[givemetacos]

Problem with this review (and so many others): too general. It's true that headphones have innate characteristics. But I also find that, to a great extent, headphones change depending on your system, what recording you throw at them, and what kind of music you listen to. I like to be specific: which tracks sound good on them, which don't.

He complains about the soundstage not having enough presence in the middle compared to the HD600. But that's exactly why I prefer the M1060 for classical music. The HD650 handles songs better (lead vocals). But in my opinion the M1060 is better at giving you the full sweep of an orchestra.

As for the middle sound stage, throw a good binaural recording at the 1060. Play Candido: The Master and the middle soundstage of the 1060 comes alive (listen to the female vocals there - wow!).




As for the 5 kHz ringing, I can't hear it. If I do subconsciously hear it, it doesn't bother me. The human ear is most sensitive to the 2 kHz - 5 kHz range, so 5 kHz is in the most audible range. Most people should be able to hear it. Does this ringing result in sibilance? I just don't hear any sibilance to speak of. By "ringing," do people mean a boost at 5 kHz? Can it be that some people actually like a boost at that frequency?

Finally, my pair doesn't make that annoying noise when I swivel the cup. Maybe it will, but not at the moment. The build quality on my second version isn't so bad. My HD650 crapped out after about 3 years. One of the drivers cut out, and I had to send it in for repair. After that, I sold my pair because I just didn't trust it. I suspect the M1060 will last longer. At least, it has a 5 year warranty.

Finally, I'd note that his name on Youtube is metal571, which might give an indication of what he mostly listens to.

Yeah, I've been talking to Metal571 in the Discord channels almost daily. He is treble sensitive and doesn't really like the HD600. He prefers HD650. He owns an HD800, but is only able to use it if he EQs it a lot, and he EQs all his headphones a lot to take off treble and boost bass a bit. And yes, he listens to a lot of heavy metal as he plays electric guitar too. His main issue was that he couldn't get over a 5k ringing, which he said comes off as a harsh sibilance. And he would have been fine if he could EQ it out, but he said the more he tried to EQ the 5k down, the more it would push back at him. He admits mods might help and I have considered sending him my set. But even then, he argues the HE-500 would be a better buy since you can get that used for the same price as the M1060 modded, which I think is fair.

 

[Tysun]

Got my hands on a set of Audeze styled headband! Time to get down to work!
Warning: Not plug-and-play, non-reversible mod

Hamster

 

[DavidA]

@Tysun , they look like Hifiman headband, not Audeze

 

[Tysun]

@Tysun , they look like Hifiman headband, not Audeze

My bad, they look more like older Hifiman headbands. Links and tutorial coming up!

Hamster

 

[Tysun]

Seems like I have found the best remedy to cure the problem of my big head vs M1060. They look good and are super comfortable. Read on!
*Warning*: Not plug-and-play, semi non-reversible mod.

http://c.b1yt.com/h.RD9ZYA?cv=UX27ZD8VvWN&sm=7c2081
I ordered this head band through this Taobao link. Seller communicates in Chinese and only ships within China. I got a freight forwarder in order to ship to me (Malaysia).

Price for the head band: 219RMB/33USD
Make sure you request the seller to add on a clip-on thicker padding (as photo) to ensure comfort for 40RMB/6USD
Shipping: YMMV

Installation tutorial:
Good news is - It is not required to remove the drivers, just recycle the original yolks but they need to be modded. The screw holes need to be widen to accommodate the wider third party screws. I used a motorized trimmer which was available for me.

Next, you need to trim and shorten the connecting screw down to 8mm of thread in order for the screw not hitting the wooden driver housings. I used a lathe. At least a grinder is needed.

Lastly just secure the screws/washers/nuts into one piece and you are golden.

(((ALTERNATIVE))) :
You CAN recycle the stock yolk screws and nuts for total reversibility but I found them not to be holding the third party head band very securely as the screw holes are almost too much bigger than what those smaller stock yolk screws can handle. But it works, if you want that total reversibility.

