Random IEM / Headphone Rants
- Thread starter esanthosh
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kenpachiroks
Forerunner
For those who don't know yet. There's a Headphone Meet (organized by HeadphoneZone) in Bangalore on the 20th of December 2015, Hyderabad on 27th Dec and Pune (TBA)
I was there for the first meet (in June). Was a lot of fun, meeting fellow enthusiasts and trying out all sorts of gear. Impressions posted here
Their line-up for the upcoming meet looks enticing. Details available here : http://www.headphonezone.in/pages/headphone-connect
I was there for the first meet (in June). Was a lot of fun, meeting fellow enthusiasts and trying out all sorts of gear. Impressions posted here
Their line-up for the upcoming meet looks enticing. Details available here : http://www.headphonezone.in/pages/headphone-connect
v.Na5h
Galvanizer
v.Na5h
Galvanizer
rdst_1
Juggernaut
Man, I knew that Head Direct had poor quality but they seem to have gone completely down the drain. I have a RE 400 with less than 50hrs of usage and they are already showing wire at 2 places. One, at the point where the wire joins the earpiece and second where the 2 wires become one. I haven't stored them in pockets or used them when out. Only used them at home and still they look like they might stop working in a few days.
Ritvik
Forerunner
Their IEMs have always given me issues. 4 x RE1s I think and my RE600, I sold my RE400 here but the buyer ran into issues a few months later. Haven't bought a Head-Direct/Hifiman IEM since. Their headphones however seem to be a lot better, I've never had an issue with them thus far.
Just got the most impressive DAC I've owned, the DAC section is better than my full size Oppo HA-1 and some of the DACs I've heard at and above the USD 5000 range. An absolute powerhouse too, I read it puts out as much power as the Hugo.
toxicdrift
Herald
Ritvik
Forerunner
899 SGD at just about any of the audio shows and 999 SGD at full retail. If you're here for Canjam and claim your GST refund at the airport it would be around 835 SGD a bit lower than US retail at current exchange rates.
Oyster
Forerunner
Hello Everyone,
Lone time since i wrote my last review, which was the V Moda V80. Over the last three years i came across lots of gear that helped me relate most of the audio vocabulary to real world listening.
Following is the review/impressions of my setup that i put together just recently. Kindly note that this review is of the system as a whole and not that of an individual component. Each component may change sonic characteristics depending on the pairing.
Amplifier - Its a 6AS7 OTL with 6sn7 input tube using a simple unregulated Choke filtered, tube rectified power supply. The tube complement is similar to Apex Teton. The amp was made by forum member 'Gurubhai'.
DAC - Adcom GDA600 (modded). PC Motherboard SPDIF header connected to AES/EBU input on the DAC using a DIY XLR cable.
Tubes - For rectifier U52, For Output GEC 6080, for input 6SN7
Headphones - A vintage Yamaha HP1 Anisotropic Version, extensively modded.
So, how does it sound?
Well, depending on the tube the sound varies from Dry to Neutral to Lush. But in any case the high fidelity can be easily heard. The standout features are the immense details, huge dynamics, pitch black background and great imaging. The imaging thing is mainly due to those Yamahas.
Bass is a bit on the lighter side (deep but lacks heft), and this is because of the DAC not at its full potential yet. I have heard the same DAC with slightly different mods and it hits like a canon. Even then, the fidelity levels are so high that the bass light nature doesnt bother much. The sound that this setup makes is highly addicting.
Past gear (Owned/heard) -
Assemblade DAC2 (modded) - A capable DAC. I was very happy with it until i heard the Adcom
The bass in particular is a bit elevated and refinement levels could be higher. Still, its easily better than most sabre crap you get these days.
Cavalli EHHA Rev A Hybrid tube amp - A great amp for the price. Really good tone and slam. Somewhat confined in soundstage and refinement yet highly enjoyable.
JDS Labs O2 - Tiny powerful amp. Flat dynamics, coarse treble. But pretty good for entry level. At least better than the Fiio stuff.
Hifiman HE400 + O2/EHHA - Super crap.
Audeze LCD2 R1 + EHHA/Beta22 - I was a fan initially, but over time realized the limited resolution, too much of shelved midrange, clean but overly done bass levels.
Audeze LCD2 Fazor + Deckard - A grainer , less dark R1
LCD X + GO 450/Concero- Heard over couple of occasions and liked what i heard. Shouty mids but other wise a better LCD2. Would like to hear it again.
