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bhallg2k wrote:I have the old Pro version, which, sadly, has been discontinued.
It has?! Wow. Didn't know that. I used to have the 5 Pro. A friend had the 5EB with its massive bass.
It's interesting that you find the HD650 to be too analytical. From what I've read, the usual knock from those who don't like them is that they're too warm. They call the high-frequency roll-off "the Sennheiser veil." I notice that trait, too; I just don't care. There's nothing going on at those frequencies that I need to hear.
I don't 100% remember to be honest - it's been a long while since I auditioned the HD650; and I do audition quite a few IEMs/cans. And I mean quite a few. I could possibly be talking about HD800s instead. I'm not sure. FWIW, the HE-90 is fantastic though (I've auditioned one)
I'm going to try to stay away from a portable DAC/amp. This guy is working on a DAC/amp combo that shows some promise. If that doesn't pan out, I'll likely end up with an HRT Music Streamer II - it took me a while to even consider that brand due to its name; I thought, how can anything by an HRT be good? - and a Violectric HPA V100. I will not allow myself to be tempted by tubes.
Weird as it may be I actually have never sampled a full size tube amp. I've sampled those meant for cans, but never those for speaker gear. I listen to music at home through my Marantz CDP which flows through my aforementioned gear; so I don't really have a need for another DAC personally.
Yeah, Logitech bought Ultimate Ears a couple of years ago, and they've kinda slid since then. At least, that's how I see it. They now only offer wildly-expensive custom IEMs, the Triple.fi 10 and a host of overly-priced, yet substandard, options. Where they excelled, in my opinion, was the mid-level gear they've now forsaken.
I don't want to listen to the HE-90 unless I can own it. I mean that, too. For the same reason, I've avoided planar magnetics and electrostatics like they're the plague. I simply cannot afford to have those sounds rattling around in my head.
I only got the HD650 because the price was insanely low last November. Absent that, I'd probably still have the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s I auditioned for about a week at around the same time. (I sorta wish I still had it. It wasn't accurate at all, but, man, the bass response is insane, and that made it a lot of fun. I never knew headphones were capable of producing a tactile thump like that.)
I really need an amp. It had slipped my mind for a while, but this thread has reminded me.
I think tube amps are a bit overrated, especially for headphones. I can EQ any solid-state amp to get a tube tone, but the reverse is not true. And unless one's willing to spend thousands on a great tube amp, they just distort too easily and have an output impedance that's way too high for accuracy.
bhallg2k wrote:Yeah, Logitech bought Ultimate Ears a couple of years ago, and they've kinda slid since then. At least, that's how I see it. They now only offer wildly-expensive custom IEMs, the Triple.fi 10 and a host of overly-priced, yet substandard, options. Where they excelled, in my opinion, was the mid-level gear they've now forsaken.
With you 100%. UE were never really known for anything other than their mid-range products. Their customs had a big celebrity following for on-stage monitors even before Logitech ownership though.
ATH stuff isn't for me either - the only thing I ever liked from them is the ATH-CK100.
It's not all that expensive if you do the research. If you choose to go the headphone route, which is easily the cheapest one and the one I've chosen, stay away from a forum called Head-Fi. It's very popular, but is no more than a marketing exercise for expensive junk.
Head-Fi actually has very good members and very good reviews to be honest. You just need to filter out all the ads on the site. But I have never felt any of it is marketed junk, anyways.
I like Head-Fi's members, at least the ones with which I've had any interaction. (Even then, it's been more music-related.) But, I don't trust their reviews as far as I can throw 'em. They get paid for their reviews, and their rankings reflect that bias.
They advocate $1,000 iPod docks. Are you kidding me? $1,000 for a six-inch braided silver wire? Never. Not in a million years.
Check out this guy, even just his latest post. I think you'll like his abundant use of pure objectivity based solely on scientific measurements. That should speak to the F1 fan in you.
I don't ever read the conclusions of any audio review. That's just idiotic. The shape and size of human ear canals, etc are more than enough to make the sound vary quite some. But what I do read is descriptions - the more "qualitative facts" if you like. Something eg like, "there is no sibilance whatsoever, and the bass is light, but punchy." those mini conclusions. But if I want to buy something, I go and audition it myself. Every time.
Well to replace the system I lost would cost Waaaaaay more than I could afford these days.
I was just looking and just my Klipsch Belles alone would cost over $9000
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss
I guess a better way to put it would have been to say that it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. If you do the research and don't mind owning products without a splashy brand name, there's a lot of good stuff on the market to be had on the cheap.
In the headphone world, there's a company called FiiO that consistently releases good gear at good prices. For speakers, there's BIC. The stuff's out there; you just have to find it.
bhallg2k wrote:I guess a better way to put it would have been to say that it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive. If you do the research and don't mind owning products without a splashy brand name, there's a lot of good stuff on the market to be had on the cheap.
Aye. Indeed it is.
In the headphone world, there's a company called FiiO that consistently releases good gear at good prices. For speakers, there's BIC. The stuff's out there; you just have to find it.
I'm not sure I'd recommend BIC myself; but I do agree with bhallg2k's point that there are good cheap speakers out there.
As with most items you'd buy there's a diminishing return really.
strad wrote:I was just looking and just my Klipsch Belles alone would cost over $9000
Belles sound great; save for the lack of bottom-end grunt. I think there's quite a big blank where the lowest of the low stuff should go, and the placement is a bit picky, but otherwise good. How many are there in your rig? 9000 seems steep for Belles. If you wanted to replace; I'd suggest the new La Scala gear instead.
Last edited by raymondu999 on 10 Apr 2012, 05:44, edited 1 time in total.
(I have no idea who said what in that previous exchange.)
Sure BICs won't compete with Klipsch, Polk, Thiel and the like, but they'll blow the doors off of anything with the word Sony written on it. And often for about the same price.
One of these days, I'll own a complete McIntosh system. One of these days...
EDIT: Actually, I had a great pair of Sony floor speakers up until a couple of years ago, and I had them for about ten years. Every once in a while, Sony puts out something very, very surprising, and these were a great example of that. They were very well-balanced and lush from top to bottom.
(I've auditioned one)
