[facelvega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which is, in a sense, what this thread is all about: development. Looking at a thing, understanding why it was built, and realizing it could be much more if only a company had taken a little more time using it and done that one or two things that would complete it.

Product design as artistic innovation versus evolutionary adaptation, the two sides of an old coin. The best designers in the world got in a big fight about it in Cologne in 1914, and it still isn't settled. At least the evolutionary idea gives people like us the chance to get in our two cents. I for one would love to license the tooling for something like a 1980 volvo 240 and then selectively improve it based on a study sample of say 20,000 wrecks. The originals lasted twenty years easy, we could get that up to a safe, economical 30 no problem. Pretty much exactly what we've been doing here with orthodynamics of a similar vintage.

 

[philodox]

How underpowered is underpowered JadeEast?

Bloody hell, I need to try some Ortho's these donut comments are killing me... as are Nate and his new fancy shmansy one off DAC. *sigh* Everytime I think I am done I get sucked back in...

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hear that there's a secret order of K340 naysayers lurking here somewhere . . .

I heard one at a meet and was unimpressed. It convinced me not to go after one, especially at the current prices. I was unimpressed with a lot of the expensive equipment. It made me happy with my stuff that everyone was turning their nose up at.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif I heard one at a meet and was unimpressed.

Which meet? I can bet it was either underdriven and/or had poor tension in the elastics.

 

[JadeEast]

philodox Straight out of macbook, or ibasso t2. I know this is seriously underpowering the k340 from what I've been reading. The literature that came with the pair I got mentioned that they can be run from a power amp.

I'm going to need to dig out my ASL-wave 8 amps and give them some juice.

I don't think the 340 sounds bad and I'm sure it has the potential to sound really good it just need to "open up" and "tighten up" something that more juice would help with I imagine.

My ears maybe are just acclimatized to the full planer sound from the orthos I've been listening to.

 

[philodox]

Oh man, well... that would definately be underpowered.

Should be interesting to see how the power amp works. I didn't have the greatest experience when I tried driving mine out of my T-amp, but I haven't really experimented with other speaker amps.

 

[ericj]

Well, given the interest this thread is getting from Team K340, I'll go ahead and utter some blasphemy.

The best my somewhat-modded K340 has ever sounded to me was when i plugged it into my hand-wired SOHA, with GE 5963 tube in the gain stage and a relatively underpowered LM4562 (Iq = 26ma into 600 ohms) in the output stage.

 

[philodox]

I feel for you.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which meet? I can bet it was either underdriven and/or had poor tension in the elastics.

The MD/DC/VA meet. It was nikongod's out of his Mapletree amp. I'm not sure what model amp and I'm not sure what mods had been done to the K340. It didn't sound bad, but didn't live up to the hype that they've been getting.

At the same meet I heard a couple of Sony R10s that I wasn't impressed with, especially for the price they claim. I also heard Grados for the first time and they lived up to my impressions. I didn't like them at all.

 

[philodox]

I'm not a huge fan of the R10's either. The Mapletree is definately not the best amp for the K340's, but it could just be a matter of personal preference as well.

 

[wualta]

I just got some Wave8s myself. How do you guys gird yours for headphone duty?

 

[JadeEast]

From memory what I've done in the past is put 10ohms across the output, 100 ohm inline with the headphones and tied the grounds together.

 

[swt61]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox /img/forum/go_quote.gif How underpowered is underpowered JadeEast? Bloody hell, I need to try some Ortho's these donut comments are killing me... as are Nate and his new fancy shmansy one off DAC. *sigh* Everytime I think I am done I get sucked back in...

Jay the ones I just built for Skylab completely slaughter my K340's. I know you don't like to hear that, and in a way neither do I, but it's true. IMHO they're the best sub $1000.00 headphone I've heard period. The YH-100 version quite simply trounce even my donuts. The bass is freakin' amazing, but it's not at the expense of glorious sparkling highs and lovely mids. It's the most amazing balance. I will be reworking mine into YH-100 donuts very soon, and then they'll be on their way up to you as promised. You can decide for yourself if they're all that. All I can say is start that YH-100 search now. Think of electrostatic detail, speed and air, but with incredible deep, tight and powerful bass. And in a nice woody package. Leather pads are a must though, but the Beyer ones work splendidly, and are now an available item.

 

[wualta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif Product design as artistic innovation versus evolutionary adaptation, the two sides of an old coin. The best designers in the world got in a big fight about it in Cologne in 1914, and it still isn't settled. At least the evolutionary idea gives people like us the chance to get in our two cents.

