[stomaha]

Archspire's last two albums are the best tech death I've heard in ages. Milestones of how modern tech death should be approached.

I second the praise for your Gjallarhorn review!

 

[Uncle Monty]

Have to say, I spent a bit of time with some Fostex TH900 mk2 last week and was really surprised at their performance - esp heavy metal and electronica. They're very easily driven and perfect and for DAPs.

 

[stomaha]

Have to say, I spent a bit of time with some Fostex TH900 mk2 last week and was really surprised at their performance - esp heavy metal and electronica. They're very easily driven and perfect and for DAPs.

Haven't tried the mk2s - had a pair of the mk1s a while back, and didn't fall in love with them.

 

[arielext]

Haven't tried the mk2s - had a pair of the mk1s a while back, and didn't fall in love with them.

don't bother with mk2 then. Major difference is the removeable cable.

 

[frost15]

I second the praise for your Gjallarhorn review!

A man of culture
Edit:
BTW really like your Gjallarhorn review, it's definitely on my list, on my way to find my favorite tech death cans

Really appreciate the kind words guys. Here I am listening to last Archspire's. Absolutely marvelous album!

 

[rdnrvn]

Sorry if this is buried in this thread somewhere, but what are some of the end game headphones for metal?
I love a more laid back/warm sound, and listen to a lot of doom/black/thrash/heavy metal.

 

[Stompy]

Archspire's last two albums are the best tech death I've heard in ages. Milestones of how modern tech death should be approached.

Give the new First Fragment a try. It will absolutely blow your mind, possibly more than Archspire. They're both some of the best at what they do - we're lucky to have so many different bands with their own unique sound and twists. I find the new FF sounds incredibly natural and pleasant sounding production wise, and when it comes to the shredding, well... you'll see.

 

[frost15]

Give the new First Fragment a try. It will absolutely blow your mind, possibly more than Archspire. They're both some of the best at what they do - we're lucky to have so many different bands with their own unique sound and twists. I find the new FF sounds incredibly natural and pleasant sounding production wise, and when it comes to the shredding, well... you'll see.

I did hear Gloire éternelle! It was indeed a nice listen, better than their debut, Dasein. But for me Archspire's songwriting is what separates them from the rest. It's unique and very original. First Fragment are excellent musicians but I always say they sound like Gorod on speed. Not a bad thing, yet it makes me realize I've kind of heard what they do before (slower played though haha!). Also the problem I had with last First Fragment's was its length. For Tech-Death, which is very complex and bombastic, I prefer albums not exceeding 40-45 min, because after that mark the brain just can't handle anymore (or maybe it's mine only). Anyway both albums are awesome. I give Archspire's Bleed the Future a 4'5/5 and FF's Gloire Éternelle a 4/5.

 

[frost15]

Sorry if this is buried in this thread somewhere, but what are some of the end game headphones for metal?
I love a more laid back/warm sound, and listen to a lot of doom/black/thrash/heavy metal.

It's supposed to be the Abyss-1266 but be ready to sell your liver and one kidney to buy them $$$$$ haha. Apart from that I would recommend you the Gjallarhorn's JM for dynamic drivers and for planar magnetic I've heard great things about the Rosson RAD-0. But I guess there is not an ultimate answer because it will depend on many factors that vary from one person to another.

 

[rdnrvn]

It's supposed to be the Abyss-1266 but be ready to sell your liver and one kidney to buy them $$$$$ haha. Apart from that I would recommend you the Gjallarhorn's JM for dynamic drivers and for planar magnetic I've heard great things about the Rosson RAD-0. But I guess there is not an ultimate answer because it will depend on many factors that vary from one person to another.

Thanks! Abyss does seem out of reach.
I’ll check out kennerton headphones and RAD-0!
I’m fine going up to 3k (and 4k if its really, really worth it). But of course cheaper the better! And something little easier to drive and would not need another 2k for an amp lol.

