[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

I think Alan's point was that one should upgrade the source/amp before resorting to such mods...if you're using a soundcard to run these things, it's not surprising you feel the need to change their sound.

I  thought a Xonar STX  was enough good. And my mod is easy and reversible I  have no reasons to not do it.
Besides the snobbery (It seems that it is a blasphemy to get an improvement without spending lot of cash).
And I'm not sure that getting a better amp, will make a change to the magnitude of my mod

(it's striking).
 
 

 

[John In Cali]

But what is Head-Fi without the component snobbery?

Off topic?

 

[achristilaw]

  People...it's not about snobbery. Your plugging your latest Headphone acquisition into your gear, then hearing something amiss with the sound property....."it MUST be the new headphone". Sorry Charlie!...The system or chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Is the new load presented to the amp compatible? Is the new phone revealing or covering up problems elsewhere in the system? Was my source the culprit all along? Many...many things contribute to the end product....
 
  Having an "amp"...doesn't mean it's an amp-of-all-trades and uses. You realistically can't pass judgment about a Headphone unless your gear is at least compatible. Better still is above reproach... That isn't snobbery...it's Audio.

 

[ac500]

Nobody is saying that amps etc. aren't important I think. I was just making the point that people focus on a lot of things that don't actually need to be focused on when we're talking about sound quality. In other words, I think people should judge audio equipment based on sound alone through ABX tests -- there are just too many sources for bias and placebo otherwise (like what DAC chip is being used, price, etc. etc.)

 

[achristilaw]

Quote:

Honestly I don't know why people in audiophilia care about the internal electronic components when they're not electrical engineers anyway. You'd think that the soudn is all that would ever matter, rendering any discussion of internal components something that should actually be avoided -- because it creates bias.

I have two year formal A.S. degree in electronics, so I know enough to be dangerous. "Rendering any discussion about internal components" is what Audio is all about and should be encouraged. It creates KNOWLEDGE!

 

[achristilaw]

 
Quote:

 
You got a problem with op-amps buddy?!

  Seriously speaking, there is really nice sounding op-amp based gear out there with some even coming from China.  I know, I can't fathom it either.

  No...it's the cheap, entry level crappola I have issues with. The L3 (Phil LaRocco design) is above reproach. BUT it needs a compatible load....the JH13PRO is exquisite with it. I have two of the early LaRocco designs (Lisa and XP), the XP has a unity gain for Harvey's  I like and own the Meier Concerto (also used with Harvey's) and replaced the 797's with the OPA637's. Makes that amp more than listenable....again with compatible load. The HR-2, approaching ten years young in design, is very nice with the OPA637's and has a great synergy with the Senn 598...it isn't the last word in resolution or dynamics..but "works" with a variety phones.
 
  The more complex and harder to drive seem to be much more comfortable with discrete designs (IMO). The Harvey doesn't require the control that power brings. 

 

[R-Audiohead]

Quote:

 


Sad to say, the graph is completely incorrect, and tdockweiler can attest to that. He was the first one that disagreed with it, and I support his claim. I was unfortunate enough to try 3 pairs already (due to minor build quality issues) and none of them sound anything remotely close to that bassy. In fact, the SRH940 has more bass punch than these.
 
I would say this is more towards an accurate representation of this can, http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/KRKKNS8400.pdf but I still disagree about the mid-bass hump as I feel that the Shure SRH840 had way more mid bass than these.
 
dL

I wouldn't say the Shure has more bass punch, but I am in the same boat that thinks the FR response is WAY more balanced than the 940.
 
The KRK KNS-8400 is a sleeper can to my ears.  Very overlooked...
 
