[headwhacker]

domo arigato gozaimasu Anakchan

 

[hans030390]

  I believe I have perceived differences between cables, but I still can't help but cringe when I read something like this.  Simple changes in FR (i.e. alleged smoothing highs, filling out bass, adding sparkle) would be measurable.  Despite the widespread availability of precision audio measurement equipment, or even freeware like diffmaker, no cable manufacturer or enthusiast has ever published anything demonstrating that a short run cable can have this sort of impact on the sound.  In fact, many reputable cable makers acknowledge that cables cannot have this sort of impact on sound.  
 
Provided it doesn't all boil down to psychoacoustics, my sense is that we probably just haven't developed the technology or measurement techniques necessary to identify the differences that do result from different cable designs.  But the advertising language really does need to change to conform to science if the audio industry is going to maintain its integrity.

 
When you consider that cables themselves do have different mechanical and electrical properties (shielding quality or capacitance, impedance, etc.), I don't think it's unreasonable to assume some of these variations can slightly change how a driver performs, at the very least. I would not be surprised if we could find measurable differences, but we just haven't developed the equipment/test methods enough to show it, or commonly used headphone measurements are not the right sort of measurements to show what changes are actually going on. Either way, I still consider cables near the bottom of the list in terms of audible changes...better to focus on other aspects first.

 

[AnakChan]

This conversation is probably best continued on the Sound Science section but I'd be surprised if no one has done any measurements on cable differences there or in some other forum.
 
However I am keen to hear thoughts on 3rd party cables used on the ADs...especially balanced cables driven by portable balanced amps (Rx Mk3, Duet, Theorem 720, SR-71B, etc.). I'm particularly curious on any impact balanced cables have on the ADs and the different changes on sonics based on cable construction (i.e. OFC, OCC copper/silver, silver/gold mix, silver/copper mix).

 

[kugino]

   
When you consider that cables themselves do have different mechanical and electrical properties (shielding quality or capacitance, impedance, etc.), I don't think it's unreasonable to assume some of these variations can slightly change how a driver performs, at the very least. I would not be surprised if we could find measurable differences, but we just haven't developed the equipment/test methods enough to show it, or commonly used headphone measurements are not the right sort of measurements to show what changes are actually going on. Either way, I still consider cables near the bottom of the list in terms of audible changes...better to focus on other aspects first.

not to beat a dead horse or add to the flame or whatever the appropriate metaphor is...but IF we were able to find significant differences in whatever measurement we use, there would still be the even greater leap to whether those differences are even audible or detectable in any appreciable way by the human ear/brain. ok, that's the last i'll say about this. one thing i do agree with is that focusing on other aspects is probably more important. 

 

[hans030390]

Audibility is, of course, an important factor to discuss...it's just not a clearly cut topic. Some people legitimately are better or more skilled at hearing (in both frequency and time domain), often true of professionally trained musicians. Some people have different hearing sensitivities, though I'd doubt to huge degrees. Our ears and brains are also both simultaneously really good at picking out very, very small changes and differences, and yet also good at fooling ourselves into thinking we hear better than we often truly do. Isn't it great?
 
FWIW, one example that fits into my thoughts is the Fidelio X1 stock cable. Tyll wrote a bit about how its impedance slightly affected the sound vs. lower impedance cables. I don't think he made comparison measurements, but it's worth considering. In this case, it's equatable to an amp with a higher output impedance, which has been tested and measured for on headphones (granted, the cable's impedance was still quite low, so it's a very subtle version of this).
 
Cables seem to be much more important in other parts of the audio chain than they do for driving speakers or headphones. Shielding can directly reduce EMI/RFI (I have measured for this), thus improving the audible performance of DACs and amps. Impedance mismatching can cause reflections in DACs and transports. Etc. Etc. Cables matter, but you have to consider the context. For headphones? Maybe worth checking out if you're really bored.

 

[MattTCG]

I wondered if anything became of the fedex contest/grant. 

 

[SP Wild]

  Let me see if I can explain it. The dot does a good job smoothing out treble peaks without reducing the overall treble. The felt discs are used to attenuate the upper mids and treble in a broad sense, if you want that. I preferred a different, lighter material disc I made for myself when testing the AD the 2nd time (I wanted less attenuation), but the felt Dan is using works well for its purposes and will likely be well received for those looking for that type of change. I think the majority of folks will be most satisfied with just the dot.
 
I'm not able to explain how every different frequency and its amplitude affects what we hear, but you do have to understand that these "other" aspects of sound, such as soundstaging, are directly related to, but not always entirely explained by, the frequency response and other measurable aspects of the device. I believe a blacker background was another improvement Dan mentioned.
 
