[Pharmaboy]

My 650 don’t sound dark and veiled, they are just a tad warm with smooth treble. I’ve heard there are a lot of unit variations with 6XX though leading to some sounding not great at all.

I loved the sound of the stock HD650 from note-1 (didn't care much for the comfort, but I've had worse, too). I could easily hear why that headphone became a classic.

The worst things I could say about the HD650 were that the soundstaging is "intimate" rather than expansive (but that's actually ideal for what was designed to be a monitoring headphone); and the very bottom Hz of the bass are MIA (many other headphones are the same).

Didn't like much of what I read about the HD6XX. Sounded like the "improvements" in its voicing could be problematic, though I never heard one to verify for myself.

 

[Festive56]

My 650 don’t sound dark and veiled, they are just a tad warm with smooth treble. I’ve heard there are a lot of unit variations with 6XX though leading to some sounding not great at all.

You make a very good point. Waay back in the day i had a pair of real HD650’s which I sold for one reason or another. I remembered them fondly and when Drop offered the 6XX’s i snapped up a pair, but come to think of it, I‘ve always been disappointed in their sound signature. They've been sitting around for quite a while, and when I got back into the hobby, of course I used them, but I also bought a pair of Sundaras which I use almost exclusively. I gave my impression of my 6XXes with the Piety, but you could very well be right, my particular pair might be crap. Sorry man, not trying to offend anyone!

 

[bcowen]

If youre expecting a miracle, forget it. They still sound like 6XX‘s, dark and veiled. The piety sweetens up the top end some but its not a night and day difference in the phones overall. On the other hand, the Sundaras have a great synergy with the Piety.They sound sweet and clear, well balanced and detailed, without a hint of that sizzle and shoutiness that makes you want to quickly crank down the volume. A fantastic pairing that keeps me listening for hours…. Full disclosure; I just got back into headphones after about 15 years listening to Acoustat electrostatic speakers, so I may be a bit biased against dynamic drivers.

Ahhhh….Acoustat Model 1’s were the drug that got me started in all this. Loved their sound (even with the poor external woofer implementation), but hate them for throwing me headfirst into this rabbit hole (and then filling it with dirt so I couldn’t escape).

 

[Festive56]

Ahhhh….Acoustat Model 1’s were the drug that got me started in all this. Loved their sound (even with the poor external woofer implementation), but hate them for throwing me headfirst into this rabbit hole (and then filling it with dirt so I couldn’t escape).

Acoustat Model 4's, 4 panels wide each, with custom interfaces, driven with a Plinius SA-100 mk3, 100 watts pure class A power.

 

[hifixman]

Emm Labs is Home directly from DC Capital Audio Festival, meh with T2, ok with Riviera/ Luna, good with Viva, amazing with loudspeaker…

 

[judomaniak57]

Emm Labs Home directly from DC Capital Audio Festival

. very impressive collection.is that at a dealers or is that your setup?if is yours

 

[hifixman]

. very impressive collection.is that at a dealers or is that your setup?if is yours

No dealers have all of them in US as far as I know lol

 

[Wes S]

 

[lolbolpower]

That tube glow is amazing!

 

[karloil]

My humble desktop setup...all the while I'm into portables, now slowly going desktop....Just waiting for my new tubes...

 

[shwnwllms]

Rare full desktop photo (since I finally got around to installing some isoacoustic risers and can use my speakers again)

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

 

[bcowen]

Acoustat Model 4's, 4 panels wide each, with custom interfaces, driven with a Plinius SA-100 mk3, 100 watts pure class A power.

Oh man. I never had a Plinius but had a dealer/friend that sold them. Very musical. Spent a lot of time listening to the SA-100, but don't remember which version it was. I went the way of tubes, but for solid state the Plinius or the BEL 1001 (Brown Electronic Labs) would have taken up residence in my system.

 

[Festive56]

Oh man. I never had a Plinius but had a dealer/friend that sold them. Very musical. Spent a lot of time listening to the SA-100, but don't remember which version it was. I went the way of tubes, but for solid state the Plinius or the BEL 1001 (Brown Electronic Labs) would have taken up residence in my system.

One of the best features was the bias switch, for casual listening you could idle along in class A/B or flick the switch into Class A, and settle in with maybe your favorite mood enhancer for a close listening session.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Ahhhh….Acoustat Model 1’s were the drug that got me started in all this. Loved their sound (even with the poor external woofer implementation), but hate them for throwing me headfirst into this rabbit hole (and then filling it with dirt so I couldn’t escape).

Sure, this makes total sense.

"My Acoustat Model 1s ate my IRS tax return!"