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Post by lobalwarming on Oct 11, 2018 20:31:49 GMT
Probably solution #2... because buying 2 pairs from MD (sound unheard) isn't the most appealing option. Unless the 58X is the best $300 headphone...
I've never had a driver failure from manufacturing defects. Tinkering defects... yes that happened. ;-)
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Post by lobalwarming on Oct 9, 2018 2:23:23 GMT
Come to think of it...does Senn or MD stock 58X replacement drivers? Happy Turkey Day lobalwarming! Driver transplant service! What a great idea! You'll make a killing! You know, I never even considered what I'd need to do if these break. I really should look into that. As far as parts go, I'm not even sure if they'd be available ATM. I would think that until the warranty period expires on the first sold models, MD or Sennheiser would be insistent that any issues would have to dealt with through return rather than just selling the parts - just in case said drivers should happen to find their way into somebody's old unloved 650s. But, I could be wrong (it's been know to happen) Happy ThanksSennGiving to you Mr. T. Unloved 650s? That's too cruel a world for my hot little lobes to hear. Senn (Canada) does stock replacement drivers for the 600/650. $80 each. Only slightly twice the price of their replacement pads.
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Post by lobalwarming on Oct 8, 2018 21:14:05 GMT
Come to think of it...does Senn or MD stock 58X replacement drivers?
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Post by lobalwarming on Oct 7, 2018 2:00:01 GMT
I have never measured any break-in effects that did not fall in the same category of measurement errors. In other words, when there are any they are very, very small. I have measured many many big break-in effects. In perception. In years of mixing/editing/producing often have discovered stuff later that was always there, but was never heard at the time. Perception is a funny thing. The brain's pattern matching and sensory repression filters combined with our mood, health, focus makes for a varied subjective soup. With the same gear. With new gear in the chain, an extended break-in period is expected. Until the brain adapts and fools us again. ;-)
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 20, 2018 6:06:23 GMT
Sorry to hear you and your phones are suffering in the heat. For your public outings, maybe take up the mandolin banjo - they're really loud and piercing - like a banjo, but more annoying. ;-)
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 8, 2018 3:11:50 GMT
Yes, the Faraday cage, or as I call it, RF Modesty Screen, must be grounded.
I went through some tribulations in my RFI-infested office - has multiple render machines, wifi routers, boosters and cats.
To add an image...use the full editor - Click the red Reply button. The Quick reply is text only.
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 5, 2018 18:49:22 GMT
Congrats on getting the ground sorted.
The other noises are likely RFI - which can be dealt with using an RFI screen around the tube. The copper RFI mesh I linked before is very effective.
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 4, 2018 21:45:58 GMT
The best portable amp I've used is the G1217 Solstice and a small collection of desert island tubes. ;-)
No really. It's small, portable, doesn't burn many watts. I take it with me, even for weekend getaways. Fed from an iPad isn't as good as dedicated desktop dac, but still very enjoyable and much better than any pocket ss amp.
I've used a great number of pro and prosumer outboard sound modules, from Presonus to RME - and still do for decent s/pdif output. But most of the headphone amps in these units are pretty meh compared to a good headamp, imo. The RME ADI-2 Pro is quite decent - a fun toy to play with, but a terrible value for money option.
Even if you don't want to join the tube rolling obsession hobby, a good tube in the Solstice makes headphone listening so much more enjoyable than any SS unit I've used. From the uber-clarity of a Tungsram E80cc to the sweet open soundstage of a NU 6F8G, the rich vivid 3D presentation of the Tungsol RP 12SN7, from the addicting musical bloom of a Brimar 6SN7 to the solid punch and dynamics of a Raytheon 2C50 - tubes make music better. Probably life too ;-)
The options to expand the sonic palette for phones puts the Solstice, in my top 5 best low cost gear purchases. Can't advise on the efficacy of EQ options - I'm not a basshead, for me the magic of music is in the midrange. YMMV.
Ultimately, only you have your ears and tastes, suggestions on the internet are a very rough starting point. The headphone hobby is a personal journey - limited only by your time, budget and listening tastes/skills. Enjoy the journey! Expect the 58x will be a very good starting/end point.
