[evilcthul]

Hey guys,

I have just completed a review of some headphones that people talk about on this board. It has taken quite a while to finish the review but I hope you guys like the end result:

http://www.acidhardware.com/reviews/...up/index.shtml

Please leave any suggestions or comments in this thread.

PS: It's exclusive because you guys are seeing it 24 hours ahead of its release. I'll post this in our news and some other places tomorrow...

 

[MacDEF]

Wow, that is easily the most thorough review I've ever seen! Nice job!

 

[Tim D]

Awesome review! Only one question perhaps something you could note that wasn't really mentioned is the impedance issue with Beyer DT931 for treble taming as mentioned on Jan Meier's page?

Also you say the MG Head you have is OTL? So that means the latest version right?? Does your MG Head have the impedance switch and did it do anything to the sound?

I agree with so many things in that review.

If a higher output impedance option wasn't used, I'm really stunned by how you viewed the DT931 performance.

Perhaps I didn't read carefully enough but I didn't catch much about impedance matching for DT931 or any other headphone for that matter.

Maybe breathability really is a big concern over in Australia too, SoCal is actually quite uncharacteristically cold right now and I actually like having some audio equipment that warms up the room and maybe me.

The other thing I found quite good is your very utilitarian viewpoint on Beyer DT931 construction...which to even me wasn't exactly awe-inspiring. But you are right in its sturdyness and functionality.

 

[evilcthul]

Tim,

Thanks for your comments. I'm in no way a headphone professional and I don't claim to be. I talk about impedance matching very briefly in the DT931 section toward the bottom. I linked to Jan's tweak page but I decided against impedance matching individual headphones as it wouldn't be fair in a review situation.

I've used all headphones stock straight out of the box with no tweaks. The MG Head I have has no impedance function instead it now changes between Trans (Transformer coupling) and OTL (output transformerless.) All headphones were tested on the OTL mode...

I'll do a short review of the OTL MG Head if there is a lot of interest in the boards... Right now I'm kind of tired but I'm willing to respond to any questions in this thread.

 

[shivohum]

Great review! One suggestion: consider including a link to your table of contents on every page...

 

[evilcthul]

Shivo,

Point taken but unfortunately our editor isn't here. I'm not very savvy when it comes to HTML. I'll ask him when he comes back.

I'll have these headphones lying here for a little while longer so if anyone wants some cross comparisons or something I'm willing to do some writing...

 

[kerykeion]

Very nice evilcthul

. . . And though I did not throughly read it, my initial impression from glacing at the review is that tremendous time and effort went into preparation, examination, comparison, and editing.

 

[Braver]

holy cow!

copied all the text into Word to read it all in my comfy chair...it's a bloody 51 pages full of tiny font text!

dude, you're thorough!

three tumbs up

 

[M Rael]

That was great. After a short vacation you should be rested up for your next assignment: 'Flagship Shootout / Money no object cans go head-to-head.' Which phones are you bringing on vacation by the way?

 

[merc]

Wow! Fantastic review, thanks!
I just bought the HD-600s and am now looking for a sub $350 amp for it. In your experience, is the MG Head OTL that you used in the review a "best fit" amp for the HD-600s in this price range? Or would the Creek 11SE sound better. I primarily use my headphones for classical listening.
Thanks, and I'm looking forward to your next review.

 

[dhwilkin]

Excellent review, very thorough. I'm curious, how long did that take to write?

 

[KR...]

WOW! Very nice!

Thanks a lot for posting that!

 

[markl]

Well done and bravo evilcthul.

Damn you too, though, because you have now raised the bar for the rest of us reviewer-types.

markl

 

[dngl]

Thanks! I needed a review just like that... it will help my headphone auditioning greatly.

 

[evilcthul]

It took about two months to complete mainly because of all the people involved. If I had the products all there without waiting for shipping time I probably could've done it in a month. I also took my time but I'm quite happy with the end result...

As for the MG Head OTL vs Creek OBH-11SE I can't honestly give you a fair opinion. I've never tried the Creek but I can tell you the MG Head OTL pairs very well with the Senn HD600. Plus, if you're a classical listener you'd probably tend to prefer tubes. I suggest you give both an audition.

PS: Pay for the OTL version don't buy the non-OTL! The OTL ver is quite a different creature... The OTL ver can also switch between transformer mode making it into the standard ver too.