[JeffS]

I just got a xin-feed recently, and it's my first experience with hardware crossfeed. I used foobar in the past, but my sound card isn't the best so
I didn't really feel that a good evaluation.

Overall, I'd say crossfeed is great! On some recordings it's very noticible and makes listening much easer. Older jazz albums especially. Personally I think it does make listening less fatiguing, and a bit more enjoyable. This is strange for me to say, because I never felt that I was having a problem before using it. Now that I've experienced the difference, It's nice.

as a side note, I busted out my old sony ex-70 (modded) to give them a listen. it was the first time since I picked up etys. Wow, when those were my headphones, I didn't know how good things could sound and I thought they were great, now, I can't stand them.

Once you hear the difference with something, it's hard to go back.

good luck

-Jeff

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom On HeadRoom's newer amps, I don't think you'll find the roll-off that some have referenced in this thread. On the contrary, I think you'll find some slight bass enhancement, and at least on the newer amps I've heard (MAX, MOHR, Blockhead, Coda) it really opens up the soundstage.

Thanks. One of the things I've noticed is that the faster (in terms of slew rate) the amplifiers we use, the less "blurring " there is in the middle. It's something I like because I do think the the center blurring on the old AirHeads and old module in particular were excessively bothersome. We are finding our way around the problem and I do think the more recent products have less bothersome side effects from the processor, and we arre working on making the response of the module even faster.

In terms of the effectiveness of crossfeeds, like elrod-tom says, the longer you listen, the more you want it. Some strong left-right mixes (like Beatles era rock and old jazz) is almost unlistenable without it.

The other thing that folks almost never talk about, but it's almost always the cue to me that the crossfeed is off, is a strange rumbly sensation in the bass when there is a strong low frequency difference signal. It's sort of as if there is a vibration in your head without crossfeed, and with the crossfeed on you can localize the bass better and the vibrating sensation is completely gone. I hear this phenominon quite commonly and I don't understand why I don't hear people commenting on it. Am I nuts? Has anyone else heard this?

 

[FXBULL]

Sovkiller don't worry, it's nothing. Thanks for your commets, I am going to read more about the Corda Cross-1 that you have, it is very interest. I want to purchase a Gilmore Balanced Reference that I think it must be an excellent amp, but only I was doubt about that it hasn't the crossfeed. Best regards and sorry again for the repeat topic.

 

[machead]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens The other thing that folks almost never talk about, but it's almost always the cue to me that the crossfeed is off, is a strange rumbly sensation in the bass when there is a strong low frequency difference signal. It's sort of as if there is a vibration in your head without crossfeed, and with the crossfeed on you can localize the bass better and the vibrating sensation is completely gone. I hear this phenomenon quite commonly and I don't understand why I don't hear people commenting on it. Am I nuts? Has anyone else heard this?

Tyll,
I have certainly noticed an unnatural quality in the bass when there is a significant difference signal at low frequencies. I wouldn't describe it as "rumbly" but the effect may be highly listener-dependent. I think this is probably the same psycho-acoustic effect that results in a perceived loss in bass when the Meier crossfeed does a subwoofer number and makes all the low frequencies mono. The HR processor leaves some separation, so the bass loss is not noticeable, and it does seem to relieve the unnatural-ness. In both crossfeed implementations, I find the difference far more noticeable when I switch the crossfeed off. Most of the music I listen to is classical and generally miked from far enough away that the bass is essentially mono anyway. I thus find the Meier crossfeed preferable to the HR because the bass loss is negligible and it doesn't mess up the treble as much.

 

[digitalbill]

I've owned three different Meier amps and found that the crossfeed made listening more enjoyable. At lower settings, the effect on the Meier's is subtle. I found that the highest setting was almost always too much - the music just turned into a blob of sound. I have since switched to tube amps and missed the crossfeed. I have been trying both the Meier Cross-1 and Foobar. I'm leaning towards Foobar at this point, I just can't seem to get the Meier Cross to sound right on my setup. One thing I've found out though is crossfeed or not, I can't stand listening to Beatles recordings for more than a few minutes with headphones!

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FXBULL Sovkiller don't worry, it's nothing. Thanks for your commets, I am going to read more about the Corda Cross-1 that you have, it is very interest. I want to purchase a Gilmore Balanced Reference that I think it must be an excellent amp, but only I was doubt about that it hasn't the crossfeed. Best regards and sorry again for the repeat topic.

If you are going the balanced way, better find out with Tyll about how they implementat it on the Blockhead, AFAIK the Cross-1 has RCA unbalanced jacks, not sure if you can use it in balanced mode, you may need adaptors or maybe an special balanced edition, you may try to get in touch with Jan to see if he could arrange a balanced version for you (or at least to find out to what degree that matters, maybe it doesn't matter, I don't know) but if it uses a common ground for both channles, maybe things get out of control...

 

[Scrith]

The Crossfeed plug-in is the only DSP effect I use with Foobar. without it the music starts to give me a headache after awhile.

If I had a choice between hardware and software crossfeed, I'd probably go with software. I think it can do a better job than the hardware, which I'm a bit wary of when it comes to manipulating sound once it's in the analog form.

For this reason, at work where I use a Total Bithead, I have the crossfeed in the hardware off...I let Foobar take care of it, because the Foobar Crossfeed is the one I'm used to (I use it at home).

 

[ayt999]

I generally don't like crossfeed, but the way the BlockHead does crossfeed with the HD650 is good (I like the slight added bass from it) that I use it for the HD650. otherwise I don't use crossfeed even if given the option. it was somewhat of a suprise that I liked the crossfeed for the HD650, but more for the bass difference rather than soundstage issues.

 

[maxxfell]

I find crossfeed pretty nifty,
when I wear my SR-60.
But don't want it anymore
listening to my ER-4.

 

[saint.panda]

Not a big fan of the crossfeed on the Porta Corda (can't really hear the difference most of the time and it reduces the already not so big soundstage width) but I really digged the Corda HA-2 crossfeed. On a few tracks it felt like putting everything in their right place for creating a sharper and clearer musical image. Further, listening fatigue is reduced by quite a bit.

However, soundstage width does give in for an increased soundstage depth and the general presentation, albeit slightly more effortlessness and coherent in nature, is less intimate and energized.

I did a comparion between the Foobar and the Corda crossfeed and preferred the Corda soundwise but also due to its ability of having two crossfeed levels. The Foobar crossfeed level corresponds to approximately the strong crossfeed on the Corda HA-2.

All headphone amps should have crossfeed

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda All headphone amps should have crossfeed

lol, only as an optional extra

Personally I do not like what it does to the music... I guess after listening to headphones for 10+ years without it, its just too hard for me to adjust to using it.

 

[sacundim]

I recently got a Corda HA-2 and my crossfeed is on all the time, at the high setting. It does narrow the soundstage very significantly, but it does "connect" the left and right sides of the image, and make them sound like they exist "in the same world".