Chris19
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2009
- Posts
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So, you like thrash metal? Maybe even love it? Me too.
It was not love at first listen by any means, though. I think a large part of that is the quality (or lack thereof) of the speakers and headphones I first heard it on. Fast riffs just became noise, high notes sounded like dying cats... I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.
So while my search is ongoing, I would like to share what I've learned. I'm currently using a Valab DAC and a homemade balanced amp. I'll go in order from the first headphones I ever had, a few pairs of $20 Sony cans, on up...
Sony CD60 / CD180: Uh, we all had to start somewhere. These were fine for early high school, believe it or not. Much more neutral than other crap you can buy for the same price. At the time, online shopping was in its infancy, so selection was limited to the local electronics store. They're tinny and they distort with bass at moderate volume. Sony doesn't sell this line anymore I believe, but the new low end stuff is probably similar. Regardless, look elsewhere.
As a side note, I recently recabled my CD180's with speaker cable in a balanced configuration for fun. All it really did is get the bass to distort faster, as there was more of it. Like wearing a couple of bumble bees on your head.
Sony MDR-V6: I bought these before I became aware of Head-Fi, so I've had them for a few years. Luckly, they aren't a bad purchase. Comfort-wise, they sit right on your ears, so they can get pretty hot and uncomfortable after a time, but they isolate well. About $71 on Amazon.
Speed:
These have moderate speed, but fast riffs can get lost here. Something about the speed of Megadeth's "Holy Wars," for example, is resolved well. However, Megadeth's "Mechanix" has a super fast solo at the end. In this section, you can hear the hardest plucked notes, but the rest blur into each other.
Bass:
Fairly deep and impactful, but sounds disjointed from the rest of the sound spectrum. Drum hits are strong, but bass guitar isn't. Keeping with the Megadeth theme, take a listen to "Dawn Patrol" with these, and the bass notes don't have consistant weight to them. They're just kind of there.
Everything else: They have no soundstage to speak of, really. After all, they're pressed right up against your head. They seem to have odd "holes" in the frequency response, where the lows, mids, and highs feel disjointed from each other. Overall the V6's aren't bad, as the deep bass helps put some life into the tracks. But I might recommend Grado's for the same price...
More to come soon... I plan to give my impressions on the Grado SR-80 / 325i / RS2, Sennheiser HD600s, Beyer DT770s, and more...
It was not love at first listen by any means, though. I think a large part of that is the quality (or lack thereof) of the speakers and headphones I first heard it on. Fast riffs just became noise, high notes sounded like dying cats... I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.
So while my search is ongoing, I would like to share what I've learned. I'm currently using a Valab DAC and a homemade balanced amp. I'll go in order from the first headphones I ever had, a few pairs of $20 Sony cans, on up...
Sony CD60 / CD180: Uh, we all had to start somewhere. These were fine for early high school, believe it or not. Much more neutral than other crap you can buy for the same price. At the time, online shopping was in its infancy, so selection was limited to the local electronics store. They're tinny and they distort with bass at moderate volume. Sony doesn't sell this line anymore I believe, but the new low end stuff is probably similar. Regardless, look elsewhere.
As a side note, I recently recabled my CD180's with speaker cable in a balanced configuration for fun. All it really did is get the bass to distort faster, as there was more of it. Like wearing a couple of bumble bees on your head.
Sony MDR-V6: I bought these before I became aware of Head-Fi, so I've had them for a few years. Luckly, they aren't a bad purchase. Comfort-wise, they sit right on your ears, so they can get pretty hot and uncomfortable after a time, but they isolate well. About $71 on Amazon.
Speed:
These have moderate speed, but fast riffs can get lost here. Something about the speed of Megadeth's "Holy Wars," for example, is resolved well. However, Megadeth's "Mechanix" has a super fast solo at the end. In this section, you can hear the hardest plucked notes, but the rest blur into each other.
Bass:
Fairly deep and impactful, but sounds disjointed from the rest of the sound spectrum. Drum hits are strong, but bass guitar isn't. Keeping with the Megadeth theme, take a listen to "Dawn Patrol" with these, and the bass notes don't have consistant weight to them. They're just kind of there.
Everything else: They have no soundstage to speak of, really. After all, they're pressed right up against your head. They seem to have odd "holes" in the frequency response, where the lows, mids, and highs feel disjointed from each other. Overall the V6's aren't bad, as the deep bass helps put some life into the tracks. But I might recommend Grado's for the same price...
More to come soon... I plan to give my impressions on the Grado SR-80 / 325i / RS2, Sennheiser HD600s, Beyer DT770s, and more...