Cans! (Headphone thread inspired by Dolly Parton)

Well, the test drives are over and I have settled on the HifiMan HE400S!  Actually bought them and now the wife has hidden them until Christmas...

^ Yes, we are just a couple of kids at heart, I knew she would not let me use them until Christmas (we both do the same thing to each other, anticipation!).  I know also that I will have some MAD Magazines in the stocking, always do...(go figure, they have been my guide book since the 60s).   Insert smiley face here to avoid the "katjas"... hmmm Kat Jazz, a new genre?

^ very cool David. An excellent account of experiences. Sounds like you are really getting the hang of it all. :)
Also. Burn-in is very real, especially with high end gear in general. With Headphones it is primarily the drivers and transducers that need a voltage workout in order to adjust to the designed impedance level as selected by the manufacturer. In my experience, When I've bought a new headphone fresh from the factory the upper mids and highs are quite unrefined and grainy at first. Then after a few burn in hrs you get that ureaka moment. ;)
However headphone burn in period is not as dramatic as with other parts in your audio chain.
Amps and power supplys are the biggest difference once PCB's have got a little heat on them. :)

Anyway man. I've been talking to Sam(Meltdowner) and he is having some eye openers as well with some new equipment...namely those HE 400i's you got him hooked into. :)

Most of all, I just love hearing about other people's joy and new experiences they get with their music when getting into higher fidelity gear. It puts a huge smile on my face cause I know first hand how people like you and Sam feel right now. Pretty amazing how different albums that you thought you knew like the back of your hand, can sound completely different and change your whole perception.

Genesis? Ya mon!! A Trick of the tail was brilliantly recorded provided you have an original 1985 cd pressing.
I've been talking with Sam about sources, Dave whereby I cannot stress enough, how important it is to grab original cd pressings and boycott a lot of today's remasters of classic albums.
It can make or break your experience with the higher fidelity equipment you possess.
I can explain more about it if you wish later on, but that would be my biggest advice that I would give to any budding audio enthusiast.

Above all, my friend. Pretty awesome. And I think a couple of years down the line a great headphone upgrade would be the Audeze LCD X or LCD XC or the Mr. Speakers Flow.
That would be a nice step up from the 400i and given your sound sig tastes.

Bye for now.

Hi Dave. Great post and Merry Chrsitmas my friend. ;)

