The All Purpose Advice Thread

The K10 kinda reminds me of the HD650, especially in relation to the smooth and non-fatiguing treble that somehow still extends and doesn't sound rolled off. K10 may even be a little bassier, even in the midbass, but making these comparisons between a sealed IEM and an open headphone is always a little awkward. All my K10 impressions are out of the Dp-x1 as well, but the custom version.

(I suspect Campfire Jupiter may fill that roll as well, but am a couple days away from being able to make that call personally. Hopefully someone can chime in to that respect)

 

The DP-X1 likely has taken A LOT of K10's thickness and bass. Overall DP-X1 has a very "lite" signature which will probably take a lot of thickness off quite a few IEMs that I've found overly thick (i.e. Westone) and make them "listenable". I have yet find the exact IEM-HD650, though Jupiter comes really close.

 

I want to get some input on whether I should be worried or do something about an order I made from PriceJapan. This is my first time using their service. My worries are probably unfounded, but this is my first time making a big ticket purchase internationally.

I ordered some Stax headphones from PriceJapan almost exactly two weeks ago. I went for the cheaper EMS (as opposed to FedEx) shipping option, which I hear is very good and reliable. I received confirmation from PriceJapan of my payment (Paypal), and it mentioned it could take a little longer than normal to ship, up to a week. About five days ago, I shot them an email asking if they could give me a tracking number. No reply, so two days later, I wrote a similar email to another address that they were using, thinking that maybe I used the wrong email address. The email addreses I used are [email protected] and [email protected]. Still no reply. I had heard that they were very good at replying to emails, so I'm wondering what's going on.

More than anything, the complete silence is what is worrying me. I'm sure my money is safe in the long run because of Paypal, but is there something that I'm missing with my efforts to contact them?

Edit: Please let me know if this is in the wrong thread.

 

I tried a K10 when I was travelling in Japan last year out of my AK120 at the time and it was not at all impressive. But that was probably a very poor match.

I may have to try the Jupiter since it's sold at a few places around me. Would the Jupiter be preferable to the Andromeda for someone looking at this sound signature?

 

In this scenario, yes. Andromeda reveals more shit.

 

If plugging in two headphones in the GO450 (say planar on low Z, HD600 on high Z), is the current/power split between the two outputs or is the GO450 outputting 450mw * 2?

 

I haven't ordered from PriceJapan personally, but your story sounds about like others I've read. I wouldn't worry too much. Sometimes it takes a while for them to find your gear. They are essentially a broker and have to go through local Japan retailers. Also, EMS can be a bit slow and not always have up to date info. Sometimes it looks like stuff gets stuck in customs and then without even an update, the package is at your door.

All said, it wouldn't surprise me if it takes almost a month from ordering before you get them.

 

Thanks for the helpful words. No use overreacting when I have a perfectly good pair of HD650s right here.

 

This seems to be an excellent affordable setup.

Here is an even more affordable suggestion. For a while, I used (and occasionally still use) Dragonfly/Bravo V2/CAL! (or DT235). This is a remarkably non-fatiguing and euphonic setup. The Bravo V2 makes a big difference. I recommend this setup for listening to low-resolution sources. It is inexpensive ($80+$70+$50 = $200, current amazon prices with the Dragonfly V1.2). However, when you replace the CAL! (or DT235) with a more resolving headphone (in my case, Q701, DT880, T50RP), the limitations become obvious. You may run into a similar problem of scale with your (admittedly better) setup.

So: How does your setup scale to better headphones? I wonder whether you like it with the HD650, which you have.

 

I have saved up to about $1000 and will be visiting the USA on 22nd of August. I have a hifiman he-400i (which I will sell to get my budget to $1000). Now, the question is what do I spend it on? Do I necessarily need to spend all of the $1000 to reach mah audio nirvana? Possible things I am considering at the moment-

1. ZMF blackwood (cherry) {$650}. My O2 will drive it fine says Zach. [not the most resolving, but otherwise it's ideal]

2. Sennheiser hd 650 {$300} + a good amp/dac {$200 to $300} [not ideally good bass ]

3. Sennheiser hd 800 {$700 to $750} used + hot audio dac destroyer {50} [not forgiving, torture without proper eq,]

4. Audio Zenith PMx2 {$900 to $950} used [If pads get ripped/damaged, I'm in for great trouble sending it all the way back to
USA because it might stolen during shipping from my country lol]

5. Focal Elear {$999} [I'm predicting that it won't live up to the hype or be worth the money, we shall see after the dust settles]

6. ZMF Omni (cherry) {$900) [not the most resolving, but probably most ideal for me, I think]

What I seek:I can't stand harsh or sibilant treble so probably HD800 will cause more harm than good for me. But dat soundstage!!! I really like smooth lush sound signatures as far as I can tell so far. I would like a forgiving but highly resolving can. Does that really even exist?
I want really good build quality and really good customer service. Oh, and I am currently dac-less. I'm using the shitty dac from my pc. Probably should do something about that as well.

Guide me to the righteous path~oh pirates of audio!

note: Also I made the same post as a thread on the leaderboards, please delete that thread if you would like to admin/mods.

 

@Vanheim do you need closed back headphones for external isolation reasons?

 

Hey Everyone!

I am new to the forums here, but I am looking forward to spending more and more time here. I am very active over at Head-Fi.

