[FinHifi]

For those who do not want to go tube route: Get violectric amp, I have V222 and it is perfect, as it tames those pesky highs in headphones like my adx5k, and has a relatively large soundstage. I feel like the violectric sound is between your typical ss amp and tubes.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Thanks for the detailed reply. From looking at reviews of each one separately you pretty much summed it up and put them all together.

I had taken about a year a break from the hobby now getting back in. And I do listen to some jazz, but mostly it’s classic rock. Will the Elite do classic rock justice? I don’t like to forward a presentation, but I don’t want a headphone that’s too soft sounding either. Like for me, the Susvara, it’s too soft. I did have the Abyss 1266 TC for about three years and likeed that a lot but eventually got tired of it’s unforgiving nature and lack of midrange.

Btw, I’ll be using a Violectric V281 amp and Bricasti M3 DAC.

Soundstage and impact in sound are truly hard to beat from AB1266 Phi TC, especially with Superconductor Cable. However, I'd vote Vocal with Elite and Caldera simply better than AB1266.

I'm rarely listen to classic rock, as my playlist usually contain of vocal jazz, audiophile musics, pop, and acoustic. "Once in blue moon" I listened to something like Blink182, Epica and Nightwish. Both Elite and Caldera definitely more energetic than Susvara. Susvara's soft character made me want to sleep, even when I clearly didn't want to sleep.

Never heard Bricasti, but heard good things about them. V281 should be great for most planar out there.

 

[Mr X]

Finally picked up a pair of angled pads for my Elite. Was a little bit sceptical and I do need to do more testing but extra detail, air and soundstage were extremely and instantly apparent. Really impressed with them.

 

[betula]

Finally picked up a pair of angled pads for my Elite. Was a little bit sceptical and I do need to do more testing but extra detail, air and soundstage were extremely and instantly apparent. Really impressed with them.

I would expect 'extra detail, air and soundstage' too based on what I read and even based on the difference between the hybrid and the og Alcantara pads. The question for me is: do you find the bass perhaps different but equally satisfying compared to the hybrid pads? (I am still hesitating to throw £200 on a lottery ticket.)

 

[Toonartist]

I really enjoy the bass with the Alcantara Angled pads. I find it tight, detailed and powerful but without being bloomy... The results you get will be based on the system but I also enjoy them with the Mullard M8136 that you use (but with the Mullard EL34 XF2 as power tubes).

Shame you can't demo them. I was the same as you before hand and it pained me to spend that on pads as well but it I'm glad I took the chance as they've rarely been off the Elite but I understand your hesitation... I guess if you don't like them you could sell them and make most of the cost back!

 

[betula]

I really enjoy the bass with the Alcantara Angled pads. I find it tight, detailed and powerful but without being bloomy... The results you get will be based on the system but I also enjoy them with the Mullard M8136 that you use (but with the Mullard EL34 XF2 as power tubes).

Shame you can't demo them. I was the same as you before hand and it pained me to spend that on pads as well but it I'm glad I took the chance as they've rarely been off the Elite but I understand your hesitation... I guess if you don't like them you could sell them and make most of the cost back!

You are right, it is just always easier to take risks when you are looking for some sonic improvements in your system anyway. When you reached that rare point where you are generally satisfied, the hesitation to throw more money just for the sake of experimenting is greater.
That said curiosity will make me pay that £200 eventually and worst case sell the pads with some loss as you say.

 

[Toonartist]

You are right, it is just always easier to take risks when you are looking for some sonic improvements in your system anyway. When you reached that rare point where you are generally satisfied, the hesitation to throw more money just for the sake of experimenting is greater.
That said curiosity will make me pay that £200 eventually and worst case sell the pads with some loss as you say.

Lol... yeah, probably why I've still not made any real effort to buy a second set of headphones! I'm happy where I am so without any real need, I haven't bothered taking the risk to buy another pair! It will happen at some point, just not yet!

 

[TheAttorney]

That said curiosity will make me pay that £200 eventually and worst case sell the pads with some loss as you say.

