[Fly2High]

All,
Just looking to hear about each person's preferences in sound.
Do you like clean and clear?
Do you prefer warmth over neutrality?
Do you require top end sparkle over ear thumping bass?
Do you need a strong bottom end?
Is high on your preference for great soundstage and depth?
Is imagery very important or a fuzzy placement ok to get something more important?
Do you want a natural performance above all?

What are your preferences in sound?

What music do you listen to?

Do you have a favorite album? What is it?

If you found a set of components (amp, DAC and headphone) that has fulfilled your listening requirements or gets very close and you are largely satisfied, what is it? If it isn't perfect, where does it lack?

 

[PurpleAngel]

I think I'm more into clarity, them loud thumping bass.
But sometimes bass is nice.
Currently using and liking my Takstar HF 580 planar headphone, with Sendyaudio AVIA ear pads.

 

[mammal]

I always thought I would like warm slow and liquid, but after testing a couple of dacs, amps and headphones, I learned that I prefer fast, neutral and clear. For bass, it is more important that it is well controlled and fast, than overpowering. For mids, it matters to me that human voice sounds like human voice (natural) and for highs, that they are clear defined, airy, but not sibilant. As for soundstage/width/depth, sometimes I feel like listening to holographic presentations, other times I like "in centre of my head" experience. In all cases though, layering and imaging (placement) is important to me. Worth mentioning is that it is also important to me that my headphones react to EQ well (to tame down treble coming in to my right ear, as my left is less sensitive, so that the sound appears in the middle). I like resolution and clarity, so fast is better.

 

[ADUHF]

All,
Just looking to hear about each person's preferences in sound.

Do you like clean and clear?....... Sure. Clarity = good in my book.

Do you prefer warmth over neutrality?....... Still EQ-ing my HPs, so I may have to get back to you on this. Most of my EQ's are coming out somewhat L-shaped though, and a bit withdrawn in the upper mids. That seems to work fairly well with the brighter (and often badly boosted in loudness) content I often listen to.

Do you require top end sparkle over ear thumping bass?....... A little of both. But not too sparkly or boomy at either end.

Do you need a strong bottom end?....... I like alot of depth and bass that hits fairly hard. Not necessarily "basshead" hard. But with authority. So yes. Again, it seems to work well with the type of music I listen to.

Is high on your preference for great soundstage and depth?....... All my HPs are closed so far, for superior bass extension. So I guess that means soundstage is a bit lower on my list. But still in there somewhere (if I understand what this term means).

Is imagery very important or a fuzzy placement ok to get something more important?....... Good driver symmetry and stereo imaging is very important!

Do you want a natural performance above all?....... The music I listen to tends to be a blend of electronic and acoustic elements. Often with heavy processing. So it's hard to know what a natural, life-like presentation of that would be. So what I strive for is a more accurate, and tonally-balanced presentation, reminiscent of how it would sound on some high-quality loudspeakers.

What are your preferences in sound?...... Neutral-ish.

What music do you listen to?...... All kinds. But mostly R&B and chalga/pop-folk of late. I like alot of Asian R&B (and also some Asian pop) tracks. Because it has a little different vibe than what I'm used to. I will dip into various Latin/South American genres as well, to see what some of the reggaetoneros, regios, baile funkers and sertanejo singers are up to, for example. And also some disco, classic or alt-rock, and country tracks.

Do you have a favorite album? What is it?..... Not really. I enjoyed alot of Kraftwerk's stuff though, back in the day. And Bowie. And ELO. And Queen. Those were probably some of my favs. I also had a few P-funk albums by George Clinton, Roger Troutman and Bootsy Collins.

If you found a set of components (amp, DAC and headphone) that has fulfilled your listening requirements or gets very close and you are largely satisfied, what is it? If it isn't perfect, where does it lack?..... Pretty happy with the setup in my sig so far. I am always on the lookout though for other affordable ways of improving what I have.

 

[Mightygrey]

Air, imaging and immersion. Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 with Bifrost 2 and Bottlehead Crack ticks those boxes rather nicely.