[Sophonax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Maybe the company can clarify this issue better. Please see the volume knob in the pic.

Hmm...that's pretty weird. When you said the volume scale was in dB, I was expecting that the maximum number on the scale was going to be zero. I'm used to Yamaha home theater receivers where this is the case.

For the Yamaha receivers, the volume is measured in dB relative to the maximum gain of the amplifier -- that way when the volume is turned all the way up, it is set to 0 dB.

I can't imagine why the volume knob would go from negative dB to positive dB though...doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero /img/forum/go_quote.gif my wife hated the K701s thought they sounded tin like and thin (we actually disagreed over this) and she was absolutely amazed on the HD800s. What the heck does that prove?

It proves that we all have different tastes and preferences for many things in life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif While interesting, and while everyone certainly hears differently, unless someone took the time to match the levels using an SPL meter to within 1db, the results are pretty meaningless (and I mean absolutely no offense here, just stating facts) - it is fact that (up to a point) people will prefer the louder of the two - if the K702 were even 3db louder, that could account completely for her preference for them. As I'm sure everyone on this forum knows, setting the volume control at the same point does NOT match the levels between headphones. When I do headphone and amp comparisons, I painstakingly match levels to within 1dB for comparisons, using pink noise and an SPL meter. Even that isn't perfect, but unless this is done, there isn't a lot of point to the comparisons, other than being fun conversation

Why oh why oh why do we worry about this so? stop. With all due respect, why can't we just enjoy what we enjoy, let others enjoy what they enjoy and not have to overanalyze everything all the time? stop. I thought headphones (and music listening in general) were supposed to be fun.stop. It's always this Coke vs. Pepsi thing, except it's Grado vs Sennheiser or whatever. Gaad. stop.
Makes me want to toss all my gear into a box and stomp all over it pour gasoline on it and then set it on fire screaming "LORD TAKE ME BACK TO WHEN IT ALL WAS REAL!"Alleluhia out

Carry on gentlemen

 

[johnwmclean]

OP, I wish I could agree with you and girlfriends opinion between these two phones, glad for you and your wallet!

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why oh why oh why do we worry about this so? stop. With all due respect, why can't we just enjoy what we enjoy, let others enjoy what they enjoy and not have to overanalyze everything all the time? stop. I thought headphones (and music listening in general) were supposed to be fun.stop. It's always this Coke vs. Pepsi thing, except it's Grado vs Sennheiser or whatever. Gaad. stop. Makes me want to toss all my gear into a box and stomp all over it pour gasoline on it and then set it on fire screaming "LORD TAKE ME BACK TO WHEN IT ALL WAS REAL!"Alleluhia out Carry on gentlemen

Thanks for that call back to reality.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimlink /img/forum/go_quote.gif It could just imply that the K702's synergise extremely well with the Phonitor and that amps that make the K702's really shine, may not go too well with the HD800's.

The SPL headphones line have two amps, the Phonitor and the simple version, Auditor. The specs are almost the same, the Phonitor has pro studio functions to imitate the speaker environment, like the speaker angles, center and crossfade. Nice to have this function but not necessarily at double the price of the Phonitor.

The first time that I heard the 800, it was on a Single Power Extreme and it was a totally a different experience. Not so balanced, but very fun with good bass/mid bass boost and nicely rolled off highs. So yeah, the amp will definitely make a difference, as well as the DAC. But that's a different topic.

 

[k3oxkjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beagle /img/forum/go_quote.gif It proves that we all have different tastes and preferences for many things in life. Why oh why oh why do we worry about this so? stop. With all due respect, why can't we just enjoy what we enjoy, let others enjoy what they enjoy and not have to overanalyze everything all the time? stop. I thought headphones (and music listening in general) were supposed to be fun.stop. It's always this Coke vs. Pepsi thing, except it's Grado vs Sennheiser or whatever. Gaad. stop. Makes me want to toss all my gear into a box and stomp all over it pour gasoline on it and then set it on fire screaming "LORD TAKE ME BACK TO WHEN IT ALL WAS REAL!"Alleluhia out Carry on gentlemen

Analyzing is what humans do. We analyze and place values on everything, we can't help ourselves. Acix's girlfriend isn't really all that interested in headphones, but still had a judgment! It goes back to our judgmental brain and opposable thumbs.

