[fischerb]

How does it sound with Nuforce udac2 headphones amp?

I listened E11 connected to my phone (Samsung S-8500) and I quite much enjoyed it. I found out it even better for the price than E17 or E11 + E7 (this combo I liked the most but the price gap compared to the phone which I already owned wasn't worth attention imho). These E17 and E7 weren't burnt in so it might be a bit too much of the judgement on them but they (especially E17) sounded so dead and "plastic" that I spend very little time on them (maybe it's another fault because I hadn't tracks I normally listen so I grabbed couple of the tracks from that shop).

What is wrong pairing them with Little Dot 1+? HM5 doesn't fit tube amps?

 

[peter123]

I think that they sound pretty good with the udac2 headphone out as well (they udac2 really is a little "magic box") but I think they sounds better when the E11 is fed by the rca out on the udac2.
 
My ears just get tired very fast when listening to them through the LD 1+, maybe I just dont like the match,
 
I just bought the udac2 (actually two of them

) the other day and have not yet paired it with the LD 1+, maybe that will be better than pairing it with my Adavanced Acoustic MDA503 (that is with the HM5, I really like this combination with all of my other cans).

 

[headsounds]

Just letting everyone know, my HM5s sound FANTASTIC with the Schiit MAGNI and MODI. 

 

[fischerb]

Quote:

Just letting everyone know, my HM5s sound FANTASTIC with the Schiit MAGNI and MODI. 

How did it sound before and with what DAC/AMP?

 

[headsounds]

I didn't have an amp or dac before. With the magni and modi, the HM5 becomes truly neutral, and instead of having a very laid-back presentation, the music now has character, and wow factor. 
 
The first time I put the HM5s on, I was completely amazed at what I was hearing in all the songs I've heard before. (They are my first pair of "hifi" headphones)
 
The same difference in overall sound quality I found then, occurred again when I added the magni and modi to the HM5s. In EVERY genre!

 

[campj]

I bought these with the intent of using them as my portable cans. I'm in the military, so I travel very long distances fairly often (more often than I like sometimes). 
 
I got them yesterday and they sounded good out of the box initially. Then I made the mistake of comparing them side-by-side with my modified Fostex T50RP. I decided almost right away to return them, but to my surprise (and dismay), I will have to pay return shipping back to Hong Kong because the headphones aren't defective. If it was spelled out like this on MP4Nation's website, I wouldn't have taken the risk of buying them without listening....
 
So, my new project is going to be modifying these to get rid of the weird cavernous sound they produce and try to make them a little clearer. If I hadn't compared them to the Fostex I probably wouldn't have had TOO much to complain about... lesson learned.

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

I bought these with the intent of using them as my portable cans. I'm in the military, so I travel very long distances fairly often (more often than I like sometimes). 
 
I got them yesterday and they sounded good out of the box initially. Then I made the mistake of comparing them side-by-side with my modified Fostex T50RP. I decided almost right away to return them, but to my surprise (and dismay), I will have to pay return shipping back to Hong Kong because the headphones aren't defective. If it was spelled out like this on MP4Nation's website, I wouldn't have taken the risk of buying them without listening....
 
So, my new project is going to be modifying these to get rid of the weird cavernous sound they produce and try to make them a little clearer. If I hadn't compared them to the Fostex I probably wouldn't have had TOO much to complain about... lesson learned.

 
Exactly how I feel about them and same exact shipping issue. My biggest problem is vice like grip. Stretching them doesn't work as they will work themselves back to the original shape. I have maybe less then 5 hours on mine. I don't even know if I can sell them on the Canadian audio market without taking a massive loss.
 
At least the pads are awesome for my CALs!

 

[kman1211]

Quote:

 
Exactly how I feel about them and same exact shipping issue. My biggest problem is vice like grip. Stretching them doesn't work as they will work themselves back to the original shape. I have maybe less then 5 hours on mine. I don't even know if I can sell them on the Canadian audio market without taking a massive loss.
 
At least the pads are awesome for my CALs!

I have the same problem with the vice like grip, I've had them about a year and the clamp never went away. I wish I returned them honestly. They also don't sound that great. They aren't bad, but I wouldn't say they are that good either. They lack definition, detail, and are on the dark side. They just don't stand up to my DT 990s or K240s.

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

I have the same problem with the vice like grip, I've had them about a year and the clamp never went away. I wish I returned them honestly. They also don't sound that great. They aren't bad, but I wouldn't say they are that good either. They lack definition, detail, and are on the dark side. They just don't stand up to my DT 990s or K240s.

