[Music Alchemist]

  HD600 has a moderate soundstage but the sensation it gives is that it is very much "out of the head". From my previous brief listen to the FSP I found it to have a good soundstage but isn't it still "in the head", contained? ie. open vs closed.

  It is. But not as much as it should be for a closed.

 
Yeah, it's relatively open-sounding for a closed headphone. But I think soundstage is overrated. I thought the differences between the smallest and largest soundstage in headphones were pretty insignificant, especially compared to speakers.

 

[Head1]

Originally Posted by ozziecook
  It is. But not as much as it should be for a closed.

 
OK. I will listen out for this more critically next time.
 
Quote:

   
Yeah, it's relatively open-sounding for a closed headphone. But I think soundstage is overrated. I thought the differences between the smallest and largest soundstage in headphones were pretty insignificant, especially compared to speakers.

To me, they seem significant especially when I compare the HD600 and the Momentum. Both are good headhones but the sense of space with the HD600 is on another level IMO.

 

[ozziecook]

  To me, they seem significant especially when I compare the HD600 and the Momentum. Both are good headhones but the sense of space with the HD600 is on another level IMO.

True.
The Momentum is a seductive headphone. It's like a one night stand. Exciting at first but no finesse or subtlety
It certainly gives you a big bang. But slowly you begin to notice you're missing something. They soon went back.
 
On the subject of soundstage, I've gone back to my FX850 IEMs with different tips...and wow, the sense of space. As one reviewer said, it's like having speakers on your ears. Anyhow...apologies for the off-thread meandering.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I mean, the differences between the extremes in soundstage are obvious, but it only sounded slightly further away to me, really. Almost no difference at all when you compare to speakers. I tend to prefer a more intimate soundstage, at any rate.

 

[ozziecook]

I mean, the differences between the extremes in soundstage are obvious, but it only sounded slightly further away to me, really. Almost no difference at all when you compare to speakers. I tend to prefer a more intimate soundstage, at any rate.

Then you should go for an IEM, where things are generally more intimate, rather than a super expensive headphone like you've been mentioning perhaps?

 

[Stuff Jones]

Then you should go for an IEM, where things are generally more intimate, rather than a super expensive headphone like you've been mentioning perhaps?

 
To me the advantage of HPs over IEMs is not only sound stage, its that the sounds themselves sound bigger like they were generated by real, life sized instruments as opposed to the little miniature bands and orchestras IEMs project.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Then you should go for an IEM, where things are generally more intimate, rather than a super expensive headphone like you've been mentioning perhaps?

 
I have no interest in IEMs until after I have a collection of high-end headphones. (In case you haven't read my posts in the past, I want the Abyss AB-1266, STAX SR-009, HIFIMAN HE1000, Sennheiser Orpheus HE 90, and many others.) Some people say some IEMs have a big soundstage anyway. But most IEMs don't seem to be capable of the sound quality of the best circumaural headphones. I want the most realistic, accurate sound possible, so only a few IEMs (like the JH Layla) are on my wish list.

 

[ozziecook]

I have no interest in IEMs until after I have a collection of high-end headphones. (In case you haven't read my posts in the past, I want the Abyss AB-1266, STAX SR-009, HIFIMAN HE1000, Sennheiser Orpheus HE 90, and many others.) Some people say some IEMs have a big soundstage anyway. But most IEMs don't seem to be capable of the sound quality of the best circumaural headphones. I want the most realistic, accurate sound possible, so only a few IEMs (like the JH Layla) are on my wish list.

Haha. Ok. Well, good luck on that crazy journey.

 

[AUserName501]

Has anyone ever found a set of pads that are larger but don't have a big impact on the frequency response? I tried V-Moda XL pads but it had a huge impact on bass response for the worse.
 
Has anyone got the Spirit One S because their website says "wider cups for increased comfort" and I'm wondering if someone can measure the pads.
 

 

[dakanao]

I'm listening to a very good recorded album right now..
 
I can definitely understand the people that said these are very clear sounding headphones..

But, even on this very well recorded album, they still sound a bit harsh.
 
But I will just use them a lot and hope that that harshness goes away when time passes by.
 
Because if that harshness is gone, they are literally perfect for me soundwise.
 
 
Also, comfort got better since I got them 2 weeks ago.

