Jump to content

dalethorn

Moderator
  • Content Count

    680
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by dalethorn

  1. I have several headphones besides the PS-500, and I've reviewed some of them, so I should find it easy to describe the PS-500, yes? Maybe not. By now I've discovered that my "other" headphones fall into the category of "polite" ear speakers. Inoffensive, smooth, and clean they are, and while the PS-500 shares their better qualities, polite and obsequious aren't one of them. I have quite a variety of music tracks in Jazz, Classics, Opera, Rock, Blues, Country and other genres, and I've been running through the list for days to see what the PS-500 isn't a good match for. So far everything sounds good. Better than good, actually - everything sounds alive. I've read a lot of reviews and discussed different systems with enough people that I have some idea of the adjectives they might apply to the PS-500. Terms such as warm, forward, or lush come to mind. In anticipation of that, I would suggest warm as in the warmth of a cello in an intimate setting, forward as in being near enough to the cello to bask in that warmth, and lush as in the full complement of harmonics that defines the characteristic sound of the instrument. I like a lot of headphones. I love the Grado PS-500. It makes music sound right. Before I continue with the music and sound analysis, some notes about the hardware: The comfort is instantaneous. This is one of the few headphones where the foam cushions sit on and around the ears and have no pinching effects or adjustment difficulties. The headband is a simple leather-wrapped flat spring steel band about 1-1/4 inches wide. For people who don't like feeling pressure from a headband, I recommend pulling the earcups down slightly more and letting the earcups support most of the weight so the headband isn't carrying all of the weight or pressing on the head. The cord is thick but flexible and about five feet long, terminated in a 1/4 inch plug. When used with most small music players, a 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch adapter is required. I use the Grado adapter, two of which I've had for ten years now since they're very well made and reliable. Many headphone cords today are single-sided, where the cord goes to one earcup and then some additional wiring carries the signal to the other earcup across the headband. The other major type is double-sided, where the left and right channels are carried in a 'Y' configuration to each earcup directly, eliminating the need for additional wiring inside one earcup and across the headband. The PS-500 is this latter type, which I prefer personally since less wiring means a purer signal path. The PS-500 is a low-impedance headphone of average efficiency, so it can play at medium to loud volumes with most small music players. So far I haven't found a music track that doesn't play loudly enough with an iPhone, after trying about 200 tracks at random. Many headphone reviews and commentaries will describe the need for a headphone amplifier or the equivalent in computer amplification to get the best sound possible from the headphone. Some of those reviews and comments even suggest that the sound from small music players such as the iPhone is not suitable for serious music listening at all. My experience with small music players is limited to the iPhone4, iPod Touch, and iPod Nano Touch. These three music players will provide about 98 percent of the sound quality of a good headphone amp, from the deepest bass to the highest treble, although calculating that percentage is purely subjective. My experience with two different headphone amps plus several desktop and laptop computers tells me that the differences are subtle, but the better headphone amps do "open up" the sound better, providing more "air" around instruments and voices and better reproduction of the upper harmonics that give each instrument its distinctive tone color. Note that the PS-500 is also an "open-air" or "open-back" headphone, which has advantages over the "closed" variety in various aspects of sound quality. On the other hand, some of the sound can be heard by persons sitting nearby depending on the volume level and how quiet the setting is. You probably won't disturb anyone on the subway at rush hour if you play music at average volume with the PS-500, but in a quiet office someone in the next cubicle may object unless you keep the volume fairly low. Now that I've covered the basics it's time to get to the music, i.e. how the PS-500 sounds with actual music tracks. Most of my music tracks are 320k CBR MP3's, which are the highest quality MP3's that are generally available. I have a couple hundred FLAC tracks which are uncompressed digital music, but the difference between those and 320k MP3's is very subtle, and normally only expert