When you think the DT990pros can be had for almost the same price as the Brainwavz you really start to question your purchase.

 

[kman1211]

Quote:

When you think the DT990pros can be had for almost the same price as the Brainwavz you really start to question your purchase.

 


Yeah, exactly. I find the DT 990s an underappreciated headphone. The AKG K240 is another one, there are many others that are somewhat overlooked and some are completely ignored. People know they are good but downplay them some reason and push headphones that simply aren't as good. I've become skeptical of headphones with excessive amount of praise. Some are good and some I wonder why people like it so much. Very few highly praised headphones I think deserve the praise they get. I find the headphones with too much praise tend to be more in the cheaper range and called giant killers or said to rival the more expensive ones when they don't even come close.

 

[elwappo99]

Quote:

 


Yeah, exactly. I find the DT 990s an underappreciated headphone. The AKG K240 is another one, there are many others that are somewhat overlooked and some are completely ignored. People know they are good but downplay them some reason and push headphones that simply aren't as good. I've become skeptical of headphones with excessive amount of praise. Some are good and some I wonder why people like it so much. Very few highly praised headphones I think deserve the praise they get. I find the headphones with too much praise tend to be more in the cheaper range and called giant killers or said to rival the more expensive ones when they don't even come close.

 
A very good lesson to have under your belt here around head-fi. I read comments/reviews with a pretty skeptical mindset. I ALWAYS look at the reviewer's history to see 
 
1. What equipment they own / how much experience they have
2. If they were provided these as a demo unit

 

[Hailin]

Quote:

 
A very good lesson to have under your belt here around head-fi. I read comments/reviews with a pretty skeptical mindset. I ALWAYS look at the reviewer's history to see 
 
1. What equipment they own / how much experience they have
2. If they were provided these as a demo unit

+1. I also to try to read multiple opinions on a headphone as well. Like movie and game reviewers you eventually find a writer you follow because your tastes are similar. First hand experience trumps all. That is why I have learned a valuable lesson buying from MPnation. Return policies above all else.

 

[kman1211]

Quote:

 
A very good lesson to have under your belt here around head-fi. I read comments/reviews with a pretty skeptical mindset. I ALWAYS look at the reviewer's history to see 
 
1. What equipment they own / how much experience they have
2. If they were provided these as a demo unit

Yeah, I find there is a lot of bias here on this site, so one has to be wary. Some people have rose-colored glasses or I should say ears when it comes to some headphones. I always either owned the headphone, tested them at the store, or tried out my friend's headphones. I've figured out my sound preferences finally, it's quite varied but somethings I can't overlook in sound. The Brainwavz HM5 was one of my mistakes that was influenced by this site, the HM5's are okay but not worth the price, the other mistake influenced by this site was the Sennheiser HD 555, which was quite bad imo, all it did well was soundstage and comfort, build quality is horrendous and the overall sound was grainy, oddly bloated, and lacked detail. Thankfully now I can try headphones easily before buying.

 

[campj]

Everyone who made remarks after my post, please go back in time one week and re-write everything you just wrote. I will read your posts, not buy the HM5, use my money for a portable amp, and all will be well. 

 
Seriously though, I modded them and they sound better. Not super, but worth $100.

 

[whoelse]

I am not commenting whether if HM5 is good but want to share my POV.
 
Good/Bad, Long/Short only arises upon comparison.
 
So when a headphone is good, which headphones is it comparing too? When it is detail, how detail are they and comparing with what?
 
When comparing with ibuds, my $20 Sennheiser HD201 is MegaHD-Fi for that instant. When comparing with my HD650 it sounds Low-Fi.
 
Sometime when someone upgraded their audio, the new purchase sound so much better than their existing one (that's why they upgrade in the first place). People share on the forum, more people purchase then and found it is true and recommended them. We men also like new toy, very much like when we are young "My toy is better then yours" and our friends wanting the same toy for themselves too. So when someone have more capable headphones purchased the same set, they felt disappointed.
 
So you see, use it as a guide but nothing beats listening to them yourself. Take Sennheiser HD800, these are expensive headphones that Sennheiser experts took make years of experience to produce yet some people hate it while some like it. Some even like a JVC $50 headphone better than the HD800. Taste is very subjective and then we have the type of music and amp/dap that are all difference.
 
So importantly, when something is good or bad it is good to know they are good comparing to what and vice-versa.