[swspiers]

  I just took over the job of making a guide for the tuning dots from Dan. I will be including frequency response graphs to go along with the different configurations so you can actually see what they do empirically 

 I hope to have it done in the next few weeks. 

Outstanding!

 

[vhsownsbeta]

The Alpha Dogs isolate nearly as well as my Bose QC25 even when music isn't playing. The active noise cancellation is better at pinpointing problem external noises like high frequencies in voices and removing the drone of my airplane flight. For passive noise isolation it would be hard to do better than the AD or AP for a full sized can

I have just bought a pair of AP and they don't seem to isolate well at all. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations as I have been in the world of IEMs for a while...

Do the pads have a 'burn in' period?

 

[mrspeakers]

I have just bought a pair of AP and they don't seem to isolate well at all. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations as I have been in the world of IEMs for a while...

Do the pads have a 'burn in' period?

I'm not of aware of anything that works as well as a quality IEM fit for noise reduction.  
 
They don' break in.  You may be expecting IEM isolation, but you may also be getting a poor fit, which reduces isolation.  It's easy to check your fit; circle your fingers around the ear pads rubbing your fingers, if you hear them rub you have a fit issue.
 
1)  If you wear glasses, take them off and test.  Most glasses are ok, but if they have frames that pull away from your head as soon as they leave the ear, they can break the seal.  If so, some people put the phones on first and tuck the arms in the pads a little above the ear. (Heard of this a few times)
 
2) If you hear sound from below your ear, lengthen the riser and/or rotate the pads "back" a little more to improve their fit (most common).
 
3) If you hear sound above shorten the risers (this is least common).
 
4) Some fit issues may require bending the headband, so check out "MrSpeakers clamp" on YouTube.  Depending on your head-shape, moving the headband's bend wider, or making it more or less acute, solves the issue.  

 

[vhsownsbeta]

I'm not of aware of anything that works as well as a quality IEM fit for noise reduction.  

Thanks for the response! I will try that procedure out, fingers crossed. I seem to remember my ADs isolating better, but I have been using IEMs exclusively since, so maybe you are correct and my expectations have changed...

 

[brother love]

 

 

[greenkiwi]

My guess is that it might be a seal issue.

 

[Julz-]

Hi all,
 
This will be my first post on the Head-Fi Forum, very pleased to join you after having read many threads here.
Important to know that I'm a full Newbee in "cans" as I've been mostly listening to music for Hi Fi with Speakers.
 
 
Just a quick sum-up of my configuration :
- Speakers : Proac D18 / MrSpeakers Alpha Prime
- Amp : Leben CS600
- Dac : Hegel HD25
- Source : SOTM SMS100 with dedicated battery - Configuration in DLNA / JRiver&JRemote / Nas Synology 2 x 3TB
 
 
I've just bought a MrSpeakers Alpha Prime (after having read many reviews and the full thread here) and I don't understand because it seems to me it doesn't work properly : 
- Very litlle bass / no sub-bass => hence a not well balanced sound (too bright)
- Saturated sound when I put the volume above 11/12 o clock (and the sound doesn't seem loud at all)
 
All in all I have a MUCH better sound with my stupid 75€ Marshall Major Headphone !
 
 
My question is simple : can the leben CS600 drive properly thoses cans ?
Does any here use the AP with a Leben CS600 or Leben CS300 ?
 
Many thanks in advance for your help,
Julien

 

[castin]

So surprise that prime work pretty well with concero hp
i thought it won't even have power to drive it at all. Awesome!!!

 

[PacoTaco]

O

Hi all,

This will be my first post on the Head-Fi Forum, very pleased to join you after having read many threads here.
Important to know that I'm a full Newbee in "cans" as I've been mostly listening to music for Hi Fi with Speakers.


Just a quick sum-up of my configuration :
- Speakers : Proac D18 / MrSpeakers Alpha Prime
- Amp : Leben CS600
- Dac : Hegel HD25
- Source : SOTM SMS100 with dedicated battery - Configuration in DLNA / JRiver&JRemote / Nas Synology 2 x 3TB

 
I've just bought a MrSpeakers Alpha Prime (after having read many reviews and the full thread here) and I don't understand because it seems to me it doesn't work properly : 
- Very litlle bass / no sub-bass => hence a not well balanced sound (too bright)
- Saturated sound when I put the volume above 11/12 o clock (and the sound doesn't seem loud at all)
 
All in all I have a MUCH better sound with my stupid 75€ Marshall Major Headphone !


My question is simple ; can the leben CS600 drive properly thoses cans ?
Does any here use the AP with a Leben CS600 or Leben CS300 ?

Many thanks in advance for your help,
Julien

One of three things may be happening here (from most to least likely:

1) The coloration of the tubes inside the amp are not good with the headphone. Either try sending the signal through the other set of tubes or bypass them completely.

2) the output impedance of your amp is too high. Try setting it to the lowest (4 amps) and see if that helps. When the output impedance is more than a tenth of the headphones impedance, that can cause some issues. However, planars should be pretty immune to this, you do have a very extreme setting of 16 ohms. Just make sure you have the volume all the down so you don't blow out the headphones.

