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[Sleeping Lesson]

Bought the Fostex TH-X00s today, and I'm looking for some recommendations on a decent amp. My primary audio source will be a record player, and I'm not looking to go past $150 unless there's a compelling reason. Also my record player doesn't have a built-in preamp, is that something that I will definitely need in addition to the amp? Thanks!

 

[SolarMystic]

I'm mostly looking to play games and moderately listening to music. I am open to suggestions as well.

The k7xx has a nice big soundstage that is perfect for gaming. IMO you would have to spend quite a bit more money to get something better than the k7xx for gaming.

They are also a pretty well balanced headphone for general music listening as well.

 

[Chittagong]

The k7xx has a nice big soundstage that is perfect for gaming. IMO you would have to spend quite a bit more money to get something better than the k7xx for gaming.

They are also a pretty well balanced headphone for general music listening as well.

I'd second this, based on the recommendation here I got K712s for gaming, they work particularly well for that purpose, and I'd imagine KXXs are not too different. Their wide soundstage and clarity is very useful for positioning enemies.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Bought the Fostex TH-X00s today, and I'm looking for some recommendations on a decent amp. My primary audio source will be a record player, and I'm not looking to go past $150 unless there's a compelling reason. Also my record player doesn't have a built-in preamp, is that something that I will definitely need in addition to the amp? Thanks!

http://schiit.com/products/mani
http://schiit.com/products/magni-2

$60 more but schitt makes good quality stuff.

You might want to research if your truntable is either a moving coil or moving magnet type.

 

[Doombear]

Only had my Shozy ZERO's for a couple days now, but I am very happy with them so far! Thanks for the spot on recommendation as always, Des!

 

[creatchee]

I don't know if I'm sullying this thread with my request but....

I'm looking for a USB single ear chat headset for my PC that is comparable to the Xbox One chat headset. I have no desire for full headphones - I just want one ear to hear people talking to me and an attracted microphone to talk back to them, preferably with good quality incoming and outgoing. I know I can sorta use my Xbox One headset if connected to a controller, but that's cumbersome if I'm solely on keyboard and mouse.

Any suggestions?

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

http://schiit.com/products/mani
http://schiit.com/products/magni-2

$60 more but schitt makes good quality stuff.

You might want to research if your truntable is either a moving coil or moving magnet type.

Thanks! I think I'm going with the Schiit Vali 2 tube amp. Apparently my record player has a built in preamp, so I'll hold off on getting a discrete one until I upgrade my turntable later this year.

 

[NotSelf]

The Low End Theory sounds amazing on the TH-X00.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

The Low End Theory sounds amazing on the TH-X00.

How do you like the TH-X00s overall? I am really looking forward to listening to A Moon Shaped Pool when mine arrive.

 

[NotSelf]

How do you like the TH-X00s overall? I am really looking forward to listening to A Moon Shaped Pool when mine arrive.

That was actually the first album I listen to with them it's good so far i'll post some impressions later on when I had some more time with them.

I will be listening to radiohead's new album again tomorrow I was going to post something yesterday but spending another day listening to different recordings has definitely changed my opinion on them will be back.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

I don't understand your second sentence there NotSelf, but I am looking forward to reading your impressions!

I ended up buying that Schiit Vali 2 amp to go with my TH-X00s, and also ordered a 70s-era Tesla E88CC tube from eBay because that seemed like a cool thing to do. Gonna be a long 20 days before my headphones get here.

 

[DeathByBacklog]

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x for $95 through Groupon when you add the promo code TECHB5.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-at...PN&sid=0512ignemailm50&wid=http://www.ign.com

I would have been all over these when I first started this journey to upgrade my M50's. Now I can't pull the trigger.

Sidenote...Are the M50x's mass produced to the point of market saturation? There's just so many of them out there from retailers.

 

[NotSelf]

I don't understand your second sentence there NotSelf, but I am looking forward to reading your impressions!

I ended up buying that Schiit Vali 2 amp to go with my TH-X00s, and also ordered a 70s-era Tesla E88CC tube from eBay because that seemed like a cool thing to do. Gonna be a long 20 days before my headphones get here.

