[BenevolentBob]

A good tip for many EQ is that if you want more bass, bring everything else down a little instead of lifting bass up, especially if adding EQ causes any audible distortoin.

Yeah so thanks for the great customer service.

 

[skyline315]

I think this pretty much summarizes what many people feel with the AFO. BTW, how's the pairing of the AFO with the Lyr3?

Pairing is ideal with the right tube. My leading favorite is in my sig...it's a somewhat aggressive tube which wakes the AFO up without crossing a line. 1-notch white filters seem to work the best with this combo.

 

[franz12]

A good tip for many EQ is that if you want more bass, bring everything else down a little instead of lifting bass up, especially if adding EQ causes any audible distortoin.

I found that decreasing other FR to raise some FR is tricky. Instead, I decrease the input volume by -2~-5 db uniformly (see the attached) to make room for EQ and to avoid any audible distortion, and it worked quite well so far. In this way, I don't see any 'Overload' message from Au Lab, and don't hear any distortion/noise as well which annoyed me when I was using some other software. Of course, it requires me to raise my AMP volume to compensate reduced volume from input. But my AMP has sufficient power already, so it wasn't an issue for me.

 

[franz12]

MORE bass? On the AFO? People are strange

I think you nailed the bass on this one.

I've lived with these headphones for about 8 months now, and still have zero desire to "upgrade". A friend came over and auditioned these side by side with his headphones, and kept making the statement that his headphones were more tonally "correct".

I'm not entirely sure what tonally "correct" is, but okay. Sure.

However, his statement finally brought home what has drawn me to the AFO all this time. When I listened to his headphones, I felt like I was listening to a recording from a studio. And that's fine...there are some great recordings out there. The AFO, however, gets me out of the recording and puts me in a concert venue...a smoke-filled club more often than not. The intimacy that it brings makes everything feel like live music to some extent. This was especially driven home with bands that I've seen live. If I close my eyes and pretend that I'm living that experience again, the AFO gets me there better than anything else I've heard to date. On the heels of the AFO, going back to other headphones often leaves the music feeling...small.

There's still a place for that, obviously. My 650s remain a part of my rotation and I have no plans to change that. But, when I simply want to melt away into the music, the AFO is the clear choice.

Warm tonality that doesn't sacrifice resolution? Yes, please.

My AFO has now two faces. The first one is what Dan intended. The warm headphone with some emphasis on mid-bass, which I have enjoyed a lot. The other face is just one-toggle away. By clicking the button EQ-on, the AFO is transformed to another beast. More emphasis on sub-bass, less emphasis on mid-bass adding some linearity in mids. Comparing to the first, it has leaner presentation widening soundstage and adding more resolution. Your friend might think it is more 'tonally' correct. I enjoyed both of them a lot.

 

[tcellguy]

A bit off topic, but does anyone have a recommendation for a Mac system-wide Eq? Or do these function as plugins for software like Audirvana.

Does anyone find the AFO bass fatiguing over time? Maybe I'm bass sensitive, but for longer listening sessions I'd like to drop the bass a bit and boost the mids similar to the graph above.

 

[franz12]

A bit off topic, but does anyone have a recommendation for a Mac system-wide Eq? Or do these function as plugins for software like Audirvana.

Does anyone find the AFO bass fatiguing over time? Maybe I'm bass sensitive, but for longer listening sessions I'd like to drop the bass a bit and boost the mids similar to the graph above.

I found EQ allows me to rebalance FR responses to serve my taste. This article really helps to setup system-wide EQ on OSX.

http://osxdaily.com/2012/05/18/equalizer-for-all-audio-mac-os-x/

AuLab can be downloaded here.
https://www.apple.com/itunes/mastered-for-itunes/

You can use any plug-in software along with soundflower - au lab. I use DMG Equality.

 

[DanDorn]

A bit off topic, but does anyone have a recommendation for a Mac system-wide Eq? Or do these function as plugins for software like Audirvana.

Does anyone find the AFO bass fatiguing over time? Maybe I'm bass sensitive, but for longer listening sessions I'd like to drop the bass a bit and boost the mids similar to the graph above.

Personally, not at all. For me, the AFO is the most enjoyable headphone that Mr. Speakers/Dan Clark has put out so far, though of course that's my subjective opinion. That said, I do find an ever-so-slight lack of midrange clarity with some sources. I'm a Beyerynamic fanboy all the way so I critique it through that prism. Nevertheless, the AFOs are in my pantheon of keepers... at least for the foreseable future LOL.

