Hi everyone,
Althought I know some of you from other threads, it's my first time here. So, first all, hello!
I just read through this entire thread over the last couple of hours (all 48 pages of it) and it's been super enjoyable and informative. What a great forum.
I have some of the headphones mentioned. Sorry for the multiple nested replies, hopefully this is efficient
Happy to join the convo..
I consider Stax 007MK1 as the best headphone ever made. I like it more than HE90 and Omega.
I love the 007mk1 and it's one of my favouriate headphones. It's bass energy so unusual in the stax line. I don't find is the most technically proficient or best performing, but its tuning it's just so enjoyable. If there is an estat that makes you forget your gear and tap your foot, this is it...
only headphone recently that I largely disliked and was quite frustrated I bought was the LCD-5. For the price, just pretty bad and not comparable to other TOTLs.
I had the same impression. I demo-ed it both at CanJam NYC and CanJam Chicago, and just couldn't find an emotional connection to it. It's tunining to me is (with apologies to anyone who loves it!) somewhat bland
With the X9k, I can’t listen to more than a few tracks.
A few weeks in, my impression is a bit different - I find the X9k non-fatiguing and easy to listen to. I wonder if this relates to genre? I find its mids range lush and sound stage expansive with great imaging, but the bass is a tad saturated. Perhaps if one listened to lots of rock or other rhythmic music at a stretch?
I'm very curious about the Megatron /SRX9k pairing. With the Carbon it's a lot to digest over a long session
I enjoy the Carbon/X9k combination. I do tend to listen more to acoustics and vocals and I think that allows for very relaxing listening session on the X9k. But I have listened to
@Kerry 's T2 and without doubt, it is better...
AT nailed it specifically on L3000. The shallow cups mean soundstage is limited, but everything else about them is glorious. Exceptionally well tuned
All this L3000 talk makes me so curious to hear it properly.
My L5000 wasn't so hot unfortunately - beautiful looks, but sounded too thin.
I have botht he L3000 and L5000.
I have swiched the pads of both to ZMF Universe Lambskin solid pads, and the change was incredibly - both in comfort and sound.
The L3000 soundstage certainly hasn't expanded, closed back, solid pads, and all - but it has become natural.
The L5000 design is so rigid that, unless you have a very speciifc head shape, the headphones will simply be to uncomfortable to wear and, most importantly, most people therefore don't get proper seal - which completely throws off the intended tuning of the headphone (resulting in shouty treble and low bass).
The pads I put on both, which are deep and lush, have made both headphones among the most comfortable I have (as comfortable as my Susvara).
And, criticlaly, the L5000 has transformed and became one of the best headphones I've ever heard. Extraordinarily well resolving, excelletn imaging, and really really well balanced tuning acrosst the board. Excelletn bass - more defined and crisp than the L3000. It supplanted my beloved Verite Closed as my best performing closed back headphone
they all are a bit more forward or neutral center, I guess I should say, in comparison to the x9000. The overall presentation of the x9000 is a bit more distant.
Compeltely agree. I've spent a lot of time this week comparing the Susvara and X9k, and one of the key difference I've found was along that dimension - the X9k seems laid back across the board, creating a slightly expanded soundstage (to my ears) and great imaging; while the susvara is definitely more mid forward and intimate. I still haven't decided which I like better, but I'm working on getting to know their relative strengths. My first impressions are that the Susvara has a cleaner and tigher bass, while the X9k just edged slight on mids and treble.
And I'm quite sure it sounds divine. I'm seriously jealous lol
It has somewhat similar (but to be clear absolutely not the same) magic to the midrange I experienced with the R10. Probably to a somewhat similar degree as the ES-R10. If I get a chance I'll try to compare the two a bit more directly.
it absolutely has something none of them have and that's just the euphoric magic nothing can match
I've recently taken my MDR-R10 and tried it on
@hifixman 's AFC-10 (it's the AIC-10 without pre) - that combo was quite incredible. The synergies was awesome!
Petition to change this thread title to “Long impressions of every TOTL made”
As someone who's just read through the entire history of this thread... I agree
Valkyria is another I'd want to try one day
I tried it at both CanJam NYC and Chicago. It's a really unique headphone, built for live music reproduction - so if that's something you especially enjoy, it may be worth checking it out, or it's "cheaper" $6k cousin, the Pulsar (my detailed CanJacm Chicago write-up:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/can...s-thread-june-18-19-2022.963828/post-17016052 )
The foam damping was replaced
If there were one thing I'd do with my R10 it's exactly that - may I ask how/where have you done that? (I'm natuarlly afraid of any maintenance on that one)
