[FYFL]

@OctavianH is heavy on Metal genre. I think, its important to know that as ADX might not be my first choice for that genre. At lest not for long listening sessions. When I started this thread my goal was to find headphones that work great for jazz, classical and some classic rock.

 

[FYFL]

I guess I post it at the same time as @OctavianH. Lol

 

[hakunamakaka]

My butter and bread is electronic music, ambient/experimental stuff, but I do jump into acoustic and jazz tracks occasionally. All rounder which is not tiring for long sessions would be great...regards cables I’m a bit deaf even though I’m in my mid 30, but my test with cables always came up with the same result. It looks that ADX might be a bit too risky, hard to pick a headphone when I live in the middle of nowhere..I think I Will keep my hunt open for utopia

 

[FYFL]

My butter and bread is electronic music, ambient/experimental stuff, but I do jump into acoustic and jazz tracks occasionally. All rounder which is not tiring for long sessions would be great...regards cables I’m a bit deaf even though I’m in my mid 30, but my test with cables always came up with the same result. It looks that ADX might be a bit too risky, hard to pick a headphone when I live in the middle of nowhere..I think I Will keep my hunt open for utopia

Electronic, jazz, acoustic all sounds pretty good on ADX.
Cables are not my go to “tuning” devices. So I can’t be much help with that. But yes, copper is an obvious choice for ADX if anyone is interested in aftermarket alternatives. Focals (Utopia) might have better technicality and build. However, they’re twice the asking price of ADX. So they better be superior in more than one way. Soundstage, comfort and amount of air might still be on ADX side. At least that’s what I gathered from comparisons made by others.
Sound signature of ADX headphones and SPL Phonitor amp is what lets me figure out more about the recording as it has extreme ability to find faults and specific trades of that recording. With tubes, it gets a smidgen of romanticism that makes them slightly less neutral and it adds a little color. In a good way ofcause. Among all of my current headphones, these are still the ones I come back to the most.

 

[hakunamakaka]

Electronic, jazz, acoustic all sounds pretty good on ADX.
Cables are not my go to “tuning” devices. So I can’t be much help with that. But yes, copper is an obvious choice for ADX if anyone is interested in aftermarket alternatives. Focals (Utopia) might have better technicality and build. However, they’re twice the asking price of ADX. So they better be superior in more than one way. Soundstage, comfort and amount of air might still be on ADX side. At least that’s what I gathered from comparisons made by others.
Sound signature of ADX headphones and SPL Phonitor amp is what lets me figure out more about the recording as it has extreme ability to find faults and specific trades of that recording. With tubes, it gets a smidgen of romanticism that makes them slightly less neutral and it adds a little color. In a good way ofcause. Among all of my current headphones, these are still the ones I come back to the most.

Soundstage is one of my least worries, it can be on the compact side if everything is well organized and easily placed. I'm on the hunt for the used pair, prices for new are just too much. The thing is that I could easily live with HD650 if I would got them as my first openback, but now as I downgraded I know that I miss a lot in music

 

[Terriero]

The synergy was good, but it depends on the musical genre and personal preference. Even if the headphones were great in terms of technicality, for me they were too neutral. Maybe for classical or jazz these were good, but in my case, for rock music, I wanted a warmer presentation. They sounded best with some full copper cable I bought from Forza Audioworks (Noir HPC if I remember correctly). The cable for ADX5000 was not in offer but I wrote them and they made it for me with the proprietary Audio Technica connectors. The headphones sounded lively, fast, big soundstage. That sensation you get at a live concert in the 3rd row. But as I said, for rock music, I wanted more bass and a little bit warmer presentation. So I sold them, because I was listening mostly to Verite Open or T1.2, and I needed to fund another project. I am not sure about fatigue, I have not listened to them in long sessions while owning them. I think you can try them with a tube amp, copper cable and if you like jazz or classical they might be for you.

This week Beyer DT 1990 Pro will come back to me (I re-purchased them) and I can compare them with my Denon AH-D9200s with symphonic rock and metal music. One thing is for sure, the best "Dark side of the moon" presentation for me was with 1990 Pros. I can't remember about "Supertramp" albums, if they were just ok or exceptional with them (with 9200s are just ok). With Sony Z7 or HD 800s I only enjoy some metal albums. Generally, when I'm with them on I normally try other genres.

The thing is that with 1990s I could enjoy a lot some albums that sound like garbage with other headphones. And those albums are some of my preferred metal LPs, like "The sins of the beloved - Perpetual Desolation" (and also their first album, that is worse produced, sound very good with them) or "Tristania - World of glass" to put some examples. Even some neoclassical or dark ambient albums, like "Dark sanctuary" or "Narsilion", irritating with other headphones, are enjoyable with the 1990s. The only issues I had with the Beyers were that I had to put the volume a little louder to enjoy them (but maybe is fault of my DAC/AMP) and the clamp pressure the first week (but I got use to it).

 

[FYFL]

Soundstage is one of my least worries, it can be on the compact side if everything is well organized and easily placed. I'm on the hunt for the used pair, prices for new are just too much. The thing is that I could easily live with HD650 if I would got them as my first openback, but now as I downgraded I know that I miss a lot in music

In that case, finding Utopia in good shape and reasonable price is the only issue.

Being able to live with lesser headphones is not a big deal for me either. But once you have heard exceptional headphones, it’s hard to compromise.
Nevertheless, my modded Koss KPHi30 is still getting a fair use on almost daily basis.
Good luck with your hunt.

