Inner | fidelity - Comparing World-Class Headphone

[Loevhagen]

What I took from the article: They are all good headphones.

 

[edstrelow]

I am still puzzled about his 007 because the 8-10kHz peak he shows looks more like an 007A than a Mk1 in my experience. I found the Mk1  to have  a fairly steady high frequency decline whereas my 007A has a definite peak where Tyll shows one, making me think that's what he has.  I would like to see the actual serial number of the phones.

 

[TMoney]

What I took from the article is that more "analytic" listeners are going to prefer the HD800 and SR-009 while people looking for a smooth presentation will gravitate towards the LCD-2s and HE-500s. The SR-007s and HE-6s both appeared to underwhelm relative to the competition. Having either owned or spent extensive time will all the headphones in the review other than the HiFiMan stuff I can say this pretty much matches my own opinions of the phones.
 
DISCLAIMER: The 009s used in the review are mine.
 
Quote:

I would like to see the actual serial number of the phones.

 
It was posted in another forum. I'll repost it for you here:
 
"The serial number of the 007 is SZ1-1023 (aka late model MK I)."

 

[anetode]

Quote:

What I took from the article is that more "analytic" listeners are going to prefer the HD800 and SR-009 while people looking for a smooth presentation will gravitate towards the LCD-2s and HE-500s.

 
From the reports and the measurements, I'd throw the HE-500's in with the analytic crowd. The 007s definitely belong in the smooth bunch. Indeed to contrast Tyll's findings, I think that the 007s are more smooth and mellow than veiled.

 

[Icenine2]

I would really hope the Stax/Blue Hawaii or a WES would deliver.  At minimum you're looking at $11K for both and that's without upgrades which are there.  And if I'm buying these I'm getting those!  I'd really like to know what kind of sources the Stax Mafia uses.  Got to be impressive.  Sadly I won't be able to attend CanJam.  It would be more than interesting hearing one of these setups.
 
In the meanwhile I'm impressed with my setup.  Wyred4Sound DAC2>Cavalli Liquid Fire (incredible!!)>LCD2 rev2

 

[Il Mostro]

Great comparo.  Too bad the T-1 was not included -- it would have rounded out the list.  Great read, nonetheless.

 

[Merck]

Oh how it would be nice to have a place nearby to at least try decent headphones and amps.  

 

[Audio Addict]

Quote:

Oh how it would be nice to have a place nearby to at least try decent headphones and amps.  

That is really what makes Head-Fi unique in that it facilitates the local meets to give local head-fiers a chance to hear gear that may never otherwise be able to do.  You may want to consider doing an interest check for your area to judge the interest.
 

 

[baka1969]

The 009 is more than a $10k investment. If anyone thinks they can skimp on the source/DAC after throwing down 10 large on the Stax + amp is fooling themselves or crippling the system. Selling some duplicate organs might help with financing.

 

[moodyrn]

What a wonderful read. It's very interesting to see how these top tier headphones compare to each other. Not surprised the the 009 is in another league from the rest. The only problem I have is in relation to the he-6. He really didn't give them a chance to succeed. I know he pointed out using them on a 10,000.00 amp should have brought out the best of them, but the problem with the pinnacle is it provides less than half of the power needed. I don't care how good an amp sounds, if the drivers are underpowered it's not going to be a good match. For example, I think the 300b is one of the best sounding tubes. 300b amps(good ones) cost thousands, and some are uber expensive. Most are around 10 wpc, and if you put one on a speaker with around 86db, it's not going to sound very good. So, although the pinnacle is one of the best( if not the best) sounding headphone amps in existence, putting it on a headphone that requires around 3x more power isn't going to give you great results. The impressions I've read about them are consistent with my impressions using amps that couldn't provide enough juice. Even Skylab who owns the excellent leben don't use it on his he-6. As good as the leben sounds, I think he uses one of his vintage high powered receivers. But it was still a very fun read.

 

[K3cT]

It's a very good read definitely and kudos to Tyll for taking the time to do the comparison. The guy looks busted in the video so I think it's time for him to take a deserved break. 
 
Well, I guess I should be content with the LCD2 until I can afford the SR-009 which will be interesting again as that kind of funds are actually enough to get yourself a decent speaker system. That should provide another fun discussion. 
 
As for the LCD2 Revision 2, I'm honestly still not convinced that they are worth the extra hassle. 
 
It's also interesting to note how poorly the SR-007 seems to fare in Tyll's comparison. 

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Thanks Tyll!  Sigh, 009.  It's never gonna happen lol.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

It's also interesting to note how poorly the SR-007 seems to fare in Tyll's comparison. 

Though they were a little lack-luster in that crowd, I think I would end up liking them very much as a personal headphone.  I don't like "bright" and they were nicely laid back.  I think the only can there I really had a problem with was the HE6. 

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

I have an immense amount of respect for Tyll Hertsens, both for the effort this review obviously took and the contributions he's made to our community over the years.
 
That said, to my ears, this review's description of the HD800 and HE-6 are exactly opposite. I find the HE-6 to be delightfully balanced and musical with a surprising warmth and just the right soundstage, while the HD800 strike me as "tizzy" in the highs to an extent that distracts from both my sense of balance in their presentation and my overall enjoyment of the music. Diff'rent strokes, etc.
 
As a poster above also mentioned, I'd personally include the T1 in this pantheon of greats -- they're still my #1 set. Nevertheless, this is a fine review that elegantly sums up much of what I've also experienced with these cans.

 

[TheWuss]

Quote:

What a wonderful read. It's very interesting to see how these top tier headphones compare to each other. Not surprised the the 009 is in another league from the rest. The only problem I have is in relation to the he-6. He really didn't give them a chance to succeed. I know he pointed out using them on a 10,000.00 amp should have brought out the best of them, but the problem with the pinnacle is it provides less than half of the power needed. I don't care how good an amp sounds, if the drivers are underpowered it's not going to be a good match. For example, I think the 300b is one of the best sounding tubes. 300b amps(good ones) cost thousands, and some are uber expensive. Most are around 10 wpc, and if you put one on a speaker with around 86db, it's not going to sound very good. So, although the pinnacle is one of the best( if not the best) sounding headphone amps in existence, putting it on a headphone that requires around 3x more power isn't going to give you great results. The impressions I've read about them are consistent with my impressions using amps that couldn't provide enough juice. Even Skylab who owns the excellent leben don't use it on his he-6. As good as the leben sounds, I think he uses one of his vintage high powered receivers. But it was still a very fun read.

michael.  you are, as usual, spot on.
the he-6 sounds brighter when under-powered.