I don't know if it makes any more sense but I meant to say definitely sorry this is why I don't post much on here lol.

Seems like a good amp the TH-X00 is very easy to drive so your good there.

 

[Antiwhippy]

https://trinity-audio-engineering.m...ail&utm_source=newsletter&variant=20766718855

World's first push-pull dual dynamics + 2 BA hybrid apparently. I am a fan of trinity-audio but I'm wondering if there really is any benefit to configure it this way. The ATH CKR9 was pretty well received so I'm somewhat intrigued.

Still, the price is not too bad, and I like trying out new tech whether it works of fails.

 

[Mandelbo]

https://trinity-audio-engineering.m...ail&utm_source=newsletter&variant=20766718855

World's first push-pull dual dynamics + 2 BA hybrid apparently. I am a fan of trinity-audio but I'm wondering if there really is any benefit to configure it this way. The ATH CKR9 was pretty well received so I'm somewhat intrigued.

Still, the price is not too bad, and I like trying out new tech whether it works of fails.

Those look so cool... I really shouldn't have come by this thread again, because now I'm considering just revamping my portable music setup entirely and getting some high end ear/headphones and a Fiio X1 or something. I just can't help but be intrigued at what I'm missing out on, since I only have an iPod classic right now.

 

[Antiwhippy]

The iPod classic is still considered pretty good. The x1 isn't going to be a step up.

The sources really don't matter as much as people think. The biggest differentiator is still the headphone/earphone.

 

[Mandelbo]

The iPod classic is still considered pretty good. The x1 isn't going to be a step up.

The sources really don't matter as much as people think. The biggest differentiator is still the headphone/earphone.

The problem I have with it is that it can't play WAVs or FLACs, and although it can play ALACs I can't really tell the difference between lossless and lossy with my Soundmagic E10's.

 

[Antiwhippy]

And I suspect that you really won't be able to tell the difference on higher end headphones. I can't.

 

[holygeesus]

As a life-long closed headphone fan, I finally bit the bullet and bought my first pair of open backed phones today, as I need a pair to watch films with and thought the open sound-stage would be beneficial. One thing I have noticed though is they seem to need a lot more volume from my amp to drive than my closed sets, even though they are the same impedance - is it a common fact that open backed headphones just need more juice to drive?

 

[DagsJT]

I've decided I'm going back to the HD650's from my X2's. I found the Sennheiser's to be a lot more comfortable, lighter and with a nice sound although it'll be a shame to miss out on the bass of the X2's.

 

[Furyous]

Can someone help me decide between the Sennheiser HD 518 versus the AKOG KS240? I have a big head and small ears so fit is important and I'll use this for some light production and moderate video game playing on the PS4.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Cool, have you had experience with the jupiter for comparisons? I kinda dig the jupiter but like most pure BAs I felt that the sound was too sharp and thin.

Still leaning on saving up for a MH334 for my >$1000 IEM. It just has my preferred sound sig.

I have not. I had a chance to hear the Jupiter courtesy of a friend but he wound up selling before I had the chance to. I'm working on some impressions for SGS, James and some other people, but suffice it to say, the Andromeda is intoxicatingly, gloriously, stupefyingly great. It took a few days to figure out a pair of tips that would work for me cause of how awkward the fit was for my ears between the stupid memory on the cable and the angle of the MMCX connectors, but I've finally landed on a pair of tips that affords me a perfect seal and perfect comfort (those shells and their sharp edges bothered the hell out of me initially). But yeah, these are, IMO, THE IEM to beat at the moment. In terms of technicalities, tone, gargantuan sound staging, it's just complete aces. I have absolutely no qualms against them other than the sensitivity is on the very high side (makes source matching difficult as they can get very loud even at 15-20 percent on the slider of my iPhone 6), and the bump in midbass coupled with the elevated sub bass can be a bit much on EDM tracks. (Truly impressive punch but it can get fatiguing)

 

[K.Jack]

As a life-long closed headphone fan, I finally bit the bullet and bought my first pair of open backed phones today, as I need a pair to watch films with and thought the open sound-stage would be beneficial. One thing I have noticed though is they seem to need a lot more volume from my amp to drive than my closed sets, even though they are the same impedance - is it a common fact that open backed headphones just need more juice to drive?