 

[musicfrommemory]

Hi Everyone,

Just back form CamJam London where I went to see if they had the Gilmore Lite Mk 2 and found Mr Speakers' room who Dan was sharing opposite Peter James from Head Amp - just the two of them in their own room. In the room they had the full Mr Speakers range set up on a variety of amps - Lyr 3, Gilmore Lite Mk 2, the Mjolnir 2, Head Amp GS-X Mk, and some other huge tube amps whose name escapes me.

I spoke to Dan a few times, told him I own the AFOs and love them but wanted to upgrade my amp from a Cayin C5 - he asked what my budget was and I said ~£500 and he pointed me to the Gilmore and the Lyr 3 - I started trialling the Gilmore first - my strictly-amateur, non-audiophile review of both below.

The Gilmore is, I think, a handsome amp, super-sturdy with a small footprint, the volume knob moves in a way that is industrially fitted - neither too easily, nor too stiff. A smokey 'ON' amber light is also a nice touch. Acoustically, the effect of the Gilmore is to make the already warm AFO's even warmer, certainly down at the lower end, at the expense, I felt, of some of the mids which seemed a tiny bit less present. The Gilmore did also increase the top end - the highs were higher but never sibilantly and there was an overall improvement in dynamics. I'd describe the overall experience of the Gilmore as creating an ever so slightly U'ish shape to the AFOs. The overall effect was pleasant but hyper-warm.

On to the Lyr 3, with an 6SN7 GTB tube, which was noticeably less warm, and I don't mean that critically. All the warmth of the AFOs were still there but there was an added splash of 'electronic liquidity' to the music, a splash of salted caramel, some magic, some cream and sugar whipped in there - certainly more dynamic and, listening to electronica, I felt that the synthesisers became slightly more luscious sounding - the bass was also richly textured and deep. I'm sure that the majority of you guys reading this are AFO owners, and I might assume that you love the AFO sound, well I would say that the Lyr 3 adds and extends the already wonderful qualities of the acoustic experience of the AFOs - don't know how else to describe it.

For what it's worth, Dan said that he prefers the Gilmore on the AFCs and I can certainly see how the Gilmore would add a touch of warmth to the more neutral AFCs and create some lift there. Dan also said that he prefers the Lyr 3 for the AFOs, and I go along with that, just for the splash of soft liquid effervescence that the tube experience brings.

I asked Dan what else, apart from upgrading my DAC AMP, I could do to improve the AFOs and with a big grin on his face he produced his own personal $599 WyWires Platinum, and said: 'Cables!'. So we hooked the WyWires up to the AFOs and the Lyr 3 and, I'm telling you straight up, the improvement everywhere was considerable and Dan could see the awed look on my face and was grinning from ear to ear - I gave a huge thumbs up. If you have the money, and a range of Mr Speakers headphones then I would suggest buying that cable (a single cable works with all of Dan's headphones). I'll also say that the cable argument, for me at least, is now dead - this cable made a huge overall improvement to the experience...

I'm going to buy the Lyr 3 whenever I might be able to. Mark Dolbear at the Electromod stand (these are the guys that own the schiit.eu.com domain) said that there was likely to be a shipment of Lyr 3's sometime toward the end of August. For reference he said to purchase the Tung Sol variant which is a little better.

So there we go: at the £500 price point, the Gilmore and the Lyr 3 are both great amps, and your ears might prefer the Gilmore - but for me the Lyr 3 takes it, and with its purchase I will walk for the first time into the world of tube amps and a slightly lighter wallet...

Thanks to Dan, Peter and Mark for answering my questions today - was really great meeting you all, and Dan, keep up the great work on Mr Speakers - deeply indebted to you for bringing such great headphones on to the market at prices that seem nothing less than altruistic.

Cheers,

MFM

 

[IkSak]

Thanks for sharing those impressions. I agree that the AFO likes tubes. Even the $150 Vali 2 makes them sound better, not to mention the Lyr2, which I bought after @koover shared some impressions. I was quite shocked to hear about the cable. Could you please elaborate a bit more?

 

[musicfrommemory]

Thanks for sharing those impressions. I agree that the AFO likes tubes. Even the $150 Vali 2 makes them sound better, not to mention the Lyr2, which I bought after @koover shared some impressions. I was quite shocked to hear about the cable. Could you please elaborate a bit more?

