Headphones

Picked these up at a good price last month over on HF. Kind of a random purchase, but Grado cans hold a unique mystique for me, quite unlike any other company in the market. I have no idea why. Maybe its because of that first experience I had with the RS-1/PPX3/Modwright 999ES/MFSL Ryan Adams "Heart Breaker" SACD combo: it was the first time I felt like I was really listening to what I then understood to be "hi-fi" sound. The midrange was just so beautiful and right, right there perfect and lovely with the guitar sound and Ryan's vocals. Its such a vivid memory along my hi-fi journey, the kind of mind ripping audio experience that tends to come fewer and further between t…

I think I like my HF-1 much better with flats. That's all I have to say about that.

It's probably no surprise to some of you that these are some of my favorite headphones (when properly damped and housed). I'd like to hear the impressions of others that have heard these unique drivers.

Anybody has any experience before? I currently hook 950 from KGSS. My fellow hobbyist from where I live was raving about 404LE and said its a better headphone than 950 and I should get it to complement the 950. FWIR also 404LE got a gleaming review almost everywhere. But no one is yet to comment VS 950. As usual, any comments or advise will be appreciated

[url=http://www.phileweb.com/news/d-av/200810/16/22364.html]

A few days I placed an order for a pair of Super Freqs on a whim after stumbling across their website. Hard to pass up custom fit 3 driver IEMs for $189.99 Two days later the kit arrives. In side the box is two impression kits, pair of gloves, return labels and postage as well as instructions. About 18 minutes later the impressions are done and ready to be sent back. now back to waiting.....

HD650s - the Rodney Dangerfield of headphones?? When I first borrowed them earlier this year, I was underwhelmed (compared to PS-1 (sold) and L3000, etc). I bought a pair to putz around with my Lisa IIIXP and DAC1, but these phones have grown on me...to the point I'm reaching for them half the time. OK I've recabled them with RAL and defoamed them and rubbed them with barbecue sauce. If I were to cut objectively - no BS - to THE SOUND - these HD650s would hold their own, certainly be tops for 'bang-for-buck'. Running them out of my DHA3000 and LIIIXP/LLP for reference. So what's my point...nothing. maybe I could easily be happy without blowing my wad on silly expensiv…

Because of the fact that the first PS1000 #3 already show up, just wonder if anyone here waiting for his/her pre-order to. Looking for some critical GS1000 vs PS1000 review...Anyone?

I just got an email from NSL: Ultrasone Headphones

As seen on H-F today: http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/press_releases_07.01.2008 http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/press_releases__07.01.2008 http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/press_releases__07.01.2008_ Seems as if the awaited new top of the line model isn't here yet. I wonder if they'll have a surprise at CES? They seem to be following the IEM trend, so I wonder if they are even interested in a 'new' 650. If the 650 is doing well, my mess with it?

Today I finally made my fake ear (block of modeling foam with a hole) for my measurement microphone and hooked it up to my digital equalizer. It's bloody cool, you put the heaphones on the ear and run the auto eq (automatic algorithm using pink noise and a RTA) and you've got pitch flat response I know for a fact it would drive many nuts but to be honest I'm having a great time. The only boring thing is that it makes d5000s sound like sa5000s or whatever sound like whatever (as long as both are equalized). Anyway I look forward to trying this out with other phones too. It'll be interesting to see how much correction is required. For the d5000 it's a lot down low an…

Since I already have a pair of rs-1s, anyone think it would be worth owning a set of these too? Anyone want to compare them and stuff? How are they different?

