[Policar]

Yeah, I agree that nothing will make these bass-heavy. I like the sound of a tube pre-amp because it warms and thickens things up a bit, but it's not a huge difference. Less important than the DAC and the headphones themselves by far.

I listen to more rock and folk at home and more hip hop and dance at work, and I have dynamic headphones at work that are more bass-heavy so that works out well enough.... I can't justify keeping "niche headphones" for each song, but I do agree that in particular poorly mastered tracks with heavy sub bass sound much better with dynamic headphones. But I think part of it is they are just poorly mastered. :/

Allanmarcus, just curious.... does the Crack (with the 1/4 to RCA for the output) sound much different from the Mjolnir 2 as a pre-amp? I've been using a Little Dot Mk II and a Crack, and the Crack has less bass emphasis but a fluid quality that I prefer overall.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Allanmarcus, just curious.... does the Crack (with the 1/4 to RCA for the output) sound much different from the Mjolnir 2 as a pre-amp? I've been using a Little Dot Mk II and a Crack, and the Crack has less bass emphasis but a fluid quality that I prefer overall.

I've never used the crack as a preamp. Interesting concept. Obviously the choice of tubes would make a big difference.

I'm going to sell my Taurus and my crack and just keep the mjolnir. This equipment is all disconnected now, so I won't have the opportunity to try that combo.

 

[Policar]

According to Bottlehead, the Crack circuit was a candidate for the preamp. Not sure.

How did the M2 and Crack compare with the HD800 and T1? I sort of want a pair of T5p 2s for work...

 

[ratboi]

Yeah, I agree that nothing will make these bass-heavy.

snipz...

yes, but are you willing to try a harmonic exciter and see if it makes an appreciable difference? of course we aren't expecting Beyer DT 1350; just looking for a willingness to experiment, and an open mind.

 

[Policar]

When I have some free time I'll try it. What filters have you found that work and that are compatible with OSX?

 

[Allanmarcus]

When I have some free time I'll try it. What filters have you found that work and that are compatible with OSX?

I posted them at the end of my post on how I set it all up.

 

[Policar]

Cool I'll try it this weekend or when I have some time off.

 

[ratboi]

When I have some free time I'll try it. What filters have you found that work and that are compatible with OSX?

Winamp works with OSX, and the BassExciter plugin I use with foobar2000 has a winamp version. Really, quick and dirty is all I've done so far, was just a bit surprised - and pleased - by the result.

The recommendations from cskippy look to be more sophisticated, I've never used VSTs, but they look to be Mac compatible in general. Maybe in combination with what Allanmarcus has offered. I don't do Mac, and don't really get into DAW and the like as cskippy does. I defer to either wrt actual implementation.

 

[Policar]

Unfortunately the plug in isn't compatible with the Mac version of WinAmp. Or it doesn't appear to be. :/

Does foobar2000 for iOS support any plug ins? I could try it on my iPhone or iPad.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Winamp works with OSX, and the BassExciter plugin I use with foobar2000 has a winamp version. Really, quick and dirty is all I've done so far, was just a bit surprised - and pleased - by the result.

The recommendations from cskippy look to be more sophisticated, I've never used VSTs, but they look to be Mac compatible in general. Maybe in combination with what Allanmarcus has offered. I don't do Mac, and don't really get into DAW and the like as cskippy does. I defer to either wrt actual implementation.

Winamp on the Mac hasn't been updated since 2012! That can't be good

 

[ratboi]

Unfortunately the plug in isn't compatible with the Mac version of WinAmp. Or it doesn't appear to be. :/

Does foobar2000 for iOS support any plug ins? I could try it on my iPhone or iPad.

I saw some llama this weekend, they looked pretty smug. I guess I now know why.

Don't know about foobar2k on iOS. Don't even remember how I got it to recognize in windows; weird program...

Winamp 5.666 on Win8.1 - after fresh d/l and install, last version I had was from 2009, unused - I put the DSP_BassExciter_EN.dll in the Plugins folder, restarted Winamp, went to Preferences, under Plug-ins clicked on DSP/Effect, clicked on Real Bass Exciter, it opened the configuration screen. Set it to recommended. Could use a little more in the EQ department, which is a bit crude.. I think I got it to clip... Listened to the Sennheisers, jacked the "Harmonic Energy" up another 10db. Yeah... 8-Þ

Hope that helps.

 

[Policar]

If it's any consolation, I get a bigger improvement in sound and bass impact by compressing the headband to fit my average-sized head than I do by adding a tube pre-amp. That said, I think my headband got stretched out somehow as it was fitting awkwardly loose.

That might be the secret to the HD-650 and DT-1350.... those things sure clamp hard. I still think dynamic headphones have thumpier bass overall, but this at least brings the Koss to Lambda level, and I think it surpasses the Lambdas in midtones and has less sibilant (if also much less sparkly and dazzlingly detailed) treble.

I really think it's an issue of fit/seal and a lack of sub bass distortion that makes these bass lean and not a fault of the frequency response.

 

[ratboi]

If it's any consolation, I get a bigger improvement in sound and bass impact by compressing the headband to fit my average-sized head than I do by adding a tube pre-amp. That said, I think my headband got stretched out somehow as it was fitting awkwardly loose.

That might be the secret to the HD-650 and DT-1350.... those things sure clamp hard. I still think dynamic headphones have thumpier bass overall, but this at least brings the Koss to Lambda level, and I think it surpasses the Lambdas in midtones and has less sibilant (if also much less sparkly and dazzlingly detailed) treble.

I really think it's an issue of fit/seal and a lack of sub bass distortion that makes these bass lean and not a fault of the frequency response.

As only a very slight simplification, the whole point [to me] of using the bass harmonic exciter (BHE?) is to put back in the distortion missing from the electrostatic headphone impulse response. Mass is too low, the response is too well controlled, and since they are open backed, there is no chamber in which to develop reverberation. Plus, the low end frequency response of these puppies - and your Lambdas, which ever model you have - is just WAY flatter than the likes of the Beyer, Fostex or even Sennheiser. Combining a BHE, some exuberant low end EQ, and a bit of high volume - ok, and some Vesper pads - and my ESP-950 verge on being unruly.

Well, I'm easily swayed. YMMV.

 

[Policar]

I bent my headband in to increase the clamping force and that alone helped the sound a lot.

I agree that plug ins and EQ can make a difference but I think the question is if plug ins plus EQ are better than EQ alone. iTunes' EQ can make these bass monsters but it is a little bit too tight and punchy still maybe? Unfortunately for me I use Spotify, which lacks EQ.

The DT1350s are just amazing for bass, though:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicDT1350.pdf

 

[100VoltTube]

A crack will work very well as a preamp, but it would be improved by swapping the output capacitor for a smaller film cap sized for the input impedance of your amp. The output coupling cap in any amp is sized for the load it's designed for: in the case of a crack, it's sized for a high impedance headphone, which is why it has a huge electrolytic cap. The higher input impedance of an amp (usually upwards of 50KΩ) allows for much smaller values, which means that a film cap becomes an affordable option.
You can add a switch to switch between caps for preamp mode and headamp mode.
If anyone's interested, here is a calculator that could help you choose you value. If you don't know the input impedance of your amp, just assume it's 50kΩ. Most manufacturers provide that spec, though.