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Post by lobalwarming on Aug 2, 2018 18:26:39 GMT
FYI in case people haven't noticed it yet. Massdrop has them again, immediate shipping… One question just popped into my head… can these be modded to get the original prototype sound? Only way to know for sure is to buy two pairs - perform the proto-mod and compare to verify. Then sell me the stock version at a substantial 'research mule' discount.
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Post by lobalwarming on Jul 28, 2018 6:05:15 GMT
A great tube, one of my favs of the miniatures is the E80CC - features phenomenal clarity that makes many other tubes sound dull and bassy. The Tungsram E80CC is the best value. The pinched waist Phillips are crazy $$$ now. You could also try a few tubes from the 6CG7/6FQ7 family - similar to the 12BH7s, but often without the prominent bass. The most balanced 6CG7 I've used is a Canadian Westinghouse 6CG7 - tough to find. The Sylvania 6CG7s from the 1950s are pretty well balanced as well. Would suggest a Telefunken 6922, but over-priced and not as good as the E80CC in my indefatigable opinion. ;-) In the 12AU7 family, a vintage RCA 5814A is one of the best balanced I've used - a Telefunken 12AU7 is very good as well (and not stupid $$$). Still does not deliver the clarity of the E80CC. If you were to use G1217's great 6SN7 to 9pin adapter, it opens up the vast range of 6SN7s tubes. With some rolling, expect you will find some 6SN7s that suit your desired flavour. This is the beauty of the G1217 amps - they're not a tonal destination - they're the rolling train across the sonic scenery. The journey is destination. My G1217 Solstice lives in an RFI infestated office, so most tubes require some sort of screening to reduce hum and noise. If the noise is not too loud, then a solid copper spiral connected to rear thumscrew does the trick. Shown wrapping around a Sylvania 12SN7. Other tubes in my always expanding collection can require more shielding - then I make an RF cone-of-silence from copper RFI sheilding sheets. A copper lead from the shield is connected to a thumbscrew. Since we aren't hearing your gear with our ears, can't suggest definitive options. Other than getting a Solstice, an adapter and a Tungsol 12AH7. That tube combo slices off the bass almost as well as a stock pair of Grados ;-) Perhaps Frans could suggest a passive line level filter inserted between the DAC and Ember. Or you could go old skool and use a schiit loki and eq like it's 1959!
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Post by lobalwarming on Jul 9, 2018 23:55:20 GMT
All amps colour the sound? Yes, but it gets worse. All headphones and all speakers colour the sound - in even more gross ways than amps.
But, it gets worse. ALL rooms colour the sound. ALL microphones colour the sound. And it gets worse, mic placement can colour the sound - often more than the choice of mic.
And it still gets worse. ALL mic preamps colour the sound. ALL converters colour the sound. And it gets worse. Once they put their choice of colours in-the-box, audio engineers/producers/mastering engineers can't resist colouring more with a vast palette of DSP plugins designed specifically to...yup...colour the sound!
And we haven't even got to those colouring-outside-the-lines musicians - they love to colour the sound too using their instruments (often with their own highly-coloured amps and electronics) and *gasp* their bare hands!!!
The whole audio recording/playback industry is one end-to-end sound colouring conspiracy!
Which is why being a 'purist' audiophile listener is a futile endeavor - we only get to scribble in a small fraction of the kaleidoscope colouration chain. It's not fair!
