Headphone Audiophiles - Page 24

Hey, I blew away about $300+ to learn that lesson.

IMO and experience, XLR/balanced cables have zero to offer in one's home system.


Congrats on your decision to buy OPPO BDP-95 blu-ray player.

I'm more reserved and am looking for a blu-ray player that will exceed the OPPO BDP-93 at a somewhat lower cost.

Maybe the soon to be released Panasonic blu-ray 500 player?

Anyway I just got a Benchmark DAC-1 HDR unit, and it mildly exceeds my Nuforce Icon HDP unit in SQ. The Nuforce unit is slightly more sharp/brittle with it's sound.

Both units are rather versatile as small desktop preamp headphone amp units.

Perhaps that's a good overall assessment about the diminishing SQ returns with higher money spent.

Do you need a universal player? Its hard to beat the 93 cost wise for what it does. The yamaha bd-a1010 can be found for 399 and plays sacd and dvda.

If you don't need sacd/dvda then the panny would be good. I have a panny bdp in the bedroom that I like a lot. Its a well made player.

Amazon shows the "yamaha bd-a1010" to be an interesting player and the price is OK also. 3 out of the 6 reviews provide really useful info. A quick check, so to speak.

And yes, I've a sizable collection of SACD discs as well as a smaller set of DVD_A discs, so I've got a definite interest in a true universal player. AVS has a separate thread on it that's still fairly short at 187 posts, so I've some reading to do.

Thanks very much for the suggestion.

I noticed electronics expo has an open box Denon 1611ud for 329. You might also give them a call. Its typical to get about 20-25% off msrp from them when you call customer service and ask for their best price, which would put it at around 400. Disadvantage is only 2 channel analog, no 7.1 analog outs. The yamaha does have 7.1 analog. Don't know your analog needs. If its to feed headphones, the the denon may suffice as well.

Yamaha's DVD players from two generations back are also universal, the DVD-S1800/1900 among others, and they usually cost less than the A1010. The first and second-gen Blu-ray players are not universals (S2900 and S1900/1065) though, so keep that in mind. If the previous-era players' build quality and so on are any indication, the A1010 should be a steal.

More to the topic of the original post, I've got a set of Sony MDR-F1 headphones (among others) for at-home use that I quite like.

Sennheiser CX6 and Vmoda Crossfade LP (50mm dual voice coil drivers so they say with 5Hz-35,000Hz response)

I might be terribly poor, and can't afford super high end **** you guys have that costs more than my car...but at least it's better than garbage BOSE and Beats headphones..

Hi there. I'm in the market for a new DAC, and am leaning heavily toward the new Wadia 121. Since it has a phone jack, I'm toying with the idea of taking advantage and picking up my first pair of serious cans.

Two questions, if I may: 1, what's the "sweet spot" in the Sennheiser HD range...you know, considering I'm a headphone noob; and 2, can I expect the Wadia headphone amp to be decent...considering my user level?

Thanks,
CD

Has anyone here listened to the new PSB M4U 2 headphones? The product received good press at the recent CES.

Hi CD, welcome!

Personally, I think the Sennheiser HD598 is the "sweet spot" of their lineup. Check out eBay seller "Razordogdeals" for an authorized dealer who sells at good prices. The 598 has been available for as little as $170, but not lately.

No info on the Wadia 121 unfortunately - they have no specs on their website. In my experience, the 598 is very easy to drive but does not pair well with higher output impedance amps.

That's kinda where I was leaning palmfish; the 598. Thanks for the heads-up!

CD

As your a noob, maybe go for something a little lower cost first, this way you have something to look forward to in the future.
Maybe start out with a $250 DAC/Amp.
The Sennheiser HD598 is fairly easy to power.

Odds are the far better deal is to by a used Sennheiser 600 headphone. That's what I did. FWIW I have both the Sennheiser 600 and 650 and I very slightly prefer the 600's.

Check Amazon.

FWIW, my just received issue of April 2012 Stereophile (700 recommended components) lists Sennheiser 600 650 and 800 as all "A" rated headphones. The Sennheiser 598 is not listed in the current list of "A" "B" "C" or "D" headphones.

Taco...I'm new to phones; not DACs. I'm getting the Wadia 121 as DAC first and foremost; the phone-amp is gravy. Thanks.

CD

Number of products reviewed by Stereopile in the last 5 years: 700


Then they obviously haven't reviewed them or they would be on the list. Can't miss out on another potential advert.

A friend of mine bought the 598 recently and they are more than decent.

^^^
They take stuff off the list if they haven't reviewed the item in a year or two. For example, the AKG K701s were dropped two years ago for that reason. Obviously these headphones are the same product as when they were listed! They remain on my personal A list

There are also plenty of fine items Stereophile never reviews.

Correction-- ...if they haven't LISTENED to the item in a year or two.

That's a slam on Stereophile?

Why are you so fond of doing this kind of stuff?

I provide a reference of why I think the info is worth considering, and you turn it into a slam on Stereophile.


It may be that Stereophile hasn't yet reviewed them. Why not say that by itself?

And if it's not too much trouble, also provide some info on how long Sennheiser has offered the 598 headphones for.


So you yourself not only don't have any 1st hand experience with the Sennheiser 598, but also none with the Sennehiser 600 or 650?

I'm interested in them too. Thinking of checking with cruchfield to see what their return policy is.

