[Alien HP]

I'm terrible when I'm given all those choices to make. I spent hours waffling between all the options and then ended just going with "brown." Alien HP's pair look gorgeous, so I'm hoping that's what "brown" is. Black honeycombs and black S grills to go with it. Maybe I'll get a little more adventurous once there's a Sash Quatro.

If you are referring to my SE, that's not oak painted in brown. That is zebrano which costs more. If that's what you want, I would confirm with Sasha. Brown oak looks like my 16 ohm Sash Tres which is for sale by the way if anyone is interested.

 

[Alien HP]

Don't worry about the wait time. It's well worth it and It's not as bad as with some custom made amplifiers. I'm a big fan of Tres 16/45 ohm. Heck, even Sash Deux was pretty awesome. I think 45 ohm version was good and comparable to best headphones in $500-1000 range but it was partly because it's so unique in it's presentation. Not because it's technically on the level of Hifiman Arya and such.

Tres Se is quite a different beast. It still has the "Sash Sound" but on technical level it has improved significantly. Now it's definately there with Arya...way beyond Audeze LCD-3, Focal Clear or Meze Empyrean. It's very detailed but very cohesive. Details won't distract but support the presentation. It's a big trick...a very big trick actually, on top of my head best example is Hifiman Susvara that is able to pull off that extremely detailed but mostly musical signature. It's quite awesome deal really. Like getting a $2000 headphone for $500 and getting it custom colored for free.

I'm swamped with projects so full review will take a month or two but I just thought I'd pop in with these early impressions. We'll not that early, I have like 100 hours on Tres SE now. And...as usual, high wattage tube amps are the way go.

Tres SE might come as bit agressive for some, if you're more accustomed to a laid back sound. Drums really SNAP! I like it, but some might prefer more laid back presentation for which Tres 45ohm is a good choice. I do like how Sasha went with organizing the models, Tres 45ohm is in no way obsolite. It's just the more mellow less technical and agressive model for people who prefer that.

Here is the graph with honeycomb and normal S baffle. Not much of a difference but I think honeycomb sounds more pleasent, less agressive and open. That 6khz peak is a measurement glitch so nothing to worry about

I wonder what color this is. Are all the metal parts painted in black? I remember I asked Sasha about painting the metal parts a while ago, and he didn't recommend doing that because he could not guarantee the paint would not chip off with time.

 

[senegalas]

Is there really an audible difference between s grill and honeycomb? Sasha told me they sound the same.

 

[Slade01]

Is there really an audible difference between s grill and honeycomb? Sasha told me they sound the same.

@Roderick put up the FR chart a few posts back. They are nearly identical…so should sound very close to the same.

 

[Slade01]

If you are referring to my SE, that's not oak painted in brown. That is zebrano which costs more. If that's what you want, I would confirm with Sasha. Brown oak looks like my 16 ohm Sash Tres which is for sale by the way if anyone is interested.

Did you have to to ask Sasha about using different woods or is Zebrano what he uses as a default on the SE?

 

[phthora]

Did you have to to ask Sasha about using different woods or is Zebrano what he uses as a default on the SE?

The default wood is oak, if I'm not mistaken, but with a selection of finishes to choose from. For Zebrano, you have to ask, but he was very gracious in changing my order. There was also a small upcharge to cover the difference in cost between woods, but absolutely worth it IMO.

 

[Alien HP]

Did you have to to ask Sasha about using different woods or is Zebrano what he uses as a default on the SE?

Yes, I had to ask for it. I took a small risk because I had little idea what the end result would be. But I am glad I went for it and I am happy with the result. I agree with what @phthora said above. Sasha does not charge a fortune for this like what other makers would do. You can try asking for other types of wood if you want. I think oak is a bit boring.

 

[Alien HP]

I wonder what color this is. Are all the metal parts painted in black? I remember I asked Sasha about painting the metal parts a while ago, and he didn't recommend doing that because he could not guarantee the paint would not chip off with time.

Just to follow up here. Sasha told me that's the white color. The colors are inverted in that picture.

 

[Slade01]

The default wood is oak, if I'm not mistaken, but with a selection of finishes to choose from. For Zebrano, you have to ask, but he was very gracious in changing my order. There was also a small upcharge to cover the difference in cost between woods, but absolutely worth it IMO.

Yes, I had to ask for it. I took a small risk because I had little idea what the end result would be. But I am glad I went for it and I am happy with the result. I agree with what @phthora said above. Sasha does not charge a fortune for this like what other makers would do. You can try asking for other types of wood if you want. I think oak is a bit boring.

Thank you both. I think if I were going for a traditional or natural wood tone color, I would definitely go Zebrano all the way. But I'm going for a colored one (blue) as a change of pace, so I think Oak is fine for that purpose. All the headphones that you guys have posted have been stunning!

 

[senegalas]

@Roderick put up the FR chart a few posts back. They are nearly identical…so should sound very close to the same.

Yes but for whatever reason he said that honeycomb sounds less agressive and more open. Could it be just placebo

 

[Slade01]

Yes but for whatever reason he said that honeycomb sounds less agressive and more open. Could it be just placebo

Because the S grille is a touch slightly higher in the treble peaks after the 3k region and onward looking from the graph. Also the S grille is a bit higher right in the mids, so a combination of both would/could give the perception of a more laid back sound from the honeycomb grille.

I suppose it could depend on how treble sensitive you are. Some can probably notice it, some it will sound about the same. You’re right, it could be placebo too.

 

[senegalas]

Still under harman target so wouldn't call that bright my variations are as bright if not brighter so I definitely won't mind it. For me the most worrying part is that recessed 1 to 3k region. Is that audible? Ear gain definitely starts climbing steeply instead of gradual climb.

 

[phthora]

Still under harman target so wouldn't call that bright my variations are as bright if not brighter so I definitely won't mind it. For me the most worrying part is that recessed 1 to 3k region. Is that audible? Ear gain definitely starts climbing steeply instead of gradual climb.

Nothing to worry too much about. That 1-3k dip is very similar to how the Arya v2 measures. On those headphones, the dip is audible in the sense that vocals are pushed back in the mix a bit and the soundstage feels deeper on the z axis as a result. Personally, I like a dip there because I find peaks around 2k grating, but that is of course subjective. You could check that thread to see how other people perceive that dip.

Objectively speaking, it's fairly broad dip so nothing will sound weird. It may just be that you prefer more presence in that area. Given the low distortion of planar drivers, the low Q of the dip, and the smoothness of the FR there (no other sharp peaks/dips to worry about), it should be fairly simple and unproblematic to EQ that region up some to suit your taste.

 

[Roderick]

Just to follow up here. Sasha told me that's the white color. The colors are inverted in that picture.

Yes, white indeed. It's just a very dark picture with a lot of blue light. Not photoshopped though.

Yes but for whatever reason he said that honeycomb sounds less agressive and more open. Could it be just placebo

Could be placebo. It does take a while to change grilles. More thorough testing is required. Not everything we hear can be seen on a frequency response graph. But again...IF there is a difference it's small one. Best to go with the grilles that look better to you.

Nothing to worry too much about. That 1-3k dip is very similar to how the Arya v2 measures. On those headphones, the dip is audible in the sense that vocals are pushed back in the mix a bit and the soundstage feels deeper on the z axis as a result.

Precisely! Common frequency response "trick" that especially Hifiman is famous for.

Tres vs. Susvara

 

[Thomasr]

Another session with the Tres 45 this evening listening to vocal-heavy alternative, folk, and fusion ...

These are just such musical headphones. More than any of my other cans, these are the ones that make me forget about technicalities and signatures, and just sink into the music.