listeners can tell the differences. I also have a few hundred CD-quality or lower MP3's, which for most of those tracks is all that's available and I'm lucky to have them, so while I enjoy listening to those to whatever extent is possible, I don't use them for evaluating sound quality in a headphone review. The use of equalization ("EQ") with hi-fi equipment is controversial in some circles, and many audiophiles (purists?) refuse to even consider applying EQ or tone controls, no matter if a recording sounds much better with than without. I mention it here because I've mentioned it in my other reviews, and I want to note here that I haven't used EQ for this review, but I'm not shy about applying it on a case-by-case basis when it makes the difference between enjoying a recording and rejecting it outright. My suggestion to any music lover is to think of EQ as a simple tool that may save a recording at least temporarily until it can be replaced, as long as it doesn't become the opposite of that and actually degrade the sound as many audiophiles dread. The following are my examples of music tracks in certain genres or qualities, with my comments as to how the PS-500 sounds with each track. Note that when you see a comment like "soft highs" or "strong bass", it's more a characteristic of the music than the headphone. Reading through the list will bear this out since some tracks will note "soft highs" while others will say "strong" or even "zingy" highs. The purpose here is to give you an idea how the PS-500 will likely sound with your favorite music genres. 10000 Maniacs - Peace Train (late 80's); soft highs, fairly strong bass line, average soundstage. Andrea True Connection - More More More (late 70's): Smooth and even from top to bottom, good soundstage. Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead (~1980): Strong midrange sound effects - this is a good worst-case test for resonant-type sounds in the most sensitive midrange area. Handled well by the PS-500. Beatles - And I Love Her, Things We Said Today, I'll Be Back, I'll Follow The Sun (~1964, in stereo): Amazing sound quality and soundstage, with excellent voice and instrument detail. These four tracks are prima facie evidence that any negative qualities you see in this list are very unlikely to be a function of the headphone. Beethoven Symphony 9, Solti/CSO (1972): Excellent overall sound but average headphone soundstage unfortunately, even though the PS-500 is above average in presenting soundstage width and depth. Bill Evans Trio - Nardis (early 60's): Fairly close-up recording, but highs softened a little - very pleasant sound overall. Billy Eckstine - Imagination (date??): Sounds like a recent high-quality stereo recording. Excellent from top to bottom and a great vocal demo. Blood Sweat & Tears - And When I Die, God Bless The Child, Spinning Wheel (late 60's): Decent sound quality, and fortunately (I think) given the strength of the brass instruments, the highs are slightly soft. Blues Project - Caress Me Baby (1966): Rarely mentioned, but one of the greatest white blues recordings ever. The loud piercing guitar sound at 0:41 into the track is a good test for distortion or other problems. Handled well here. Boz Scaggs - Lowdown (1976): Good sound quality - this is a great test for any nasality in the midrange. Handled well by the PS-500. Buffalo Springfield - Kind Woman (~1968): A Richie Furay song entirely, rarely mentioned, but one of the best sounding rock ballads ever. This will sound good on most headphones, but it's a special treat with the PS-500. Cat Stevens - Morning Has Broken (early 70's): A near-perfect test for overall sound - this track will separate the best sounding headphones from the lesser quality types. Nothing specific, except that almost any deviation from perfect reproduction will stand out with this track. Catherine Wheel - Black Metallic (~1991): Goth with industrial overtones - I like this since it's a great music composition and the sound effects are smoothly integrated into the mix. This may sound distorted or mushy with some headphones, but the PS-500 renders the deliberate instrumental distortions clearly. Cocteau Twins - Carolyn's Fingers (1988): Unusual ambient pop with excellent guitar details. Commodores - Night Shift (~1985): Good spacious sound with very detailed bass guitar lines. Cranes - Adoration (~1991): Very good piano leading into a goth-flavored song with very unusual vocals. Creedence Clearwater Revival - The Midnight Special (1969??): Classic CCR featured in Twilight Zone, this track has great guitar sounds and a really good ambience despite a mediocre soundstage. