Post your HeadPhones!

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AppaYipYip said:
Tube amps are technically inferior to Solid State, it's a proven fact. However, there is still a nitch that *believes* they have a different/better sound.
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What's your experience with high end tube amps?
Solid state amps will most likely be able to present more detail, but they don't sound as musical as tubes. Tubes sound a bit warm and smooth in a way that very few solid state amps can reach, and just highly addictive to some, including me. People who choose tubes over ss don't *believe* that they differ in sound, they *know* they do. Offcourse, some people people like solid state better, while others prefer the sound of tubes.
 
It's not hard to find the hard data supporting my statement.

It's impossible for a tube amplifer to reproduce the same frequency range and harmonics that a solid state amplifer can. You will find that, in this debate, it's highly driven by emotion and a belief from the "tubefiles" that tube amps produce more "bloom" or "mid tones" or whatever else they feel like saying.

I've been working in the broadcast industry for many years, and have spoken to hundreds of engineers (both audio and video) about this. Some of them still love tube amps, some don't. However, guess what they use in every recording studio in the world to master CD's and recordings? I'll give you a hint, it's not tube amplifers! ;)
 
[A]MD-Fan said:
Bit confused by your post. Kevin Gimore designs the Headamp amps. So Justin of headamp.com sold you just the PCB boards?
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kevin gilmore just designs amplifiers, justin builds gilmore amplifiers on headamp... and yes i purchased just the pcb since justin had the he-60's becuase surfboardz was having them re-terminated... i guess he decided to hook me up

justin is currently working on shipping out his new tube electrostatic amp (kinda hev90 clone) which sounds truly excellent... i heard/previewed it at the tampa meet last novemember with a pair of he-90's and man it was really great
 
AppaYipYip said:
Tube amps are technically inferior to Solid State, it's a proven fact.
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Ummm, no. :)
AppaYipYip said:
It's not hard to find the hard data supporting my statement.
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True, it is very easy to find all kinds of information which supports false statements. We have the internet to thank for that. :p
 
Dachink said:
nice! What transport and amp are you using with those?
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lol you'll laugh to know I have no amp as of yet, but that too will soon be on the way. I basically just got into this audiophilia recently and figured to get the headphones when they became available for good prices and boy did they.

Add the SR225 to the list of on the way as I just made deal with someone on headfi this weekend :)

btw - when these are all actually in hand I'll post my own pics, sorry about the hotlinking :(
 
FLECOM said:
kevin gilmore just designs amplifiers, justin builds gilmore amplifiers on headamp... and yes i purchased just the pcb since justin had the he-60's becuase surfboardz was having them re-terminated... i guess he decided to hook me up

justin is currently working on shipping out his new tube electrostatic amp (kinda hev90 clone) which sounds truly excellent... i heard/previewed it at the tampa meet last novemember with a pair of he-90's and man it was really great
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Ah alright, thanks for clearing that up. I knew that KG is the designer, just wasn't too clear who you got the PCB from.

Looking forward to seeing your build :)
 
digitalmind said:
What's your experience with high end tube amps?
Solid state amps will most likely be able to present more detail, but they don't sound as musical as tubes. Tubes sound a bit warm and smooth in a way that very few solid state amps can reach, and just highly addictive to some, including me. People who choose tubes over ss don't *believe* that they differ in sound, they *know* they do. Offcourse, some people people like solid state better, while others prefer the sound of tubes.
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A tube amp can offer just as much detail as any solid state amp.
 
Sure they can, it's just that a similarly priced solid state is more likely to have a bit more detail. Then again, overall solid state doesn't sound as good as tubes. It seems that the smoothness of a tube amp makes you think, if you switch to a solid state, that the latter has a tad more detail.That is, offcourse, in my opinion. :)

New headphones arrived today. I'm in love.



 
Why hello there fellow head-fier
smily_headphones1.gif
(I'm TiTaN on there)
 
I think we need to have an "Post your builds" Thread. Who wants to start one?
 
Here's my setup.
Sennheiser HD 600's
BBE Sonic Maximiser 428i
Musical Fidelity X-Can V2
Sony MXD-04







Hope to Replace the Sony CD player with something better in the future but for now it will do.
 
Glite.jpg

dt770pro4.jpg


Changed my headphone setup a little.
They look better in person, but these were the best pics I could get in this lighting.

Thinking of getting a new headphone soon. I have my eyes set on either a RS-2, or a Darth Beyer, although I'm waiting for a local meet to take place so I can sample more headphones. ^_^
 
AppaYipYip said:
Some of them still love tube amps, some don't. However, guess what they use in every recording studio in the world to master CD's and recordings? I'll give you a hint, it's not tube amplifers! ;)
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Maybe I'm not totally aware of the argument at hand, but this is a strange argument.