Well, what are the two sets?

 

[Antiwhippy]

I have not. I had a chance to hear the Jupiter courtesy of a friend but he wound up selling before I had the chance to. I'm working on some impressions for SGS, James and some other people, but suffice it to say, the Andromeda is intoxicatingly, gloriously, stupefyingly great. It took a few days to figure out a pair of tips that would work for me cause of how awkward the fit was for my ears between the stupid memory on the cable and the angle of the MMCX connectors, but I've finally landed on a pair of tips that affords me a perfect seal and perfect comfort (those shells and their sharp edges bothered the hell out of me initially). But yeah, these are, IMO, THE IEM to beat at the moment. In terms of technicalities, tone, gargantuan sound staging, it's just complete aces. I have absolutely no qualms against them other than the sensitivity is on the very high side (makes source matching difficult as they can get very loud even at 15-20 percent on the slider of my iPhone 6), and the bump in midbass coupled with the elevated sub bass can be a bit much on EDM tracks. (Truly impressive punch but it can get fatiguing)

Hmmmmm, elevated sub bass with impact has me intrigued.

Having the proper tone sounds great too. I think this is the part where most BA iems fail for me.

 

[Tommy DJ]

As a life-long closed headphone fan, I finally bit the bullet and bought my first pair of open backed phones today, as I need a pair to watch films with and thought the open sound-stage would be beneficial. One thing I have noticed though is they seem to need a lot more volume from my amp to drive than my closed sets, even though they are the same impedance - is it a common fact that open backed headphones just need more juice to drive?

Impedance =/= sensitivity. What impedance sort of tells you is whether or not your headphone is designed for voltage or current drive.

Prime example is the Hifiman HE-6. It has 50 Ohm impedance but its going to sound quiet and weak out of everything that isn't a speaker amplifier because it has a calculated sensitivity of like 76dB/mW or something absurd.

 

[holygeesus]

Well, what are the two sets?

I have the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro for monitoring and general audio work, and I bought a pair of Beyer DT 990 Premium for home cinema use. I'm really impressed with the quality of the 990 for the price, it was just a shock that I need to turn up my amp twice as loud to drive them compared to my studio set.

 

[disastermouse]

Thanks! I think I'm going with the Schiit Vali 2 tube amp. Apparently my record player has a built in preamp, so I'll hold off on getting a discrete one until I upgrade my turntable later this year.

Garage1217 Project Polaris.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Reading the andromeda impressions on SBAF and it being described as the HD600 with more bottom end makes it sound super awesome, but then marv described the jupiter as being like the HD650 which I really don't get? I didn't listen to the jupiter that much but it didn't really sound like the HD650.

Still, definitely something I'd consider for my next big purchase. At this point it's either that or a fitear.

 

[j0hnny_385]

After much deliberation, reading, going over my finances, etc. I came to a decision:

I'm selling my ATH-M50x and buying a pair of open headphones for my gaming PC.

Equipment in use is:
- Pioneer VSX-D814 AVR
- ASUS Z87-PRO motherboard with the following onboard sound (connected via optical S/PDIF to the Pioneer):

Realtek® ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking
- High quality 112 dB SNR stereo playback output (Line-out at rear) and 104 dB SNR recording input (Line-in)
Audio Feature :
- Absolute Pitch 192kHz/ 24-bit True BD Lossless Sound
- DTS Ultra PC II
- DTS Connect
- Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
- BD Audio Layer Content Protection

Here's the final showdown (all prices listed are the lowest I found to get them ordered here to Croatia, EU):

AKG K702 - I can get them for a total of £151.72 via Amazon.co.uk

Sennheiser HD 598 - I can get them for a total of 181.41 EUR via Amazon.de

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm - I can get them for a total of ~ 152 EUR / £120 locally here from a shop in Croatia.

