[Roy Munson]

Great post Jazzy. Thank you for taking the time to compare all of these cans.
 
Quote:

   
What tubes do you use?  Do you think it's possible to enhance the mids of the TH600 with your setup?  I'm probably one of the few that can easily pick out positioning in gaming with even cheap cans from the dollar store, so the HE400 wasn't that bad (although there are certainly better, i.e. TH600)

TH600 does provide a more fun gaming experience!

 
I have a bunch of different tubes I roll in the Lyr. I found that the Brimar CV2492 tames the highs on the HE400 more than any other tube I have and emphasizes the mids. I think the Brimars work really well with the HE400 and are probably my favorite out of the 7 or 8 pairs of tubes I have for the HE400.
 
I also own the TH600. I think a tube amp synergizes with the TH600 really well. It adds a touch of warmth to the sound and I think it's exactly what the TH600 needs. I personally think the TH600 is better than the HE400 in every aspect. I don't share your opinion that cymbals, high hats, etc. all sound generic/similar - but I primarily listen to electronic music although not exclusively. What are you using for your source? I find the TH600 shines when paired with a good source. I do agree the TH600 is great with games. 

 

[JazZy]

   
I have a bunch of different tubes I roll in the Lyr. I found that the Brimar CV2492 tames the highs on the HE400 more than any other tube I have and emphasizes the mids. I think the Brimars work really well with the HE400 and are probably my favorite out of the 7 or 8 pairs of tubes I have for the HE400.
 
I also own the TH600. I think a tube amp synergizes with the TH600 really well. It adds a touch of warmth to the sound and I think it's exactly what the TH600 needs. I personally think the TH600 is better than the HE400 in every aspect. I don't share your opinion that cymbals, high hats, etc. all sound generic/similar - but I primarily listen to electronic music although not exclusively. What are you using for your source? I find the TH600 shines when paired with a good source. I do agree the TH600 is great with games. 

 
My current path is PC (coax out) -> Audio-gd DAC-19 -> Audio-gd C-2 -> TH600.  I thought it was my songs at first as the TH600 is unforgiving with poor transcodes, but the HE500 would make those same songs just sound the way they should.  That and I experience the same generic effect on even the source CDs.  I notice this most with instrumentals and rock songs where those effects are used more often.  With electronica its hard to find any fault with these cans!  Do you still use the same Schiit stack/tubes with TH600?
 

  Who would have thought this thread would turn into an in-depth comparison between many desirable headphones?  Good job.  Unfortunately I don't think any headphone has mids and highs like the HE-500 but bass like the HE-400 or TH600.  You will pobably find yourself with two headphones in the future.

 
Ahhhhh but then I can't be lazy!  Who knows, maybe there will be multiple cans... but probably not after some amp experimentation

 

[milk]

Jazzy! For your needs, you've picked some spot on cans! It's cool seeing people that have done their research before getting their cans and then really enjoying them!

Glad you're loving em buddy. Keep on jamming! (Btw I like your picture!)

 

[Roy Munson]

   
My current path is PC (coax out) -> Audio-gd DAC-19 -> Audio-gd C-2 -> TH600.  I thought it was my songs at first as the TH600 is unforgiving with poor transcodes, but the HE500 would make those same songs just sound the way they should.  That and I experience the same generic effect on even the source CDs.  I notice this most with instrumentals and rock songs where those effects are used more often.  With electronica its hard to find any fault with these cans!  Do you still use the same Schiit stack/tubes with TH600?

Yea I'm still using the Schiit stack for with my TH600. My current chain is PC -> X-Fi Titanium HD (optical out) -> Bifrost uber -> Lyr -> TH600. Being a big electronic and hip hop fan that was primarily my focus when picking up the TH600. Honestly I've been very impressed with how they've turned with all genres of music. I've recently listened to new albums from artists from multiple genres (Ariel Pink, Behemoth, Run the Jewels, Marcell Dettmann, White Lung) and I never once wanted to take them off and listen to my other headphones specifically for one genre over the other.
 
I did briefly try the TH600 on my work setup - Macbook pro -> Schiit Modi - and there was considerably more emphasis in the highs. I think on that setup I would agree about your thoughts about the cymbals etc. sounding similar... almost sterile. I'm listening to that Behemoth album again on my home rig and the percussion work is really good. I think the crashes and hi hats sound awesome.

 

[JazZy]

It sounds like maybe my source components might be an issue.  The Audio-GD stack is known for being neutral with good resolution, dynamics, and imaging; all of which I have no complaints about on the TH600.  Tubes look like it's the way to go to tweak the mids and treble.  Now if I can only decide between the WA7 and Lyr 2... Or sticking with my current DAC vs. a Bifrost Uber (if going the Lyr 2 route). 

 

[Youth]

  It sounds like maybe my source components might be an issue.  The Audio-GD stack is known for being neutral with good resolution, dynamics, and imaging; all of which I have no complaints about on the TH600.  Tubes look like it's the way to go to tweak the mids and treble.  Now if I can only decide between the WA7 and Lyr 2... Or sticking with my current DAC vs. a Bifrost Uber (if going the Lyr 2 route). 