Walk into any mastering engineer's (recording engineers don't master - they just record) room, and you'll see an environment designed for one thing: absolute sonic accuracy. Depending on the engineer, you'll find either custom made monitors, modified monitors and/or "off-the-shelf" monitors that can cost upwards of $10,000/pair. Not only that, but the room is designed purely for the flattest frequency response at the engineer's ears. Some mastering engineers are so fincky, they won't allow more than a couple of people in the room with them, if any, as the addition of those people would throw off the sound of the room. You'll also find a computer loaded to the gills with plug-ins and possibly a couple racks of dedicated outboard gear. But, guess what? Sometimes these devices use tubes.

But the real argument here is that mastering engineers aren't listening for musicality, and they certainly aren't listening for entertainment. They're attenuating 403Hz by .8dB and trying to figure out what sort of ramifications this will have on the rest of the song.

The solid state vs. valve argument is a bit like the analog tape vs. pulse code modulation debate. You may have spoken with a few engineers that don't prefer tubes (when working), but the overwhelming majority of them insist on sending any signal out of their consoles to analog tape. Is analog tape more sonically precise? No. The dynamic range compared to 24-bit or DSD is laughable at best, and there are all sorts of problems with track isolation, print-through, bias, head alignment, harmonic distortion and so on and so forth. But tape sounds better, which is why it is used. Its distortion, especially when overdriven, is sonically pleasing.

Tracking and mixing engineers don't give a damn about sonic accuracy, and they will almost always use some sort of valve-driven device when recording or mixing.

When talking about using headphone amps to listen and enjoy music or games, there's no point in debating it. It's purely personal preference, and many simply prefer tubes, myself included.
 
here is my not-so-humble collection :)

imgp00185ch.jpg


From left to right:
Beyerdynamic DT770 (80 ohm)
AKG K701
Grado SR225
Audio Technica ATH-A900
Sennheiser HD595

Have had the DT770's for a few weeks, got the SR225's and K701 last week and just got the HD595's and A900's today. I also have 3 pairs of KSC75's (one in package, one with quarter modded PX100 pads, one stock). So far I like the K701's the best (obviously, since they are twice the price of the others) and I also have a pair of Westone UM2 IEM's on the way. Just need a good amp now ;)
 
That's nice, man! Got a taste of almost everything in there. I'm jealous.

I find myself very attracted to that line of AKG headphones... it's nothing I've read about their sound that makes them so appealing, it's a purely physical attraction. They look so good!
 
oC|-TiTaN said:
Why hello there fellow head-fier (I'm TiTaN on there).
here is my not-so-humble collection :)
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Hi there.
Now there's a beauity!

Now that's what I call jumping in head first. You got all those so recently? Are you just trying out all the different house sounds, or are you actually going to keep all of them?

Either way, Hope you're enjoying them.
 
Yeah, the K701's are so far my favorite, I'd highly recommend them if you find them on head-fi for $275 shipped :)

towert7 - Yeah, I'm trying to find a good pair of open and a good pair of closed cans while also trying out different signatures of the different brands. Like I said so far the K701s are most impressive, right now i'm comparing the DT700's with the A900's for gaming...will report back later :)
 
Should try either an HD580 or HD600 (both are virtually identical, unless you're talking about multi-thousand $ setups) and compare it to the K701.
 
digitalmind - Looks like you have one of the older RS-1's. Congrats. They are SOOO much better than the newer models. Any idea what the serial number on them is?
 
[A]MD-Fan said:
Should try either an HD580 or HD600 (both are virtually identical, unless you're talking about multi-thousand $ setups) and compare it to the K701.
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I dont agree with that statement... I think the 580's vs 600's sound different, if not properly amped they should all sound pretty lame, but once you put a decent source/amp there should definately be differences
 
FLECOM said:
I dont agree with that statement... I think the 580's vs 600's sound different, if not properly amped they should all sound pretty lame, but once you put a decent source/amp there should definately be differences
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I've done side by side comparisons on a GS-1 with Bel Canto DAC2 as source. No difference in sound to me.
 
[A]MD-Fan said:
I've done side by side comparisons on a GS-1 with Bel Canto DAC2 as source. No difference in sound to me.
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hrmm, well, i have listened to the 580's and 650's multiple times in meets and at home and i definately hear a difference in sound signature, like, easily notiable imho..
 
FLECOM said:
hrmm, well, i have listened to the 580's and 650's multiple times in meets and at home and i definately hear a difference in sound signature, like, easily notiable imho..
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Me to. ;)



BTW FLECOM I will have a couple of extra Alien DAC boards.
PM me your address and I will drop one in the mail when they arrive. :cool:
 
Mister X said:
Me to. ;)



BTW FLECOM I will have a couple of extra Alien DAC boards.
PM me your address and I will drop one in the mail when they arrive. :cool:
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How many extra? Im looking to picking up a couple extra though I do have 2 comming, I have enough parts to complete a grip of them and wish I ordered more in the fist place when the group buy started.

