I don't know why, but this is the only headphone I own that seems to want to detect issues with my setup. Not even my KRK or Q701 does. At least not that my ears can tell. Today I moved my setup upstairs. This was the Headroom Micro Amp from ODAC. Maybe because my DJ100 is bassier than the rest? It's my bassiest headphone. Feels weird saying that. Actually the HD-600 has more mid/upper bass IMO.
I was listening to this huge box of my headphones and comparing them. Listening to the HD-598, HD-600, K601, Q701, Koss A/250, my KRKs and several other headphones. All of them sounded fine mostly.
I switched to my Koss Pro DJ 100 and it sounded really muffled. Vocals were distant and there was just a lack of treble. Totally not the way it should sound. I actually tried being stupid and switched my headphone and interconnect cables!
Turns out it was that my ODAC does not seem to like the USB cables with ferrite cores (I can only notice this with my DJ100. Huh?!). This along with switching the amp straight to the wall helped. When connecting my amp to a surge protector it makes the DJ100 sound too warm and bassy. Something makes the treble suffer. All my other headphones are OK. WHAT THE HECK? There is a clear difference when you switch to the wall and it's not my imagination. Only with the DJ100 though. What does this mean? Not sure.
Now it's perfect. The DJ100 with the Micro Amp and ODAC sounds pretty balanced. Nothing sticking out too much.
The ODAC actually improved my DJ100 more than any other headphone. They say the ODAC won't magically make any headphone more analytical. With my Q701, HD-600 and 598, that's the case, but with the DJ100...I don't know.
The ODAC seems to make it even MORE revealing and detailed. It's still warm and full sounding, but the difference in recording quality is much noticeable now. Some songs are just so bad and I don't mean due to just bit-rate.
I've been listening to the DJ100 with stock pads for the last week. I think i'm going to switch back to the M50 pads since they make everything sound even more clear. The improved soundstage is worth it too.
I don't know why, but for me it seems that closed headphones have always sounded more revealing and detailed. I don't think the Q701 has even sounded like some sort of detail monsters, but I guess that's a good thing.
BTW after listening to most all of my headphones tonight, I found the HD-600, 598 and DJ100 to be the easiest on the ears. I wasn't really in the mood for the Q701 since it's not too forgiving of my bad tracks and I have a lot of them.
The Q701 and KRK KNS-6400 made a lot of stuff sound bad due to recording flaws. The song from the Black Keys called "I'm not the one" had all these weird treble and mid peaks that were kind of annoying on the 6400 and Q701. They're a bit smoother and less noticeable on the 600! Feels like it was almost taking away all the rough edges or something. Maybe that song isn't supposed to sound that way? I have no clue. Sounds pretty smooth and fatigue free on the DJ100 too.
My K601 now sounds bass light compared to the Q701. What the heck? My modded KRK KNS-8400 really impressed me. It can now hold up well with the DJ100, even when it comes to it's bass.
Despite the Micro Amp and ODAC sounding good, it almost makes the DJ100 sound more balanced than it normally is
The mids now seem a little less fun/engaging. Maybe i'll be weird and attach my Ipod Touch 2G or Clip+ to my amp.
I swear the ODAC almost seems kind of dark at times. Impossible right?
Unrelated weirdness:
When connecting my amp to a surge protector, it makes the DJ100 sounds almost like I would expect it to sound like with a VERY warm tube amp. Obviously much worse, but not so bad the sound is destroyed. I don't like it though. Some science guys can try to explain that one. It's way over my head. There must be a reason for this. This probably would be perhaps less noticeable with the more expensive power supply upgrade for the Micro Amp (Astrodyne). Not sure. I saw a post elsewhere on why this occurred, but don't remember the explanation. I think this surge protector has way too much noise filtering and degrades the sound.
EDIT: After not being "Wowed" like I usually am I switched back to M40 pads. It's really amazing how much just some silly pads can improve the sound of a headphone so much. It's almost like they now sound like an open or semi-open headphone! I hope I'm not up until 3am tonight listening to these.
Somehow there's something on the M40 pads that annoy my ears when it comes to comfort. Not as comfortable as the m50 pads, but bigger soundstage and MAYBE better sound. Maybe it's that I wear glasses and the pads increase clamping. They do offer more room inside the pads for your ears at least.
