Headphones Era lOTl Even Through The Distortion We Remain Lossless

Bubukill · Nov 7, 2017

Subcribed to this thread.

My new/first setup, just a few months old (
I am new into this audiophile world though)

-Headphones: Sennheiser HD600 and Momentum 2.0 wireless

-DAC & AMP: OPPO HA2-SE

- Player source: LG G6 as Android and an Itouch 6gen as IOS.

- Music player: USB audio player pro and Onkyo HF player.

Bought the Momentum 2.0 wireless first, liked it a lot and I am still enjoying it, but the open headphones were calling my attention, so after debating it I decided to go with the HD600 . Curiously. I was debating between the HD600 and the HD650 but at end I had to choose the HD600 over the HD650, I liked the HD600 a bit more, especially because it had the sound signature I was looking forward (more neutral side, more focused and more clarity in the vocals, a bit better treble in my opinion, perhaps more precision?). Besides, I thought the HD650 sounded like a big brother of the Momentum 2.0 and I wanted something a little different. Why do I think it sounds like the big brother of the Momentum? Basically I consider that the HD650 has this warm sound signature and bass muddyness similar to the Momentum. It's pretty evident with a few listens.

The only two negatives about the HD600 is that its soundstage could be better (soundstage is somewhat better on the HD650 but not as to be taken it as big margin), and that the bass may lack a bit for certain songs/genres like HIP-HOP, Electronic... Heavy bass music, though I really like the HD600's bass for genres like Jazz, Souls, Blues etc. It sounds really solid and tight for those genres.

Also, I need to add that the lack of bass almost gets completely resolved for me when I'm using the OPPO HA2-SE Bass Boost switch which is absolutely phenomenal with the HD600!!

About the Mometum 2.0, love it's design, thr build quality on it. I use them casually via Bluetooth, those are like my urban walking headphones.

Ashhong · Nov 7, 2017

HiResDes said:
I don't know personally. I know you can change it in programs like poweramp, iTunes, musicbee, but not so sure about one program that does it for everything... I really don't ever EQ. If I don't like a way headphone sounds I usually try to find a way to get rid of it.

Interesting, that does seem like the smart way to go. Oh well, my 6XX comes in today, hoping I love them!

FoxSpirit · Nov 7, 2017

I'll post impressions and photos of the Orpheus this weekend. At least i hope I get a spot for an audition. Stay tuned :-)

HiResDes · Nov 7, 2017

FoxSpirit said:
I'll post impressions and photos of the Orpheus this weekend. At least i hope I get a spot for an audition. Stay tuned :-)

Oh shit please do, mad excited just to hear about it.

Neo0mj · Nov 8, 2017

Not an audiophile, but I might need some new headphones soon, preferably closed. I'll hover here in the coming weeks hoping to see some deals on BF.

Deleted member 6257 · Nov 8, 2017

DriftedPlanet · Nov 10, 2017

HiResDes Glad to see you made the thread after all. I didn't have content so I didn't go anywhere with it after your response.

Super interested in checking out a pair of the RBH HP-2s as well as a Oppo HA2-SE. Would like to have a good closed pair for use away from home. Chi-fi IEMs only do so much.

I'm decently happy with the home setup I've got now. I didn't post as much as some of you guys but I had a Fiio E07K and a Audio-Technica AD700 for 4 years and wanted to upgrade. Bought a dt990 600 ohm and a Schiit Magni 2 to sufficiently power them but the Magni emphasized audio flaws in the Fiio's amp (no line out without a discontinued adapter). Next was getting a Modi Multibit, much cleaner sound and the bass sounds more natural. Then pad-swapped the dt990's pads with MrSpeakers Alpha Pads. Super comfy, tamed the highs slightly and slightly increased the bass.

Side note, the folks at MrSpeakers are really kind. There was a shipping issue with USPS, probably due to Hurricane Harvey, which left the pads in tracking limbo for 9 days (at that point) so I contacted Alex and he re-shipped a pair via FedEx Express fully at their own cost. When both pairs showed up the same day they had no problem with it.