Sure thing: Dan talked to me about cables as we were plugging them into the AFOs - he said that, and I paraphrase here, that he didn't understand why some people didn't believe in them because they do make a difference, and said he wished he could do a mass blind testing so people would start believing in them, so he is a firm believer in cable quality. The difference I noticed was that resolution improved hugely and that there was big improvement in clarity with no sacrifice of warmth. Later on in the afternoon I tried the Focal Clears - and the Focal Clears reminded me a little of the AFOs with the platinum cable - the Clears are a £1,400 HP...

 

[tcellguy]

Personally, not at all. For me, the AFO is the most enjoyable headphone that Mr. Speakers/Dan Clark has put out so far, though of course that's my subjective opinion. That said, I do find an ever-so-slight lack of midrange clarity with some sources. I'm a Beyerynamic fanboy all the way so I critique it through that prism. Nevertheless, the AFOs are in my pantheon of keepers... at least for the foreseable future LOL.

OK thanks. I'm coming from the AFC and mostly Audio-Technica before these (brighter).

The AFO is the warmest headphone I've heard so far including the Emu-Teaks. I think the AFOs were a bit brighter when I first got them but as others have noted the high end seems to drop a bit with burn in. I think I have about 40 hours on them now.

I'm still trying to get used to the tuning of the AFOs. I wouldn't call them dark by any means (especially with the tuning pads out). I'm trying to figure out what I'm hearing; for for some types of music and songs the vocals seem to be almost be encroached upon by the upper bass. But then in another song everything seems fine

 

[koover]

OK thanks. I'm coming from the AFC and mostly Audio-Technica before these (brighter).

The AFO is the warmest headphone I've heard so far including the Emu-Teaks. I think the AFOs were a bit brighter when I first got them but as others have noted the high end seems to drop a bit with burn in. I think I have about 40 hours on them now.

I'm still trying to get used to the tuning of the AFOs. I wouldn't call them dark by any means (especially with the tuning pads out). I'm trying to figure out what I'm hearing; for for some types of music and songs the vocals seem to be almost be encroached upon by the upper bass. But then in another song everything seems fine

That usually would mean the way that specific track was mixed/recorded.

 

[AdamWill]

Hey folks! Just wanted to check into this thread quickly. After years more or less away from here (being happy with my setup) I was looking for some new headphones that'd be more comfortable than my HF-1s and pleasant for long sessions and classical music...I tested the AFOs against the AFCs and HD-660s at the Headphone Bar here in Vancouver (great store, check it out if you're in town) and eventually decided I liked these the most. I was expecting to need a DAC/amp refresh as well, but testing the AFOs on a MyTek Liberty didn't really sound better than my own setup, to my ears, so I happily skipped that expense! (Again, Headphone Bar were very nice about letting me use my own DAC/amp for testing and even providing a source with an optical output, since I forgot to bring my own). Like everyone else I found the AFOs more opinionated than the AFCs - they have a definite sound to them, whereas the AFCs seem very clean and neutral - but I just enjoyed that sound a lot. Especially things like classical percussion sound a lot more engaging on the AFOs; the AFCs made me think "hey, someone just hit a timpani", whereas the AFOs *sounded* like someone just hit a timpani, if you know what I mean...

I bought the exact demo pair for a nice discount (score!) and have been enjoying listening to them very much for the three days since; they're very comfortable for long periods, have a little isolation which is great for listening with the A/C on, and the sound is just so pleasant. So far I'm liking them with no tuning pads; haven't experienced the fatigue some other folks have when listening that way, not sure if that's down to the combination with my DAC/amp or just my ears!

Anyway, thanks very much MrSpeakers for these, looking forward to enjoying them for many years to come (along with the HF-1s, which will still be great for other music).

 

[tcellguy]

That usually would mean the way that specific track was mixed/recorded.

Yeah that makes sense. Perhaps I’m more used to the relatively more emphasized mids in the AFC.

On the AFO, for some music like metal the guitar and vocals seem compressed into one another while the bass guitar and drums/cymbals are very well defined. On the AFC they seem more separated.

But as you say, the recording quality also plays a role and most metal is recorded poorly.

I probably need a bit more brain burn in.

 

[franz12]

Yeah that makes sense. Perhaps I’m more used to the relatively more emphasized mids in the AFC.

On the AFO, for some music like metal the guitar and vocals seem compressed into one another while the bass guitar and drums/cymbals are very well defined. On the AFC they seem more separated.

But as you say, the recording quality also plays a role and most metal is recorded poorly.

I probably need a bit more brain burn in.

It might be hard if you have afc next to it. I have ether c flow next to afo. I have always turned on EQ recently. Might go back to the world without EQ if my tastes change somehow. For now, I am very satisfied.