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1959): Paul Desmond piece - good test of saxophone sound and cymbals, less so the other instruments. Dead Can Dance - Ariadne (1993??): Atmospheric goth music - good ambience in spite of mediocre soundstage. Def Leppard - Bringin' On The Heartbreak (1981): MTV goth/pop/metal at its best - good ambience and high energy - the better headphones will separate the details and make for a good experience. Lesser quality and the details tend to mush together. Del Reeves - Girl On The Billboard (early-mid 70's): Classic truck-drivin' country tune with a Thelma & Louise theme, this song's overall recorded quality (almost typical of Nashville in the 70's) is a superb demo if you can get past the peculiar lyrics. d*ck Hyman - Dooji Wooji (1990??): Swing-era composition played with perfect technique by all band members, with excellent recorded sound. Enrico Caruso/Caruso 2000 - La Donna e Mobile, M Appari Tutt Amor, etc. (early 1900's and 2000): Disliked by many critics and purists, this recording was the extremely arduous task of marrying the best obtainable restoration of Caruso's voice to a modern orchestra, with all of the odd timing problems inherent in the old RCA mechanical recordings. For me, it's one step closer to hearing my first great music idol as he actually sounded then, circa 1903 to 1919. Plus the fact that my grandmother met Caruso through her longtime friend and neighbor Evan Williams, who was also a big RCA recording star at that time. For many young people who can't get past the obvious barriers of the ancient mechanical sounds and distortions, this recording and future efforts with better technology may be the best hope for them to appreciate the greatest singer of his day, and perhaps ever. The PS-500 headphone brings this voice to life to a very satisfactory degree. Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon, I Get A Kick Out Of You, My Way, Strangers In The Night, That's Life, Theme From New York, New York (1950's to 1980): If you're thinking of buying a Grado PS-500 and haven't listened to Sinatra, or if you're low on swag, get some of Frank's stereo recordings and live it up. J.S. Bach - E. Power Biggs Plays Bach in the Thomaskirche (~1970): Recorded on a tracker organ in East Germany, the tracks on this recording have the authentic baroque sound that Bach composed for, albeit the bellows are operated by motor today. The PS-500 plays all of the tones seamlessly from ~32 hz to the upper limits of the organ, which are near the upper limits of hearing. Jamming With Edward - It Hurts Me Too (1969): Intended originally as a test to fill studio down time and set recording levels etc., this was released a few years later for hardcore Rolling Stones fans. Although not as good technically in every aspect as the Chess studio recordings of 1964, and in spite of the non-serious vocals by Mick Jagger, this rates very high on my list of white blues recordings, and sounds absolutely delicious with the PS-500. Jimmy Smith - Basin Street Blues (early 60's): This track has some loud crescendos of brass and other instruments that don't sound clean and musical on some headphones. The PS-500 does it well. Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes (Acoustic version, date??): Stripped-down ("acoustic") version of the big hit - good voice and guitar sounds. Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch (~2009): Featured in The September Issue, this song has heavy overdub and will sound a bit muddy on some headphones. Merle Haggard - Okie From Muskogee (1969): Another good-quality country recording with almost-acoustic guitar accompaniment. Milt Jackson/Wes Montgomery - Delilah (Take 3) (1962): The vibraphone is heavily dependent on harmonics to sound right, and the PS-500 plays it superbly. Nylons - The Lion Sleeps Tonight (A Capella version, 1980's): High-energy vocals sans instrumental accompaniment - an excellent test of vocal reproduction. Pink Floyd/Dark Side of the Moon - Speak To Me (1973): Deep bass impact. Rolling Stones - Stray Cat Blues (1968): Dirty, gritty blues that very few white artists could match. On some headphones the vocals and guitar lack the edge and fall more-or-less flat. If you're a really good person, playing this song will probably make you feel nervous and uneasy. Tony Bennett - For Once In My Life, I Left My Heart In San Francisco, I Wanna Be Around To Pick Up The Pieces, The Best Is Yet To Come, The Good Life, Who Can I Turn To (1960's and later): Frank Sinatra's favorite singer. Highest recommendation.
  2. As I said previously, my intent is to help other people, not you since you already have your mind made up, as you indicated when you said you played the M80 "flat" only. So why would you want to argue further? I want other users to try what I did, so that they can prove to themself that they can get 90 percent of the performance of the HD800 for 10 percent of the cost. But I get the idea you have objections to that which go beyond merely differing in opinion. Are you willing to let other users try my suggestions?