I'm still interested in hearing the M1060s, dt1990s, TH900s, Emu Teaks, Ether C Flows, and things like the Darkvoice 336SE tube amp but the Mumby Schiit stack and Alpha-padded dt990s have relaxed the search for better sound quite a bit.

HiResDes · Nov 10, 2017

DriftedPlanet said:
HiResDes Glad to see you made the thread after all. I didn't have content so I didn't go anywhere with it after your response.

Super interested in checking out a pair of the RBH HP-2s as well as a Oppo HA2-SE. Would like to have a good closed pair for use away from home. Chi-fi IEMs only do so much.

I'm decently happy with the home setup I've got now. I didn't post as much as some of you guys but I had a Fiio E07K and a Audio-Technica AD700 for 4 years and wanted to upgrade. Bought a dt990 600 ohm and a Schiit Magni 2 to sufficiently power them but the Magni emphasized audio flaws in the Fiio's amp (no line out without a discontinued adapter). Next was getting a Modi Multibit, much cleaner sound and the bass sounds more natural. Then pad-swapped the dt990's pads with MrSpeakers Alpha Pads. Super comfy, tamed the highs slightly and slightly increased the bass.

Side note, the folks at MrSpeakers are really kind. There was a shipping issue with USPS, probably due to Hurricane Harvey, which left the pads in tracking limbo for 9 days (at that point) so I contacted Alex and he re-shipped a pair via FedEx Express fully at their own cost. When both pairs showed up the same day they had no problem with it.

I'm still interested in hearing the M1060s, dt1990s, TH900s, Emu Teaks, Ether C Flows, and things like the Darkvoice 336SE tube amp but the Mumby Schiit stack and Alpha-padded dt990s have relaxed the search for better sound quite a bit.

Bless up breh, got bored and said what the heck, HP-2 are made for the bass enthusiast/near basshead camp like myself lol

splash wave · Nov 10, 2017

I'm currently in the market for new headphones/cans/earbuds, and comfort is of utmost importance. I end up having to leave these things on almost all day at work, and my current pair (JVC HA-S500) get hot and eventually make my ears sore. I'm looking to spend $1-200, but I'm willing to go outside that a bit for something perfect.

edit: I still have an iPhone 6S, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't started preparing for a 3.5mm-less future or not. Or does that dongle not greatly affect sound quality? And are bluetooth headphones halfway decent at this point?

Any Questions · Nov 11, 2017

Chittagong said:
Aa yeah, nice to see you move this community over HiResDes. To celebrate the launch of Headphone Era, I'll post the first ever picture of my listening station. DAC is fed by an Autonomic Mirage feed over coax, playing Tidal Masters.

I spy the brewdog great choice! Also great listening space.

the_id · Nov 11, 2017

Was looking for this community. Hi guys. I'm a crazy audiophile and I've been meaning to share my impressions of my Focal Utopia with Chord Hugo 2 playing Tidal Master music.

It's basically audio bliss

HiResDes · Nov 11, 2017

Mad jealous baller, thinking about copping the Listen, they're also coming out with a headphone that's spotted in between the Utopia and Elear that's supposed to be phenomenal.

Gritesh · Nov 11, 2017

Anyone here got their HD6xx yet?

I still haven't seen an update on my order, but I thought I heard they were starting shipping like 2 weeks ago.

My order page still says this:

DROP STATUS
Order placed with the vendor

ohkay · Nov 11, 2017

I got my HD 6xx 2 days ago, but I need an amp to properly drive it. Is the Magni 3 my best choice for a budget amp?

HiResDes · Nov 11, 2017

ohkay said:
I got my HD 6xx 2 days ago, but I need an amp to properly drive it. Is the Magni 3 my best choice for a budget amp?

Do you already have a DAC or decent soundcard?

ohkay · Nov 11, 2017

HiResDes said:
Do you already have a DAC or decent soundcard?

I only have the DAC on my motherboard (an ALC1150), which I've read conflicting opinions about online. I honestly don't know that much about this stuff, so would you recommend a separate DAC?

FoxSpirit · Nov 11, 2017

First quick words from mobile: Orpheus are glorious but not in the way you would expect. Also: 660s are what 650 should've been. Plus they are actually comfy this time.

