[mrspeakers]

Quote:

 
I wish I could really give you that opinion, but my Asgard and Mad Dogs are my work setup, so they're currently a half hour drive away from me.  I can definitely say that the HD 650's make for a great combo with a Decware CSP2+, but I haven't really tried anything else with the Asgard yet.  I intend to bring it home over a weekend to do some comparisons, but right now, I don't think I'll have the time until after RMAF/CanJam.  (Who knows? At that point I may have even more to throw into a comparison test).
 
I can say that the Asgard + Mad Dogs make for an excellent pairing even before considering the total cost.

 
Hey, make sure to stop by and say hello at Can Jam...

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
Unfortunately i have the HE-4's not the HE-400's, but i will do a comparison between the two as well as the LCD-2 Rev 2.

 
 
Anyone...
 
What's the difference between the HE-4 and the HE-400?

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

 
 
Anyone...
 
What's the difference between the HE-4 and the HE-400?

HE-4 is a v-shaped headphone. Also, the HE-400 is rather dependent on whether you have the stock ear pads or the velours.

 

[RushNerd]

Got my Mad dogs+headband/dogpads today! I'm a little shocked at the build quality, ease of use, and overall comfort completely top notch. They sound great, but the sound is also puzzling me so far too. 
 
Is there any kind of consensus on burn-in on these(maybe Dan knows best)? I can't figure out if they need to be broken in for a few days, or if this is what a neutral headphone sounds like (plus this is my first ortho)
 
They are pretty great out of the Asgard, but with the EQ on I can turn the knob all the way up on most albums. Even harder to drive than my 650's.

 

[TMRaven]

What's puzzling about the sound?

 

[potatoos]

Orthos are notoriously hard to drive, Rushnerd. Taht is the reason that Schiit puts so much power into their amps. I trust that the Asgard gets it more than loud enough if asked though, correct?

 

[Farnsworth]

So, after a good days worth of listening I can go over some initial impressions.
Firstly, they are worth the money. Secondly they don't compare to the LCD-2's as I have heard others say. 
 
Tonally, they have some good bass... Not as good as the LCD-2's or even the HE-4 but i'm content with it. Its well controlled with great extension and an adequate amount of slam. The mids on the other hand are just OK. There is a slight drop off in the upper mids that make vocals seem a bit distant and smothered in some cases. This is something I experience with the HE-4's and is a gripe I have with many headphones. Highs are good; clean, crisp not bright or sibilant. I'm not really particular about highs so others may have something else to say about it.
The main issue I have with them is that they sound a bit congested, lack separation, and have a fairly flat and close soundstage. Others may call them intimate, but compared to my other phones it makes everything a little difficult to listen to. Some intricate and heavily layered tracks sound cluttered and blurred. I guess, compared to the LCD-2's and HE-4 they sound dull and blunted. 
I may be overly critical, but just so its clear, I do like these headphones. They are just outclassed by some of my other more expensive phones that, after reading some other glowing reviews, I was expecting the mad dogs to be able to compete with.
That being said, I bought these with the intention of being a transportable (not portable) headphone which is something I have not tried yet (waiting on a mini cable for it). They will also change the more they burn in so maybe some of its issues will be resolved with time.
 
On a side note, they are SOOO comfy, they seriously feel like pillows on your ears. 
 
More to come.

 

[Farnsworth]

Quote:

Got my Mad dogs+headband/dogpads today! I'm a little shocked at the build quality, ease of use, and overall comfort completely top notch. They sound great, but the sound is also puzzling me so far too. 
 
Is there any kind of consensus on burn-in on these(maybe Dan knows best)? I can't figure out if they need to be broken in for a few days, or if this is what a neutral headphone sounds like (plus this is my first ortho)
 
They are pretty great out of the Asgard, but with the EQ on I can turn the knob all the way up on most albums. Even harder to drive than my 650's.

I think I can say i'm puzzled by them too. 

 

[reddragon]

Quote:

So, after a good days worth of listening I can go over some initial impressions.
Firstly, they are worth the money. Secondly they don't compare to the LCD-2's as I have heard others say. 
 
