[lqv2015]

As the title states?

I listen to mostly rap, rock, pop, r&b, classic if that helps.

 

[hanalei mike]

when I think warm, I think, lush, smooth, silky, no harsh frequencies, musical, maybe not so much detail, but not always.
Balanced sound is when all frequencies are represented evenly, as per the recording, no bass spikes, no mid spikes, no trebles spikes,....or suck outs.
just my opinion.

 

[QQQ]

Knowing that a lot of modern recordings have various spikes and suck outs with balanced cans you'll never get balanced sound. On the other hand, there's possibility that some kind of inbalanced cans' spikes will match recording's suckout's and vice versa and you'll get the balanced sound in the end. hahaha

 

[majkel]

Balanced is let's say neutral and not aggressive at the same time, warm means that the basic tone and its notes are emphasized, sacrificing the articulation and texture audibility. The sound is warm when it has got lots of body and weight which makes the texture, sibilants and articulation a bit veiled and less pronounced.

 

[lqv2015]

Thanks everyone! I didn't understand it completely but I got a lot from it.

 

[catscratch]

I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you referring to balanced drive, or balanced sound as pertains to frequency response?

A balanced sound means that all frequencies are represented at the same volume level. If you measure the frequency response of a speaker and plot sound pressure level vs. frequency, it will come out as a straight line from 20hz to 20khz. Headphones are different, however, and what sounds completely flat out of a headphone will not measure completely flat when you perform the same test.

A warm sound means that the lower frequencies are louder than the higher frequencies. Usually when audiophiles are talking about a warm sound they mean a fairly specific and euphonic coloration - a slight emphasis in the midbass, upper bass, and lower midrange (80hz to about 600hz), and a slight recession in the upper midrange and highs (2khz and up). A lot of tube amps sound like this, and a lot of headphones and speakers are voiced to sound like this as well (the Senn HD650 being a prime example).

A lot of modern digital sources and amps, not to mention modern recordings, tend to emphasize high frequencies slightly, and have peaks in the lower treble that make them sound harsh and strident. A warm system helps to make them more listenable and makes them sound fuller and richer. I usually prefer to pair a warm speaker/headphone with digital sources and solid-state amplification, while brighter gear tends to go well with vinyl sources and tube amplification.

 

[Luminette]

When I think "warm", I think

"sigh, it's another one of those vague and doublevague and ultimately misguiding if not confusing terms that people throw around in a million directions so you're better off pretending you didn't hear it"