catscratch
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Posts posted by catscratch
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(Jeremy Clarkson voice) All we know is: he's not Birgir, but he's Birgir's Egmont-building cousin!!
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I have to caution against buying an 010 blindly because of how critical the fit is. If the fit is only slightly off, then all bets are off sonically, and you'll get the echoey, cavernous sound that has been described in many negative comments.
So, I'd say actually get your hands on a few pairs at a meet and listen firsthand. Then, you can see what size you'll need. It's an awful lot of money to gamble with in hopes that the size will be right (but then again maybe not so much money for you).
It sure is a nice headphone when everything is right, though.
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No, we don't want Sovshiller here, thank you very much. Though it may be fun to sit back and watch the ripping he'd receive if he ever decided to grace us with his presence.
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Thanks, those are some great impressions! Regards to the Mk1 being potentially sibilant/etched - I think this is more due to the rest of the system. I've heard it sound dull, bright, dark, sibilant, thin, congested, airy, grainy, fluid, just about anything you can think of really, and all with the meager assortment of components I have at home. Something as simple as the right interconnect can really make or break the system. So, IMO it can definitely be tuned not to sound bright, or to sound just about every which way you want, with some strenuous component matching.
There was certainly lots of digital glare in the highs and elevated highs in general with the 840c, but with the Opus 21 I had to roll in some of the brightest cables I had in order to offset the massive difference in tonal balance.
You're also spot on about it being absolutely ruthless when it comes to showing up recording imperfections, to the point that some really bad recordings are unlistenable.
I would like to hear the Mk2 with Stax's current lineup of amps, especially the 727. If it's voiced more for the Mk2, then it could make for a good system.
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As usual, for me, it was more about the folks than the gear. But I did accomplish what I set out to do re gear: compare the O2 mk2 to the O2 mk1.
And?
Come on, you can't just leave us hanging like that!
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There's nothing about its sound that's an instant "wow" factor, which is why I originally wrote it off after a 5-10 minute audition at the NorCal 8/25/07 meet (it was amped by the KGSS DX at that meet), but after some extended listening, I can tell there's definitely a lot of subtlety packed into it that only further listening will reveal.
You definitely hit the nail on the head there. The O2 is a very subtle headphone and it never beats you over the head with its technical excellence. This is what makes it so stellar for long-term listening. It's not fatiguing in any way, and it focuses on the whole of the presentation while at the same time giving you the ability to zoom in on any individual aspect of the presentation, while a lot of other headphones will emphasize one thing or another and not really give you a choice in the matter.
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Eh... I didn't think that IQ related hearing post was serious. I think that he simply felt insulted and decided to post a jab back. As far as questioning someone's integrity by assuming that their gear is broken when their listening impressions disagree - sure, that's a bit insulting, but reading between the lines I don't think that insult was the intent. Besides, the difference between eartips with the W3 is big enough that you could easily make that kind of assumption without thinking about what it will mean to the person on the other end.
I don't have anything against him personally.
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Malazan was on and off for me, some books were rubbish and some were quite good. I did like the beginning of book 4 and pretty much all of book 5, book 2 had its momens as well, but 1 and 3 were pretty much "disposable."
Erikson has no idea how to create a realistic character and uses archetypes instead, which is fine. Better than trying to create characters when you have no idea what you're doing and Jordaning it all up. He also has a pretty vivid visual imagination, and is a good storyteller despite being less than stellar as a writer. The density of the backstory I see as more of an anthropological curiosity... I'm not annoyed with it since it's interesting at least some of the time, but there certainly is a lot that could be cut out without any sacrifice in quality. He really does need a good editor.
The biggest plus though, and what keeps me reading, is his sense of humor. It's sporadic, and you don't see it all the time, but it's magical when it happens. Absolutely surreal absurdist humour that combines elegance, wit, and Monty-Python-esque insanity. Brilliant. Minus the fat fetish, but he's gotten over that (I think).
What turns me off, at the same time, is that he got into a "grandness" race with himself. Every book has to be more climactic, every ending has to be bigger, more tense, more surprising, and more densely plotted than what came before. That is a trap, and when an author gets into it, he tends to snowball and end up in firmly ridiculous territory just trying to outdo himself. Granted, so far he seems to *just* be steering clear of these waters, but signs of possible doom are everywhere.
I'd rate the series as "not bad." Several levels below Martin, though, at least if you only consider the first three books of Martin's series. 4 was decidedly mediocre and I don't think anything better is to come.
Try Greg Bear's "Songs of Earth and Power" for a very different take on fantasy. Not a series, but a good novel in two parts.
