[delano22]

Quote:

 
Im actually curious as to why you have the T5p over the T1 since the rest of your headphones are TOTL. 
 

 
I got the T5P because wasn't sure if I wanted a closed or an open. The closed will have its benefits for me in making me a quiet listener so I wanted to try the best of both worlds - especially since I'll be using them while traveling. Anything closed and really good will have an advantage over open, but the open have an advantage just by the sound of being open so I had to see for myself what exactly the trade off would be.
 

 
also, dont take this personally but, you spent roughly $7000 usd and just bought another $2000 amp/dac. 
What. im so jealous
 

 
Haha, don't worry - I'm not crazy. At the most I will only keep 1 amp + 1 open pair + 1 closed pair, but I might not even keep that much. It was closer to $11,000 anyway!

 

[johnman1116]

I believe the Tesla series is semi open/semi closed but thats still loads more isolation than the HD 800..

It would have been cool if you could have tried the fostex as well but the sound may have been to bassy. 

Also this guy basically did the same thing you are doing now. Lcd2 > hd800 before Conductor but after... 
http://headmania.me/2013/02/24/the-titans-are-back-sennheiser-hd800-vs-audeze-lcd2/

 

[delano22]

I don't see or hear anything semi-open about the T5P. Seems fully closed to me.
 
Yea, I did want to try the TH900. Depending on what amp I keep I may try them in a few months. I just can't get them here in time from Japan before I leave.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

the T5p is fully closed.

 

[delano22]

BURSON HAS ARRIVED.
 
Initial impression....What.
 
I can't even get audio to play properly. It will play for about 5 seconds, then there's a bunch of cutting in and out, some scratchy noises (sounds like word clock problem), and then....most strangely of all...it plays with a very strong pitch vibrato on the whole song. I've never heard that problem before! It stutters and clips and stops playing for brief periods of time.
 
I am going to dinner right now, but just wanted to plug it in real quick and hear something. I will look for some driver updates or something when I get back in a couple of hours. Any other ideas?

 

[third_eye]

Looks like that might be a driver issue......make sure you update them, they can be downloaded here:
 
http://www.moon-audio.com/audio-equipment/burson-audio/burson-conductor-headphone-amplifier-preamp-and-dac.html
 

 

[BournePerfect]

You feeding it from the m903, or straight from your source? What is your source-Mac?
 
-Daniel

 

[delano22]

Okay, I got it to work now. I'm not using it with the m903. It's USB from an rMBP.
 
Thoughts so far...
 
This thing is huge. I have no idea how I could travel with it. It's about 14.5 lbs (compared to the m903's 5lbs) and there is an 18lb weight limit for carry on bags on Swiss Airlines. I can't even put this and a MBP in my backpack without being too heavy, and a backpack is the only way I can think to protect them since it will be with me on the plane. If I can't figure out what to do with it, I'll have to give it up. I don't need to just get it to one place and stay there. I need to get it to one place, then another, then another, etc. - often to places where I don't have an address to ship to. Any ideas here??
 
The HD800 sounds great. The improvement didn't necessarily blow my mind, but if I had heard this first I wouldn't have had any complaints. The bass is strong and I'm not sure if the treble is smoother or if the bass just balances it out so that it sounds smoother, but it works. 
 
The difference between the LCD-2 and 3 is still negligible to my ears aside from just the slightest difference in frequency response, with the LCD-2 seeming brighter up top. I don't notice anything about "quickness" or dynamics though.
 
The T5P sounds a bit like crap. Now it seems recessed and dull and flat compared to the others even with the m903 as I originally had it. That must be a testiment to an improvement from the Burson for the other headphones.
 
EDIT: Okay, "crap" was a bit of a strong word to use for the T5P. I still like them. Everything else just stepped up a level. I don't think the T5P are really benefiting all that much from a better amp.

 

[delano22]

Damnit. I just wrote a really long comment and then accidentally exited my browser and lost it. 

 
The bottom line was something like this (although more eloquent the first time)....
 
The LCD-2 and 3 are good. The LCD-2 is better value. The LCD-3 is not only a worse value, but probably a bad value. The HD800 sounds better than all of them with the Burson and better than anything with the m903. The HD800 + Burson is worth it's price (disregarding your personal finances and priorities), but the Burson is too big to travel with. The added value from the Grace (with any headphone) isn't worth the price point when compared to the T5P alone. Therefore, the T5P is my choice because it's better for my situation. I will likely try it with a Fostex HP-P1, although I have a feeling I will return it. When I settle down I will likely buy an HD800 and Burson. 
 
