[twigfarm]

Hey folks!

After starting a thread asking for recommendations for my first headphone/amp combination and the many enthusiastic responses & recommendations, I landed on the Piety/Meze 99 Noir combo & couldn’t be happier with either as my first foray into this whole headphone thing given my sonic preferences. I enjoy a nice, warm presentation, especially in the midrange, and would give up a little HF detail for it if necessary. And thanks to my tinnitus I am VERY sensitive to sibilance.

Now my question is: Where do I go from here if I wanted to “up my game” a bit? I know a case could be made for upgrading either, especially if upgrading the amp would make the Noirs an even better headphone, but like I said I’m open to upgrading either.

I’m not into collecting equipment and sell whatever I’m not using quickly once an upgrade/new purchase is made, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t mind having a second pair of headphones, especially if they give me close to the same sonic signature as the Noirs but were cooler (in temperature) to wear. I unfortunately sweat a bit and do find the Noirs a bit “warm” at times. And the second pair doesn’t necessarily need to be “better” but cooler would be its advantage to warrant owning.

For reference, what I like most about the Noirs (and maybe the 99s in general and/or the Noir/Piety combo) is their natural, almost palpable, presentation of acoustic instruments, especially the "wood" of stringed instruments while at the same time not drawing attention to the upper frequencies which, in my opinion, may take away from that quality. I mainly listen to small ensemble classical & jazz but will also listen to large-scale orchestral works on occasion.

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for any suggestions/recommendations.

Dave

 

[Monsterzero]

Dave, you may want to add a budget to your post....

I enjoy a nice, warm presentation, especially in the midrange, and would give up a little HF detail for it if necessary. And thanks to my tinnitus I am VERY sensitive to sibilance.

These two should be a nice upgrade while retaining many of the same qualities of your current setup.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-bokeh-closed-back-semi-portable.969961/page-76#post-17913502

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/nitsch-x-schiit-pietus-maximus-release-impressions-thread.970614/

 

[twigfarm]

Dave, you may want to add a budget to your post....

These two should be a nice upgrade while retaining many of the same qualities of your current setup.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/zmf-bokeh-closed-back-semi-portable.969961/page-76#post-17913502

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/nitsch-x-schiit-pietus-maximus-release-impressions-thread.970614/

Sorry, I should have mentioned I'd like to stay under $700 for each if possible and would prefer to do one upgrade/change at a time.

And, yes, I saw the Pietus Maximus & that's what got me thinking about making a change/addition. How is it?

 

[Monsterzero]

IMO the Piety is a great bang for the buck amp, and you would have to spend considerably more to get the same type of sound with better technicalities.

As far as the Bokeh goes, I know ZMF was offering a substantial discount on them to start, but i'm not sure if that offer still stands. Could ask over in the Bokeh thread I linked above.

 

[twigfarm]

IMO the Piety is a great bang for the buck amp, ...............................

Are you talking about the Piety or Pietus here. Yes, I am thoroughly enjoying my Piety but would be curious if the Pietus would be enough of a step up to warrant replacing it (the Piety). Plus I wouldn't mind giving CEE TEE the business.

Regarding ZMF headphones, there's no denying how popular & loved they are here and elsewhere but at their current retail maybe a little on the high side for me. Plus, being closed-back, I'm wondering if they wouldn't be just as warm feeling to wear as the Noirs. If I do another set of 'phones, I'd also like them to be a bit cooler to wear for longer periods than the Noirs. Maybe that means going the open-back route?

Out of curiosity, any experience with Audeze offerings? I'm intriged by what i read about the LCD-2s, especially the Classics. I know we're still up there in price but just curious.

And oddly enough, I'm actually sorta interested in hearing the AQ Nighthawks (!!). From what I've read it sounds like a headphone right up my alley sound-wise.

And BTW, thank you for the responses.

Dave

 

[haasaaroni]

I'd give the HD6XX/HD650 a try. They'd feel a bit cooler being open backs, and especially if you pair them with a tube amp (I know you don't want to start collecting gear), it's really impressive what they can do. But they have that warm signature you're looking for in spades, and their midrange timbre, for vocals and acoustic instruments, is legendary.

