[Mr.Radar]

The HF-1 has been out for about a month now but I haven't seen any long-term listening reviews/impressions of them yet. Does this mean that the HF-1's don't really burn-in, or has everyone just been too busy enjoying them to do reviews/comparisons?

 

[wolfen68]

I've had mine one day.......long enough?

I have to admit, I always try to temper my enthusiasm when engaging on topics at head-fi...'cause nobody appreciates blatant fan-boyism. I got to admit though, these HF-1's have really swept me off my feet. I can't think of another piece of hardware I've gotten lately (maybe ever) that has given such a percieved benefit to my listening experience.

This either says the HF-1's are great, or everything else I've owned is junk, I don't know which.

I'll update you on the rest in 29 days.

 

[Thaddy]

Since all you'll hear in this thread is positive remarks, I'll list some negatives. I've put 75 hours on mine already, so I guess that could be long term.

First, the low end doesn't seem to have any resolution. I was talking to Fante7 today, and I really liked what he said. He described it as being very linear, almost one-note-like. I have a hard time following the bassline during songs, where my HD650's have no such problem.

Second, the highend seems a bit grainy. They sound very distant, and not musical at all. I definately prefer the airyness of the 650's, but...in the HF-1's defense, I think the midrange and upper treble sounds very nice, very up front, but not that bright at all.

I guess a third issue could be build quality, but that doesn't deal with sonics and I'm sure you'd like to keep that topic out of this thread.

So there it is, a Sennheiser fans impressions. Take it easy on me

 

[kugino]

wow, thaddy, comparing apples and oranges, eh?

how many grados have you listened to prior to the hf-1...not criticizing you or anything, but it seems that most who are posting impressions are comparing older grado models to the hf-1, which says more about the hf-1's different sound signature than a grado vs. senn comparison would.

but, my first impression with the hf-1, which i received yesterday, was, "i hope these get better after burn-in." or maybe i'm just used to flats and need to listen to them. my initial impression (sorry, i know this thread is about long-term impressions) is that the hf-1 was weak down low and shrill up high...and this coming from someone who likes the grado sound. but, another week and i should have a better feel for it.

 

[mjg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Since all you'll hear in this thread is positive remarks, I'll list some negatives. I've put 75 hours on mine already, so I guess that could be long term. First, the low end doesn't seem to have any resolution. I was talking to Fante7 today, and I really liked what he said. He described it as being very linear, almost one-note-like. I have a hard time following the bassline during songs, where my HD650's have no such problem. Second, the highend seems a bit grainy. They sound very distant, and not musical at all. I definately prefer the airyness of the 650's, but...in the HF-1's defense, I think the midrange and upper treble sounds very nice, very up front, but not that bright at all. I guess a third issue could be build quality, but that doesn't deal with sonics and I'm sure you'd like to keep that topic out of this thread. So there it is, a Sennheiser fans impressions. Take it easy on me

Try a non tube amp : ] This is partially synergy you know. Not everything sounds good with everything. Grados are pretty picky as terms as amps.

 

[Thaddy]

kugino: Yeah I know...it's apples and oranges, but I've become so accustomed to the Sennheiser sound that it's all I know, and it's become a benchmark to all other sound signatures. As far as other Grado's, I've owned the SR-60's before for a few months, demo'd MS-2's for a month (and liked them very much actually), and heard SR225's, SR325i's, RS-2's, and PS-1's at meets.

mjg: Yeah, I do realize that tube amps don't mate well with Grado's, but I've found the Millet to have a nice speed and quickness that you usually associate with solid state amps. When I graduate, I plan on putting together a budget Grado rig, which will feature a Gilmore Lite at the heart

Also, I'm looking into the option of tossing stacked buffers in my Millet, as I've heard the lower impedance Grado's really benefit from them.

 

[Sean H]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjg Try a non tube amp : ] This is partially synergy you know. Not everything sounds good with everything. Grados are pretty picky as terms as amps.

The synergy thing extends into tube amps too. OTL designs aren't best fits for Grado's but pair better with higher Z cans like Senn's. Transformer coupled designs, like the Mapletree Ear+, undisputedly pair extremely well with Grado's. I believe Zanth, one of our Grado kings, has said before that he was convinced Grado's are best powered by tube amplification. All that said, I find the right solid state designs do quite well with them too, like the Gilmore Lite for one.

