I’m about 45 days into a Darkvoice 336se. Enjoyable with 6xx. Contrast with Schiit Magni 3+ and Sundara. Now I can match my sound to “feelings” as needed. I was ready to resell 6xx until I got the DV. It really made that much of a difference to me.
AK SP2000: 9/10. Expansive soundstage, detailed. Only Roon Ready
Focal Stellia: 6/10 Highly resolving, mids seem thin, not very ‘musical’ (will be posting these for sale)
64Audio A18s: 7.5/10 my new daily driver. Loads of detail. Solid soundstage layering and height. Warm. Smooth highs
iFi Diablo: 6/10 Powerhouse. Clean sound. MQA implementation questionable. Build/design is marginal.
Upgraded from Abyss Diana V2 to AB-1266 TC, I gave Diana 9/10, which means AB-1266 is definitely 10/10.
Sold Chord Hugo TT 2 and bought dCS Bartok with integrated headphone amplifier, since I gave TT2 9/10, Bartok gets 10/10.
Don't forget these ratings are subjective and relative. I have no idea where to go after 10/10, haha. There is some other gear I am eyeing now, Viva Egoista 845 tube amp, Rossini/Vivaldi Master Clock for my Bartok. Remember, I need all-in-one device (like TT2 or Bartok) to be the base of my system, as I listen from various rooms in the house and only one is my proper listening room that has all the other equipment, which is too heavy to walk around the house with. If Rossini DAC had a headphone amplifier, that would be my next step (maybe one day dCS adds it, who knows).
Well, it has been an exciting little while. Since April 19th I have gotten four sets of headphones, including my fourth set today. I am happy to say that I went 3 for 4!
1) The Audio Technica WP900's are up for sale. I would rate 6-7 out of 10. Extreme V-shape.
2) Next up was my trade, the Beyer T5's. A very good closed back with good bass and great isolation. A solid 8, if not 8.5.
3) Next up was a bit of a surprise to me, The Monolith M1570's. I tried and disliked the M570's. But I love the Monolith amps so much, I wanted to try a higher end model. Amazon.ca had a sale and here we are. The weight is Substantial, but I don't notice it on my head, just when I pick them up or put them down. I LOVE these, especially with my Pro iCAN which really opens them up. The X-bass and 3D do major magic on these. Almost like listening to speakers. I give these an 8.5! And yet another pair that can never be worn outside.
4) The last of my new purchases arrived today after a fifteen week wait (including shipping to and from), the T60 Argons. After a few hours all I can say is Beautiful, light, comfortable and a very nice sound. Bass will be second only to my Cascades. I give them a starting rating of 8, but I can't firm that up for a few weeks. I got in a balanced cable from Hart Audio 13 weeks a go and it works perfectly, of course. The Liquid Platinum is really rockin' with these!
I am finished shopping for quite a while and am in the process of trying to sell some headphones, although I think the last three will be staying. I really do need to cut down the collection though. I have too many headphones that are just "good".
I LOVE these, especially with my Pro iCAN which really opens them up. The X-bass and 3D do major magic on these. Almost like listening to speakers. I give these an 8.5! And yet another pair that can never be worn outside.
Have had Fostex TH500RP for 28 days now. Got them brand new from a seller called "Tekzone" on Amazon UK, for the bargain price of £330 ($450 U.S.D). I would rate the TH500RP at 8.5/10 for sound quality, 9.5/10 for comfort and the cable 10/10. The older non-detachable headphone cable that came with Fostex headphones was/is second to none for build quality, durability and played a big part in their sound characteristics, in my opinion. High class, well made insulated braided Oxygen Free Copper cables are the way to go for superior sound quality, in my opinion. Next month when my monthly income increases twofold, I will seek to purchase a more suitable amp than the Focusrite one I currently have, for the TH500RP, as well as a closed-back headphone (most likely a Fostex TH610 or E-MU Teak).
Couple of new additions: DT 1990s and Bottlehead Crack. I will rate the DT 1990s 7.9/10 stock and 9.5/10 with Dekoni pads and eq. I bought the 1990s used locally and they came with a pair of Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads as well as the 2 sets of stock pads. I tried the stock pads (both the balanced and analytical pads) and no eq to get a since of how these sound stock. They are quite good stock but I had a hard time dealing with the big 8khz peak they have. I liked everything else about them however. After putting the Dekoni hybrids back on and applying eq the 1990s become truly outstanding imho. They are detailed yet full bodied and smooth (with pads and eq) with excellent bass. Vocals are outstanding also. The soundstage and imaging are excellent and build quality is superb. With the pads and eq they are becoming one of my favorite set of cans. They are also a great match with otl tube amps.
I'll rate the Bottlehead Crack an easy 9.0/10. I'm currently running an RCA 6SA7G power tube with a Valvo branded Mullard 12AU7 input tube. The sound is simply gorgeous tube goodness. It has plenty of power to boot. It's also a great match with the 1990 above as well as all of the higher impedance (150 ohms and above) headphones I've tried with it.
