[NightFlight]

Quote:

I just bought a used moon audio dragon v3 from a fellow head-fier for ****s and giggles. 
Although the brightness that was too much to bear has worn off since I bought them in november.

 
It's called break-in. Mine played around the clock for week in the shipping box. The whole chain broke in. Checked in a couple times a day for brief listens and the gains were evident each time.

 

[NightFlight]

OK. I've put the diaphragm covers in and out several times now.
 
My impression is that the nuance, detail, imaging, speed, immediacy... everything goes up a notch without them.  For instance there is a voice loop in the background faintly calling on the current track that I'm listening to. I take the covers off and it becomes much better defined. I'm certain I could do the same by bringing up the volume and making the amplifier work more. But here's the thing. The volume levels are the same, just the fine detail came up. Bringing up the volume would bring the amplitude peaks above the comfort zone to achieve the same balance.
 
But some of you might say they are needed for damping, and others will say removing them doesn't do anything. Well it can't be both. Well, perhaps in a subjective world it can...

 
So I'd like some comparative input from you folks please.

Anyone have two pairs handy that they can A/B or run at the same time?

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

 
Not true at all. My wife can't hear how poor Sirius radio quality is in her car. I point out the digital artifacts which to me are in your face and unbearable.

 
I  find that the car is actually the best place to enjoy the radio. All the songs , are actually  "processed" , so that it would  sound optimal on car (adding some loudness compression, to track that are already loudness compressed).
I'm not sure of what "digital artifacts" you are speaking of, it's not stuff anyway that you pay attention, when you are on the road.
I  wish I  could post some link to some dj mix distributed for free (copyright problems, I  guess) , the "artifacts" are just unbearable with the hd800,
while it could be ok with the hd25 II  1.

 

[NightFlight]

Quote:

 
I  find that the car is actually the best place to enjoy the radio. All the songs , are actually  "processed" , so that it would  sound optimal on car (adding some loudness compression, to track that are already loudness compressed).
I'm not sure of what "digital artifacts" you are speaking of, it's not stuff anyway that you pay attention, when you are on the road.
I  wish I  could post some link to some dj mix distributed for free (copyright problems, I  guess) , the "artifacts" are just unbearable with the hd800,
while it could be ok with the hd25 II  1.

 
Please don't mention compression in a favoured light. I mean really. It deliberately cuts transients as though they are a bad thing.  I have a crappy stock radio in my car. You know. Every now and then, I turn on. Then I turn it down. Then I turn it off again. When I can stop shivering I try and forget about the experience.  I like the local classic rock station, but the medium murders it. Just when you thought that a medium couldn't more narrow... welcome to the digital age! Bring out a 100 channels of even bigger turds. Turds are turds.  It doesn't matter if they are digital turds or not.
 
IMHO, a car is no place for a good stereo. It doesn't work. Easier to design and orchestrate a mars mission than fix all the issues that stem from the acoustic issues in a car.
 
The digital artifacts are present due to the compression used on Sirius radio. Audible with her crummy stock car radio. God forbid you sink some money into car audio and expect to be able to listen to Sirius radio. You would be very disappointed in short order.
 
Digital artifacts can be noticed more easily with your eyes, as we tend to be more observant with them (some of us anyhow). Just watch some sports on High Def TV. Or the is closeups of many small rapids taking up the screen. The compression can't keep up to the amount of information and you get pixel blocks everywhere to fill in the gaps. This is true for compressed music. The fix would be double or tripple the bandwidth.  Unfortunately this won't happen because the majority of people aren't sufficiently sensitive enough to notice the issue at their nose.

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

I just bought a used moon audio dragon v3 from a fellow head-fier for ****s and giggles. 
Although the brightness that was too much to bear has worn off since I bought them in november.

I tried the Blue Dragon on my HD800s and thought they were too sibilant and sent them back. I then got the Black Dragon V3 and it's wonderful, not sibilant at all but still full of texture-details and spatial
information, much more full and robust than the the stock cable. I have not tried the Silver Dragons on the HD800s (the Silver Dragons are GREAT on my HE500s and LCD3s).
 
A reviewer who wrote a major review for, I think, Positive Feedback, but I'm not sure on the HD800s highly recommends the Blue Dragons for them, but like I said, they were too bright for me.
The stock cable is also a little too analytical, a bit "clicky" sounding to me.

 

[Girls Generation]

I've come to accept what I have at hand. When at home, I get great quality music. When I'm moving around or in the car, I just don't care about minute things like artifact. I just enjoy the music, like it was meant to be, while minding my business. In other words, I care more about the music itself than the smaller peculiarities.  But that's just me. I just can't imagine how terrible it would be if I were to worry about bad quality sound whenever and wherever I am.

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

 
Please don't mention compression in a favoured light. I mean really. It deliberately cuts transients as though they are a bad thing. 

I think loudness compression is partly justified for cars:
- you can't hear quietest parts, when there is noise outside
- the driver can't play endlessly with the volume knob while driving
- off course it's easier for radio, to match a single volume level, when everything is loudness compressed.
 
One purpose of loudness compression, (beside of making everything louder) is to make quieter part easier to listen.
A good analogy of loudness compression for photo, is HDR photography :
when the effect is exaggerated you see clearly local details, but the gobal contrast is killed, and the pic look fake.
Your analogy with "high def tv", corresponds more to "lossy compression", which is different to "loudness" one

 

[jtinto]

Quote:

A reviewer who wrote a major review for, I think, Positive Feedback, but I'm not sure on the HD800s highly recommends the Blue Dragons for them, but like I said, they were too bright for me.

 
Drew recommended the Black for the HD-800 when I asked him.
I thought the brightness tilt would be Silver > Black > Blue
maybe not ...

 

[rgs9200m]

Quote:

 
Drew recommended the Black for the HD-800 when I asked him.
I thought the brightness tilt would be Silver > Black > Blue
maybe not ...

Thanks for that info jtinto. No, Black dragon is I think the warmest, but the new V3 version somehow keeps the bass nice and controlled.
Long ago, the black dragons were just what my K701s needed, so I've been a fan of them (and Silver Dragons too) for years now.
I even use Moon's extension cords (Blacks and Silvers) for my Grados in place of the stock Grado extension, and they are a big improvement
with my RS1s and GS1000is.

 

[Spakka]

 Aaagh, cable discussions!
 
 
Anyways, 
 
Moving on to something about the HD800;
 
Can removing the inner ear cover things cause any damage to the HD800s with fluff and hair etc. getting into the drivers, or is it safe to try?
 
I'm not sure I'd want to risk it unless there is no/very little risk. 

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

Can removing the inner ear cover things cause any damage to the HD800s with fluff and hair etc. getting into the drivers, or is it safe to try?

I think that the inner cover has a purpose. Otherwise the manual suggest you can remove it in order to clean it.

 

[jazzerdave]

I forgot to mention that my used HD800 came in today (sn 05xxx). I'm enjoying the hell out of them with the Liquid Glass (fed by a modified Denon 3910). It's a brilliant combo.

 

[Currawong]

People, please keep on topic, as I'm sure nobody wants to be locked out of it.

 

[LugBug1]

Don't worry Currawong, there'll be no more Tom foolery, buffoonery or downright silliness now that I'm here!  

 
Mine came today! s/n 212XX 
 
I'll post some impressions when I've let them run in a little. 

 

[korzena]

...waiting for Sennheiser HD-1600 with resolved treble issue (no Anax mod or anything like that!) and no need for expensive specifically matched amp....and this is at half price of HD-800...ok, at the price of HD-800 (they can't go on raising prices endlessly with new flagships).
Just dreaming)