 
I've heard people talk REALLY good about the WA tubes pairing with TH600.

 

[JazZy]

 
Yea I'm still using the Schiit stack for with my TH600. My current chain is PC -> X-Fi Titanium HD (optical out) -> Bifrost uber -> Lyr -> TH600. Being a big electronic and hip hop fan that was primarily my focus when picking up the TH600. Honestly I've been very impressed with how they've turned with all genres of music. I've recently listened to new albums from artists from multiple genres (Ariel Pink, Behemoth, Run the Jewels, Marcell Dettmann, White Lung) and I never once wanted to take them off and listen to my other headphones specifically for one genre over the other.
 
I did briefly try the TH600 on my work setup - Macbook pro -> Schiit Modi - and there was considerably more emphasis in the highs. I think on that setup I would agree about your thoughts about the cymbals etc. sounding similar... almost sterile. I'm listening to that Behemoth album again on my home rig and the percussion work is really good. I think the crashes and hi hats sound awesome.

 
Do you still use the Brimars for the TH600?

 

[teofilrocks]

This is a helpful thread, thank you for your impressions. I loved my old DT990 Pros for their fun bass, comfort, and soundstage. But the treble got to me. Similar with the HE-400, which I know own for the second time, and am selling for the second time. Great bass, but too much treble and wearing discomfort (although helped by the FocusPad-A).
 
So, I'm interested in the TH600 hoping that I can get better sub-bass extension and impact that my lovely HD650, without adding too much treble. I'm also curious about how you've found the comfort of the TH600. That's priority one for me. And you know how Beyers and HifiMAN feel like me, so you are in a good position to give thought's in that area.

 

[teofilrocks]

Nevermind. I saw this morning that HeadRoom is having a 20% sale, so I jumped on it and got the TH600 for $480. I'll find out about the comfort first hand.

 

[taddraughn]

 
Yea I'm still using the Schiit stack for with my TH600. My current chain is PC -> X-Fi Titanium HD (optical out) -> Bifrost uber -> Lyr -> TH600. Being a big electronic and hip hop fan that was primarily my focus when picking up the TH600. Honestly I've been very impressed with how they've turned with all genres of music. I've recently listened to new albums from artists from multiple genres (Ariel Pink, Behemoth, Run the Jewels, Marcell Dettmann, White Lung) and I never once wanted to take them off and listen to my other headphones specifically for one genre over the other.
 
I did briefly try the TH600 on my work setup - Macbook pro -> Schiit Modi - and there was considerably more emphasis in the highs. I think on that setup I would agree about your thoughts about the cymbals etc. sounding similar... almost sterile. I'm listening to that Behemoth album again on my home rig and the percussion work is really good. I think the crashes and hi hats sound awesome.

Roy, Seeing that you mentioned running the TH600 out of a Lyr... Did you notice any noise when using the lyr with such sensitive headphones? I have both HE-500 and TH600 and recently bought a Soloist because the noise from the lyr on the TH600 REALLY bothered me. I imagine the Lyr 2 gain switch might remedy this issue?

 

[Roy Munson]

 
Roy, Seeing that you mentioned running the TH600 out of a Lyr... Did you notice any noise when using the lyr with such sensitive headphones? I have both HE-500 and TH600 and recently bought a Soloist because the noise from the lyr on the TH600 REALLY bothered me. I imagine the Lyr 2 gain switch might remedy this issue?

 
I do notice some noise and it varies a bit depending on the tubes I'm using. It's relatively faint. I haven't found it distracting once music is playing. I've actually been considering getting a Lyr 2 for the better volume control with the TH600. While listening to music I don't think I've ever gone past 9 o'clock on the Lyr and I usually listen around 8 o'clock.
 
How's the soloist + TH600?
 
Roy

 

[taddraughn]

I do notice some noise and it varies a bit depending on the tubes I'm using. It's relatively faint. I haven't found it distracting once music is playing. I've actually been considering getting a Lyr 2 for the better volume control with the TH600. While listening to music I don't think I've ever gone past 9 o'clock on the Lyr and I usually listen around 8 o'clock.

How's the soloist + TH600?

Roy

Yeah I don't think I ever went above 8 or 9 when listening with the TH600. However, with the HE-500, it was more like 10-11 oclock.

As for the Soloist + TH600, I'm extremely happy with the combo. I had a redditor that writes for an audio magazine tell me that Burson and Oppo Amps pair very well with Fostex and Denon headphones. Being that the Oppo was WAY out of my price range, I went for a used Soloist from a member here. I actually ended up liking how it sounds with my HE-500 more than my Lyr (which surprised me because I usually consider myself a tube amp guy). Im even considering selling my Lyr altogether now, but Im going to give it some more time because I may need to let the "new" wear off, so to speak.