So I am extremely fond of the HD25-1. They isolate as well as many IEM's, they sound OK, they're lightweight and can be ;iterally thrown in a bag with impunity. However for someone who has had more headphones and you can count on every appendage, I am getting 'samey-headphone-syndrome'. I want a change. The K181DJ is looking like the only competitor around at the moment that I haven't heard or had. I have just cancelled my order for a K181DJ as the supplier is being an arse. They told me it would arrive this week,, and this is after many, many weeks of waiting. A web seller have them in stock apparently and can dispatch next day. I am about to buy them, but if I buy…

http://turntablelab.com/collections/daily-arrivals/products/grado-the-bushmills-x-grado-labs-headphone

Shit. I'd been listening to my RS-1s for a couple of hours. These are the darker wood used ones I bought from Larry at Headphile a couple of months back. I stopped the music and turned off the amp to roll out the tung sol's and RCA grey glass 6sn7, and roll in the sylvania gold pin 5687s and a Ken Rad vt-231 6sn7. All the tubes are firmly in place, and I crank up the amp. A few seconds later, I hear an alarming POP noise come from the general vicinity of my headphones and amp. Just a singular, loud, POP. The RS-1s are now only producing sound from the right cup. I plugged in the HD650 and everything is fine. I even rolled out the tubes in desperation, to no avail. F…

I listened to a PS-1 today. Oh my goodness.... Damn........

Hi folks, I'm new here. I was wondering if anyone had good advice on a portable phone that is resilient in artic temps? I'm in Canada, use an iPod and want something better than the iduds, but the phones have to fit under my toque, so KSC 35's and anything larger are out. I own Ety 4p's but I can't have the isolation while walking.

Interesting news from AKG. So I recently recabled my K1000 (did a damn fine job at it if I do say so myself). I was comparing them to Hirsch's Stefan Art hardwire K1000 and we noticed a decided shift in tonal balance. His had significantly more treble emphasis than mine (a little more detail and impact as well). So I thought 2 things...cable and age? I tried re-recabling them and got a little more treble but not like Hirsch's. So off to AKG they go because I thought maybe I fucked something up in the recable (unlikely as I was very careful, but possible). Well, the AKG rep told me that I did a fine job.....so good, he was very impressed, especially since he's rec…

Meanwhile at CES 2018..... USD $2400

I've had my eye on these for the last year or so but waiting for a cheap set to come up. There are three versions they sell and I found the cheapest one for sale, brand new in the box with the transformer adapter. I'll take some pics of the system tomorrow (shortest day of the year here so... yeah not great for photos) but I've at least a pic of the headphones and the internals of the transformer box. Here they are and I quite like the looks and the build quality. They are using mini XLR's which is not ok but questionable connector choices are a theme here. The stock cable is beyond crap (more on that tomorrow) so I'm using a Stax PC-OCC off my RR-1's. Th…

My last rig was a CIA VDA-1/VAC-1, SP Extreme, and RS-1s. I sold it all last year, so I've been away from headphones for a little while. I now have a balanced B22 on the way from thrice and a minidac USB from grawk in a week, but I haven't been able to decide on headphones. All the nice headphones I've owned are Grados. MS-1, HF-1, and RS-1. I am pretty happy with the Grado sound, and really like the RS-1s, but I found they gave me low level tinnitus really easily. I'll probably eventually get a pair, but I'd like to try something different this time. I've been seriously considering HD650s, but opinions of them vary so much it's hard to tell anything. I don't have t…

So my mom really likes the K1000, but someone told her -- and I agree -- that she'd probably have better luck with closed headphones (she's essentially deaf -- but it's not attenuated deafness, it's more like tinnitus deafness -- high noise-floor and distortion that gets accentuated by bass notes). So, criteria are: closed, clean, airy, bass-light (I know, K1000's aren't bass-light, but she doesn't have anything special in the way of ampage...and it's still a criteria). Any suggestions? I'm thinking Sony MDR-V6...? At low volumes, it would seem bass-light, since the treble is so high in proportion. EDIT: Most of this has been superceded here.

I'll post sonic impressions after some burn-in. Maybe a few months or so...

It has been a very long time since I've been in the market for a semi-full sized, closed headphone. The last one I had was the AKG K81DJ. I liked that pair of cans well enough, except for the comfort: they pinched my ears like no other, and I can't wear them for more than half an hour without feeling discomfort. From what I've gathered, people here like the ATH-ESW9 for a semi-full sized closed headphone. The fact that they are supposed to sound decent straight out of an iPod also makes them appealing. However, I still have concerns about comfort. I have big ears that are long but not wide. So most headphones end up pinching my the top and bottom of my earlobes, and …