Oh, and the HBO rendition of Martin... I'll wait until I see it. I don't bother watching series usually since I rarely have the time. But it would be nice it if worked out.
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Eh, Surfing with the Alien was basically Satch showing off. I didn't find anything interesting musically on it either. But, he's done better musically since then. Crystal Planet has some very nice rock tunes on it. I'm not too sure about the whole singing bit since I've yet to hear it.
Malmsteen is a wanker. But I wouldn't put Satriani in the same category. Some of his music is just instrumental masturbation, but not all. He has some good material.
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Hmmm... he's onto something here. This kind of fit makes a difference. I'm using oversized tips now to seat the phones further away from the eardrum, and the highs have settled down, while the mids have - partially - come out. The sound is a lot more coherent, and without the steely highs I can now crank it to bring the midrange further out.
Still, it's hardly perfect. The mids are still a bit veiled, the tone is wrong, and the bass is still somewhat boomy and is now even louder than it was before in relation to everything else since I'm cranking it more.
At least they don't sound like utter crap now. They're already quite a bit better than the E500 and UM2. Still no match for the ES2 and still not a high-end headphone by a mile, but they're better than they were before.
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I have perfect pitch. It was trained into me when I was really young and learning to compose and improvise. The only time it interferes with music enjoyment is when I hear a vocalist that's unintentionally off-key, which, unfortunately, happens all too often, or other instruments whose pitch is variable and up to the performer. It doesn't bother me when the vocals are intentionally off-key (i.e. Happy Mondays).
The vast majority of musicians have relative pitch as opposed to perfect pitch, and need to "tune" themselves by hearing a note before they are able to play in key. Relative pitch is a requirement for being a good musician. Perfect pitch isn't, though it sure does help.
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Has someone measured the O2 Mk2 against the O2 Mk1? I would wager that there will be some interesting things there.
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I heard that whole "I emailed and got an email back" line back in high-school. I don't buy that for one second as anything more than attention-whoring and rumor-mongering.
Now, the HD800 or whatever it's called may very well be coming out. I won't deny anything since I don't know anything about it. But that post just sounds like trolling to me.
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It'd be great you listened to the W3 on your big source and amp, just to be sure the Cowon or the Kenwood are as a good source as you're assuming. Not that I think they're not, I don't know since I never listened to any of both, but for all the things I've been reading about them, I'd be cautious in the least. DAPs sounding more than acceptable on average phones, really suck once you plug them into a good amp and you use resolving and well balanced cans.
Maybe your W3s are defective, or maybe they happen to sound just like that. In any case I agree with you, most IEM suck when compared to serious phones and it's all a matter of personal preference to like some better than others for a portable use. I wouldn't expect the W3 to sound like the O2, L3000, PS-1 or not even the HD6xx no matter how good is your source and amp, but who knows, maybe they're more revealing than we would need for a portable use.
I actually don't have a good dynamic amp at the moment, just the MG Head (which sucks) and some portables, but I'll listen with the Opus and whatever I can find. All my money is in 'stats right now, which is just the way I like it
I know the Kenwood for what it is though. I've listened to it with the ES2 and everything else I have that's any good. The ES2 tells the truth, and the Kenwood, while not being up to par with high-end or even good mid-fi sources, is on a different level from most DAPs. The IA7 of course, is just a DAP, but it's above average. The ES2 is nowhere near the level of the O2 or any other world-class headphone, but it is a high-end headphone nevertheless, and I do like it more than the HD600 out of most simple rigs. The HD600 balanced and on a serious rig will kill it, but then that's not the ES2's intended use.
I'll post back with how listening goes.
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Uh, before we bring personal issues into this, let me just say that I've talked with Flavio and he also thinks that there is an issue with my headphones. I will send them to Westone to double check, just in case. I don't exactly want to bash these headphones since I also had very high hopes for them.
Still, I don't think there's anything wrong with them personally. If I am allowed to be brutally honest - so far all universal-fit IEMs have sucked, at least the ones that I've heard thus far. All, without exception. There isn't a single one that sounds like a proper high-end headphone. Every one has major sonic problems that you wouldn't accept in a full-size headphone. Why should I be surprised that the W3 isn't any different? I was hoping that it would be, but hopes and reality aren't the same thing. In my experience, if you want really good sound on the move, you get a high-end custom IEM. End of story.
Pricewise, this isn't that unfair of a comparison. Jumping up from $400 for the W3 to $650 for the ES2 isn't that big of a deal considering the amounts we spend on headphones constantly. Toss out the amp, which you don't need for the ES2 to sound acceptable in the first place, and you're financially on even footing.