 

[FYFL]

The thing is that with 1990s I could enjoy a lot some albums that sound like garbage with other headphones. And those albums are some of my preferred metal LPs

LCDX deals with crappy albums relatively well. GL2000 also adds its own spin to flat recordings.

 

[pepodenata]

How does ADX5000 work with OTL amplifiers ? I'm looking to upgrade my headphones, but not very keen to look for an amplifier a well. I'm a bit worried that sound can be too aggressive and grainy.

AMigo, the best and smartest thing you can in this world of headphones is to try them for yourself with your own amplifier, and with the music you usually listen to, and very quietly without rushing. Therefore, my recommendation is that you do not stay without trying the ADX5000. What is certain is that they will not leave you indifferent. And being at a good price and like new, you can always sell them if they do not convince you without losing more than a few euros ... They well deserve a month with them to test them thoroughly with the entire library. Feel free to PM me if you decide to try them. Greetings from Spain.

 

[hakunamakaka]

AMigo, the best and smartest thing you can in this world of headphones is to try them for yourself with your own amplifier, and with the music you usually listen to, and very quietly without rushing. Therefore, my recommendation is that you do not stay without trying the ADX5000. What is certain is that they will not leave you indifferent. And being at a good price and like new, you can always sell them if they do not convince you without losing more than a few euros ... They well deserve a month with them to test them thoroughly with the entire library. Feel free to PM me if you decide to try them. Greetings from Spain.

Thanks for a note, I've actually found a shop that might have ADX5000 to audition which would be the best route. They got me intrigued because of high impedance, but some of the comparisons especially against focal clear put me on hold. Lesser quality bass and more powerful highs can be a dealbreakers for me. While clears were exceptional comparing to what I had before I occasionally used to get mild headaches with them.
LCD3 is in my books as well, but weight and the need of power-full SS source...Or D8000 but it's so damn pricey...In that regards Utopia would be just plug&play for me

 

[Terriero]

This morning, while listening to a Youtube playlist, I found a polish band from which I listened to some albums in the past, and I love this song (love the violins and the woman voice, which give to this band a lot of personality):



I continue my AMP/DAC quest. Yesterday, I saw here one appealing T + A HA 200, but the price is not so appealing

 

[FYFL]

This morning, while listening to a Youtube playlist, I found a polish band from which I listened to some albums in the past, and I love this song (love the violins and the woman voice, which give to this band a lot of personality):



I continue my AMP/DAC quest. Yesterday, I saw here one appealing T + A HA 200, but the price is not so appealing

Never heard of this band. But I'll be sure to look into it. I like it.
How much power do you actually need ...... Or be comfortable with???

 

[Terriero]

Never heard of this band. But I'll be sure to look into it. I like it.
How much power do you actually need ...... Or be comfortable with???

I want an AMP that will run properly my current headphones (now in my profile pic), the Sony Z1R and I'm thinking in purchase some planars (maybe Empyrean, like I said you, and Kennerton Rögnir -right now there is a little info about them-. Althought, I'm sure I will try tubes in the future (I don't know if, for example, Feliks Euforia is a good option for HD 800 and 600, I suppose will be a good option).

My budget is around 2500 €, but would increase a little for a DAC to pair with the amp.

 

[FYFL]

I want an AMP that will run properly my current headphones (now in my profile pic), the Sony Z1R and I'm thinking in purchase some planars (maybe Empyrean, like I said you, and Kennerton Rögnir -right now there is a little info about them-. Althought, I'm sure I will try tubes in the future (I don't know if, for example, Feliks Euforia is a good option for HD 800 and 600, I suppose will be a good option).

My budget is around 2500 €, but would increase a little for a DAC to pair with the amp.

I don’t think headphones on your radar or cans in your current stable need gazillion watts to power adequately.
Eventho I am a strong believer in theory that promotes idea of sizable headroom provided to transducers of your choice, I still prioritize synergy, levels of transparency and personal preferences above all else.
It might seem unreasonable or impractical but in my opinion, with your budget, you could put together a system that would combine gems from both topologies,.... solid state and vacuum tube based amplification. This would ensure compatibility with all your headphones, impedances and various driver implementations.
I am just not sure if there’s one product that would cover all the bases and if such a product could get the best qualities out of every single headphone in your collection, or future purchases.
It’s not something (multiple amp option) I would promote for typical stereo/speaker setup but in case of a rig with multiple headphones? Yes, I think it’s a sensible solution.
Only caveat with this approach is allocating your budget wisely.
Especially true if quality tube amplifier is on your list. And IMO, quality is essential with tube amplifiers. And those, tend to be a little pricey. $1K+ is where I would personally start looking for tube amp candidate. Used market is fine as tube gear is reliable for the most part. Tubes being the weakest link. But easily replaceable in case of failure. OTL designs are a bit limiting in my opinion. So, direct coupled design is the one I would personally target. However, I keep hearing about certain OTL amps that are more flexible than what I am used to. So perhaps, OTL could be a valid option as well. But I can not say much about it from my own experience.
DAC tech changes all the time so I wouldn’t stress about it all that much. Unless it is something with reasonable upgrade path that will be sufficient enough for years to come, I would not spend more than 1K on it.

 

[Terriero]

Thank you very much. Yes, I'm thinking for a maximum of 1000-1500 € for the DAC (I have the Denafrips Pontus 2 as a reference). For AMP, I want to try first with a good SS and after with tubes. I will gather info about tubes later (like I'm trying to do with the SS AMPs).