[stevenkelby]

I bought these from Mr. Takei about 2 weeks ago and they got here Friday but I have been waiting until Putfile started working again to post some pics to go with my post.

These are the first balanced, new style H2 out of Japan, I got the prototype. They had less than 2 hours on them from Mr. Takei. I have played about 6 hours through them but will hold my sonic impressions until I can get my head around them. These really do sound nothing like anything my ears have ever heard before. Completely alien. It's like every other headphone/loudspeaker I ever heard show music in different shades of black and white and these are full color. Or something. I'm not claiming they are awesomely spectacular just here, only very different.

So, the build of the frames is pretty cheap and lightweight, plastics are good quality and well made, but still plastic. the drivers themselves and the TR2 are absolutely top notch, I can't imagine better build quality. The wire headband loops have a home made feel to them but work well. The adjustable part of the headband may or not be different to Dougs set, I don't know but they are easily adjusted on your head and stay put. The headband clicks into notches as you adjust it in or out.

They are very, very light. I have no doubt they will last well.

I stretched some pantyhose/stockings over the wire head-loops and it makes like a grippy pad now which is nice. I also put some stocking over the drivers to stop stray hairs getting in (not that I have any).

OK I'll post some pics now.

 

[stevenkelby]

 

[stevenkelby]

 

[stevenkelby]

I started driving them with the big Rotel arc welder and surprisingly they require as much volume knob as my B&W DM604s to play reasonably loud. Then I tried with the RPX-33 and it CAN drive them very well. There isn't as much spare volume knob though and on quiet tracks some more power might be nice sometimes but for 99% of listening the RPX-33 satisfies my loud-listening desires well.

I made a cable from some 18 guage cryo jena wire to connect to the RB-991 and soldered a Canare F12 to the wires to use the RPX-33.

There is a fair difference in SQ with the amps though, the RPX-33 is obviously superior.

Source was an imod, DVD player or AV710 in PC and the H2 are very revealing of the weakest source! (It wasn't the imod). These are more revealing of differences in source, bitrate and I assume cables than the ED9.

 

[pageman99]

Steve,

Thanks for the posts. I'm sure we're all eagerly awaiting your impressions, as your post was more than intriguing.

Too many teasers: different, like in color vs black and white, more revealing of source...

Sheesh, you're gonna make the already overly curious here (that's all of us, I think!) crazy.

Hurry up! Please...

 

[stevenkelby]

Lol, sorry man! I just want to be careful about what I say so I don't over hype them or anything but I guess it's having the opposite affect!

I don't know where to start and I really want to compare them directly to the ED9 so people have a reference.

OK off the top of my head the H2 are... um... Revealing. Airy. Comfortable once adjusted right (took some time). The same sound comes out the back as what comes out on the inside so taking them off feels weird, it's like there are speakers playing in the room. Yeah, while wearing them it sometimes seems like I'm listening to bookshelf speakers on my desktop and I have to remember that the sound is coming from cans. Easy to forget your wearing them. At first I thought they were lacking the bass of the ED9 but now I can hear that the bass is certainly there, impactful, deep and impressive, but not overpowering. Maybe this is more realistic? But I love the ED9 bass. I don't know, need to compare more.

I haven't run any sine sweeps or checked the freq. response yet so don't really know what thats like. They do reveal the highest treble though. They aren't sibilant like new, unburnt ED9s were.

I've been pretty busy lately, even when I'm on here I'm often on the phone or talking to people and not listening to cans, hence the only about 6 hours of listening in 4 days.

I'll get back with a more sensible comparo/review tomorrow. Hopefully.

 

[philodox]

Nice, I look forward to further impressions. With your pics, I think they look a bit better... but still kind of prototype-y.

 

[pageman99]

Interesting stuff. Thank you.

Answering the phones?? What, you have a life outside headphones???

LOL.

 

[milkpowder]

Congrats! I really wonder what they sound like balanced

You're right, their presentation is very speaker-like. The wire loops are new to me. They look luxuriously trimmed, but a bit fragile

I wish Mr. Takei could figure out a better, more versatile width adjustment. It's a bit difficult for different people to use them if they require screws for adjustments... They are very light though, aren't they

 

[stevenkelby]

In the flesh they really don't seem like a prototype, apart from maybe the wire loops for the headrest bit which is finished with heatshrink and the wire is kind of thin. That makes it flexible and comfy though, and the leather stitching is impeccable.

Oh, and the H2 smell like leather, which is nice.

OK I am A-B ing them now with the ED9 out of the RPX-33 low gain and the H2 out of the high gain. It still needs a BIG turn of the dial to match volumes though, these H2 are VERY power hungry.

The ED9 feel tiny and very tight clamping, but I can get comfy still. The H2 feel enormous and very light. Am I even wearing cans?

I am listening to my well known "critical listening sections" of well known tracks.

