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Post by MaN227 on Jan 13, 2014 0:26:28 GMT
now that I have watched that, i HAVE to ask. any idea how the cup frame connects to the headband? as just looking at it , it does not seem like it would take much to snap it right off. hard to tell with all the silver paint on plastic if that pivot point that allows them to turn and lay flat is plastic on plastic or metal on metal or any combination of the two. do you handle these with "kid gloves" rabbit?
actually a bit bummed learning the whole thing is plastic, I assumed the triangular cup frame and that silver above (at pivot point)would be some sort of metal composite.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 13, 2014 18:14:11 GMT
I see what you mean Chaz. It could be a weak point, but doesn't me feel that poor me in reality tbh. The headphone does feel quite strong actually.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Jan 13, 2014 18:57:26 GMT
A No. 2 is on the way for me ..... You constipated? Dave.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 29, 2014 18:27:30 GMT
GE also measured the CAL2 which seems to be more in-line with Ian's findings than the plot from that Russian site: Not quite flat at all but mostly bass and highs. Short statement by Tyll: CAL!2 over-the-top in the bass and lacked presence. That's what the plot says as well. The dip between 1kHz and 5kHz is where the 'clarity' or 'presence' is and when you look closely at the many plots out there you may have noticed many headphones have this 'property' these days. The dip there masks bad recordings. Below is what the Russian testers measured: This plot is somewhat confusing as it only shows one channel where the blue line is created with an official artificial head (HDM1) and the other one (SF1) with their own home made rig. The blue line is closer to what it actually sounds like The older (original CAL!) version (plot below) seems closer to reality. It should be said though that nowadays most headphones are designed for the fashionably young and with exaggerated bass. Mostly the highs are rolled off (to mask crappy recordings) or at least V or U shaped.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 29, 2014 19:29:26 GMT
That's about what I hear, Frans. It's a 'fun' headphone with a stronger bass than is sometimes good for it. Reminds me of the Denon portables very much actually. (D1100?)
One thing I seem sensitive to I think is also the quality of the treble. Some headphones seem to have a 'masked' top end but are extended enough. The CAL2 has a top end that I'd describe as 'soft' sounding but it does go up. Some other headphones can go up the same amaount but sound 'shrill'. Therefore what I must be hearing is not actually the top of the treble but the bottom end which kind of 'flavours' its timbre.
I do notice that quite a lot in some headphones. Like there's a big dip in the lower treble (I think).
CAL2 isn't as 'accurate' sounding as the CAL but it's OK for crappy digital stuff and kicks a lot of warmth into what can sound quite cool from Ipods, which veer on a slight 'coolness' of sound in comparison to the Sansas, say.
Worst part of the CAL is its build where the CAL2 is way better. Mind you, I don't find the CAL to sound neutral either.
On Goldenears, it's interesting to compare the target fr with actual as well. The CAL2 kind of follows the 'correct' shape generally.
Also the subjective box doesn't reflect exactly what the FR graph says in terms of the bass tbh.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 29, 2014 20:39:46 GMT
The plots suggest you should listen to it though the T40 filter....
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 29, 2014 20:45:45 GMT
Funny you mention that Frans. I think I wrote somewhere that the filter does indeed work extremely well with it!!! That filter is amazingly useful for many 'dull' headphones. Every home should have one!!!
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Post by c61746961 on Jan 29, 2014 21:27:36 GMT
One thing I seem sensitive to I think is also the quality of the treble. Some headphones seem to have a 'masked' top end but are extended enough. The CAL2 has a top end that I'd describe as 'soft' sounding but it does go up. Some other headphones can go up the same amaount but sound 'shrill'. Therefore what I must be hearing is not actually the top of the treble but the bottom end which kind of 'flavours' its timbre. I reckon it may have to do with ear canal resonances and driver size / positioning / distance to the ear. For instance, I do get some slight sibilance with the PortaPro even though some plots suggest otherwise, at first I thought the 5 KHz peak was the culprit, but later I found it was due to my ear producing a sharp peak at ~9 KHz. On the other hand, some full-sized headphones often do not produce such a distinct peak, nor did the few IEMs that I have listened to (but they were overly bright at ~3 KHz instead). I think damping on the ear side does help with this issue, but I'm not sure why.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 30, 2014 7:24:27 GMT
Mind you, I don't find the CAL to sound neutral either. It (original CAL!) isn't neutral indeed. It has 2 issues, the resonance around 3.5khz which is not that obvious in the FR graph but is has some ringing there (obvious in the impedance plot) and is audible. Another issue is the bass. It shows a mild increase in bass, but so do a lot of other headphones. What cannot be seen in FR graphs as well is the considerable amount of distortion in the lows. This is well over a few % and thus audible. This (combined with the slight boost) makes the the bass sound less controlled and a bit accentuated. Innerfidelity plot of CAL!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on May 7, 2014 17:15:01 GMT
Just a little update/mod.
Simple change of pads to the StudioSpares and the sound is really different. WAY better actually.
The pads are oval and the cups are round so it's quite tight one way. Once they're on, they're fine. Since the lip on the Studiospares pads is so large, I couldn't get it into the groove where the old pads went, so I left them long and pulled them on tight to the cups. Then made a little hole where the cable fits into the left cup. The pads aren't as hard as the Creative ones and feel like really soft pillows. There's also slightly more room for your ears so it's a double whammy!!
The old bloat in the bass has gone. They sound really smooth and are a lot more comfortable. Creative should change the pads!!!
A quick note about distortions measured in the bass..... if I snap my teeth together, the headband does ring. I wonder how much is transferred to the cups? The K550 does this as well.
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