[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Agreed. My personal tastes tell me that O2 I > HD800 > O2 II, regarding the overall impression, but the bass quality alone as well. So I am very curious of comparing the O2 MkI to the Grado PS1000 some day as these headphones seem to be the ultimate choice of current production dynamics and electrostatics respectively.

The PS-1000 are more forward and richer in the mids, and have a more pounding bass. More of a flavor of their own.

 

[majkel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif The PS-1000 are more forward and richer in the mids, and have a more pounding bass. More of a flavor of their own.

For me they are closer to the reality than the HD800 due to very accurate, fluent decay. On the HD800's I feel it's shortened making the sound a bit damped. It's audible on electric guitar distortions lacking the last finish on the HD800. Also, the HD800 don't use enough air to produce the bass. It should be more free-flowing. Of course, this is my opinion and my point of view.

 

[brat]

I want to ask the owners of both discussed cans: what is the bass quantity (and quality of course) of HD800 compared to O2mk2/mk1?
The k701 have exhausted my patience for bass-light "high end" headphones. I see opinions here that make me apprehend about HD800's bass quality...

 

[ServinginEcuador]

My .02: when I owned the O2 I could never get any impact from them, and the bass below about 60Hz didn't exist. I tried breaking the seal, rotating the pads, and nothing worked. In the end I was really sad to let them go, but now really enjoy the HD800 so much I don't consider the O2 an option.

 

[spritzer]

To increase or decrease the bass impact on a SR-007 you should adjust the angle of the arcs and thus the pressure by which the fix the earpieces to the head. A properly setup SR-007 will out slam nearly anything out there (even the mighty Fostex T-50 Mk1) but it has to matched to the users head.

 

[brat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif To increase or decrease the bass impact on a SR-007 you should adjust the angle of the arcs and thus the pressure by which the fix the earpieces to the head. A properly setup SR-007 will out slam nearly anything out there (even the mighty Fostex T-50 Mk1) but it has to matched to the users head.

The slam-need seems to be the most irritating problem of O2mk2 for me too!
Please, explain which archs or give me a link (I have a memory for such a discussion somewhere in this forum)

 

[spritzer]

The arc's are the two pieces of metal which go over your head. Since the cups can't swivel like 99.99999% of all headphones then the angle and the force presented by the arcs on your particular head can have a rather large impact on the sound. You might have the perfect fit in the stock configuration or need some minor adjustments like I did but in extreme cases then the arcs have to be reformed quite a bit. There are really two adjustments which have to be made, the angle of attack for the drivers i.e. where they are in context to the ears and the force presented on the head as a whole and thus how compressed the earpads are. A small change here can male all the difference in the world.

There is no guide to do this so trial and error is the only way. Some of this may also not translate over to an unmodded Mk2/A set as I've never tried it. I will be getting a set of Mk2's soon so I may try it before doing the mods just to see if it translates. The bass is rather different between the two Mk's so while the Mk2 has much more midbass presence (a coloration IMO) and muted extension, the Mk1 extends for ever with a lean midbass.

One thing, the amp is a huge factor in getting a decent amount of slam out of these phones. They are very hard to drive properly and if the amp can't deliver a stable voltage swing then it will show in the bass output. A 717/727 is a good base line and a properly built KGSS/BH even better.

 

[Anders]

What spritzer says about the adjustments is very important and I am grateful for the advice I got on this last year. It is not easy to discover the importance of the pressure against the head and the compression of the ear pads. But it is important for bass impact. It is tricky too because it is more about finding the optimal pressure than maximum pressure. Too loose is bad, very tight is not the best either. That said, bass impact is still somewhat lacking with Stax 717 and I hope and believe that there are more powerful amplifiers (e.g. Blue Hawaii SE).

Otherwise, I doubt the meaningfulness of the the question which is the best of O2 and HD800. My HD800 are very new but I suspect it will be hard for me to get a clear preference for one over the other - both are excellent and both will sound somewhat different dependent on system integration, maybe most for the O2.

 

[brat]

Today I've tried changing ear pads position by pressing them with fingers. There was an isignifficant change of overall impression but I don't think it solves the bass impact problem. Maybe the adjusting of the arcs must be preceded by amp changing.

[size=medium]WTB KGSS![/size]

 

[Lil' Knight]

^ hehe

I also looked for the KGSS for a long time but so tired of keeping bumping the thread. Finally I decide to go for a new one from Justin.

 

[Anders]

The pressure of the pads towards the head was rather important with O2 mk1. Of course, there will be no effect if the pressure is adequate from the beginning, but if it is too loose bass can be leaking. I don't know if it is the same for mk 2, they are said to leak bass by design and then the pressure may not have any importance.

Bass impact and slam will be far from perfect with any of the current Stax amps. Please tell me how it works when you got your KGSS.

 

[spritzer]

The MK2/A also has a different spring setup and taller earpads so what works for the Mk1 doesn't have to translate over to the newer model. Simple to fix really, just modify the Mk2...

 

[Larry I]

The earpiece on the Stax is asymmetric, in terms of thickness. It should be rotated until the thickness contour matches that of your head. I know that the inside of the pad is D-shaped, implying that the rounded side should fit around the back of the ear, but it is more important to have the pad provide a tight seal against the head. For me, that meant the rounded part of the inside is forward instead of back. If you don't get the seal correct, you will never get a decent bass response from these phones.

 

[SmellyGas]

I definitely preferred the O2 MK1's over the HD800. I personally found the HD800 far too bright, and I thought it enhanced the sibilance present in some recordings more than any other headphone in its class (compared to PS1000, Ed8, HD650). The tonal balance of the O2's is nearly perfect to me, perhaps slightly dark. The bass is just-right on the Stax. The bass on the HD800's was weak to me, especially in A/B comparison.

Non-audiophile recordings (designed for mainstream radio play) sounded just wonderful on the O2's. They sounded far too thin and treble-heavy on the HD800's, to the point where I found them fatiguing.

On audiophile recordings that are not bass heavy (e.g. classical), sometimes I preferred the HD800. On these tracks, I thought the HD800 had better mid-treble detail, although the O2's seemed to have more impact and presence in the midbass.

Almost everything I listened to (alternative, rock, pop, trance, and classical) sounded impressive on the O2's. This was definitely not the case with the HD800's. Tracks that contained lots of sibilant vocals were virtually unlistenable on the HD800.

Both headphones seem to have a sense of airy ambience and wide soundstage that I have not heard on other cans (including PS1000, HD650, Ed8). I just did not like the HD800 voicing, which I thought overemphasized the treble.

For reference, the HD800 was powered by a Lehmann BCL clone or an Audiotailor Jade (6AS7G/12AX7). I used an SRM-323II for the 007's.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Which one is better for classical music ?