Audeze Sine DX Measurements and Impressions

Could also be an issue with supraaural headphones where the pads rest on the ears. The pads could seal differently depending upon individual ears. Then again, Audeze has had issues in the past with "veiled" and "unveiled" LCD2s and LCD3s.

 

Over-ear pad mod. I used one spacer for the measurement below. L = thick spacer. R = thin spacer.

 

FR comparison.

Green/Red = with earpad mod
Grey/Grey = stock


Pretty much what I hear. The earpad mods seem to tame the slight bit of midrange city, and also a nice sparkle, but also makes everything sound super laid-back.

 

After EQ, yes.

 

My Impressions:

- My first thought is that the treble is smooth and easy going, but damn is it dark. Laid-back. Rolled. Just very, very dull sounding up top. The opposite of the original Sine.

- Midrange sounds really emphasized, grey, and hazy sounding.

- Bass is pretty good, but there's a sense of the headphone being a bit lean sounding despite this.

- Ignoring the midrange, I find them fairly fast and clean sounding. Not that I did not say that they sound clear. They are too rolled to sound clear.

- I don't find these particularly airy, layered, spacious, or resolving.

- Build quality is nice. A couple corners are a bit too sharp.

- Comfort with stock pads is pretty poor. They are thin, clamp hard, and the headband, worst of all, is rather stiff and hard, i.e. not much cushion.

- Overall, they're OK, I guess.

My Measurements:

Frequency response shows a healthy and extended response below 80Hz. Everything from 100Hz-1KHz has a slight depression, which can make the headphones sound a hair leaner than is ideal. This is less noticeable due to the large treble dip. Basically, everything in between 3-9KHz is pretty dark and dull sounding. The 1-2KHz bump stands out, but not in a way that makes them sound "hot." Instead, it contributes to the midrange-focused, grey sound.




Distortion results are quite good for my rig. There's a bit of a rising nature at the lowest end, but we don't hit 1% until around 40Hz or so. That's pretty darn good.




CSDs are kind of middle of the road. Not the best, not the worst. There are no infinite, super-duper sharp and nasty ridges, but there is some dirtiness and ringing in the upper midrange area. I think this also contributes to the slightly hazy sound.




Compared to the original Sine, the DX is much less bright in the upper-mids and lower-treble. In fact, they sound sort of opposite of each other. The DX has better bass extension and sounds much more neutral and balanced overall. It's no contest...I'd much rather listen to the DX. Still, I think both have some serious shortcomings.




Based on these measured results and some positive stuff I heard subjectively, I think it's clear that the driver and overall design of the Sine line has some potential. Audeze missed the mark on both headphones, unfortunately. Comfort could also be vastly improved.

 

The Aeon is not open, first off. Big difference there. The closed Sine is not worth consideration. The Sine DX may have more upper-bass, lower-mid presence than Aeon but is otherwise too dull, slower, and less nuanced overall. There's a reason I spent time writing the Aeon review in detail vs this. I'm sure some will prefer the Sine DX, and I can see why, but I hope my preferences and differences I hear are clear. Not to mention the Aeon is actually comfortable.

 

No worries! I don't think the Sine was meant to be closed at the end of the day...gives me nightmares.