cegli
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2008
- Posts
- 43
- Likes
- 13
Thanks for organizing the meet! There were a ton of choices there, really overwhelming amount of possible combinations. Highlights for me were definitely:
HifIMan HE-500 (~$800) - When I first heard this out of the Burson HA-160d (expensive USB DAC/AMP) I thought they easily bested the LCD-2s/3s in some electronic/hip hop. Deeper, more controlled bass and also much more comfortable fit on the head. Something about the headstage was a little move removed than the LCD-2s "in your face" headstage, which was a good thing. I find the LCD-2s sound stage makes listening fatiguing sometimes. Then I played them through some less powerful amps and was disappointed by the sound. It was nothing special through a lot of the small amps. I thought maybe I had heard wrong in the beginning, so I took it back to the Burson again, and wow they still sounded great. So it seems they need a nice amp. The LCD-2s/3s were much easier to drive in comparison, and sounded great through lesser amps.
The LCD-3s still sounded much better on female vocals. That was definitely the thing the HE-500 was lacking, even nicely amped.
LCD-3s (~$2000)- Awesome headphone. Pads softer and more comfortable than the LCD-2s. As an ex owner of a pair of LCD2s, and now an owner of the LCD3s (got a great deal on them), they really don't sound too much different. If someone gave me an LCD-2 with zebrawood cups, I don't think I would have noticed. I would probably be able to tell the difference if I a/b'ed them in a quiet room.
Audiotechnica ATH-w1000x (~$500)- This was the biggest surprise of the event for me. I almost didn't try them because I thought they wouldn't be a decent headphone. I tried plugging them straight into my Nokia 5230 phone, and they sounded amazing completely unamped. They had a bit of isolation, but didn't give my ears that "I'm clamped under an airtight headphone" feeling that I hate. I expected them to sound somewhat like Beyerdynamic's closed headphone line, but they had a much wider sound stage, were easier to drive and had a much cleaner sound overall. I've been mulling over getting a pair now, because I could actually use them on the bus and on the go (mowing the lawn, doing laundry, etc). I don't think it gets much better for an unamped, semiclosed headphone. Maybe someone can prove me wrong?
There were a pair of ATH-w3000anv (~$1000) there as well, but I couldn't tell the difference with a 2 minute listening session, all the background noise, and no amp. They sounded great unamped as well. Would love to listen to them both a little more in a quiet room, good source, etc and really see how they compare.
----
Planx - Glad you liked those tracks! They're amazing. Anyone who hasn't heard it yet, definitely has to download the Ultrasone Demo CD. Track 1 is the best binaural recording I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot.
There were a ton of other great phones there too, but those were the ones that really surprised me.
HifIMan HE-500 (~$800) - When I first heard this out of the Burson HA-160d (expensive USB DAC/AMP) I thought they easily bested the LCD-2s/3s in some electronic/hip hop. Deeper, more controlled bass and also much more comfortable fit on the head. Something about the headstage was a little move removed than the LCD-2s "in your face" headstage, which was a good thing. I find the LCD-2s sound stage makes listening fatiguing sometimes. Then I played them through some less powerful amps and was disappointed by the sound. It was nothing special through a lot of the small amps. I thought maybe I had heard wrong in the beginning, so I took it back to the Burson again, and wow they still sounded great. So it seems they need a nice amp. The LCD-2s/3s were much easier to drive in comparison, and sounded great through lesser amps.
The LCD-3s still sounded much better on female vocals. That was definitely the thing the HE-500 was lacking, even nicely amped.
LCD-3s (~$2000)- Awesome headphone. Pads softer and more comfortable than the LCD-2s. As an ex owner of a pair of LCD2s, and now an owner of the LCD3s (got a great deal on them), they really don't sound too much different. If someone gave me an LCD-2 with zebrawood cups, I don't think I would have noticed. I would probably be able to tell the difference if I a/b'ed them in a quiet room.
Audiotechnica ATH-w1000x (~$500)- This was the biggest surprise of the event for me. I almost didn't try them because I thought they wouldn't be a decent headphone. I tried plugging them straight into my Nokia 5230 phone, and they sounded amazing completely unamped. They had a bit of isolation, but didn't give my ears that "I'm clamped under an airtight headphone" feeling that I hate. I expected them to sound somewhat like Beyerdynamic's closed headphone line, but they had a much wider sound stage, were easier to drive and had a much cleaner sound overall. I've been mulling over getting a pair now, because I could actually use them on the bus and on the go (mowing the lawn, doing laundry, etc). I don't think it gets much better for an unamped, semiclosed headphone. Maybe someone can prove me wrong?
There were a pair of ATH-w3000anv (~$1000) there as well, but I couldn't tell the difference with a 2 minute listening session, all the background noise, and no amp. They sounded great unamped as well. Would love to listen to them both a little more in a quiet room, good source, etc and really see how they compare.
----
Planx - Glad you liked those tracks! They're amazing. Anyone who hasn't heard it yet, definitely has to download the Ultrasone Demo CD. Track 1 is the best binaural recording I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot.
There were a ton of other great phones there too, but those were the ones that really surprised me.
) profitttt