I had the Senn 600 and 650. I found both of them h comfortable and with very rolled off highs. Sold them to people who really liked them. It's a matter of taste!

The 650's are definitely rolled off, the 600's are not. I think the 600's are the best of the Sennheiser lineup. But CD doesn't want the best, he wants the "sweetspot."

The 598's are most definitely that. A little thinner in the bass than the 600, but open, airy and spacious sounding - just a terrific, enjoyable headphone that does everything well.

About $100 less than the 600 with maybe 95% of the performance. More comfortable to wear, and much easier to drive. IMO, the 598 is THE entry point into Sennheisers higher end sound.

Yeah. The price/performance ratio skyrockets for the HD600 and beyond, IMO.

I just put new ear-foam and headrest foam on my old HD580 phones. Sound just as good as the newer models, IMO.

It's a fairly accurate representation of what they do and have done for decades*. Their opinions by and large are useless when almost without exception, everything they review gets a placing in the Rec Components. It's like giving every single person who participates in the Olympics a gold medal.

*I read S'pile for decades and even now get the electronic version gifted by a friend who thinks it's funny to do so. I find it dull and useless with the exception of Kal's writing and some of the music.


Why do I need to post the way you like?


Why the hell should I? It's not in the least relevant. You wanna find out, do your own homework.


No, I have heard the 598 which was the point of mentioning my friend buying a pair.

I've also heard the 600 and 650, but as it was some time ago my recollection of my thoughts on them at the time beyond, I preferred the K701, which I also heard at the same time, is a bit vague. They were all good, but would put the selection of any one model down to personal preference. I have not heard the three Senn's together, so I didn't comment on the relative differences, and I'm not much into flowery prose or relying on distant memory of different situations using not my choices of test music.

Do you actually own any of the above headphones?

In my own experience you have to own/use a somewhat high end headphone and actually live/use-it for months before being able to actually offer valid advice to others.

In my experience, you do not need extended use to form a valid opinion.

I did not recommend anything as unlike some, I don't want to play pseudo-reviewer. I said they were 'more than decent', hardly a 'you must immediately go out and buy these or your life will be empty and meaningless'. You have projected far too much of your own desires onto what I actually wrote.

What is your standard of validity? Whether you agree with your own opinion?

If that's all you want--to produce an opinion that you consider meaningful to you--there can be no arguing with that.

OTOH, plenty of people are impressed by immediately obvious qualities of a certain piece of audio equipment while less attentive to certain traits that are more troubling after a period of extended use.

I ordered the PSB M4U 2 headphones today. I'll post my impressions later this week.

Mine, based upon many years of trying gear, both listening and measuring where I can.
Except when I'm having a Sybil moment, I generally agree with my own opinion.


Many experiences of people giving an opinion in words on how something sounds, then actually hearing the device in person has taught me that anything but the most general opinion of how something sounds is pretty worthless. The exception is of course if you know the person well enough and have listened to enough gear together and discussed it so that you have a good idea of how that person experiences and expresses it.


I've never bought this argument. If you like something once, and then dislike it when you hear it later, then the only thing that has changed is you. Or you've put on a different piece that has something which brings out an anomaly in the item that was there and you simply used the wrong material to test with.

So what I take from your comments are that you are 100% confident that it doesn't take much time for you to listen to an audio component before arriving at an opinion that you will probably never change. I have no problem with that. You have to live with the choices you make based on those opinions, and if those choices make you happy, great!

But I have zero confidence in whether others will find your opinions a valid guide to what they will and won't like.

You also wrote: "If you like something once, and then dislike it when you hear it later, then the only thing that has changed is you." No, I don't necessarily think so. I might think, for example, that a speaker has a very detailed midrange while missing, until I listen longer, that it also has a midbass hump. Nothing has changed except what I'm paying attention to.

I am seldom 100% confident in anything, but if you enjoy building strawmen, go ahead.
I am confident that I know what I like and based upon my subjective and objective experiences with gear, do not take long to decide if I like it generally. See the last comment below for the rest.

Another example for you; as it seems you need to take an extended period to decide on something, how many bites of a turd sandwich would you need to take before you decided you didn't like it?
Finally some sense. Is this not the same for everyone? You buy something (or not) for yourself, based upon your own opinion of that, shouldn't you enjoy it? Or conversely cop it on the chin and realise you made a mistake and do something about it? Or should you let someone else's opinion be the decider?


I don't care if they do. My summation of the 598 was they were decent. I would think any rational person would take that as no more than a suggestion that they might be worth investigating.

But really, how could anyone I don't know have any confidence in what I like will be what they like?


Precisely. YOU have changed your focus or material to now reveal the fault.

If you are going to audition a piece of gear and you don't try a number of tracks that cover a broad range of performance aspects, eg dynamics, LF performance etc or whatever you look most for in the compromises a transducer possesses, they you are a fool.

Quote:Originally Posted by A9X-308: Mine, based upon many years of trying gear, both listening and measuring where I can. Except when I'm having a Sybil moment, I generally agree with my own opinion.


pbarach thank you for your comments and for adding to this thread's general sound quality topic.

My experience on AVS with A9X-308 is combative and I don't plan on saying anything more to him in this thread regarding his/my/your recent posting.

Meaning that I think it's all been on topic to the thread, but is borderline close to overboard. I'd seriously hate to get excluded from this thread!