[robm321]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamoneagain /img/forum/go_quote.gif That very slightly muffled sound completely went away when I switched to the DHA3000. It now has a very clean and crisp sound while still retaining the warmth. It lost a little bit of lushness but still has enough to keep these musical and never analytical. Since I mostly listen to rock, I have no desire to seek another headphone. The HE90 did not do that well with noisy electric guitar and the R10 has too big of a soundstage for me. I fell in love the Grado sound and worked my way up to the PS-1. The L3000 was the only headphone that I liked more.

Glad the L3000s are still working for you. I don't imagine there is anything to replace them for the genre that you listen to.

I hope you are enjoying Seattle

 

[iamoneagain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purk /img/forum/go_quote.gif vcoheda, As good as the DHA3000 is for the L3000, you might want to give a Singlepower Supra upgraded with high voltage option a try. A sense of power and dynamics coming from the L3000 w/ my SDS/Supra is nothing short of breathtaking and a level or two above my upgraded DHA3000. However, the DHA3000 represents a better value than the any thing I've tried due to the DAC & Amp combination features. I have my DHA3000 upgraded with blackgates capcitors as my work system and together with the L3000, the combo really make everyday a great working day. BTW, I agree with you that the L3000 is a real rocker dream comes true.

Thanks. Yeah DHA3000 is a real improvement over my last setup but I never meant anyone to believe it's the best for the L3000. For me it is because it does everything want while staying within the same price range (used) as my former amp and DAC combined.

What I do like about it is it's tone, balance and seems to very controlled. I see some people pair the L3000 with very expensive amps and still complain about the overall sound. So if you improve in one area, you still run the risk of something else being off. That being said, I say for people to follow your advice if they want to go to the next level. You're one a the few that have spent a lot of time with this headphone and many different setups.

 

[iamoneagain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robm321 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad the L3000s are still working for you. I don't imagine there is anything to replace them for the genre that you listen to. I hope you are enjoying Seattle

Hey Rob, yeah I'm still very happy with the L3000. Selling the PS-1 was a risky move. I believe I saw Voltron had them balanced but now has a problem with one of the drivers. It was almost like a member of my family got hurt. I hope he's able to get them fix.

I guess moving to Seattle was a risky move too but everything fell into place. Downtown is a lot like a smaller San Francisco and the rest of Seattle has a lot of charm as is very laid back. The weather is even a lot nicer than I was led to believe. Nice and sunny over the weekend with highs in the upper 50's. There's also a lot head-fiers here and a big meet is planned for March.

 

[Audiofiler]

I would just like to throw this out there, this headphone is way overrated indeed and owners of minty new-like pairs should sell them to me for like fifty bucks (I will cover shipping)

Especially the icky green pairs, those are the worst, be sure to send me PM and I will rid of you of this disgusting looking headphone.

Just kidding, hey all, glad to see Vcoheda got his pair finally, have been speaking to him Via PM lately, nice to see you pull the trigger..

Iamdone, nice to see you enjoying Seatle, be sure to check out the Old Curiousity Shop in downtown area. That is my absolute most preferred little shop to visit in WA. The Williams' have been trading with that business for well over 100 years, and there is a Rick Williams full sized totem in general vicinity of downtown. I love totemic figures, that city is rich with culture per the NW. Glad to see you still enjoying the L3K's, they are special.

Robm321, when are you going to board the AT bus and hop on a pair of L3000's?

Purk,
thanks for all your help on trying to revive my DOA DHA, looking forward to speaking with you soon on this matter, and/or the L3000/R10/Q010!!

 

[vcoheda]

^^ yeah. thanks. i couldn't shake these things. have been resisting them for a good while - but every one has their limits. glad i finally gave in. they really do sound wonderful.

thanks for your advice as well via pm. :L3000 smiley:

 

[vcoheda]

i noticed that the L3000 pads are not shaped equally all the way around. one side is a bit larger/thicker than the other and then it tapers to thinner and smaller. my question is, how should the pads be positioned for the best fit. it seems like there are 4 options: larger thicker side on bottom (facing down) or top (facing up), or in the front or back. also what is the best way to change the pads.

another item is the wings. one of my wings is slightly loose. is there anyway to tighten it.

thanks

 

[nc8000]

On mine the thicker bit is at the back. I have not tried any other position and I have not yet tried to change them.

