[ericj]

I have both of them as well.

The QP85, and other float earspeakers, are all about soundstage. and they do it well.

The QP85 can be great for watching movies, and TV shows like House that have a great deal of ambient sound engineered into them.

I'm not in love with my K340. I like my fully-planar headphones better than the K340 dynamic-planar hybrid. It's a good headphone, but nothing to write home about.

 

[facelvega]

Well, for a closed or at least semi-closed headphone, the K340 has pretty good soundstage I think. But no headphone has soundstage like a float or earspeaker, so in that sense it's not a fair comparison. I think that with the right amplification even an unmodded K340 is capable of performing on a level just above the QP85, but it's true in almost an opposite direction, with a thick, darkish, rumbling sound.

Taking out some of the cotton will make the highs more sparkling and tighten the bass a bit, but it's not going to perform soundstage miracles. Taking all of the cotton out has slightly more effect, but also adds a kind of echo to the sound. I see the K340 as one possible way into high-end headphone sound, but a way that might not appeal to everyone. For me, my Stax and YH-100 were better ways upward, which is one of the reasons I ended up selling my K340 pairs. (one pair to Faust2D!)

 

[Faust2D]

Will these "fully-planar headphones" sound similar to my Apogee speakers? This is the sound I trying to get from my headphone set up, that or something similar to a Martin Logan hybrid thing. Basically, nice 3D soundstage controlled bass (does not have to be very deep) and detailed but soft heights. Any suggestions for the planar phones for me?

 

[ericj]

When i say "fully planar" I mean orthodynamic (aka magneto-planar, think 'magnepan') and electret headphones like my Stax SR-30 and SR-80 Pro.

I've never heard Apogee or Martin Logan so i'm not sure what to suggest.

 

[facelvega]

Faust2D, I think what you really want is a pair of vintage stax electrostats. An SR-5, SR-5 gold, SR-X, or Gamma. I grabbed an SR-5 because they are far cheaper than the others and generally held to be much better than the SR-3 or any of the electret models, and though it's true they're not quite as good as the SR-X I have now on loan from Cosmopragma, they're still probably my favorite headphone of the dozens I've owned.

 

[Faust2D]

Magnepans are nice but they never have body to the sound, too polite. I listened few times to Magnepan setups and never was fully satisfied. If I could afford full ribbon speakers like large Apogees

I would get them, if you ever have a chance to hear them go for it.

The basic sound signature that you get with any ribbon speakers is that of a weightless upper range but with more control than Magnepans, but it does not have that sound impact that you get with conventional dynamic drivers. Hybrid designs, if done correctly, are the best of both worlds since they have the bass and upper midrange impact and transparent upper end. Both Magnepans and Apogees have beautiful soundstage.

I am thinking maybe Stax or orthodynamics will make me happy.

 

[Faust2D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Faust2D, I think what you really want is a pair of vintage stax electrostats. An SR-5, SR-5 gold, SR-X, or Gamma. I grabbed an SR-5 because they are far cheaper than the others and generally held to be much better than the SR-3 or any of the electret models, and though it's true they're not quite as good as the SR-X I have now on loan from Cosmopragma, they're still probably my favorite headphone of the dozens I've owned.

While I was responding you suggested Stax, how interesting.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faust2D /img/forum/go_quote.gif Magnepans are nice but they never have body to the sound, too polite. I listened few times to Magnepan setups and never was fully satisfied. If I could afford full ribbon speakers like large Apogees

I hear that the thing about magnepans is that you have to have about 5 feet of open air behind them and to each side, which kinda detracts from the thinness of the build.

 

[Faust2D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hear that the thing about magnepans is that you have to have about 5 feet of open air behind them and to each side, which kinda detracts from the thinness of the build.

The do sound better if they are moved far from the wall, the logic behind that is that they radiate both ways and if you move them close to the wall you get distortion and reflections that creates a sorta boomy sound. What some people do they put them on casters and roll them into correct position when they are listening to them. OHM Walsh actually come with casters so you can roll them into correct position

, the soundstage on these is superb if they are positioned correctly, but you loose some micro details compared to other designs.

Ohm WALSH 100 MK-2

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faust2D /img/forum/go_quote.gif The do sound better if they are moved far from the wall, the logic behind that is that they radiate both ways and if you move them close to the wall you get distortion and reflections that creates a sorta boomy sound. What some people do they put them on casters and roll them into correct position when they are listening to them. OHM Walsh actually come with casters so you can roll them into correct position , the soundstage on these is superb if they are positioned correctly, but you loose some micro details compared to other designs. Ohm WALSH 100 MK-2

I've been toying with the idea of buying some old magnepans and hanging them from the ceiling, so i can hook them up and out of the way when i don't need them.

 

[cleophus]

MB Quart made headphones for Stanton and B&O also.
Thank you facelvega and Faust2D for your flashback
from the past.

 

[Faust2D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been toying with the idea of buying some old magnepans and hanging them from the ceiling, so i can hook them up and out of the way when i don't need them.

Now thats an awesome idea. You should make sure that they are connected very rigidly so that you don't have any vibrations moving them around the room as they play

What is your current speaker setup any way, if you don't mind me asking?

My is like this:

Kid is a part of the setup, he provides great enchantment by dancing around.

 

[philodox]

Though the soundstage is larger on my MB Quarts, I prefer the intimacy and accurate imaging that my modded K340's give me. And for a semi-closed headphone they have one of the largest soundstages out there. Better than most open headphones, K1000's and floats excepted.

Soundstage aside, I don't find the K340 dark... though by direct comparison to the MB Quarts they would give that impression. I think I would phrase it more that the MB Quarts are a little bright.

 

[wualta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faust2D OHM Walsh actually come with casters so you can roll them into correct position... the soundstage on these is superb if they are positioned correctly, but you loose some micro details compared to other designs.

Except for the casters and the huge price, those are my Ohms (well, one of my Ohms), the FRS-11. If you can find a pair in prime shape under $300 for the pair, grab 'em.

The reason they might appear to lose small details is the same reason we appreciate headphones-- any real-world domestic interior makes mincemeat of sound. The more directional a speaker is, the less the room adds its two cents, and the more the sound approaches that of a good (or should I say ideal) headphone. The second-gen Walsh drivers are inherently omnidirectional but have had their room response modified with absorptive pads so they're not quite omni but certainly far from uni, so unless you sit in their near field (not likely), you may lose some details, depending on the room and how close to the walls the speakers are.

The Apogees probably do the classic dipole figure-eight radiation pattern, which is about as directional as speakers get. That kills early reflections and makes them about as headphonelike as a speaker can be.

 

[Faust2D]

I was actually toying with the idea of replacing my Klipsch with tall mini Ohms. But I am never never getting rid of my Apogees. My experience with Ohms was that of superb soundstage but slightly warm less detailed sound than lets say horns or ribbons.