It is said that they are going to do another group buy for them in a couple weeks.

Also, would you know where to find a Mullet Hybrid board?

thanks in advanced
 
FLECOM - Wait a minute, you changed '580 and 600' to '580 and 650'... a bit of a difference there. From what I understand, the HD650 is a completely different driver and has significant changes to the design.

In experience it does sound quite different from the other two. Not sure if different means better in this case though, that is a matter of opinion.

The HD580 and HD600 however are nearly identical. Their differences ammount to driver matching and slightly different materials in their constructions. They sound pretty damn close to me. In a really nice setup the differences are there, but they are not huge.

It is also important to note that since the driver matching is the big difference between the two, some HD580's will be closer than others.

Not that I care... Senns suck. :D
 
oh sorry, didnt know you were talking about the 600, havent heard that one enough to comment...

some of the senns are ok, im not a fan, except for two senns in particular... i own one of the two, which is also my latest addition :)

The family:
E5DD9140_web.jpg


ya, im an addict :( :eek:
 
akwok said:
In a meet environment?
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In my home.

Yes the HD650 does sound very different from the 580/600

philodox said:
Not that I care... Senns suck. :D
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Woah I don't recall you outright posting stuff like that on Headfi :eek:

Yeah they're a little boring :p
 
Hey misterX just wanted to let you know that your PPA 2.0 sounds SO surprisingly good with my RS-1's (which I have absolutley fallen in love with) that it has managed to bump down my planned upgrade to a PPX3 slam wayyyy down the things to do and even put it in question for the next six or so months.

It seems like an odd pairing, but for some reason, it just sounds incredible to me. Not bright at all in fact. Initially the setup had a bit of a peak to it, but that seems to have vanished with time (be it my hearing or the burn in :p ). Thanks again for a tremendous amp.

Next step is to get a Zhalou 2.0 to replace my M-audio (clearly the weak link in the chain). With the glass toslink -> Zhalou -> PPA 2.0 -> RS-1's all backed up by a monster hts 3500 (only because of the killer deal I got on it) I sohuld have a very, very solid setup.
 
I am glad to hear it.
I was wondering how that all worked out for you.

Speaking of PPA's :p


This one is mine. ;)
HPIM26182.JPG


HPIM2616.JPG
 
Mister X said:
I am glad to hear it.
I was wondering how that all worked out for you.

Speaking of PPA's :p


This one is mine. ;)
HPIM26182.JPG


HPIM2616.JPG
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That looks like one hell of a beefy power supply...or is that just a standard STEPS?
 
[A]MD-Fan said:
Woah I don't recall you outright posting stuff like that on Headfi

Yeah they're a little boring
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LOL, Well... it was meant to be funny. :p

I've never hidden my feelings about the Sennheisers though... they just aren't my thing. I do love the HE90 though, but I don't think of it as a Sennheiser. ;)
Mister X said:
Did you happen to try those free HD650s with JaGoof's PPA at your meet?
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Not sure if I heard any of the Senns on that PPA. I figured I have heard a PPA before and didn't bother... My Lavry's headphone out seems to drive them well enough though. Maybe the HD600 cable is handicapping them a lot, but they are not really impressing me so far.
 
Phil... the point I was gonna make is:
When you drive the HD650's with an amp that has a lot of speed and a fair ammount of impact they are not so boring.
It's kinda like what you get when you use a sloppy, warm, tube amp like the Millet to drive Grados. :p

Cyrilix:
That is actually a scaled back STEPS.
The transformer is smaller then the one you normally see used and I used a dremel to chop off a piece of the heatsink to get it to fit in that case.

 
Mister X said:
Phil... the point I was gonna make is:
When you drive the HD650's with an amp that has a lot of speed and a fair ammount of impact they are not so boring.
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Ah, I see. Well, I think the Lavry's amp would qualify as that type of amp. I really don't think any amp is going to make me love Sennheisers though... just not my kind of sound. They are great out of the Headroom Balanced Max, but I still don't love them by any stretch. ;)
 
philodox said:
Ah, I see. Well, I think the Lavry's amp would qualify as that type of amp. I really don't think any amp is going to make me love Sennheisers though... just not my kind of sound. They are great out of the Headroom Balanced Max, but I still don't love them by any stretch. ;)
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Fair enough.
If those free HD650s could not sway you then nothing will. :p


Who's cans were those anyhow....
 
Mister X said:
Who's cans were those anyhow....
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Not sure... I would imagine they are Tyll's though as nobody has spoke up about them and he hasn't had a chance to look through his gear since he has returned to Montana.
 
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