Q701 and Fidelio X2 are out of the budget.

So, taking into account that
- these will be used with the equipment mentioned;
- purely for gaming use;
- where other than the actual sound quality, COMFORT is the main parameter (long gaming sessions, etc.)

... which ones should I buy and why?

My impressions are (correct me if I'm wrong) that AKG K702 are "too analytical/harsh" for gaming and prefer a *very* good amp to run them properly and that DT 990s are too bassy for an open headphone (personally I don't like bass very much).
HD 598 are getting rave reviews for gaming use, though.

But Head Fi says this:

K702 is (a little) harder to drive than DT990 250. If you can drive one, you can probably drive the other.

At that price, HD598 is out. It's the worst of the three anyway imo.

Can't know for sure about comfort without trying them. Should be fine. I guess K702 might be slightly more comfortable, if the headband doesn't have the bumps. None of these headphones are bad. They're all very popular for a reason.

I'd say K702 is better for gaming due to a bit bigger soundstage and more separation. DT990 is more fun though, and music sounds more like music. Do a search on DT990 and K701/K702 and read many comparisons of them if you want.

So which one is it?

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Garage1217 Project Polaris.

I already bought the Schiit one!

I have a question about where to put it in my line, though. My source is going to be my turntable, but is there any benefit to going Source > Yamaha Receiver > Schiit Vali 2 > TH-X00 as opposed to straight from the turntable to the Schiit amp?

 

[DagsJT]

After much deliberation, reading, going over my finances, etc. I came to a decision:

I'm selling my ATH-M50x and buying a pair of open headphones for my gaming PC.

Equipment in use is:
- Pioneer VSX-D814 AVR
- ASUS Z87-PRO motherboard with the following onboard sound (connected via optical S/PDIF to the Pioneer):


Here's the final showdown (all prices listed are the lowest I found to get them ordered here to Croatia, EU):

AKG K702 - I can get them for a total of £151.72 via Amazon.co.uk

Sennheiser HD 598 - I can get them for a total of 181.41 EUR via Amazon.de

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm - I can get them for a total of ~ 152 EUR / £120 locally here from a shop in Croatia.

Q701 and Fidelio X2 are out of the budget.

So, taking into account that
- these will be used with the equipment mentioned;
- purely for gaming use;
- where other than the actual sound quality, COMFORT is the main parameter (long gaming sessions, etc.)

... which ones should I buy and why?

My impressions are (correct me if I'm wrong) that AKG K702 are "too analytical/harsh" for gaming and prefer a *very* good amp to run them properly and that DT 990s are too bassy for an open headphone (personally I don't like bass very much).
HD 598 are getting rave reviews for gaming use, though.

But Head Fi says this:


So which one is it?

See if you can get some used X2's, they're excellent.

 

[holygeesus]

I just bought the DT 990 and couldn't be happier for the price I paid (£100-ish) - build quality is a step down, though my other headphones were 4 times the price, but they are very light so comfortable for long gaming sessions and the sound-stage is excellent. Keep in mind that they have a coiled cable though, which is a major issue for some people and leads me to my own question - extensions.

I'm looking for a two metre extension cable at most. Am I right in thinking that at that distance, it's not worth springing for anything too expensive? (especially with cheap headphones) Do I have to check the impedance of the extension too?

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Reading the andromeda impressions on SBAF and it being described as the HD600 with more bottom end makes it sound super awesome, but then marv described the jupiter as being like the HD650 which I really don't get? I didn't listen to the jupiter that much but it didn't really sound like the HD650.

Still, definitely something I'd consider for my next big purchase. At this point it's either that or a fitear.

