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[Witchfinder General]

My Cardas HD800 cable arrived yesterday and I've maybe used it for about five or so hours. Initial impressions so far are good despite the cable needing some running in. So far I've noticed an improvement over the stock cable with a more fleshed out sound, especially when it comes to bass and separation.

 

[HiResDes]

Hold on you have HD800's? I hate you, get out.

 

[1stStrike]

Well, some of the smaller vendors like AccessoryJack, and some of the Ebay vendors do sell legitly on the side. I've had luck getting stuff for under MSRP from an Ebay vendor who is actually a japanese wholesaler of headphones. It definitely helps that other people have bought from these places beforehand to allay any worries.

*crosses fingers* If I do get a legit pair (if they actually ship them out) that'd be awesome for $58.00.

@1strike I plan on getting my TMA-1's from Turntablelab down the road, as the site seems super legit too.

I'll keep it in mind. If this shit keeps up I'm just going to get pissed off and drop $300 on a set of ear buds from a legit website. :lol

 

[Witchfinder General]

Hold on you have HD800's? I hate you, get out.

Yup, listening to them now. Mmmm, vinyl + HD800.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

*crosses fingers* If I do get a legit pair (if they actually ship them out) that'd be awesome for $58.00.



I'll keep it in mind. If this shit keeps up I'm just going to get pissed off and drop $300 on a set of ear buds from a legit website. :lol

If the former happens, congrats, you got quite the deal. If the latter? Pick up a pair of Earsonic SM3's and let me know how you like them? I'm pretty sure I won't be be able to resist them for a whole lot longer :lol

 

[1stStrike]

If the former happens, congrats, you got quite the deal. If the latter? Pick up a pair of Earsonic SM3's and let me know how you like them? I'm pretty sure I won't be be able to resist them for a whole lot longer :lol

Sounds promising. I'll keep them in mind if this goes awry.

 

[swoon]

Yeah I only dabble in the cheap stuff...And that pretty much goes for everything in life.

@1strike I plan on getting my TMA-1's from Turntablelab down the road, as the site seems super legit too.

Cheap stuff still doesn't require upkeep, you should pick up a little dot or something. Better than dozens of 50$ headphones

 

[HiResDes]

Word. It just kind of became a hobby, but you're right. I'm ready to take the next step. If I decide to save up for the FiiO E9 to pair with my E7 instead of the TMA-1's I'll be ready to take the next step

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Cheap stuff still doesn't require upkeep, you should pick up a little dot or something. Better than dozens of 50$ headphones

I remember years back, they actually made a Little Dot portable tube amp. The thing was like the size of an RSA hornet or something. I can't imagine what sort of stuff exists in the portable realm these days.

And I'll vouch for the upkeep thing. I've been running the same set of tubes for like 4 years now.

 

[HiResDes]

I remember years back, they actually made a Little Dot portable tube amp. The thing was like the size of an RSA hornet or something. I can't imagine what sort of stuff exists in the portable realm these days.

The Fischer portable amp reminds me of a little dot kind of...

Screw you 1strike :lol

 

[1stStrike]

The Fischer portable amp reminds me of a little dot kind of...

You should buy that too and see how long it takes to ship out :lol

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

You should buy that too and see how long it takes to ship out :lol

lmao. It's a vicious cycle :lol I take it you're referring to the Mystify? Yeah, that does remind me a lot of the LD.

It's pretty cool how you can see the little tubes in it.

 

[Threi]

So is the Meelectronics M9 the best IEMs under $20 (that can be shipped to Canada) or are there any other ones on sale right now?

 

[HiResDes]

So is the Meelectronics M9 the best IEMs under $20 (that can be shipped to Canada) or are there any other ones on sale right now?

Naw not that I know of, yeah you kind find both the M9/M6 for under $20 and either would be a good choice

...In fact if you get them and feel as if they aren't worth $20 I'll let you choose my desktop setup and background for February.

 

[1stStrike]

Naw not that I know of, yeah you kind find both the M9/M6 for under $20 and either would be a good choice

...In fact if you get them and feel as if they aren't worth $20 I'll let you choose my desktop setup and background for February.

I choose everything upside down and random pics from the OT creepy thread. :lol

 

[swoon]

lmao. It's a vicious cycle :lol I take it you're referring to the Mystify? Yeah, that does remind me a lot of the LD.

It's pretty cool how you can see the little tubes in it.

