[REVIEW] Aurisonics ASG-2 & 2.5 (with many comparisons)

[eke2k6]

Quote:

 
I've heard that many-a-times...The audio world will rip off your hand and finger your ass sooner than you think! It's the safest and deadliest hobby both at the same time.

 
 

 
 
No, I'm serious. It's not like others who find a headphone and say they're done. It's that between my HD600 and ASG-2, there's nothing else out there that I feel is worth the money to upgrade...aside from the SR-009/BHSE combo. I mean, I was using my iPhone 4 as a source to the BHSE, and it still ran laps around everything else in the room. It's truly end-game for me. Too bad the combo costs as much as a decent car.

 

[SoundFreaq]

Quote:

 
The thing is that the meet showed me how much of a circle this hobby is. Nothing else in there really made me say.."ok, I need this in my life." As far as personal audio goes, I'm pretty set for the foreseeable future...unless Vsonic finally releases that phantom planar IEM.
 
The SR-009 just puts an end goal to the hobby for me. My means of escaping the Matrix. I plan on getting it a few years from now and just giving the audio world my middle finger.

 
Yeah man, it won't stop. You'll realize you need a dynamic rig too. Stax doesn't do everything well. Demoing my TH900 side by side showed me I definitely won't be getting rid of it to fund the 009. 
 
Then you will start getting into collecting vinyl, then you'll become obsessed with turntables and cartridges, oh and the preamps. Then you'll wonder, when you own your home, what those mono-block amp'd 2.0 stereo systems are like. Then you'll have $100,000 home stereo. And a vinyl collection. Which you will be able to afford after a while. And it will be something you HAVE to have. : )
 
Me too

 

[vwinter]

Yeah man, it won't stop. You'll realize you need a dynamic rig too. Stax doesn't do everything well. Demoing my TH900 side by side showed me I definitely won't be getting rid of it to fund the 009. 

Then you will start getting into collecting vinyl, then you'll become obsessed with turntables and cartridges, oh and the preamps. Then you'll wonder, when you own your home, what those mono-block amp'd 2.0 stereo systems are like. Then you'll have $100,000 home stereo. And a vinyl collection. Which you will be able to afford after a while. And it will be something you HAVE to have. : )

Me too

This sounds like one of those "that would never happen to me" kind of moments, until it does. My wallet just left the country out of fear for my ability to control myself after reading that. God help me if I have the means and a DaVinci goes on sale for a few grand off.

I don't see any point in comparing speakers to IEMs to headphones. Different needs, purposes and perception.

Eke, you're lucky that you're not interested in side-grades.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

 
Yeah man, it won't stop. You'll realize you need a dynamic rig too. Stax doesn't do everything well. Demoing my TH900 side by side showed me I definitely won't be getting rid of it to fund the 009. 
 
Then you will start getting into collecting vinyl, then you'll become obsessed with turntables and cartridges, oh and the preamps. Then you'll wonder, when you own your home, what those mono-block amp'd 2.0 stereo systems are like. Then you'll have $100,000 home stereo. And a vinyl collection. Which you will be able to afford after a while. And it will be something you HAVE to have. : )
 
Me too

 
Good thing I don't like vinyl
 
Though, I do plan to buy all the CDs I pirated in my high school days 

 

[Theogenes]

Quote:

Good thing I don't like vinyl
 
Though, I do plan to buy all the CDs I pirated in my high school days 

 
You say that now... but a well-made vinyl record is just incredible. And talk about a never-ending money pit: even after getting a decent TT, phono stage, cartridge, etc etc, there are physical upgrades that seem much more consequential than those in the digital world. I upgraded the subplatter on my Rega P3-24 to a Groovetracer version, and the improvement was just dead obvious. 
 
Plus, honestly, anybody into the music of the past 15 years or so has a chance to circumvent the loudness wars by getting well-made vinyl-- which was one of my major reasons for getting into it anyway (I listen to a lot of metal, and some of the recording/mixing/mastering/whatevering engineers in metal apparently think dynamic range is an evil to be stamped from the face of the world). So a vinyl version of an otherwise f@#$%d recording may actually be vastly better-- see also, the Red Hot Chili Peppers discography.
 
Eke, I wish ya all the best, buddy!! But with addicts of any kind, there's always one more score, and I find we're no different. I hope you have vastly better self-control than I do

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

 
You say that now... but a well-made vinyl record is just incredible. And talk about a never-ending money pit: even after getting a decent TT, phono stage, cartridge, etc etc, there are physical upgrades that seem much more consequential than those in the digital world. I upgraded the subplatter on my Rega P3-24 to a Groovetracer version, and the improvement was just dead obvious. 
 
Plus, honestly, anybody into the music of the past 15 years or so has a chance to circumvent the loudness wars by getting well-made vinyl-- which was one of my major reasons for getting into it anyway (I listen to a lot of metal, and some of the recording/mixing/mastering/whatevering engineers in metal apparently think dynamic range is an evil to be stamped from the face of the world). So a vinyl version of an otherwise f@#$%d recording may actually be vastly better-- see also, the Red Hot Chili Peppers discography.
 
