The All Purpose Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Sep 26, 2015.

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  1. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    You can contact some Magnepan dealers and see if any are willing to make an arrangement to ship to you. Especially dealers that have online shopping and in the habit of shipping purchases. For example, this dealer. You could also look into "export agents", which are businesses that will purchase something on your behalf and ship to you, with a commission fee.
     
  2. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

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    I'm looking for suggestions on a headphone to serve as a complement to my HD600. I love the HD600 for what it is, so I'm not looking for an upgrade with similar characteristics. More than anything, I'm looking for something *slightly* less resolving, more forgiving, and with a bit better bass extension for listening to popular recordings. Here's my wishlist:
    • Mid-fi in both price and performance, no ZMF-priced cans or anything uber resolving
    • Slightly warmish sound signature, but no exaggerated bass like CA Cascade or anything like that
    • Doesn't sound broken or gross (I used to own ATH-M50x but had to give them away due to the crinkly treble)
    • Open or closed is fine, over-ear preferred but not a dealbreaker
    • Bonus points if it sounds good from SW51+ and/or Vali 2
    Not interested in HD650 or variants. Does such a headphone exist? What are your guys' thoughts? Many thanks~
     
  3. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    a second-hand T50RP mod would check the boxes of less resolving, more forgiving, and with a bit better bass extension. LFF slant, Mrspeakers Mad Dog, ZMF Vibro, Smeggy thunderpants to name a few.
     
  4. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    Focal Elex comes to mind. Extends lower than the HD600 and has some nice slam. It pairs well with the SW51+ but you may find that the default tubes are bright. An Amperex or Mullard fixes that right up. You can find them used for around $500.

    Or go cheap like I did and grab a Meze 99 Noir.
     
  5. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    @monacelli E-mu teak perhaps or on the budget side Senn 569.
     
  6. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I would suggest Focal Clear, but even used it's probably not "mid-fi priced". Compared to my other cans (HD800 modded, Focal Stellia), it's less resolving, and with a bit of PITTA face mask foam over the drivers, more forgiving than HD800 (Stellia is actually more laid back). If you see a pair for cheap, mostdef consider.
     
  7. pure5152

    pure5152 Friend

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    Great question @TjH! Thanks for providing so much context and your initial thoughts/research.

    Looking at the ZMF pads diagram (pictured below), it looks like the eikon pads in general will be slightly more neutral than the ori pads - this will probably mean less bass than the ori's, but still plenty warm and euphonic for you. IIRC, fom my experience with eikon pads it does sound rich and smooth, with good subbass punch and extension down low without being overbearing. "smooth bass to mids transition" likely means there won't be any midbass hump, which seems like it'd be a good thing for you given you don't want too much bass.

    From the ZMF pads info page (in the verite closed dropdown), zach says:

    "By adding ZMF suede to either of the version above - you get a smoother response with a little less mid-bass and more linearity. Suede does "slow" the transients some, making for a more relaxed experience with a touch less engagement."
    Seems like the "slower" transients of suede wouldn't pair well with the prog-rock you listen to - it'll make things sound more relaxed with less engagement, which seems like a horrible match for prog-rock haha. I'd recommend sticking with suede, but if you do want more breathability, maybe consider getting a hybrid lambskin-suede pad. IIRC, these have lambskin sides and inner walls and suede tops, so they maintain a lot of the speed/engagement of lambskin, but with the comfort/"breathability" of suede.

    In conclusion, I think the eikon pads are a good choice to get, but maybe consider giving the hybrid eikon pads. It could be exactly what you're looking for.

    [​IMG]
     
  8. gurubhai

    gurubhai Friend

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    You might want to try a Yamaha HP-1/YH-1.
     
  9. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    That's just weird. How did they come to be an internationally-known brand?

    If you do buy shipped by someone from USA, what about warranty? What about paid repairs in the long term? I'd guess that don't-ship is going to mean don't support.

    Haven't been there for over a decade now, but I think there are dealers in Singapore. My geography is terrible, but I think that is a bit closer to you than USA?
     
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2020
  10. lagadu

    lagadu Facebook Friend

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    Well, I'm hoping for some IEM recommendations, which is an area I've little experience in. Right now I own the Fiio FH5, what I like about them is that they have a sub-bass boost but unboosted mid-bass, I very much appreciate how textured and rumbly the bass in general is. Treble is a little laid back which I also like. What I don't like about them is how they're not very slamming and, most importantly, the upper mids are a little too shouty for my taste, I wish they were less prominent and more in line with the rest of the midrange.

    In other words, I like the sub-bass ONLY boost, and non-shouty mids; I'm not fond of V shapes either. From reading around I suspect the UERR might be up my alley but I haven't had a chance to try them.

    Usually I use them with a Shanling UP4.

