Technicality priority

Discussion in 'General Audio Discussion' started by m17xr2b, Dec 28, 2018.

  1. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    Looking at my Christmas wish list I mentioned I wanted a headphone with HD650 mids, HD580 highs, Abyss low end and K1K stage. Looking back it dawned on me, it's what I prioritise in a headphones for personal preference.

    In order of dealbreaker for TOTL expensive headphones, with ideal.

    1. Mids - must have proper tone, no harshness,slight shouts disqualified, neutral or slightly warm,no grain, has to exceed LCD-3 mids on a good setup.

    2. Highs - no peaks, non aggressive,extended, must be able to reproduce cymbals to realistic levels with headstage limitations, neutral or slightly warm(warm mids and warm highs are mutually exclusive, other variations allowed allowed), relaxed, effortless.

    3. Low end - HD650M TOTL setup minimum level or control and punch, ideal ranges between HD580 - LCD4, abyss phi is king.

    4. Stage and imagining, K1K would be perfect, I haven't heard anything present a more realistic soundstage except speakers. LCD-3 level and beyond is great if the first three passed. HD650/DNA minimum for A+ so many headphones satisfy this but fail the other three.

    What do you guys think is important? If you don't know what you want don't buy expensive gear just yet.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2018
  2. Overkill Red

    Overkill Red Friend

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    I agree with your ranking of priorities (maybe with bass and highs swapped around!). I do also feel that separation and imaging should maybe be higher; if a headphone has poor separation and imaging (and to a certain extent speed) then no combination of the other aspects would make it enjoyable for me since it would just sound mushy and incoherent.

    Just another reason why a high signal to noise ratio is important in the forum I guess; The less noise, the easier to pick out people's preferences and the easier it is to figure out what you'd like.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2018
  3. 9suns

    9suns [insert unearned title here]

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    Since you're looking for K1K-like soundstage and proper tone, what about Raal's new headphone?
    https://raalrequisite.com/
    $3.5K and requires speaker amp.
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...-audio-fest-rmaf-2018.6782/page-8#post-227646

    I haven't heard the headphones, but I can assure you that their tweeters are next level good (smooth, fast, full bodied, spot on tonality, etc), theorically, it should be the closest candidate to meet your criteria.

    EDIT: I look for coherence and proper tonality, and no "ssss" coloration (think of metal tweeters and cheap soft domes), everything comes after that to me, first it has to be listenable, technicalities go after that. If I could do a scale from 0 (sterile class T amp) to 10 (warmpoo chifi tube amp), my prefered tonal balance would be something like a 5.2. The highest level of technicality, in my opinion, is the gear that does not distract you from the music and presents stupid amounts of detail without throwing it at your face (like the Raal tweeters mentioned before).
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2018
  4. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Sounds like a modded reissue or later production HE-5 driven with a speaker amp might be right up your alley.

    Meets all of your qualifications aside from K1K staging, though close on the right rig with the right mods.
     
  5. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    I am expecting a review sample of the Raal SRH1A tomorrow. I'll post some early impressions here once I get them.

    The thing with the Raal Requisite is that they don't just require "a" speaker amp. Danny suggests 50WPC as a minimum and 100W+ as a good target to hit. The low internal resistance of the headphones requires an adapter box with extreme efficiency loss. Basically you need to invest in an amp that won't work well with most other headphones.

    Theoretically the response curve of a ribbon headphone will be more neutral than a DD or Planar, but it's not as if headphone makers today have any trouble hitting fairly neutral frequency profiles; one could even argue that modern designs are mostly a study in introducing ear-pleasing distortion.

    If you like the K1000 staging, check out the Mysphere 3.2. They are pretty expensive but hit your requirements very well. I do own those and prefer them over the Abyss 1266 phi's for sheer midrange performance.

    Edit: I should mention that Mysphere has a demo program which is 100 euros + shipping for a week-long trial. It's a bit backed up at the moment though. Anyone who asks now should expect their slot by late January.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2018
  6. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    A couple hours with the Raal SRH1A's and I am very impressed. Bass is not an issue at all and quality is very much on par with the 1266 phi's, if still a bit lean compared to "regular" headphone bass. Danny wasn't kidding about the 50wpc requirement - I am running these off a 100w Nagra Classic Integrated and I can see that they're drawing something like 40wpc on peaks, and potentially a lot more if you like higher listening volumes.

    They are bright and very fast. Response speed is far and above any pair of headphones I've heard - the 1266 phi's can't hold a candle to them in this regard. Possibly a little fatiguing, but the mid-range weight of the Nagra helps.

    I definitely need more time with these, but I think Requisite audio has a resounding winner here. The problem is amp pairings, and I don't know yet if they'll sound good on cheaper speaker amp systems.
     

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