Were the designers of the day really invoking social Darwinism (a big topic at the time) as a basis for design? and haven't the evolutionists won bigtime in commodities like mass-produced electronics, co-opting the aesthetic innovators as they've gone rolling on?

Gimme a short bibliography of the subject so I can come up to speed. This fight you speak of smells familiar.

 

[unbiased]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nah, AKG rubber bands just go limp after 10 years or so. They're cheap replacement parts when Harmin' Pro North America has them in stock.

I don't consider 10 years very long and would expect a supposedly top end model like the AKG K701 to last much longer than that... like at least 50 years into the future so that our future generations can check them out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif And to be fair, AKG uses far better plastic in their premium headphones than Yamaha used in your HP-2.

Granted, it may be better and sturdier (unbreakable?) plastic they use, but it just looks too delicate and thin where it clips onto the rods and slides. That's the part I see can easily crack if handled and treated rough or if you go to sleep on them and turn over and lean on them the wrong way. (Yes I sometimes go to sleep listening to my headphones! Don't y'all?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have two of the YH-2, which are a later version of your HP-2. Hopefully the HP-2 was built better than the YH-2.

My HP-2 plastics all seem to be as good as new except for that cheapo thin flexible plastic on the adjustable band part. The design however is not so good as the pivot parts that attach the headband to the drivers part does make creaking sounds when you move your head or clench your teeth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif The YH-2 was built with foam in the earcup that completely decomposed over the last two decades.

The HP-2 ear cups are some kind of very soft plyable leather cushion. Mine did not deteriorate. Ear pads are kind of squashed in from about 15 years being neglected, squashed and contorted into odd positions in my junk box. But they seem fine.


Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well my YH-2's had crumbs of foam in the drivers when i bought them and i've never heard a K701.

My drivers are like 100% brand new. Sealed and no crumbs inside them. I am not saying that they are better than the AKG K701's but it surprises me how close the sound signatures are. It definitely presents more realistic midrange timbre than the K701 but overall is less bright in the highs (which is a good thing). I think the K701's might be a tad over emphazining the upper midrange or lower treble region giving it that airy sound but at the same time skewing the musical instrument to sound more stident than real life. The HP-2 seems to get this part of the region right. Also the K701 can harsh out my ears due to it peak in that upper midrange, lower highs range. The HP-2 no matter how loud I play it never offends nor harshes out my ears! (I have about 260 hours of burn in time on my K701's at this time). They both do not convey any bass well at all. Don't believe the folks saying it does bass well. There is no sense of bass at all to these phones. They have just enough bass level to give a satisfactory balanced sound but that is why they sound light and airy, no bass to muddy up the presentation! Not for bass heads, which at one time and still sometimes I am in the mood for. For bass sensationalism, I like my Sony MDR-7506 and Bose Triports and Bose On Ear Triports. The Bose On Ear Triports have the most powerful and deepest bass of all my headphones... to the point of overwhelming sometimes (maybe most times). Bass heads, go buy yourselfs a Bose On Ear Triport set! not kidding here either!


Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have had a lot of AKG cans but i hear that the K701 is a black sheep among them. So, i have no idea.

Hmmm, I don't know what you mean here by being the "Black Sheep..." but all I've mostly read were rave reviews after folks got used to their sound...
I can say first hand these are nice sounding cans but I don't think they are the ultimate end all in any headphone search. I find them best with real classic Jazz, not rock not smooth fake jazz, real jazz with real instruments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edit: I'm also hypercritical of the obvious chasm between sennheiser's development budget for premium dynamic headphones and sennheiser's marketing budget for same, so, I've never heard HD6x0 either.

I like my Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 headphones very much, but I don't find them exciting. They have a warm mid bass rich sound and somewhat of a twinkle in the highs. But there is a whole region in the highs that is subdued in the HD650 that makes it sound almost dull and lifeless at times. HP-2 again strikes the best balance here from what I hear comparing them. The Senns have the most bass of these phones. The Bose On Ear Triport wipes all of these headphones when it comes to bass output. Holy smokes! But the Bose On Ear Triport has somewhat subdued highs whose intensity varies depending on how I set the on ear pads onto my ears. I bought the Bose mainly to go with my portable IPOD's and Sony Walkman radios and portable XM and Sirius radios. Sounds great on those sources. I have a Grado SR-80 and Sony MDR-7509, and MDR-7506 buried away upstairs which I have not compared these cans to yet...