I won't blame the source either. I could use my Opus 21 and a good amp with the W3, but who will ever use their IEMs from a similar system? I'm using them like they were intended - on the move. The IA7 is better than average for an mp3 player, and the Kenwood is one of the best sonically. All my music is in FLAC or Wave.
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Bah. I'm not in a position right now to buy a BHSE without serious regrets (i.e. dipping into credit cards), but someday, sometime, I'll definitely own one. I'm giving myself about a year, maybe two at most.
That, and an EMM labs source... Yup, I'm in deep. Very, very deep.
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Ugh, OK. I'm not going to enjoy this. But, in the last two days or so, my opinion of the W3 has gone downhill in a big way.
This headphone messes up the mids. That's unforgivable for me, especially in a headphone that has a dedicated midrange driver. The UM2 has better mids than this, and it managed it with two drivers! The mids are recessed (I think GPH was right all along on this one and I was too lenient), there isn't enough clarity, and the tone is wrong. Also, while on the Kenwood the treble is in control, on the iAudio 7 the treble is spiky and sibilant, with a whistly quality. Really really not cool, considering that the vast majority of mp3 players out there are voiced like the IA7 and not like the Kenwood, which has a very atypical sound for an mp3 player, and is warm, forward in the midrange, with delicate highs and a linear bass. Most mp3 players boost midbass and lower treble - well guess what, the W3 boosts upper bass and lower treble, and together it's not a good combination. You get a very U-shaped EQ with mids that are basically AWOL and sound like they're coming out of a speaker with a blanket draped over it. Also, the sound is way too laid-back, and isn't engaging in the same way that both the UM2 and ES2 can be.
Good points - well HeadphoneAddict mentioned something about Blutarsky preferring the bass on the W3 over the ES2. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but the bass on the W3 is pretty damn good. Punchier and more full-bodied than the E500 and definitely more controlled than the UM2. The soundstage is pretty well done for an IEM, and while there isn't the same sense of imaging sharpness that you get with the ER-4S or ES2, it's still quite good.
Everything else though... isn't.
These will be for sale soon. Maybe a week or so. In the meanwhile, there will be a negative review on HF, which I won't enjoy writing at all.
Maybe I had my sights set too high, and was hoping that it would be a good headphone, but as it stands, it's just another IEM. Not bad compared to consumer crap, but still very far from the truth. I think on the whole I like the UM2 more because it doesn't mess up the mids. I won't even bring the ES2 into this, since the ES2 just plain sounds like a good high-end headphone. The biggest difference is in the mids, which are crystal clear on the ES2 (well, comparatively speaking) and are tonally natural, and everywhere else there are also subtle, but noticeable improvements which all add up into a very big difference in the overall listening experience. The bass is more linear, the treble is more refined, there is more detail, and everything is much more forward and engaging. At first listen after swapping you think "hey... the mids are back" but soon you're pulled into the music in a way that only good headphones can manage, while the W3's faults repel you from getting lost in the music - just like every other universal-fit IEM does.
We'll see how my opinion develops throughout the week.
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Sounds like a HD650
\A poorly driven HD650. A well-driven one doesn't sound like that.
Still, the W3 doesn't sound lifeless or dull or excessively slow, or anything else that's usually associated with poorly-driven HD650s.
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Thanks for sharing your impressions catscratch, they concur with what I'm hearing. What do you think of the vocals presentation? That's the main reason why I finally decided to sell the W3, I think the reproduction of human voice is not natural at all and there's not enough emphasis put on the mids in general for my tastes. I'd even say the mids are pretty recessed compared to what I'm used to and it really hurts my enjoyment of these phones.
Right now I hear three things going on with vocals: 1) not enough treble extension which kills detail and texture 2) very rounded off leading/trailing edges which makes detail/texture less audible, and 3) too much emphasis on lower mids and upper bass, which makes the tone too warm. Net effect: vocals are too warm, too chesty or too husky, and also pretty veiled - fuzzy, with not enough texture. There is a definite subconscious urge to boost the mids to bring more detail out, though if there was more clarity I probably wouldn't feel that the mids are recessed.
Still, compared to what goes on in other canalphones, this isn't bad.
There is one big positive effect from all this: mp3 compression artifacts are a lot less audible! These are very forgiving headphones. There is this whole creamy, euphonic deal going on, sort of like an underdriven HD650 but a lot more open.
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Whoa, that was fast. I thought the W3 would ship this friday according to the Earphone Solutions site, but I have it here right now. Not bad.
