[musicman59]

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

I totally agree.
The first time I listen to the AD was at AXPONA this year. My first impression was that they were a little to bright for my taste and actually like better the MD. When Dan asked me my opinion he immediately placed a DT in each side of the AD and asked me to try them again. Wow! now the sound was just perfect for me and fell in love with them so couple of week later I ordered my pair and I am loving them driven by my McIntosh MHA-100.

 

[bonesnv]

The DT's and pads make a notable and substantial difference.  Mine came with 2 dots on each side out of the box.  I haven't adjusted my bass screws at all, mostly because an idiot friend thought the sticker with numbers on it was trash, but I took off one dot and use one pad per side, sounds perfect to me with no harshness and not veiled sounding at all.  
 
Would definitely suggest as others have said, tweak it a bit and see if you can get them to sound to your liking, the customization is really fun and makes the headphones that much more enjoyable in my personal opinion.

 

[Ableza]

I don't think I'm in the minority when I say that my Alpha Dogs sound fantastic as shipped.  No need for tweaking or adjusting.  They are the best sounding set of headphones I've ever used.  YMMV.

 

[AxelCloris]

  I don't think I'm in the minority when I say that my Alpha Dogs sound fantastic as shipped.  No need for tweaking or adjusting.  They are the best sounding set of headphones I've ever used.  YMMV.

 
Nope, you're definitely not in the minority. Dan and his team have worked some serious magic and they sound amazing straight out of the box.

 

[swspiers]

I don't think I'm in the minority when I say that my Alpha Dogs sound fantastic as shipped.  No need for tweaking or adjusting.  They are the best sounding set of headphones I've ever used.  YMMV.

I totally agree. Despite all the praise, I still consider them to be under—rated

 

[Wildcatsare1]

^^^Ableza, a big +1, your advice led me to the Alpha Dogs. I have had mine all of 4 hours now and I agree (though I have put a in one Dog Treat per side). I am fairly new to HeadFi, not to Audiophilia, but these AD's are the best I have ever heard. I really didn't understand when others referred to the HD650's as "grainy", now I know what they were referring too. With the Alpha Dogs the music rises out of a deep, silent "blackness". Sound staging and imaging are excellent, closed-back, no problem. With the Wyrd>Modi>Lyr 2, these baby's rock, it's early, but I don't see why anyone would want to mess with the bass adjustment.

MrSpeakers/Dan, well done, these are exceptional headphones, more to come after some serious listening.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

More listening, not able to do any critical listening. Wading through guilty pleasures, damn that Chris Isaak can sing......feeln' Wicked Game, then onto a bit of AC/DC Live, Angus is in excellent form.......Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers have me Moanin'..... Elvis Costello and I got problems with those Angels Wearn' Our Red Shoes......like, no love the Alpha Dogs! Big thanks to MrSpeakers/Dan for reintroducing me to my music!

 

[topgunsphd]

Is it possible to desolder the 1/4 trs and solder on a 4 pin xlr for the stock cable?

 

[Ableza]

Is it possible to desolder the 1/4 trs and solder on a 4 pin xlr for the stock cable?

Anything is possible... but why not just order a balanced cable from MrSpeakers?

 

[Ableza]

^^^Ableza, a big +1, your advice led me to the Alpha Dogs. I have had mine all of 4 hours now and I agree (though I have put a in one Dog Treat per side). I am fairly new to HeadFi, not to Audiophilia, but these AD's are the best I have ever heard. I really didn't understand when others referred to the HD650's as "grainy", now I know what they were referring too. With the Alpha Dogs the music rises out of a deep, silent "blackness". Sound staging and imaging are excellent, closed-back, no problem. With the Wyrd>Modi>Lyr 2, these baby's rock, it's early, but I don't see why anyone would want to mess with the bass adjustment.

MrSpeakers/Dan, well done, these are exceptional headphones, more to come after some serious listening.

 
As I told you in PM, the Alpha Dogs caused me to relegate my HD650's to a closet in storage. 

 

[Wildcatsare1]

^Happily a MrSpeaker Alpha Dog Fanbois

 

[aamefford]

Is it possible to desolder the 1/4 trs and solder on a 4 pin xlr for the stock cable?

Anything is possible... but why not just order a balanced cable from MrSpeakers?

They pop up on the FS forums frequently. I sold mine a month or so ago. A fellow head-fier built a cable with 1/4 and 4 pin adapters for me.

 

[dpump]

They pop up on the FS forums frequently. I sold mine a month or so ago. A fellow head-fier built a cable with 1/4 and 4 pin adapters for me.

If you are talking about building an adaptor to go from 1/4" to balanced, you have to understand this is not a true balanced connection as you have common grounds. Even though you will have separate ground pins on the balanced XLR connector, the grounds are tied together on the 1/4" plug. You have to be very careful to make sure the amp you are plugging the balanced connector into can have the grounds tied together. Amps such as the Schiit Mjolnir, Virtue, and T-amps using Tripath power cannot have the grounds connected together. The Mjolnir has a protection circuit which should shut the amp down, but the other amps may be shorted and blown. Even if you are safe to go from 1/4" to balanced, you are not getting the true benefit of a balanced circuit-isolation of the channels from each other.
 
If you go use an adaptor to go from balanced to 1/4", you will be safe. But you will lose the isolation of the balanced connector.

 

[aamefford]

^^^ not what I was talking about. I have a new cable. Mini XLR on main cable. Mini XLR to 4 pin XLR balanced, mini XLR to 1/4" SE adapters. Sold my old balanced cable.

 

[Lohb]

These cans would look amazing in MIDNIGHT BLUE. Are there more colors coming soon?