My taste is as varied as anyone here except I don't listen to really heavy metal, death metal or much rap. Otherwise, you will find most things in my regular rotation. Tonight it's bits of Michael Jackson, Tom Waits, Massive Attack, RHCP (very briefly), Radiohead, Emiliana Torrini, Juno Reactor, Nightmares on Wax, NIN, Shostakovich, Dvorak, Keb Mo and Miles Davis.

Man. There are some big differences here! OK, heres some thoughts I am having now.

Bass. I have mentioned before about the ED9 being able to resolve individual vibrations of a bass guitar, where other cans I've had and heard sound like one continuous note.

With the H2, each individual vibration slaps you in the face then disssapears to silence before the next vibration. God knows how many times per second. These are pretty fast drivers! I mean I've heard some fast loudspeakers, electrostats, ribbons etc but these are FAST!

In music I thought the H2 failed to go as deep as the ED9 but with Audacity generated tones they were pretty close down to 40 ish then the H2 started falling behind but this may be due to a lack of power, the RPX-33 was maxed out for the single tone testing and also certain types off deep bass heavy electronica. They could certainly use more juice but my big amp is packed up ready for selling. I may break it out one last time tomorrow. For normal listening they do go low enough for sure.

Mids. Again, the H2 is just so damn fast and revealing it makes ED9 seem slow and heavy, which I guess most cans are compared to the H2. At very first listen I thought the H2 sounded like "nothing" being thin and airy but I think that they are only playing the music, not all the other sounds that most speakers add by themselves. These do make the ED9 sound like a layer of heavy cloth is over them. Not in another room or anything, just not as cuttingly detailed. The H2 reveal everything, as much as I can normally enjoy the RHCP (Cali) if I am in the mood, they are just unlistenable on the H2. Not much better on ED9 mind you. Violins sound so real on the H2, beleivable. The ED9 does less well here, I can't call the ED9 muddy or veiled but compared to what's coming out of the H2... I can still hear everything on the ED9 but it's not as forward. Maybe they are almost equally revealing but the H2 is clearer?

High's. Hard to say here. No massive differences in extension Again I feel like the H2 need more power to really give their best. The RPX-33 is holding them back from giving the full range I think. It easily gives the ED9 more than the they can handle though. Have I mentioned these are power hungry? High strings and cymbals/chimes sound clearer on the H2, the ED9 sounds heavier and less clear, but weightier and with more punch.

Sounds, especially vocals have much more texture, more grain and gravel (Tom Waits, Thom Yorke, but not Tom Jones, tonight) with the H2 but are smoother and weightier with the ED9.

The H2 offer no isolation, it's like having a pair of speakers in your room. I removed the drivers (they slide out easy), sat them on my shelf and watched TV on my PC just before.

I must admit, I was, and am, considering selling everything except the RPX-33 and buying an R10 but now... I really want a RWA Sig. 30 for these H2, and I love the isolation and power of the ED9. I need to listen more. And win lotto.

At first I was unsure of the H2, not disappointed, but I thought they were thin. They aren't, I love them.

 

[juzmister]

this group is buy is 100% going ahead haha

 

[stevenkelby]

Thanks Guys. MP, I used to live in Edbro. Loved it . My favorite place on earth is the top of Scotland.

The H2 don't feel fragile with the loops of wire and mine are easy to adjust in and out on the head. Maybe my screws are looser (lol) I haven't touched any of the screws.

With just the thin leather covering the loops they do move around a bit but with my new pantyhose mod they stay put well. (I bought about 6 different pairs at the shop to try, the girl looked at me funny).


I will post some pics now.

But first, DAMMIT! These sound so much, just , BETTER than the ED9 sometimes. Like now. Nightmares On Wax, Morse. The bass is just so damn clean and sharp yet has plenty of impact and slam.

OK:

I don't know if the fabric has an affect on the sound, I can't hear anyhing different but will test thoroughly when I am not rocking out.

 

[krmathis]

Congratulations!

Great pictures and a nice write-up...

 

[stevenkelby]

Thanks!

OK, back at a normal listening level, listening to actual music, not test tones, the RPX-33 is plenty grunty enough really. It sits at around 2/3rds to 3/4rs power but is comfortably powerful enough for semi-sensible listening.

 

[tin ears]

Steve,

Two points.

1. Since you are into modding and you have already disassembled the ED9's once, you really need to listen to them without the fabric over the drivers.

2. Even though the ed9's are very sensitive, they sound better when run through the high gain output of the RPX 33. I tried comparing the high and low gains from this amp with 3 high sensitivity HP's and all three sounded better out of the high gain jack. Markl points this out in his rpx 33 review as well. Sovkiller had his rpx built without the low gain jack. The low gain jack is parasitic to the high gain jack with additional resistors in place. Just pop the top and see for yourself.

I believe you are not getting the best sound from your ED 9 yet.

If you do these two things and the Tact 2 still sounds better to you, I'll believe ya.