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Radar The HF-1 has been out for about a month now but I haven't seen any long-term listening reviews/impressions of them yet. Does this mean that the HF-1's don't really burn-in, or has everyone just been too busy enjoying them to do reviews/comparisons?

Got mine on the first batch! Impression does not change from that of the initial review. compare to 325i, different, just as good! kept the HF1 sold 325i...enough said.

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thaddy Yeah, I do realize that tube amps don't mate well with Grado's

i don't know if i would say that. my PPX3 Slam sounds great with the RS-1 and PS-1.

 

[crazyfrenchman27]

"Synergy" really is a contrived word for personal preference in a system. There are numerous members on this board who like tube amps with Grados.

-Matt

 

[fante7]

So the only real amp I have right now is the Millett, which I bought specifically to match with my DT880. I really prefer the 12AE6A tubes with the DT880 but I actually found that the 12FM6 sound better with the HF-1. Swapping tubes changed the sound greatly. The weird thing is that the 12AE6A adds great bass impact to the DT880, to the point where the HF-1 barely has any additional bass impact over the DT880. I was expecting more bass impact with the HF-1 than I seem to be getting.

The gain on my Millett is way too high for the HF-1 though, I barely have to turn the volume knob for it to get loud... I'm afraid of damaging my ears or the headphones with this. At least the 12FM6 has less gain than the 12AE6A.

And on my HF-1, some notes seem to hit a strange resonance or harshness.. I can't really describe it. I think the tonal balance is pretty far off from neutral. I can hear the bass rolloff too. I believe the DT880 beats the HF-1 on bass quality and definitely on bass extension. The treble on the DT880 wins too. At this point, I prefer the DT880 by a pretty good margin in general.

Based on my memory of the SR-125 and the MS-2i, the HF-1 seems to have a larger soundstage, and I don't perceive the sound to be as thin as I did on those headphones.

These are initial impressions though, as this is the first day of listening to the HF-1 for me. There may be changes due to burn-in, psychological or not.

 

[kramer5150]

will post a detailed MS2 comparison in a few weeks....

 

[Budley007]

HF-1 doing well with Prehead...but too soon to give an honest impression. (12
hours)

I do own SR225 so I can compare sometime later. Looking forward to a head2head comparison.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fante7 So the only real amp I have right now is the Millett, which I bought specifically to match with my DT880. I really prefer the 12AE6A tubes with the DT880 but I actually found that the 12FM6 sound better with the HF-1. Swapping tubes changed the sound greatly. The weird thing is that the 12AE6A adds great bass impact to the DT880, to the point where the HF-1 barely has any additional bass impact over the DT880. I was expecting more bass impact with the HF-1 than I seem to be getting. The gain on my Millett is way too high for the HF-1 though, I barely have to turn the volume knob for it to get loud... I'm afraid of damaging my ears or the headphones with this. At least the 12FM6 has less gain than the 12AE6A. And on my HF-1, some notes seem to hit a strange resonance or harshness.. I can't really describe it. I think the tonal balance is pretty far off from neutral. I can hear the bass rolloff too. I believe the DT880 beats the HF-1 on bass quality and definitely on bass extension. The treble on the DT880 wins too. At this point, I prefer the DT880 by a pretty good margin in general. Based on my memory of the SR-125 and the MS-2i, the HF-1 seems to have a larger soundstage, and I don't perceive the sound to be as thin as I did on those headphones. These are initial impressions though, as this is the first day of listening to the HF-1 for me. There may be changes due to burn-in, psychological or not.

what pads are you using? i've been using the bowls and feel like they're under-bassed. could that be the bass rolloff you think you hear (or not hear)? i've been underwhelmed with the bass, but maybe a change to flats will help in that department.

 

[fante7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino what pads are you using? i've been using the bowls and feel like they're under-bassed. could that be the bass rolloff you think you hear (or not hear)? i've been underwhelmed with the bass, but maybe a change to flats will help in that department.

Yes, I am using the bowls. I would like to try the modded 414 pads.

Another note: I listened to the SR-125 and MS-2i with bowls only, but I have heard the SR-60 with TTVJ flats.