Every time I've hear those type tubes they've been crazy microphonic. Also portable amps aren't worth it generally.

 

[HiResDes]

...Bummer, but then again considering you're amazing setup maybe everything sounds microphonic in comparison

 

[Totakeke]

I don't like to dabble too much into the portable realm because unlike the full-sized desktop stuffs which can easily last for a decade before new models come out, things depreciate in value so much faster for portables because there's so many new stuff coming out all the time and people always tend to favor the new stuffs and throw away the old. ;p

 

[Threi]

Naw not that I know of, yeah you kind find both the M9/M6 for under $20 and either would be a good choice

...In fact if you get them and feel as if they aren't worth $20 I'll let you choose my desktop setup and background for February.

:lol

The M6 isn't $20 in Canada, at least not where i could find.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

1 Week D7000 check-in.

still hoping these D7000s stop piercing me in the ears.

idunno guys........


I've been running pink noise and frequency sweeps through them for the last 6 or 7 hours. I know it's not enough time...but I'm going to get desperate over the next week or so. I love everything else about them, but my ears are very sensitive to the highs. I can hear pretty high in the Hz frequency range, so maybe that's why I'm more sensitive to it, but regardless...if I can't get these high's to calm the fuck down, I'm going to have to go back to the D5000s. Those are some beautiful sounding cans if you like warm sound.

Ironically, I think it's funny to see people do their best to find neutral sounding cans (read: no warmth), then go out and buy tube amps that add warmth to the sound anyway. Sup with that?

I might have to consider some new cups. I've heard that different cups can neutralize some of the sharpness of the highs. idunno...I guess I had assumed all this time that the reason the D2000s had felt so sharp in the highs was because of the plastic cup. maybe so, but the D7000s mohagony must not be soft enough wood because they have the same problem.

D2000 highs = D7000 highs. D7000 maybe with a veeeeeeery tiny amount less sparkle. but otherwise, the highs are the same. Idunno...I've not EQ'd them yet, but that's partially because I feel like if I need to EQ the cans, I can EQ any of the Denons to sound about 98% of what the D7000s sound like. I can duplicate everything in EQ except the tightness of the bass.

I don't want to say I'm frustrated...but I am, at this point, disappointed that there was no way to keep the highs details and crisp without making them sharp and piercing for my sensitive ears.

I've read over at head-fi that some people have replaced their cups with softer wooden cups and that alleviated the issue...but again...by the time you start modding cups, you can quickly find yourself in the territory of other more expensive cans. Shit...I could Markl some D5000s or D2000 and probably be a happier camper than I am at this moment. I'm going to give these cans a good 10 more days. In that time, they'll have seen at least 300 hours of burn-in. I want to keep them, so if those highs lighten up, I'll keep them. If they remain sharp like this, I'll have no choice but to send them back in favor of the D5000s. Those are still the only cans to have actually given me a chill when listening to them. I just naturally assumed the 7k's would be better...and in many ways they are...but I can't budge on sharp highs. it's like buying a pair of beautiful shows that hurt when wearing them more than 20 minutes. The person who cares about comfort will find it unacceptable and return.

 

[1stStrike]

On an OT note, one song that sounds pretty amazing in my setup is the Love Theme from MGS4. So much depth to it.

One reason I've always been wary to spend a lot of money on ear buds and mp3 players is because I tend to lose/break them :lol

Dreams: Weird man. Completely different experience. I don't have any issues with highs. My setup is obviously a bit more custom though, so maybe that plays into it. I dunno. I just haven't had any issues yet with any of the songs I've been listening to, and there are some high pitched singers in there.

Edit2:

Dream, gimme a couple samples of songs that bother you so I can test it out.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Every time I've hear those type tubes they've been crazy microphonic. Also portable amps aren't worth it generally.

As a guy who's mainly used canalphones and IEMs over the years, I've come to accept that microphonics are going to be a part of my routine existence lol

1 Week D7000 check-in.

still hoping these D7000s stop piercing me in the ears.

Welcome to my world. I love the speed and detail retrieval of the SA5k's but their treble energy means I'm fatigued after an hour or so of listening. I just learned to appreciate warmer sounding phones in light of that fact, even if the treble is veiled/rolled off.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

On an OT note, one song that sounds pretty amazing in my setup is the Love Theme from MGS4. So much depth to it.

