arnett
Consigliere
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2001
- Posts
- 711
- Likes
- 10
Just got back from the headroom world tour Detroit. Unfortunately, I got lost and was an hour late. So I only had an hour’s worth of listening to do. That’s too bad because I easily could have spent four + hours in there.
So I must say that my impressions are the VERY initial kind. I would listen to an amp/ headphone for a few minutes and then move on.
Let it also be said that my ears are different than most on this board. But here it goes.
Senn HD580 vs. HD600.
Used both with a HR home with the crossfeed in and the treble boost off (this is simply how I use my amp).
Not that much of a diff, IMO. The 600 has a bit (and I mean a bit) more treble extension, but with more bass bloat. I cloud see how the HD600 would be better with a thinner sounding amp.
Result: I’m not upgrading my senn580s any time soon.
Grado RS-1.
Again used with a HR home amp with crossfeed in and treble boost off. A very rich and relaxing sound. It did not sound at all like the other grados I’ve heard. I could live with a pair of these. Switching over to the SR-325, I said aloud *blech!*. The SR-325 had that crummy grado sound I don’t like. But the RS-1 was very smooth.
AKG K401 and K501.
Thin and lifeless to me. Very un-involving.
AKG K1000.
WOW! These things DO have bass after all. I loved the way these things sounded. Clear and smooth. Quite involving actually. Too bad the amp that can power these has yet to be invented.
Beyerdynamic DT831 and DT250-80.
The DT831 was too bright and thin to my ears. The 250-80 sounded better with more of a grado-type sound.
Sony CD3000.
A joke. People actually pay money for these?! One of the worst headphones I’ve heard. Ever.
Stax 4040.
OMG!!! Great, great, great. One of the best things I’ve ever heard. I thought stax were suppose to be bright. I found these to be dark, with great bass, and a smooth treble. These things blew me away.
Wheatfield HA-1.
The amp shocker. I dismissed tube amps as being lite on the bass. Not this one. The sound was rich, warm, and full. Sort of tube midrange with SS bass response. This will be the next amp I’ll buy.
Regular little vs. little more power.
Not much difference. Little more power had a bit more treble. I won’t be upgrading to a more power anytime soon.
Corda HA-1.
Huh. Very neutral. No frequency was exaggerated with the corda. Also, there was no tonal shift with the crossfeed engaged. But overall, somewhat boring to these ears (I’m not one for complete neutrality).
E.A.R. HP4.
Didn’t like this one at all. It was paired with a HD600 with an equinox cable. The bass seemed very bloated to my ears.
Orpheus.
Sounded good, but not worth $12,000. Not even close. Like you can’t get something almost as good for ¼ of the price!
Blockhead with cardas.
Brighter than I thought (even with crossfeed on, treble boost off). Detailed and crisp. Better bass than with the orpheus.
Stax omega.
I really liked these. Like the stax 4040, I found the omega dark. Very dark. Great bass though. Tyll thought I needed to get my hearing checked as everyone thinks these are bright. Not to me.
So, to me the biggest surprises were the stax line, wheatfield HA-1, and the AKG K1000.
Meeting Jude was another thrill. Having respected his opinion for so long, and finally meeting him was really cool. Of course, we argued politics after the show was over. But I’ll forgive his political stance . . . for now.
Jude took some pics I’m sure he’ll post soon.
So I must say that my impressions are the VERY initial kind. I would listen to an amp/ headphone for a few minutes and then move on.
Let it also be said that my ears are different than most on this board. But here it goes.
Senn HD580 vs. HD600.
Used both with a HR home with the crossfeed in and the treble boost off (this is simply how I use my amp).
Not that much of a diff, IMO. The 600 has a bit (and I mean a bit) more treble extension, but with more bass bloat. I cloud see how the HD600 would be better with a thinner sounding amp.
Result: I’m not upgrading my senn580s any time soon.
Grado RS-1.
Again used with a HR home amp with crossfeed in and treble boost off. A very rich and relaxing sound. It did not sound at all like the other grados I’ve heard. I could live with a pair of these. Switching over to the SR-325, I said aloud *blech!*. The SR-325 had that crummy grado sound I don’t like. But the RS-1 was very smooth.
AKG K401 and K501.
Thin and lifeless to me. Very un-involving.
AKG K1000.
WOW! These things DO have bass after all. I loved the way these things sounded. Clear and smooth. Quite involving actually. Too bad the amp that can power these has yet to be invented.
Beyerdynamic DT831 and DT250-80.
The DT831 was too bright and thin to my ears. The 250-80 sounded better with more of a grado-type sound.
Sony CD3000.
A joke. People actually pay money for these?! One of the worst headphones I’ve heard. Ever.
Stax 4040.
OMG!!! Great, great, great. One of the best things I’ve ever heard. I thought stax were suppose to be bright. I found these to be dark, with great bass, and a smooth treble. These things blew me away.
Wheatfield HA-1.
The amp shocker. I dismissed tube amps as being lite on the bass. Not this one. The sound was rich, warm, and full. Sort of tube midrange with SS bass response. This will be the next amp I’ll buy.
Regular little vs. little more power.
Not much difference. Little more power had a bit more treble. I won’t be upgrading to a more power anytime soon.
Corda HA-1.
Huh. Very neutral. No frequency was exaggerated with the corda. Also, there was no tonal shift with the crossfeed engaged. But overall, somewhat boring to these ears (I’m not one for complete neutrality).
E.A.R. HP4.
Didn’t like this one at all. It was paired with a HD600 with an equinox cable. The bass seemed very bloated to my ears.
Orpheus.
Sounded good, but not worth $12,000. Not even close. Like you can’t get something almost as good for ¼ of the price!
Blockhead with cardas.
Brighter than I thought (even with crossfeed on, treble boost off). Detailed and crisp. Better bass than with the orpheus.
Stax omega.
I really liked these. Like the stax 4040, I found the omega dark. Very dark. Great bass though. Tyll thought I needed to get my hearing checked as everyone thinks these are bright. Not to me.
So, to me the biggest surprises were the stax line, wheatfield HA-1, and the AKG K1000.
Meeting Jude was another thrill. Having respected his opinion for so long, and finally meeting him was really cool. Of course, we argued politics after the show was over. But I’ll forgive his political stance . . . for now.
Jude took some pics I’m sure he’ll post soon.