Headphones

74.15.22.193

Posted on October 13, 2009 at 19:35:43

Posts: 145
Location: Ontario
Joined: September 20, 2007

Will be moving to smaller surroundings soon, most speakers are way too big and smaller ones not efficient enough for SE amps. Headphones seem like the solution although I'm not really very fond of the "in your head" aspect. I'm fortunate in that I have a S.E.X. amp with Magnequest nickel OT. Would like opinions on phones that would work well with that amp. Comfort would definitely be a consideration.

DT880's arrived

Dmannnnn

16:32:36 10/15/09

RE: Headphones

Doc B.

07:58:15 10/14/09

2nd the HD800's

tubejack

06:36:02 10/15/09

Ultimate BH Headphone Amp

xcortes

15:24:28 10/14/09

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp

Caucasian Blackplate

23:19:06 10/14/09

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp

Frank Mena

19:04:46 10/14/09

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp

Dmannnnn

10:38:02 10/15/09

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp

Doc B.

11:32:31 10/15/09

Holy cow!

artsybrute

03:50:38 10/15/09

RE: Headphones

VoltSecond

22:06:00 10/13/09

RE: Headphones

artsybrute

12:49:09 10/14/09

RE: Headphones

Dmannnnn

21:33:45 10/13/09

RE: Headphones

Dr. Toobz

20:06:09 10/13/09

RE: Headphones

GLF

19:59:21 10/13/09

DT880's arrived, posted on October 15, 2009 at 16:32:36
Dmannnnn Audiophile Posts: 140 Location: Las Vegas Joined: November 23, 2008	Quick first impressions. The Beyers sound alot more transparent and effortless (blacker?), but with less detail. The Senns seem a little less dynamic and a bit darker, but nothing to take away from the sound. They are both awesome headphones in their own way. I will post again after some in depth listening. Oh, and after wearing the Senns, the Beyers feel like feathers on your head.

RE: Headphones, posted on October 14, 2009 at 07:58:15
Doc B. Manufacturer Posts: 5755 Location: Pacific Northwest Joined: October 6, 1999 Contributor Since: July 1, 1999	If HD800s fit in the budget (about $1400!) they are worth giving an audition. They do a great job of getting outside of your head. Probably my fave right now, just slightly edging out K1000s and some really tweaked ESL phones I've heard recently, because I like the bass of the 800s a little better. For something in a more reasonable budget range the HD600s do a very good job.

2nd the HD800's, posted on October 15, 2009 at 06:36:02

tubejack
Audiophile

Posts: 145
Location: El Paso,Texas
Joined: November 26, 2003

I recently upgraded from HD600's w/BH cable to the HD800's, and agree completely w/Doc. I use a SEX with MQ iron upgrade and Mundorf Silver caps, Goldpoint attenuator, RCA coin-base 6DN7s. Good low end extension and crisp mids, nice sound stage.

FWIW, I look funny, but I find wearing headphones over a baseball cap more comfortable then using them w/o the cap ..... not that they are that uncomfortable to begin with .... just more comfortable with a cap ....

Ultimate BH Headphone Amp, posted on October 14, 2009 at 15:24:28
xcortes Audiophile Posts: 1055 Joined: July 23, 2003	What would be the ultimate headphone amp for the HD800s based on a BH platform? I already have two Sex amps with MQ iron (Ni and M3), one at the office and one at home. I have on order a pair of Tl-404s from Mike. Maybe two sex amps shunt regulating. Maybe a 45 SR version of the Paramounts. How about a 71A? Christmas is coming as are my ATR and tube repro so a set of new cans could be cool.

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp, posted on October 14, 2009 at 23:19:06
Caucasian Blackplate Industry Professional Posts: 4445 Location: Seattke Joined: June 18, 2004	The TL-404's are a good building block for building the finest possible headphone amp. I chose a different route so I could include balanced outputs, although with transformer coupled gear balanced output has proven not to be super critical. The MQ upgraded SEX is pretty hard to beat, you really end up stepping up the costs significantly to get to the next level.

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp, posted on October 14, 2009 at 19:04:46

Frank Mena
Audiophile

Posts: 108
Location: S Western Ontario
Joined: May 28, 2006

See link ....although I think the PGP 8.1 is not made any more.

something like this....