  3. I don't have to say I disagree with this, because I have many years experience with the best headphones, the best amps, and other stereo gear. I can tell you that the HD-800 sounds almost exactly the same from my iPod Touch as it does from my desktop Class A headphone amp. You get a tiny bit tighter bass and a tiny bit more high frequency extension with the desktop amp, and that is it. Period. Your refusal to even acknowledge the expert tests I did (let alone do the tests yourself) disqualifies you from being able to make any judgement. You even post "rolleyes" while you have no idea about how these items sound. Does that make your post look better to other people, when you claim ignorance and also better informed in the same paragraph? I don't know about you, but where I come from ignorance is not the point from which we post "rolleyes" as though we know better. When you are able to post notice of a music track you tested with these headphones, and where you found (as you said) a huge difference in the bass, I will buy the track from Amazon or wherever and test it myself, and report the results to the readers here. BTW, I have taken these challenges before, and I am going to perform these tests, not just claim I know something that I don't know.
  4. I should also mention that the M80 is a tricky fit since the earcups don't swivel, and my ears are slightly rotated toward the front by a degree or two. In warm weather they seal in about 30 seconds to a minute, but it takes maybe 3 minutes in cool weather. If you get too tight of a seal and the bass is too heavy, you might try stretching the headband. But more likely the solution is the treble boost, since they need that to get closer to a hi-fi sound.
  5. I assume when you compared you did not use an iPod Touch with Treble Boost for the M80 and flat for the HD800, yes? That's how I did, and the bass is the same. I can run it again, but I will get the same result.
  6. See, the thing is, it's not just you and me. Hundreds of people will read this, and maybe I can save them hundreds of dollars with a headphone that does sound similar to the HD800 (as it does to me), for a fraction of the price.
  7. I don't know if you knew, but I have a HD800 right here next to the M80, so I was being serious about getting just about as good of sound, for 1/10 of the money.
  8. You could buy a Senn 800 plus an amp to "fix" the 800's lack of warmth, all for about $2000 USD. Or you could spend 1/10 of that and get a Vmoda M80 and get much the same thing.
  9. I don't see any ads on the site or a Recommended Headphones section, so I guess it's fair to suggest any brand, yes? My newest headphone, the Vmoda M80 (same as V80) has very rolled off highs played straight, but with my iPod Touch's treble boost EQ the sound becomes much like a Senn 800 from the mids down to the bottom, but the zingy or bright high end is not there. I really like them. I've had a Phiaton MS-400 which I EQ'd with bass reducer on the iPod, and with that EQ, the bass seemed flat somewhat like the Senn 800, but the mids and highs were smoother and more enjoyable than the Vmoda even, darker would be the word I think. I would still have the MS-400, but my earwax built up too quickly with that headphone for some reason. The B&W P5 has a fairly neutral to slightly warm sound, but is soft on the ends, which may or may not please everyone.
  10. If you have listened to the Sennheiser HD-800 and do not like it or do not want to use it for reference, but you still want a neutral reference, I don't know how you would do that. I suppose you could say that you want a sound that you prefer (which might not be neutral to the industry's experts) but is that really neutral? So you would have to explain. If you don't like those brands, then only you could decide what you want to use. The 701 is known as a good headphone, but how that would work for you in comparing systems, again only you would know from trying it out. Probably a Stax SR-009 would satisfy just about everyone, but that's going to cost a lot more.
  11. They called Michael the King of Pop, but I think he was more than the king - he was pop music personified, the most influential person in pop music I can think of for the past 25 years. I remember a couple of years ago when another pop icon died, and the media referred to that person mainly as the King of Soul. But he too was far more than that informal title suggested. Many people I grew up with in the 1960's referred to his album Live At The Apollo as the greatest album ever recorded, then and for years afterward. RIP Michael and James Brown.
  12. Not only progressive rock, but metal too.
  13. More listening and more impressions: I switched the EQ on my i-devices to Treble Booster, which makes the V-80 sound perfect for the majority of my music. The midrange issue I described is now resolved and the bass is still as powerful (but not bloated or heavy) as ever. The highs with treble boost still don't have any harshness or sibilant problems. Very smooth. When I play the electronic/house music channels, I don't use any EQ and they sound perfect there, with astounding bass.
