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Originally Posted by Hirsch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why not? The open design makes it a natural for an external subwoofer, which several people have done. A good subwoofer in a K1K rig will give you better bass impact than any other headphone.
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That's an option but subwoofers are horrible things that sound like crap, no matter how much you spend. Unless you are willing to buy something like the Sound-Lab UB-1 but not everybody is willing to have a 2mx1.5m planar subwoofer in the room
Dunno why though...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirsch /img/forum/go_quote.gif
That is where the ES1 comes in. HE90 + ES1 goes deeper than any other headphone I've owned, except the K1K with external sub as mentioned above. This is where the weakness of the Omega II lies, as its apparent bass is a hump a bit higher up in the spectrum and not as coherent, while the HE90 seems flat all the way down, and bass sounds fully integrated with the rest of the frequency spectrum. You need the right tubes, though. I finally gave up on the EL34 types and went with the 3D21 adapter. That tube can kick some serious bass out.
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If you think that the SR-007 has a bass hump, you are not going to like the SR-Ω. Though I can't understand nor hear this hump people are talking about, the thicker diaphragm adds a different texture to the bass. It's the same when you move up to 2um and higher. The diaphragm thickness can be misleading as the coating has a huge impact on the sound.
The HE90 is rolled off at about 30Hz or even higher (it's in the Sennheiser specs) but this can be a good thing as many speaker users know about the horrors brought along with deep bass and how to control and diffuse it. The deep bass places a huge strain on the amp because of the excessive current needed to control, for instance the SR-007, at the lowest octaves. It's also the reason why the SR-007 can sound so closed in along with the fit issue.
I'm not surprised you gave up on the EL34 as it is a pretty bad tube. While I know that tuberolling works, it is only a band aid and I'm going to fix the problem with a new amp design. An octet of 845s will sure light up a room.
It will not be suitable for the He90 though as it might destroy them with the high voltage swing or cause some serious damage but it will work fine on both Omegas and most ESLs as well. I will go in a different way with the He90 as system matching goes, trying to build on their strengths, while not plunging into the land of euphony like some users have. I've been only using a SRD-7 lately and I might go with a transformer coupled amp, perhaps a 1:1 output trafo, to give them a bit more magic. Buying stock amps is for wimps...
Quote:
Originally Posted by morphsci /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Gotta second that 3D21 tube, but they are not inexpensive tubes. With the OII it kicks more bass out but also gives better bass extension. The OI bass does not seem at all loose or uncontrolled on the ES-1 with 3D21's or EL34's. I'm wondering if that's partially a function of the source.
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The SR-Ω bass is a bit loose when it has to deal with a lot off things at the same time. The driver can't get rid of the vibrations it causes into the housing so they linger and cause some time smear. It's similar to the effect of Teflon on the high frequencies but it's subtle and very recording dependent. I have to admit that I looked for it since it's hard for me to turn of the analytical side of my brain but it's there.
Btw. How do you like the two Omegas?