[GL1TCH3D]

I wouldn't mind getting some input on this.

I'm a brand new owner of the Alpha Dogs of a pair purchased in April.

I find certain frequencies sound very rough while others are smooth.

Another issue I have is the sub bass is loose and not well defined =[

Anyone else feel the same way?

It could also be that the previous owner has messed with the bass-tuning. You should check that too. Otherwise, I don't know how you got that problem.

Supposedly everything is stock (tuning included)

 

[GL1TCH3D]

I wouldn't mind getting some input on this.

I'm a brand new owner of the Alpha Dogs of a pair purchased in April.

I find certain frequencies sound very rough while others are smooth.

Another issue I have is the sub bass is loose and not well defined =[

Anyone else feel the same way?

Not at all.

We may need to know more.  How is the seal?  And what is your associated equipment?  Lastly, what kind of music are you listening to?  Your description reminds me of some Black Metal I have listened to...

Seal is fine I believe. Clamps very tightly on my head.
I only picked it up today from the previous owner
Ha e only had the chance to text with the X5
Playing several different genres from classical to rock

 

[TeskR]

Seal is fine I believe. Clamps very tightly on my head.
I only picked it up today from the previous owner
Ha e only had the chance to text with the X5
Playing several different genres from classical to rock

 
The ADs are inefficient headphones so I don't think the X5 has the juice to play them well without a decent portable amp also. Do you have a desktop set up with an amp to test them on?

 

[GL1TCH3D]

Seal is fine I believe. Clamps very tightly on my head.

I only picked it up today from the previous owner

Ha e only had the chance to text with the X5

Playing several different genres from classical to rock

The ADs are inefficient headphones so I don't think the X5 has the juice to play them well without a decent portable amp also. Do you have a desktop set up with an amp to test them on?

Mhmm
I understand that planars are less efficient
According to my friend's calculations from the Fiio's specs, the X5 should have enough juice to drive them.
The only thing I have at home with juice would be my receiver for speakers which is decent (I'll try it when I get home and see if I still have the same issues)

Edit:
The tool for bass tuning is still sealed in its bag with the warning sticker =\

 

[mrspeakers]

There should also be some felt discs you can use for tuning.  If you don't have them the set was likely built before we started shipping the "Doggie Treats."  You use Doggie Treats to tune the phone.  You can actually do pretty precise tweaking of the upper mids and highs to suit a range of tastes. They're on the Accessories page on our site.

 

[olegausany]

Don't know about X5 but RWAK100 has just enough power to drive Alpha Dogs and you better try Dog Treats before you decide to sell your Alpha Dogs

 

[GL1TCH3D]

There should also be some felt discs you can use for tuning.  If you don't have them the set was likely built before we started shipping the "Doggie Treats."  You use Doggie Treats to tune the phone.  You can actually do pretty precise tweaking of the upper mids and highs to suit a range of tastes. They're on the Accessories page on our site.

I got the discs and such =]
The receipt says April 2014 at least so it's very recent.
Also, hopefully I didn't shock people with my previous comments.
I unplugged all the cables, took off the pads, reassembled all that and now it sounds fine with the X5.... Sooooo, not sure what happened =S

 

[hans030390]

Seal and fit is very important. Even slight adjustments to the pads can make a big difference here. I have found the AD to be one of the pickiest headphones when it comes to getting this right. You might also need to adjust the headband for a better fit, as a tight clamp doesn't necessarily imply good fit and seal. I'd also make sure to let the pads warm up and comform to your head with ~10 minutes of listening or so before really judging them. If something sounds off, try playing with the fit and seal to see if you can improve it...really, even the tiniest differences can make or break the sound in the end. Harder to get right for some than you'd expect.
 
The damping "dots" (squares, rather) applied to the front side of the drivers do a decent job smoothing the upper mid and treble response. If your pair only has one dot per channel, you could consider using two in a bar shaped pattern (middle section, two driver holes visible on top and bottom each). Dan provides those on his, as he mentioned, or you could try creating your own with similar (or not) materials. Similarly, the felt discs are good for tuning the upper end if you want a smoother sound. I generally run 2 discs to smooth out the sound despite trade offs in other areas (smoother and more even but more veiled, less resolving, less air, etc.). The Alpha Dog tends to have two peaks in the 5-6KHz and 9-10KHz areas, and these tweaks assist in smoothing that whole area out for folks that find them unpleasant.
 
The Alpha Dog does have a touch of extra bass below ~80Hz by default, and harmonic distortion in that area can similarly be a touch elevated depending on your listening levels. I first noticed this when I took measurements (not publicly posted, though perhaps in a future review) and later verified this when Tyll posted his own measurements. Don't get me wrong, the response and distortion numbers are still quite good, but harmonic distortion, especially in the bass, can make bass sound looser, muddier, and give it more rumble than it would in a perfect situation. The harmonic distortion below 100Hz on the Alpha Dog is more on par with something like, say, the HD600 vs. something like the LCD-2, which has extremely low harmonic distortion across the board. Part of this is limitations of the T50RP driver, part of it is the particular AD configuration. The AD is still very good in the end, but that could play a role in what you're perceiving. I sometimes find a touch of extra bass and harmonic distortion down there to be pleasant anyway...extra sense of rumble can sometimes bring that tactile bass feel folks like, though it's more often the case it just sounds bad (thankfully, AD handles it well, IMO).
 
Some of this can be a bit off-putting depending on what headphones or speakers/subs you're coming from previously. As always, see if your thoughts change over time as you listen to them more.
 
