Dreadhead

The only thing that gives me hope is that a lot of the reviews of this headphone don't make any sense to me. For example comparing O2s to R10s is like comparing kumquats to pineapples (other than they are both expensive (or fruit)). That and a lot of the people who really really like them and I disagree on what sound we are looking for. That said they know good when they hear it and are very respectable.... So either I need to stop reading this thread or I need to go somewhere and hear these things because this is causing my mind to wander a lot

Interesting.... Not a choice I would make but interesting choice to try and correct for the lack of "impact" some IEMs/headphones suffer from. Now I really want to hear them. Well I guess that was my going in position anyway.

Attended a 3 hour meeting and worked on group scheduling.... back into it in about 40 minutes for another 2.5 hours. FML

Depends on what you're aiming for. For me Flat is pretty damn perfect and by flat I mean IEC standard diffuse field equalized flat. Where do you guys get the curve from? Did somone post measurements and I miss it? Or is this 4db bump a guesstimate?

The DAC rolls off enough at 60Hz to correct a 4db lump? That's not right YMMV

See above... Please don't hurt me.

Me too me too. I really really really don't need these and won't buy without hearing them but I can't seem to stop myself from wanting to hear them so I have an excuse to buy them.:palm::palm: I am really interested to find out what makes them so special though if they are overly bassy (which some have said) that will get rid of any desire I have for them. I'm hoping for that.....

Good job JP! I'm looking forward to seeiing where this goes

Sorry Mike! I hope they fix you up right quick.

FTFY

Yup it adjusts everything on each start up after the oven it up an running. It is absolutely fucking cool.

I plan to mostly use it for measurement but it should work fine for recording as well.

I disagree with your statement that Bob is not suitable and pretty much everything you said about the special treatment of the surfaces and the requirement for weight to the head etc. For the record the head is 17cm from tip of pinnae to tip pinnae which is 1cm less than the KEMAR and pretty damn close I would say. He even has reasonable pinnae, perfect? No but reasonable. Last time I looked the Aachen head didn't even have real pinnae and is very well respected. Hmm the ECM8000 costs $50.......

I disagree. As far as weight and surface finish: The Gras KEMAR head is smooth (so smooth it shines) weighs 17.1 lbs for a head, neck, shoulders and torso and is another standard in Etymotic research. http://www.grasinfo.dk/documents/pd_45BA_ver_12_10_07.PDF The soft pinnae are cool but I could likely get that to work later if I tried. The KU100 is around 8lbs which is in the range for the human head though but the fact that the KEMAR is lighter points to this being not much of an issue. Also I could easily add weight anyway. Mic quality is an issue as you say but if I set it up this way I can easily switch to earthworks M30s which I argue are about as high quality as it gets and the ECM8000s I was starting with are very well reviewed for sound quality and low distortion at least on the websites I've visited.

Good for you!

Had not thought of it that way. But $650 is a lot of money and it better sound good I would say. I hope you think it does though because you and I generally agree

They better sound pretty f'ing amazing for that price

Thanks. It better be for the $800 repair bill

Nope, dress watch style with 3 complications :

Service on my Zentih El Primero, could by me a couple nice watches for the service price on that thing

Hmmm those look rather promising I would say. IF you do have them Dan make sure to send both out

come on this is Hollywood where a guy who commits statutory rape then skips the country. Since then earning millions and jet setting around Europe to his multiple houses has paid enough for his crimes....

Bad times... I hope you get a refund.

Yup the EQ and research into that EQ is what you're paying for. I plan to apply the EQ using an impulse response function which is a lot easier if you're dealing with the data digitally and doesn't have the phase issues (I think Aachen may do it digitally too). Heard back from the calibration guy and he is interested but needs to think about it a bit because of concerns about the HRTF effecting the results but I only want the calibration with the head facing the source anyway.

Why not? I am actually being serious. The distortion numbers on the measurement mics is very low and the transducers in the KU100 are pretty small too. I guess I could go nuts and do it with Earthworks M30s instead but that would drive the cost way up. I long ago abandoned that because it has a brand name on it is something special. The Aachen is even more expensive (I think north of 20k) because they pretty much only sell it as a measurement device. Long term I'd love to find a KU100 but I could never really justify it but if I keep this under $500 it's a lot easier to justify. I have a paper from the guys at Aachen that I have to read on the auralization of spaces goes rummaging through his briefcase.