Since no one uploaded a photo of the Alpha Dog on someone's head from the front (it's always been to the side...), here ya go:
FTFY
Hahaha. Epic face!
Still on the portable setup, I'm actually quite surprised at the differences between this CMoy-like amp and the C5 and the O2. I find it to have the forward midrange of the C5, but with the O2's spaciousness and bass extension.
iPod Video 5th Generation + Rockbox (I was playing I-Ching's
Of the Marsh and the Moon album) -> FiiO L9 -> headphone splitter -> C5/CMoy-like amp -> HS2 -> Alpha Dog
So from what I've been hearing with the Alpha Dogs today: O2 ≥ CMoy-like amp > C5 > FiiO E12 > iPhone 4S > Sansa Clip Zip
Now that that's taken care of, with the iPod Video 5th Generation + Rockbox -> FiiO L9 -> O2 setup the Alpha Dog actually sounds pretty spacious considering it's a closed-back headphone, but it still sounds like a closed-back headphone. Maybe it's the music I'm using, maybe it's the DAC, or maybe it's the amp, but although the Alpha Dog has a pretty spacious soundstage for the overall presentation, the clarity of the instruments (what I call instrument separation, what others call imaging) isn't the clearest. I can't recall enough about the LCD-2 to make a fair comparison between the two for you all, unfortunately.
Actually, listening to this album, which I listened to with the LCD-2, the Alpha Dog's soundstage reminds me of that of the LCD-2. But again, don't quote me on that since it's been a while since I heard the LCD-2.
In other news, this headphone has some really sweet mids! I actually like it much more than my STAX for that reason.
I'll post impressions with my desktop setup later today after I get some sleep and go to classes. XD
But to me, I think the Alpha Dog would be a great transportable headphone from my listening tests today.
A general question to anyone, what makes a headphone sound bassy? The STAX SRS-2170 measures pretty flat along the bass frequencies, so does the LCD-2, and so does the HE-500. Why does the bass on the LCD-2 sound so much more prominent than on the STAX or HE-500 (without the Jerg pads)? I'm finding that to be similar for the Alpha Dog (LCD-2-like bass?) and SRS-2170.