Post your HeadPhones!

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aardvark sandwich said:
Exactly how much better are the L3000 than the 1000 and 5000 anyway? I have been lookin their way, but I'm not buying something expensive just because its clad in leather. How much better does it sound? I am willing to pay the $ for good sound.
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I listened to both the L3000 and W5000 the same night, and it was like night and day. The W5000 carried several of the traits that I did not like in the Ax00 series. I did not care for them at all. As such, I expected to not like the L3000, I figured I was an open-AT only guy. Couldn't be more wrong... the L3000 is without a doubt the best headphone wrapped around my head, and the same night I also got to play with K1000, GS1000, HP-1... pretty much all the heavy hitters besides the Orpheus were there. To put it plainly, if I had the sufficient funds, I would buy them in a heartbeat if I found them. The W5000, I simply would not buy. No matter how cheap they were or how much I had to spend, it would not be a headphone I'd have any desire to own.
 
m3ta1head said:
I don't think either of us listened to the R10 long enough at the meet to do it proper justice...but from what I remember, it was just bliss :D
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I disagree for the simple fact that I did not get the "WOW!" I've gotten from similar headphones. See post above about L3000, from the moment I put them on, I did not want to take them off. Same went for the GS1k, I loved it. The R10 sounded nice and all, but after just a few songs, I was ready to move on and try other things.
 
Yeah, Headfi has been down since last Friday evening, if not more. Its been a lousy week, lol. Until its back up, I now default to [H], as I cant stand the formats/layouts of other headphone sites.

Man, now I want some L3000 for the office. They would be perfect, as I need something sealed, at least until I get my own room to myself :D. Until I find a pair, the Dennons I just ordered on AudioCubes will have to do, along with my humble px100.

There were a few pairs of 'em for sale in the last 6 months, as I recall. (of course always when I had just made large purchases and had no discretionary money :eek:) I know someone was selling a pair balanced by AKZIP. That was the last pair I remember seeing.
 
I'm sure this has been asked before but I can't find it in a last few pages. Why do you guys have amps for your headphones? Is it the fact that you're close to being declared legally deaf or does it really make THAT much of a difference? Just wondering.
 
six_storm said:
I'm sure this has been asked before but I can't find it in a last few pages. Why do you guys have amps for your headphones? Is it the fact that you're close to being declared legally deaf or does it really make THAT much of a difference? Just wondering.
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Some headphones are physically incapable of being driven straight from the source so you need an amp just for basic listening. With the right headphone and amp combination, it can make a drastic difference to the sound signature. As for the volume being loud, using an amp has nothing to do with how good your hearing is according to volume level which leads back to my other points. Hell, a lot of audiophiles will point out that you're listening to music too loud and know the importance of being cautious about your hearing.
 
Viper87227 said:
I disagree for the simple fact that I did not get the "WOW!" I've gotten from similar headphones. See post above about L3000, from the moment I put them on, I did not want to take them off. Same went for the GS1k, I loved it. The R10 sounded nice and all, but after just a few songs, I was ready to move on and try other things.
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Well damn you, now I regret missing that chicago meet :(
 
six_storm said:
I'm sure this has been asked before but I can't find it in a last few pages. Why do you guys have amps for your headphones? Is it the fact that you're close to being declared legally deaf or does it really make THAT much of a difference? Just wondering.
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Bass>loudness
 
aardvark sandwich said:
Man, now I want some L3000 for the office. They would be perfect, as I need something sealed, at least until I get my own room to myself :D. Until I find a pair, the Dennons I just ordered on AudioCubes will have to do, along with my humble px100.
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Are your components in the office high enough to take advantage of this headphone?

I'm not a fan of W5000 nor L3000 nor GS1000s. Everybody has different hearing. I suggest everybody demo a few pairs on different systems before drawing any conclusions.
 
six_storm said:
I'm sure this has been asked before but I can't find it in a last few pages. Why do you guys have amps for your headphones? Is it the fact that you're close to being declared legally deaf or does it really make THAT much of a difference? Just wondering.
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aardvark sandwich said:
Man, now I want some L3000 for the office. They would be perfect, as I need something sealed, at least until I get my own room to myself :D. Until I find a pair, the Dennons I just ordered on AudioCubes will have to do, along with my humble px100.