For me, I clearly heard treble peaks when I originally sampled the Alpha Dog. These peaks would amplify certain aspects of the music, and it follows those amplified aspects would stick out more (think more in-your-face...like a Grado, kinda). For example, certain cymbals sounded detached from the drum kit and were now placed directly next to my ear. Highly distorted guitars were extra aggressive, grainy, and, again, sounded as though they were right next to your ear.
 
After attenuating those peaks via EQ, everything that stuck out like a sore thumb took a big step back and got in line with everything else. You could say the soundstage didn't really increase as a whole, but these amplified aspects tended to cover up a lot of soundstaging and imaging elements or, at the very least, make the imaging and soundstage seem a bit disjointed.
 
It could be just that...that the peaks amplified certain elements of the music that make many instruments seem closer to you. It could also be that those areas happen to generally contain a lot of information related to the acoustic space, instrument placement, etc. If too amplified or attenuated, you might be able to see how that could start to mess with the perception of imaging and soundstage. But, as I've said, I can't explain exactly which frequencies tend to contain exactly what sort of information...I have a vague feeling for it myself, and it definitely varies with what you're listening to.
 
These peaks also created a sort of "grainy" sound on a lot of instruments to my ears (think a TV with the sharpness set too high). Many perceive this as additional detail, and I can see why many would like that. I thought the peaks were strong enough to overpower much of the music and give it an overall grainy quality vs. just an isolated, grainy quality. In a sense, you could think of this as a grayer background due to the grain/noise. Smoothing out and attenuating these areas help alleviate this and give a sense of a blacker background. Or, depending on your music material, other audio gear, and personal hearing sensitivities, you might just hear it as a loss of detail.
 
Again, a lot of this depends on what you listen to. I came across many tracks that sounded barely any different with/without EQ in those spots I found troublesome. Then you have to account for driver variation, personal preferences and sensitivities, and so on.
 
You can always try running your Alpha Dog through SineGen (not too loud!). That can help you identify peaks in the sound, likely a bit above 4KHz and 8KHz on the AD. Play around with a graphical parametric EQ (like EasyQ) when listening to music. See what happens if you tone those spots down...or turn them up! Try a wide variety of tracks. That should give you some sort of sense whether or not you might benefit from smoother treble on your Alpha Dog.
 
You could also attempt to rig up your own version of the dot tweak and get a rough approximation for what it will do, though you'd want to use a light, easily removable adhesive as to not damage the headphone (i.e. thin strips of double sided tape, put on and pulled off some fabric a few times to reduce adhesiveness). You could try fabrics, felts, open-cell foams, layered materials, etc. Again, rough estimation, basic, and temporary, but if you like the changes, you'll probably like the dot tweak. I'd still recommend EQ first, though, because it's easier and less risky but will still give you a good approximation.
 
I'll be writing up a review for the Alpha Dog in their current state, if you happen to remember my original impressions. It's a small, simple tweak, but the dot literally made the difference for me (uncomfortable to listen to vs. maybe I should buy these).

 
I beg to differ.  I've never heard the T50 RP drivers to sound grainy regardless of how I EQ'd the treble - even with mods I got them very bright - but never grainy.  Not in comparison to say the HD650 and K701, the HD650 is quite grained even though it has a levelled treble, and the K701 is slightly less grained than the HD650 even though the treble was accentuated.  I have never heard a planar driver that sounded grainy no matter the treble response.

 

[mrspeakers]

Nothing came of the Fedex.  We did really well on the number of votes but the very non-transparent other part of their process is they review and decide what they'll put in the top 100, and the weight of their internal review vs votes was hidden.  I guess they just didn't like our proposal as we had a lot of votes yet didn't make the top 100.  It seems dog biscuits, brew pubs and custom painted helmet face guards are more interesting than headphones. 
 

 
Thanks so much for the support!  Regardless of the outcome we're forging ahead with the paint system anyhow, but that sure would have helped.  Our new paint gear starts arriving today.

 

[Frank I]

Sorry to hear that Dan. I was hoping it would worked out for you. I know you will be successful anyway.

 

[SP Wild]

Damn.

 

[DrSheep]

Maybe we should do a Kiclstarter of our own.

 

[mangamonster]

No bueno. 

 

[mrspeakers]

FYI Alpha shipments will resume tomorrow.  Thanks for the patience! 

 

[vaed]

Now that the mad dog pro is out, now I'm trying to decide whether I want the ADs or the pros for a funner sound... I already have an he-6 for a reference sound, but I loved the alpha dogs sound at the same time. I guess I'll just have to wait for AD vs MD Pro impressions.

 

[durwood101]

Looking forward to seeing the matte black Alpha Dog's.... Went and saw the McIntosh D100 today...very excited to hear the new headphones.