Currently am listening with the Kenwood HD20GA9 player, which is pretty good on its own but isn't a good match for these earphones I think. It's way too warm. The Cowon players I have charging up are going to be a better match since they're colder. Eartips are the clear plastic ones in medium size. They always worked best fit-wise on every Westone and Shure headphone I've used.
First impressions: close, but no cigar. I was hoping that this would be the first really high-end universal-fit canalphone, but while it's the best one I've heard thus far, it still has serious issues.
Not going to go into detail just now, but with the Kenwood the sound is basically that of a much better E500. Tone is better - less plasticky and artificial, bass control is a bit better, the treble is less peaky, but there also seems to be a bit less detail. Things are very warm and fuzzy, with leading and trailing edges rounded off. I guess they tried to make the sound more refined, but this is fake refinement, not real refinement. Detail seems to be pretty good, not at the level of an ES2 or ER-4 but much better than the UM2. Treble extension sucks though, royally. I was expecting much better with a dedicated tweeter. I have a feeling that this is exactly what's masking a lot of the detail, and what's making things feel more rounded-off. Overtones/harmonics are being lost.
But, that's about it until I've had more time to listen.
Oh yeah, the bass is a bit overblown. Not much, but it's there.
Westone made a lot of noise about this fitting in with the Westone house sound, but I don't hear it. It's much closer to the Shure sound than anything else. Westones always had a forward sound with neutral mids, but this is warm and laid-back. Nothing like the ES2 at all, and I've heard some people make parallels. The ES2 sounds more neutral, way more forward, and definitely more detailed. The W3 does have a much bigger soundstage though, but the ES2 is pretty lacking in that regard.
I do like the W3 thus far though. There's no feeling of "ugh" or immediate urge to rip earphones out of ears. Though there's no feeling of "wow" either.
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ER-4P/S always had stupidly overblown highs to my ears and very short transients. A very metallic tone, too. The rest was actually quite good, and the bass was all there and was very crisp and textured.
I wouldn't expect the W3 to have a similar sound signature, and frankly I wouldn't want it to.
My set should be here on Monday, and I'll report with initial impressions. As long as it's similar to a UM2 but has more controlled bass, more extended highs, and significantly more detail, I'll be set. I don't need it to be an O2 killer in terms of SQ, it just has to not make me want to wince every time I listen... as the UM2 does (and the ER-4P, the E500, and just about any canalphone short of the ES2).
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I must admit that I'm most tempted to open it up and see if I can give Mr. He any feedback.
Dew Eet!!! Seriously, I'd love to hear your impressions of these phones, though I'm guessing Icelandic customs aren't quite as forgiving when it comes to shipping stuff back and forth on 30-day return policies?
I'd do it myself but I'm way too broke right now to chase a new $1500 headphone. It will have to wait a few months at least. In any case, I'm going to wait until the FOTM blows over and some real critical reports come in.
As for the sub 1k$ amp, you can't really go wrong with the SRM-717. I didn't really care for it when I had the BH (didn't really give it a chance) but I've grown quite fond of it in the recent months. It has enough power to hint at the SR-007's greatness and yet imposes very little on the sound.Yah, I've gotten to like the little 717 (well not so little actually) quite a bit too. I never thought that I'd like a solid-state amp this much, but the 717 has none of the characteristics that I usually hate about solid-state amps. It's slightly warm, pretty fluid, very detailed, very clear, has a nicely saturated tone color, and has a massive wide-open soundstage. It's very subtly colored in a tubish way but is still a very transparent and detailed piece of kit. Now if it only had more balls, I'd be all set, but unfortunately, no cigar. It's powerful enough to wake the 007 up but not powerful enough to give the bass some real cajones.
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Some pretty good drifting there, and DAMN, but does that boxer engine sound awesome. Like a Spitfire with a hangover and pissed off as all hell.
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In other news, the good citizens of MasNoNoNoNoNoNosetts also voted today to legaliiiize eet if that's your thing (OK, not quite, but decriminaliiiize eet is a bit of a mouthful). Come for the weed, stay for the gay marriage. Or vice versa, I guess.
I always wondered what the Founding Fathers would think of the Drug War, and many other current policies besides. Seriously, if you want to power all of DC, all you need to do is attach a turbine to their graves.
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The Headcase Stax thread
in Headphones
Posted
Sure, it may have serviceable Mk1 pads now, but they won't last forever.
Personally I'm stocking up on Mk1 pads next week. They shouldn't degrade if they're properly sealed and stored, and I plan to keep the O2 until something better comes along (or I'm forced to sell it for other reasons), so it's time to start thinking long-term.