There were a few pairs of 'em for sale in the last 6 months, as I recall. (of course always when I had just made large purchases and had no discretionary money :eek:) I know someone was selling a pair balanced by AKZIP. That was the last pair I remember seeing.
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As mentioned, do you have the appropriate setup at work to take advantage of them? My listening experience was on a Krell CD player and Zana Duex amp. The cost of those two items trumped the price of the L3000, thats for sure. I believe the Zana runs around $1500, and the Krell CDP I have no idea, but if I had to stab at it I'd guess no less than $5000. I don't know how well they scale, but I am sure they require an equally expensive setup to get the most out of them.

Never fear though, those Denon's should tide you over very well. I still love mine. Of all the high end headphones I have heard, while there were several I liked a whole ton, there has yet to be a pair that has made me fault my Denon's or enjoy them less. Nevermind meets, I have owned quite a few pairs of headphones, and I ended up selling off all my other pairs after getting these Denons. I simply didn't use them anymore.


m3ta1head said:
Well damn you, now I regret missing that chicago meet :(
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As I should have. Even without Ray being there, it had some top glass gear, and a greater variety of high-end cans. And, there was a pool :p.
 
^^ Not ATM. My office system is up in the air right now. I'm partially waiting to see what room I get when we rearrange everyone, which is supposed to happen soon. I am also waiting so I get a desk with a locking drawer, which I would need for L3000, or any other expensive phone for that matter.

The one thing I do know is the rig would have to be based off a DAC, not a cd player, as their is not enough room, and I wouldn't be able to keep too many cds around. Probably a laptop > USB Dac of some sort. Space will be at a premium, so I probably wouldn't do what I am doing at home (Bel Canto DAC 3), but maybe an Apogee mini dac or Lavry DA10, or similar. I'm definitely not at the Krell level yet, lol.

I also don't know what amp would be used. I have a Tomahawk that can serve at least temporarily. I think I would also know more about this once I see exactly how much room I have to work with.
 
aardvark sandwich said:
^^ Not ATM. My office system is up in the air right now. I'm partially waiting to see what room I get when we rearrange everyone, which is supposed to happen soon. I am also waiting so I get a desk with a locking drawer, which I would need for L3000, or any other expensive phone for that matter.

The one thing I do know is the rig would have to be based off a DAC, not a cd player, as their is not enough room, and I wouldn't be able to keep too many cds around. Probably a laptop > USB Dac of some sort. Space will be at a premium, so I probably wouldn't do what I am doing at home (Bel Canto DAC 3), but maybe an Apogee mini dac or Lavry DA10, or similar. I'm definitely not at the Krell level yet, lol.

I also don't know what amp would be used. I have a Tomahawk that can serve at least temporarily. I think I would also know more about this once I see exactly how much room I have to work with.
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For me, the hardest part would be leaving them at work. Nice as it would be to have them on the job and all, I'd miss them once I got home :p
 
Here's my set. Grado RS-1 #863. Beautiful pair of phones. Last shot included just to show how truly dark the Mahogany on this pair is.

rs1-0.jpg

rs1-1.jpg

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Just thought I'd mention that I just fired up the Dennon AH-D2000s I got from AudioCubes. I am really digging them thus far. No burn-in yet, but they sound decent out of the box. The cloth cord is a nice change of pace for me. Its about 2X the thickness of a Logitech G5 mouse cord. Its very long.
They don't seal out every drop of my surroundings, but I never wanted them to. They do what I need: keep the music inside the phones. Perfect for the office. I'm going to burn them in at home for a few days first.
I think I see what you mean, Viper. They will tide me over and then some. Much better than the PX100, albeit a bit warm. I would have gotten the D5000, but these were meant to be transitional phones, so I figured go with the 2000s. There were also several reviews that said they provide most of what the D5000s give w/out the higher price. I think I could be satisfied with these in the office. I think at this point if I do get a pair of L3000s they would be kept home.
 