It's mind bogglingly awesome. I just wanna shout to the heavens about how awesome it is, so I wholeheartedly agree with Marv. Marv stating that he'd sell off his headphones to use the Andromeda in their place to supplement his speakers tells you everything you need to know. I agree with CeeTee in that it sounds similar to a UERM with a gracious addition to the bottom end and an unbelievably silky response from top to bottom. It's very slightly warmer than the UERM, and has a thicker note weight to its midrange and low end. There's an uncommon sweetness to its midrange that I've not heard in any other BAs. Marv seems to believe the BAs aren't from Sonion or Knowles so that might explain what I'm hearing. The sound is amazingly cohesive and by the same token, perfectly controlled in the high frequencies. Treble has fantastic weight, articulation and extension but is exceptionally smooth.

The Andromeda is capable of delicious authority and slam. Resolution is mind bogglingly good to me. Mind bogglingly so. There's analytical levels of detail, very low level detail is easily audible but it doesn't coax them out through attention grabbing treble peaks.

It also makes the P1 feel incredibly boring by comparison. No upper mid suckout on the Andromeda so it doesn't share that same mellow, warmish sound as P1. Treble has much better weight since I feel the P1 is a little bit thinnish. Much better sense of air on Andromeda vs. P1. Interestingly enough, the Andromeda makes literally anything sound awe inspiring. Even heavily compressed music sounds incredibly huge in scope/depth, and super engaging. There's a degree of solidity to its notes and a sense of truly holographic depth that I don't ever recall hearing in any other IEMs. Center image is just so good, super stable sense of forward projection such that vocals just seem to float in front of you like listening to a set of speakers. Soundstage is like... super buttfucking huge for IEMs, very tall and very wide with an uncanny sense of depth and connectedness from left to right. Zero sense of three blob effect here. Very full sized can like to me.

I can't comment on FitEar. I've never heard one I actually was impressed by. I've never heard the custom variants such as the Mitsu Harada 334 tho, which I understand are supposed to be tuned to be tighter than their universal counterparts. I just don't like the slowness of the bass and the coarse treble of the 334. The Parterre was better to me, but I still felt the bass was too bloated.

 

[SolarMystic]

Reading the andromeda impressions on SBAF and it being described as the HD600 with more bottom end makes it sound super awesome, but then marv described the jupiter as being like the HD650 which I really don't get? I didn't listen to the jupiter that much but it didn't really sound like the HD650.

Still, definitely something I'd consider for my next big purchase. At this point it's either that or a fitear.

I know Marv always uses his hd650 modded.

 

[LQX]

...

AKG K702 - I can get them for a total of £151.72 via Amazon.co.uk

Sennheiser HD 598 - I can get them for a total of 181.41 EUR via Amazon.de

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm - I can get them for a total of ~ 152 EUR / £120 locally here from a shop in Croatia.

...

I have never tried the DT990 but I do have the 598 and the Massdrop edition of the AKG K702. I would definitely recommend them, especially for gaming. I love the 598's but the AKG gives you the same if not better soundstage and clarity but also gives you much better bass response. Also the 598 is one of the most comfortable headphone you will ever wear but even in that area the K702 has it beat.

Also MassDrop currently has the AKG K7XX Red Edition back up for sale and they do ship to Europe. Might be about the same price as Amazon for you but you also have to factor custom fees.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition?mode=guest_open

Either-way the AKG K702 is worth it.

 

[opticalmace]

Instead of getting a 'gaming' headest, what are my options for using a mic with my regular daily driver pair of headphones?

If it matters I'll probably use either my Denon D2000 or my Hifiman HE-400i.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Instead of getting a 'gaming' headest, what are my options for using a mic with my regular daily driver pair of headphones?

If it matters I'll probably use either my Denon D2000 or my Hifiman HE-400i.

Modmic

 

[LQX]

Z Review - HiFiman HE-350
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agCnn6quYNc

Sound demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-oRQfXeGgA

He as well as others with them are saying they have nice bass so that is big plus in my book. He also thinks they are better than the 598s.

 

[SolarMystic]

I already bought the Schiit one!

I have a question about where to put it in my line, though. My source is going to be my turntable, but is there any benefit to going Source > Yamaha Receiver > Schiit Vali 2 > TH-X00 as opposed to straight from the turntable to the Schiit amp?