One reason I've always been wary to spend a lot of money on ear buds and mp3 players is because I tend to lose/break them :lol

Dreams: Weird man. Completely different experience. I don't have any issues with highs. My setup is obviously a bit more custom though, so maybe that plays into it. I dunno. I just haven't had any issues yet with any of the songs I've been listening to, and there are some high pitched singers in there.

well I get to my E9 tomorrow. so here's hoping. I've been listening to these cans probably 10 hours/day. I don't know what else to do.

Welcome to my world. I love the speed and detail retrieval of the SA5k's but their treble energy means I'm fatigued after an hour or so of listening. I just learned to appreciate warmer sounding phones in light of that fact, even if the treble is veiled/rolled off.

word.

yea, I left the D5000s on the alter because I assumed higher priced models would be even more awesome. maybe these D7000s will be just that. It's just that as of right now, the D5000 was a better, less sharp experience out of the equipment I have. I got a good deal on these D7000s so I'm not inclined to return them...but my kind of usage is heavy. 8-10 hours a day (all the time I'm working + chill-out time), so I can't have cans that will fatigue my ears in short order. It's just not an acceptable scenario. So hopefully these will work out.

 

[swoon]

...Bummer, but then again considering you're amazing setup maybe everything sounds microphonic in comparison

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphonics

i have some tubes in my speaker amp that sometime pick up radio stations. it dosn't have much to do with the quality of amps.

1 Week D7000 check-in.

still hoping these D7000s stop piercing me in the ears.

idunno guys........


I've been running pink noise and frequency sweeps through them for the last 6 or 7 hours. I know it's not enough time...but I'm going to get desperate over the next week or so. I love everything else about them, but my ears are very sensitive to the highs. I can hear pretty high in the Hz frequency range, so maybe that's why I'm more sensitive to it, but regardless...if I can't get these high's to calm the fuck down, I'm going to have to go back to the D5000s. Those are some beautiful sounding cans if you like warm sound.

Ironically, I think it's funny to see people do their best to find neutral sounding cans (read: no warmth), then go out and buy tube amps that add warmth to the sound anyway. Sup with that?

I might have to consider some new cups. I've heard that different cups can neutralize some of the sharpness of the highs. idunno...I guess I had assumed all this time that the reason the D2000s had felt so sharp in the highs was because of the plastic cup. maybe so, but the D7000s mohagony must not be soft enough wood because they have the same problem.

D2000 highs = D7000 highs. D7000 maybe with a veeeeeeery tiny amount less sparkle. but otherwise, the highs are the same. Idunno...I've not EQ'd them yet, but that's partially because I feel like if I need to EQ the cans, I can EQ any of the Denons to sound about 98% of what the D7000s sound like. I can duplicate everything in EQ except the tightness of the bass.

I don't want to say I'm frustrated...but I am, at this point, disappointed that there was no way to keep the highs details and crisp without making them sharp and piercing for my sensitive ears.

I've read over at head-fi that some people have replaced their cups with softer wooden cups and that alleviated the issue...but again...by the time you start modding cups, you can quickly find yourself in the territory of other more expensive cans. Shit...I could Markl some D5000s or D2000 and probably be a happier camper than I am at this moment. I'm going to give these cans a good 10 more days. In that time, they'll have seen at least 300 hours of burn-in. I want to keep them, so if those highs lighten up, I'll keep them. If they remain sharp like this, I'll have no choice but to send them back in favor of the D5000s. Those are still the only cans to have actually given me a chill when listening to them. I just naturally assumed the 7k's would be better...and in many ways they are...but I can't budge on sharp highs. it's like buying a pair of beautiful shows that hurt when wearing them more than 20 minutes. The person who cares about comfort will find it unacceptable and return.

i've always thought the d7000 were very sibilant and very harsh even with a good amp. also warmth doesn't relate to increased highs. d5000 do have more recessed highs but much smaller soundstage. fwiw i wouldn't continue down the dxxxx and markl paths unless you've heard a lot more stuff in the price range and nothing else suits you.

 

[HiResDes]

Oh I knew tube amps had one big con, I just had forgot what it was

 

[Dreams-Visions]

i've always thought the d7000 were very sibilant and very harsh even with a good amp. also warmth doesn't relate to increased highs. d5000 do have more recessed highs but much smaller soundstage. fwiw i wouldn't continue down the dxxxx and markl paths unless you've heard a lot more stuff in the price range and nothing else suits you.

understood. and thanks for the insight.

