[DavidA]

  KK, i was under the impression the 12hrs or so would suffice. Hence my conclusion .. also several other colleagues stated the same about them in regards the mids. So kind of wanted to make sure im not loosing the plot ! then thought i would ask the community about them. So either they are slightly faulty.. or im going bonkers along with my colleagues  
Thanks for the input though, appreciated!

I don't think you are going bonkers, while burn-in is possible it will not be a drastic change, subtle at best so the muddy mids will not become slightly recessed (common to most Fostex headphones) with burn-in.

 

[canthearyou]

Okay guys 610's arrived! Boom 30 mins of playing and  trying figure if i like these things .. How will the sound mature over the next couple days? It interesting as i kind of feel the bass is a little lacking? will this mature and become more predominant?

I am running this from Spotify premium to Little Dot Mk2 valve amp with Mullard M8100

Wondering what improvements i can expect in the sound quality?

Thanks

Daniel

An OTL is definitely not a good amp to power these headphones with. Get yourself a clean solid state amp.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Audioquest Dragonfly Red for these?

 

[BearMonster]

Listening to my fostex th 610 i rather do say they are great for movies, for gaming i am still deciding on that.

 

[obsidyen]

It's been more than 3 months since I've bought these and I am still impressed by the sound quality. The clarity, full and textured bass, clear mids and detailed treble continue to impress me. I think I should buy Fostex HPA-4BL and unleash the full potential of these beasts. 

 

 

[obsidyen]

  Audioquest Dragonfly Red for these?

I have not heard that dac/amp but it is said to be on the bright side?.. I don't think even the Mojo is an ideal pairing. Fostex amps would be ideal but if you want a more mainstream brand, I guess amps with warmer and fuller sound (such as Vioelectric amps) would be better. I mean even MacBook Pro Late 2016 drives these with ease but an amp will obviously affect the sound signature. Fostex amps are said to have a warm tonality and bring the mids more forward in reviews I have seen.

 

[Sundown]

Coming from HD650 and X2's, how do these compare? Are these good for movies? I'd like to get some deep low end for movies and music, and video games. All of which open headphones suck at. I need immersion. Hopefully these will do that.

 

[Roger Gu]

I am going to get an X2 later this week, and then I can share you some thoughts.

 

[obsidyen]

  Coming from HD650 and X2's, how do these compare? Are these good for movies? I'd like to get some deep low end for movies and music, and video games. All of which open headphones suck at. I need immersion. Hopefully these will do that.

I had HD650 and X2 before. I'm going to speak from memory, however... HD650 was much harder to drive, was not as energetic and fun as TH610 and lacked sub-bass. X2 is easy to drive, has a very wide soundstage, fun sound signature but it lacks sub-bass as well. TH610 is easy to drive, has very linear deep bass extension with relatively flat mid bass. Mids are slightly recessed and highs are energetic while still being rather smooth. I prefer TH610 to both of those.
 
For movies, TH610 is very much fun. Good soundstage and superb bass extension makes watching movies very fun. Explosions and gun shootings sound very cinema-like. In terms of sub-bass impact for movies (and music), TH610 will beat those two easily.

 

[DavidA]

  Coming from HD650 and X2's, how do these compare? Are these good for movies? I'd like to get some deep low end for movies and music, and video games. All of which open headphones suck at. I need immersion. Hopefully these will do that.

If you are using the output of your HT receiver then you might want to also look at the HD700, its much better than the TH-600 at movies and gaming.  I never used my HD650 or X2 for watching movies since the bass is too muddy and they don't handle the dynamics as well as the HD700.

 

[BearMonster]

Using these for some time switching between different amps, i found these really do not scale well with better gear. Using my phone then to my little dot i+, njc audio monitor 2 & icon audio hp 8 i've not noticed a great improved unlike my hd 650. Though i still wonder about the balanced part.

 

[Sundown]

  If you are using the output of your HT receiver then you might want to also look at the HD700, its much better than the TH-600 at movies and gaming.  I never used my HD650 or X2 for watching movies since the bass is too muddy and they don't handle the dynamics as well as the HD700.

That's what I've been using lately. An AVR for headphones. A Denon E300. It's cleaner than the Focusrite 2i2 I have. Seems to have more body to the bass and mids and cleaner highs. Just more refined. I notice it more so with the hd650's than anything else. Volume/amplification is the same, it's just the music sounds better on the avr than the 2i2.

I had the HD700's. Absolutely phenomenal for gaming, not so much for anything else imo. Vocals just don't have clarity/neutralness like the x2's or hd650's. The 700's voicing seems hollowed out in a weird way but not recessed.

 

[DavidA]

  That's what I've been using lately. An AVR for headphones. A Denon E300. It's cleaner than the Focusrite 2i2 I have. Seems to have more body to the bass and mids and cleaner highs. Just more refined. I notice it more so with the hd650's than anything else. Volume/amplification is the same, it's just the music sounds better on the avr than the 2i2.

I had the HD700's. Absolutely phenomenal for gaming, not so much for anything else imo. Vocals just don't have clarity/neutralness like the x2's or hd650's. The 700's voicing seems hollowed out in a weird way but not recessed.

I can see the upper mids of the HD700 being some what recessed to create the hollowed out sound you are describing.  I haven't heard a Fostex (TH-X00, TH-600, TH-900) that has mids /upper mids like a HD650 or X2 so if you do get the TH-610 I'd be interested to hear your impressions since you have similar impressions as I on the HD650, X2 and HD700.

 

[obsidyen]

I auditioned HD700 extensively. Upper mids are recessed wheres lower mids are emphasized. This results in a very thick, dark sound. Moreover, the peak at 6 KhZ is very problematic, it hurts my ears, like an ice pick drilling your brain. I did not find it to be a pleasant headphone at all. TH610 in comparison is much more balanced across all frequencies with slight sub-bass boost. Treble clarity, detail and extension are superb without any obvious discomforting peaks.

 

[DavidA]

  I auditioned HD700 extensively. Upper mids are recessed wheres lower mids are emphasized. This results in a very thick, dark sound. Moreover, the peak at 6 KhZ is very problematic, it hurts my ears, like an ice pick drilling your brain. I did not find it to be a pleasant headphone at all. TH610 in comparison is much more balanced across all frequencies with slight sub-bass boost. Treble clarity, detail and extension are superb without any obvious discomforting peaks.

It might have been asked before but since you have some experience with the HD700, have you done any comparisons or what are your impressions of the TH-610 compared to the TH-600/900 or TH-X00 if you've heard any of them?