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp, posted on October 15, 2009 at 10:38:02
Dmannnnn Audiophile Posts: 140 Location: Las Vegas Joined: November 23, 2008	Crazy, I came across this exact same post last night while searching for info on crossfeed circuits. I've always seen pictures of this amp, but only from the outside. I think this may be the amp that was at the Norcal headphone meet last month? Just a beautiful piece of equipment. I am far from a materialistic person, but pieces like this make me want to hoard equipment.

RE: Ultimate BH Headphone Amp, posted on October 15, 2009 at 11:32:31

Doc B.
Manufacturer

Posts: 5755
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: October 6, 1999
Contributor
Since: July 1, 1999

Thanks for the kind words. This one was brought back from the studio a few years ago and is now the control preamp in my system. I don't usually wax poetic about gear, but Shawn keeps talking about how this preamp seems to have some magic in terms of tone and resolution. I'm inclined to agree, as I haven't been able to make any other preamp that sounds as good. The one downside is that it has been modified to 600:600 ohm input transformers from the original 10k:600 ohms, because we found the 4:1 stepdown ratio to be too much of a hit for the output level of a lot of my sources. So it really needs studio type sources with 600 ohm outputs connected to it. My phono and tape preamps are now 600 ohms transformer balanced out, but I had to tack a 600 ohm CF buffer on our new tube SeDACtion prototype (4Kohms output impedance, like a Seduction or Eros) to get it to sound happy thru the big preamp.

Holy cow!, posted on October 15, 2009 at 03:50:38
artsybrute Audiophile Posts: 716 Joined: March 19, 2002	I wish my ears will still good enough to appreciate such a piece of equipment. Triamp... Take a load off!

RE: Headphones, posted on October 13, 2009 at 22:06:00

VoltSecond
Audiophile

Posts: 2423
Location: Arizona
Joined: October 14, 2000

My current favorite is the ATH-M50. Sealed over the ears. I can listen while MilliVolt watches Disney.

A tiny bit of cross feed helps with the "in head" problem.

Play safe and play longer! Don't be an "OUCH!" casualty.
Unplug it, discharge it and measure it (twice) before you touch it.

. . .Oh!. . .Remember: Modifying things voids their warranty.

RE: Headphones, posted on October 14, 2009 at 12:49:09
artsybrute Audiophile Posts: 716 Joined: March 19, 2002	MilliVolt must be at least CentiVolt by now. Glad to see you post on this topic. Any plans to build a Quickie for headphone use? Triamp... Take a load off!

RE: Headphones, posted on October 13, 2009 at 21:33:45
Dmannnnn Audiophile Posts: 140 Location: Las Vegas Joined: November 23, 2008	I'm using HD600's on my not yet 'broken in' SEX. They can feel a bit snug on the head, but I do enjoy the circumaural design. I have a pair of 250 ohm DT880's arriving this week. The lesser pair will be sold. I will let you know how I think they compare.

RE: Headphones, posted on October 13, 2009 at 20:06:09

Dr. Toobz
Audiophile

Posts: 30
Location: Iowa City Area
Joined: September 8, 2009

My recs: Beyerdynamic DT880 or AKG K701. Both are very detailed and have cavernous soundstages. I have the former. They're normally hard to drive (250ohm impedance and not terribly sensitive) but they are no match for a juiced-up S.E.X. amp. I get a very balanced sound with these, albeit with stock Speco irons and C4S loads. I have not quite gotten around to the MQ upgrade, but I would imagine they'd sound even better. The Beyers have huge cups, are semi-open, and comfy (velour pads). With the S.E.X. amp, the soundstage is so big that I almost can't believe I'm wearing headphones! They do take considerable time to break in, though.

On the flipside, I'd stay away from Grados with this amp, especially if you don't like a closer, "in the head" type of sound. They're not particularly comfy, either. (Just my opinion, of course...). I've had just about all of their cans at one time or another, and have only kept a pair of cheap SR-60's for iPhone use only. They're too tipped up in the mids and like to see a much lower impedance than the 120ohm standard (which is used with the S.E.X.). I personally find them honky, shrill, soundstage-less, and annoying unless plugged into an iPod or other low impedance, solid-state output. Your S.E.X. amp deserves better!

RE: Headphones, posted on October 13, 2009 at 19:59:21
GLF Audiophile Posts: 342 Location: MN / WI Joined: October 14, 2002	Sennheiser HD600 are my favorite on that amp. Depending on the size of your noggin they might be a bit tight but you can bend them to help with that. The AKG 701 are pretty comfortable, but for the money I think the Senn's sound better. But that is my opinion. Andrew

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Headphones

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