[swspiers]

  I think I made it very clear that everything I said was entirely based on my preferences and that it wouldn't necessarily apply to everyone. However, I did use the two measurements floating around on the net to help narrow down what areas in particular were bothering me. I did not find the measurements to be an exact match to what I heard, but they were close enough to help. I'd say I was about as thorough as you can get in that process for someone limited on time (have them for 3 days on top of working a night shift job).
 
That said, there is no harm in trying out someone's suggestions before knocking it just because we don't all have exactly the same ears. You also can't leave out the many similarities our ears share among us all. We all are humans after all...I assume.

Great review, and a good example of a balanced look at the AD's.
 
 
I am a huge fan of judicious EQ-ing.  I would rather spend time and pennies learning how to do it correctly than thousands of dollars experiment with different HP's/amps/dacs.  I find the AD's to be nicely responsive to subtle EQ.
 
But what's with all this talk about ears?  Ears are only the receiver:  The processing takes place in the audio cortex of the brain, NOT in the ears.  But that's another topic.

 

[vaed]

Great review, and a good example of a balanced look at the AD's.


I am a huge fan of judicious EQ-ing.  I would rather spend time and pennies learning how to do it correctly than thousands of dollars experiment with different HP's/amps/dacs.  I find the AD's to be nicely responsive to subtle EQ.

But what's with all this talk about ears?  Ears are only the receiver:  The processing takes place in the audio cortex of the brain, NOT in the ears.  But that's another topic.

The physical shape of the ear is already modulating the sound being received before processing takes place. It's a valid statement.

 

[sunneebear]

The physical shape of the ear is already modulating the sound being received before processing takes place. It's a valid statement.

1+
Even with in ear and IEM's.  People are reporting different characteristics most likely from different size and shape ear canals.

 

[aamefford]

  This argument about treble peak is kind of funny/interesting when I look at it from the other side of the fence.  When mixing and mastering, especially for vocal, it's very common to cut a bit between 3k to 4k depending on the voice/gender to avoid some very easily audible annoyances in this frequency range,especially after multiple compression stages.  At the same time, during the final stage of mastering, it's also not uncommon to boost a bit in the high frequencies to give the mix a little more air and opening it up, often at 8-10 or around even 12k depending on the type of music and the track composition overall.  So, from this angle, if a pair of HPs has some more boost around these frequencies, it might not a good thing.
If the mix is flat/not boosted/neutral in the first place then these HPs would do wonder at giving the music a little extra kick/presence/air.  IMO and experience, the majority of music I've listened have some sort of frequency boost in low and high in their mix.
 
The essence of my post is that "adjust/EQ/buy the HPs/Amp/DAC so that they best fit your taste/preference" cuz you would rarely know what the point of neutral is and you have too many components in the chain to judge.  Enjoy your music! not your HPs.
 
Just something to ponder upon...

 

 A well thought out take on this.  I generally search out headphones that let the music sound as I like to hear it to avoid messing with EQ (AD's do this for me, for instance).  Mostly because my rigs are portable, and I've yet to find a good EQ solution that is portable.  The apps eat batteries, the amps over do it.  The CEntrance treble and bass switches are really subtle, but are boosts, not cuts.  Still, a very interesting case for EQ.  Nicely done - thank you.

 

[swspiers]

The physical shape of the ear is already modulating the sound being received before processing takes place. It's a valid statement.

No, it's really not a completely valid statement.  As long as people think it is all merely a matter of engineering, physics, and physiology, the endless debates of subjectivism/objectivism will circle on and on and on.
 
The fact is that when a human processes music, there is FAR more going on than the design of the equipment or the characteristics of the ear.  All of the above still matter quite a bit. But the neurobiology of what is going on is possibly even more important, especially when accounting for differing tastes and preferences.
 
Ultimately, this was one of the major reasons I wanted the Alpha Dogs, to have as neutral a presentation as possible in closed design.  Mentally adjusting to the sound signature takes place much further down the auditory chain than the ears.
 
I sure wish I could write this without coming across as pretentious, but it's late.  Still, the psychology of what's going on when we subjectively analyze what we are hearing is worth a mention.

 

[koiloco]

  No, it's really not a completely valid statement.  As long as people think it is all merely a matter of engineering, physics, and physiology, the endless debates of subjectivism/objectivism will circle on and on and on.
 
The fact is that when a human processes music, there is FAR more going on than the design of the equipment or the characteristics of the ear.  All of the above still matter quite a bit. But the neurobiology of what is going on is possibly even more important, especially when accounting for differing tastes and preferences.
 
Ultimately, this was one of the major reasons I wanted the Alpha Dogs, to have as neutral a presentation as possible in closed design.  Mentally adjusting to the sound signature takes place much further down the auditory chain than the ears.
 
I sure wish I could write this without coming across as pretentious, but it's late.  Still, the psychology of what's going on when we subjectively analyze what we are hearing is worth a mention.