Has anybody else tried the mod that was suggested in a Ed9 thread some time ago placing a length of electrical cable inside the pads to make them thicker ?

I tried it and it certainly improved the comfort making a bigger room for my larger than average ear flaps. However I found that it totally messed up the sound giving it a most wierd and fussy effect.

 

[vcoheda]

some more impressions.

the L3000 is a very good headphone. the hype surrounding them is not entirely unjustified. for rock, they possibly are the best dynamic headphone currently available. the sound on these things is just gorgeous - so smooth. of all the headphones i own (or have owned) the L3000 strikes me as being able to reproduce the music the most faithfully. the quality or timber of the sound of voices, piano, guitar, and drums just sounds right. i know ATH headphones are known for their colorations, but the L3000 is different. they sound very natural and without emphasis. another key component is that the placement of listener in relation to instruments/voices appears to be dead center (or almost). you are neither too forward (like a grado) nor too far back (like the 650). a correct tone, or a very good one, and excellent imaging is primarily, i believe, what makes the L3000 such a competent headphone. it also has a nice full sound with good body/texture and bass which gives life to all percussion instruments, from hand claps to bass drums. another thing to add is low level listening. i barely have to move the dial before everything comes in full and clearly.

as for criticisms, there are some. this L3000 is a rock headphone. it is not ideal for classical (jazz seems to fair okay though). the highs are a bit tame or subdued and soprano/violin lacks brilliance and sparkle. and in general the sound stage is just not large enough for this type of music. another thing is that although the L3000 sounds better overall than my other headphones (for rock, that is), it certainly does not blow them away. you are paying a premium for that extra 10 percent improvement (or whatever the number is). also, they are very comfortable but the fit is not as snug as i would like it. they are in no danger of falling off, but a tighter fit would be preferred.

 

[wower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif sas for criticisms, there are some. this L3000 is a rock headphone. it is not ideal for classical (jazz seems to fair okay though). the highs are a bit tame or subdued and soprano/violin lacks brilliance and sparkle. and in general the sound stage is just not large enough for this type of music. another thing is that although the L3000 sounds better overall than my other headphones (for rock, that is), it certainly does not blow them away. you are paying a premium for that extra 10 percent improvement (or whatever the number is).

Wise words

 

[nc8000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif also, they are very comfortable but the fit is not as snug as i would like it. they are in no danger of falling off, but a tighter fit would be preferred.

Have you tried bending the metal bars of the head band (not the flaps) ?

 

[vcoheda]

i would prefer to not bend anything on $2500 headphones.

 

[iamoneagain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif some more impressions. the L3000 is a very good headphone. the hype surrounding them is not entirely unjustified. for rock, they possibly are the best dynamic headphone currently available. the sound on these things is just gorgeous - so smooth. of all the headphones i own (or have owned) the L3000 strikes me as being able to reproduce the music the most faithfully. the quality or timber of the sound of voices, piano, guitar, and drums just sounds right. i know ATH headphones are known for their colorations, but the L3000 is different. they sound very natural and without emphasis. another key component is that the placement of listener in relation to instruments/voices appears to be dead center (or almost). you are neither too forward (like a grado) nor too far back (like the 650). a correct tone, or a very good one, and excellent imaging is primarily, i believe, what makes the L3000 such a competent headphone. it also has a nice full sound with good body/texture and bass which gives life to all percussion instruments, from hand claps to bass drums. another thing to add is low level listening. i barely have to move the dial before everything comes in full and clearly. as for criticisms, there are some. this L3000 is a rock headphone. it is not ideal for classical (jazz seems to fair okay though). the highs are a bit tame or subdued and soprano/violin lacks brilliance and sparkle. and in general the sound stage is just not large enough for this type of music. another thing is that although the L3000 sounds better overall than my other headphones (for rock, that is), it certainly does not blow them away. you are paying a premium for that extra 10 percent improvement (or whatever the number is). also, they are very comfortable but the fit is not as snug as i would like it. they are in no danger of falling off, but a tighter fit would be preferred.

That describes them pretty well. I think the improvement over the Grado PS-1 is the body and texture. I tought the PS-1 was a good improvement over the RS-1 but one of the things I missed was the texture and warmth. I don't know if the use of wood cups is the reason behind this but the L3000 excels at texture while having the technical ability of the PS-1.

