Orpheus 2 quick impressions

I got to spend an hour this past Sunday listening to the new Orpheus in a private hotel room with my own music. I thought I'd type up a few quick impressions.

I don't want to start another price thread because, yes, this system is ridiculously overpriced. I just want to point out some strengths and flaws.

The good:
I was first impressed by the tone of the new Orpheus. I felt it has a very natural, even tone. There was good separation between instruments and I found them surprisingly dynamic for an electrostatic headphone. It doesn't hit has hard as a dynamic and I'm not sure it was quite as extended, but overall it was a pleasing and relaxing listen.

The bad:
This is where bringing your own music really helps. My biggest complaint (besides the price) is that I don't find the Orpheus 2 very resolving. When my Studio arrived I started hearing things on tracks that I never noticed before. On the Orpheus, I found these subtle background noises to be completely inaudible. On the HD800 & Sennheiser amp next to the Orpheus I could hear them. This made me wonder which component is at fault, or if the system is just tuned so that background noises are quiet so everything else stands out more. I'd be interested to hear the Orpheus headphones on another amp.

Anyway, I walked away thinking that these are an enjoyable listen, but was not wowed like I was by the Studio.

 

So are you saying... It isn't as resolving as HD800? OJ's meme wins again.

 

Yes, I found the HD800 more resolving.

The Orpheus 2 is definitely more forgiving and has a more "full-bodied" sound.

 

Does that imply the Sennheiser normal amp has the resolution close to the Studio? and would the difference be the DAC?

 

No, I'm not implying that. The details are more apparent on the Studio, which made me notice them and know what to listen for. The HDVD 800 is a fine amp, but I wouldn't say it's close to the Studio. I think it's just the HD800 being more resolving in this case. I would like to hear the Orpheus headphones with a different amp / dac to get a better sense though.

 

Sounds like the HE1 is just like super-luxury cars such as Royce-Rolls or Bentley: grandeur, pleasant, comfortable, well-cushioned, but not for feelings of the road bumps and joy of exciting drive.

 

Re: resolution, not surprising. Sennheisers electrostats have never been the last word in resolution and might even be bested by some Lambdas in this regard.

Nevermind the HD 800 being the most resolving headphone currently in production, I would not expect to be able to achieve world-class resolving capabilities on the HE 1.

HE 1 was designed to appease soccer players rather than audiophiles anyway.

 

Yeah I am having trouble thinking of a comparable headphone because it really is different sounding in presentation. Definitely, darker and warmer than the HD800.

 

Here are a couple pics:

 

Is there a special pinout for the headphones that render them incompatible with Stax amps and such like the BHSE?

 

Moreso that there are amps in the earcups (allegedly to reduce capacitance issues even though said earcup amps are MOSFETs).

 

Damn, from the pics, looks like the hotel is around 9th Ave and 17th in NYC! Dream Hotel?

 

Yep. In the GuestHouse suite.

 

Cool! I work close to there so I recognized the Maritime from the window.

 

I think that they probably need to buy an aftermaket cable to get the best results....bahahah! I have a friend who lives local who has he90/BHSE. It's an orgasmic experience. I can't imagine where they would improve on the signature.