Eke, I wish ya all the best, buddy!! But with addicts of any kind, there's always one more score, and I find we're no different. I hope you have vastly better self-control than I do

 
The thing is that I don't really listen to genres that participate in the wars.
 
if I kicked heroin, I'm pretty sure I can kick audio!
 
(kidding)

 

[gnarlsagan]

This is why an objective standard is important. Otherwise no end game in audio makes sense.

 

[Eugguy]

I may not have an in-depth vinyl setup... I still mix/dj with vinyl if that counts! Haha, I thought I spent alot of money on DJ/Pro Audio Equipment...I can easily see how being an Audiophile can trump what I've spent on any other equipment. I'm still heavy into iems. I just love the unique portability and sound from them. I have yet to really step into totl headphones, amps, and speakers. So...who knows what the future and my wallet holds...

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

This is why an objective standard is important. Otherwise no end game in audio makes sense.

 
I may be misunderstanding you, but the very concept of end-game is far from objective.

 

[kkcc]

 
You say that now... but a well-made vinyl record is just incredible. And talk about a never-ending money pit: even after getting a decent TT, phono stage, cartridge, etc etc, there are physical upgrades that seem much more consequential than those in the digital world. I upgraded the subplatter on my Rega P3-24 to a Groovetracer version, and the improvement was just dead obvious. 
 
Plus, honestly, anybody into the music of the past 15 years or so has a chance to circumvent the loudness wars by getting well-made vinyl-- which was one of my major reasons for getting into it anyway (I listen to a lot of metal, and some of the recording/mixing/mastering/whatevering engineers in metal apparently think dynamic range is an evil to be stamped from the face of the world). So a vinyl version of an otherwise f@#$%d recording may actually be vastly better-- see also, the Red Hot Chili Peppers discography.
 
Eke, I wish ya all the best, buddy!! But with addicts of any kind, there's always one more score, and I find we're no different. I hope you have vastly better self-control than I do

 
I'm actually hoping the progress on the head-fi front would help to reverse (slowly) the trend to mixing for the lowest denorminator in the industry. The loudness war and decreasing dynamic range to me is just to make their music sound better on the crappiest of the crappy gears - 128k mp3 on mp3 players/phones with dollar buds. When I'd never be caught dead in a pair of Beats, I should thank them for bringing realization to the mass that their music can sound better than iBud with iDevices.

 

[kkcc]

This is why an objective standard is important. Otherwise no end game in audio makes sense.

 
I understand where you're coming from and a "reference" or "benchmark" is always good. But to me "end game in audio" is an oxymoron in itself. I can't even define or set on an end-game for head-fi just for myself!

 

[gnarlsagan]

I may be misunderstanding you, but the very concept of end-game is far from objective.

Then anything can be an end game or "the best" at any moment. Nothing makes anything better than anything else. It's logically incoherent.

Does Stax tune the SR009 by ear? Or by a standard?

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

Then anything can be an end game or "the best" at any moment. Nothing makes anything better than anything else. It's logically incoherent.

Does Stax tune the SR009 by ear? Or by a standard?

 
But end-game is a personal thing. I much preferred the SR-009 to the Orpheus, but Nick Dangerous had the opposite view.
 
I'd imagine they do both. They first establish the technicalities, then go into tuning the "feel" of the headphone. Just like Vsonic selected biocellulose as their diaphragm of choice, based on its qualities, then went on to tune it to their taste.

 

[SoundFreaq]

I also liked the 009 over the Orpheus. 

 

[dnullify]

Quote:

Then anything can be an end game or "the best" at any moment. Nothing makes anything better than anything else. It's logically incoherent.

Does Stax tune the SR009 by ear? Or by a standard?

I've come to the realization that there is no "best" in audio - especially not in headphones. I've come to recognize thus far that there are instead fuzzy lines that separate general quality - that we can qualitatively agree exists, and roughly corresponds with certain price differences. For example, in comparing skull candy buds to TF10s pretty much anyone will recognize a clear difference in sonic quality... silly as it may seem there might be people who prefer the sound of the skull candys but even they would agree the TF10 is the superior product. Where the lines get fuzzy is with the under priced over performers like the newer JVC headphones (s400/500), or vSonic and meelec phones, headphones whose price don't line up with performance and are therefore more difficult measure.
 
These lines separate what i summarize to be tiers (primarily by price and mostly corresponding performance). Having read many reviews and listened to a modest number of headphones, it would seem that the closest one can get to describing how "good" a headphone is, is to recognize a general consensus as to what tier the headphone is in. Past that it comes down to pure preference.
 
I've owned Grado headphones - and recognize their sonic quality... however I simply can't listen to them. I find them too damn bright and almost painful to listen too, so they went to a new owner.
 
My approach to headphone reviews has been to pay more attention to how the sound is described as a sound signature, and how well the headphones are received. there's no "end game" because there's no "best headphone" - and the only true benchmark is a headphone of which everyone has heard and can use to subjectively compare all else to.
 
A review takes on a whole new level of relevance to me when I agree with the assessment/description of a different headphone by that reviewer.