Serious writeup tomorrow.

HiResDes · Nov 11, 2017

ohkay said:
I only have the DAC on my motherboard (an ALC1150), which I've read conflicting opinions about online. I honestly don't know that much about this stuff, so would you recommend a separate DAC?

Yeah I would recommend either getting an entry level separate DAC like the Modi or OL Dac or there are plenty of great amplifiers with built in DACs like the JDS Element, Mayflower, NFB 11, or the xDuoo TA-01. I'd recommend going the tube route personally, so you could pair something like the Modi with a cheap entry tube like the Vali, Bravo Ocean, Little Dot, or Nobsound NS-08

Servbot24 · Nov 11, 2017

Nooooo my IEMs died

Time to shop yet again

ExMachina · Nov 11, 2017

Gritesh said:
Anyone here got their HD6xx yet?

I still haven't seen an update on my order, but I thought I heard they were starting shipping like 2 weeks ago.

My order page still says this:

DROP STATUS
Order placed with the vendor

Mine arrived on Thursday - been listening through a Modi 2 Multibit + Magni 3 and it's glorious.

andylsun · Nov 11, 2017

Yeah! Thanks for the thread HiResDes. New home feels right at home.

Will post some new to me [old] headphones soon.

Edit: what's the go to image hoster for this site, no longer imgur?

HiResDes · Nov 11, 2017

I used imgur

nanskee · Nov 11, 2017

Bout to get my wireless attachment for aiaiai TMA. I already know there's going to be a shit load of problems coming my way

Bubukill · Nov 11, 2017

Now that we are close to Black Friday and may end up buying an actual amp to line out with my OPPO HA2SE that would be working only as a DAC. Any recommendation for the HD600? I am leaning toward a Tube Amp, though. My budget would be between 100 dollars to 250 dollars.

I've been checking the Bravo V2 or Nobsound NS-08E, but still don't know yet.

HiResDes · Nov 11, 2017

Get a little dot or darkvoice if you're gonna spend that much.

Zackat · Nov 12, 2017

Ordered a modi 2 and vali 2 earlier in preparation for the hd6xx that are coming. I think mine are gonna be the ones that show up right before christmas

FoxSpirit · Nov 12, 2017

Okay, report from Klangbilder 2017:
Overall, the exhibition was quite a letdown, so much smaller than in it's glory days. Basically all big manufacturers were missing, it was mostly niche stuff, snake oil peddlers (need a sound improving room crystal?) and gone are the days of big suites with huge 100k speaker setups. So I was glad that at least Sennheiser was there with a real showpiece.

Orpheus:
It's the most realistic headphone ever. Maybe the most realistic piece of audio reproduction equipment ever. It's a bit strange at first until you hear how strings... well, they sound exactly like when I stand 2 meters away from a music student busker playing his violin. Everything sounds right. Done.
At the same time this is of course a bit underwhelming. Where others have a audio signature that is sometimes a bit "larger than life", this is not it. It's underwhelmingly super-precise. Oh, thanks to that, I don't think you will ever get listening fatigue from those, unless there is serious sharpness in the recording. It's smooth. Well, that's unfair because it's just perfect. Running around the show you could hear many tweeters screeching to catch your attention while the Orpheus simply presented perfection. Speaking of fatigue, they are really comfy too. Not too heavy and well cushioned. I didn't have to think a second about that thing on my head.
Of course I also pumped some bass into it with Seeed. It's super precise but... I really wanted to pump up the bass a bit -.-

Plus that gets us to the major downside: It's no speaker. That may sound sacrilegous but for an asking price of 60000 Euro that statement "replaces a full speaker setup" just isn't true. It's doesn't even project forward like the 800 series, the soundstage is wide and spacious but unless the recording has some projection it's exactly left to right. The feeling of bass attacks is still that of a headphone. It's the best headphone every and the most precise audio reproduction device ever. For next year I will make a CD specifically tailored to it but I lost the majority of my music collection and was in a bit of a bind.