  14. Now that I've presented the worst-case scenarios for the V-80/M-80, it's time to get into the musical qualities in greater detail. As I explained previously, I felt that the highs were too recessed and so I compensated by applying the iPod Touch's 'Acoustic' EQ. This EQ seems to be working out well for me, with the only possible downside that I'm hearing a slight peak in the midrange that gives voices more prominence than what I would like. In some rare cases this can contribute to the "Caruso" effect as I call it, where Caruso recorded into horns that had some remaining resonances after their best design efforts had been exhausted, and so in some passages where he projected his voice most strongly, the otherwise minor resonances amplified those notes out of proportion to the rest of the music. In the V-80's case it's not a serious problem, and even then it's probably a result of my imperfect application of EQ rather than a fault of the headphone. At this point in my listening, the highs are smooth and extended, and the midrange is under control with reasonably accurate and pleasing reproduction. Then there's the bass. Ooooh, the bass. Compared to the Phiaton MS-400, the bass is tighter and more detailed, yet has greater impact. I can not only hear 15 hz softly and 20 hz strongly, but I can hear the beats of those frequencies, albeit at 20 hz it's too rapid to hear as a clearly enunciated staccato sound. And this is not just harmonics playing tricks - the 15 and 20 hz fundamentals with low distortion are obvious and well defined. Comparing the bass of the V-80 to my Sennheiser HD-800, the HD-800 has comparable detail, but sounds anemic at the equivalent overall volume level. That comparison is with each headphone running from the Cute Beyond "Class A" headphone amp. The good news in running the V-80 from a decent headphone amp is that the highs open up and there's a better sense of space and clarity, particularly on very dynamic passages. And the deep bass gets tighter, yet does not lose any strength or impact, which continues to surprise me with the V-80. The bad news in using the iPod Touch with a headphone amp is that the EQ selections remain active at the iPod's "Line Out" docking port. This suggests to me that it's not a true line out, and better results might be obtained using a DAC that can capture and process the iPod's USB output instead. My overall summation is that the V-80 is an excellent music machine in most respects, except that it's a phenomenal bass machine. I have never experienced bass that goes so deep and remains so powerful, even after EQ'ing and amping, yet is never boomy, bloated or other such negatives, no matter what I play. Note that the V-80 is not a "bassy" headphone, nor does it impress me as being very "warm". It simply goes very deep and retains better detail and impact than any other non-bassy headphone I've heard.
  15. Some notes for this review: The V-80 and M-80 are identical according to V-Moda except for the additional red accents on the V-80 model. For the V-80 that I purchased, I found the sound somewhat recessed in the high end compared to other headphones I have**, so I used the iPod's 'Acoustic' EQ setting for most of my tests and comparisons. The overall sound quality of the V-80 is so good that you can play it without EQ if that proves satisfactory, or try different EQ settings to better match your personal preferences. **Those other headphones I have are considered to be "bright" by some users, so the V-80 may be just as close to ideal with the high end tones as they are. The one headphone I've used that to me sounds most similar to the V-80 is the Beyerdynamic DT-1350, but the DT-1350 has a much greater midrange emphasis than the V-80, and so I think the V-80 would be much easier to adapt to a wide variety of musical tastes. The bass of the V-80 is tight and detailed, but 'tight' in this case does not mean light or thin bass - the bass is prominent and full on any track that actually has bass. I'd rate the V-80's bass as 9 out of 10, and since I haven't heard a 10 that means the V-80's bass is as good as I've heard. The midrange is more difficult to judge since nearly every aspect of music is involved with the midrange in one respect or another. I can say that after playing nearly 100 of my favorite tracks in many different genres, the midrange sounds very good - voices sound right, instruments such as guitars, cellos, trumpets, pipe organs - in short everything I've played - sounds marvelous. The high end of the V-80 sounded less prominent to me than the midrange and bass as I noted above, but what's interesting here is that even after I added treble with the iPod's 'Acoustic' setting, there is still no problem with sibilants or other harshness. I wanted to make sure that this wasn't the case due to high-frequency rolloff, so I checked my lineup of test tones from about 4 khz up to about 13 khz, and those tones were audible in their proper proportions. I can't give the V-80 the same kind of rating for midrange and highs as I gave for the bass, since the bass is 100 times easier to rate than the mids and highs. But the V-80 is the best-sounding portable headphone I've