I have Double-Sided and haven't heard the Single, but I can confirm Caroline Polachek is amazing on the tungstens. They way they handle her vocals is amazing! They also just have a unique way of presenting things spatially, the imaging is unique. Radiohead is also fantastic! The first time I heard Pyramid Song on them I wanted curl into a ball of nothingness lol.
Mod House Audio Tungsten - Planar Magnetic Headphones - Impressions and Discussion
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wizzman121
100+ Head-Fier
I have heard both and also heard them on the V281. That is a warmer amp and I felt it paired up better with the DS which is a bit more balanced sounding than the SS. Also, the 2541 which is a great DAC, is R2R so its also a little smoother and more organic sounding. 2541>V281>SS could be too much of a good thing imo.
If I could suggest something, instead on buying new headphones, invest it on Bitcoin whatever you where planning on spending. Right now BTC is going up, of course this is not financial advice, but if this was disposable income anyway, best save it and once you can buy Tungsten, use the earnings from this investment to buy these headphones, just a suggestion.
Yep, he's probably the most thorough audio reviewer out there, and I think really underrated in comparison to others. Also waiting on his review of the Tungsten, hope he gets the SS before he publish it on his channel.
Welp, now I expect to be able to buy and receive a tungsten SS before the end of this decade... hopefully.
Think about the POORS!!!!would it be better to donate them to us poors?
PM for address
I have limited experience with the AB1266 but I really did enjoy them at CanJam NY. They have a lot of resolution, and depth.
I think the AB1266 is a unique experience in that it has a lot more 3dness and resolution compared to the Susvara. You can easily hear the “shape” of the room with the AB1266 while other TOTL headphones tend to feel like distinct areas, blobs, or elements of sound. Abyss can also have that subwoofer like bass, if you spend time adjusting it. It’s a versatile headset made for customizing the sound to your mood and tastes.
Ryan wanted to make something that was “better” than Susvara so he made improvements based on his tastes and the feedback of fellow enthusiasts at the trade shows. So he wanted better bass, better female vocals, better spatial presentation than what the Susvara produces. The AB1266 sound signature is made to emphasize the primal feeling when you're at a club listening to loud music while on some mind altering substance that lets you be in the music. Susvara is made to bring beauty to the music (its a sanskrit word for "beautiful/good voice") so that you can hear the beauty of a singer's voice, the subtle details of instruments around your head, with no distortion or mudding.
The Tungsten doesn't have that Susvara treble, or that cohesive layering of music that the Susvara can do. Instead, I believe, it's asking the question, what can be done to make the music I love sound more engaging, more dynamic, than what the Susvara produces. Can it be improved? I believe that if Ryan had more time, he could have added a bit more space to the treble so it's not inline with the rest of the instruments but give it that airiness that people seem to love. But the final product is an improvement to what the Susvara can do in general, that is make vocals more beautiful, make bass more impactful (Tungsten rolls off a few db in subbass, so Susvara is better in this regard, but you can still hear it. And EQ it), add just a bit more oomph to the instruments, and add a bit more spacing so that you're getting a new experience. It's not like any headphone I've owned or trialed at CanJam. I've had these phones for a few months and whenever I listen to favorite albums, I just discover new exciting presentations of the songs, I hear subtle details that the Susvara doesn't expose on the surface (some people love to try out different masterings to get this experience but who has time for that unless it's on streaming). And most importantly having some experience with TOTL headphones, I do experience a little bit of LCD-5 (realistic drums), Abyss 1266 (feeling the shape of the room), Susvara (good resolution, good speed, dynamics, great timbre, punchy bass).
Another thing, that I experience with the Tungsten on my set up, is that I seem to get better detail, presumably because of the higher impedance. My Susvara seems to blur a bit some of that detail probably due to being a bit more sensitive to the noise in my MacBook Pro. But whatever is really happening it translates to better timbre (people clapping, finger snaps, convincing strings, better imaging, more space between instruments). Susvara can sound amazing, I have experience it using HQ Player and DSD. But Tungsten does great things with stock settings an no upsampling.