LCD3 + GO450 - Meh! Big fat sound with huge roll off at either ends.
EL8 Closed + Deckard - Worse than the M50X. Should be banned.
Hifiman HE6 balanced + Some exotic speaker amp - Great bass and speed. Mediocre mids resolution, thin/splashy highs. Compressed sounding.
HD800 + EHHA/Hugo - The best experience after HP1. Super clean upper treble, minimal sub bass, elevated mid bass, cleanest bass for a dynamic, female vocals shelved, some bite in the treble area that starts to hurt after few minutes of listening. Overly done soundstage and fuzzy imaging. Not the blackest of backgrounds. Fidelity levels were much better than all but HP1.
Lone time since i wrote my last review, which was the V Moda V80. Over the last three years i came across lots of gear that helped me relate most of the audio vocabulary to real world listening.
Following is the review/impressions of my setup that i put together just recently. Kindly note that this review is of the system as a whole and not that of an individual component. Each component may change sonic characteristics depending on the pairing.
Amplifier - Its a 6AS7 OTL with 6sn7 input tube using a simple unregulated Choke filtered, tube rectified power supply. The tube complement is similar to Apex Teton. The amp was made by forum member 'Gurubhai'.
DAC - Adcom GDA600 (modded). PC Motherboard SPDIF header connected to AES/EBU input on the DAC using a DIY XLR cable.
Tubes - For rectifier U52, For Output GEC 6080, for input 6SN7
Headphones - A vintage Yamaha HP1 Anisotropic Version, extensively modded.
So, how does it sound?
Well, depending on the tube the sound varies from Dry to Neutral to Lush. But in any case the high fidelity can be easily heard. The standout features are the immense details, huge dynamics, pitch black background and great imaging. The imaging thing is mainly due to those Yamahas.
Bass is a bit on the lighter side (deep but lacks heft), and this is because of the DAC not at its full potential yet. I have heard the same DAC with slightly different mods and it hits like a canon. Even then, the fidelity levels are so high that the bass light nature doesnt bother much. The sound that this setup makes is highly addicting.
Past gear (Owned/heard) -
Assemblade DAC2 (modded) - A capable DAC. I was very happy with it until i heard the Adcom
Cavalli EHHA Rev A Hybrid tube amp - A great amp for the price. Really good tone and slam. Somewhat confined in soundstage and refinement yet highly enjoyable.
JDS Labs O2 - Tiny powerful amp. Flat dynamics, coarse treble. But pretty good for entry level. At least better than the Fiio stuff.
Hifiman HE400 + O2/EHHA - Super crap.
Audeze LCD2 R1 + EHHA/Beta22 - I was a fan initially, but over time realized the limited resolution, too much of shelved midrange, clean but overly done bass levels.
Audeze LCD2 Fazor + Deckard - A grainer , less dark R1
LCD X + GO 450/Concero- Heard over couple of occasions and liked what i heard. Shouty mids but other wise a better LCD2. Would like to hear it again.
LCD3 + GO450 - Meh! Big fat sound with huge roll off at either ends.
EL8 Closed + Deckard - Worse than the M50X. Should be banned.
Hifiman HE6 balanced + Some exotic speaker amp - Great bass and speed. Mediocre mids resolution, thin/splashy highs. Compressed sounding.
HD800 + EHHA/Hugo - The best experience after HP1. Super clean upper treble, minimal sub bass, elevated mid bass, cleanest bass for a dynamic, female vocals shelved, some bite in the treble area that starts to hurt after few minutes of listening. Overly done soundstage and fuzzy imaging. Not the blackest of backgrounds. Fidelity levels were much better than all but HP1.
raksrules
Oracle
I have never used any active noise cancelling headphones so I am here to ask something. I have one headphone with me which takes 2 AAA Batteries and has a noise cancellation switch on it. I was not sure what to expect so with a song playing, I turned on noise cancellation and suddenly the clarity of the song jumped like many fold.
Also I read somewhere that noise cancellation will drain out outside sound even when nothing is playing from the headphones. To try that, I paused the audio and just turned on the active noise cancellation and what I could deduce is that the "noise" as in the light humming from surroundings was gone but my TV was playing a movie in background and its dialogues were still audible. Is this work active noise cancellation works ? Should I have expected even the TV sounds to be completed drained or no ?