I also have a pair of HD650s, but not enough power to drive them right now. those might be what I'm looking for but I'm not sure just yet.

 

[Witchfinder General]

Ironically, I think it's funny to see people do their best to find neutral sounding cans (read: no warmth), then go out and buy tube amps that add warmth to the sound anyway. Sup with that?

Because a good tube amp doesn't necessarily warm up the sound. I use a tube preamp and I would describe it as organic and pretty darned close to neutral. I've heard many solid-state gear sound way more coloured.

 

[1stStrike]

understood. and thanks for the insight.

I also have a pair of HD650s, but not enough power to drive them right now. those might be what I'm looking for but I'm not sure just yet.

What songs in particular bother you? Do any come to mind?

Edit: I wish I could be like "yo, try out this amp i've got..." but it's an uh.. limited edition :lol

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

understood. and thanks for the insight.

I also have a pair of HD650s, but not enough power to drive them right now. those might be what I'm looking for but I'm not sure just yet.

You've got a pair of HD650's? I'd say those are perfect for your needs if you listen to music heavily. I'd just invest in an amp to drive them if that's what it comes down to.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

^ yea, I expect the E9 to do the job. I'm just waiting to get it. I mistakenly sent it to the wrong address.

What songs in particular bother you? Do any come to mind?

Edit: I wish I could be like "yo, try out this amp i've got..." but it's an uh.. limited edition :lol

I can PM you a list. :lol (no seriously)

 

[Totakeke]

Treble fatigue is very real, but you'll get used to it. If you want to, that is.

 

[1stStrike]

^ yea, I expect the E9 to do the job. I'm just waiting to get it. I mistakenly sent it to the wrong address.
I can PM you a list. :lol (no seriously)

Yeah go ahead and send me a few.

Also, I work from my PC and often wear my D7000's for hours at a time... I guess they're just a good fit for me though. Not every headphone is for everyone, but I was surprised to see you not happy with em.

 

[Dice]

1 Week D7000 check-in.

This man, if honest about his qualifications, is a solid supporter with you on this:

http://www.amazon.com/review/RILOSW...e=UTF8&ASIN=B000MVEC10&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Yeah go ahead and send me a few.

Also, I work from my PC and often wear my D7000's for hours at a time... I guess they're just a good fit for me though. Not every headphone is for everyone, but I was surprised to see you not happy with em.

I hope to be, man. I really do. and maybe my E9 will change my experience.

and if push comes to shove, I guess I can always EQ them a bit. I just...we'll see.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

This man, if honest about his qualifications, is a solid supporter with you on this:

http://www.amazon.com/review/RILOSW...e=UTF8&ASIN=B000MVEC10&nodeID=&tag=&linkCode=

I dunno, I don't have golden ears by any standard, but these audiophiles with their claims of ever evolving shifts in audio frequency curves occurring over hundreds of hours always wig me out. If I don't happen to like a pair of phones by the end of a week of extensive listening, I just go on my merry way and try a different pair.

 

[1stStrike]

I hope to be, man. I really do. and maybe my E9 will change my experience.

and if push comes to shove, I guess I can always EQ them a bit. I just...we'll see.

A little bit of modification really doesn't hurt. I have the surround sound option enabled on my sound card (works really well in broadening the sound stage) and I already mentioned that I'd setup a few DSP plugins in foobar. But, I've always done this regardless of the headphones I've owned.

I listened to these for quite a while in plain old windows media player though, without any EQ or tweaks, before doing this - so my thoughts originally were always of how things sounded unaltered through my amp and sound card.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

^ I just read about that 5.1 plug-in for Foobar. Unfortunately, I haven't come across anything like that for OSX. LeSigh.

I dunno, I don't have golden ears by any standard, but these audiophiles with their claims of ever evolving shifts in audio frequency curves occurring over hundreds of hours always wig me out. If I don't happen to like a pair of phones by the end of a week of extensive listening, I just go on my merry way and try a different pair.

agree. I'm more prone to asssume their ears simply adapted to the new sound.

but if there's one thing time has proven to me that my ears *will not* adapt to, it's sharp sound.

1stStrike. You'll have a PM soon. No rush, just whenever you get to look the stuff over.

 

[1stStrike]

^ I just read about that 5.1 plug-in for Foobar. Unfortunately, I haven't come across anything like that for OSX. LeSigh.


agree. I'm more prone to asssume their ears simply adapted to the new sound.

but if there's one thing time has proven to me that my ears *will not* adapt to, it's sharp sound.