Unless your TT has a built in preamp, you'll need your receiver after the source for the phono preamp.

I have never tried the DT990 but I do have the 598 and the Massdrop edition of the AKG K702. I would definitely recommend them, especially for gaming. I love the 598's but the AKG gives you the same if not better soundstage and clarity but also gives you much better bass response. Also the 598 is one of the most comfortable headphone you will ever wear but even in that area the K702 has it beat.

Also MassDrop currently has the AKG K7XX Red Edition back up for sale and they do ship to Europe. Might be about the same price as Amazon for you but you also have to factor custom fees.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition?mode=guest_open

Either-way the AKG K702 is worth it.

Did you ever post pics of your red edition k7xx?

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Unless your TT has a built in preamp, you'll need your receiver after the source for the phono preamp.

It does have a built-in preamp.

 

[K.Jack]

Z Review - HiFiman HE-350
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agCnn6quYNc

Sound demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-oRQfXeGgA

He as well as others with them are saying they have nice bass so that is big plus in my book. He also thinks they are better than the 598s.

Still deciding on these, with 4 days left in the drop.

The HE-300 was literally my first step into the hobby, kinda want one for nostalgia purposes. Everything he said about the original connectors ("crafted by Satan", "bastard connectors") is 100% true, made me laugh. Also good to finally see someone compare the two.

Might hold out for the Massdrop x Hifiman HE-400 dream drop, which may never happen, though Massdrop did say they were going to talk to Hifiman about the possibility.

 

[SolarMystic]

It does have a built-in preamp.

You should be able to connect directly to your amp then without the receiver. You wouldn't want to use both as you would be double amping.

Still deciding on these, with 4 days left in the drop.

The HE-300 was literally my first step into the hobby, kinda want one for nostalgia purposes. Everything he said about the original connectors ("crafted by Satan", "bastard connectors") is 100% true, made me laugh. Also good to finally see someone compare the two.

Might hold out for the Massdrop x Hifiman HE-400 dream drop, which may never happen, though Massdrop did say they were going to talk to Hifiman about the possibility.

They use completely new drivers than the old HE-300. I remember my heart skipping a beat when I saw the Massdrop X Hifiman email. Was super disappointed to find out upon opening the email that it wasn't an HE-400 remake.

Will keeps hinting at a possible Sennheiser collab. I know that a lot are calling for an HD6xx or HD7xx. He may just be teasing us though. His comments about new collaborations coming throughout the year has me hopeful. I would instantly buy an HD6xx/HD7xx.

 

[LQX]

Unless your TT has a built in preamp, you'll need your receiver after the source for the phono preamp.



Did you ever post pics of your red edition k7xx?

Terrible pictures which do them no justice. They're gorgeous in person but I can see some being put off by the red.

You should be able to connect directly to your amp then without the receiver. You wouldn't want to use both as you would be double amping.



They use completely new drivers than the old HE-300. I remember my heart skipping a beat when I saw the Massdrop X Hifiman email. Was super disappointed to find out upon opening the email that it wasn't an HE-400 remake.

Will keeps hinting at a possible Sennheiser collab. I know that a lot are calling for an HD6xx or HD7xx. He may just be teasing us though. His comments about new collaborations coming throughout the year has me hopeful. I would instantly buy an HD6xx/HD7xx.

It will be interesting seeing a Sennheiser collab, especially pricing, as they pretty much have a headphone at every price point from $30-$500. They could possibly bring back a discontinued model but I can't see that being very popular as many feel the replacements of discontinued models like the HD555 HD580 are better and they will have trouble pricing it. So yeah, if they do get something going I think they will be some color variant of an existing model.

 

[SolarMystic]

Terrible pictures which do them no justice. They're gorgeous in person but I can see some being put off by the red.





It will be interesting seeing a Sennheiser collab, especially pricing, as they pretty much have a headphone at every price point from $30-$500. They could possibly bring back a discontinued model but I can't see that being very popular as many feel the replacements of discontinued models like the HD555 HD580 are better and they will have trouble pricing it. So yeah, if they do get something going I think they will be some color variant of an existing model.

