deepak

Weird. Yeah I'll do the comparison. The guys at SH say the vinyl sounds better. I really like the new album.

And I'm only getting that error when I try and type certain things, regardless of what browser I'm using. Editing posts is giving me the same error.

Wow Head-Case is acting weird, getting lots of errors when I'm trying to reply "An appropriate representation of the requested resource /index.php could not be found on this server."

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Just bought Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank on vinyl (2x180gram). Can't wait to hear the better mastering. I just listened to The Moon and Antarctica for the first time in like 4 years on the L3000, I played the hell out of that CD back in the day.

PCP&C?

With some further listening to some jazz (assorted delicious selections of John Zorn, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Charles Mingus) the bigger soundstage on the Senns makes for a more interesting listen for some of the live recordings. But when we come back to the overall big picture and the pinpoint imaging, the L3000 just does everything so well that they're the headphones I keep wanting to switch back to. For those wondering I bought the HD580 as my traveling headphones. They're perfect for that- cheap, user replaceable parts, detachable thin cable and well balanced sound.

Hmm, ok Dusty I think I agree with your findings. I just redid the test tone sweep with Audacity (rather than testing frequency breaks) and the HD580 definitely crashes right around 16 KHz then rolls off steeply from there. The L3000 extends much higher than that and doesn't roll off as abruptly. The HD650 is similar to the HD580, but the roll off is more gradual.

My source is the North Star M192 DAC, my amp is the Melos SHA-1 (using Amperex Orange Globe tubes). I own very few high res recordings (and frankly IMO the format is dead) so I never bothered to invest in it. My analog system is in the works. I plan on doing more comparisons, but from what I heard with redbook playback and using Audacity's test tone generator the HF extension on the Senns was good. Where do you feel they cut off? I've mentioned this in my last post but the treble on the L3000 is more forward than the Senns.

Cool, I think I will be getting one soon

I got my Senn HD580 last night and my friend's HD650 this morning. So I can offer some comparison between them and the L3000, in my opinion all three share a similar signature. I level matched them as closely as possible using my ears. Both Sennheisers are using their stock cables. The HD650 is sort of new, but has around 200+ hours on it. Not sure about my HD580 (used). Both the pads on them are pretty much like new so the drivers sit further away from the ears than pads that are crushed. HD580 vs HD650 This is the first time I've had both of them simultaneously and the two are remarkably similar. The HD650 has much better bass extension and a more laid back midrange. The highs on the HD580 stand out slightly more but they're very similar to the HD650. L3000 vs the Sennheisers The L3000 has a much more forward sound with a slightly smaller soundstage. The bass on the L3000 is similar to the HD650 (slightly more in volume throughout the sub/mid/upper bass) but it has much more weight, impact and slam (I suspect the closed nature of the headphones allows them to reproduce instruments like kick drums effortlessly). The L3000's bass is also more textured and palpable, and at least gives off the impression that it has faster attack. The L3000 extends lower than the HD650 (on a Bella Sonus test track the L3000 consistently hits the really, really low notes, while the HD650 is just almost able to produce their sounds). The midrange of the L3000 is more detailed, upfront and generally much more enjoying to me. Guitars, male and female singers sound incredibly real and very enjoyable. Electric guitars sound very lifelike. Guitar tones of various makes and amps all come off perfectly on the L3000, whereas the Senns tend to sound a bit generic. The L3000 does not exhibit an upper midrange recession like the Senns, thus people that hear the veil on the Senns probably won't hear anything like that on the ATs. High frequencies- this is where all share a similar signature. Extension on all three headphones is very good, all three are able to get to the 18 KHz range. The HF on the Senns is definitely more relaxed in respect to the rest of the spectrum which makes them fantastic for long term listening. The HF on the L3000 is also a bit more relaxed but not to the extent of the Senns. Imaging - a huge difference between the Senns and the L3000. In this respect the Senns just sound diffuse and hazy with instrument placement and air surrounding instruments. The L3000 is just razer sharp with where everything is and doesn't delineate into ambiguity.

I plan on doing a nice little headphone shootout (HD580, HD650, L3000 because they all share a similar signature) and it would be perfect if I could level match them all rather than relying on my ears. How accurate are those things?

Next week can't come sooner Hope you like them.

If you're capable of going I would do it. I saw Billy live in Boston for his solo album, and even though the music wasn't that great he really has an amazing stage presence and they put on a good show. And he might have done this only because it was a small venue but he hung around for a while after the show and talked to people. I gave him a good ribbing about the Cubs, and I got it right back (I believe this was before the Red Sox won the World Series)

You're off to a good start m8

Oh yes really good to see you here purk, your posts on Headfi are always very informative and well written

purk I think the Qualia 010 would have been fantastic if they were one size fits all. I think Sony was being too ambitious in making a statement product for the elite, trying to make a pseudo custom fit headphone (with the fit chart, 3 sizes). I have heard two pairs; the medium that didn't fit me sounded truly awful. The small that did was incredible.

Late happy birthday

Happy birthday

50 L cooler, paid for a 2 person canoe (rental). I somehow got roped into a 2 night canoe trip

Well said I don't find the treble on the L3000 recessed. I appreciate all the feedback (even though I've heard these arguments in a few other HC threads), whatever amp I decide on I'll more than likely hear first before buying. Or it will be something that's up at a really good price, knowing I won't have trouble selling it. From what I'm reading the Extreme should be a better value than the MPX3 SE, but these conclusions might be dangerous since it's info pieced together from different sources. IIRC I haven't read a MPX3 SE vs Extreme comparison. edit: oh man this MD meet sounds like fun. Let me see if I can make it happen, I'd like to meet a lot of you guys. DC/MD is only 6 hours drive.

I've always been intrigued by the Extreme and nearly bought one back in January. But then I found a poweramp for my K1000, and my priorities shifted. The amp is definitely on my list to audition. Preferably somewhere where I can hear the different tube combos. The L3000s are very sensitive. A bit more sensitive than my HP-2. I knew one of my Amperex tubes was slightly microphonic but with no music playing it's slightly more obvious on the L3000. Small price to pay for a tube that sounds this good.

Good read thanks. The other option is getting an Extreme. But again I think I'd like to hear one with the L3000, as there are only a few owners with this combination. And not much info on how it is as a preamp.

You're right I might need to hear both. Which I can certainly wait to do, this amp upgrade isn't going to be in the near future. Did you hear the MPX with the 6BX7 output tubes (the SE runs them at higher voltage, and IIRC the SE is upgraded to close to a Supra)? Almost everyone feels they're an improvement over 6SN7 (as output).

A bit out of my price range right now, and I haven't seen a used one for sale in a long time. At around $2000 I'd seriously be considering a custom built amp. The MPX3 SE is around $1300-1400 used.