1stStrike. You'll have a PM soon. No rush, just whenever you get to look the stuff over.

Sure, no problem. I'll be up for another 45 minutes or so. I pretty much just got on my PC to listen to music and BS because I haven't really been down stairs much in the last few days :lol

Also, listen to this and tell me if anything in it bothers you.

 

[Dice]

I dunno, I don't have golden ears by any standard, but these audiophiles with their claims of ever evolving shifts in audio frequency curves occurring over hundreds of hours always wig me out. If I don't happen to like a pair of phones by the end of a week of extensive listening, I just go on my merry way and try a different pair.

Yeah, I tend not to get bugged by all that much. Here is my criteria for sound:

1) Nothing that wears on me. This means the highs don't jab my ears and the bass is more outside than inside my head.
2) Soundstage. This has more to do with motion than scope for me. If the music is dancing around me it feels alive and that's better.
3) Quality at lower volumes. This has more to do with the amp, but it is also in the nature of the headphones. Some just go flat when you turn it down.
4) Clean. If it's there, it better not be messy. I'd rather it not be there at all.

Though, comfort has been more important to me lately. I'll even switch out my 555s for Sony Triqii just because I prefer the flat cushion rather than a supraaural. That actually concerns me when looking at getting 325is, because the S cushion looks more appealing than the L cushion.

 

[sonikokaruto]

Got today my audio technica ath-fc700a and damn do they sound awesome

But I noticed the sound Volume is kinda low and like ... Muted?

So I checked the box:40 ohm

I need an amp! Will go for the recommendation though

Thank you gaf!

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Sure, no problem. I'll be up for another 45 minutes or so. I pretty much just got on my PC to listen to music and BS because I haven't really been down stairs much in the last few days :lol

Also, listen to this and tell me if anything in it bothers you.

YG PM.

and no, nothing in that song bothered me. you'll see what kinds of highs I'm talking about very soon. lol

 

[Dreams-Visions]

1stStrike, you want to hear something that grates my ears in these cans?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5i4Nyvg3_0

listen to that at a moderately high volume level. it's the worst.

 

[1stStrike]

1stStrike, you want to hear something that grates my ears in these cans?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5i4Nyvg3_0

listen to that at a moderately high volume level. it's the worst.

:lol

You don't need headphones for that to grate on your ears. That guys voice is terribad.

I know a guy that was kind of like that who started up an online product. He paid me $50.00 to do 4 3-ish minute voice overs because his voice wasn't deep enough :lol

 

[Dreams-Visions]

:lol

You don't need headphones for that to grate on your ears. That guys voice is terribad.

I know a guy that was kind of like that who started up an online product. He paid me $50.00 to do 4 3-ish minute voice overs because his voice wasn't deep enough :lol

lol, nice. that video left my ears feeling like what some of those tracks made my ears feel like.

Maybe I'm listening too loud. Interestingly enough, I rode in my brother's car recently and his car audio was set up even more piercing than what I'm experiencing in my D7000s. I literally had to hold my fingers over my ears. too much for me.

anyway, if you don't notice any sharpness/sibilance I'll have to assume that either (1) my ears are too sensitive or (2) my equipment isn't what i need it to be. either way, I'll have a direction to go in.

 

[Hazaro]

Try what I suggested earlier in the thread here. Maybe raise the gain in one of the first three bands by a notch or so if you want more.

But remember use the EQ down suggestion

Thanks both of you. I like these settings better

 

[Alucrid]

Dude I'm in the same boat, this asshole Dimitry from GDAudiobase won't even reply back to any of comments...I can't even tell if they've shipped the earphones I ordered over a week ago :lol


...Worse comes to worse I'm just going to get those new wooden in-earphones from MEElectronics

I thought they were supposed to ship at the end of Jan? Or am I just going crazy?

 

[HiResDes]

I thought they were supposed to ship at the end of Jan? Or am I just going crazy?

Oh damn I guess I just got to wait it out, I thought the end of December, but I think you're right.

 

[Alucrid]

Oh damn I guess I just got to wait it out, I thought the end of December, but I think you're right.

Yeah...although that still doesn't excuse the slow response time. I hope he gets back to you soon so we know.

 

[Ceres]

FYI, the links to the Woo Audio headphone stands are reversed.

 

[HiResDes]

TY FYI