I’ve listened to a few Radiohead songs recently (No Surprises, Creep, Paranoid Android) on my DS, and it really brought out details that made me say ’wow’. The end of “No Surprises” where the band says some stuff in the back “let me out of here” comes out a lot clearer on the Tungsten than my Susvara. It adds a bit more emotional drama to the music I feel.
I listened to a recent track by Lana Del Rey that my streaming service randomly served to me and I was like, wow her voice is so beautiful I should check out her albums. I know of a few of her songs, but after listening to a recent track, it renewed my interest to explore her discography.
Only song I’ve tried was Song 2 from Blur on Tungsten recently, and the Tungsten reveals that it’s rough track, but the better dynamics makes it more awesome. I remember that they used Song 2 for the promos of “Starship Troopers” and I think if that I heard the Tungsten presentation, seeing the movie would have been an even a bigger disappointment.
( I liked the movie actually despite it being satire, but without knowledge of the book, I kind of expected it to be a sci-fi war movie. That would be kind of cool actually. Maybe I should check out Edge of Tomorrow)I tried a few J-pop/J-rock songs. It was just awesome because it images and layers well.
I haven’t tried Audoslave yet, they’re a favorite band of mine. But I did try Rage Against the Machine, and a few Soundgarden songs. RATM works really well with Tungsten, Zach’s voice is front and center, while Tom’s guitar is thick and present. The rest of the band also sounds great. You can hear Zach’s head move around the mic too, only something I experienced with super upsampled tracks on the Susvara. I listened to ”Fell on Black Days” on the Tungsten and the bass hits a little harder I think. I always feel that the track naturally has a subdued bass line but the Tungsten adds a bit more oomph to it.
And just to reiterate, this is Tungsten DS (which is suppose to sound more neutral than the SS) on Bliss/May/MacBook Pro with Qobuz/Apple Music.
invisiblekid
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These do sound like they are bloody amazing, certainly with the right chain. Like almost the greatest do all headphone with treble being the only compromiseI’ve listened to a few Radiohead songs recently (No Surprises, Creep, Paranoid Android) on my DS, and it really brought out details that made me say ’wow’. The end of “No Surprises” where the band says some stuff in the back “let me out of here” comes out a lot clearer on the Tungsten than my Susvara. It adds a bit more emotional drama to the music I feel.
I listened to a recent track by Lana Del Rey that my streaming service randomly served to me and I was like, wow her voice is so beautiful I should check out her albums. I know of a few of her songs, but after listening to a recent track, it renewed my interest to explore her discography.
Only song I’ve tried was Song 2 from Blur on Tungsten recently, and the Tungsten reveals that it’s rough track, but the better dynamics makes it more awesome. I remember that they used Song 2 for the promos of “Starship Troopers” and I think if that I heard the Tungsten presentation, seeing the movie would have been an even a bigger disappointment.
I tried a few J-pop/J-rock songs. It was just awesome because it images and layers well.
I haven’t tried Audoslave yet, they’re a favorite band of mine. But I did try Rage Against the Machine, and a few Soundgarden songs. RATM works really well with Tungsten, Zach’s voice is front and center, while Tom’s guitar is thick and present. The rest of the band also sounds great. You can hear Zach’s head move around the mic too, only something I experienced with super upsampled tracks on the Susvara. I listened to ”Fell on Black Days” on the Tungsten and the bass hits a little harder I think. I always feel that the track naturally has a subdued bass line but the Tungsten adds a bit more oomph to it.
And just to reiterate, this is Tungsten DS (which is suppose to sound more neutral than the SS) on Bliss/May/MacBook Pro with Qobuz/Apple Music.
And yes you should definitely check out Edge of Tomorrow. How have you not done so?! I have a real soft spot for that film, Emily helps of course.
If budget is not a consideration, I would go with DS.
Also had both the DS and SS same time as V281 and agree that, specifically with that warmer amp, the DS would provide a better synergy.
The above music should all be quite wonderful with that combo. And you can play with two sets of pads that can have as much of an impact.