[SoAmusing777]

I sold Slants after a week or two of owning them... So I am in no way trying to advocate them. I prefer my custom-modded (not jerg modded) HE500s over them (as well as over Anax 2.0 modded HD800 and tons of other headphones).

What I am trying to say is that what you are saying is largely subjective. So please don't try to apply your perception of reality (which includes topic we are discussing now) to mine

Sup Ron! So your he500 are your favorites. Right on. You tried the 400i yet?

BTW, really enjoying the discussion here.

 

[zerodeefex]

 
 
I sold Slants after a week or two of owning them... So I am in no way trying to advocate them. I prefer my custom-modded (not jerg modded) HE500s over them (as well as over Anax 2.0 modded HD800 and tons of other headphones).
 
What I am trying to say is that what you are saying is largely subjective. So please don't try to apply your perception of reality (which includes topic we are discussing now) to mine

 
No, what I am saying is that the Slants, while great headphones, are technically inferior to the top flagships. The TR50p driver cannot bridge that gap no matter how good the mods (and they are freaking phenomenal). 
 
I dislike arguing on head-fi because most people don't understand things like performance in the time domain and ability to render fine details. With the HE-5, Luis achieved something pretty awesome in the Code-X. I wish I had the cash to send him a slew of other ortho flagships to see what he could achieve with more modding.

 

[Ron12]

   
No, what I am saying is that the Slants, while great headphones, are technically inferior to the top flagships. The TR50p driver cannot bridge that gap no matter how good the mods (and they are freaking phenomenal). 
 
I dislike arguing on head-fi because most people don't understand things like performance in the time domain and ability to render fine details. With the HE-5, Luis achieved something pretty awesome in the Code-X. I wish I had the cash to send him a slew of other ortho flagships to see what he could achieve with more modding.

 
The thing is I was not actually talking about the top of the top flagships... If you re-read my post, I was talking about the majority of flagships, not about the very best of them There are many many more headphone brands than Stax, JPS Labs and Sennheiser (and even then, it's too subjective... not everyone is amazed by Code-X or SR-009 so please realise this simple fact that not everyone is going to perceive reality as you are).

 

[Ron12]

Sup Ron! So your he500 are your favorites. Right on. You tried the 400i yet?

BTW, really enjoying the discussion here.

 
Well, they are my favourite because after applying my specific modding procedure, they become extremely versatile (no mid treble emphasis, no upper mid to low treble dip, no significant resonances, no congested soundstage + improved comfort). They don't amaze you in any specific aspect but also don't make you feel underwhelmed. I am listening to them for the last 4 or 5 months and I love them more day after day - this never really happened to me before. All these HD800s, LCD-3s, SR-009s etc. are surely ubergreat but only under specific conditions and mostly with specific genres of music. I listen to many genres from metal to EDM to folk to classical so I really need a headphone that provides a neutral FR and natural timbre - this is where my HE500s or Slants outshines many much more expensive offerings.
 
In other words, I am not really trying to advocate the pure technical ability of Slants or my HE500s to render hypermicrodetail or uberrazorsharp imaging or megafast transients... What I was trying to say is that:
 
1) The difference between quality mid-to-high-end to entry high-end AND pure high-end is not as big as is difference between typical low-fi and mid-fi headphone... and therefore you can be pretty much happy with HE500s as well as HD800 in the end (to go on with my previous comparison).
 
2) And that even when you spot differences, it's not like HD800 outshines HE500 in everything (from 100 %). HD800s are better at something, HE500 at something... Maybe HD800s are 80% better for you but I would be really surprised if you were unable to spot at least a thing or two where HE500 has the advantage. This was always true from my experience, regardless what high-end headphone I had a chance to try.
 
Btw, I loved the bass of HD800... One of my favourite one, along with HE-4's bass. However, I didn't love the mids and treble of HD800 because they weren't compatible with all of my music and I soon became paranoid enough to select recordings which I was going to buy only because of the analytical nature of the Senns.
 
 
EDIT: Just to answer the question - no and I am not planning to honestly because I don't find them interesting enough. I was looking at the HE-560 primarily but it seems these are not the headphones for me, at least until someone finds out a way to correct their issues... Until then, I will have to stay with HE500s it seems.
 
 
EDIT 2: A very good post which contains a paragraph which exactly matches what I was trying to say
 
'So don't worry about how good the HE-100 is or how much it costs. I remember my first Head-Fi meet, I took my Benchmark DAC1 and a Denon AH-D5000. I expected to be blown away by everything. In the end, after hours of trying all sorts of things, I decided that the old beat up used DAC1 of mine was solid gold, and I'll never part with it. Some other people would laugh at that, and say they think the DAC1 is ugly and sounds weak/boring. They'll go out and buy the $9000+ DACs and only be happy with that. They're not wrong. Neither am I though - a lot of this stuff just plain comes down to opinion and price often has very little to do with the actual experiences you get. And I decided that the AH-D5000 did a few things that even the SR-007 or the LCD-3 didn't do, and all objective stuff about overall realism and beauty aside, every single headphone there had strengths and compromises and not a single headphone was everyone's favorite, and some of the most affordable things were impressing people.'
 