used so far, and is second in sound quality only to my two large desktop headphones, the Sennheiser HD-800 and Shure SRH-940. The V-80 will play quite loudly with portable devices such as most cellphones, iPods and so on. The two straight cords (one red/black and one grey) are detachable, the miniplugs are at a 45 degree angle, and the cords are covered in a fabric that doesn't snag on my clothing, which is a major plus for me. The carrycase is compact enough to include in carry-on luggage on most U.S. flights. I wondered before I saw the V-80 in person if it would attract any unusual attention because of its "True Blood" design. The short answer is no. The design is low-key, elegant, stylish, and can be worn by anyone without concern. The physical quality of the V-80 is as good as the literature says it is. Comfort is good, with much less pressure on the ears than the Beyer DT-1350 for example. Isolation is very modest though, so don't expect it to block outside sounds to any major extent. Soundstage is average, which is better than I expected for a small headphone with small earcups. In addition to the pop music tracks listed below, which I used mainly for detecting weaknesses or other problems with the sound, I played a wide variety of genres (Jazz, Diana Krall, Bill Evans Trio; Bach organ, Biggs; Beethoven 9th, Solti CSO; Chopin, Moravec; Reggae, Marley, Tosh; Country, Haggard, Yoakam; Verdi, Domingo; Sinatra and Bennett; Punk, Germs, Fear, Sid Vicious, Social Distortion; Medieval, Madrigali, Medieval Babes; Trance, Mylene Farmer, etc.) The following are some of the music tracks I tested with, and the main features I listened for with those tracks: Blues Project - Caress Me Baby (piercing guitar sound, handled very well). Cocteau Twins - Carolyn's Fingers (guitar string detail and quality, excellent). Commodores - Night Shift (bass detail, very good). Germs - Forming (raw garage sound, excellent). Lick The Tins - Can't Help Falling In Love (tin whistle, very clear and clean). Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side (bass impact, very good; detail very good). REM - Radio Free Europe (drum impact, excellent). Rolling Stones - She's So Cold (bass impact, excellent; guitar sound very good). U2 - With Or Without You (bass boom/high-pitched instruments/sibilants, handled very well). Van Morrison - Into The Mystic (bass, very good). Who - Bargain (voice trailing off: "best I ever had", very good vocal harmonics).
  16. A lot of this is true, but it should not be taken as absolute or always true. For example running many headphones from an iPod Touch (Shure 940, Phiaton MS400, Beyer DT48E, Philips Stretch, B&W P5, Senn PX series etc.), at average to semi-loud volumes there are no problems at all even with demanding music except for the inherent inferiority of the iPod Touch's amps compared to a good headphone amp. Then there is also the bad news about headphone amps. If you have a headphone that's borderline bright which might be irritating on some tracks, it can actually get worse with many headphone amps, even thought it's technically "better". Now some people might say it's still better to go for the better fidelity, but the bottom line is your listening enjoyment. If your listening enjoyment is compromised by being chained to a non-portable amp, or by having to lug around a "portable" amp that's not pocketable and inconvenient to carry, then you defeat your purpose. And since different amps sound different, you need to evaluate one that works best with your headphone(s), in a very quiet place where you can hear the tiny differences that justify the amp. Good luck on that.
  17. One small clarification on using the latest iPod Touch with an inefficient headphone like the HD-800: Although what I said previously is true, the volume on some music tracks may still be too low for satisfactory playback. There are options in iTunes and in the iPod to increase volume, supposedly without compression, but Apple notes on its help site that there is a peak limiter built in that may come into play when volume is boosted. They don't clarify whether that peak limiter applies only to iTunes playback, or also to the iPod when it uses the Sound Check option. Merely upping the volume indicator in the settings embedded in the music track itself shouldn't cause any deterioration in sound, but I'm not certain at this point what effect Apple's peak limiter would have when playing from the iPod with Sound Check on. Perhaps Sound Check could be left off on the iPod and the volume indicators set for all tracks permanently in iTunes, so they would play at equal volume on the iPod because the tracks themselves have the volume indicator reset. I don't know. The people at head-fi's forum supposedly made an "authoritative" post on this, but it was not correct in some respects, and missing info in other respects. Even if the volume problem can be solved, my previous arguments were not made as a recommendation for people to buy HD-800's for iPod use. They were made to justify my testing efforts with the HD-800 and the Shure 940. If someone wanted to buy the best possible headphone to use with an iPod, I would recommend the Shure 940.