AUDEZE really do make great headphones and they do have a unique sound signature in their flagship headphones (LCD 3 and LCD 4).
Now a Stax I700 tailored up correctly with a proper sound chain that has no short cuts, faced off against an LCD 3 with the same and proper treatment...is one really better than the other? My answer and experience is no. Tier 2 and tier 1 headphones when you compare them and get to that level, you don't get results where one headphone is universally better than the other...just different.
You see it is all a matter of taste. I'm sure even you and I have a very different sound preference. My point is when dealing with flagship headphones that are available in today's market you just don't get 'better' you get only 'different' but that difference depending on your taste in sound presentation will make that headphone that much better over others for you. :)
Main trick? You gotta find what totally agrees with you sound sig wise. It isn't easy but once you do, you then gotta refine it like crazy.
For instance. Yes. I still rock the HD 800, but I use the classic model because they have more neutrality than the spatial laden tech HD 800(S) mainly because the bass response and analytics are more stuffy to tame the treble response at around 6-8k in the S model. I also would never stuff felt or do one of those anaxallis or super DuPont mods to limit the treble and decrease the width in soundstage of the HD 800(C)'s presentation. You see, I am a critical listener and for critical listening experiences I love neutrality and huge dynamics. Thats mainly why I am obsessed with CD recordings that carry a massive DNR output because that is what my headphone eats for breakfast with a big sh*t-eating grin on its face. Lol. Anyway, I have found that a dead accurate, neutral response with super tight bass recreates the live soundstage the best and also is incredible for critical listening...feeling the tone and vibrato of various instruments while getting all those quarky and fun nuances at the same time is best given or dispensed out with a super neutral headphone, and that is why I love the HD 800'C's and to my tastes and understandings there is know other headphone regardless of price that beats the HD 800C's for 1) recreation of a live soundtage (width+Dynamics) 2) PRAT (pace, rhythm, attack, timing) for your music's output presentation and 3) tonal accuracy of instruments. Very analytical.
Lastly and most importantly the HD 800's don't have high highs or are overly bright. The problem is the HD 800's are the the biggest a****les on planet head-Fi when it comes to sources both equipment and music wise. So many people really don't know what kind of headphone or what their getting into when they buy or use a headphone like the 800'C's. Truthfully, when i bought mine nearly 6 years ago I didn't fully know what kind of pedigree of sources this critical headphone needed; however, over time with research and understanding on their tech I was able to figure it out but it is an expensive thing to do. I mean the HD 800's are at an awesome price point right now sitting around 1299 U.S brand new. I'd say that is an unbelievable bargin, but consequently the 800's need elite and expensive teammates. There is no getting around that unfortunately. The 800's in my opinion are the most picky and critical headphone i have ever come across, but once you start to do everything right for them you can achieve audio nirvana for sure regardless of sound taste cause you can just appreciate just how bloody accurate and life like they can sound...like a STAX 009 electrostat. People think they can pair a 500$ DAC and say 1000$ amp with the 800 C's you gotta another comin.' Unfortunately there is nothing at those price points that will truly make a headphone like the 800'c's sing. They are awful that way and that is why so many people complain saying things like 'the treble is really peaky' ' they are overly bright, strident' and my favourite ' they lack bass.' These statements are incredibly untrue. Like I said, if you do everything right for them the 800 C's can sound as warm and lush as some of the best headphones around that portray the warmth sound sig so well. Lastly, I love tube amps but I prefer solid state power supplies for my 800's. Tubes degrade over time and fast, however tube amps offer a mid range sound that is uniquely dark and lush in tonality. I will say just one thing, if you get the chance to audition a flagship headphone with a great tube amp like a TETON, John Gilmour or WOO audio ES listen to Black Sabbath. My god man. The bass fuzz is so rad. A very cool experience and as I said...I love those tube amps but I use tubes with my sony MDR Z7's because there sound sig calls for it more then that of the 800 C's. You see my friend, I don't like anything that squashes or darkens the 800'c's soundstage. I like full analytics with them to bring out their full potential because that is what they are mainly designed for...to be critical :)
But that is my critical listening end. My fun, more relaxed soundstage presentation goes to my sony MDR Z7's. I use these for travel, not the streets and I absolutely love these headphones. So lately, I recently bought the Cypher Labs Algorithm Trio! It is a portable Vacuum tube amplifier! This thing is so cool and sounds awesome with my AK JR music player. A great set up for on the go travel...plane...hotels...etc. the streets I use the unique BLUE MO-FI's. These headphones have a built in analog amplifier in them that is actually made by FIIO. very cool but may be a more heavy headphone for ones taste. So that is what I mainly rock. I use 3 different headphones so I can listen to music everywhere and any time. I live the good life. Lol. How many are you up to now? 5? Lol.



Anyhow, moving on to your next question.
Yes. I have tried and had the pleasure of listening electrostats. So far I've tried the STAX 007,009 and had the pleasure to spend 15min with the Sennheiser Orpheus 2. The Orpheus 2 was the best experience for me and given its price point it damn well should be. $67,000 CAN. Good lord. Now the 15mins I had available I had to act quick cause to audition the Orpheus is like a quick meet and greet or like a bloody book signing from a famous author, and the music that they had I could hear or at least be extremely familiar with was just Tears For Fears and OZZY Osbourne. Believe me. The 15min goes quick so I wanted to listen to something or an album I new like the back of my hand. I chose songs from the big chair from Tears and I fired on shout. :)
What I can say because i know that song so well, the Orpheus brings to life the vocal presentation in music. I've never heard more of a life like vocal presentation from a headphone set up. Good lord. It was awesome, but the soundstage width was bigger from the stax 009 paired with the liquid lightening amp made by Cavallii Audio and portraying dynamics in the recordings goes to my HD 800 C's paired with a CYRUS CD i/PSXR-2 and BURSON SOLOIST. See man. There is no headphone universally better than the other in the flagship territory. Just difference, but I think over a longer period of time I'd enjoy the Orpheus the most. It really is the ultimate headphone listening experience I've ever had...shame it could only be for 15MIN.

anyway Dave. Great to talk to you. Sorry for the winded post but there is just so much to say in the world of audio and you asked some pretty key questions.
In the meantime I am always happy to talk or answer any questions related to headphone matters. Audio is my #1 passion...that and kite surfing. Haha just kidding.