aardvark sandwich said:
Just thought I'd mention that I just fired up the Dennon AH-D2000s I got from AudioCubes. I am really digging them thus far. No burn-in yet, but they sound decent out of the box. The cloth cord is a nice change of pace for me. Its about 2X the thickness of a Logitech G5 mouse cord. Its very long.
They don't seal out every drop of my surroundings, but I never wanted them to. They do what I need: keep the music inside the phones. Perfect for the office. I'm going to burn them in at home for a few days first.
I think I see what you mean, Viper. They will tide me over and then some. Much better than the PX100, albeit a bit warm. I would have gotten the D5000, but these were meant to be transitional phones, so I figured go with the 2000s. There were also several reviews that said they provide most of what the D5000s give w/out the higher price. I think I could be satisfied with these in the office. I think at this point if I do get a pair of L3000s they would be kept home.
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The D2000 and D5000 have the exact same driver. The only difference is the cable and the cups. I really don't think wood cups would make much of a sonic difference, which attributes the cable to the only sound improvement, and I tell you, it's not worth the extra price. If you really want wood, thats another story, but I wouldn't spend the extra money for the D5000 if you only care about better sound. I put my recabled D2000 against a stock D5000, and I thought my sounded better.

As far as the stock cable goes, your crazy if you like it :p. Give it a few days, and when its a tangled mess, you will understand. I really don't know who came up with that cable design, but I think its pretty well awful. If you have the money, I do suggest you look into a re-cable. A bit of silver goes a long way.
 
lol, I had a sneaking suspicion this cable would be a problem. My first thought was : This cable is going to need some serious training. I almost wrote that above, but thought I would give it a day to unwind from being curled up in the box. But I do like the feel of the cloth.
I enjoyed my Sennheiser recable, so I think I will have them re-done. One place that looks interesting is A Pure Sound. But I haven't really decided where to have it done yet. (I have 0% DIY skills):p
 
Viper87227 said:
Yeah, they are spendy headphones. Certain headphones though, to me, are worth paying out for (if you can afford them, that is). If I were to be spending top dollar on headphones, I admit, it wouldn't be those. I listened to them at a meet and they were great, but just didn't wow me as much as I thought. However, I've also sampled a L3000, which run $3000+, and those sounded every bit like they deserve such a price tag. If I ever won the lotto or something, I'd certainly own a pair.
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The L3000 are more around $2500.

Between my L3000, HP-2 and K1000 I reach for the L3000 the most. Not a fan of the R10 or W5000.
 
Afrikane is now selling his pair (albeit balanced) on headfi. As usual, bad timing for me lol. The only time I ever have large sums of money is oddly when no one is selling anything I want :rolleyes:

O well...
 
aardvark sandwich said:
Afrikane is now selling his pair (albeit balanced) on headfi. As usual, bad timing for me lol. The only time I ever have large sums of money is oddly when no one is selling anything I want :rolleyes:

O well...
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lol, I usually have the same problem except I have come to realize it is a blessing rather then a curse. :D
 
Arainach, those Grado cans are seriously beautiful... and your photography skills are superb, especially the photo with the Southern Comfort... looks like it should be an advertisement photo for those phones.

Right now I'm using a set of Sony MDR-XD200s, and a pair of Sony MDR-V600s. The V600s are about 10 years old and showing their age. The XD-200's are decent, but I find them uncomfortable at best. I really would like a good set for music. I found a pair of Nady DJH-2000 headphones for $30 and I've read nothing but good reviews on them. Have any of you guys ever heard this set? I don't really use headphones a whole lot, I prefer my Polk speakers usually, but I'd like a good set of cans for when I want slip away into musicland. I would like 'em to be comfortable, good clean bass, and around $100... and no Bose. I get tired of people telling me about Bose... I had a pair of Triports that I bought for $40... they hurt my head and my Sonys sound just as good... plus the Triports had a $130 retail... too much for what they offer. I really like the idea of the Grado SR80s. I just want a set of cans that will take me away to another land and have their way with me. Know of anything like that?
 
aardvark sandwich said:
Anybody have any interesting news or thoughts on the upcoming (December 8) Audio-Technica ATH-A900ti Limited Edition Titanium Headphones?

I'm wondering how close this will be able to get to L3000, if at all. I know the metal Grados are much praised...
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The composition of a Grado housing and an Audio-Technica housing are very different. They just have a metal cap on them, all of the internals of that headphone are still going to be plastic. I bet that metal cap makes almost zero difference in sound quality. They may have a better driver or cable or something to make them sound better than an A900, however, they will be a far, far cry from the L3000. I do not like A900's at all, and would never even concider owning a pair. The L3000, however, was pure bliss. Unlike any other AT I have ever heard. If thats the can you are serious about getting, and you have the means to pay for it, i'd stick in for the ride until you find a pair and get them... nothing else will come close.
 