Also, I bought this pair of lamb skin memory foam earpads for 200RMB/29.50USD from this link to be shipped along with my head band:
【105mm圆形耳机套 真皮耳机套 小羊皮耳套通用头戴式海绵套包邮】http://c.b1yt.com/h.RDwa27?cv=dtCDZD8oU7K&sm=31d3d2

Not too sure how much they change the sound as hamsters may hear differently than normal human beings. With paper towel mods they retain the bass while bring up the treble sparkle a little bit with no sibilance to speak of. (Stock cans sound warm to me. No idea why some Headfiers are claiming that they are bright and sibilant. K701 - those sound sibilant af to me.)

Time for some sunflower seeds, l8r.

Hamster

 

[cskippy]

Awesome work Hamster! I'm just surprised your little ears get a seal with those bad boys!

 

[Tysun]

Awesome work Hamster! I'm just surprised your little ears get a seal with those bad boys!

Never judge a hamster with its ear size LoL

Hamster

 

[Hippocamp]

Yeah, I've been talking to Metal571 in the Discord channels almost daily. He is treble sensitive and doesn't really like the HD600. He prefers HD650. He owns an HD800, but is only able to use it if he EQs it a lot, and he EQs all his headphones a lot to take off treble and boost bass a bit. And yes, he listens to a lot of heavy metal as he plays electric guitar too. His main issue was that he couldn't get over a 5k ringing, which he said comes off as a harsh sibilance. And he would have been fine if he could EQ it out, but he said the more he tried to EQ the 5k down, the more it would push back at him. He admits mods might help and I have considered sending him my set. But even then, he argues the HE-500 would be a better buy since you can get that used for the same price as the M1060 modded, which I think is fair.

I think there must be major differences among individual units. Like Metal571, I'm sensitive to treble and sibilance. Was comparing the Beyer DT1990s (which he likes) to the M1060s (V1). Sibilant tracks are much worse on the Beyers. Tested all my headphones against the M1060s. The M1060s are the LEAST susceptible to sibilance. My M1060s are already modded, but they were not particularly sibilant before the mod.

 

[Tullebukk]

I think there must be major differences among individual units. Like Metal571, I'm sensitive to treble and sibilance. Was comparing the Beyer DT1990s (which he likes) to the M1060s (V1). Sibilant tracks are much worse on the Beyers. Tested all my headphones against the M1060s. The M1060s are the LEAST susceptible to sibilance. My M1060s are already modded, but they were not particularly sibilant before the mod.

how does the m1060's sound on the Little Dot 1+?

 

[piokuro]

Honestly, I quite liked the HE-400i. For my purposes, that would have been the closest fit for me. I know they are often new for $220-250, and at that price they are a steal. I would probably say stock 400i vs stock M1060, I would take the 400i, especially for being cheaper. Even modded M1060 is like $375+ with shipping and pads (which might be impossible to get now) so it would even be hard for me to recommend them over the 400i. I think they are better, but exactly how money worth is a tough call.

I'm in Canada and have both the 400i and m1060 (first a v1, now a v2)

Personally I think even the stock m1060 is better than the 400i. The larger driver have more presence, low end is better, and I find just find them more interesting to listen to.

That being said, the 400i can be had in Canada for less ($300-350 cnd), they are a great value, and money isn't spend on customs and shipping like the m1060. They are both good picks, but even being more expensive overall I would take the m1060 if I could have just the one pick.

 

[Brahmsian]

(Stock cans sound warm to me. No idea why some Headfiers are claiming that they are bright and sibilant. K701 - those sound sibilant to me.)

When I called them bright it was only relative to other headphones of mine. For instance, even with amping (and perhaps I didn't match the right amp with them) I never could get rid of what I perceived to be a dark veil on the HD650. (I have read that the veil vanishes at higher decibels, but I never listen to headphones that loud.) I don't perceive a dark veil on the Monolith 1060; hence I tend to think of them as being on the sunny side by comparison. But only by comparison.