It was something like that 

 
Yes I know, this is the most rushed review of this gear of all time, but it must be this way. It's all going back tomorrow. At least you guys can gather something from my gut feelings. Take comfort that I wasn't just listening willy-nilly either - I have a set of reference tracks that I have been listening to for years with every set of monitors I use or studio that I am in, so I know those tracks inside and out and how they behave in different situations.

 

[BournePerfect]

You're welcome.

 
I'm glad you're starting to see what the HD800s are capable of-they will continue to scale with better equipment probably more than any other headphone out there. I'd like to here the Conductor myself with them-but I've got bigger fish to fry.
 
As far as your LCD comparisons-I can't really offer anything. My first pair of Audezes (2.2s) arrived just today, and I haven't heard the LCD 3s. Even reading comparisons here seems to be a crapshoot-somepeople feel there is a night and day, easily discernable difference, others-not so much.
 
As far as the Burson's size and weight, well-those specs were readily available before you ordered lol. Most other higher end amps that pair well are even bigger (and lots of tubes sometimes), and would be less transportable. If you don't need the highest end rig, but still want damn good sound (from the HD800 anyway)-I'd suggest the budget Concero dac paired with an m-Stage. Early reports seem to really like the Concero HP/HD800 combo as well. Keep burning that Burson in-it should improve with time. My .02.
 
-Daniel

 

[delano22]

Thanks, Daniel. I updated with another comment probably while you were typing.
 
I'm going with the T5P. It's not the best out of them, but it's the best for me. I explained some more of what I heard and why I chose them in the comment.
 
No time for anymore burn-ins or tests. It's all over for now! It must go back right away or I'll go hungry when I arrive in the EU.

 

[BournePerfect]

Don't wanna try the m-Stage/Concero/HD800 combo? Ridiculously light, inexpensive, and synergistic at it's price point.
 
If not-good luck with the T5P-never heard it-but I'm a big fan of the T1. Good luck with all that. It's been...interesting.

 
-Daniel

 

[delano22]

lol, NO! No more trying. Not right now. It's time to move on. Time for action! 

 I'm not sure what that is...but...yea...action! I could try until the cows come home.

 

[johnman1116]

VICTORY!!! 
Quote:

The HD800 sounds great. The improvement didn't necessarily blow my mind, but if I had heard this first I wouldn't have had any complaints. The bass is strong and I'm not sure if the treble is smoother or if the bass just balances it out so that it sounds smoother, but it works. 
Quote:

The LCD-2 and 3 are good. The LCD-2 is better value. The LCD-3 is not only a worse value, but probably a bad value. The HD800 sounds better than all of them with the Burson and better than anything with the m903. The HD800 + Burson is worth it's price (disregarding your personal finances and priorities), but the Burson is too big to travel with. The added value from the Grace (with any headphone) isn't worth the price point when compared to the T5P alone. Therefore, the T5P is my choice because it's better for my situation. I will likely try it with a Fostex HP-P1, although I have a feeling I will return it. When I settle down I will likely buy an HD800 and Burson. 
 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

Damnit. I just wrote a really long comment and then accidentally exited my browser and lost it. 

 
The bottom line was something like this (although more eloquent the first time)....
 
The LCD-2 and 3 are good. The LCD-2 is better value. The LCD-3 is not only a worse value, but probably a bad value. The HD800 sounds better than all of them with the Burson and better than anything with the m903. The HD800 + Burson is worth it's price (disregarding your personal finances and priorities), but the Burson is too big to travel with. The added value from the Grace (with any headphone) isn't worth the price point when compared to the T5P alone. Therefore, the T5P is my choice because it's better for my situation. I will likely try it with a Fostex HP-P1, although I have a feeling I will return it. When I settle down I will likely buy an HD800 and Burson. 
 
It was something like that 

 
Yes I know, this is the most rushed review of this gear of all time, but it must be this way. It's all going back tomorrow. At least you guys can gather something from my gut feelings. Take comfort that I wasn't just listening willy-nilly either - I have a set of reference tracks that I have been listening to for years with every set of monitors I use or studio that I am in, so I know those tracks inside and out and how they behave in different situations.

 
LCD-3 isn't for everyone, but HD 800 is definitely a great choice and if you can, check out the beyerdynamic T1 one day! its one hell of a headphone and to this date, my favorite.