Planar magnetic alternative/upgrade from HD6XX

[RHO]

Had a pair of the old orpheus and it was nice but I really loved the 650s. Ooh. I guess if dust isn’t a concern. Maybe check out the Stax 007?

Never heard a Stax. I'll look it up.

Edit: Way above my budget!

 

[PurdueDeep]

I honestly wouldn’t bother with measurements beyond a point. If you have the tech eq it.

Who cares about accuracy like that. Im just trying to save you money from upgraditis haha.

 

[RHO]

I'm looking for the one that sounds right for me and then be done with it for quite a while.
It doesn't have to be "the best there is" but more like "a very good one that is available for the money I want to spend on it".

Measurements give you a good reference for the sound you could expect from the headphones. The Ananda shows some good stuff and some inconsistencies. Mainly in the bass region, where it apparently suffers from seal-issues in some circumstances. If those circumstances are also present on my head I would like to know it.
I can EQ but not in all situations. So it will have to perform well, also without EQ.

 

[solderdude]

Broken seal with the ananda has very little influence on the bass.
Only subbass is lightly affected and a broken seal actually lifts lower bass.

The Sundara is affected a bit more though (see seal measurement below)

 

[RHO]

Broken seal with the ananda has very little influence on the bass.
Only subbass is lightly affected and a broken seal actually lifts lower bass.

The Sundara is affected a bit more though (see seal measurement below)

Oh, nice. Fs is lower than I expected. Now I notice the curve starts at 10Hz and not 20Hz.
What is your overall view on the Ananda? Worth it or not?
Do you have experience with the HE-6se v2 in this regard (driver Fs and damping)? Those measure very similar but have very different drivers.

Edit: I found your Ananda review.

 

[Ellie]

That weak bass worries me a bit.
Do you get a good deal or are the cups too large for you?
The 1600Hz dip I need to test with EQ on my current headphones what that does to the sound.

No need to worry, EQ fixes it, as I said. Unless you're listening on Vinyl or something, pretty much every source you'll use can have system-wide EQ with no downsides. iOS I'm not sure, but Android can use Poweramp Equalizer, and Windows is obviously Equalizer APO.

Seal isn't too important with these headphones. So long as the drivers are in the right spot and you don't have a big gaping hole somewhere in the pads, they'll sound how they're supposed to. The large cups are actually a godsend, pretty much every other headphone I've tried will sit on top of my ears or touch them in some facet, which means long-term wear causes me discomfort. These don't have that problem.

 

[fluufy]

I have the Sundara and love them. Were a definite upgrade from my Senn/Drop HD58x. I use Oratory eq, but with a touch less treble roll off and a touch less bass boost. This works for me. Note that the Sundara are so open they are really not good for anything but listening in a quiet space at home - but if you must have portability Wavelet eq app on android will do it (bit of a pfaff making custom eq but).

Mind you, if you have been listening to DCA Aeon RT and have the budget for them, they measured better than Sundara so may suit you… I haven’t dared listen to these as they cost $1500 in Australia

 

[RHO]

No need to worry, EQ fixes it, as I said. Unless you're listening on Vinyl or something, pretty much every source you'll use can have system-wide EQ with no downsides. iOS I'm not sure, but Android can use Poweramp Equalizer, and Windows is obviously Equalizer APO.

Seal isn't too important with these headphones. So long as the drivers are in the right spot and you don't have a big gaping hole somewhere in the pads, they'll sound how they're supposed to. The large cups are actually a godsend, pretty much every other headphone I've tried will sit on top of my ears or touch them in some facet, which means long-term wear causes me discomfort. These don't have that problem.

I've had quite some issues with EQ APO. Every time I get a Windows update it stops working and it is not easy to get it running again. At random it find a reason to not work anymore.
So I like my headphones to sound quite good without EQ for those frustrating situations.
I'm also using the analog out on an SACD player, straight to the HP amplifier. No EQ there.

 

[RHO]

Mind you, if you have been listening to DCA Aeon RT and have the budget for them, they measured better than Sundara so may suit you… I haven’t dared listen to these as they cost $1500 in Australia

Sundara is still on the list, but Ananda and HE-6se v2 are higher up .

$1500 is an unreasonable price for the Aeon RT. Why not order them directly from DCA? They sound great! Besides that the build quality and comfort are amazing. That is one of the reasons I have difficulty finding a good open back within my budget. I'm spoiled by the DCA.

 

[Jimbob54]

Sundara is still on the list, but Ananda and HE-6se v2 are higher up .

$1500 is an unreasonable price for the Aeon RT. Why not order them directly from DCA? They sound great! Besides that the build quality and comfort are amazing. That is one of the reasons I have difficulty finding a good open back within my budget. I'm spoiled by the DCA.

Im guessing thats $1500 AUD. Wont be cheap to ship and import but it wont be 3x the US price.

EDIT- no , its about 1.3 AUD to 1 US $ so $1500 AUD is ridiculous. Shipping, taxes and charges cost me about £100 GBP onto the $500 US sale price direct from DCA.