 

[gonintendo]

The Hemp don't lack any treble at all to my ears. You have to be careful with the feedback you're reading, for example if I'm driving the Hemp with my Fiio BTR5 they will sound dark and almost muted in the treble, but when I'm driving them my Quicksilver amp it's a totally different experience.

The HE6SE are good headphones when they are properly EQed.

Could you share your HE6SE EQ?

 

[gonintendo]

I personally love my 2021 LCD-2 for metal. They’re a little lighter than the X and a little warmer in the mids (which I EQ up per Andrew’s settings from headphones.com) but they have lovely smooth treble that is never harsh and very airy for a “warm” headphone. They also stage surprisingly well with a good amp. I mostly listen to slower genres of metal and I find the dynamics to be ample, better than any other planars in the same price ballpark other than the HE6SE, but I think they stage better than the SE. The have this big powerful, almost cavernous sound on well recorded metal. They also present drums very nicely compared to a lot of headphones, they’re just the right size spatially (I find a lot of headphones including the HE6SE make drums sound kind of small. The X was a little more compressed sounding to me for drums, even if a little more detailed)

I have an Atticus on order that I’m very excited to try out for a closed back option (I’m a mobile developer and my workload usually pegs the cpu fan on my work machine all day which can get quite annoying)
Do you all have any EQ settings for you use for the Atticus you’d like to share?

 

[Semper HiFi]

I personally love my 2021 LCD-2 for metal. They’re a little lighter than the X and a little warmer in the mids (which I EQ up per Andrew’s settings from headphones.com) but they have lovely smooth treble that is never harsh and very airy for a “warm” headphone. They also stage surprisingly well with a good amp. I mostly listen to slower genres of metal and I find the dynamics to be ample, better than any other planars in the same price ballpark other than the HE6SE, but I think they stage better than the SE. The have this big powerful, almost cavernous sound on well recorded metal. They also present drums very nicely compared to a lot of headphones, they’re just the right size spatially (I find a lot of headphones including the HE6SE make drums sound kind of small. The X was a little more compressed sounding to me for drums, even if a little more detailed)

I have an Atticus on order that I’m very excited to try out for a closed back option (I’m a mobile developer and my workload usually pegs the cpu fan on my work machine all day which can get quite annoying)
Do you all have any EQ settings for you use for the Atticus you’d like to share?

Personally, I never use EQ with my Atticus. Lots of folks recommend pairing with a tube amp (OTL or SET) so that's the route I went. Tubes really add a lot of character but it can be addictive (and expensive) trying to find the perfect sound. I never liked any of the current production tubes, they just don't seem to have the magic that the vintage ones do. I've actually never listened to the Atticus on a solid state amp though.

 

[YtseJamer]

Could you share your HE6SE EQ?

There you go

 

[gonintendo]

I personally love my 2021 LCD-2 for metal. They’re a little lighter than the X and a little warmer in the mids (which I EQ up per Andrew’s settings from headphones.com) but they have lovely smooth treble that is never harsh and very airy for a “warm” headphone. I think my ideal sound is They also stage surprisingly well with a good amp. I mostly listen to slower genres of metal and I find the dynamics to be ample, better than any other planars in the same price ballpark other than the HE6SE, but I think they stage better than the SE. The have this big powerful, almost cavernous sound on well recorded metal. They also present drums very nicely compared to a lot of headphones, they’re just the right size spatially (I find a lot of headphones including the HE6SE make drums sound kind of small)

I have an Atticus on order that I’m very excited to try out for a closed back option (I’m a mobile developer and my workload usually pegs the cpu fan on my work machine all day which can get quite annoying)
Do you all have any EQ settings for you use for the Atticus you’d like to share?

There you go

Thank you! Sounds much better than mine, I think I wasn't cutting that lower treble/3.8k area enough for metal, and that 8.4k peak is helping a bit cymbals sounding a bit congested to me (I'm pulling the treble down a bit but it does need a boost there I think)