 

[Hippocamp]

how does the m1060's sound on the Little Dot 1+?

Very nice. My pair of M1060s are quite warm to start with. Currently driving them with solid state Audio-GD NFB-11. They don't really need a tube amp, but then the 1+ does not have a strong tube signature. They certainly don't get overly warm with the 1+. But then I'm in the camp that the headphones account for 95% of the listening differences, with amps (as long as they are reasonably good) making relatively little difference (and DACs and cables making almost none).

 

[givemetacos]

Seems like I have found the best remedy to cure the problem of my big head vs M1060. They look good and are super comfortable. Read on!
*Warning*: Not plug-and-play, semi non-reversible mod.

http://c.b1yt.com/h.RD9ZYA?cv=UX27ZD8VvWN&sm=7c2081
I ordered this head band through this Taobao link. Seller communicates in Chinese and only ships within China. I got a freight forwarder in order to ship to me (Malaysia).

Price for the head band: 219RMB/33USD
Make sure you request the seller to add on a clip-on thicker padding (as photo) to ensure comfort for 40RMB/6USD
Shipping: YMMV

Installation tutorial:
Good news is - It is not required to remove the drivers, just recycle the original yolks but they need to be modded. The screw holes need to be widen to accommodate the wider third party screws. I used a motorized trimmer which was available for me.

Next, you need to trim and shorten the connecting screw down to 8mm of thread in order for the screw not hitting the wooden driver housings. I used a lathe. At least a grinder is needed.

Lastly just secure the screws/washers/nuts into one piece and you are golden.

(((ALTERNATIVE))) :
You CAN recycle the stock yolk screws and nuts for total reversibility but I found them not to be holding the third party head band very securely as the screw holes are almost too much bigger than what those smaller stock yolk screws can handle. But it works, if you want that total reversibility.

Also, I bought this pair of lamb skin memory foam earpads for 200RMB/29.50USD from this link to be shipped along with my head band:
【105mm圆形耳机套 真皮耳机套 小羊皮耳套通用头戴式海绵套包邮】http://c.b1yt.com/h.RDwa27?cv=dtCDZD8oU7K&sm=31d3d2

Not too sure how much they change the sound as hamsters may hear differently than normal human beings. With paper towel mods they retain the bass while bring up the treble sparkle a little bit with no sibilance to speak of. (Stock cans sound warm to me. No idea why some Headfiers are claiming that they are bright and sibilant. K701 - those sound sibilant af to me.)

Time for some sunflower seeds, l8r.

Hamster

That mod looks amazing! Do you find it completely changes the comfort level? Does not having the suspension band change how the weight feels?

I think there must be major differences among individual units. Like Metal571, I'm sensitive to treble and sibilance. Was comparing the Beyer DT1990s (which he likes) to the M1060s (V1). Sibilant tracks are much worse on the Beyers. Tested all my headphones against the M1060s. The M1060s are the LEAST susceptible to sibilance. My M1060s are already modded, but they were not particularly sibilant before the mod.

He uses EQ for all of his headphones, so I am fairly certain he is also EQing the treble down on those. He just said he couldn't get the EQ to tame the 5k peak on the M1060 and that was a deal breaker for him.

how does the m1060's sound on the Little Dot 1+?

I have a Little Dot Mk2 and I can tell you the M1060 sounds good off of that. I prefer the NFB-11, but really, it doesn't seem like the M1060 is significantly affected by amps, unlike HD6x0.

I'm in Canada and have both the 400i and m1060 (first a v1, now a v2)

Personally I think even the stock m1060 is better than the 400i. The larger driver have more presence, low end is better, and I find just find them more interesting to listen to.

That being said, the 400i can be had in Canada for less ($300-350 cnd), they are a great value, and money isn't spend on customs and shipping like the m1060. They are both good picks, but even being more expensive overall I would take the m1060 if I could have just the one pick.

Yep, that is basically a summary of how I felt. If I could only have one headphone between the two, it would be M1060, even stock. But if I already owned the HE-400i and got them for $225, I would probably skip the M1060 if I was upgrading. I would probably just go straight to something higher end like HE-560, LCD-2/3, HD800, ZMF Eikon, etc.

