Mysphere 3.1 and 3.2

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Zhanming057, Mar 1, 2019.

  1. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    @Hands, your post was stinkier than french cheese, the criticisms are fair so let me go deeper:

    You do know Purrin recommends Utopia and Stellaris, another $4000 headphone and while never hearing it on my system I've heard it enough times to know how it sounds and that it's inferior especially on transients and soundstage.

    I don't get why you're so hung up on the fact it needs a TOTL amp, if I was on HF I'd say it sounds great on normal gear but shines on 6K+ amps and 10K+ is endgame, that's not the case. Some might like how it sounds on lesser amps but I've been around enough to know when to not accept compromises.

    You're too hung up on price, look at it this way, a SET amp with superb PSU design and output transformers is needed with matching tubes. That's what? DNA, EC maybe ECP but the list is very short. I'm disgusted at the two 2$ generic filter capacitors in the GSX MK2 or the 40$ output transformers on the Studio Six.

    If I would have said it reveals the shortcomings of the gear and lesser amps don't do it justice would it be better? I don't like to beat around the bush, it's all or nothing here. At canjam I tried it will all the Woo amps including WA33 on stock tubes with a shitty dac, the transients I get with my home setup was completely missing. The WA5 on top tubes doesn't do it justice either.

    I've been looking for an upgrade from my HD580/650 for a long time, regardless of price, I could have gotten Susvara, Abyss TC, Raal, 009 etc. I know I wouldn't keep any for them long term.

    3.2 is far more forgiving on amping and will appeal to a broader audience, the synergy of 3.1 and Stellaris is why I got them otherwise I'd have waiting for something new. I don't care for the 3.2 on the Stellaris but loved it on the WA5 with 150ohm output tap, not enough to get the 3.2.

    I'm not trying to push this headphone on anyone, just sharing my experience and if that means just 1 person is interested so be it. Take it as a word for warning for this headphone, it's very picky but the reward is plentiful. MySphere is the only company I know that lets you try both without having to pay the full price then go through the hassle for returning.

    On speakers, I live in a modern flat, by modern I mean low cost construction and very poor isolation between floors, there's no way I could and moving house just to use speakers would be idiotic.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2019
  2. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    I was thinking that, the synergy is definitely there, if it's just the case with DNA amps or high end amps or DHT tubes I don't know. 3.1 has never really been considered by reviewers with 3.2 getting all the attention. There's no denying the absolutely superb sound quality I'm hearing. What I wrote yesterday was just initial impressions, a full writeup will be done eventually but I need time to ascertain exactly what I'm hearing since the experience is different.

    As a member of this forum I'm telling you guys, this is good, really really good.
     
  3. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    834
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Miama
    Get your hands on a SW51 for your full review, that's the only way I can get close to adding this headphone...
     
  4. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    10,696
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
    I was referring to the comment below:

     
  5. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,033
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NYC
    @m17xr2b That's a fair assessment. Although I found the 3.2 rather disappointing on the WA5 (this is both with the XLR and straight off the taps). Not enough density and too bloomy overall.

    I do agree that the 3.1 is best considered as either a pairing for very specific amps or a pure portable option. My girlfriend is debating getting a pair (this is coming from the Grado GS2000e) and I'm trying to figure out if the 3.2 will be passable on a WM1z or if it actually needs the 3.1's drivability.
     
  6. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    @m17xr2b Hey, you totally missed the point of my post. I'll give you a hint: it had nothing to do with the gear itself.
     
  7. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    I know, but it should be just about the gear and sound.
     
  8. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    Which is all wrapped in a specific culture and presentation from that, no? Different communities approach talking about gear in different ways. That's the foundation upon which we build.
     
  9. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,904
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Europe
    I really want to give these a shot but everytime i consider it the price tag smacks me in the face.
    One question comes to mind though, why no reply to the loaning tour proposal... or is it being considered "behind close doors"?
     
  10. bilboda

    bilboda Florida boomer

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2016
    Likes Received:
    834
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Miama
    Yes, but that will vary for some. I came to the conclusion that I wanted simplicity. I was willing to sacrifice fidelity for utility.
    I opted for the Singxer SDA c 2 which uses nos for DSD ,per the mfr , to be in agreement with HQPlayer, which I also use. +1 for fidelity. It's headphone output, while powerful, exhibits bad sinad per ASR (arrgh!) but it's pre-outs measure very well. Which works for my JBL drop 3xx's. So I have my phonitor e, LNMB and line stage, up for sale. The Singxer does it all.
    Until I found Hifiman HE6se for a steal at Adorama but I had an amp under my bed for that.