Of course, if you are an affluent headphone lover with 60k to burn, do it. It won't ever become better. Unless they make an angled cup version ala 800 series :-P

Pictures:

HD-660s:

Well, I said the HD-660s is what the HD-650 should have been. First off the ridiculous clamping force has been toned down and the earcups and pads don't feel like the are made of the stiffest cusion material ever. They HD-660s also now easily slide into a position where the earcups are properly seated. As you can see I am no fan of the old ergonomics, but news one is spot on.

Soundwise, it takes the deciding leap from the HD-650 which to me always sounded a bit compressed and also... brittle? Well, the HD-660s does away with all that, articulation now seems spot on and overall sound is just clean and smooooth. I can already see the reviewers gushing :-P
But seriously, very natural.
And yeah, I stumbled zpon a youtube vid calling it shouty and shrill but wtf are you feeding it, on the demo acoustic and female vocal stuff, driven by the HDVD 800 it was smooth.
We'll see if I can demo again later.

Final note: I liked the HD-800s in-ears a lot but 900 Euro like? I am pretty sure custom in-ears will do better for that price.

Cya all.

ViewtifulJux · Nov 12, 2017

May not be the best place to ask, but does anyone make small/micro audio-visual receivers? I'm looking for something for my desk, where I run my PS4, Switch, etc to a secondary monitor and a set of bookshelf speakers. Luckily my speakers have a volume knob and I can plug my headphones directly into my monitor if necessary. It would be nice to have central device where I could leave everything plugged in and not worry about it. I was thinking maybe an HDMI splitter and small amplifier could work too.

HiResDes · Nov 12, 2017

FoxSpirit said:
Okay, report from Klangbilder 2017:
Overall, the exhibition was quite a letdown, so much smaller than in it's glory days. Basically all big manufacturers were missing, it was mostly niche stuff, snake oil peddlers (need a sound improving room crystal?) and gone are the days of big suites with huge 100k speaker setups. So I was glad that at least Sennheiser was there with a real showpiece.

Orpheus:
It's the most realistic headphone ever. Maybe the most realistic piece of audio reproduction equipment ever. It's a bit strange at first until you hear how strings... well, they sound exactly like when I stand 2 meters away from a music student busker playing his violin. Everything sounds right. Done.
At the same time this is of course a bit underwhelming. Where others have a audio signature that is sometimes a bit "larger than life", this is not it. It's underwhelmingly super-precise. Oh, thanks to that, I don't think you will ever get listening fatigue from those, unless there is serious sharpness in the recording. It's smooth. Well, that's unfair because it's just perfect. Running around the show you could hear many tweeters screeching to catch your attention while the Orpheus simply presented perfection. Speaking of fatigue, they are really comfy too. Not too heavy and well cushioned. I didn't have to think a second about that thing on my head.
Of course I also pumped some bass into it with Seeed. It's super precise but... I really wanted to pump up the bass a bit -.-

Plus that gets us to the major downside: It's no speaker. That may sound sacrilegous but for an asking price of 60000 Euro that statement "replaces a full speaker setup" just isn't true. It's doesn't even project forward like the 800 series, the soundstage is wide and spacious but unless the recording has some projection it's exactly left to right. The feeling of bass attacks is still that of a headphone. It's the best headphone every and the most precise audio reproduction device ever. For next year I will make a CD specifically tailored to it but I lost the majority of my music collection and was in a bit of a bind.

Of course, if you are an affluent headphone lover with 60k to burn, do it. It won't ever become better. Unless they make an angled cup version ala 800 series :-P

Pictures:

HD-660s:

Well, I said the HD-660s is what the HD-650 should have been. First off the ridiculous clamping force has been toned down and the earcups and pads don't feel like the are made of the stiffest cusion material ever. They HD-660s also now easily slide into a position where the earcups are properly seated. As you can see I am no fan of the old ergonomics, but news one is spot on.

Soundwise, it takes the deciding leap from the HD-650 which to me always sounded a bit compressed and also... brittle? Well, the HD-660s does away with all that, articulation now seems spot on and overall sound is just clean and smooooth. I can already see the reviewers gushing :-P
But seriously, very natural.
And yeah, I stumbled zpon a youtube vid calling it shouty and shrill but wtf are you feeding it, on the demo acoustic and female vocal stuff, driven by the HDVD 800 it was smooth.
We'll see if I can demo again later.

