Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I'm still a bit miffed my "WTS headphones" threads got moved to Audio Accessories thread so decided to start this thread in the Audio forum to gather like minded individuals here ;) Viva la revolution!! :P All jokes aside, I moved from headfi to hifi a couple of years back when I thought I was going deaf and hadn't really bothered to upgrade my headfi gear in a while. It is only because of my impending move and with my hifi gear being packed up in storage that I had to get a fix somewhere and headfi seemed a logical choice. And so I ended up getting the HD800 on the advice of two seriously poisonous friends! Finding a matching amp was also a bit of a challenge and I am glad I waited for the Schiit Lyr. But this long weekend, I finally picked up some remaining pieces of the puzzle. First, the ALO Cypher Solo This is an iPod/iPad/iPhone device similar in concept to the Wadia iTransport in that it taps off a digital signal within the iDevice but goes further in two areas: a. it's completely battery powered and with inputs from Vinnie from RedWineAudio, you know it's off to a good start b. it comes with a Wolfson DAC so there's no need to hook up an external DAC to it. It actually has a coax SPDIF output too if you so desired, using an async USB interface off the iDevice. Next was this: This is designed by a Chinese headfi enthusiast using planar drivers. One of the guys who poisoned me with the HD800 had gotten this a few months back and has been hinting to me that this would make me forget the HD800. But until I heard it at Jaben yesterday... I remained a wee bit skeptical. Now I am a convert. It's really amazing how well it does. I actually think I could live with this in place of my Thiels. The low end has a lot more heft and delivery than the HD800s. There are a few downsides to the HE6 though. It's a real bugger to drive. Even the Lyr barely just makes the grade IMHO. In fact, in some packages, the HE6s ship with banana plug terminators!! You can use your hifi amp to drive them!!! It's that much of a juice hog. At US$1.1k ish, it's actually not a cheap phone but considering the savings from the HD800, it's a bargain IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 another poisonous thread? heh.. but I like.. used to own the Beyer DT880 (which is also my first decent headphone) when I was overseas studying... now itch for headgear again... looking at the Senn H650 now.... hmmmmm...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Actually for the quality of the sound you get with headfi, it's going to cost considerably more to get hifi to sound as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 ya..makes the wife happier too :) Actually for the quality of the sound you get with headfi, it's going to cost considerably more to get hifi to sound as good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 Until she says you never listen to what she has to say. haha You can never win What was it Tom Arnold said in True Lies? "Women... can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimi1624705950 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Are u serious? The He 6 is better than the HD800s? Or just in the low end? I can't imagine either beating a proper Stax setup though it's a different price range :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 The STAX isn't a perfect system either. ps jimi.. come over and listen to both. It's a pretty amazing set of cans.. just takes a lot of juice to drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 i like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest88 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Stax may not be perfect but it comes close imo.. The criticism I have is on their flagship headphone - feels too gentle driven by their current flagship amp. I have a 'modded' version of the 404LE and it sounds much better than the standard.. paired with the flagship amp, really a nice setup. Standard 404LE is abit hard sounding. Now waiting for the new flagship to appear which I hope resolves the issues of the current. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 I find some electrostatic cans can sound a bit constrained with more complex pieces. Low end can sometimes be challenging as well. The HE6 uses a similar construction as Maggies. I still can't figure out how it manages to dig out so much bass detail and handle dynamics and transients so well. The HD800 may handle transients just that bit better but it sounds a bit tinny next to the HE6s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naglfar Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I own a HD800, and nowadays I find myself listening to my head-fi more than my speaker setup. Less intrusive, especially when I'm blasting death metal :) I think the HD800 soundstage is very very impressive. With a good recording, I can listen for hours and hours, it's very comfortable. I do agree that the bass does not have enough body, but I think there is no 'best headphone in the world'. DH, have you tried the Audeze LCD2 yet? I guess the one thing I truly love about head-fi is that I do not need to worry about room acoustics. No more bass humps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 I did have a listen to the LCD2 for a bit. Initially impressions are that it's similar to the HE6. I think it has a more pronounced bass hump which makes it a better fit for some rock material. But I felt the HE6 was truer and seemed to dig deeper. The HE6 however shone in the higher ranges for me. The LCD2 was a bit darker for me. Might appeal to tube-philes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vajrasattvasg Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 doesnt this pair of headphone look familiar? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vajrasattvasg Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 digging into my storeroom.. and found another of my lousy products :D i can say.. wow! the modded hd650 is a different beast from my previous unmodded hd650... matches this old amp quite well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 nice :) glad its got a good home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest asylum Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 how about Custom Ear Monitors? should be an item of interest to audiophiles... many artistes use them in concerts :) what's more important, it's hifi sound on the go, without the hassle of portable amplifiers. just plug into your ipod and you're good to go! to some whom might not know, there is a market of portable amplifiers to power earphones or headphones on the move! one popular Custom Ear Monitors Manufacturer: http://www.jhaudio.com/ stealing some pictures off google... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 No arguments from me :) I got my first Livewires and been hooked since. This was even before they split up. I then got the SuperFREQs and finally got the UE11Pros. Been tempted by the JH16Pro since I heard it at the HK AV Show last year. J Harvey himself was there :P and the "universal" 16s were great but I thought I was out of headfi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 23, 2011 Author Share Posted April 23, 2011 but wait,,, there's more https://www.jhaudio.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=44 (highlight the hidden text!!) holeee crap it's a dsp dac amp with active crossovers!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimi1624705950 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 No arguments from me :) I got my first Livewires and been hooked since. This was even before they split up. I then got the SuperFREQs and finally got the UE11Pros. Been tempted by the JH16Pro since I heard it at the HK AV Show last year. J Harvey himself was there :P and the "universal" 16s were great but I thought I was out of headfi. +1 They sounded amazing even with the universal tips and the din of the Hifi show. Surprising soundstage, clarity and tuneful low bass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Hi all, from what I gathered from the forum, Jaben and Stereo Elec have Senn HD650 for audition. besides them, is there any other places that have HD650 for testing? also what's the market price for the HD650 now? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doggie Howser Posted April 24, 2011 Author Share Posted April 24, 2011 I don't know the market rates but I think both Jaben and Stereo provide reasonably good environments to test the gear, esp if you want to try different interconnects and amps as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Thanks DH I don't know the market rates but I think both Jaben and Stereo provide reasonably good environments to test the gear, esp if you want to try different interconnects and amps as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 is Woo Audio available in SG? http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa6.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonlee Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Because of Jimi and DH, I made and just collected my custom ACS T1 IEM yesterday! Knn DH...don't poison me on cans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
driver1624705906 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 buy buy buy!!! heh Because of Jimi and DH, I made and just collected my custom ACS T1 IEM yesterday! Knn DH...don't poison me on cans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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