Also I read somewhere that noise cancellation will drain out outside sound even when nothing is playing from the headphones. To try that, I paused the audio and just turned on the active noise cancellation and what I could deduce is that the "noise" as in the light humming from surroundings was gone but my TV was playing a movie in background and its dialogues were still audible. Is this work active noise cancellation works ? Should I have expected even the TV sounds to be completed drained or no ?
i want to rant on Skullcandy JIB in ear, damn man, within 6 months, the left side went kaput, couldn't find the bill so had didn't bother to go to the shop for replacement (yes, had it registered online too), and one fine day, during the last month of the warranty (that too on the second last day) found the damned bill (of course, mom found it, how do they ever find everything is beyond my imagination), went to the shop, chap gladly accepted and sent it for replacement and got the new one on the second week. Now, this new one, didn't got time to use it much, and on the second month itself, same thing, left ear went kaput 
same happened with one of my friend...damn u skullcandy :|
same happened with one of my friend...damn u skullcandy :|
sujan
Discoverer
After almost 2 years of being without an headphone for a desktop, I got these with the help of my brother. The Brainwavz HM5.
Sorry for the low quality shots, Oneplus One is the only decent camera I've got now.
As for the sound, these are the exceptional as far as I can hear. I don't have much experience with headphones but I'll try to explain the sound sig. I'd say these are Neutral with fantastic clarity. Bass is flat except for a slight mid-bass bump. The bump is very subtle though. Mids are glorious here. The most detailed Mids I've heard. I'd say slightly warm too due to the mid-bass bump but I think that's a good thing, as it makes the music feel more engaging. It's more emphasized on the upper-mids so female vocals sound better. Not to say that Male vocals aren't good just that female vocals shine a bit more. In fact the male vocals are also the best I've heard since these are the highest quality headphones in my possession now.
Treble is fortunately for me not emphasized a lot. They are a bit boosted in the lower treble region but it's not to the point of making it harsh. Guitars have that bite and cymbals are super detailed. But the best aspect of the treble is timbre, it's spot on. Stringed instruments and cymbals actually sound so natural. Live albums sounds the best on these cans.
Soundstage is actually present. These are the first cans where I've detected some space in the sounds so can't say much about it unfortunately.
Edit: Sorry, forgot to write about availability. Got these from Flipkart for 7k. Amazon has it too but for 17k which is just ridiculous.
http://www.flipkart.com/brainwavz-h...hones/p/itme9znctucwjvqx?pid=ACCE9ZNCQAGDHNYR
Sorry for the low quality shots, Oneplus One is the only decent camera I've got now.
These are huge but are surprisingly light weight. The cables are color coded as well as removable.
The headphones are made of rubberized plastic except for the aluminum(?) plate as you can see it shining here.
Huge pads. As comfortable as they look here. Isolation is excellent too.
Use them with my brother's Scarlett 2i2. They're easy to drive.
Bonus Shot.
As for the sound, these are the exceptional as far as I can hear. I don't have much experience with headphones but I'll try to explain the sound sig. I'd say these are Neutral with fantastic clarity. Bass is flat except for a slight mid-bass bump. The bump is very subtle though. Mids are glorious here. The most detailed Mids I've heard. I'd say slightly warm too due to the mid-bass bump but I think that's a good thing, as it makes the music feel more engaging. It's more emphasized on the upper-mids so female vocals sound better. Not to say that Male vocals aren't good just that female vocals shine a bit more. In fact the male vocals are also the best I've heard since these are the highest quality headphones in my possession now.
Treble is fortunately for me not emphasized a lot. They are a bit boosted in the lower treble region but it's not to the point of making it harsh. Guitars have that bite and cymbals are super detailed. But the best aspect of the treble is timbre, it's spot on. Stringed instruments and cymbals actually sound so natural. Live albums sounds the best on these cans.
Soundstage is actually present. These are the first cans where I've detected some space in the sounds so can't say much about it unfortunately.
Edit: Sorry, forgot to write about availability. Got these from Flipkart for 7k. Amazon has it too but for 17k which is just ridiculous.
http://www.flipkart.com/brainwavz-h...hones/p/itme9znctucwjvqx?pid=ACCE9ZNCQAGDHNYR
Last edited:
sujan
Discoverer
They're available on amazon.
http://www.amazon.in/s/ref=bl_dp_s_web_976419031?ie=UTF8&node=976419031&field-brandtextbin=Comply
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