Thanks, they look really nice. I keep going back and forth whether I want to get a pair for gaming. (currently use hd598, my hd650 is music only)

I'm personally hoping for an HD700 with a retune. I don't think there is much that can be done to the legendary hd600 or hd650. Maybe add some more sub bass.

 

[Tommy DJ]

I'm looking for a two metre extension cable at most. Am I right in thinking that at that distance, it's not worth springing for anything too expensive? (especially with cheap headphones) Do I have to check the impedance of the extension too?

Cables are bullshit unless they introduce noticeable microphonics (audiable noise when touching/moving cable) or have a similarly obvious fault. The performance difference between cables is pretty much unmeasurable, suggesting that the performance benefits of expensive cables are very insignificant compared to the price you pay.

Just buy or build your own cable. No, you don't have to worry about cable impedance in my opinion.

With regards to Sennheiser x Massdrop collabs, I don't think a Sennheiser collab, as cool as it may be, will ever exist. If you decrease 2nd order distortion and improve bass extension in the HD600, you can obsolete just about every other dynamic headphone on the market so you know it'll never happen.

The problem with re-tuning the HD700 is that Sennheiser isn't like AKG, who doesn't have any headphone that is actually worth their MSRP, or Hifiman, who doesn't have anything under $200 anyway. The hypothetical re-tuned HD700 will be stuck between the ~$300 HD6XX headphones, which already sounds really good, and the glut of ~$700-800 used HD800s that only need a €5 Superdupont resonator to not sound like shit. Not much you can do to justify its existence without derailing the gravy train that is the HD6XX or increasing the price of the stock HD800.

 

[Haroon]

Anyone here use the HD800, and play some shooting games with it? If so, how do you like the sound stage?

 

[holygeesus]

Cables are bullshit unless they introduce noticeable microphonics (audiable noise when touching/moving cable) or have a similarly obvious fault. The performance difference between cables is pretty much unmeasurable, suggesting that the performance benefits of expensive cables are very insignificant compared to the price you pay.

Just buy or build your own cable. No, you don't have to worry about cable impedance in my opinion.

Many thanks. I think I will just buy a reasonably priced well constructed cable and be done with it. At the moment I am using a flimsy thin extension that came with an old pair of Creative headphones, and although it works I swear I can hear a difference but it might just be a psychological thing - highs seem to distort slightly compared to not using it - the sound is more harsh.

 

[NotSelf]

After spending a week listening to the TH-X00 I think there truly are great just a joy to have on your ears once I got over the lack of soundstage the sound is still big lush and detailed. Initially I wanted to compare the TH-X00 to my other headphones in my collection but what ended up happening is I started comparing recordings to one another. It was a real joy hearing how well the mixing and mastering was done on the albums my personal preference of the two albums that I thought sounded best on TH-X00 was Midnight Marauders and The Low End Theory from A Tribe Called Quest. I personally just gravitate more towards hiphop when listening to the TH-X00 but i'm sure others will gravitate towards other genres and i'm sure the TH-X00 will be just as great.

Here's a really bad pic they look much better in person. There's a deep indentation on the cable near the headphone you can even see it in the pic the cable is in a odd angle the audio hasn't cut out but it could still be a future problem.

 

[Kudo]

Making the wait for shipment really hard there.
My TH-X00 currently going rounds in Germany, I bet they're listening to them. Hopefully they come home next week!

 

[Visualante2]

I've gone from MDR-V6 to ATH-M50. Not been happy with the M50 build quality, the pleather has flaked away and the cable coating wasn't very good.

I've been looking at the AIAIAI TMA-2 based on my experience with the M50. It seems like it might be more ethical and cost effective in the long term to just replace parts rather than buy an entire pair of cans.

H02 claims it is rugged and easy to clean, E05 skips the nasty, greasy pleather and the C04 seems like it might last in the long term... depending on the driver this could cost 205-240 EUR. It's worrying. Plus I don't know if they will produce TMA-2 parts long term.