[MoshingPanda]

Quote:

 
Assuming you are listening at the same volume and aren't touching your software settings, it sounds like it's potentially an issue with clipping your DAC, which can happen if your media player is using EQ, bass boost, tone controls, or even if it allows gain beyond 0dB.  Make sure the gain is properly set in your media player and turn everything else off.  
 
It could also simply be a DAC defect, but I'd look to your software settings first.

Hey Dan,
 
Thanks for the timely response!   (Your Mad Dogs are fantastic, by the way!  Found out about them via r\headphones thread I ended up posting and the cans fit my preferences to a T)     I turned off the high gain setting on the O2 amp and everything is back to normal.   I'm using WinAmp for a player of choice and have the EQ/tone controls disabled.  EQ/tone controls are also disabled in Windows.  
 
Quote:

If you are using the high gain setting with the O2 amp, there is a good chance that you might experience some clipping.  Try the lower gain setting on the amp and see if you still get clipping.  
 
I've actually cut a couple of resistors on my O2 so that my gain is 0dB and 2.5dB.  I only use the 2.5dB setting when I connect my iPod via an LOD cable.  For my sources with 2 or more Vrms, I use the 0dB gain setting.

Hey Sonitus,
 
I disabled the high gain setting and it cleared up all the clipping.   Cans sound great again!   (Is there a particular reason that a higher gain setting would cause clipping?)   </newb questions>
 
Thanks for the responses!

 

[aamefford]

I had a similar experience at a meet with an odac/o2. O2 and other sources were fine, o2 had issues with the MD. Likely not related. Just passing on my experience.

 

[Greed]

Quote:

I don't feel the MDs are warmer than the 500s. They are darker for sure (much darker) but the 500s have more warmth (mid bass emphasis + bloom) to my ears.
 
In their dark realm, the MDs are more balanced than the 500s, which means the FR is more even across the spectrum, even though it's tilted from bass (up) to treble (down).
The 500s have a mid bass and a upper mid emphasis. In that, they are more colored than the MDs and, as a result of the mid bass emphasis and smooth treble, are warmer overall (even though then have more treble energy).
 
My dark might be your warm, though.

Very true. It might be that I listened through mostly tube amps with the HE-500, and now don't own a full tube amp with my MD's. Overall, for what they are the HE-500 and MD's are for totally different purposes, at least for me. I use the Mad Dogs as a travel headphones. They are light (for orthos), comfortable, and are not terribly hard to drive. The HE-500 is anything but portable, and really deserves a full desktop setup. If you have the chance to own both, I'd say do that. Both bring certain strengths to the table, and are very complementary.

 

[Bill-P]

Hey Dan,
 
Thanks for the timely response!   (Your Mad Dogs are fantastic, by the way!  Found out about them via r\headphones thread I ended up posting and the cans fit my preferences to a T)     I turned off the high gain setting on the O2 amp and everything is back to normal.   I'm using WinAmp for a player of choice and have the EQ/tone controls disabled.  EQ/tone controls are also disabled in Windows.  
 
Hey Sonitus,
 
I disabled the high gain setting and it cleared up all the clipping.   Cans sound great again!   (Is there a particular reason that a higher gain setting would cause clipping?)   </newb questions>
 
Thanks for the responses!

 

I had a similar experience at a meet with an odac/o2. O2 and other sources were fine, o2 had issues with the MD. Likely not related. Just passing on my experience.

 


The creator of O2 has admitted that the design would cause clipping when high gain (2.5x) is engaged and the amp is taking input that's >2.0Vrms.
 
So yeah, higher gain would cause clipping with certain sources, because that's a design flaw.
 
He only said that it would happen on battery though, so... try plugging the amp into AC and see what happens?

 

[MoshingPanda]

Amp is plugged into AC currently using a Triad WAU16-400 versus the stock WAU16-200.  It was recommended to me that I picked up the high amperage transformer for ortho headphones, so I ended up doing that.  I'll give it a go with the lower current transformer in a bit and see if there is a difference and will post results.
 
Thanks

 

[sonitus mirus]

Quote:

 

The creator of O2 has admitted that the design would cause clipping when high gain (2.5x) is engaged and the amp is taking input that's >2.0Vrms.
 
So yeah, higher gain would cause clipping with certain sources, because that's a design flaw.
 
He only said that it would happen on battery though, so... try plugging the amp into AC and see what happens?

Although some people have custom gain settings, the default gain settings are 6x for high and 2.5x for low.  I followed some instructions somewhere in the big O2 thread to cut the resistors on the 6x end, so now my choices are 2.5x and no gain.  Most of my sources are 2 or 2.1 Vrms.

 

[aak57]

So, any updates for Sticker Watch 2013?  I was gonna order a pair of Mad Dogs last week until the sticker thing came up, and now the wait is killing me.  >_>

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

Very true. It might be that I listened through mostly tube amps with the HE-500, and now don't own a full tube amp with my MD's. Overall, for what they are the HE-500 and MD's are for totally different purposes, at least for me. I use the Mad Dogs as a travel headphones. They are light (for orthos), comfortable, and are not terribly hard to drive. The HE-500 is anything but portable, and really deserves a full desktop setup. If you have the chance to own both, I'd say do that. Both bring certain strengths to the table, and are very complementary.

 
I bought the Mad Dogs for the very same reason.
 
