Eric5676
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Posts posted by Eric5676
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I'm rather impressed with the 800 cable; blasphemy I know, but I think in build quality alone it's better than some of the aftermarket cables out there.
Quite frankly: So am I.
For me, any curiosity here is strictly "I wouldn't mind trying balanced just to see if it's worth anything" and has no negative reflection on what I already have including the 800s in their present form.
In contrast, I remember the stock cables on my previous cans, the AKG 701s. Those needed a little help.
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But it's easy to tell the cables apart by weight alone, you'd have to weigh down the stock cable to feel the same as the audiophile cable
LOL
Here's what I might do for fun, like some others suggested: I'll buy some cheap crap that I can scuttle and experiment with to hell and back and get my DIY skills up from practically zero to something halfway viable.
Whatever I do, I do NOT want to mess with the 800s stock cable.
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That statement normally annoys me, but it's just so apt this time around.
Me, too, but I couldn't resist here.
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My challenge still stands.
Who and how should I go about doing that? What'd you have in mind exactly?
I want to make sure I understand you so I don't make any mistakes.
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Like yesterday, anything that's not news coverage. Football is on the viewing docket for me today just like yesterday.
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Spritzer posted:-
I can't imagine going back to unwieldy commercial cables. I can wrap my cables around two fingers and they weigh next to nothing. .
I can wrap my cables around my neck - and as long as I don't pull on the ends, I'm OK.
Cool story, bro.
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It's an amazing variety of opinions in this thread. On page 1 we went from "lolcables" and such to look at the last several posts on this page and page 2. It's come full circle.
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My 2c. There was a definite change in sound switching from stock cable to Cardas on my old HD600. I wouldn't necessarily say it was better or worse though.
^^ That's interesting. That's the kind of mixed feedback I see out there a lot. Some people hear a change and then they're not even sure if it's a good change or not.
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audiocubes is legit, as is pricejapan. I think pricejapan typically beats audio cubes in price, but its been a while since I browsed the two sites.
the problem with ordering from either of these japanese web sites is warranty repair. at best you are shipping back to japan for warranty repair, at worst you won't get warranty coverage at all. which is why i'd rather just save $700 or so and buy used.
Indeed. But I'm a long ways from buying anything along those lines.
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the OII MK1 or MK2 is available pretty regularly on the used market, or new at elusivedisc. I think Moon Audio is a stax retailer as well. of course a meet would be the best idea.
Noted. I don't see any Stax mentions on Moon Audio. Perhaps I missed it?
Audio Cubes II - High Fidelity Audio Products
^^ What's the story on these guys? Look at that (supposed?) inventory.
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no need to rush the journey, but at some point consider listening to the Stax OII.
if i could ever get them to fit my big head properly they would be the end all phone for me (for the record I did own these for a time).Don't get me wrong: I'd LOVE to hear those.
If I wanted to check something like that out, where and how could I do it? Meets?
Where can you even buy those, if at all?
in terms of the going balanced argument, great advice from Asr regarding the source. sharing purely from my own experience, the big problem with terminating your cans and going balanced is that you limit yourself to sources with XLR outs, and then you get into the whole "well is this source TRULY balanced argument" (i.e. the Sony SCD-1, but why anyone would want that as a source now is beyond me, but it does have the most badass cd loading mechanism of all time) out of every damn source you consider. It sucks to have to eliminate a source you really want just because it doesn't have XLR outs. then of course is the added cost of have to purchase a balanced amp, but you are already there with the GS-X.
Personally I have experienced benefit with a balanced HD-650, not so much with a balanced RS-1. In the end I'm not hardcore enough to go all balanced. The added cost, limitation of component options, and having to cut up all my headphone cables just don't make the benefit worth it. Having said that, that is just my experience, and I begrudge no one who chooses to go balanced and hopefully eek out some more performance from their rig.