 

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

 


  No...it's the cheap, entry level crappola I have issues with. The L3 (Phil LaRocco design) is above reproach. BUT it needs a compatible load....[...]  I like and own the Meier Concerto (also used with Harvey's) and replaced the 797's with the OPA637's. Makes that amp more than listenable....again with compatible load. The HR-2, approaching ten years young in design, is very nice with the OPA637's

So you are suggesting only amp that cost more than twice the price of the srh940, great .... And I don't consider my xonar stx to be crappola (besides the occasional bugs) it has been praised by stereophile, and at head-fi too.  Also almost everyone said at begin that the srh940 are easy to drive, so why the xonar stx wouldn't be enough ? I  remind the endless discussions regarding the k701 regarding which amp to use, until I've seen that  unkle erik  said he just didn't like them with every possible amp he tried.
So maybe there's a miraculous and expensive amp,  that would help to unleash the full potential of the srh940 without modding them, but so far I'm just more satisfied with my mod, they are overall more musical/sweeter and that's all what matters (never listening to blade runner soundtrack has sounded so good).

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

So you are suggesting only amp that cost more than twice the price of the srh940, great .... And I don't consider my xonar stx to be crappola (besides the occasional bugs) it has been praised by stereophile, and at head-fi too.  Also almost everyone said at begin that the srh940 are easy to drive, so why the xonar stx wouldn't be enough ? I  remind the endless discussions regarding the k701 regarding which amp to use, until I've seen that  unkle erik  said he just didn't like them with every possible amp he tried.
So maybe there's a miraculous and expensive amp,  that would help to unleash the full potential of the srh940 without modding them, but so far I'm just more satisfied with my mod, they are overall more musical/sweeter and that's all what matters (never listening to blade runner soundtrack has sounded so good).

I owned both the ST and STX with all sorts of opamps...they're low-end sources/amps. (If you want a decent all-in-one on a very tight budget, get the Musiland 02US. Still, you could do better for the 940s).
 
Power isn't everything. The quality of the power matters more for most headphones. I usually don't get involved in these types of arguments because people eventually figure it out on their own through experience...so I'll stop here.

 

[stv014]

Quote:

I owned both the ST and STX with all sorts of opamps...they're low-end sources/amps. (If you want a decent all-in-one on a very tight budget, get the Musiland 02US. Still, you could do better for the 940s).

 
Objectively, is there any actual known flaw of these, other than the 10Ω output impedance of the headphone amplifier, which would render them "low-end" ? By objective, I mean reliable results either from measurements, or level matched double-blind testing of either the line output or the headphone output with headphones that are not significantly affected by the 10Ω impedance.
 
Quote:

If you want a decent all-in-one on a very tight budget, get the Musiland 02US.

 
From what I have seen, the Musiland 02US apparently has slightly lower specs than the STX. Maybe it has lower output impedance, but the fact that it can output more power into 120Ω than 32Ω suggests that might not be the case.
 
Quote:

Still, you could do better for the 940s.

 
The headphones have more effect on the overall sound quality than anything else in the chain (other than how the source music is recorded and mastered), unless some component is really bad. Upgrading the SRH940 would make more difference than upgrading the STX to anything that is designed for accurate sound reproduction, and is not deliberately colored in some way.
 

 

[dharma]

well, here is very small and simple overview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLOE2d2QIOU
(not sure, but if someone mentioned this link before, then sorry)

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH1840-Professional-Open-Headphones/dp/B0073A4FM4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328061643&sr=8-2

Front Row Electronics (Authorized dealer) has put up their Amazon listing for both the 1440 and 1840.

The 1840 is $700.

I'm interested, though I want comparisons with the others high ends.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Can someone post real impressions already?  This is stupid how little attention they're getting

 

[John In Cali]

Can someone post real impressions already?  This is stupid how little attention they're getting

Agreed, anyone order them yet, i would if i had the money, but then again id do a lot of things if i had the money.

 

[DivergeUnify]

Quote:

Agreed, anyone order them yet, i would if i had the money, but then again id do a lot of things if i had the money.

Tons of coverage of Skull Candy has been offered in the last 2 weeks, but one 3 minute video giving a breath coverage of Shure's which basically just functioned to say "hey we're selling these first come to us!"