Actually, I used to own the HE-500 and traveled to the US for 2 months with them. I used my Fostex HP-A3 interface and the result was excellent given it's tiny size and the fact that it's USB powered!
Simply put, I preferred it over the NFB-3.1 + M-stage I used to own back then (as my primary setup). The sound was cleaner and more neutral (the Fostex is still slightly warm, but much less so than the m-stage. The NFB-3.1 is also slightly warmish...).
 
Now I'm torn: given that the HE-500 + HP-A3 was an excellent combo I could use when travelling and the Mad Dogs need something more forward sounding than the Fostex (Meridian Explorer?) to meet my needs, I don't what to do:
- Get rid of my beloved HP-A3 for the Meridian?
- Get rid of the Mad Dogs for the 500s (once again) and loose the comfort, "weight" and close-back benefit of the former? 
 
Cruel world...

 

[dryvadeum]

Quote:

 
I bought the Mad Dogs for the very same reason.
 
Actually, I used to own the HE-500 and traveled to the US for 2 months with them. I used my Fostex HP-A3 interface and the result was excellent given it's tiny size and the fact that it's USB powered!
Simply put, I preferred it over the NFB-3.1 + M-stage I used to own back then (as my primary setup). The sound was cleaner and more neutral (the Fostex is still slightly warm, but much less so than the m-stage. The NFB-3.1 is also slightly warmish...).
 
Now I'm torn: given that the HE-500 + HP-A3 was an excellent combo I could use when travelling and the Mad Dogs need something more forward sounding than the Fostex (Meridian Explorer?) to meet my needs, I don't what to do:
- Get rid of my beloved HP-A3 for the Meridian?
- Get rid of the Mad Dogs for the 500s (once again) and loose the comfort, "weight" and close-back benefit of the former? 
 
Cruel world...

So would you say the HE 500's are a big step up from the MD's or it's just more refined?

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

So would you say the HE 500's are a big step up from the MD's or it's just more refined?

 
In term of tonality, they are more different than alike, which can justify owning both.
 
They both have their pros & cons, mainly due to their very nature (open vs close) but both are great headphones.
 
I'd give the edge to the 500s in term of refinement and musicality because I like airy & warm sound. People who prefer darker sound might find an alternative in either the LCD-2 or the Mad Dogs, depending on budget. I think those who heard/owned both said the Mad Dogs are a bargain at $300,00 compared to the $1k for the Audeze's.
 
I tried the SoundMAGIC HP100 as an alternative that would bring back the tonality I like (in the eternal K701 vs DT880 vs HD650 fight, I'd be in the camp of the former two). I didn't hesitate much and kept the MDs, hands down, even though their dark signature is not my favorite. They're just a league above in every aspect that matters to me.
 
I think I'd need to spend loads of money to find dynamic headphones that matches the feeling I've had with planars for 1.5 years now. I'm not even sure I would actually find it...

 

[dryvadeum]

Quote:

 
In term of tonality, they are more different than alike, which can justify owning both.
 
They both have their pros & cons, mainly due to their very nature (open vs close) but both are great headphones.
 
I'd give the edge to the 500s in term of refinement and musicality because I like airy & warm sound. People who prefer darker sound might find an alternative in either the LCD-2 or the Mad Dogs, depending on budget. I think those who heard/owned both said the Mad Dogs are a bargain at $300,00 compared to the $1k for the Audeze's.
 
I tried the SoundMAGIC HP100 as an alternative that would bring back the tonality I like (in the eternal K701 vs DT880 vs HD650 fight, I'd be in the camp of the former two). I didn't hesitate much and kept the MDs, hands down, even though their dark signature is not my favorite. They're just a league above in every aspect that matters to me.
 
I think I'd need to spend loads of money to find dynamic headphones that matches the feeling I've had with planars for 1.5 years now. I'm not even sure I would actually find it...

Yeah, thats my dilemma. I like the smooth planar sound but not sure whether to get MD's or HE 500..

 

[MorbidToaster]

Really wasn't a fan of the Mad Dogs when I heard them in Austin earlier this year. On the other hand I love the HE500s.
 
They're nice and smooth. I prefer them to the HE-6 as well. The treble doesn't bug me like the HD-6 did. The Mad Dogs just sounded boring in comparison.
 
Quote:

Yeah, thats my dilemma. I like the smooth planar sound but not sure whether to get MD's or HE 500..

 

[dryvadeum]

Quote:

Really wasn't a fan of the Mad Dogs when I heard them in Austin earlier this year. On the other hand I love the HE500s.
 
They're nice and smooth. I prefer them to the HE-6 as well. The treble doesn't bug me like the HD-6 did. The Mad Dogs just sounded boring in comparison.
 

Yeah, I think I'll just pull the trigger on the HE 500's to compliment my Denon D5000's.

 

[mrspeakers]

Black stickers will be available for shipment tomorrow and are now on the site here.  A note: you need to use an open flame for 1second to soften the stickers, or you get a "blister" where it should say "lock."  I will post a video sometime tomorrow to show this.  It's fairly simple, and I will provide 5 stickers in a kit, in case you ruin one with excess heat.  I won't warranty any damage done to the phone, so it's on the user to do this right.  
 
For new orders, if you order the phone with the stealth stickers I will pre-apply them for you, and include stock stickers in your package should you wish to resell the phones, or just change your mind.

 

[aak57]

Yay!  Off to order them then.  Thank you for making the darth dogs a reality. 
 
EDIT:  Actually, wait a sec.  Should I put both the headphones and stickers in my cart or should I just order the headphones and put a request note to use the darth stickers?