3) The headphone needs to be sent back to be checked if the above doesn't work. They're good about getting issues solved quickly.

However, don't expect super duper amounts of bass. The driver isn't near as large as the LCD 2.2, so it's never going to have THAT much hump. It's way better than any dynamic and on par with the hifiman's, but what you're really wanting to get is the sub bass quality.

 

[Julz-]

Thanks for your help.
 
I think it is an issue with this particular headphone because my Leben Amp impedance output is set to 8 ohm and from what I read the AP Impedance is 50 ohm, so it should work fine.
I'm going to have it tested by a friend who has a dedicated headphone Amp / Hi Fi system and then advise.
 
I'm a bit disappointed, more over when I hear the amazing sound on the Marshall (even if it is not a Hi Fi sound, it is much better balanced and I get some nice bass). 

 

[mrspeakers]

Thanks for your help.

I think it is an issue with this particular headphone because my Leben Amp impedance output is set to 8 ohm and from what I read the AP Impedance is 50 ohm, so it should work fine.
I'm going to have it tested by a friend who has a dedicated headphone Amp / Hi Fi system and then advise.

I'm a bit disappointed, more over when I hear the amazing sound on the Marshall (even if it is not a Hi Fi sound, it is much better balanced and I get some nice bass). 

When you contacted me prior to your purchase I suggested you ask Leben for the power at 50 ohms on the headphone output. Did you have a chance, and did they respond? That may help.

My guess is simply have a week headphone amp or a bad fit, not a problem with your headphone. Low power on the headphone is common in integrated amps. The CS600 is a great looking unit and seems like it is first rate, but when the only thing it says is it has a "headphone output" it's inpossible to tell, but your description simply sounds like it doesn't have enough power and is clipping.

It should be at least 200mW at 50 ohms, and more is often better. The output impedance for your speakers probably has no correlation to what will be going on in the headphone output, though I can't say for sure without a schematic. The reason is either the headphone output has a dedicated amp, or they just hung a huge resistor off the amplifier output and if they did it wrong you'll have a power issue. By wrong, I mean they may have selected a resistor for a more efficient headphone and the amp is actually clipping even though there is little power making it to the headphone.

Second, when I hear "no bass" it is almost always fit, if it isn't the amp. If you can rub your fingertips together and hear them, you aren't fitting the phone properly and this is a guaranteed low bass problem. If you have glasses, take them off and try and our user guide and YouTube videos do have "fit tips", it is worth reading the guide.

Lastly, it is always possible there is a technical problem with the phone, but that is less likely than the two issues above... Should that be the case we will of course take care of this.

 

[Julz-]

Thank you for your quick reply and help.
 
I indeed contacted Leben and I'm waiting for their feedback, but as many people on the Forum use the Leben "little brother" CS300 with various Hi Fi headphones brands, I thought there won't be any problem. I agree it might be an amp fit issue, I'll see what leben says about power rating.
 
Otherwise I did the fingertips trick and the headphone was correctly set as I couldn't hear anything.
BTW I really love the look & feel of the AP, and it is so confortable.
 
The reason why I think this unit has been damaged or has a build issue is because when I push the sound a bit loud it crackels as it was saturated, but maybe I'm wrong.
Anyway I hope I can solve this issue because this headphone looks fantastic and from what I read it just sounds marvelous. 
 
Thanks again for your help.

 

[mrspeakers]

  Thank you for your quick reply and help.
 
I indeed contacted Leben and I'm waiting for their feedback, but as many people on the Forum use the Leben "little brother" CS300 with various Hi Fi headphones brands, I thought there won't be any problem. I agree it might be an amp fit issue, I'll see what leben says about power rating.
 
Otherwise I did the fingertips trick and the headphone was correctly set as I couldn't hear anything.
BTW I really love the look & feel of the AP, and it is so confortable.
 
The reason why I think this unit has been damaged or has a build issue is because when I push the sound a bit loud it crackels as it was saturated, but maybe I'm wrong.
Anyway I hope I can solve this issue because this headphone looks fantastic and from what I read it just sounds marvelous. 
 
Thanks again for your help.

A technical problem is always a possibility. My best guess is "crackling" is clipping in the amp.  PM me once you've sorted out the amp power question.

 

[murrays]

@Julz
 
If you suspect a problem or incompatibility with the amp's headphone output, then you can try running the headphone straight off the speaker outputs.  You will need an adapter cable to do this, but it will avoid any dedicated "headphone circuitry" that may be having a negative effect. Check forum postings to see if other Leben owners run their headphones directly off speaker outputs.

 

[levlhed]

I didn't mean to chase you off the CS300 thread like that.  It just gets really confusing in that thread when people start discussing the CS600 which is a totally different amp with different tubes.
I understand you are having a problem and just want help figuring it out.
 
I *just* sold my CS300XS a couple weeks ago.  It drove the Alpha Prime fine.  Leben taps the headphone off the speaker outputs, no "dedicated circuitry" beyond the resistors.  Don't bother with speaker taps, you don't need them.  There should be no incompatibility with the headphone output if everything is working as it should.
 
I suspect your CS600 has issues.  Do you have different tubes you can try?  Perhaps the power tubes are on their way out.
 
Does your Leben drive speakers correctly?