    Serendipity!

    Long winded, but point being economy and utility are factors too and occasionally something magical happens that touches all the bases. HE6SE and Adcom GFA 535. $125 amp and $700.00 hp's. So make sure you check out the SW51 with your Mypshere's. these were on my radar and still could be.
     
  11. Heinz Renner

    Heinz Renner MOT: Mysphere

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2019
    Likes Received:
    47
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Italy
    A loaner can be ordered at the dealers in the countries where Mysphere has one, in all other at the web shop www.mysphere.at/shop
     
  12. james444

    james444 Mad IEM modding wizard level 99

    Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,100
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Vienna, Austria
    My humble 2c, the Mysphere (particularly the 3.2) would be well worth an evaluation by trusted SBAF members.
    • Mysphere 3.2 is somewhat lean in bass, due to full open design. But transient response is very fast and the low end sounds snappy, controlled and precise.
    • In my audition at Mysphere headquarters, Mysphere 3.1's bass sounded noticeably less robust and precise than 3.2's, even from the amp that was supposed to pair better with the 3.1.
    • At 15 ohms and 95 dB sensitivity, I thought I might be able to drive the 3.1 directly from my LG V30. However, maximum achievable volume turned out to be too low for quiet classical recordings. So, in practice, the 3.1 offered no advantage over the 3.2 for me.
    • It's worth noting that both models are tuned to free field neutral target, not diffuse field. The main difference is in upper mids, where free field neutral sounds more in-your-face than DF. My personal EQ-setting to compensate for this is -2.5dB at 2500Hz, with a bandwidth of 2 octaves. The stock tuning's upper mids are a little too obtrusive for my taste.
    • Mysphere 3.2 may sound underpowered from a weak source, but that doesn't mean it needs an expensive amp to sound good. It definitely sounds underpowered from my LG V30 and Shanling M0. But I got the more powerful HaaFee HA8 portable amp for about $100 and think it drives the 3.2 just as well as the more expensive stationary amps I listened to at Mysphere headquarters.
    • Why did I buy the Mysphere in the end, despite the mentioned caveats? Well, I was looking for an upgrade from my 20 year old full open Sony MDR-F1. I'm primarily an IEM guy, but like to listen to full open headphones from time to time. However, the F1 was starting to sound lo-fi in comparison to my best IEMs. And there's not much choice out there, if you want a really good sounding full open ("earspeaker design") headphone.
    • IMHO, (despite mentioned caveats) the Mysphere 3.2 is a legit high-end headphone, not some exclusive boutique snake oil product. I haven't heard every TOTL headphone out there, but I know good sound when I hear it.
    • IME, Heinz Renner and the Mysphere-team are no-nonsense people and very much open to criticism. My unit was from an early production run and there were some minor issues, but everything was handled in the best possible way.
     
  13. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    12,285
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Colorado
    Home Page:
    Bass usually sounds snappy and controlled when it's lean and/or roll-off. Have noticed that on amps and headphones.
     
  14. joeexp

    joeexp Don't ship this man FD-X1 ever

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    251
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    London
    Hands sounds snappy when it's lean. ;)
     
  15. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2018
    Likes Received:
    1,033
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NYC
    It's not the same. The response speed is overall pretty fast on the Mysphere - somewhere between the Utopia and the SR1a. Not sure if it's the fastest DD I've heard but it's pretty high up there.
     
  16. Heinz Renner

    Heinz Renner MOT: Mysphere

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2019
    Likes Received:
    47
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Italy
    At least according to my measurements it's by far the fastest DD.
    But I never measured the Raal ribbon till now... :-(

    Br heinz
     
  17. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

    Pyrate Banned
    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Likes Received:
    3,988
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    United kingdomland of fish and chips
    I'll second that the low end response of 3.1 is the fastest and tightest of DDs I've heard, low notes on male voices are particularly pleasing and why I'm listening to Athos choirs, people including myself usually praise a HD800SDR for thigh bass, this is better still. Again using the Stellaris and unsure how it's handled by lower amps. 3.2 from memory has a warmer tone including bass so it's hard to gauge the low end performance as well.
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,778
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    How does one measure "fast bass"?
     
  19. Heinz Renner

    Heinz Renner MOT: Mysphere

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2019
    Likes Received:
    47
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Italy
    The term FAST does mean the impulse responsiveness.
    In praxis for instance a bass drum does not have only bass frequencies, but also high strong frequency parts...
    Br heinz
     
  20. Stuff Jones

    Stuff Jones Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,790
    Trophy Points:
    113
    A Mysphere vs Raal comparison would be fun.
     

Share This Page