(from http://www.head-fi.org/t/748334/hifiman-he1000-planar-dynamic-flagship/45#post_11174617)

 

[SoAmusing777]

   
Well, they are my favourite because after applying my specific modding procedure...
 
 
EDIT: Just to answer the question - no and I am not planning to honestly because I don't find them interesting enough. I was looking at the HE-560 primarily but it seems these are not the headphones for me, at least until someone finds out a way to correct their issues... Until then, I will have to stay with HE500s it seems.

Got it! Right on. I was gonna ask about the 560 as well. Good to know. Good read.

 

[Ron12]

  Got it! Right on. I was gonna ask about the 560 as well. Good to know. Good read.

 
The problem is that once you get enough experience, live with significantly different sounding high-end headphones for several years, you figure out and develop certain preferencies, or should I say a list of priorities from the most to the least important ones? This will be your guideline... This is what will differentiate all those great flagship headphones from each other to you and tell you what you prefer and what not.
 
Once you move above a certain price (quality) point, it is simply not as straightforward as going from low-fi to mid-fi where the difference is really big so you just hear from the first second that you moved up in quality, in all sound aspects... You don't hear the excessive graininess, resonances and cavernous effect, significant lack of transparency, speed (transients and decays) or natural timbre and these things anymore. Once you are there, in the top-tier, all the headphones are very good and that's why you have to apply (intentionally or intuitively) your list of priorities to choose the best flavour. Some offer better detail, some better soundstage, some better bass, some better mids, some better timbre and so on.
 
I know that I am repeating myself... but it's a really important thing to understand. Don't let anyone force you to believe that you must find HD800, SR-009 or Abyss better than Slants or HE-500 (or D5000 or whatever). They are as biased and subjective as anyone else in this hobby. I love my HE-500 but I don't think they are the best from the absolute perspective - they are just the best relatively to my needs and tastes, that's all. I am not telling anyone to like them... And that's what everyone should be doing - confessing what they love and why but not trying to convince the others to accept their subjective impressions and beliefs as the ultimate truth.

 

[zerodeefex]

We've started garbaging up the thread and your posts. There is technical merit and there is enjoyment. I won't debate with you that there are cans like the Floats or HD800 or insert stuff at the very top here that, when driven well out of a ridiculous chain(which 99% of people have never heard), don't transcend quite a few other cans. I thought I was happy with the SR-007 mk1 out of the KGSSHV until I heard what the best of the best could do and never looked back.
 
The Slants are a great headphone. They're not technically the best headphone I've ever heard, but for a one and only, they hit the spot. They're one of the most balanced headphones I've ever heard and are closed and (almost 100%) sealed to boot. They're surprisingly easy to drive for an ortho and are probably the full sized headphones I'd recommend for mixed use across the board. LFF has a magical touch and his meticulous nature when mastering really shines through in the quality of his mods.

 

[Ron12]

  We've started garbaging up the thread and your posts. There is technical merit and there is enjoyment. I won't debate with you that there are cans like the Floats or HD800 or insert stuff at the very top here that, when driven well out of a ridiculous chain(which 99% of people have never heard), don't transcend quite a few other cans. I thought I was happy with the SR-007 mk1 out of the KGSSHV until I heard what the best of the best could do and never looked back.
 
The Slants are a great headphone. They're not technically the best headphone I've ever heard, but for a one and only, they hit the spot. They're one of the most balanced headphones I've ever heard and are closed and (almost 100%) sealed to boot. They're surprisingly easy to drive for an ortho and are probably the full sized headphones I'd recommend for mixed use across the board. LFF has a magical touch and his meticulous nature when mastering really shines through in the quality of his mods.

 
AFAIK, there is no worldwide standard of objective evaluation of headphones and therefore all the claims about one headphone being technically superior to another is subjective, as already said. We may agree on many things as far as technicalities are concerned, using our ears and brains for evaluation (which are both similar and different to a certain degree)... But until someone develops a uniform technique how to objectively assess all important aspects related to technical quality of a headphone, it's still only about opinions. I realise this very important point - and hope you too as well.

 

[adamaley]

Alright, well....ahem. Anybody around the Minneapolis metro with the Slants interested in getting together tomorrow to listen to them against the Enigmas? It'd be fun to get to the bottom of their comparative qualities.

 

[Maxx134]

Hey alot of posting here so I like to clarify my post.