Couple of new additions: DT 1990s and Bottlehead Crack. I will rate the DT 1990s 7.9/10 stock and 9.5/10 with Dekoni pads and eq. I bought the 1990s used locally and they came with a pair of Dekoni Elite Hybrid pads as well as the 2 sets of stock pads. I tried the stock pads (both the balanced and analytical pads) and no eq to get a since of how these sound stock. They are quite good stock but I had a hard time dealing with the big 8khz peak they have. I liked everything else about them however. After putting the Dekoni hybrids back on and applying eq the 1990s become truly outstanding imho. They are detailed yet full bodied and smooth (with pads and eq) with excellent bass. Vocals are outstanding also. The soundstage and imaging are excellent and build quality is superb. With the pads and eq they are becoming one of my favorite set of cans. They are also a great match with otl tube amps.
I'll rate the Bottlehead Crack an easy 9.0/10. I'm currently running an RCA 6SA7G power tube with a Valvo branded Mullard 12AU7 input tube. The sound is simply gorgeous tube goodness. It has plenty of power to boot. It's also a great match with the 1990 above as well as all of the higher impedance (150 ohms and above) headphones I've tried with it.
Thank you and me too! I usually gravitate towards phones with warmer sound signatures. I found a good deal on them locally however and figured I would give them a try. If I didn't like them I could sell them for what I bought them for since they were selling for well below what I normally see them going for.
Anyways you are exactly right, the combination of phone, pads, and Bottlehead is stunning. It has the perfect balance of tone, detail, dynamics, and smoothness for my tastes. I normally wouldn't gravitate towards phones with this type of sound signature (in stock form), but I'm glad I took a chance and experimented with them. The combination is hitting all the right notes for me! Pun intended! Lol!
Two additions arrived this week. Astell Kern 2P2000T and Empire Ears Legend X Evo. I need to get through break in both before I share impressions and will compare to my SP2000 where I predominantly use A18s and A12t. I will say the Evo was quite the surprise. Monster base, textured, clean, no mid range bloat and, yes, it occasionally rumbles. You hear the music and feel the music, very emotive experience. Tonality of mid range is very natural, not thin, with more emphasis on upper mids. The bass slams harder than any of my headphones..quite impressive. Can wait to get more hours in with the SP2000T.
Thank you and me too! I usually gravitate towards phones with warmer sound signatures. I found a good deal on them locally however and figured I would give them a try. If I didn't like them I could sell them for what I bought them for since they were selling for well below what I normally see them going for.
Anyways you are exactly right, the combination of phone, pads, and Bottlehead is stunning. It has the perfect balance of tone, detail, dynamics, and smoothness for my tastes. I normally wouldn't gravitate towards phones with this type of sound signature (in stock form), but I'm glad I took a chance and experimented with them. The combination is hitting all the right notes for me! Pun intended! Lol!
Wow. You've got me sold...I've been thinking about and then skipping over the 1990s for 2 years now....I may have to pull the trigger. Of course, then I have to buy a Crack, which will be justified since I too like warmer/thicker cans
My delay on the crack, which admittedly is now many years behind the rest of our brethren, is I've been staring at the Decware CSP3 and wondering why not get that instead of the Crack? Admittedly more cost (not too much extra $) however, all the Decware junkies seem to be on an island in their own forum and not much discussion on Head-Fi about this amp....yet I digress
Wow. You've got me sold...I've been thinking about and then skipping over the 1990s for 2 years now....I may have to pull the trigger. Of course, then I have to buy a Crack, which will be justified since I too like warmer/thicker cans
My delay on the crack, which admittedly is now many years behind the rest of our brethren, is I've been staring at the Decware CSP3 and wondering why not get that instead of the Crack? Admittedly more cost (not too much extra $) however, all the Decware junkies seem to be on an island in their own forum and not much discussion on Head-Fi about this amp....yet I digress
Thanks! I do need to add that I still eq the 8khz peak also even with the pads and running on the BHC. It's a great combination though.
That's interesting about the Decware. I am familiar with them for two channel speaker systems. I had a set of ZU Omen speakers that I was considering getting a Decware amp for as they are a popular pairing with ZU speakers. I was powering the ZUs with a Rogue Eighty-Eight Magnum running on triode mode with a Joule Electra preamp and it was a sweet setup. My lady has the ZUs now combined with a Sansui G-5000 receiver. She loves them and I'm not getting them back! Lol!
Anyways I wasn't aware that Decware made headphone amps. I imagine with the Decware being single-ended with relatively low power you could use a speaker level to 4-pin XLR headphone adaptor and it would be a perfect setup with headphones. I use one of those with my Primaluna Prolugue 4 transformer-coupled tube amp to power most of my planar headphones. Since its transformer coupled it doesn't mind low impedance planars. Having 40 wpc on tap doesn't hurt either lol! It opens up planars unlike any other. Modhouse Argons are child's play on this amp. Thank you for mentioning the Decware. I'm going to look into that. Cheers and happy listening!
Wow. You've got me sold...I've been thinking about and then skipping over the 1990s for 2 years now....I may have to pull the trigger. Of course, then I have to buy a Crack, which will be justified since I too like warmer/thicker cans
My delay on the crack, which admittedly is now many years behind the rest of our brethren, is I've been staring at the Decware CSP3 and wondering why not get that instead of the Crack? Admittedly more cost (not too much extra $) however, all the Decware junkies seem to be on an island in their own forum and not much discussion on Head-Fi about this amp....yet I digress
Checking out the CSP3 now. That looks stunning. If it sounds as good as it looks.....wow! Thank you for mentioning that. I didn't know Decware made a headphone amp.
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