And as I said before, I thought the highs were subdued just a bit before but not at all with the DHA3000. This is with keeping the eq dials untouched. When I attend my next meet, I'll see if anyone has problems with the highs. This seems to be the biggest complaint.

I find the fit perfect. The PS-1 was too tight and would get uncomfortable after an hour. I like the fit even better than the GS1000. I prefer the soft leather pads over light feel of the GS1000. It's also a lot easier to find the right placement. There's not much play with the L3000. The GS1000 can sound really different depending on how they sit.

 

[nc8000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif i would prefer to not bend anything on $2500 headphones.

Fair enough. For me bending it so it's a bit more like a gothic arch than the usual semi circle made the fit (and sound) much better

 

[big-ban]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif some more impressions. the L3000 is a very good headphone. the hype surrounding them is not entirely unjustified. for rock, they possibly are the best dynamic headphone currently available. the sound on these things is just gorgeous - so smooth. of all the headphones i own (or have owned) the L3000 strikes me as being able to reproduce the music the most faithfully. the quality or timber of the sound of voices, piano, guitar, and drums just sounds right. i know ATH headphones are known for their colorations, but the L3000 is different. they sound very natural and without emphasis. another key component is that the placement of listener in relation to instruments/voices appears to be dead center (or almost). you are neither too forward (like a grado) nor too far back (like the 650). a correct tone, or a very good one, and excellent imaging is primarily, i believe, what makes the L3000 such a competent headphone. it also has a nice full sound with good body/texture and bass which gives life to all percussion instruments, from hand claps to bass drums. another thing to add is low level listening. i barely have to move the dial before everything comes in full and clearly. as for criticisms, there are some. this L3000 is a rock headphone. it is not ideal for classical (jazz seems to fair okay though). the highs are a bit tame or subdued and soprano/violin lacks brilliance and sparkle. and in general the sound stage is just not large enough for this type of music. another thing is that although the L3000 sounds better overall than my other headphones (for rock, that is), it certainly does not blow them away. you are paying a premium for that extra 10 percent improvement (or whatever the number is). also, they are very comfortable but the fit is not as snug as i would like it. they are in no danger of falling off, but a tighter fit would be preferred.

I cannot really agree on the "king of rock" part. I've been kind of mislead by the almost unanimous opinion here at head-fi stating that there's hardly any better phone for rock, but my very personal experience with them has proven quite the contrary. I find them too bassy and laid-back for rock which leaves the midrange and particularly upper midrange a bit on the underrepresented side. Rock/Metal requires quickness, punch and aggressiveness, while the L3000 makes everything a tad too smooth, very much like the HD650. That said, I don't regret anything because I'm quite happy to have the opportunity of owning this beautiful and exclusive headphone and being able to test and compare it thoroughly.
I currently own various AT headphones (as can be seen in my sig) and will not go as far as to say I don't like the L3000, because in fact I do, but I cannot say its better than any other AT phone per say. And here, vcoheda, we agree in that it certainly doesn't blow all other cans away.
Leaving the build quality and finish aside, I'd say that soundwise it's definitely not worth much more than a W5000 (which in itself is overpriced regarding the price/performance ratio of the W1000). It just has a different flavour and a distinct dark coloration that separates if from any other AT phone I've heard. You either like it or not, it's definitely not the be-all-end-all solution for everyone.
The imaging is excellent, I agree, but my F5005 or the recently acquired W1000 aren't too far behind in terms of imaging and detailing. The W1000 of course seems more detailed because of its brighter tonality, and for the price, I've been kind of impressed with its layering and imaging abilities. So even the lowly and "cheap" W1000 doesn't have to hide in shame next to the glory of the almighty L3000. It's just different and not necessarily and ultimately inferior.

Long story short: to date, I prefer most of my other phones for rock/metal to the L3000, especially the AD2000. Its kind of a special headphone in terms of soundstage but its tonality is just a perfect match for this genre, I even like it better than all the Grados I've heard.
It might not be the technically best headphone around, but it's just so very good in its own right that I couldn't care less about the last bit of detail or soundstage width/depth. It simply rocks and makes my foot tap every time.

 

[vcoheda]

that's definitely a different perspective. your description of the L3000 sounds closer to how one may view the HD650. it really sounds like the L3000 is not your cup of tea. it seems like you prefer a more forward and somewhat bright punchy sound, which is a grado, and i suppose with a better soundstage is the AD2000.

so what in your opinion - music or qualities - does the L3000 excel at, if anything.