[Priyajeet]

Your EQ isn't ON
j/k

 

[anon55]

Has anybody seen this before?
 

 
aperently you can mod these 50$ headphones to sound like a HD800 with more bass for the trade off of a little worse mids and highs.
 
delete this post if it was inappropriate, i just wanted to know whats up

 

[Roger Strummer]

Quote:

I don't know, but it's just a subtle boost of the bass.  Someone did mention that lowering the highs would create a similar effect with less chance of distortion, but since I'm hearing no distortion at all, I'll leave it there.
 

 
I'm now using my HD650's and am fine without any EQ'ing, though mind you, I'm using the crossfeed and one of the filters on my UltraDesktop.
My purist side would irk at the use of the filters, but I've since rid myself of that mental bias as well.
 
I'll give it another month or so before I give the HD800's another tour of duty.

Yes that's it! I asked because when you posted it the first time I tried it and thought it was pretty good but turned it off eventually and forgot about it, and recently I wanted to try it again, but didn't find it, so I thought the Bass Booster setting would be similar... and boy was I so wrong, with that thing the 800 gave the stock Pro900 a run for their money in bass quantity 

.
 
Anyways, what I found is that if one finds that the 800 have a little too much energy in the treble, an equalization like what you posted works wonders even if you are not equalizing the treble, and likewise reducing the treble has the effect of making you perceive the bass more even if you didn't touch it.

 

[Roger Strummer]

Quote:

Has anybody seen this before?
 

 
aperently you can mod these 50$ headphones to sound like a HD800 with more bass for the trade off of a little worse mids and highs.
 
delete this post if it was inappropriate, i just wanted to know whats up

(Unfortunately) There is more than frequency response to the sound of a headpohone (like transient response), which you can't fix with equalization. Heck looking at waterfall plots (that theoretically show the decay time across various frequencies) it seems that matching (exactly, or at least pretty close) two different headphones would be very hard.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

(Unfortunately) There is more than frequency response to the sound of a headpohone (like transient response), which you can't fix with equalization. Heck looking at waterfall plots (that theoretically show the decay time across various frequencies) it seems that matching (exactly, or at least pretty close) two different headphones would be very hard.

Not to mention, you listen with your ears.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Your EQ isn't ON
j/k

Yeah.  Deliberately so, since my current headphones doing head time are my HD650's.  I don't use any EQ with the HD650's.  I'm quite happy with their balance as is.

 

[SP Wild]

 
Quote:

I don't know, but it's just a subtle boost of the bass.  Someone did mention that lowering the highs would create a similar effect with less chance of distortion, but since I'm hearing no distortion at all, I'll leave it there.
 

 
I'm now using my HD650's and am fine without any EQ'ing, though mind you, I'm using the crossfeed and one of the filters on my UltraDesktop.
My purist side would irk at the use of the filters, but I've since rid myself of that mental bias as well.
 
I'll give it another month or so before I give the HD800's another tour of duty.

I'd be reducing the preamp gain if doing any boosting - you may not hear it, but on a lot of compressed recordings, it does enter digital clipping when any boosting is done.  I have JRMC on windows, which give a percentage reading of the signal.  No standard recording goes over 100 percent - compressed recordings hit the 100 percent ceiling all the time - when boosting anything, the signal goes over 100 percent - I then have to reduce the preamp gain to keep it below 100 percent, anything over 100 percent means it has entered digital clipping.
 
Also, doing the drum test track on the HD track download - the bass on the HD800 is just about spot on and rivals the LCD2 in reproducing an accurate kick drum - however on the test track the cymbals are a bit too splashy and the snare drum is tilted towards the treble.  If I were to EQ for a more balanced sound, I'd leave the bass and start by reducing the treble regions.
 
The downside with EQ ing the HD800 to either boost bass or reduce treble is that I would lose the "floating" "heavenly" female vocals that I love so much...and bring it down to Earth - and the truth is ugly.  Imagination is so much glorious if you ask me.  The LCD2 give me the truth, and sometimes - I just can't handle the truth! 

 
The upside with both these cans is that they provide a superb platform to perform EQ.

 

[sentinel90125]

I think the bass and treble are both great on the HD800, but I also listen at moderate to low volumes.  I absolutely love these headphones!

 

[grokit]

Me too, these headphones sound great with the WA22 just single-ended. In fact this is the best sound I've ever heard from this amp, and I never really liked the WA22 single-ended that much so I am quite surprised. I can't wait to try this setup in balanced mode!

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

Me too, these headphones sound great with the WA22 just single-ended. In fact this is the best sound I've ever heard from this amp, and I never really liked the WA22 single-ended that much so I am quite surprised. I can't wait to try this setup in balanced mode!

I might get the WA2. Do you know how it compares to the WA22?

 

[grokit]

Wouldn't the WA2 sound like the WA22 in single ended mode?

 

[SP Wild]

I've actually become a huge fan of these HD800s.  I have the T1 with me also, but it doesn't get any head time...without my LCD2s at the moment, the HD800 gets all the preference...even over my HD650s (I definitely prefer the HD650 over the T1).  I don't find the HD800s have lite bass, it is very present and very close to the HD650 in impact and presence but with much better refinement and extension.  To me comparisons between the HD800 and K701 are invalid...the HD800s have HD650 DNA, sharing the same qualities of smooth lower mids but with a treble emphasis that is lacking in the HD650 - which accounts for its "cooler" tonal balance, yet the more I listen the more they sound just as warm as the HD650, but smoother with less grain...with a "clarity" not present in the HD650, due to the pleasant treble emphasis.
 
