upgrade to be a substantial upgrade instead of an incremental upgrade.
How much does omegaII cost?
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"How 'they' stack up against the electrostats" is a confusing question. This is dependant on how you are comparing. As far as functionality, neither ESL or dynamic is especially superior to the other, as far as actual audible signal reproduction, given comparable variants of each. However, how can we actually find comparable variatns? Indeed, I don't know of a single circumstance where an electrostatic and dynamic design were specifically produced to be equivalent in every regard of audible measurement(within known JNDs) , cosmetics, with only the transducer type differing, for controlled testing.
If you want to discuss averaged characteristics, the main advantage electrostatics 'usually' posses is relatively few delayed resonances in the main audible passband. However, equivalent behaviour of this parameter is possible in dynamic drivers of today, given the advanced diaphragm construction methods and materials currently avaiable. For realtive comparison of CSD(cumaltive spectral decay - a methjod for analysis of resonances), one only has to perform basic impulse response tests, unweighted, on the units and transform the results into an easily understandable format such as a waterfall plot(CSD plot) with adequate noise floor/windowing length.
Unfortunately, we are not dealing with products where similar behaviour/design headphones of each type are available. No single parameter analysis such as CSD will sum the potential subjective responses to the product. More complex evalution, also including the frequency response, psychological influences(color, name, brand image, comfort/physical, etc.), etc. are needed in order to draw accurate conclusions regarding which model(s) of headphone(s) are/is 'better', as far as a statistical value. But even this would only go as far as to draw a statistical number of which is preferred from a selection of quite dis-similar products.
IN order to see if some meaningful difference exists between the mere difference of an ESL vs. a dynamic driver, the two units to be tested would have to be of identical appearance, weight, have amplitude response within 0.1dB of each other over the auible passband, have distortion levels under known [1]JNDs and have audible comporable resonances[2].
Maybe I answered your question in a manner you did not intend. If what you really want to know is how the CD-3000 and HD-600 compare to 'average' electrostatics, then I can't help you. I have no statistics on this specific subject. This would be a matter of product preference, not specifically of the potential of the two technologies.
-Chris
[1] Wireless World, February 1981, "Just Detectable Distortion Levels"
[2] JAES, 1987, "The Modification of Timber by Resonances: Perception and Measurement" Floyd E. Toole and Sean E. Olive