[LarryS]

Nick

I won't be able to make it in June. My wife is catching a plane the end of June and she has all my time scheduled from now until then

If I miss the meet, I'd still be happy to meet afterwards in July so you can try out the EMP.

Larry in Dallas

 

[Matt]

...my experience, the HD600 + EarMax Pro combo was awful. The bass was huge and bloated, they had a very non-intimate, distant sound and the entire range had this ugly electronic glare to it. After a week and a half of straight burn in, things did not change and I simply could not salvage the combo in my mind.

It was supposed to be a great match and I don't doubt that some like the sound or that perhaps I got some bad HD600's or something, but GAWD was it awful. Every time I'd put them on, I'd immediately yearn to take them back off again.

All the details hidden in the background were there, but they were just plopped down and presented, rather than constructing some mystique and giving them to you in a 3D soundspace. They were all brought right up front with everything else, so to me, the overall sound lacked a real third-dimensionality and texture, whereas with other cans (W100's, Etys), the sound was extremely deep and sound sources were placed not only left-to-right, but also front-to-back.

However, I went to my local Headroom show and heard the HD600's on a Blockhead and I must say it is by far my favorite sub-$5000 headphone setup. The most solid, definite, lively soundstaging I've ever heard, by far, clarity and distinction of musical tones, a natural perspective on the music (not a hyper-real, ultra-close one, but a natural one, like it should be), skull-rattling power, etc. It was great and I'm still "high" off of it.

With this in mind and my bad EMP + HD600 experience in mind, perhaps, possibly, maybe, the Corda or an RA-1 would be better, being solid state.

Hope this helps.

- Matt

 

[SumB]

Quote:

...my experience, the HD600 + EarMax Pro combo was awful. The bass was huge and bloated, they had a very non-intimate, distant sound and the entire range had this ugly electronic glare to it. After a week and a half of straight burn in, things did not change and I simply could not salvage the combo in my mind.

If my memory serves me correctly you had a similar issue with your RS-1's. Sounds like an inadequate source to me.


JaZZ if you can afford the Earmax Pro jump on it and avoid disappointment as I did with the MG Head. The 'Head is your typical low end tube amp, with your dirty, wooly sound and non-linear treble. The Earmax wipes the floor with it in every way imagineable.

 

[Matt]

...You Ah Carrect, Sir! (with the RS-1's). In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have been using the RS-1's out of the RCA outs of my POS boombox. LOL...I had RS-1's, an RA-1 and Kimber Silver Streaks out of this piece of ****, 1990 JVC boombox. LMAO...

However, with the HD600's, I was using a Panny DVD-A7, which has decent sound (at least when compared to what I have now, an Art DI/O). I have no idea what the heck the problem was, but the sound was just plain bad. Contact disgust, immediately.

I mean, I've definitely had a contact high with the HD600's, but only well amped. I've taken advice here which turned out to be literally true, but in this case, nothing at all was true except for the whomping bass.

I dunno...clearly I'm outnumbered, I'm just trying to say that the combo has not guaranteed satisfaction absolutely 100% in every case, so take that for what it's worth.

Best,
Matt