The All Purpose Advice Thread

Thank you for your input, greatly appreciated. On second look, the SW51+ appears just too large a footprint for my space.
So I'm back to Schiit or Garage1217. My main headphones are my Focal Clears and LCD2's if that helps
I also have to make a correction to my original post. I actually meant the Vali2+ (not Lyr2)

 

I have not tried a Garage1217 but the Project Ember is very intriguing and if you got it, I would be interested in your opinions about it. I personally would be adventurous and go Garage1217 personally, but that's just me and I have no basis to back that up other than I don't see it often and I think going for unique stuff is more fun.

 

@That St Kilda Guy , be aware that SW51/+ will boost the bass of your Clears a few dB even using its low-impedance output; see here.

Of the Garage 1217 amps, people here seem to prefer the Sunrise or Horizon over the Ember (I've never heard any of them myself). All have 3 selectable output impedances. The Horizon's highest of 120 Ohms will boost the bass of the Clear massively, and even noticeably the bass of the HD650, but will also soften it a bit. See here and subsequent posts. The Garage amps are very flexible with tubes, allowing for a lot of experimentation (or nervosa).

If you want a SW51/+, you should be quick about ordering. I'm not sure of @Zampotech 's stock/construction status on these right now.

Edit: Reading the Garage pages, Sunrise might be better than Horizon for your Audezes. And I see you've added Vali 2+ to consideration. That'd work too, and is the cheapest of the lot.

 

Hello and good time of the day, I am looking for something similar to my current Audioquest Nightowls but with better 1.2 khz to 10 khz response. A few days ago, I was looking for my next purchase, and out of curiosity I tried checking for a FR graph for my current cans, and noticed a dip in the upper-mids/lower-treble(?), played around with some EQing, and I found out that I was missing a lot of detail in that frequency region.

Triangulating FR graphs, subjective impressions, and that which I'm able to pay (in monthly payments cuz I don't have all the money currently available) with a budget of 500 usd, so far my current possible purchases are the following cans:

Massdrop x Beyerdynamic DT 177X GO
Fostex TH610
Shure SRH1540 (i've owned these before, I remember liking them, but sold them later to try the Aeon flow closed 1.0)
Aeon Flow Closed X (assdrop version of RT?)
Final Audio Design Sonorous III
AKG K553

I am looking for something with excellent isolation and soundstage too, tonality wise, I'd say I'm looking for something neutral to warm, a little darkness doesn't hurt either, but mostly a sound signature in which I don't miss out -as much- detail as with the Nightowls.

I recently tried purchasing the Ultrasone Signature Studio because they were described as bRiGhT bUt NoT hArSh, suffice to say, the people who enjoy them probably are 60+ years old or have cochlear damage, or perhaps it's just my autism. Either way, I returned the Ultrasones because the highs were unbearable ime.

For source I am using an Opus #11 DAC/AMP. I listen to all kinds of stuff, but mostly 60s rock and progressive metal (Tool, yeah, you can hate me I guess).

Any input regarding the candidates I mentioned would be deeply appreciated. Furthermore, I am open to hear other suggestions, I might be able to sell a kidney or something if it would mean having a greatly improved auditory experience.

Best regards.

 

I had the Sonorous III for a while and liked it a lot, excellent sound staging for a closed back and actually wider/more spacious than my Aeon Flow *Open* RT. So I'm thinking that should knock the Closed Aeon off your list?

Ultimately I sold the Sonorous, mainly because of long-term comfort issues (which of course is highly personal) but also wanted a bit more pep and slam (which admittedly I don't have in the Aeons either, but I love what they do so much I was able to forgive them.) If I had the room and funds to keep a collection, I'd probably still have them around.

The Beyers I didn't care for. Had them for a few weeks but ultimately just didn't click with me. I would say they've got a little more of a V shape to them, with a bit of a dip at 3k or so (there's a thorough review/measurement thread here somewhere.) Not terrible, but also not exactly that neutral-to-dark response you're looking for. And certainly too bright/Beyer for me. Though to your other criteria, the Beyers probably had better isolation than the Sonorous.

Hope that helps.

 

Thank you so much for your input! I would just like to ask if the Beyers you tried were the Traditional DT1770 or the massdrop DT17xx version. Furthermore, the sonorous III seem to respond well to pad rolling, did you have the opportunity to swap pads? Maybe improving the seal and/or sound?

All in all, thanks a lot for the input, I'm still on the fence, but this scores many points for the Sonorous III.

 

The Sony xm4 sounds like shit just like the previous three revisions, even after EQ. I lost hope for wireless headphones and switched for Bluetooth daps and IEMs. Or better USB dongles and IEMs.

 

It was the Massdrop version of the Beyers, yes.

And I did have two sets of pads for the Sonorous -- I believe they were just called A and B pads from the manufacturer, not Dekoni or other aftermarket. The thicker ones that I preferred for comfort weren't the ones I preferred for sound, but beyond that I don't remember much.

 

Wish I could sell you mine. They languished on US Audio Mart and then eBay for a year! Ended up letting them go for around $200, which I occasionally regret ...

 

I saw them at my country's amazon website for around 350 usd, in monthly payments, I think I might get them indeed, way cheaper than the DT17xx. I also read somewhere that the Shure alcantara pads are compatible with the Sonorous III and that they enhance the sound, albeit they don't mention how.