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Post by lobalwarming on Jul 9, 2018 22:57:49 GMT
I have given up trying to achieve such and just listen to the stereo inside my head instead. Frans...don't give up. Get a low paying recording gig with a broadcaster for a few years. ;-) Funny about the perception of speakers in a room & room reflections. 99% of box speakers in most rooms drive me crazy - it's just a room full of high and low Q resonances where the room reflections mask most of the low level detail. Ugh. Much prefer listening on phones - no added detail-killing room tone and far more linear FR. Guess I'm one of the weird and very lucky ones - don't need 800s, although they present a nice, if overly huge soundfield. 650s or 240DFs, no in-the-head perception - without crossfeed or HRTF comp. Personal perceptions make for the best personal audio perception. Or something. ;-)
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Post by lobalwarming on Jul 9, 2018 22:44:01 GMT
I'm not Solderdude, can't even play him on the internet. Like you I have appreciated his efforts at headphone testing and electronic design. Perhaps, like you, I have a background in recording where headphones are considered a necessary evil fed from whatever crappy board or interface that has a token headphone jack. Better headphones, better DAC & tube headphone amp (like a G1217 with a good 6SN7 or 6J5 pair) will help create a bigger, more spacious, 3D presentation - with palatable depth to the soundstage, space between instruments and pinpoint 180° localization. However, without a good binaural recording and/or speaker/room sim DSP won't get the same experience of speakers on phones of a singer 6-10ft away. That said, with a good rig, can achieve a very engaging, wonderfully detailed experience on phones - smaller in scale, sort of like tilt-shift photography, but without the eye strain. As well as upgrading the signal chain, you can train the brain to alter your stereo field perception on phones. Many people complain of the band 'being in the head'. I was one of them. I did a few years of live 2-track classical recordings for a broadcaster using only a few mics, a Nagra and phones. After a year or so, my brain started to compensate. To the point where the entire presentation was outside of my head - sometimes as much as couple feet away - eyes closed. Today, I can 'will' the soundstage out front - not so much will, as allowing the perception to change. Perception is a subtle (often fickle) and powerful thing. A good headphone chain will allow you to effortlessly hear into the music in a way that is pretty much impossible with speakers in most poorly treated rooms. Over the years, I have used all sorts of prosumer recording interfaces - all the low cost ones have pretty horrible headamps. Usually chip amps built to a price point. They work well enough for 'monitoring' - but in my experience present a flat 2D experience compared to dedicated tube headamps. I would suggest you listen to the HD58x a little longer before judging their frequency response. They are much more linear than the SR850 (which are decent - I've used them in the studio as an overdub phone). Once your brain has made the HD58x signature 'normal', you may find that they will actually be much revealing and more enjoyable long term than the SR850s. If you don't want to upgrade the headphone chain...(although you really do, right? ), could play with some crossfeed VST plugins to push the image more center. Crossfeed techniques attempt to simulate the bleed from left/right speakers. HRTF compensation can be helpful too. I put CanOpener or TB Isone on the mixbus when needed. But, if you do decide to dip your ears and wallet into the dark, mysterious audiophile waters....consider a better headphone amp - with tubes. For pure listening enjoyment on a budget, the G1217 Solstice is zero-feedback, class A hybrid tube amp has been one of my better audio investments. I really enjoy the 6SN7 tube family for headphones. Not only is it one of the lowest distortion tubes ever invented, it has an uncanny soundstage presentation on phones. Very open, relaxed sound field that reduces the 'in your head' congestion of many tubes and almost all solid state amps I've used. The Solstice can use the less expensive 12V versions from the 6SN7 family. With a 6SN7 adapter and good Tungsol round plate or Sylvania 6SN7WGT or Brimar, the result is very enjoyable. The National Union or Tungsol 6F8G also offers a large, engaging soundstage. With a twin adapter, a pair of good 6J5Gs can expand the soundstage a some more. The 6J5 is the single plate father of the 6SN7 family. My current low cost headphone rig of Mimby > Solstice (NU 6F8G) > HD650s images better than my studio monitors - when I put my mind to it ;-). Only speakers I enjoy more is properly setup ESLs in a good room. The Solstice is a gateway drug to tube rolling. And it's been a beautiful gateway. Listening to the subtle or obvious differences between tubes is a wonderful way to improve one's listening skills. While enjoying music much more than the flat, fixed SS sound of monotony. Then again, maybe phones will never do it for you compared to speakers. To be fair though, need to (over)spend at least twice as much on your headphone chain as you (mis)spent on the Focal monitors. ;-) My two binaural cents sense.
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Post by lobalwarming on Jul 5, 2018 21:01:56 GMT
You scribbled over the magic Irish Leprechaun green felt with a black marker? You style rebel!
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Post by lobalwarming on Jul 3, 2018 20:30:41 GMT
Not sure any headphone is worth that imo...especially a closed 'portable' phone.
I remember the days when the HD600 was a high end phone. Barely qualifies as lower middle class now. Like me. ;-)
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