[Azure]

To clarify, past headphones I've tried

A500s - Too smoothed over and obese; bass sounds bloated
SR80s - No soundstage and bass
SA1k's

What's left would be HD580s and maybe something in the AKG line, right? I though I sampled enough headphones to reach the right headphones for me, especially considering the reasons why I disliked the A500s and the SR80s. Based on my impressions of the sound, all signs seemed to point towards the SA5k's. HD580s seemed like they would accomplish the opposite of what I wanted.

 

[Filburt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure To clarify, past headphones I've tried A500s - Too smoothed over and obese; bass sounds bloated SR80s - No soundstage and bass SA1k's What's left would be HD580s and maybe something in the AKG line, right? I though I sampled enough headphones to reach the right headphones for me, especially considering the reasons why I disliked the A500s and the SR80s. Based on my impressions of the sound, all signs seemed to point towards the SA5k's. HD580s seemed like they would accomplish the opposite of what I wanted.

Well, the two things I suggested are not like any of the headphones you listed in a significant enough sense that you could have probably accurately interpolated what they'd sound like.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser From what I am hearing this frequency profile is about what you want: http://www.headphone.com/products/he...er-cx300-b.php

Wouldn't the bass sound bloated and overpower everything else? Plus, wouldn't there be no soundstage since it's an IEM?

I've tried finding new music based on suggestions in the Music forum (And from other forums), but I don't think I'll ever like anything outside of my genre (And even then, it's still hit and miss).

A lot of posting going on here rather quickly that I didn't get a chance to read. I've got to go eat right now as I'm starving.

 

[swt61]

I'm not sure why you discount that it could be your hearing so easily. Everyone hears differently, you don't have to be suffering hearing loss to percieve sounds differently. Also I believe the hobby is an ongoing learning experience. I hear things very differently than I did when I started this hobby some 30+ years ago. In very much the same way that I read better and have better retention, because of all the time I've logged reading, I also hear things I didn't pick up on when I started out. What I percieve as large differences in SQ, many of my non audiophile friends don't. I used to go to my local stereo shops and sit for long listening sessions before I could afford to try different equipment in my home. This was a great help for me. My first system was under $500.00 and I loved it! My advice is to scale back, buy what you can audition first and let time lead you to new equipment as your ear develops.

 

[Yikes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher Funny thing there, with the exception of a very short FOTM run for the SA5Ks I don't think I've ever heard anyone other than a particular doctor, whose posts I'm no longer burdened with reading, recommend the SA5ks. Not to mention a majority of people.

As much as I am loath to recommend the same equipment as the Doctor

, I do recommend the SA5000’s. With some caveats, they are ruthlessly revealing. This means that with the wrong equipment it can be painful, but with the right equipment they can be glorious.

They respond exceedingly well to a quality rewire. Every single person who has listened to my rewired SA5000’s has had extremely positive comments. They’re still not for everyone, but then again what is?

 

[db597]

Ever thought of ATH-W5000 or L3000?

 

[J-Pak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 @Azure You're not alone here. When I first got my LDM+ I found the difference to be rather subtle. So I thought it might be that the LDM+ is too cheap an amp to make a significant difference. Then I went for the Head5. We often rave about how smooth and warm etc the sound is. But truth be told, these characteristics are imposed in only a very subtle manner. The headphones still overwhelmingly define the sound signature. Amps, even expensive ones, make a few percent difference and that's about it. An amp isn't going to improve the sound the way that upgrading a headphone is. IMHO, where amps really come in is when you've already got the top of the range headphone and like it's sonic characteristics. You then want to upgrade, but there's nothing else higher to go to in that same stable. E.g. if you like the Senn 650 and want more of the Senn "house sound" - there's nothing higher. Going to another brand may not be what you like - for example, the W5000 is higher than the Senn 650, but it's a totally different sound, that you may or may not like. At this level it's more about personal taste. At this point, the only course of action is to "fine tune" what you've already got and get that extra few percent out of your headphones. This is the job of amps and cables, which are even worse... many self-professed audiophiles can't tell the difference between cables in a DBT test. As for the source, there is some truth in the old axiom garbage in garbage out. Amps can help reveal a little (let's say 1%) more detail in the music - but not if it's not there. But it is also true that even if you've got a good source and the amp reveals that 1% more, it's not going to be a huge difference. I got more enjoyment going from my HD497 to HD595 than when I went from my CDROM's cheapo DAC to my Audigy2's DAC!

This is excellent advice

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by db597 Ever thought of ATH-W5000 or L3000?

Ha, W5000s are so expensive; I'd never consider buying headphones that cost more than $500. I have thought of the W1000s before though. Never though about L3000's since they obviously aren't for someone on cheap budgets like myself

Just some general function question: What's the consensus on the order of operation? I read that powering an amp while music is playing is better than powering on an amp when no music is playing. Also, when you're done listening to music, should you stop the music or stop the amp? I did the latter to check out how the music keeps playing after powering the amp off, and it sounded very scratchy/distorted during the last few seconds of sound. Is any one method safer than the other?

 

[db597]

Price of SA5000 + M^3 is getting close to W5000's price no?

 

[lmilhan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio And yeah, what others said... there's no point in discounting any sound signature because you "think" you won't like it. Based on descriptions here, I thought the DT880 was for me. Turns out I was a Gradohead. Never woulda figured that out by description alone.