I don't mean to offend you but you just sort of contradicted yourself by listing all the reasons... due to human physiology, especially how each person's brain reacts and processes sound differently....then stated that you wanted the AD to have a neutral presentation.  How would you know your ears and brain are physically wired to be neutral?  Or what you are saying is that once your brain knows that the AD is "neutral", it will retrain/force itself accordingly?  cognitive bias, I feel?
I partially get/understand what you are trying to say but yeah, border-lining pretentious.  We all need a nice beer before bed. 

 

[Lorspeaker]

all these EQ-ing italk s messing my peabrain... where is that pure unadulterated AD, oh nevermind... i need a shiraz.

 

 

[LarsHP]

Apart from listening to a variety of acoustic music and vocals, I find listening to pink noise very useful finding out how the tonality / frequency balance is - and if there is any notable peaks in the treble they are usually quite easy to hear ...

 

[Maxx134]

Just a quick comment after hearing both the Mad dog and Alpha dogs at NY meet I have to say, if you think mad dogs are great, what I herd from the Alpha dogs was like 5x greater in every conceivable sonic way. In fact I preferred it's midrange presentation over some other similar type top open cans. Yet the Alphas didn't sound as great or impressive on another setup in the back which greatly perplexed me..
Actually I think it had to do with the SS amp & overall setup compared to what I was hearing at Mrspeakers table which consisted of tubes
Anyway it seems like a no-brainer for any can its price range(!)

 

[mrspeakers]

Just a FYI that tomorrow Alpha orders up to Sept 14 will have shipped.  We have a large number in process, I expect to get to the promised 6 weeks shortly. 
 
Sorry we got a bit delayed, paint QA wasn't passing but the parts are now coming out beautifully again.  Learning about finishing auto-paint has been a lot like being in auto-shop.  We have all sorts of cool polishing and sanding toys.  I doubt our neighbors in the building think much of our air compressor though...

 

[jaywillin]

  Just a FYI that tomorrow Alpha orders up to Sept 14 will have shipped.  We have a large number in process, I expect to get to the promised 6 weeks shortly. 
 
Sorry we got a bit delayed, paint QA wasn't passing but the parts are now coming out beautifully again.  Learning about finishing auto-paint has been a lot like being in auto-shop.  We have all sorts of cool polishing and sanding toys.  I doubt our neighbors in the building think much of our air compressor though...

oh, if i order an alpha dog in next few days, it'll take a few weeks ??

 

[jaywillin]

  Just a FYI that tomorrow Alpha orders up to Sept 14 will have shipped.  We have a large number in process, I expect to get to the promised 6 weeks shortly. 
 
Sorry we got a bit delayed, paint QA wasn't passing but the parts are now coming out beautifully again.  Learning about finishing auto-paint has been a lot like being in auto-shop.  We have all sorts of cool polishing and sanding toys.  I doubt our neighbors in the building think much of our air compressor though...

oh, i missed it on the website, 6 weeks i see

 

[Byronb]

  Just a FYI that tomorrow Alpha orders up to Sept 14 will have shipped.  We have a large number in process, I expect to get to the promised 6 weeks shortly. 
 
Sorry we got a bit delayed, paint QA wasn't passing but the parts are now coming out beautifully again.  Learning about finishing auto-paint has been a lot like being in auto-shop.  We have all sorts of cool polishing and sanding toys.  I doubt our neighbors in the building think much of our air compressor though...

 
Almost there, the waiting is killing me, I knew I shouldn't have tried to be strong when the pre-order announcement went out, I should have just ordered them. 

 

[eron]

Quote:MiceBlue

 In terms of overall fit and comfort, yes the Alpha Dog is much heavier-feeling on the head compared to the Mad Dog, but it also feels much more comfortable. The earpads of the Alpha Dog are deeper than those on the Mad Dog and they are also much more squishy and pliable. Wearing glasses with the Alpha Dog presented very little, if at all, a change in sound, but I cannot say the same for the Mad Dog since I have not tried it with glasses.

Are the pads on the balanced Mad Dog the same as the ones used on the Alpha Dog?
 
If not, when a balanced Mad Dog is sent for an upgrade to Alpha, will the pads be upgraded?
 
Any estimate on the lead time on the upgrade list?

 

[miceblue]

 In terms of overall fit and comfort, yes the Alpha Dog is much heavier-feeling on the head compared to the Mad Dog, but it also feels much more comfortable. The earpads of the Alpha Dog are deeper than those on the Mad Dog and they are also much more squishy and pliable. Wearing glasses with the Alpha Dog presented very little, if at all, a change in sound, but I cannot say the same for the Mad Dog since I have not tried it with glasses.

Are the pads on the balanced Mad Dog the same as the ones used on the Alpha Dog?

If not, when a balanced Mad Dog is sent for an upgrade to Alpha, will the pads be upgraded?

Any estimate on the lead time on the upgrade list?

mrspeakers confirmed that the Alpha Dog pads are the same as the Mad Dog's Alpha Pads. The Alpha Pads on the Mad Dog I used were from an early batch, so they had more Head-Fi head-time/use/wear-and-tear.