I just got a pair of Sony MDR-V6 cans for $50...
SonyMDR-V6800x600.jpg

I want to get some of the Beyerdynamic velour pads to replace the stock ones.
I love 'em so far... excellent sound for $50 in my opinion.
 
TooBooKoo said:
Arainach, those Grado cans are seriously beautiful... and your photography skills are superb, especially the photo with the Southern Comfort... looks like it should be an advertisement photo for those phones.

Right now I'm using a set of Sony MDR-XD200s, and a pair of Sony MDR-V600s. The V600s are about 10 years old and showing their age. The XD-200's are decent, but I find them uncomfortable at best. I really would like a good set for music. I found a pair of Nady DJH-2000 headphones for $30 and I've read nothing but good reviews on them. Have any of you guys ever heard this set? I don't really use headphones a whole lot, I prefer my Polk speakers usually, but I'd like a good set of cans for when I want slip away into musicland. I would like 'em to be comfortable, good clean bass, and around $100... and no Bose. I get tired of people telling me about Bose... I had a pair of Triports that I bought for $40... they hurt my head and my Sonys sound just as good... plus the Triports had a $130 retail... too much for what they offer. I really like the idea of the Grado SR80s. I just want a set of cans that will take me away to another land and have their way with me. Know of anything like that?
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I have some SR-80s and I am considering selling them, almost BRAND NEW, only used for about 5 hours after burn-in. Burn-in was done in my sock drawer with a pillow over them. I just don't have the amplification for them. IDK though, next check I may buy a Little Dot MKII++. Of course I am a basshead and prefer my HD485s over the Grados.
 
I certainly love that bottom end myself... but I've never even used a headphone amp. I hear they improve the bass alot... I might have to get myself one if they make that much of a difference. Any recommendations for a good amp that doesn't cost alot so I can get a taste of what an amp has to offer? I'm still an audiophile in training ;)
 
Hornet for more bass....they run around 250 used on head-fi

you can get an M3mini for about 120$ new, made by MisterX
 
Assuming one is available, probably first quarter 2008. I should definitely have my GS1 by then (any day now, actually...) so I could at least attempt proper amping with it. Though that amp was purchased with the intent to run it on HD650s, so I don't know where I will stand in the amp department for the L3000.
My only real obstacle is that I would like to make several other upgrades, including a bigger monitor. I've wanted one for a while, but just can't seem to bring myself to spend that much money on a non-audio purchase :p

2008 is going to be a great year :D
 
aardvark sandwich said:
Assuming one is available, probably first quarter 2008. I should definitely have my GS1 by then (any day now, actually...) so I could at least attempt proper amping with it. Though that amp was purchased with the intent to run it on HD650s, so I don't know where I will stand in the amp department for the L3000.
My only real obstacle is that I would like to make several other upgrades, including a bigger monitor. I've wanted one for a while, but just can't seem to bring myself to spend that much money on a non-audio purchase :p

2008 is going to be a great year :D
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I am not sure if a GS1 will do them justice or not. Especially if that Bel Canto will be your source, I think the amp would end up the weak link in the chain (just an assumption, the GS1 might do them fine, it just doesn't seem like an amp in the same class as an L3000 or Bel Canto).

The setup I heard them on was Krell CD Player (expensive! :eek:), and a Zana Duex. It was a pretty spectacular sounding setup, that Zana Duex was such a kick ass amp.
 
