Audeze SINE Impressions and Discussions

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Griffon, Mar 22, 2016.

  1. YtseJammer

    YtseJammer Almost "Made"

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  2. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    I'm a month late on this but planned surgery has put me on IR .....however I have spent extensive time on the Sine due to this. I bought this from @AustinValentine and have spent time playing this with the iPhone6S, the FiiO X5, and the Macbook Air.

    Simple summary: @YtseJammer mentioned that this was the best Audez'e HP after the LCD 2.2. As one who has owned/listened to all of the LCD series but not the EL series, I have no problem agreeing with this wholeheartedly. This is a fun, engaging HP with lovely lower end (although the level seems a tad lower than the usual Audez'e sound) and midrange. The upper treble can be a little loud at times but nothing one cannot handle. Sound stage is more closed compared to my Senn dynamics but not in an unpleasant way. Actually this seems reasonably close to the HD650.

    I found the iPhone worked very well with the Sine but the X5 needed to be cranked up to levels much higher than what I would use with the Shure SE 535. Finally, these isolate well at home (and in the hospital after surgery !). Did not hear the nurse nor did I hear the telephone go off several times as a matter of fact :).
     
  3. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    In regards to isolation, do you think you'd be able to hear loud noises or someone calling for your attention? I'm trying to determine if the Sine is a reasonable headphone to use when walking or taking public transport and want to be able to hear a bit of the world around me.
     
  4. burnspbesq

    burnspbesq Friend

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    FWIW: I'm listening in my home office with the window open, at fairly low level, and I can just barely hear the Weed-Eater being used across the street.
     
  5. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I picked up a pair, didn't listen for long but so far it sounds alright with the cipher cable.
     
  6. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I'm putting the Sine through its paces at the moment, still using the Cypher cable on my iPhone. I applied Tyll's EQ settings from his review (+1 dB to 500Hz and 1KHz, -5 dB to 16KHz) and have been playing some demo tracks (like the second half of Abbey Road, a perennial favorite of mine). I can see why people find this more fun than the PM-3, it's more punchy and there's significantly more bass presence and extension. I think it has better instrument separation as well, and a tad more air/soundstage, although not night and day in those last areas.

    Even with the EQ applied, the vocals still feel more recessed than the PM-3 (pardon my continual comparisons, but up until now the PM-3 has been my on the go headset and I'm considering the Sine as its replacement), although not so far as to be lacking presence. The Sine feels sort of like the HD650 to the PM-3's HD600, but the HD6x0 models are more closely aligned in their technicalities, which make the tuning the only significant difference between them. The Sine does seem a bit more technically proficient to my ears than the PM-3, although this won't be a totally fair comparison because so far I've used the Sine only with the Cypher cable, so I'm using a connection on my phone that the PM-3 can't replicate.

    I will say that low volume listening with the Cypher cable is pretty satisfying, which is good because it allows me to hear more of the outside environment.

    The next steps will be to test the Sine with my Pono, GOV2, and ALO Rx Mk.3-B. I have a balanced cable for my PM-3, and the Sine is single-ended, so the PM-3 may come out on top there. I'll post again after more testing.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2016
  7. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    As I suspected, my Pono was a disappointment with the Sine. It's not the Sine's fault though. The Pono sounds significantly better in balanced mode, to the point where I really don't bother to listen to it single-ended. So in that particular case the PM-3 is the better headphone, seeing as how it can take advantage of the balanced playback. But given how fantastic the Sine sounds with my phone, that would negate the need for the Pono as a portable source while on the go, which helps simplify my setup, and I can still use the Pono as a balanced source for my ALO amp.

    The big surprise was how good the Sine sounded out of the SE out on my GOV2. Really lively and musical. I guess the GO's SE implementation is better than the Pono's, or it has more power to drive the Sine's with authority. Either way, I think the Sine single-ended sounds better than the PM-3 balanced for the GOV2, which shouldn't be the case because the GOV2 really shines balanced, but it's becoming clear to me that the Sine is a better performing headphone than the PM-3 in most respects.
     
  8. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    I am kinda surprised that Audez'e does not have a balanced cable option. But then they probably expect folks to use it mostly from iDevices (or similar players).
     
  9. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Obviously their higher end headphones have balanced cable options, but nothing for the Sine, and in the Sine thread at HF lots of people have been asking about where they can get balanced cables for it, so far no options. It is a very new headphone though, and has such an odd connector that it may be awhile before custom balanced cables are available for it.

    I'm okay to wait, since the Sine sounds awesome with my iPhone and also excellent with my ALO Rx, which accepts balanced inputs and offers an SE out. The Cypher cable means I only need my phone when going out now, which means less to carry, less to worry about, and I don't even have the annoyance of a smallish DAC sticking out of the iPhone like I would with the Dragonfly Red (plus I suspect the sound is much better out of the Cypher cable than the Dragonfly ever will sound), and I don't have to carry a camera connector either.
     
  10. burnspbesq

    burnspbesq Friend

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    Given that the SINE has separate jacks on each earpiece, building balanced cables shouldn't be much of a challenge if you can procure the funky-angled plugs.
     
  11. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I haven't ventured into the DIY world yet, so I'm still relying on pre-made cables.
     
  12. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I cannot stress how good these sound with the Cypher cable. I don't think I'll need a standalone DAP after this. I'll keep my Pono because it still sounds great in balanced mode and it's a good backup, but the iPhone/Sine/Cypher combo will more than meet 90% of my portable needs for the foreseeable future. And it still sounds good at lower volumes than my Pono or any other source, which means I can hear more of the outside environment.
     
  13. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    I got the Sine without the Cipher cable. Can I buy one separately? There's a dealer selling this cable alone for the equivalent of USD 250! Is it that expensive?
     
  14. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    I believe it retails for $150 in the US, but Audeze hasn't started shipping the standalone cables yet.
     
  15. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    That's very useful. I just figured out that with shipping and customs, the dealer here is making a 15% margin.
    Thanks
     
  16. GettingBuckets

    GettingBuckets Almost "Made"

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    Ugh if these were over-ear, I woulda jumped on them, but on-ears always make me hesitant
     
  17. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    The Sine+Gov2 is really really good. Bass extension is getting better..
     
  18. TheBarnard

    TheBarnard Friend

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    If anyone is interested in this, they are now carrying this at the Apple Store if you wanna give it a demo. I heard it today via 3.5. Surprised at how much power it required, but also how much low end it has. Seems more like the LCD-X in that respect than the LCD2
     
  19. NekoAudio

    NekoAudio Acquaintance

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    Yes, it is $149 USD. Dealers can get them for you if you ask them to, and if Audeze has a cable in stock.
     
  20. burnspbesq

    burnspbesq Friend

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    Have you noticed a difference in phone power consumption with the Cipher cable vs. TRS?
     

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