[ostewart]

Always great to see people bringing out high impedance models for those of us who love using a proper headphone amp and OTL amps.

These look really interesting, and I look forward to more impressions on them.

 

[stephenkostas]

Would love to see a frequency response as well.

We don’t have a rig for measurements, but I’d be happy to ship it out for a couple days to someone who does and would like to provide some charts and graphs for the community.

 

[AnyDave]

We don’t have a rig for measurements, but I’d be happy to ship it out for a couple days to someone who does and would like to provide some charts and graphs for the community.

I can help with this when I get my loaner pair.

 

[Strayngs]

Better photos coming soon

 

[Sword of Damocles]

Another measurement from Squiglink (not mine):

Well well, better not say much without hearing them. However, normally some ear gain would be nice.

 

[stephenkostas]

Another measurement from Squiglink (not mine):


Well well, better not say much without hearing them. However, normally some ear gain would be nice.

This lines up somewhat with my listening, but I'm curious how much impedance/power impacts the bass and the overall listening experience (esp since I have the 600ohm version). Listening on a high wattage solid state like the Burson I definitely felt that subbass rolloff and 4k dip (to be totally honest, 4k is not my favorite range anyway... ). Listening with either an OTL amp or some of the more colorful sources I have available (AK CA1000T, iFi iCAN Phantom, even my ADI-2 DAC with my "fun" EQ) I thought it was a really solid listen and competitive with the Ananda Nano for a lot of stuff. I'm working on a more detailed full review, but between giving a ton of time to the EE Raven and some other high priority stuff (and half the team being on vacation half the summer) I haven't given the attention I'd like to.

So, I guess, stay tuned?

 

[AnyDave]

FWIW, my measurements were taken on a 300 ohm unit. I'm not sure if the 600 ohm unit measures the same or not.

 

[FcConstruct]

@EtyDave what measurement rig did you use? I'm guessing miniDSP Ears but not too sure.

 

[AnyDave]

@EtyDave what measurement rig did you use? I'm guessing miniDSP Ears but not too sure.

That graph was measured with GRAS ear simulators (I have a 45CA). I did a quick double check on a B&K 4128 HATS as well, which was slightly different but similar. I don’t have access to a miniDSP ears.

 

[FcConstruct]

That graph was measured with GRAS ear simulators (I have a 45CA). I did a quick double check on a B&K 4128 HATS as well, which was slightly different but similar. I don’t have access to a miniDSP ears.

Oh perfect, thanks for the clarification. I thought the lack of upper mids with the big phase cancellation (?) at around 4 kHz might've been because of the oddities in a miniDSP Ears which I've seen do a similar thing in the past. Seems pretty odd that this headphone would graph like that, first time I'm seeing it so just wanted to be sure! Appreciate it.

 

[AxelCloris]

[Mod note] We've removed a number of posts that got away from the main topic of this thread: the Lithium Alkali headphone. Thank you to everyone who kept the thread on-topic; we greatly appreciate the help.

We invite those who would like to discuss the more general topic of broad headphone measurements to join us in the myriad other thread already dedicated to that topic. For this thread, let's please keep the discussion focused on the Alkali, and refrain from including any personal comments in our posts.

Thanks all!

 

[listenerwww]

Would love to see a frequency response as well.

My post was removed for totally understandable reasons, thread absolutely got out of hand. Regardless, I still want to make sure the proper data from industry standard rigs is shared, as it's relevant to the thread topic. Above is the Lithium Akali, as measured by @EtyDave on his (iirc) GRAS 45CA, placed along with common targets for this rig. Normalized at a 1-octave range centered @ 800Hz.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

My post was removed for totally understandable reasons, thread absolutely got out of hand. Regardless, I still want to make sure the proper data from industry standard rigs is shared, as it's relevant to the thread topic. Above is the Lithium Akali, as measured by @EtyDave on his (iirc) GRAS 45CA, placed along with common targets for this rig. Normalized at a 1-octave range centered @ 800Hz.

Thank you for this

 

[Ishcabible]

Another measurement from Squiglink (not mine):


Well well, better not say much without hearing them. However, normally some ear gain would be nice.

These are my (KB501X clone) measurements and I saw the mess that happened earlier with other posters. While I can’t say this headphone is for me for most circumstances, and I do think it basically sounds how it measures, I do think that casting a headphone off as terrible strictly based on target adherence is silly to me. In honesty, I feel it is a dangerous way to use measurements.

One of the greatest values of measurements is that it allows people to self-select themselves out of certain headphones that measure well beyond the bounds of their normal preferences. It should be evident to anyone that knows how to read measurements and understands their preferences that this particular tuning may not be for them.

However, going into a thread and calling a headphone terrible strictly on the basis of lack of target adherence without personal experience with the headphone doesn’t help anyone. If anything, this widens the chasm between people that use measurements as a tool as a supplement to what they hear themselves, and the people that put no stock in them at all.

I won’t be doing a full review of the Alkali, but I do applaud Lithium for the worth they have done. While it’s not a headphone for everyone, we already have headphones for everyone—this headphone is for people that prefer less pinna gain and feel Audezes are too heavy or clampy.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I also applaud Lithium for the work they have done. It’s always exciting to be able to check out a new product.

That said, I also disagree with the attempts to silence or censor those with different opinions. So what if someone judges a headphone based on measurements? If you don’t like their methodology of arriving at that conclusion, then move on and don’t listen to them.

They still have a right to express their opinions. And everyone has the right to choose their own metrics for judging a headphone. Everything about this hobby is subjective except for measurements.