I do not find the HD800 excessively sibilant...like in my D7000s - which are sibilant to the point that I cannot bear in a lot of recordings, any sibilance that does come up on the HD800s is far more tolerable and not so severe that it draws attention away from its strengths, as opposed to the D7000.
 
The tipped up treble gives a sensation of more smoother tonal transition up into it's treble emphasis...however, I can clearly hear the upper mid dip, that is not there with the HD650...I theorize that the dip is there to counter the broad treble peak...otherwise without it, it would sound "shouty"....a trait I find in the K701, which doesn't have the upper mid dip. 
 
So for me, the HD800s remind me more of the HD650 than the K701.  Warm and smooth like the HD650 in the midrange...but not as intimate, yet with superior clarity and an overall "cool" tonal balance due specifically to the slight broad band spike in the treble.  I like the HD800 character so much, that without my LCD2s, I wonder how I will feel about the LCD2s after I get them back?  How will I adapt to the lesser treble presence?  Going by the HD650s, hopefully, I won't have too much problems re-adapting to the LCD2s.

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

I've actually become a huge fan of these HD800s.  I have the T1 with me also, but it doesn't get any head time...without my LCD2s at the moment, the HD800 gets all the preference...even over my HD650s (I definitely prefer the HD650 over the T1).  I don't find the HD800s have lite bass, it is very present and very close to the HD650 in impact and presence but with much better refinement and extension.  To me comparisons between the HD800 and K701 are invalid...the HD800s have HD650 DNA, sharing the same qualities of smooth lower mids but with a treble emphasis that is lacking in the HD650 - which accounts for its "cooler" tonal balance, yet the more I listen the more they sound just as warm as the HD650, but smoother with less grain...with a "clarity" not present in the HD650, due to the pleasant treble emphasis.
 
I do not find the HD800 excessively sibilant...like in my D7000s - which are sibilant to the point that I cannot bear in a lot of recordings, any sibilance that does come up on the HD800s is far more tolerable and not so severe that it draws attention away from its strengths, as opposed to the D7000.
 
The tipped up treble gives a sensation of more smoother tonal transition up into it's treble emphasis...however, I can clearly hear the upper mid dip, that is not there with the HD650...I theorize that the dip is there to counter the broad treble peak...otherwise without it, it would sound "shouty"....a trait I find in the K701, which doesn't have the upper mid dip. 
 
So for me, the HD800s remind me more of the HD650 than the K701.  Warm and smooth like the HD650 in the midrange...but not as intimate, yet with superior clarity and an overall "cool" tonal balance due specifically to the slight broad band spike in the treble.  I like the HD800 character so much, that without my LCD2s, I wonder how I will feel about the LCD2s after I get them back?  How will I adapt to the lesser treble presence?  Going by the HD650s, hopefully, I won't have too much problems re-adapting to the LCD2s.

 
Would you look at this testimony from SP Wild. 

 
Never heard the LCD-2's or T1's, but I've heard the others you mentioned and I agree with all you said... and I mean all of it!  I boost the HD800's bass a tad and I love that effect. 
 

 

[Roger Strummer]

Quote:

I've actually become a huge fan of these HD800s.  I have the T1 with me also, but it doesn't get any head time...without my LCD2s at the moment, the HD800 gets all the preference...even over my HD650s (I definitely prefer the HD650 over the T1).  I don't find the HD800s have lite bass, it is very present and very close to the HD650 in impact and presence but with much better refinement and extension.  To me comparisons between the HD800 and K701 are invalid...the HD800s have HD650 DNA, sharing the same qualities of smooth lower mids but with a treble emphasis that is lacking in the HD650 - which accounts for its "cooler" tonal balance, yet the more I listen the more they sound just as warm as the HD650, but smoother with less grain...with a "clarity" not present in the HD650, due to the pleasant treble emphasis.
 
I do not find the HD800 excessively sibilant...like in my D7000s - which are sibilant to the point that I cannot bear in a lot of recordings, any sibilance that does come up on the HD800s is far more tolerable and not so severe that it draws attention away from its strengths, as opposed to the D7000.
 
The tipped up treble gives a sensation of more smoother tonal transition up into it's treble emphasis...however, I can clearly hear the upper mid dip, that is not there with the HD650...I theorize that the dip is there to counter the broad treble peak...otherwise without it, it would sound "shouty"....a trait I find in the K701, which doesn't have the upper mid dip. 
 
So for me, the HD800s remind me more of the HD650 than the K701.  Warm and smooth like the HD650 in the midrange...but not as intimate, yet with superior clarity and an overall "cool" tonal balance due specifically to the slight broad band spike in the treble.  I like the HD800 character so much, that without my LCD2s, I wonder how I will feel about the LCD2s after I get them back?  How will I adapt to the lesser treble presence?  Going by the HD650s, hopefully, I won't have too much problems re-adapting to the LCD2s.

Very interesting to read that opinion from you, to say the least. Although I've been wondering, are you listening the 800 with tubes or SS?

 

[dallan]

I hope that when you get back you don't feel that the LCD-2 is a bit disjointed.  That was my take after a lot of time with the HD800s.  But the LCD-2 does have some interesting bass impact and intimacy for those times when you want it.