Final note: I liked the HD-800s in-ears a lot but 900 Euro like? I am pretty sure custom in-ears will do better for that price.

Cya all.

Sick, really intrigued by the 660 as my endgame but I think I might go for this new Focal headphone.

HiResDes · Nov 13, 2017

H3 are on Massdrop right now - https://www.massdrop.com/buy/kinera...ontent=1510565248384.898521360231536488463136

And they received an excellent review from a pretty trustworthy source - http://theheadphonelist.com/kinera-h3-review-sensational/4/

Iris · Nov 13, 2017

Hi guys. what kinda soucegear ya'll have ? I jus got my dac and my cd player in the mail last week

dedacc · Nov 14, 2017

Hello;

I'm looking for a new pair of IEMs. Already eyed both the Shure SE315 and SE425, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. Already own a pair of ATH-M50x - so I want something similar, sound-wise - and will mostly use it with either a) a game console (Switch, 3DS, Vita), b) my laptop through a SoundBLASTER Play!3 (which I've begun to use recently as my device's headphone jack isn't working properly anymore) and c) one of my iPods (a 2010 touch and a classic from approximately the same era). Considering the last two devices aren't really that great anymore, I'd also be willing to invest some more in regards to future-proofing.

HiResDes · Nov 14, 2017

AnGer-dono said:
Hello;

I'm looking for a new pair of IEMs. Already eyed both the Shure SE315 and SE425, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. Already own a pair of ATH-M50x - so I want something similar, sound-wise - and will mostly use it with either a) a game console (Switch, 3DS, Vita), b) my laptop through a SoundBLASTER Play!3 (which I've begun to use recently as my device's headphone jack isn't working properly anymore) and c) one of my iPods (a 2010 touch and a classic from approximately the same era). Considering the last two devices aren't really that great anymore, I'd also be willing to invest some more in regards to future-proofing.

Maybe check out those H3s I just posted above.

HiResDes · Nov 14, 2017

This review has me really interested in trying these, sounds like me exact signature preference - https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/toneking-nine-tail.22673/

dedacc · Nov 14, 2017

HiResDes said:
Maybe check out those H3s I just posted above.

Looks good to me. Prices also seem reasonable (going for ~90€ on eBay).

splash wave · Nov 15, 2017

splash wave said:
I'm currently in the market for new headphones/cans/earbuds, and comfort is of utmost importance. I end up having to leave these things on almost all day at work, and my current pair (JVC HA-S500) get hot and eventually make my ears sore. I'm looking to spend $1-200, but I'm willing to go outside that a bit for something perfect.

edit: I still have an iPhone 6S, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't started preparing for a 3.5mm-less future or not. Or does that dongle not greatly affect sound quality? And are bluetooth headphones halfway decent at this point?

Just quoting myself in hopes someone has a few recommendations! :)

HiResDes · Nov 15, 2017

splash wave said:
Just quoting myself in hopes someone has a few recommendations! :)

Just seemed unsure which you wanted

splash wave · Nov 15, 2017

HiResDes said:
Just seemed unsure which you wanted

Fair enough. I'm going back and forth in terms of the direction I want to take with it. I tend to buy headphones pretty infrequently, so the thought of getting something wireless (and thus "future proof" for when I get a phone without a 3.5m port) is somewhat appealing. To that end, I was considering the Sony MDR-1000X as per the OP—these are, I know, way out of the price range I initially specified, but I'm thinking of just asking for these as a gift from my girlfriend for Christmas or something. My main concern with getting wireless headphones is that I'd want to use these for handheld gaming as well as music, and it seems like these don't sound great when plugged in passively.

Otherwise, if I do go wired, I want headphones that are comfortable both in terms of the pressure exerted on my head and the breathability of the pads.

Ra · Nov 15, 2017

Is it even worth it, to spend $200-$350 on IEMs anymore?

Suddenly I have the itch.

HiResDes · Nov 15, 2017

K.Jack said:
Is it even worth it, to spend $200-$350 on IEMs anymore?

