What better way to celebrate the 2020 Leap Day than a mini-meet at The Source AV?
I was very excited to be able to hear the new Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Open and Closed, and I’ll write my impressions in the respective threads. The short version is that they are both very good, and less different from each other than the first Aeon generation.
As usual, this was a great event that was well-attended and had many goodies to sample. Here are a few of my impressions:
· RAAL Requisite SR1a. This headphone has been the subject of much discussion and I was excited to finally be able to hear it. It looks quite different than a regular headphone – to me it looks like a WW2 interrogation device that the Gestapo would use on their unfortunate victims. Now you vill tell us ze location of ze secret transmitter, ja? Anyway, once you get it positioned on your head it’s comfortable. And the sound? You know the cliché of headphones that don’t sound like headphones? Well, these really don’t sound like headphones; they sound like nearfield speakers, which of course is what they really are. Very nearfield speakers. The sound was good; open, neutral and balanced with smooth highs. There is no sound isolation whatsoever so you’ll hear all outside sounds – and people nearby will hear it when you’re rocking out to Miley Cyrus. This setup used a Benchmark DAC and a prototype RAAL direct-drive amp. There was also a Schiit Jotunheim R (aka ‘Weldenheim’ since the RAALs electrical load is basically a short circuit), but I didn’t get a chance to try it.
· HEDDphone. This is another hotly anticipated product and I was happy to be able to try it. You know how some folks complain about the size and weight of Audeze headphones? These are bigger and heavier. In fact, they are downright huge. The sound to my ears was very studio monitor-like, meaning clear, neutral, open and transparent. Relaxed and laid-back? Not so much. There didn’t seem to be much sound isolation from ambient noise; I could easily hear my neighboring listeners discuss among themselves while listening to this headphone. An interesting product that you should listen to if you get a chance.
· Sennheiser HD 820. I tried this headphone at one of the previous CanJams but then kind of forgot about it, so I was happy to hear it again. The friendly Sennheiser rep also had a HD800S on hand for comparison and both were driven by a Sennheiser DAC/amp. The HD 820 can really play bass! Very deep and juicy and the treble is less prominent than on the HD800S, which has an overall leaner tonality with more treble energy. I prefer the fuller tonal balance of the HD820 and it doesn’t really sound like a closed back headphone. It looks very good too with the curved Gorilla glass back cover.
In addition to this I was able to luxuriate in the wonderful sound of the Dan Clark Audio Ether 2 and Voce headphones in a separate quiet room. These are both superb headphones!
Thanks to the vendors and everyone at The Source AV for a wonderful meet – see you all next time!
I was very excited to be able to hear the new Dan Clark Audio Aeon 2 Open and Closed, and I’ll write my impressions in the respective threads. The short version is that they are both very good, and less different from each other than the first Aeon generation.
As usual, this was a great event that was well-attended and had many goodies to sample. Here are a few of my impressions:
· RAAL Requisite SR1a. This headphone has been the subject of much discussion and I was excited to finally be able to hear it. It looks quite different than a regular headphone – to me it looks like a WW2 interrogation device that the Gestapo would use on their unfortunate victims. Now you vill tell us ze location of ze secret transmitter, ja? Anyway, once you get it positioned on your head it’s comfortable. And the sound? You know the cliché of headphones that don’t sound like headphones? Well, these really don’t sound like headphones; they sound like nearfield speakers, which of course is what they really are. Very nearfield speakers. The sound was good; open, neutral and balanced with smooth highs. There is no sound isolation whatsoever so you’ll hear all outside sounds – and people nearby will hear it when you’re rocking out to Miley Cyrus. This setup used a Benchmark DAC and a prototype RAAL direct-drive amp. There was also a Schiit Jotunheim R (aka ‘Weldenheim’ since the RAALs electrical load is basically a short circuit), but I didn’t get a chance to try it.
· HEDDphone. This is another hotly anticipated product and I was happy to be able to try it. You know how some folks complain about the size and weight of Audeze headphones? These are bigger and heavier. In fact, they are downright huge. The sound to my ears was very studio monitor-like, meaning clear, neutral, open and transparent. Relaxed and laid-back? Not so much. There didn’t seem to be much sound isolation from ambient noise; I could easily hear my neighboring listeners discuss among themselves while listening to this headphone. An interesting product that you should listen to if you get a chance.
· Sennheiser HD 820. I tried this headphone at one of the previous CanJams but then kind of forgot about it, so I was happy to hear it again. The friendly Sennheiser rep also had a HD800S on hand for comparison and both were driven by a Sennheiser DAC/amp. The HD 820 can really play bass! Very deep and juicy and the treble is less prominent than on the HD800S, which has an overall leaner tonality with more treble energy. I prefer the fuller tonal balance of the HD820 and it doesn’t really sound like a closed back headphone. It looks very good too with the curved Gorilla glass back cover.
In addition to this I was able to luxuriate in the wonderful sound of the Dan Clark Audio Ether 2 and Voce headphones in a separate quiet room. These are both superb headphones!
Thanks to the vendors and everyone at The Source AV for a wonderful meet – see you all next time!
