[Subhakar]

Hey guys I have a question. I have the ha-2 with a iPod touch 6g paired with the akg k553. I'm not a fan of this sound I'm getting from this combo. When I pair the k553 with my iPod classic 7g and JDS labs c5 it sounds outstanding. So with the ha-2 which headphone will compliment it's sound? Beyerdynamic DT770/DT880, Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK? Any other full sized headphone recommendation under $200 would be nice. As for iems are the RHA t20 or Sony xba-h1 a good match? Thanks.

If you can spend a little more, Oppo PM-3 is a match made in heaven for Oppo HA-2. You can even use it with balanced-out amps or DAPs like Onkyo DP-X1 or AKs with third party balanced cables.

 

[avraham]

I agree with Subhakar, the iPod Touch 6g 128gig, HA-2 and Oppo PM-3 make a great combination.  I am also using Shure SHR1840 with this combo with so far great results (only received the Shure'sthis week).

 

[FiJAAS]

Pm-3 is a little too exspensive for my tastes. Any other recommendations?

 

[bru87tr]

Pm-3 is a little too exspensive for my tastes. Any other recommendations?

 
You can get them refurbished for $320. IMO, that is not a lot for a nice sounding headphone.
 
I own the MSR7's and they cost me $250. Although a nice headphone and well worth what I paid, I think the PM-3 is a steal for around the same price.
 
I also own the AT m50's and although cheaper and sound quite nice, the MSR7's and PM-3 spank them quite well.

 

[TimeLord]

Hey guys I have a question. I have the ha-2 with a iPod touch 6g paired with the akg k553. I'm not a fan of this sound I'm getting from this combo. When I pair the k553 with my iPod classic 7g and JDS labs c5 it sounds outstanding. So with the ha-2 which headphone will compliment it's sound? Beyerdynamic DT770/DT880, Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK? Any other full sized headphone recommendation under $200 would be nice. As for iems are the RHA t20 or Sony xba-h1 a good match? Thanks.

Since you mentioned the DT880, I'm assuming you don't have an issue with an open-back headphone. If so, I recommend the AKG K7XX. It's $199.99 delivered. The HA-2 drives it well on high gain and compared to the other headphones you mentioned (with the exception of the ATH-MSR7BK, which I'm not familiar with), the K7XX will be a huge improvement in sound quality.

 

[miketlse]

Yesterday my new Beyer T51i headphones were delivered, so I spent a few enjoyable hours testing them with my HA-2.
They seem to work well together, improving the level of detail and instrument separation, with the jazz tracks that i listened to.
 
Today my new Mojo arrived, and I after waiting a few hours for the battery to charge, I have just spent an hour listening with the Beyer T51i.
I think that I can hear a slight improvement in the instrument transients, compared to the HA-2, but i am wary of expectation bias.
Overall it has reminded me of just how good the HA-2 is.  

 

[oldmate]

  Yesterday my new Beyer T51i headphones were delivered, so I spent a few enjoyable hours testing them with my HA-2.
They seem to work well together, improving the level of detail and instrument separation, with the jazz tracks that i listened to.

I have the T51P and I confirm your comments re the synergy with the HA-2. It's a beautiful thing.
 
I see you like jazz but you should check out this song from tool. It highlights the wonderful dynamics of the Beyer's;
 
 
 
Also my cable below the Y joint has noticeably stiffened over time - something to watch out for.

 

[FiJAAS]

Are the T51P that much better then the 1350?

 

[miketlse]

Are the T51P that much better then the 1350?

 
Never tried the 1350, so sorry I can't provide any evidence.
 
I was considering both the T51 and the DT1350, and all the reviews seemed to indicate that soundwise there is not a large difference between them. I think that the deciding factors were that the T51 were slightly cheaper, had pads that were claimed to be more comfortable, and included the microphone so that i could also use them with my phone.
 
I did try the T51's for an hour in the office, during dinnertime yesterday, partly to test the sound isolation. My office is only a few hundred metres from an airport, and the office contains an air conditioning unit with very noisy fans. I was impressed by the fact that when wearing the T51's, I could not hear any aircraft noise and only a faint residual noise from the air conditioning unit, which was low enough to not interfere with enjoying the music. I think that I could only improve on the noise isolation, by using around the ear headphones, or headphones with ANC. Even so the T51's sound isolation is already good enough for me, so I don't feel any urges to consider changing on that score.
The DT1350's look to be a similar design, so I presume that the noise isolation is similar, unless the subtle differences in the earpads, make a noticeable difference to the acoustic sealing.

 

[miketlse]

  I see you like jazz but you should check out this song from tool. It highlights the wonderful dynamics of the Beyer's;
 
 
 
Also my cable below the Y joint has noticeably stiffened over time - something to watch out for.

 
I have just listened to the Tool track - I think that i see what you mean by the dynamics, but I shall listen again. 
I only started listening to jazz a few months ago, and quickly realized that the traditional trios and quartets (piano, trumpet or sax, drums/cymbals, upright bass), usually recorded live and with little 'doctoring of the sound' in the recording studio, were hinting at a lot of 'previously hidden' elements in music, that my hifi struggled to release.
 
So after a few months I have better speakers, plus new Sennheiser HD598Se and Beyer 770 Pros and now these T51i's, plus the HA-2, and am enjoying my music again. I can now detect far more in even CD quality tracks, so i have now started to question if chasing hi-def music downloads is really necessary.
 
Part of this musical journey includes exploring online suggestions/recommendations like yours, and sometimes discovering hidden gems that I would never have considered before. In some respects, this mirrors my experience with the film club that I joined a few years ago. We avoid big budget/blockbuster films and instead focus on art house or world cinema. Most of the films that i have enjoyed the most, were films that previously I would not give have considered watching - so I have learnt the lesson not to let the initial assumption of whether a film will be good, influence negatively my choice of whether to try it.  
 
Regarding the cable issue. I see that replacement cables are available http://www.head-fi.org/t/732056/beyerdynamic-t51p-t51i-impressions-thread  but it does sound like you have to solder them in place (post #15).

 

[oldmate]

   
Part of this musical journey includes exploring online suggestions/recommendations like yours, and sometimes discovering hidden gems that I would never have considered before.

For the last few months all of my new music has come from reading posts in this thread;
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/253245/what-are-you-listening-to-right-now-new-thread-new-rules-please-read-them
 
I have gotten more out of this thread in relation to this hobby than any other thread here on Head.Fi. Some really great music that I would never have come across on my own. Highly recommended.
 
Lot's of jazz threads in the music section.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/newsearch/?search=jazz&output=all&containingforum%5B0%5D=9&type=all&advanced=1
 
Enjoy your journey. 

 

[FiJAAS]

Which pelican case is best to house the ha-2 and IEM?

 

[andreiru]

Hey you all

I don't know if this was covered already but my ha-2 paired with the 6s produces a cranking noise when laid on top of one-another... Is this the same for everybody or is this a problem? I remember seeing something similar with a Fiio t3 but it wasn't nearly as bad..

 

[TimeLord]

Hey you all

I don't know if this was covered already but my ha-2 paired with the 6s produces a cranking noise when laid on top of one-another... Is this the same for everybody or is this a problem? I remember seeing something similar with a Fiio t3 but it wasn't nearly as bad..

Are you referring to radio frequency interference? If so, it can happen with the HA-2 and many other portable DAC/amps. Try putting your phone in airplane mode. If the noise goes away, it's RFI.

 

[andreiru]

It could be RFI, thanks for the suggestion. It comes and goes, I will try when it happens again. I switched off wifi and Bluetooth and it made no difference but it could have been the network.