The Closed-Back Headphone Thread (Plus Comparisons & Reviews)

[Malevolent]

Well for me it's better more than less. The more flavors you have as options, the more opportunities you find to engage with a product, which from my understanding in this hobby, is highly varied and pretty diverse on tastings.

So, ATH, just shoot and give me a WP900 mk2 with better mids or a super MSR7c more comfortable with a higher punch on lows

Edit: I would dream of an AP2000ti mk2 with an explosive bass.!

Knowing Audio-Technica, your wish might be granted, sooner rather than later.

But yeah, I totally agree on a Mark 2 of the ATH-WP900; with (slightly) more forward and expressive mids, I think it would be a killer.

 

[Malevolent]

I missed that sale, but as I said I‘m working on my patience. Looking forward to your evaluation — using EDM is more helpful to me than classic audiophile repertoire.

regarding end game I fully understand your point. I also came to the conclusion that there is no such thing as the one final do-all. I still enjoy the journey and am very happy how well the midrange has developed over the years, with even the lower end showing some fantastic models.

I did try the „just throw money at the problem“ approach. I enjoyed the results less than those of my current approach I‘d say...

the D9200 is now resting in my shopping basket got several days already. The W900 does tempt me as well. Plus the Gjallarhorn, though my interpretation of a Horn loaded speaker differs quite a bit... the minimal horn might give a small boost to efficiency, but far from the dynamics of a real horn. But still, interesting concept.

Speaking of the Gjallarhorn, they've just arrived. It took a total of 3.5 days to ship via UPS from Russia. That's very fast, IMO. The shipping cost was only €20, so to say that I'm impressed would be an understatement.

In any case, I'm eager to benchmark its bass capabilities, and thusly, its prowess in EDM against some of the stalwarts of the genre, including the TH900 Mk2, the AH-D9200, and the MDR-Z1R. Sadly, I'm a little busy with work at the moment, so I'll only be able to perform a comparison over the weekend (this one or next).

 

[Redcarmoose]

 

[Terriero]

Speaking of the Gjallarhorn, they've just arrived. It took a total of 3.5 days to ship via UPS from Russia. That's very fast, IMO. The shipping cost was only €20, so to say that I'm impressed would be an understatement.

In any case, I'm eager to benchmark its bass capabilities, and thusly, its prowess in EDM against some of the stalwarts of the genre, including the TH900 Mk2, the AH-D9200, and the MDR-Z1R. Sadly, I'm a little busy with work at the moment, so I'll only be able to perform a comparison over the weekend (this one or next).

Did you buy the JM edition or the normal GH? Anyway, @John Massaria said in the Kennerton thread that the "bend mod" is neccesary for these headphones to really shine. If you don't want to do that, just press them to your head and see if the sound changes dramatically or just a little...

Congratulations in your first blind-buy

 

[John Massaria]

yes a firm fit makes them ordinary and extraordinary - slowly press inward to see the difference. You will see if the bend fit is necessary by that test.

 

[John Massaria]

Speaking of the Gjallarhorn, they've just arrived. It took a total of 3.5 days to ship via UPS from Russia. That's very fast, IMO. The shipping cost was only €20, so to say that I'm impressed would be an understatement.

In any case, I'm eager to benchmark its bass capabilities, and thusly, its prowess in EDM against some of the stalwarts of the genre, including the TH900 Mk2, the AH-D9200, and the MDR-Z1R. Sadly, I'm a little busy with work at the moment, so I'll only be able to perform a comparison over the weekend (this one or next).

If you didnt buy the JM edition I can say after they have been broken in and want to change the sound for what i consider even better- try the flat fluffy dot mod as in the review and the bass port mod. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/the-kennerton-gjallarhorn-modified-review.24478/reviews

 

[Malevolent]

Did you buy the JM edition or the normal GH? Anyway, @John Massaria said in the Kennerton thread that the "bend mod" is neccesary for these headphones to really shine. If you don't want to do that, just press them to your head and see if the sound changes dramatically or just a little...