If you buy from a UK dealer by Internet or phone (ie not in person), my understanding is that, by law, you can return them if not satisfied for any reason. But to be fair to the dealer, I would phone them up and talk about it first.

From the various comparisons so far, you should have a pretty good idea of what to expect. We've had conflicting reactions so far, but my reaction continues to be that I can't go back to the hybrids' slightly shut-in and veiled presentation having got used to the angled pads.

 

[FinHifi]

You are right, it is just always easier to take risks when you are looking for some sonic improvements in your system anyway. When you reached that rare point where you are generally satisfied, the hesitation to throw more money just for the sake of experimenting is greater.
That said curiosity will make me pay that £200 eventually and worst case sell the pads with some loss as you say.

I say buy, I have commented this before:
Just used Angled for a week for change and switched back to og. Og sound better for me, the sound has more weight and soul, but it is nice to have options to modify sound,I dont like to EQ headphones as I feel it is an endless pit like tube rolling.
The leather pads sound a bit thin to me also, but im thinking of giving them a chance again.

 

[betula]

my understanding is that, by law, you can return them if not satisfied for any reason.

Earpads are not included in this due to hygienic reasons.

 

[PixelSquish]

I was deciding between the Caldera and Final D8000 for my big planar upgrade down the road from the LCDX , but after reading a lot it sounds like I'll get the Elite. A little less technical than the D8000 but they seem to have a bit more musical sound while still being pretty technical, just not as much. I think I like the sound of that better. Just from all my reading.

 

[ken6217]

I was deciding between the Caldera and Final D8000 for my big planar upgrade down the road from the LCDX , but after reading a lot it sounds like I'll get the Elite. A little less technical than the D8000 but they seem to have a bit more musical sound while still being pretty technical, just not as much. I think I like the sound of that better. Just from all my reading.

Actually, I’ve been debating between the Caldera and the Elite. I have owned the Elite before and sold it about a year ago when I took a break from a hobby. Now I’m back in and had thought about the Caldera, I have always thought about the D8000. The bass drew me to the D8000, but I’m not sure how the treble, and I’ve read that it doesn’t have a huge soundstage. That would be a dealbreaker for me.

So, since I don’t feel like gambling, it’s the Elite again. Oh yea, and I also have a ZMF Atrium closed incoming.

 

[MrHaelscheir]

Bit late to the party but just though I'd share the EQ profile I have been using since owning the Elite. This EQ is the reason Elites have been the best sounding headphone I have tried to date, beating out even Susvara & HE-1 for all round use. I have to give credit to these two where due though and that is their tonality is unreal... definitely magical when the right tracks or genres are played. To my ears, other headphones post-EQ cannot compete, but if EQ wasn't an option then I'd really have a hard time picking an endgame one-and-done headphone...

Nice that you found an EQ profile that works great for you. I suppose you did find benefit from taming the midrange for improved clarity. I don't know if you had seen my detailed EQ post (#4,665) where I support the Meze Elite as an excellent platform for fine-tuned and consistent EQ.

I have attached the latest iterations for my "V2.2 neutral reference" for the hybrid pads that I've fine tuned after converting my original Equalizer APO variable-band GraphicEQ into a PEQ profile. My EQing methodology is largely based off of https://www.head-fi.org/threads/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial.413900/ and involves a lot of listening to sine sweeps from and pink noise generated by https://download.cnet.com/BurninwaveGenerator/3000-2169_4-10711592.html to eliminate all peaks I could possibly hear, also referencing frequency response graphs and the equal loudness contour to shape a natural tonal balance. If you haven't already tried this methodology for fine-tuning your EQ, I highly recommend it for substantially cleaning up the sound and improving the "black background" of certain spectrally dense tracks like in .