Hi Nick that was quite a read, thanks for your detailed input. I know exactly what you're talking about when you enter that mythical world of flagships (I've tried T1, hd800, k812, th900 and a few others).
I have only tried the LCD 2 of the Audeze big boys and was very impressed...yet they were completely outclassed by the Stax. No question whatsoever and here I am not sure it was down to sound sig preference as I am rather weird in that department mostly because I don't exactly prefer any sound sig over another as I listen to so many different kinds of music a day - no here it felt like comparing a Volvo to a Bugatti. Then again maybe it is me who is completely bonkers, I'm not entirely sure anymore. Haven't listened to either the Orpheus or the 009, but I did get to spend nearly an hour with the Bond Stax 007 and much to my surprise I found myself prefering the l700 by a vast margin. They were just THAT much better. I agree with much of Zeo's review in that aspect, especially when he mentioned how they 'sounded like they had their own tube built in' or something to that effect. Now I don't know much about tubes but I did notice the...erm different/magical/unoptanium-like sound they produced and couldn't for the life of me describe what they were doing to the music...other than use idiotic descriptions like 'uranium-fuelled' and 'creates sound from mermaids' tears'.

Though it may be a while before I even start thinking about taming that horse. I'm having a blast with the ponies at the moment!
Speaking of which, this thread has seen it's fair share of thoroughbreds lately. Maybe we should step down the equestrian ladder and get back to those ponies eh? It is certainly not every progger's dream to use all of their cash on stables and truffle flavoured hay. Nah... I say it'd be fun to turn the spotlight on some ways to upgrade one's sonic life without having to sacrifice a unicorn's ballsack.

Do you enjoy music? Yes? Ahh me too. I love it when it gets into my ears. It belongs there as far as I'm concerned. More music should hang out in my canals if it was up to me. Anyway I have found the perfect suppliers of said music if one is looking for a different sort of portable can - one that will let you be aware of your surroundings because it is open backed and furthermore sounds like da shizzle. Basically gets out of the music's way.
Yep the Ultrasone HFI-15g is up there with the best sub 100$ deals. THE most comfortable on-ear headphone ever to exist. Weighs about the same as a slice of sausage. Oh and it also features that loopy s-logic thang I was on about earlier in the thread, meaning a cheapo chance to try out one of the most brilliantly strange soundstages without having to pay for a fullsized over ear Ultrasone.

Edited by Guldbamsen - December 27 2017 at 06:50

Merry Christmas to you and yours Jim.

Edited by Guldbamsen - December 27 2017 at 11:57

^Holy air holes Batman!  I have never seen those before, I can imagine the soundstage is awesome once dialed in.  For some reason I have avoided all Sony's headphones because of their market over saturation in everything thinking that they would cut corners for mass marketing and never given any of them a chance, perhaps I need to rethink that philosophy.  

AEProgman wrote: Well, the test drives are over and I have settled on the HifiMan HE400S!  Actually bought them and now the wife has hidden them until Christmas...   Actually was dreading the High end audio store from past experience, but got a younger guy who let me use my own rig/setup to test with in a room to myself and turned out to be "almost" a pleasure.  In the price range I wanted, this store had the HE400i, HE400S, and the Grado 325e, and took them all in the room with me and compared as I liked.  Grados sounded good, but a little punchy, not as airy, and were not as comfortable.  So it came down to the Hifimans.  The two 400 cans sounded fantastic and very similar (not sure I could tell the difference once I used an amp), the 400s seemed a bit lighter, little more comfortable, and easier to drive (not a big factor, but was a plus).    Planar Mags are a delight!  I did not want to ruin my decision by trying high priced Audeze planar mag cans they had there.   Since I could not find any Sennheiser 650s (or 600s) to test drive, I decided to take the sure thing that I actually heard and was pleased with and went with the Hifiman HE400S.  Senns will have to wait...   I did find a Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro at a different store (best cans they had in open backs) and test drove them and was very impressed with those (at about half the price).  Only way to test drive was via their pre-setup system with all the headphones playing the same samples they had, still sounded good and thought seriously about those.   Now to find where the wife hid the cans....

Also, and this is the bit that really really surprised me, after running the numbers, I figure I'm about 500€ in the red. That's actually pretty good when you have two cans in your collection that each sell for over 700€ plus some iems that cost about the same...and then all the rest which isn't exactly cheap gear.
Gotta love the secondhand market

Edited by Guldbamsen - May 14 2018 at 08:11