 

Since this is an all-purpose advice thread, I'm going to be a meddlesome old man here and say that if you have difficulty scraping $500 together for a one-time payment, you should save up and stick with eq for now. None of the cans you mentioned seem to have gained widespread and/or long-term love here, so there's a good chance that they're mediocre sidegrades and you'll get bored of them or become more aware of their shortcomings in the near future. If you were a high roller, then yep go ahead and experiment, but I don't think the opportunity costs would be worth it to you now.

Disclaimer: I haven't listened to a headphone set up in a bloody long time. Headphones in this range may well have become godlike speaker-killers by now.

 

Very sound advice! I promise that I will try my utmost best to not go overboard with this particular spending. Even if I hate Bezos, I'm glad his website has a 30 day period in which I can return the headphones in case I don't like them, furthermore I am trying to sell other things in the meantime and work hard in order to fuel my audiophile hobby.

And while we're at it, would you mind shining in some suggestions in such price range? something that might actually turn out to be keepers in the long run perhaps?

Thanks and best regards to you as well.

 

Remember my disclaimer? So no recommendations from me, at least not in good conscience, especially for closed headphones. The best I can do is advise against, because I have seen pairs of the headphones you mentioned go up for sale very soon after they were acquired and I don't think I have seen people saying they regretted selling them, so it's probably not worth the expense when you are on a tight budget.

 

Understandable, have a great day

 

@Jayceearegee

The TH-610 isn't horrible PER MY PREFERENCES, though it is fairly pricey for what it offers-- think a TH-X00 with a bit more upper midrange but the same step-below-TH900-class low-end performance; I rather liked it in demo conditions and would have picked one up had I not gotten an X00 Ebony. Definitely avoid overextending finances as best you're able to though, given that's an easy path to ruin. Speaking from experience: don't spend on hobbies what you aren't willing to write off as a loss

Haven't tried the Sonorous but have tried various incarnations of the other cans at some point or other over the years out of various systems during extended meets. I think that the Fostex would be your "safest" bet for a Nighthawk with not-dead treble, though keep in mind that @Friday gives excellent advice in that EQ isn't entirely evil (some people like myself are just lazy).

 

I agree on the careful spending part indeed, in fact I struggled a bit after an impulse buy of my current GPU (still paying it atm lol but almost done); as per headphones, I almost have the whole money at hand, if anything, my nightowls and other things I'm about to sell might serve as a quasi economical safety net.

In a way, opening this discussion is more or less keeping me from compulsively just buying a set of expensive cans I might regret getting, meaning, the more I discuss my options and the cans' qualities with other users, the more pragmatic I approach my next headphone obtaining.

The praise the non-standard versions of the fostex get, like the Ebony or Purpleheart, makes me wish I could buy them off a established place which would let me pay in monthly installments, they seem like a way better purchase. Although, if they are that good, I might as well just straight save enough for a used pair.

 

Oh sweet Lord above you bought a modern GPU in this market? I feel for ya man, things are normalising now that massive crytpo farms in China are being stamped out but it'll be at least a few more months before pricing on cards becomes sensible again.

Now that it's established you're still paying for an impulse buy at the moment: please don't think about buying anything until you get that sorted out, have the money at hand to buy the headphones in a single payment, AND have a safety buffer in event of emergencies.

Stick with the Audioquests-- I don't entirely agree with the voicing and am loud about that but the fact remains that they are quite capable headphones from a technical perspective, moreso than the DT1770 or Campfire Cascade IMO. Try stuff out as you're able and make as good a decision as you can once your preferences are firmly established and you're not blindly buying based off hearsay with the odd measurement or two to ratify the same. Cheers, and best of luck!

 

I will try to hold onto the Nightowls indeed for a while, the only thing that I'm worried about is that the flimsy headband is almost destroyed, it's kinda the main reason I'm looking for other cans; for real the tiny hanging hook and loop thingies that support the drivers is one of the most horrid design choices I've seen.

Also, full disclosure, I don't regret buying my GPU, hah, I've been giving it more than good use :]

 

I totally agree that these don't hold up to our HiFi standards, and you wouldn't ever recommend them to someone who wanted 'closed headphones'. But these can be pretty great, if you want 'work headphones'.

My lovely lady and I are both in science, and both spend a lot of time in the lab, her moreso than me these days. Glove use, dangerous chemicals, biohazards, and a balance between wanting to focus and needing to still converse with people. Removing and replacing IEMs or closed phones is just not possible, which for many years basically left you with buds and the hope you can hear over the music enough to respond to people.

I bought her a set of XM4, and they fit into these constraints perfectly. You can pause/play with the back of your hand, have a conversation just by starting to talk and the Bluetooth is exceptionally reliable. They sound better than any previous product I've heard that could do these things. So yeah, I wouldn't ever recommend them for someone wanting 'proper' headphones for critical listening, but within certain constraints, I don't know how you can do better.

 

OK, I narrowed my selection down to the PS3 and Vali2+. I decided to go for the Schiit Vali 2+

My reasoning was based on
1. Price (value)
2. Form Factor (can sit on top of my RME ADI-2)
3. Linear Power Supply as standard
4. The money saved allows me to order an extra TOTL tube

I understand it's a hybrid against the PS3's OTL, but I'm hoping with the right tube, I will add some tube warmth.