Agreed. It really seems hit and miss with debatable gains. You can get XLR to SE adapters for those times when you need to connect to a "normal" headphone jack but that's just more money on cables.
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Have been considering picking up the HD800s again. Almost pulled the trigger last night. Still my favorite full-sized dynamic all-rounders, so I'd ask if you want a phone for everything or one that can excel, but also fail, more often (K1000, AD2000, etc.)?
I think I'm probably best where I'm at right now with the 800s. I seriously doubt I could find appreciably better without probably having to go into electrostats and really expensive stuff like that. I'm not prepared to do that especially when I've seen a number of impressions from people that suggested that the 800s at least hung respectably in the ballpark with those uber expensive setups. That's good enough for me.
When you get up in these kinds of price ranges I don't think there's a such thing as a "bad" headphone vs. like what you're saying: Excel in one/some ways and fail in others.
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Today, being fully mindful of what day it is like I have been the last 9 years...as usual I will be doing everything BUT having any kind of news media on this weekend. I will be watching football. I will be going out and enjoying the weather and so forth.
Make it the best day you can folks however suits you. Never forget.
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It's two guys who both work 70-80 hr full time jobs (One of them also has a music label) and a silent partner.
Really cool guys who are dedicated to producing a product that is worth the money. That aside the LCD-2s are decent headphones. Feel free to do your own research though.
Sounds promising. I'll be keeping tabs on these.
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Not as funny as Asr's "If I were drunk..." comments, but here, after 3 tries, are my (sorry, somewhat hype-y) thoughts on the LCD-2s and HD-800s which I posted on HF (with some unnecessary crap removed):
What strikes me about the LCD-2s are they are the first headphone which allows the music to shine as it is absolutely. The HD-800s do this too, stepping back to allow the music through, but stepping TOO far back. They don't do intimacy where it is required, and they suffer from a degree of vagueness, rather like listening to orchestra, and the individual instruments are somewhere "out there". For a lot of music, I prefer the Symphones Magnums, which are, to my ears, equally fast, yet very front-row, with the kind of intimacy that you can see the strings on a player's guitar vibrate as he plays, yet sometimes are a bit too intense. The LCD-2s aren't that close, yet they aren't far. They are ready to step in and really hand the music to you when it's required, yet will step back when the music steps back. The singer in front of the mic is in front of the mic, the instruments are exactly where they were placed on stage at the distance they are from the microphones and with the exact intensity that results.
On my 3+ stars random playlist, I have a Black Crowes track which starts off with vocals. I had the volume up a bit from normal, and out of the black of nowhere their voices just jumped out at me in total detail, rather as if they'd appeared right in front of me and started singing. I'm not a real fan of their music, but it was absolutely stunning. The thing is, this isn't being done by tonal trickery (eg: a peaky treble or mid-bass) but by being extremely fast. Take my Black Crowes vocals impressions and substitute The Crystal Method or Shpongle or anything where there is bass impact. Same result.
Their frequency response, being as technically the closest to genuine "flat" possible with a headphone becomes quickly irrelevant. The HD-800s you are often trying to compensate for, with a re-cable, with a slightly warm-of-neutral tube amp -- the absolute seems always just out of reach, so you compensate a little, maybe spending a lot of money in the process. The LCD-2s just hand you the music as it absolutely is, warts and all. If there's distortion, it will tell you about it, including details of exactly how that distortion is, yet, it will still make the music sound glorious at the same time. With the HD-800s, you stand back and look at how beautiful the musical painting is. With the LCD-2s you are IN the painting.
This is the kind of post that can get me into trouble. As much as I love the 800s, this is kind of feedback that can tempt me to do something evil.
If no one minds: It doesn't mean much, but I've never heard of this company. Who are they? I gather at this point these phones aren't just FOTM? I really don't mean that question in a heckling way.
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They should program it so that he says "oh my" any time you pass anything interesting, like a red light district, or the Washington Monument. "And on your left...oh, my..."
That'd be funny.