Suddenly I have the itch.

I don't know when there seems to be some ridiculous Chinese Hybrids coming in the sub 200 market.

Ra · Nov 15, 2017

That's what I'm thinking fam.

So what is the latest hotness in Chi-Fi?

HiResDes · Nov 16, 2017

K.Jack said:
That's what I'm thinking fam.

So what is the latest hotness in Chi-Fi?

They're ugly but I'm thinking about checking these nine tail.

HiResDes · Nov 16, 2017

splash wave said:
Fair enough. I'm going back and forth in terms of the direction I want to take with it. I tend to buy headphones pretty infrequently, so the thought of getting something wireless (and thus "future proof" for when I get a phone without a 3.5m port) is somewhat appealing. To that end, I was considering the Sony MDR-1000X as per the OP—these are, I know, way out of the price range I initially specified, but I'm thinking of just asking for these as a gift from my girlfriend for Christmas or something. My main concern with getting wireless headphones is that I'd want to use these for handheld gaming as well as music, and it seems like these don't sound great when plugged in passively.

Otherwise, if I do go wired, I want headphones that are comfortable both in terms of the pressure exerted on my head and the breathability of the pads.

EMU Walnut, the pads still get a little hot though. I'd also recommend the RBH in the OP even more so but same problem.

These are both bassy options.

Chance Hale · Nov 16, 2017

I love my oppo pm 3s and I've had them for a few years but good god going with white with how paranoid I am with dirtiness means I can never use them in public or even be comfortable holding them. Looks like no one even sells the white any more lol.

What's the proper way to run with earbuds? After a few weeks the right one normally goes dead, and the wireless ones I bought a while back had major cracking issues that totally threw off my mojo.

HiResDes · Nov 16, 2017

Make sure they're sweat resistant wear them over the ear rather than straight down, have good luck.

Ra · Nov 16, 2017

Chance Hale said:
I love my oppo pm 3s and I've had them for a few years but good god going with white with how paranoid I am with dirtiness means I can never use them in public or even be comfortable holding them. Looks like no one even sells the white any more lol.

What's the proper way to run with earbuds? After a few weeks the right one normally goes dead, and the wireless ones I bought a while back had major cracking issues that totally threw off my mojo.

My white PM-3 is still completely white, after 2 years of use and being thrown in my work bag.

My brother asked me to find him some workout IEMs recently. After some research I got him the Sennheiser OCX 686G.

Chance Hale · Nov 16, 2017

K.Jack said:
My white PM-3 is still completely white, after 2 years of use and being thrown in my work bag.

My brother asked me to find him some workout IEMs recently. After some research I got him the Sennheiser OCX 686G.

I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, so I need to get over that at some point lol.

With how many ear buds I go through I just get weary of spending any real money at all on them given how often they break while running. But at the same time it sucks to buy cheap ones that sound like utter shite. Whereas I remain over joyed with my investment with the oppos and he 560s 2 or 3 years ago.

Chittagong · Nov 17, 2017

Oppo PM-3s have been my travel headset (I travel a lot) since I got them in July 2015. After just over 2 years on the road, they are looking quite bleak. They started to fall apart just a few months ago:

I have contacted Oppo to see if they would be able to service the pads and band, since there is nothing fundamentally wrong otherwise.

I have come around to accept the fact that there isn't really a better travel headset I know of, so would be nice to get them fixed, because otherwise I'll just end up paying another pair. Unless I have missed some compact new headsets with superior performance?

nanskee · Nov 17, 2017

Ok Ive had like a complete 180 on the tma-2 because of the h05 Bluetooth attachment. Sound quality might not be the best but my word are these headphones fantastic. I love how even when it's off/dead I can just plug in the wire. For some reason a couple of Bluetooth headsets like the beats studio 2(not the newest ones) could not work once battery died and plug in the wire.

Great stuff overall

Young Magus · Nov 17, 2017

Yo I was wonderin if theres anything out on the market that can make me retire my 4 year old mad dogs? Price Range is around $500-600. Preference is Closed Headphones but Open is ok.

Headphones Era lOTl Even Through The Distortion We Remain Lossless

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