Congratulations in your first blind-buy

I purchased the stock "GH50". I'll see how they fare, before I consider making any changes/mods.

Thanks! I'll be able to chime in with some solid impressions once I get some good head time with them over the weekend.

 

[Malevolent]

If you didnt buy the JM edition I can say after they have been broken in and want to change the sound for what i consider even better- try the flat fluffy dot mod as in the review and the bass port mod. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/the-kennerton-gjallarhorn-modified-review.24478/reviews

It's rare to see a company that believes in their customers, too. Kennerton has certainly paid homage, in one of the best possible ways. Let me enjoy my stock Gjallarhorn first, and I'll see if it warrants any changes and/or mods in the future. Your journal of tweaks and modifications is quite impressive, actually.

 

[Mhog55]

While we're on the topic of Kennerton, who owns the Magni? I'd really like to hear some thoughts on it. The reviews I've read are very enticing. Someone referred to it as more capable and mature 99 Classic . If this is the case, sign me up.

 

[arielext]

I love my Magni. It's a very capable headphones at a good price. Built with quality materials.
I highly recommend them.

 

[Mhog55]

I love my Magni. It's a very capable headphones at a good price. Built with quality materials.
I highly recommend them.

Would you mind if I sent you a PM?

 

[elnero]

I'm very curious about the Magni as well. Another that's kind of come on my radar is the ZMF Atticus. I would love to hear any thoughts from people who have heard both.

The Denon D7200's arrived yesterday (and shipped out the WP900's to a new owner earlier today). I'm not sure what I think of them yet. Nice balance with a decent kick in the bass but not overwhelmingly so. There's just something I can't put my finger on right now. It may be a moot point though as the damn clamping force may have me letting them go sooner rather than later.

 

[Mhog55]

I'm very curious about the Magni as well. Another that's kind of come on my radar is the ZMF Atticus. I would love to hear any thoughts from people who have heard both.

The Denon D7200's arrived yesterday (and shipped out the WP900's to a new owner earlier today). I'm not sure what I think of them yet. Nice balance with a decent kick in the bass but not overwhelmingly so. There's just something I can't put my finger on right now. It may be a moot point though as the damn clamping force may have me letting them go sooner rather than later.

What did you not like about the wp900?

 

[Malevolent]

I'm very curious about the Magni as well. Another that's kind of come on my radar is the ZMF Atticus. I would love to hear any thoughts from people who have heard both.

The Denon D7200's arrived yesterday (and shipped out the WP900's to a new owner earlier today). I'm not sure what I think of them yet. Nice balance with a decent kick in the bass but not overwhelmingly so. There's just something I can't put my finger on right now. It may be a moot point though as the damn clamping force may have me letting them go sooner rather than later.

I second @Mhog55's question - what did you not enjoy about the ATH-WP900?

I hope that you don't feel like you're being interrogated here; I'm just really curious!

 

[elnero]

I second @Mhog55's question - what did you not enjoy about the ATH-WP900?

I hope that you don't feel like you're being interrogated here; I'm just really curious!

It wasn't that I didn't like the WP900's. I liked them quite a bit, if push came to shove though, I would have liked them to have a little more weight or richness through the mids and rein the highs in just a hair. If it wasn't for my TMJ I would have happily kept them as my "fun" headphone though. Unfortunately, after awhile I found they seemed to put a bit of pressure right on the joint of my jaw which wasn't bothersome while using them but I'd notice it after the fact. I also have a bit of tinnitus in my left ear (the same side my jaw and inner bother me) and sometimes when my TMJ acts up it makes the ringing louder which was the case after using the WP900's. That was the deal breaker for me.

So far I haven't noticed these issues with the AWAS. The AWAS has a fairly light clamp but it's also feels very evenly distributed so there isn't pressure points on my jaw. The D7200's have quite a bit more clamp but I'm able to angle the cups a bit to relieve the pressure on the jaw but I don't think that's going to be enough.