It's why head-fi exists. It's a way to express our judgments and show our connoisseurship in an esoteric field. And in the service of one of mankind's more noble pursuits, music.

I like real, but there is something to be said for getting on to our musical magic carpet and going to Chicago Symphony hall circa 1956 or Abbey Road studio in the '60s whenever we so desire. What a privilege, only available in the last <100 years. And the better the system (for many of us), the better the ride. THAT'S why we worry about it so...

Kevin

 

[cegras]

Or maybe head-fi is just a big ad-sponsored forum. Hm.

 

[k3oxkjo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cegras /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or maybe head-fi is just a big ad-sponsored forum. Hm.

Perhaps the world is just a big ad-sponsored forum, no?

 

[Trapper32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacedonianHero /img/forum/go_quote.gif Acix: Wow, how much does AKG pay you for such quotes? Well, here's one, my wife hated the K701s thought they sounded tin like and thin (we actually disagreed over this) and she was absolutely amazed on the HD800s. What the heck does that prove?

The only thing it proves is that Acix is extremely lucky that he didn't marry your wife and you didn't end up with Laura.

Sorry but you asked lol.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trapper32 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only thing it proves is that Acix is extremely lucky that he didn't marry your wife and you didn't end up with Laura. Sorry but you asked lol.

Could you imagine the arguments over headphones?

Secret marriage tip: make sure you both agree on headphones/cables/amps/dacs BEFORE you have kids.

 

[Trapper32]

Glad you took it the way it was intended....

It would be boring if everyone agreed.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trapper32 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad you took it the way it was intended.... It would be boring if everyone agreed.

Heck, Baskin Robbins has that many flavours for a reason.

 

[vai-777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhanja_trinanjan /img/forum/go_quote.gif 6 moons chief editor feels that the HD800 has a pronounced treble brightness, that goes away with the ALO cable and burn-in.... He likes the HD800, Cryo recabled, and off the right amp. He also likes the K702, also recabled, off the Burson HA-160 and feels that the Austrian can is up there sonically with the HD800, although in its own way.... He is certainly not an AKG employee and NOT a Sennheiser employee either... All this boils down to the fact that not a single reference can gets everything right... they are good in their own ways and certainly have their drawbacks...

means nothing....cable pusher

 

[vai-777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good point. I clarified this today and asked her if she recalled her experience there with the headphones. What she said was that they were "fun and complete". So asked her to clarify what she meant and she said that compared to the first ones she heard (the 800), the second ones had more definition between the sounds and instruments with a more smooth gradation between the highs and lows. This sounds to me that she thought they were more balanced. She said that the first ones hurt her ears in the high end and that the bass seemed too rumbly and exaggerated. I personally don't have any problem with the boost of the HD 800, I like it. I haven't tried it in the studio yet, but it seems fun to listen as a playback. I asked her what she meant by complete because I was really interested to understand what she was talking about. She told me that the sound was more round (making a big round gesture with her hands) and that everything seemed to be in the right place. When I asked her what she meant by that, she said that she could hear all of the instruments clearly and that they seemed to be positioned correctly around her. On this I agree with her, I think she's referring to instrument separation. She also said that the 800s sounded like they were skewed in the high end and that everything seemed to be lopsided. What she meant by fun is that the K 702s were more easy on her ears than the 800. She said that they felt like a relief, like they were soothing after hearing the 800s. Again, this test was only with this particular set up. I'm not making the claim that these results would apply to all amps, just this particular test.

lol

 

[b0dhi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sophonax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't imagine why the volume knob would go from negative dB to positive dB though...doesn't make much sense to me.

The manual says:
Quote:

The VOLUME control is calibrated in a relative dB scale that references the input level. The 0dB set- ting is around the two o’clock position, where the input signal is led to the output with an unaltered level (unity gain).