  18. At this moment I'm listening to Jimmy Smith's Basin Street Blues with the HD-800 and the iPod Touch latest edition. It's a 320k CBR MP3 I ripped from a FLAC track I bought from HDTracks dot com. This track has some very severe dynamics with mass blasts of brass instruments, and while it's possible that I'm getting some clipping on those dynamics (I can't tell any from listening without direct comparison with a headphone amp - that's how little difference there actually is), the overall sound is just about as perfect as I've heard with any amp, the only difference being some amps provide more "air" due to better high frequency reproduction than the iPod/HD-800 combination provides. If you have any doubts as to the difference between the FLAC track and the 320k CBR MP3 rip, try it yourself. It's also too close to tell without a very critical comparison in a very quiet place. The point here is that it's wrong to tell people that the HD-800 cannot be driven satisfactorily from an iPod Touch when it most assuredly can be. The difference in overall sound between an iPod Touch and an average headphone amp is miniscule compared to the differences between most headphones, which is why I tell people they can probably get better sound spending 'x' dollars on a good headphone than spending 1/2 'x' on a headphone and 1/2 'x' on an amp. And that's assuming they have at least as much efficiency in power as the HD-800/iPod Touch setup. And there is another potential downside to buying a headphone amp besides diluting headphone quality by splitting money between the two: While a headphone amp may "tighten" bass and extend the high frequencies with a good amp, some headphones like the HD-800 and Shure 940 are already borderline bright and just on the verge of sibilant problems, and some amps will then exaggerate those problems. I don't know what opportunities users have to pre-test their high-tech headphone amps in a very quiet place before purchase, but I'll bet most users don't have that opportunity.
  19. (Note: Original post modified to include this information.)
  20. (Note: Original review text revised, incorporating this post's data.)
  21. Since nobody else mentioned it, I'll go ahead and ask: Do you think in the normal sample-to-sample variations of mass-produced items that you may have gotten a brighter sample than mine? You mentioned very, very, very, very bright, and then suggested that such an extreme brightness is only about 4 db. If my 940 were borderline bright but not excessively bright, then 4 db of extra brightness could push it past the toleration zone for some people. But if my review dealt only in absolutes such as "very bright" or "not bright", then it would not be very useful to people since those adjectives are relative and purely subjective. That's why I compared it very carefully to a known reference standard, the Sennheiser HD-800.
  22. (Note: Original post modified to include this information.)
  23. It really depends on your head and how you fit it. I have very little hair on top, yet it's comfortable for me because I make sure the earcups are adjusted so the headband doesn't press tightly. Just get the right combination of support from the earcups, and support from the headband (but mostly from the earcups) and it will be OK. A lot of people adjust their headphone so the headband presses too tight, and that's not necessary with the 940 because it's very light, and the earcups can support most of that weight.
  24. That's a good observation. My impression when I had them (they're in the Philippines now) is that certain things were overwhelming other things, and the way they designed it, I couldn't tell if one thing was causing the other. So if I couldn't separate certain instruments maybe it was just a frequency response glitch or resonance, or maybe a phase problem caused in the components next to the drivers - maybe someone will take one of these apart and try changing the wiring or whatever else is in there and see what happens.
  25. dalethorn

    STAX

    I had a Stax SRX MK3, a Grado 325, and Sennheiser 580/600/650/800's. The headphones I just mentioned are usually regarded as among the brighter sounding headphones. Some of the popular (and sometimes expensive) headphones currently being sold are "darker" sounding than the above, and that's one of the first things people notice about the differences between headphones, along with the bass. Some highly rated headphones have heavy bass, some have light bass, and others are in between. Once you get past the more obvious sound signature from the frequency response, then you get into driver designs like the Sennheiser 800 which create a large "soundstage" with huge earcups and angled drivers. It's not always easy for people to discern the finer points of headphone sound when presented with such dramatics. Then there are the electrostatics like the Stax SR-009, which I would buy today if I had $7000 USD. But some people might think the Stax doesn't have enough bass, so before you buy something that's not ideal for you just to get a particular sound signature, you could also consider a small amount of equalization to compensate, if that would help.
×
×
  • Create New...