Compared to your EQ profile, you may or may not find that the midrange becomes too thin while the upper midrange and lower treble becomes too forward, else you might hear an enhanced clarity and balance, maybe improved instrument separation or layering. Switching between the files below will showcase the effects of individually EQing down or reintroducing the 3 kHz and 6 kHz regions so you can see whether doing so gives you a cleaner, clearer, or more spacious sound. Sometimes, there are tracks where what was ultimately overamplified noise from a peak specific to the headphones or your ears was sticking out and polluting the clarity without you even realizing it.

1. The first "export" file is the original version including the 3 kHz and 6 kHz regions which I have EQed down for maximum clarity to my ears. It also fine-tunes the headphones.com GRAS target (which I suppose is a compromise between Harman and diffuse-field) for my ears. V2.2b designates that it is the compromise between the first version that lowers the 4 kHz part of the ear gain region the most, and an opposite version that leaves it at the original level of my V1 neutral reference where it still sticks out to my ears.
2. The second "3 kHz region filled" file restores the 3 kHz region in case you in listening to sine sweeps and pink noise do not find that this region sticks out, or if you find that it is a different region that sticks out and would like to fine-tune that region to your own preference.
3. Likewise, the third "6 kHz region filled" file fills that area if you feel that your ears do not overly amplify that area, or if EQing that region down removes details that you do want to hear.
4. The fourth "6 kHz and 3 kHz regions filled" files fills both areas as a blank slate for EQing down the specific peaks that you hear.

 

[Yifang]

Nice that you found an EQ profile that works great for you. I don't know if you had seen my detailed EQ post (#4,665). I suppose you did find benefit from taming the midrange for improved clarity.

I have attached the latest iterations for my "V2.2 neutral reference" for the hybrid pads that I've fine tuned after converting my original Equalizer APO variable-band GraphicEQ into a PEQ profile. My EQing methodology is largely based off of https://www.head-fi.org/threads/how-to-equalize-your-headphones-a-tutorial.413900/ and involves a lot of listening to sine sweeps from and pink noise generated by https://download.cnet.com/BurninwaveGenerator/3000-2169_4-10711592.html to eliminate all peaks I could possibly hear, also referencing frequency response graphs and the equal loudness contour to shape a natural tonal balance. If you haven't already tried this methodology for fine-tuning your EQ, I highly recommend it for substantially cleaning up the sound and improving the "black background" of certain spectrally dense tracks like in .

1. The first "export" file is the original version including the 3 kHz and 6 kHz regions which I have EQed down for maximum clarity to my ears. It also fine-tunes the headphones.com GRAS target (which I suppose is a compromise between Harman and diffuse-field) for my ears. V2.2b designates that it is the compromise between the first version that lowers the 4 kHz part of the ear gain region the most, and an opposite version that leaves it at the original level of my V1 neutral reference where it still sticks out to my ears.
2. The second "3 kHz region filled" file restores the 3 kHz region in case you in listening to sine sweeps and pink noise do not find that this region sticks out, or if you find that it is a different region that sticks out and would like to fine-tune that region to your own preference.
3. Likewise, the third "6 kHz region filled" file fills that area if you feel that your ears do not overly amplify that area, or if EQing that region down removes details that you do want to hear.
4. The fourth "6 kHz and 3 kHz regions filled" files fills both areas as a blank slate for EQing down the specific peaks that you hear.

Thanks for the reply. I will look into this further and experiment around!

 

[Mr X]

I would expect 'extra detail, air and soundstage' too based on what I read and even based on the difference between the hybrid and the og Alcantara pads. The question for me is: do you find the bass perhaps different but equally satisfying compared to the hybrid pads? (I am still hesitating to throw £200 on a lottery ticket.)

Definitely different but equally satisfying.

Did some extended listening yesterday with some very bass heavy tracks and going between the two. The OG was very thumpy and satisfying but whilst that was somewhat reduced with the angled, it also cleaned it up and presented it in a very dynamic way which actually made the OG a sound a bit muddy which you would not really pick up on unless you did an a/b test. I think for 99% for my listening I would use the angled now and maybe on the odd occasion reach for the hybrids.

Overall the angled are just a better all rounder for my ears