    Is there anything up to, lets say $1000 that would make me happy?
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2020
  11. exsedol88

    exsedol88 New

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    I am enjoying reading through many of the 481 pages on this thread. There is massive experiential wisdom among the members contributing.

    I would like to request a next headphone recommendation, given my experience, current gear, music taste, and sound preferences.

    Current Headphone System
    • Schiit Gungnir Multibit Gen2, Mjolnir2 stock tubes, Sennheiser HD650.
    • Dragonfly Red for portable amp/dac and Sony WH-1000mx3 for travel. Audio-Technica ATH-M50x for the office with Dragonfly Red.
    • Source is Amazon Music HD played through my PC, going to the Gungnir via SPDIF.
    • Previously owned Sennheiser HD 212 Pro, Labtech Elite-840, Beyerdynamic DT-880 v.2005, Sennheiser HD 595
    My Audio Taste
    • Music choice ranges from classical/baroque/rennaissance/neo-classical/orchestral to hip hop, metal, electronic, jazz, pop, etc.
    • Sound signature: a warmer not-too-bright/non-fatiguing sound while remaining musical/engaging, lots of detail/resolution, large soundstage, accurate wide/vertical imaging, solid bass impact/slam, deep bass extension
    I love the HD650 as it's comfortable to listen to all day with a non-fatiguing sound, and it seems to be good/great at many things. I have spent a lot of time researching other headphones and reviews, but I don't want to influence others' advice by mentioning those headphones (if curious, I mention potential next headphones in my introduction post here: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...rs-introduce-yourself.17/page-184#post-316283)

    What would you all recommend as a next headphone?
     
  12. Emojiless

    Emojiless Acquaintance

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    I'm looking for suggestions for a budget DAC/AMP for Meze 99 Classics for use in office. My problem with these headphones is that although they are easy to drive and sound fine out anything they tend to be too bassy for me

    What I tried to tame the bass:
    Breaking the seal since need to wear glasses
    Using Revised Original pads
    Tried Brainwavz Oval Velour and Hybrid pads - didn't like either as sucks mids out too much
    Purchased Meze's balanced cable due to reports of it taming bass and increasing resolution
    Tried Oratorys Harman EQ for these but didn't sound natural

    Sources tested:
    Currently using with ibasso dc01 - too bassy, also don't think HPs are driven properly, rather muddy
    Tested on SDAC/Magni3 - not bad, less bass, but too high gain (I guess, sounds somewhat too energized), gotta be very careful with pot even on low gain
    Tested friends Fiio K3 - sounds pretty nice, bass is finally controlled, though sound is weirdly separated on low gain. High gain was pretty good though

    So before I go purchase the Fiio K3 I'm wondering if there's anything better in balanced ~200-300USD range. Something that would synergize with these headphones well by emphasizing more mids and highs. In general my expectations were a closed nice looking HD6XX. Source would be Tidal Hifi over laptop or Oneplus 7 pro.
     
  13. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    ZMF Auteur/Verite.
     
  14. lagadu

    lagadu Facebook Friend

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    Well between the gungnir and the mjolnir you already have all the slam in the world so it's ok to get something a bit calmer. Have you heard the Auteur? I used to have that chain and it was quite nice.

    Oh, are you running the 650 with a balanced cable? The mjolnir sounds noticeably nicer from the xlr out.
     
  15. exsedol88

    exsedol88 New

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    I am currently running the stock unbalanced cable for the HD650. Do you have a recommendation on a specific balanced cable to pair with the 650?

    I have not heard any ZMF headphones.
     
  16. kee7a

    kee7a New

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    It looks like I have lost all of my tubes while moving. No idea where that box ran off to :(

    Because of this, I've been trying to replace tubes for a first gen Woo Audio WA22. I found the manual here and I think I found some replacement tubes. So far I have the following picked out:
    Power
    Driver
    Rect

    I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to tubes. Any opinions on these? Is there maybe a cheaper power tube I can grab? Am I going too cheap on the tubes? I also saw that Woo Audio sells replacement stock tubes, but they seemed a bit expensive to me. Is it maybe worth just grabbing these for $200 anyway? Thanks for any help.
     
  17. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    Don't buy from Woo. I like the aesthetics of their amp but they really over charge their "accessories" by magnitude of two to three times what they're worth. You can buy the 6AS7G Ruskie tube from the Tubestore for much cheaper.

    https://www.thetubestore.com/russian-6as7g-6h13c
     
  18. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Just picked up the Galaxy Note 20 (standard). Does anyone know if the Andromeda might play well with this phone?
     
  19. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    Galaxy Note 20 has no headphone jack. It's going to depend on whatever Bluetooth or USB adapter you use with it.
     
  20. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Yeah, but you can drill your own right? :D
     
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