He does have a great voice, though. Always did.
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I'd frankly suggest switching headphones too. I don't think the HD800 is by any means the best you can be doing for your money. For roughly the same money or less with a dynamid amp I prefer LCD-2s and AD2000s. Of course if you find the hd800 superior to these then our tastes differ so much that there's nothing valuable I can contribute to your decision making process.
There's no way I could know up or down without firsthand trial of some sort. I'd have to at least start out with an obvious question: What are your tastes?
I'm looking at your profile and see someone that's light years ahead of me on gear across the boards. Obviously with a background like that I'm going to be looking at your recommendations and thinking to myself: "Yeah, I need to find a way to try those things out." After that, I'm seeing the title below your screen name and I still haven't wrapped my brain fully around the mess that ended up being. Wow.
All I know is that I do think the 800s are awfully damned good.
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QFF.
Yup, I got the message.
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Ha, I had that coming
IMO it's a tendency to make the treble a bit strident, not really bright as in the 701, D5000 or some Grados, but not completely smooth and coherent. This makes for an astonishing sound when recording quality is excellent, but for a fatiguing one when recordings are average.Not that you asked, but the second main flaw IMHO is the "too big to be true" stage which shows on every recording. Not as fake and unnatural as in the 701, but in that vein. Going balanced kind of makes that a bit worse.
Interesting.
I'll partially agree with you on that treble although I've only noticed it a little on "less than great" recordings and it's (for me) a small enough quibble that I've just dismissed on the recording.
I love the soundstage and imaging with these things. No negative there for me. Keep in mind: My previous cans were the AKG 701s and I know what you're talking about there with those!
If you want to DIY it, practice on small & cheap stuff first if I'm interpreting your request correctly (noob). Once you get the hang of it, the HD800 cable is only a tiny bit harder than other cables to work with.
50/50
If you have an amp that works better balanced (balanced OTL tube amps, a bunch of SS amps, etc) go for it! At the very least its reasonably reversible - you can always plug a balanced headphone into an SE amp with an adapter.
If you have a SE amp you are legitimately happy with even after comparing it to others dont change it. SE amps can sound very nice.
Yes, I would be a complete noob on the DIY stuff (and some other things) as I'm sure this thread quickly and painfully advertised. I know the GS-X has kicked all kinds of ass for me in SE mode and I'd just be curious just to see what full balanced would sound like with it since I already have a balanced source ready to go in the form of the aforementioned 840c.
I'm more than pleased to know that I can explore that avenue without passing a kidney stone or worse.
Sidenote: Since I'm getting educated today and I didn't want to derail another thread with what might have been mistaken as a troll post: Those Audeze headphones...FOTM or real deal? I've never heard of that brand but of course, this thread quickly testifies that me not having heard of the brand isn't worth very much. Seeing a lot of buzz on Head-Fi and even here.
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Whereas I notice some differences (yet not sure if really "improvements") from using the HD600 SE or balanced, I wasn't able to find many of them on the HD800. Perhaps some sort of tighter bass, which I'm not sure is something the HD800 benefit from. What I can say for sure is that the main flaw in the HD800 doesn't get better by using balanced wires
What would you consider the main flaw?
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Eric, I had balanced Cardas wires for the HD800, several weeks at my place, so had plenty of time to "burn in" the wires. The amp was for the most part a Gilmore Reference balanced which is the same circuit as your GS-X. The other amp used was a Rudistor RPX-100 which I still keep due to my reluctance to sell gear, so my home seems a fookin' museum.
LOL, nice.
To make this short. Save your moneys and get a better source or if you really need to try balanced, save your moneys and convert the stock wire in a balanced one. Just my 2 cents YMMV and all that
Suits me just fine and suits my wallet especially fine. Since my source is already balanced maybe I'll try DIYing the cans to balanced for laughs and see what's what.
If you guys really even think that's worth it and I'm halfway suspecting some of you at least don't.