Tonally, they have some good bass... Not as good as the LCD-2's or even the HE-4 but i'm content with it. Its well controlled with great extension and an adequate amount of slam. The mids on the other hand are just OK. There is a slight drop off in the upper mids that make vocals seem a bit distant and smothered in some cases. This is something I experience with the HE-4's and is a gripe I have with many headphones. Highs are good; clean, crisp not bright or sibilant. I'm not really particular about highs so others may have something else to say about it.
The main issue I have with them is that they sound a bit congested, lack separation, and have a fairly flat and close soundstage. Others may call them intimate, but compared to my other phones it makes everything a little difficult to listen to. Some intricate and heavily layered tracks sound cluttered and blurred. I guess, compared to the LCD-2's and HE-4 they sound dull and blunted. 
I may be overly critical, but just so its clear, I do like these headphones. They are just outclassed by some of my other more expensive phones that, after reading some other glowing reviews, I was expecting the mad dogs to be able to compete with.
That being said, I bought these with the intention of being a transportable (not portable) headphone which is something I have not tried yet (waiting on a mini cable for it). They will also change the more they burn in so maybe some of its issues will be resolved with time.
 
On a side note, they are SOOO comfy, they seriously feel like pillows on your ears. 
 
More to come.

 
 
nice review and maybe write even more after further listening?

 

[potatoos]

Quote:

 
 
nice review and maybe write even more after further listening?

+1

 

[MattTCG]

@Rushnerd 
 
There is no way that you should be able to crank the Asgard that loud with this hp IMO. When I had the Asgard, I remember about 12:00 being bone jarring loud. Not sure what is up there.
 
There is some break-in btw. They will open up after about 75 hours.

 

[TMRaven]

You'd be surprised how much overhead you need for EQ!  If you do a proper 6db EQ and attenuate everything 6db except the frequencies you want boosted, you'll find yourself cranking that volume pot pretty far.  

 

[haquocdung]

Quote:

Got my Mad dogs+headband/dogpads today! I'm a little shocked at the build quality, ease of use, and overall comfort completely top notch. They sound great, but the sound is also puzzling me so far too. 
 
Is there any kind of consensus on burn-in on these(maybe Dan knows best)? I can't figure out if they need to be broken in for a few days, or if this is what a neutral headphone sounds like (plus this is my first ortho)
 
They are pretty great out of the Asgard, but with the EQ on I can turn the knob all the way up on most albums. Even harder to drive than my 650's.

I just received my Mad Dog as well and I do wonder about burn in as well. I dont see it as bassy as I expected. Very much neutral to my ear compare to the Sen HD650.
I am not sure if that is caused by my O2/ODAC that make the headphone so analytical, that I can't concentrate on the music.
Quote:

So, after a good days worth of listening I can go over some initial impressions.
Firstly, they are worth the money. Secondly they don't compare to the LCD-2's as I have heard others say. 
 
Tonally, they have some good bass... Not as good as the LCD-2's or even the HE-4 but i'm content with it. Its well controlled with great extension and an adequate amount of slam. The mids on the other hand are just OK. There is a slight drop off in the upper mids that make vocals seem a bit distant and smothered in some cases. This is something I experience with the HE-4's and is a gripe I have with many headphones. Highs are good; clean, crisp not bright or sibilant. I'm not really particular about highs so others may have something else to say about it.
The main issue I have with them is that they sound a bit congested, lack separation, and have a fairly flat and close soundstage. Others may call them intimate, but compared to my other phones it makes everything a little difficult to listen to. Some intricate and heavily layered tracks sound cluttered and blurred. I guess, compared to the LCD-2's and HE-4 they sound dull and blunted. 
I may be overly critical, but just so its clear, I do like these headphones. They are just outclassed by some of my other more expensive phones that, after reading some other glowing reviews, I was expecting the mad dogs to be able to compete with.
That being said, I bought these with the intention of being a transportable (not portable) headphone which is something I have not tried yet (waiting on a mini cable for it). They will also change the more they burn in so maybe some of its issues will be resolved with time.
 
On a side note, they are SOOO comfy, they seriously feel like pillows on your ears. 
 
More to come.

I second everything you said about the sound of the Mad Dog.
It's a great all around can. 

 

[sunneebear]

Has anyone tried speaker taps with the MDs?  If they are as hard to drive like some people are saying, they may benefit from the speaker out put like the HE-6.  The HE-6 is a whole other animal driven from a good speaker amp.

 

[juantendo8]

Quote:

Has anyone tried speaker taps with the MDs?  If they are as hard to drive like some people are saying, they may benefit from the speaker out put like the HE-6.  The HE-6 is a whole other animal driven from a good speaker amp.

 
They definitely will not benefit from this. The O2 is enough to drive them to full potential from a power perspective. A speaker amp is overkill. As far as the more power hungry orthos go (HE-6), these are not particularly difficult to drive.