Yeah, I somehow doubt it would be pushing them to their potential. I forget how many ohms they are, but they may benefit more from a warmer amp. I bought the GS1 knowing it was good enough to get me by for a while, but that I would probably upgrade down the road at some point, and sell it on Headfi. Especially since the Bel Canto can go balanced. The Zana Duex has always interested me. Though I have been toying with the idea in the back of my mind to save (for a long time) for a B52. But I've never bought anything in that price range before. And I have no need for a speaker preamp, currently. If its still made, I may eventually go for an Ear HP4, but they raised the price alot in the last year or two. But it is in one box, whereas the B52 has a separate power supply box. The HP4 would take up less space. And it can also go balanced. I talked w/ Afrikane about the EAR amp, and he loved it. I think it was his favorite amp in his collection, for dynamic cans, if I recall correctly.
 
aardvark sandwich said:
Yeah, I somehow doubt it would be pushing them to their potential. I forget how many ohms they are, but they may benefit more from a warmer amp. I bought the GS1 knowing it was good enough to get me by for a while, but that I would probably upgrade down the road at some point, and sell it on Headfi. Especially since the Bel Canto can go balanced. The Zana Duex has always interested me. Though I have been toying with the idea in the back of my mind to save (for a long time) for a B52. But I've never bought anything in that price range before. And I have no need for a speaker preamp, currently. If its still made, I may eventually go for an Ear HP4, but they raised the price alot in the last year or two. But it is in one box, whereas the B52 has a separate power supply box. The HP4 would take up less space. And it can also go balanced. I talked w/ Afrikane about the EAR amp, and he loved it. I think it was his favorite amp in his collection, for dynamic cans, if I recall correctly.
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I believe they are 32Ohms, but I don't know for sure.

As far as a few amps mentioned... the Zana Duex is a really spectacular amp, and the price is pretty reasonable all things considered. One thing that you may want to concider though, the Zana gets hot. Really hot. If your putting it inside an office at work or something, it might be enough to raise the temp a few degrees in the office.

On the B-52, it is a wonderful, wonderful amp. However, I don't feel its worth the price. The sole reason behind that is the Apache. It sounded just as superb, and costs like $2,000 less. I think if you are going to go knocking on Ray's door, the Apache should be what you are looking it, It's still balanced, which would match nicely with your Bel Canto, will sound excellent, and save you some green. FWIW, the Apache was the amp Ray was using to power his R10's at the meet I attended. He chose that amp for a reason ;)
 
Viper87227 said:
I believe they are 32Ohms, but I don't know for sure.

As far as a few amps mentioned... the Zana Duex is a really spectacular amp, and the price is pretty reasonable all things considered. One thing that you may want to concider though, the Zana gets hot. Really hot. If your putting it inside an office at work or something, it might be enough to raise the temp a few degrees in the office.

On the B-52, it is a wonderful, wonderful amp. However, I don't feel its worth the price. The sole reason behind that is the Apache. It sounded just as superb, and costs like $2,000 less. I think if you are going to go knocking on Ray's door, the Apache should be what you are looking it, It's still balanced, which would match nicely with your Bel Canto, will sound excellent, and save you some green. FWIW, the Apache was the amp Ray was using to power his R10's at the meet I attended. He chose that amp for a reason ;)
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But the B52 has tubes
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m3ta1head said:
But the B52 has tubes
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Yes, it does... and trust me I am a huge advocate of tubes, but not for $2,000 more. If you got it, flaunt it. If that extra $2,000 means an extra few months of stashing cash to pay for it, not worth it.
 
I've been thinking about where they would be, and think I am just going to use my Dennon D2000s at the office w/ the tomahawk. I can afford to lose those to theft. One thing I realized is that a few people bring their kids in occasionally if they stay late, and the kids sometimes wonder around. I don't want curious fingers to cut the cord of an L3000 :rolleyes:

I did just read on Headfi that Eddie Current is readying a balanced tube amp for release next spring. But that is a ways away, and I believe it will be priced similar to the Zana.
 
The Apache and the B52 are both overpriced, but I agree that with most headphones the Apache is a better deal. I even thought that it sounded more tubey, which is a little strange.

The new balanced Eddie Current tube amp should be cool as it is based on the ZD as far as I know. They are also going to be making a balanced solid state amp priced at around $500 below the Apache. ;)
 
philodox said:
The Apache and the B52 are both overpriced, but I agree that with most headphones the Apache is a better deal. I even thought that it sounded more tubey, which is a little strange.

The new balanced Eddie Current tube amp should be cool as it is based on the ZD as far as I know. They are also going to be making a balanced solid state amp priced at around $500 below the Apache. ;)
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I thought about getting the B52 or the Apache. As far as I know, those function as full preamps as well, right?

What about the Eddie Current or the ZD? Preamps as well?
 
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