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Mid to late 90s in Miami, FL: George Takei (Sulu from original Star Trek) was on a book tour since he's just released his Trek memoirs. That will tell you the exact year.
Borders was insanely jam packed out of control and this man was so kind and patient with everyone. He took time to chat with people in line, the mood of the crowd was excellent, and I really couldn't have been more impressed. Super class act. Super nice guy.
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Excellent feedback.
I knew no bunch would cut through BS for me (or even at me) faster than you guys. <- That's a pointed remark against myself, not anyone else.
I have no problems admitting that I always have plenty more to learn and that's one of the reasons I come to a forum like this.
- If you have that much spare cash to spend a couple hundred on a useless cable, sell your source and get something better. Or just get something better.
Well...not exactly. The spare cash, such as it is, would have come from something else that's not really important.
See I know I've seen discussions about cables and expensive cables and "watch out for snake oil" and stuff like that but I wasn't sure how far that went. LOL, now I do.
Thanks for not being too mean guys. Like I said: I'm here to learn. I know I have a lot to learn so I truly do appreciate the feedback.
Believe it or not: This thread's made me and my wallet VERY happy.
Definitely appreciate the suggestions for alternate and far more cost effective plans.
What/where are some good DIY outlets I should look at if I decide to get into this?
Here's a real can of worms (albeit oft repeated) I might open and also shows again that I know I have plenty to learn: Is trying to balance a set of cans even worth doing at all? I know what others say but I want to see what this crew has to say about it.
I certainly am in NO way dissatisifed with what I have at present.
^^ Guilty as charged.
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So now that I've had the Sennheiser 800s since they came out and I've been using my ever faithful Headamp GS-X, I'm thinking it's time to put this over the top and finish it.
I've been using the Cambridge 840c connected via XLRs to the Headamp for convenience even though I know that does nothing for me because I have a second source using the RCA inputs for SACD and DVD-A.
Most likely I'm going to go through Drew at Moon Audio.
A while back he had set me up with Black Dragon cables on the AKG 701s and I thought those cables that headphone out in terms of some refinement and a little bit of natural warmth which was nothing short of a miracle with those cans.
I'd stayed singled ended at the time.
I'm deliberating between his new Silver Dragon cables or Cardas. The default XLRs are Neutrik Golds which I suspect are plenty good enough otherwise an additional $125 gets me Rhodiums.
I might consider getting some 3 foot XLRs on the side since the current ones I'm using between amp and source are some no name $30 numbers I bought at a local music shop a couple of years back.
Perhaps they're good enough. I've never had any real serious complaints with my setup. I know synergy and matching up is important to a point anyways.
Here's Drew's quick breakdown of the two choices I'm considering:
The Cardas is a warm lush laid back sounding cable. It is a darker sounding cable. It will smooth things out. Thus it will warm up the sound of the HD800. If you listen to Classical I would go with it.
The Silver Dragon is a very detailed cable with excellent transient responce. It is light on it's feet with lots of air. Great sound stage and presentation of the music.
I do listen mostly to classical and film scores but I do also listen to other types of music as well.
I know Drew is going to steer me right whatever I end up doing. The wildcard could also be a source change at some point down the road if certain things fall a certain way for me.
In any event: Fire away!
IMO it's a tendency to make the treble a bit strident, not really bright as in the 701, D5000 or some Grados, but not completely smooth and coherent. This makes for an astonishing sound when recording quality is excellent, but for a fatiguing one when recordings are average.
Sennheiser 800: Time to go balanced. Options.
in Audio Accessories
Posted
This I will have to look into more seriously.
Pardon me if I'm being too dense here (probably) but here goes:
http://www.headamp.com/home_amps/gsx/images/gsx_k1000_high.jpg
See the front? Won't I need two 3 pin XLRs to connect into that properly? One for the left, one for the right?
Or am I missing you here somewhere? (Again, probably)
A kind offer but you needn't be troubled.