Similarly, you can experiment with other front-damping materials along with or in place of the felt discs. I found a couple materials and configurations that reduced harmonic distortion in the bass without really changing the response much at all (verified with my measurement setup). You can try some various open-cell foam materials for this, which I have had good luck with. Believe it or not, a single-ply layer of tissue or toilet paper can also help tame the high end of headphones if placed in front of the driver. You might find this subjectively tightens up the bass. I actually have done so on my Mad Dog, so don't write it off as silly as it sounds. You could experiment with materials cut into discs or materials cut into squares to place directly in front of the driver, underneath other materials cut into discs.

 

[GL1TCH3D]

Seal and fit is very important. Even slight adjustments to the pads can make a big difference here. I have found the AD to be one of the pickiest headphones when it comes to getting this right. You might also need to adjust the headband for a better fit, as a tight clamp doesn't necessarily imply good fit and seal. I'd also make sure to let the pads warm up and comform to your head with ~10 minutes of listening or so before really judging them. If something sounds off, try playing with the fit and seal to see if you can improve it...really, even the tiniest differences can make or break the sound in the end. Harder to get right for some than you'd expect.

The damping "dots" (squares, rather) applied to the front side of the drivers do a decent job smoothing the upper mid and treble response. If your pair only has one dot per channel, you could consider using two in a bar shaped pattern (middle section, two driver holes visible on top and bottom each). Dan provides those on his, as he mentioned, or you could try creating your own with similar (or not) materials. Similarly, the felt discs are good for tuning the upper end if you want a smoother sound. I generally run 2 discs to smooth out the sound despite trade offs in other areas (smoother and more even but more veiled, less resolving, less air, etc.). The Alpha Dog tends to have two peaks in the 5-6KHz and 9-10KHz areas, and these tweaks assist in smoothing that whole area out for folks that find them unpleasant.

The Alpha Dog does have a touch of extra bass below ~80Hz by default, and harmonic distortion in that area can similarly be a touch elevated depending on your listening levels. I first noticed this when I took measurements (not publicly posted, though perhaps in a future review) and later verified this when Tyll posted his own measurements. Don't get me wrong, the response and distortion numbers are still quite good, but harmonic distortion, especially in the bass, can make bass sound looser, muddier, and give it more rumble than it would in a perfect situation. The harmonic distortion below 100Hz on the Alpha Dog is more on par with something like, say, the HD600 vs. something like the LCD-2, which has extremely low harmonic distortion across the board. Part of this is limitations of the T50RP driver, part of it is the particular AD configuration. The AD is still very good in the end, but that could play a role in what you're perceiving. I sometimes find a touch of extra bass and harmonic distortion down there to be pleasant anyway...extra sense of rumble can sometimes bring that tactile bass feel folks like, though it's more often the case it just sounds bad (thankfully, AD handles it well, IMO).

Some of this can be a bit off-putting depending on what headphones or speakers/subs you're coming from previously. As always, see if your thoughts change over time as you listen to them more.

Similarly, you can experiment with other front-damping materials along with or in place of the felt discs. I found a couple materials and configurations that reduced harmonic distortion in the bass without really changing the response much at all (verified with my measurement setup). You can try some various open-cell foam materials for this, which I have had good luck with. Believe it or not, a single-ply layer of tissue or toilet paper can also help tame the high end of headphones if placed in front of the driver. You might find this subjectively tightens up the bass. I actually have done so on my Mad Dog, so don't write it off as silly as it sounds. You could experiment with materials cut into discs or materials cut into squares to place directly in front of the driver, underneath other materials cut into discs.

It could have been the seal.
Maybe the previous owner didn't put the pad on properly and I didn't notice. Maybe it was rotated.
I haven't really adjusted the headband at all. I actually tightened it a bit.
I'm more than fine with a bit of bright treble though =)
And it's possible that the harmonic distortion at higher levels was what I was hearing. It would actually make a lot of sense.

 

[swspiers]

When I first for my AD's last year, I also had similar issues and virtually no bass.  A simple adjustment of the pads was all that was needed.
 
For any reading this and wondering if it's hard to get a good and reliable seal- it really isn't.  I only had to adjust once, many months ago, and I've had absolutely no issues since then.

 

[hans030390]

Yup, once you get the right adjustment down (easier for some than others), it shouldn't give you any further problems.

 

[tehsprayer]

  Yup, once you get the right adjustment down (easier for some than others), it shouldn't give you any further problems.

In the instructions it recommends to move the pads back about 10 degrees to seal against your jaw line. It improved comfort for me as well. You can also tilt the leather headband if needed with the alignment of your pads

 

[gelocks]

Mhmm
I understand that planars are less efficient
According to my friend's calculations from the Fiio's specs, the X5 should have enough juice to drive them.
The only thing I have at home with juice would be my receiver for speakers which is decent (I'll try it when I get home and see if I still have the same issues)

 
The X5 can indeed drive the Alphas, as well as the AK100 MK2... they don't excel on either of these though... I like my ADs with more power even if it is coming from a good (but slightly flawed) Schiit Magni.
 

I got the discs and such =]
The receipt says April 2014 at least so it's very recent.
Also, hopefully I didn't shock people with my previous comments.
I unplugged all the cables, took off the pads, reassembled all that and now it sounds fine with the X5.... Sooooo, not sure what happened =S

 
Also, I mentioned this bit before, for some reason my brain takes longer to "Set" when changing from my dynamics to the Alpha Dogs so you might have been experiencing something similar (i.e. it sounds under-whelming initially and then you "warm up" to them and they sound expectacular.)
 
Enjoy your ADs.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Trying to be patient, Alpha Dogs are on the Fedex Truck.....somewhere between Paducah and my house............................................come on FedEx.........is it noon yet.......................

 

[Wildcatsare1]

They are here!!!!!!!!!!!! Le Sacre du Printemps/Bernstein sounds wonderful, be back in a few hours, time now for my Alpha Dogs and ears to get acquainted