So heres my question:

As a potential LCD-4 buyer.. are you guys satisfied with this headphone as your "end game TOTL headphone"? Is there anything you wish it did more of? Are there any tips or things I should know before buying? I briefly listened to it and thought it sounded accurate and pleasant. How does it respond to EQ? Do these have more bass potential than the TH900? My number one is male vocals and the mid range in general.. then it's bass quality and quantity.. I love a hard hitting and warm/lush headphone. (as a side note I also think the combination of bright and analytical headphones get annoying - hence me selling my HD800) I like a thick and liquid sound sig.



I should've really auditioned these more.. I didn't get the WOW factor as I have with others in the past, but the recordings I listened to were not my style of music and it was a noisy room. I did like them though and am just looking for my end game headphone. I did audition the HE-1000 too and enjoyed them about the same amount, but didn't get to directly compare them. I did most of my critical quiet listening with other headphones unfortunately. Someone help out a guy on the fence! Warm, lush, bass quantity/quality - Is the LCD-4 the best headphone you can buy for that signature?

If I wanted pure neutrality (which I have also heard the 4's described as).. couldn't I just grab the HD800S for less than half the price? Should I just compliment with a 2 headphone setup like the LCDX/HE-X and TH900 and use both? HELP

 

If you're staying for a couple weeks, you could scour eBay for second hand HD580/HD600/HD650, get them shipped to your temp address, probably save you a couple bucks there for your DAC and amp. The nice thing about the Sennheisers are that parts for them are easy to obtain worldwide, so you could replace pads, grills, headbands whenever they get damaged.

Will be nice to get some Schiit stuff while you're there. Just be aware if you're buying new, the warranty ties to your US address.
Also, do make sure the equipment you buy will work with your country's voltage.

 

As an owner of both, I think it's a fairly easy decision to go for the 650, especially if you are looking for a smooth signature. It's also much more comfortable and lighter which I remember being an important point for you. The Blackwood isn't harsh, but it's moreso than the 650. The only exceptions to this recommendation would be if closed/isolation and subbass are extreme priorities.

 

I echo what others said about the 650, just would recommend investing into something better than the O2 with the remainder of your budget.

 

That's a great idea for a low-end setup. I own the CAL! and they are really nice. I own both the DF1.2 and the new DF Red. I was thinking that if if a person wanted to spring for a little more, the new DF Black has a noticeably better DAC than the DF1.2. It's $99 on Amazon, and I would say the extra $20 is worth it in terms of better DAC sound. Its amp section isn't as powerful as DF1.2, but in this case one would only be using the line out. So this seems pretty cool. But that ups that nice low price you've got going.

Can you describe the Bravo V2 a little, and maybe how it compares other stuff, as I have never heard this amp.

As for how the low-end rig I described works with the HD650s - well, first off it works very well, sounds pretty good. The Vali amp pairs extremely well with the hd650s, and the new Modi 2U4490 is really a step up from Modi 2. So I still think that this setup is a good starter for someone that wants to use hd6x0s. I run the hd650s off a BifrostMB + Valhalla 2, and each of those pieces is an improvement. The Valhalla 2 is much more resolving than the Vali 1, albeit a touch less "wet". I kind of like the Vali's wetness, or whatever that is. And then the Bifrost Multibit gives Valhalla2 that Schiit MB time-domain accuracy that places all the instruments in focus and in 3d. The two together seem very resolving and focused. So, yes, it is the case that the Senns can scale so much that the low-end setup I described is not milking them for all they worth. But at least there is enough power in Vali1 to bring out the bass and some of the liveliness of the HD650.

I believe @Marvey may have in fact recommend this very idea - Modi2/Vali/hd6x0 as a good low end setup with synergy, slightly euphonic. I guess in retrospect I just took Marv's idea and degraded it by pairing that with the low-end Senn hd598 (but upgraded the DAC in my version - M2U4490). I think the reason I decided to post about it is I've started to notice that the hd598 has a slightly different wall of sound than the hd650. Maybe it's the angled drivers, but I find them much less fatiguing than the hd650. I actually find the hd650s fatiguing, even though I love them. The hd598 is not nearly as resolving as the hd650, but somehow I find it to have a really charming, easy way about it.

 

"I really like smooth lush sound signatures as far as I can tell so far. I would like a forgiving but highly resolving can. Does that really even exist?"

Yeah, it does exist. It's called a well driven (potentially modded) Sennheiser HD 650.

My recs:

RIG #1
DAC+Amp: Geek Out V2 (balanced output)
Phones: HD 650

RIG #2
DAC: Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Schiit Bifrost 4490 / Geek Out v2
Amp: Valhalla 2 / Vali 2 / NecoSoundlab v5
Phones: HD 650

Rig #1 will require you to get a 3.5mm TRRS cable for the HD 650 so you can maximize the GOv2's performance. Mix and match the DACs & amps listed in Rig #2 to your taste/budget; you can't really go wrong anywhere with any combo there. Either one of these rigs will come in well below $1000.. and kick ass.

If you do go with the HD 650 .. ditch the O2.. it's major meh in terms of hearing what the HD 650 (modded or not) is capable of.

 

Ah, thanks!

Isolation would be a plus, but the breathability of an open-back won't be bad either! It would be great if it was possible to use as a portable, but if not, I don't mind that much.

That's what I was planning to do! thanks for the advice!

Not extreme priorities but I do love me some good quality bass (audiophile by day, bass-head by night! ) thanks!

Alright, thanks!

 

What about a garage1217 project Polaris? I've heard it's a great pairing with the hd650. Polaris and modi 2 is probably going to be my choice. Thanks!
I think I'll keep the O2 as I think I really won't be able to sell it off easily and in desperate situations it can be used portably.