AMEN to that brother! But for me, I started with Sennheisers (instead of DT880s). Hated them so much I almost got out of the hobby. Grados saved the day! Based solely on comments I read here at Head-Fi (fatigue, uncomfortable, piercing highs, etc), I avoided Grados for quite a long while, when I should have in fact jumped on them from the start! And that was my first (and probably most important) lesson I learned here at Head-Fi.

Anyway.

For the OP: sorry to hear that your new toy did not live up to your expectations.

 

[Epoch]

My experience with amps for headphones is rather limited, but for headphones, the biggest difference I have heard is only when the headphones are not being properly driven. When they cannot get the voltage swings or current that they want then they start to sound poor in comparison to their potential.

My other experience is with buddies who were guitarists. There weren't a lot of difference between different models of solid state amps except in the case of some effects. The noticeable difference for me was hearing them played through valve designs, but that is a different field than for headphones.

It has been too long for me since I have heard any reproduced music through a tube amplifier to really judge any differences, which is why I am trying to get parts to build a tube based hybrid amp. This isn't a voice of experience in headphones, but I would hazard a guess that you would hear things differently with a moderately priced tube design that adds some coloration to the sound. As a pure amplifier though, the purpose is not to add coloration to the sound, which might be why you are experiencing a very slight difference to your ears with a solid state design. If the goal is to modify the sound with am amplifier, then it sounds like some sort of equalizer would be needed, or just something like a tube design that is made to allow the coloration of the tubes to show through.

 

[hyamaiata]

There's something I don't understand. You like the SA5000 and you bought the M3 because you were looking to improve those characteristics you liked about it but you found that the improvements are very subtle and therefore, not worth it. But now you are telling you are going to downgrade to the SA1000. Basically, you think that those improvements you were looking for are impossible to reach and everyone here don't get improvements with the gear they buy but they don't care to lose their money, keep the product and tell everyone it's wonderful, right?. But you then said, IIRC, that the SA1000 were a very noticeable improvement over the A500, so where's all the exaggeration and overhyping you are talking about? You are a little confused here, I think. I don't think the hundreds of members with low budgets in this hobby would go overhyping products they had to pay with their hard-earned money, do you agree?. I reccomend you two things:
1. Spend some time with your new source.
2. Assist to a meet. There's a lot of meets in California.

One more thing: You can't say you ''think'' an upgrade (i.e. better source) you haven't heard is not going to make any improvement just because you ''think'' so. You have heard from lots of experienced members that your source is the bottleneck of the system but you insist that it's not going to make any improvement just because you ''think'' it won't even though you haven't heard it.

 

[db597]

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Pak This is excellent advice

Thanks for the support J-Pak. To discover that, I bought 2 amps in the first 2 weeks after I joined Head-fi. They weren't joking about the wallet.

 

[Azure]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyamaiata There's something I don't understand. You like the SA5000 and you bought the M3 because you were looking to improve those characteristics you liked about it but you found that the improvements are very subtle and therefore, not worth it. But now you are telling you are going to downgrade to the SA1000. Basically, you think that those improvements you were looking for are impossible to reach and everyone here don't get improvements with the gear they buy but they don't care to lose their money, keep the product and tell everyone it's wonderful, right?. But you then said, IIRC, that the SA1000 were a very noticeable improvement over the A500, so where's all the exaggeration and overhyping you are talking about? You are a little confused here, I think. I don't think the hundreds of members with low budgets in this hobby would go overhyping products they had to pay with their hard-earned money, do you agree?. I reccomend you two things: 1. Spend some time with your new source. 2. Assist to a meet. There's a lot of meets in California. One more thing: You can't say you ''think'' an upgrade (i.e. better source) you haven't heard is not going to make any improvement just because you ''think'' so. You have heard from lots of experienced members that your source is the bottleneck of the system but you insist that it's not going to make any improvement just because you ''think'' it won't even though you haven't heard it.

I think you're looking too much into my posts. What I said was that these improvements tend to be exaggerated. If you are so persistent on looking at the small details, and if you care so much about every nuance of the sound, then the improvement is possible (Like for everybody else that didn't experience my disappointment). I don't think that everybody else doesn't get any improvement. What I think is that we're all hearing the same sound (Generalization; what I mean is that we'd all hear the same sound if we listened to the same rig, provided none of us has any serious hearing loss); what determines whether it's attainable or not is whether you're one of those people that exaggerates the details and listens incredibly closely and what not. I don't do that, and thus it's not attainable for me (Hence why I hear only a slight improvement). I never said that there was overhyping when comparing different headphones.

I know that you never know until you hear the actual. THE SOURCE IS COMING (So no need to keep pestering about how I keep saying "think" and that I just need to actually hear it; it should be here in a couple days). I'm just saying that I doubt that it'll make the drastic improvement that everybody preaches there's going to be (Hence why I wanted to jump the gun on downgrading). BUT, I'm going to wait until the source comes and still try out the M3/SA5k combo with the CE595.

 

[slwiser]

You would think it would be as you say but Headroom thinks very highly of these.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure Wouldn't the bass sound bloated and overpower everything else? Plus, wouldn't there be no soundstage since it's an IEM? I've tried finding new music based on suggestions in the Music forum (And from other forums), but I don't think I'll ever like anything outside of my genre (And even then, it's still hit and miss). A lot of posting going on here rather quickly that I didn't get a chance to read. I've got to go eat right now as I'm starving.