preproman
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2011
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Quote:
I see you have a SPL Phonitor. Can you compare the GS-X to that?
I see you have a SPL Phonitor. Can you compare the GS-X to that?
I second that 100%. Except that I think I may have liked the LCD-2 Shiit parining better than LCD-3 SHiit pairing. I am really not sure why, and I really have not spent time doing serious A/B comparisons. This BTW is really throwing me off, b/c I thought that LCD-3 sound closer to HE-6 and my beloved HD800 than LCD-2. Still for some reason I preferred the 2s.
The GS-X sounded more neutral compared to the more forward mid/treble presentation of the Mjolnir. The Mjolnir's slight aggressiveness does a fantastic job bringing both the LCD-2 and LCD-3 forward. The LCD-3 isn't quite as warm and dark, so it ends up more forward--I'm surprised an HD800 lover would prefer the LCD-2. I think we can agree that the GS-X was extremely impressive--everything I heard out of it sounded great. I liked the LCD-3 quite a bit more than the HE-6 out of the GS-X, but both had an astounding amount of detail, resolution and dynamics. As good as the GS-X was, I still felt like the HE-6 could improve with more power--perhaps a small reactor would do the trick.
The GS-X sounded more neutral compared to the more forward mid/treble presentation of the Mjolnir. The Mjolnir's slight aggressiveness does a fantastic job bringing both the LCD-2 and LCD-3 forward. The LCD-3 isn't quite as warm and dark, so it ends up more forward--I'm surprised an HD800 lover would prefer the LCD-2. I think we can agree that the GS-X was extremely impressive--everything I heard out of it sounded great. I liked the LCD-3 quite a bit more than the HE-6 out of the GS-X, but both had an astounding amount of detail, resolution and dynamics. As good as the GS-X was, I still felt like the HE-6 could improve with more power--perhaps a small reactor would do the trick.
...IMO - Yes the Mj is not as flexible as the βeta22 and not as musical. The Mj is like a Mike Tyson (a beast) - wants to just knock you out. The βeta22 want to float like a butterfly but it can still sting like a bee. If you know what I mean.. The MJ did very well with the LCDs both the 2 and the 3. but with other headphones not so good HD800, T1, W3000avn, HE-500 and headphone that does not have a dark sig - IMO. It has to much of a aggressive presentation for me, I like a more musical presentation. I also like versatility that's why I like the GS-X, with it's 3 position gain switch. Will work well with any headphone.
This is IMO..
It's nice to see people my age at meets like this. It makes me feel less crazy. But in this way it also leaves me prone to spending impulsively...
Side note: I'm selling my Marantz or my Sansui to have some cash for headphones again. They are up on Craigslist if anyone is interested. I don't want to post here because I know making a profit is against Head-Fi rules.
Thanks to everyone involved for the great gear and conversations. In particular, thanks to Barry (for that wonderful combination of Schiit and LCD-2), Wayne (for bringing the HE-400s), Justin (for the HE-500 demo, and some interesting industry discussion), and Mike (for the time spent A-B'ing on your amp and source). I'm really glad I got to listen to the HE-400s, they were fun, but that bit of sibilance became very clear when comparing them to the HE-500s with female vocals. I do wish I'd bothered to listen to the Q701s (nobody's fault but my own, there). I purposefully stayed away from most of the really high-end stuff, didn't see much point in making myself unhappy with everything I own by listening to rigs that might cost as much as a halfway decent used car.
Yes, I, too, wished that I had heard the Q701s. I wanted the perspective of another AKG headphone. Not necessarily to buy, but for it to provide me with a reference of the sound, because it is quite a popular headphone - and, I wanted to see and hear what the buzz was about.
In regards to my HE-400s, the female voices never really bothered me much because I've been too involved with the Fostex 'phones for the past several months. Then, when I'd put on the HE-400s, the female "esss" would become more pronounced. I'm going to work with a plug-in for my Squeezebox in a bit, just to see if I can EQ them down a bit. I really don't want to feel such a desire to jump from the HE-400s so quickly.
Finally, I submitted my RMA on the AKG K167s today. On Sunday, the foam pads had basically lost their "bounce" in just a short week. My ears were basically on the baffle and it was such a disappointment.
You know guys, I am probably going to need to make a trip to microcenter fairly soon. If you want a second chance to hear the Q701s, I would happy to meet somewhere.
I'd love to know if you're able to EQ that away to a certain degree. I think had I not A/B'ed them with the 500s I probably would have been happy with them. They definitely have more of a V-shaped signature than the 500s, but having briefly compared them to a pair of SR-80s I certainly wouldn't call them bright. A lot of it just comes down to personal preference, and I really don't know if that preference is worth an extra $300 out of my pocket (I was dead set on grabbing a pair before the meet). I did hear it out of two completely different sources though, so I'm relatively certain it's not just my mind playing tricks on me.
Shame about the AKG K167s. Not sure I mentioned it, but I liked what I heard from them. Seemed a bit light in the mids, but not in an unpleasant (to my ears) way.