I've never heard the AQ Nighthawks, but I've heard they're about as warm as they come.

 

[Monsterzero]

Are you talking about the Piety or Pietus here.

Piety. I have not personally heard the Pietus, but enough members whose opinion I trust have, and they love it.

Out of curiosity, any experience with Audeze offerings?

Only the original LCD-2.2 pre fazor. Very warm, otherwordly sub bass, uninspiring/boxy midrange. When I had it, it was my go to trance headphone, but I didn't like it for rock or metal.

I should mention that I like the Piety for dynamic driver headphones, even high impedance HPS, the Piety does suprisingly well.
For planars however, I was less impressed with how it drove the ZMF Caldera, which isn't a particularly hard headphone to drive.

I'm actually sorta interested in hearing the AQ Nighthawks

I have no experience with it, but from my understanding it had a very warm/dark odd tuning and was one of those "love it or hate it" deals.

I'd give the HD6XX/HD650 a try.

+1 Good warm headphone that scales really well with better upstream gear. It does have a pretty significant clamp force that can get uncomfortable, but its easy to stretch them out.

 

[michael2v]

Are you talking about the Piety or Pietus here. Yes, I am thoroughly enjoying my Piety but would be curious if the Pietus would be enough of a step up to warrant replacing it (the Piety). Plus I wouldn't mind giving CEE TEE the business.

I haven't heard the Piety, but having had the Pietus for about two weeks now, it has quickly become my favorite headphone amp. @Voxata shared a great write-up here, it's exactly how I would describe it.

 

[twigfarm]

I'd give the HD6XX/HD650 a try. They'd feel a bit cooler being open backs, and especially if you pair them with a tube amp (I know you don't want to start collecting gear), it's really impressive what they can do. But they have that warm signature you're looking for in spades, and their midrange timbre, for vocals and acoustic instruments, is legendary.

Thank you! Yes, I've heard that in a good affordable open-back these are hard to beat given my stated preferences. Out of curiosity, would you recommend one over the other?

Piety. I have not personally heard the Pietus, but enough members whose opinion I trust have, and they love it.

Only the original LCD-2.2 pre fazor. Very warm, otherwordly sub bass, uninspiring/boxy midrange. When I had it, it was my go to trance headphone, but I didn't like it for rock or metal.

I should mention that I like the Piety for dynamic driver headphones, even high impedance HPS, the Piety does suprisingly well.
For planars however, I was less impressed with how it drove the ZMF Caldera, which isn't a particularly hard headphone to drive.


I have no experience with it, but from my understanding it had a very warm/dark odd tuning and was one of those "love it or hate it" deals.

+1 Good warm headphone that scales really well with better upstream gear. It does have a pretty significant clamp force that can get uncomfortable, but its easy to stretch them out.

Thanks! I wonder how the LCD-2 Classics might be different from the ones you had and how they would do with small classical ensembles (trios, quartets, quintets, sextets, all the way up to small "chamber" orchestras).

I haven't heard the Piety, but having had the Pietus for about two weeks now, it has quickly become my favorite headphone amp. @Voxata shared a great write-up here, it's exactly how I would describe it.

Thank you. Yes, I have seen that review & have reread it thanks to you. Seems to say everything you'd want to hear about a piece of equipment you're thinking of buying. And, yes, the Pietus is on my (very) short list of amps to upgrade to/try out. In fact, at it's price it's the only one ON the list! And on a side note, I'm unfortunately done with tubes and would rather own a good solid state device, even if I'm giving up that "tube sound" I love & miss so much. But that's OK. Thanks again.

Dave

 

[haasaaroni]

Thank you! Yes, I've heard that in a good affordable open-back these are hard to beat given my stated preferences. Out of curiosity, would you recommend one over the other?

Yes, very hard to beat! The 650 and 6XX are essentially the same headphone, just with a different color scheme and cable.

The one that's clearly different is the HD600, which I love particularly for classical music and use as a reference for timbre. It also has a warm-leaning signature, but the upper mids and highs are a little more brought out, so you get more immediate detail. The 6XX/650 is more laid back, with an elevated bass and even smoother highs. The more I upgrade my setup, the more I fall in love with the HD600, but even on a modest setup, it's easy to enjoy the HD6XX.