 

[Gammon2004]

I had the Spirit One S for a month or two - the pads are noticeably bigger.  This made them somewhat more comfortable for me, but my ears are still bigger than the inside of those newer pads, so eventually I had the same comfort issues...but I believe I saw a measurement posted on the Spirit One S thread on this site...if your ears are just a bit smaller then mine, they might be perfect for you.  As for trying different pads...unfortunately I think the airtight pad seal is part of the design of the headphones in terms of bass response, so using pads that don't seal like that drastically hurts the sound quality.  That's also why I'm somewhat pessimistic about Focal doing anything that really changes the comfort of these....the tight seal seems to be part of the design.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Has anyone ever found a set of pads that are larger but don't have a big impact on the frequency response? I tried V-Moda XL pads but it had a huge impact on bass response for the worse.

 
Wait, you mean you took off the glued-on ear pads of the FSP and then used aftermarket ear pads?

 

[Stuff Jones]

About a week in listening to these and was looking up some reviews. This from Dale Thorn over on Amazon captures my thoughts on the FSP to a T. Don't know if linking there is kosher but you can find it.
 

 
Summarizing the sound (details below): The Focal Spirit Pro not only sounds very good, it sounds right. I came to this conclusion while listening for colorations of various kinds and finding none, but especially when hearing bass lines that seemed to render more perfectly than with the other headphones I have. Many of the music tracks listed below sound as though their final mixes could have been monitored with this headphone.

When I first put the Spirit Pro on, I thought it sounded rich and dark, but not as rich as the Pandora VI for example, which has an enhanced signature at both ends of the spectrum. What I came to realize is that the Spirit Pro has a 'soft' high end, similar to the Shure 1540 and Beyer T51p, and noting that headphone soundstage and other properties are critically dependent on having a full treble response, I compensated for that partially with a slight increase around 3 and 7 khz. My adjustments are not based on my hearing, but on comparing the sound to the other headphones noted above, to try to be as objective as possible. In any case, whether you play the Spirit Pro flat or tweak it as I did, the overall sound is excellent - from a tight and solid low bass through an uncolored midrange to a smooth and detailed treble that's free of the sonic irritations that plague many headphones, even some of the more pricy variety.

Although I describe the Spirit Pro as somewhat warm and dark sounding, it's not bassy nor is the bass anything but tight and detailed. This is probably very close to a true-neutral bass, but where many of the so-called neutral headphones have a deep bass rolloff, the Spirit Pro holds up well in that regard. The music samples below have comments about the deep bass that I hear and feel with this headphone, but even those comments don't convey the feeling of hearing great bass lines in tracks I'm familiar with, but haven't enjoyed as much as with the Spirit Pro. 

 

[tarsonis]

Yeah well experiences differ in a lot of ways. I would never mention the FSP with rich and dark or soft in one sentence. Its a bit too bright and metalic cymbal like harshness for me. And the subbass is there but to light for me to call that neutral compared to my studio setup. A bit too fast and lifeless.

 

[AUserName501]

 

   
Wait, you mean you took off the glued-on ear pads of the FSP and then used aftermarket ear pads?

 
The glue isn't that strong and the Focal ear pads use a plate at the back which disconnects from the cup. I tried it with the V-Moda XL pads and it removed the bass response by double-sided taping from the plate from the back of the Focal ear pads on to the XL pads. It didn't work so I put it back together. Terrible design overall from Focal regardless of how good it sounds. Everyone in France must have tiny ears or a high tolerance for pain.
 
The plastic feels cheap and snappable. The metal headband squeaks and is heavy which shifts the center of mass too high on the head. If you look at the ground then the headband will slip and if you have hair over your ears then ear pads will also slide off. The comfort is awful and the clamp is tight. The pads do not encircle the ear and an average mans ear will not fit inside. The padding on the top of the headband is too thin and isn't wide enough which causes a pressure point that is also made worse by the weight. The styling looks ugly when worn because it doesn't follow the form of the head (look at the Momentum and Urbanite headbands).
 
It's frustrating that they sound so good when everything else is so wrong. It just seems a lot of speaker manufacturers don't put much thought into ergonomics, comfort and styling or don't consider anyone with a different sized head and ears than their own. The only possible time I would ever recommend someone to buy their headphones is if they only intend to wear them for 10 minutes as no headphone sounds good when all you can think about is how sore your ears are. The real worst thing though is that Focal are unlikely to ever change the design because they spent so much money on the tooling.