When I called them bright it was only relative to other headphones of mine. For instance, even with amping (and perhaps I didn't match the right amp with them) I never could get rid of what I perceived to be a dark veil on the HD650. (I have read that the veil vanishes at higher decibels, but I never listen to headphones that loud.) I don't perceive a dark veil on the Monolith 1060; hence I tend to think of them as being on the sunny side by comparison. But only by comparison.

Haha ok that makes way more sense. The HD650 is a pretty dark can, I believe one of the warmer ones out there, although I think Nighthawk might be even darker? So if you are only comparing one can against HD650, I think anything would be "brighter". Also, I don't think the veil vanishes with higher volumes on HD650, I think it vanishes with better source gear. Also, I think perception of veil is psychological and relative. When I came to HD650 from brighter cans like DT770 and SHP9500 I immediately could only hear veil. I stopped listening to everything else besides HD650 for a few weeks and after a while I couldn't hear veil anymore. Now when i switch to my other cans, those sound overly bright to me when they used to be neutral. It has been suggested that crisp treble sparkle creates that airyness feeling and perhaps a potentially false sense of perception of being clear and detailed. I think a combo of those factors is why HD650 get labeled as veiled. Even Audeze LCD-2 gets that label too for probably the same reasons.

 

[jdg711]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGFVEUE?psc=1

if I get a wild hair up my ass i might try these and measure them, but I really like the vegans, so it prob won't be for a bit.

The angled Brainwavz might be a tad small for the M1060. Let us know if you try them!

 

[DavidA]

Yep, that is basically a summary of how I felt. If I could only have one headphone between the two, it would be M1060, even stock. But if I already owned the HE-400i and got them for $225, I would probably skip the M1060 if I was upgrading. I would probably just go straight to something higher end like HE-560, LCD-2/3, HD800, ZMF Eikon, etc.

Haha ok that makes way more sense. The HD650 is a pretty dark can, I believe one of the warmer ones out there, although I think Nighthawk might be even darker? So if you are only comparing one can against HD650, I think anything would be "brighter". Also, I don't think the veil vanishes with higher volumes on HD650, I think it vanishes with better source gear. Also, I think perception of veil is psychological and relative. When I came to HD650 from brighter cans like DT770 and SHP9500 I immediately could only hear veil. I stopped listening to everything else besides HD650 for a few weeks and after a while I couldn't hear veil anymore. Now when i switch to my other cans, those sound overly bright to me when they used to be neutral. It has been suggested that crisp treble sparkle creates that airyness feeling and perhaps a potentially false sense of perception of being clear and detailed. I think a combo of those factors is why HD650 get labeled as veiled. Even Audeze LCD-2 gets that label too for probably the same reasons.

Your comment on the choice between M1060 and HE400i pretty much made my interest in M1060 go much lower since I already have the HE400i, HE560, LCD-2f, HD800 and a few others.

The HD650 is not dark IMO, I would consider them to be warm and I've never heard a "veil" on them, I think the use of the term "veiled" is miss used for warm by many or maybe due to a lack of sparkle in the upper frequencies. The source and amp does play a larger role in how the HD600/HD650 sounds, comparable to the difference the DAC/amp choices makes with the HD800/S, HE560, T1 and HD700. Headphones like the HE400i and LCD-2f do not seem to be affected as much by DAC/amp choices IMO. The NIghhawk is one of the few headphones that I would consider "dark" but its a little strange because there is a bit of high frequency energy that can be sibilant to a few, its like the HD600 is sibilant and harsh to me due to the peak at 4-5khz where headphones like the HD800/700 have peaks in the 6-7khz which don't bother me so its really a individual thing as to what is considered sibilant/harsh. The older LCD-2.2 and older might be considered "veiled" but I would say that they are warm and lack the sparkle in the upper frequencies unlike the newer Fazor versions which has some sparkle.