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Focal Elear and Utopia

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by SingSing, Jun 14, 2016.

Page 12 of 78
  1. Arnaud

    Arnaud Facebook Friend

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    Probably a question of marketing, gonna ask stax to relabel their diaphragm as it seems to cause a mental block for some :p
     
    Arnaud, Jul 1, 2016
    #221
  2. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Not exactly, but some similarities. ;)
     
    Hands, Jul 1, 2016
    #222
  3. No_One411

    No_One411 Fired by Jude

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    Not a mental block, just too late to save those people from dynamic mid-fi purgatory.



    Just an extra kind of special.
     
    No_One411, Jul 1, 2016
    #223
  4. elwappo99

    elwappo99 Friend

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    Omg best video ever. I think this video was finals week my 3rd year. So much shit went down.
     
    elwappo99, Jul 1, 2016
    #224
  5. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    It's like she forgot what school she was attending.
     
    insidious meme, Jul 1, 2016
    #225
  6. knerian

    knerian Friend

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    Jesus she has some good points though.
     
    knerian, Jul 1, 2016
    #226
  7. knerian

    knerian Friend

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    Why does this black guy look asian?

     
    knerian, Jul 1, 2016
    #227
  8. Tyll Hertsens

    Tyll Hertsens Grandpappy of the hobby - Special Friend

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    On quick listen, I felt them a little forward, but generally quite even handed. It seemed quite snappy and dynamic...maybe just a bit too much so. Quite promising to me.
     
    Tyll Hertsens, Jul 2, 2016
    #228
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I'm Asian and I approve of her message. I don't even know why people are so upset. Asian people like me bitch about how bad American white man food is and how the American white man can actually eat that crap (Panera Bread), so I don't have a problem with her bitching, particularly since she is right. Asian parents should stop changing their kids diapers after 18 and teach their kids better actual manners (not just superficial manners). American white people should expand their palette and eat better cooked and different types of food.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2016
    purr1n, Jul 2, 2016
    #229
  10. Rotijon

    Rotijon Friend

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    Im honestly lost on what plasticky mean, they do seem very ethereal and too light though, without the right amp.
     
    Rotijon, Jul 2, 2016
    #230
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's a timbre thing. The HE560 is plasticky. The HE-6 is not. Transients with speed, but no weight or impact at the weight of the attack is a symptom of plasticky. The LCD-X is also plasticky (but not the LCD-2r2), but to a lesser extent to the STAX and HE560. HE1000 is plasticky, but this is masked by it's brittle treble coloration. HE-X is super plastictistic. Traditional dynamic drivers are never plasticky. STAX and planar aficionados feel that dynamics tend to be grainy. I suspect the cause of plasticky timbre is the planar diaphragm material and/or thickness of the material. All materials have a sound to them.

    The SR-009 from Cooter's amp was fantastic sounding, but still had plasticky timbre. T2DIY did the best with SR-009 in terms of mitigating the plasticky timbre.
     
    Last edited: Jul 2, 2016
    purr1n, Jul 2, 2016
    #231
  12. lukeap69

    lukeap69 Pinoy Panther

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    How about HE-1000 and HE-X, do they fall on the plasticky catergory?
     
    lukeap69, Jul 2, 2016
    #232
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I updated the post. Yes they do.
     
    purr1n, Jul 2, 2016
    #233
  14. Serious

    Serious Inquisitive Frequency Response Plot

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    I wonder if part of it is also stator design in estats. I found that the HE90 had less of that coloration than the SR009 and the HE1000. Every stat speaker I've heard had that sound, most even more than headphones I think.
     
    Serious, Jul 2, 2016
    #234
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yes, the Sennheiser planars I would not consider plasticky. Same with the original HiFiMan Jade, not as plasticky as the STAX. SR-X didn't sound plasticky either, but it wasn't as "fast".
     
    purr1n, Jul 2, 2016
    #235
  16. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    Huh, I could hear the HE560 as plasticky, but not the LCD-X, HE1000, or HE-X. If anything, the latter three sounded grainier/dirtier to me than most dynamics. The HE560 was just a lesson in treble torture. It's probably a matter of defining the term, though, since I wouldn't have thought of it the way you described "plasticky."
     
    Hands, Jul 2, 2016
    #236
  17. sorrodje

    sorrodje Carla Bruni's other lover - Friend

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    Yup. I prefer my HE60 by a fair margin for example. but it's more a matter of taste. Any mid forwardness around 1-2khz is quickly bothersome for my ears.
     
    sorrodje, Jul 2, 2016
    #237
  18. Rotijon

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    Hmm sounds abit like excessive lightness, which the stax do exhibit.
     
    Rotijon, Jul 2, 2016
    #238
  19. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    That's part of it, but not all. It's timbre, harmonics, attack, decay, outside of frequency response.
     
    purr1n, Jul 2, 2016
    #239
  20. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I think you guys are hearing the same thing but just using different language. Somehow the descriptor "plasticky" is taken the wrong way maybe because you find the STAX to otherwise be very high quality. That's fine. But you don't see me getting mad when the HD800 is called a hyper-sterile, tuetonic, 4th reich, toiletbowl analyzing face-tweeter. Besides, I can always fall back on that "wrong amp" line too I guess :rolleyes:

    Anyway, back on topic, I still have hope that Focal or Fostex or maybe someone else can make an awesome dynamic headphone that beats the HD800 and doesn't sound like plastic :D Fingers crossed for the Utopia
     
    OJneg, Jul 2, 2016
    #240
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