The problem I see with your post is that your description is too good to be true....

While I agree these sound quite different than your typical T50RP mod, I would like to point out some things where I feel I should try to offer a counterpoint or correction because of your (in my opinion) too-good-to-be-true impressions (so please don't take it negatively).

"Once you get into high-end territory, all the headphones are good enough to satisfy you IMHO and it's more about finding the flavour that suits you (and your music) the best."

I have to agree on this...

I also have to agree, and concede that when I am optimistic about a can it tends to seem like its more than what it is,
Basically it was the qualities I tried to point out, I believe still holds true.
My intention was to describe the can's sound.

Also, I would put the slants in terms of pure musical enjoyment, with only the best I herd, because of the end resulting satisfaction that you get..

With Slants You don't feel like your missing anything,
While most top cans seem to excel at a few things so well,
that it stands out like a sore thumb. ..(hd800 soundstage; he6 dynamics; LCD3 bass)
In other words cohesive balance of the whole sonic image.

Another sonic point I like to mention Is that many top headphones don't have the sonic "height" (tallness) of an hd800, but this slant did come close more so than others..

Also I don't agree that a closed can is inherently a negative trait.
Ultrasones ed8 & sig pros are great examples.
So yes it is a closed can and no closed can will sound like open but this type of closed can portrays the sound where it uses this quality as its strengths.
The slant makes up for lack of uber soundstage by using its closed in potential to more clearly point out details or layers from its quiet deeeep background.
I still say soundstage similar size or larger than an AlphaDogs, which is no slouch at all.

I don't agree with some posters saying there is lack of ultimate detail because I believe it has to do with the amp.
My Oppo HA1 has alot power to give the slant which I believe helps imorove detail and bass quality.
Running them balanced with powet they simply scale up.

So to me I am not hearing boomyness, I hear more bass wich is of a slam type combined with body or thickness to it which reminded me of lcd.
I guess my post makes it seem that it has lcd bass so your correct it does not.
It has its own unique bass.
Again must point out the bass is unlike any of the other t50rp mods I have herd it is a satisfying organic type bass that is the top reason I could not believe it was a t50rp driver. .

Also I am not hearing any plastic sound at all,
which I have herd in lesser small cans..
What I hear is liquid and and my oppo HA-1 tends to be on the bright side in terms of signature.

I remember what "plastic sound " is,
I believe it is a treble/reverb quality that does that.
I also know with trebles,
Your sensitivity is highly dependent on your ear shape & ear canal shape.
Some people may be more sensitive.
I found the he400 &500 to be a bit agressive in that area while the he6 excelled untill the he560 came wich depending on what your preferences are, can be better,
as he560 lacks ultimate prat of he6 but gains soundstaging over the he6.

I would say you can't go wrong with these cans, FULLY MODDED ONLY..:
Hd800
He560
He6
Lcd2
But they also need to have also the equipment to make them shine.

The Slants "may not" be "better" than any above(!)...BUT,
they nevertheless manage to be in the same catagory ..why?

Because:
1- Slants also get Better with more power, just as resolving as any above as I am easily hearing details with more "presence" than usual in background details.
2- They're already moded.
3- Not as picky with equipment.
4- Have great sonic tonality balance with realism which easily places them in top can status on a musically satisfying level.
5- Have no "closed can" peer or equal,
(Edit) with very possible exception to competition of new tuned Vibro & Alpha Prime...

So in this view I can say my over optimistic post did have some merit.
AND your taming it down also had some merit (!) Lol


To balance this second positive post of mine...
THe biggest problem with the slants is price.(!)

The ZMF ViBRO gives more for money while being more musical to me than the AlphaDogs and with new tunning should be arguably similar level overall sonically to these Slants ...
Yet remains to be seen if a large sonic impression and realism is matching the level of Slants.

The Alpha Primes are about 300 more and arguably sonically superior...
It remains to be seen how much more it can surpass the vividness, slam amd impact I hearing on more power and balanced xlr out ..


So there you have it..

 

[gauchotodd]

   
I sold Slants after a week or two of owning them... So I am in no way trying to advocate them. I prefer my custom-modded (not jerg modded) HE500s over them (as well as over Anax 2.0 modded HD800 and tons of other headphones).
 
What I am trying to say is that what you are saying is largely subjective. So please don't try to apply your perception of reality (which includes topic we are discussing now) to mine

What mod(s) are you using for your HE-500s? The jerg pads are too much of a pain for me to try to make just for improving the earpads, but I do think (subjectively, of course) that the drivers of the HE-500 have more than enough potential to meet and even exceed the sound quality of the Slants. So I'm curious how you got to the level of enjoyment with them that you did.

 

[Jozurr]

If anyone is interested in selling their Paradox Slants pair, please PM me.