[phoneslave86]

32 114.5 Db Ohm is the most transparent so it's the ideal. I'd imagine the others could be possible and sound good too. 64 Ohm 110 Db Beryl is easy to drive no doubt. 32 Ohm 107 Db Bio is noticeably a bit harder to drive than the others but still easy to drive. My IEMS at 30 Ohm 115 Db reveal way more noise in cases so I don't trust the ratings related to revealing noise. The Db sensitivity rating is how hard it is to drive more than anything else what to pay attention to. Impedance isn't really what makes it hard to drive according to Jack Woo.

 

[Bjorn154]

Im considering 300ohm for XTC Open.. would like to know more details

I talked with John about this. Needing high gain increases noise so really only suited for a OTL tube amp with tons of power.

 

[oldson]

maybe 64 would work for me.
i need to sell a few bits before my next purchase , so just doing my research for now.
i got a good deal on the sonys and thought they would satisfy my closed back needs, but the isolation is a bit of a let down

 

[oldson]

I talked with John about this. Needing high gain increases noise so really only suited for a OTL tube amp with tons of power.

for sure a great match with my OTL.
but also amazing on my Phonitor SE, this knocks out more power with higher impedance just like an OTL.
not too shabby on my V200 also, but i plan to sell this since the Phonitor arrived.

 

[krenky]

maybe 64 would work for me.
i need to sell a few bits before my next purchase , so just doing my research for now.
i got a good deal on the sonys and thought they would satisfy my closed back needs, but the isolation is a bit of a let down.

Not sure if you can get better closed back than XTC especially in its price range. Even if you go higher there is not much of competition as far as I heard not even ZMFs are touching the XTC in details department plus XTC closed have amazing soundstage. Most of the higher priced closed backs from XTC are planars.

 

[Bjorn154]

maybe 64 would work for me.
i need to sell a few bits before my next purchase , so just doing my research for now.
i got a good deal on the sonys and thought they would satisfy my closed back needs, but the isolation is a bit of a let down

More about which tuning you want and what your priorities are. A discussion with John will help sort it out.

 

[oldson]

More about which tuning you want and what your priorities are. A discussion with John will help sort it out.

very true, just dont want to bother him until i am ready to pull the trigger.
will gather as much info as i can on here 1st.

 

[rlawry]

My ^2.5 phones are the 32 ohm beryllium version, Wolf Hawk tuning. Great sound for a closed-back, dynamic driver phone. I previously had a pair of the original ^1.0 with 64 ohm beryllium driver and could drive them with my laptop computer and even my old iPhone 6.

 

[Bjorn154]

very true, just dont want to bother him until i am ready to pull the trigger.
will gather as much info as i can on here 1st.

My second pair of XTC2’s are at 64 ohm, but I think that has something to do with enhanced bass on those.

 

[Patswalker]

am i correct in thinking the XTC 2.5 is only available in 32ohm?

Nope. talk to John about both the specific sound profile you want and also the gear you are going to be using. He can build with 32ohm, 60ohm, and 300ohm from what I understand.

 

[HiFiWar]

XTC2 Review: https://bytes-bull.com/2024/03/23/jm-audio-xtc2/

I give it a half hour until John tells me I said something wrong haha.

 

[rlawry]

Since I beat JM to the punch here, I think your review is excellent and covers most of the bases. The fact that the XTC-Open 2.0 can compete with cans many times the price is a huge compliment to JMAE, even if you don't prize the excess sibilance. Maybe it is just being true to sibilance contaminating so many otherwise nice or just plain wretched recordings we all have to suffer through if we want to listen to our favorite artists? I haven't heard the XTC-Open versions, only the XTC-Closed 1.0 and 2.5 Euphoric Xtreme Trip phones that do not to my ears suffer from excess sibilance. Being the owner of RAAL SR-1b, Dan Clark Audio Stealth, and previously the Kennerton Rognir Planar, I am quite familiar with treble that is recorded way too hot, middle age ears notwithstanding.

Anyway, appreciate the nice review.

 

[Bjorn154]

XTC2 Review: https://bytes-bull.com/2024/03/23/jm-audio-xtc2/

I give it a half hour until John tells me I said something wrong haha.

I found the conclusion rather weak and misleading considering many of us read it first. Having compared the XTC2 favorably to the supposedly perfect Susvara, which I think even John would say is state of the art although at a steep price, it still leaves the reader feeling like we have to wait for the imaginary XTC3. Also referring to the XTC2 as the only headphone under $1K that can come close to the Susvara, while admirable, I think there are few others regardless of price that can compete with the XTC2. Besides you can’t get the Susvara tuned to your preferences, but I guess based on the reverence for the Susvara that it is tuned perfectly for everyone.

I have the 32 Ohm in my XTC2 and sibliant is not a word that comes to mind.

 

[rlawry]

The other thing that can be said about high resolution phones like the XTC is that they can be ruthlessly revealing of not only recordings but also of associated equipment up the chain, my Benchmark HPA4 amp being one such animal. If your electronic chain has a certain character, as most do, your headphones may not be the driver of the sound you hear but your associated equipment indeed be the culprit.

 

[HiFiWar]

The other thing that can be said about high resolution phones like the XTC is that they can be ruthlessly revealing of not only recordings but also of associated equipment up the chain, my Benchmark HPA4 amp being one such animal. If your electronic chain has a certain character, as most do, your headphones may not be the driver of the sound you hear but your associated equipment indeed be the culprit.

Yep, I tried them on a couple chains. I have a couple more coming in next week too. I think a 4.5/5 is pretty excellent, not sure why people are treating it like a 3/5.