 

[cany89]

@RHO I would check LCD-2 if price is ok (I don’t know how much it is.) And if a bit weight is not an issue. Bass is definitely available without EQ.

Probably above your price range but I recently listened to LCD-X as well. Not worth the extra if you are not going to unlock its potential with EQ. Same goes for LCD-2 as well but at least when I was buying it, it justified the price when used stocked. They are both good planars.

+1 for HE6 (I’m not fully familiar with versions. Just had the chance to listen the recent one)

 

[RHO]

@RHO I would check LCD-2 if price is ok (I don’t know how much it is.) And if a bit weight is not an issue. Bass is definitely available without EQ.

Probably above your price range but I recently listened to LCD-X as well. Not worth the extra if you are not going to unlock its potential with EQ. Same goes for LCD-2 as well but at least when I was buying it, it justified the price when used stocked. They are both good planars.

+1 for HE6 (I’m not fully familiar with versions. Just had the chance to listen the recent one)

LCD-2F is on my list but from what I read not a single Audeze headphone sounds right without EQ. Or did the latest "hidden updates" solve this issue for the LCD-2F? (weight is not an issue, I've got a very strong neck ) The price is quite steep for me. The Classic is €899, the Fazor is more than €1000.

 

[cany89]

LCD-2F is on my list but from what I read not a single Audeze headphone sounds right without EQ. Or did the latest "hidden updates" solve this issue for the LCD-2F? (weight is not an issue, I've got a very strong neck ) The price is quite steep for me. The Classic is €899, the Fazor is more than €1000.

I got the latest Fazor one. If it’s sounding right out of the box or not is highly subjective. I guess you would use the Harman curve at least as a base template. It’s not far off to be honest. But EQ (with any headphones that can handle minimum to moderate amounts of correction) does work it’s magic and jump these bad boys to the next weight class. IMO.

There is also a review from a guy named Resolve, who measure it before and after his EQ settings. For me it was a good reference when I was looking for these. (And there are reviews from metal571 and max settings, but they are for 2018 revisions)

Here is the video: (I like the measurements here, they are pretty accurate)

 

[RHO]

guy named Resolve

He is known around here.
I'll watch his review again.

I just found out the LCD-2F is very hard to find here locally. I can actually only find the LCD-2 Classic in Belgium.
Any EU members know why that is? Any other EU countries where the LCD-2F is available?

 

[Jimbob54]

I got the latest Fazor one. If it’s sounding right out of the box or not is highly subjective. I guess you would use the Harman curve at least as a base template. It’s not far off to be honest. But EQ (with any headphones that can handle minimum to moderate amounts of correction) does work it’s magic and jump these bad boys to the next weight class. IMO.

There is also a review from a guy named Resolve, who measure it before and after his EQ settings. For me it was a good reference when I was looking for these. (And there are reviews from metal571 and max settings, but they are for 2018 revisions)

Here is the video: (I like the measurements here, they are pretty accurate)

I would agree with this- I have the 2 Classic and the LCD X- both bought before I "discovered" EQ. I liked both out of the box- they bring the bass which I hadnt really had on many headphones previously. With hindsight now I adjust to a (preference adjusted) more Harman like profile I am sure these would sound "off" out of the box. But that depends entirely what you are coming from.

Many peoples' experience of hifi is probably a headphone rig, not a "good" sounding pair of speakers in a "good" room and these Audeze offer a better experience than some other popular brands. If one was coming from something like an unEQd Beyer990 these will offer a very different, possibly superior experience.

Now, where Audeze fall down is the value proposition and the somewhat clunky design/ build but with EQ that suits you they are a very good listen.

 

[cany89]

I would agree with this- I have the 2 Classic and the LCD X- both bought before I "discovered" EQ. I liked both out of the box- they bring the bass which I hadnt really had on many headphones previously. With hindsight now I adjust to a (preference adjusted) more Harman like profile I am sure these would sound "off" out of the box. But that depends entirely what you are coming from.

Many peoples' experience of hifi is probably a headphone rig, not a "good" sounding pair of speakers in a "good" room and these Audeze offer a better experience than some other popular brands. If one was coming from something like an unEQd Beyer990 these will offer a very different, possibly superior experience.

Now, where Audeze fall down is the value proposition and the somewhat clunky design/ build but with EQ that suits you they are a very good listen.

Totally agree!

He is known around here.
I'll watch his review again

Haha I don’t watch youtube or review videos usually so I didn’t noticed how big is the channel

 

[RHO]

Haha I don’t watch youtube or review videos usually so I didn’t noticed how big is the channel

Resolve is also a member here.

After watching his review again I think the Ananda will suite me better.
For me it's cheaper and it doesn't need EQ to sound good.
EQ is OK for me, but for a €1k headphone you shouldn't need to fix the tuning like that (Audeze headphones) is my opinion. EQ is there to get perfection from what is already very good. Not to fix a product that is failing it's main function but is very good at all the rest. Certainly at this rice-point.

 

[Jimbob54]

Resolve is also a member here.

After watching his review again I think the Ananda will suite me better.
For me it's cheaper and it doesn't need EQ to sound good.
EQ is OK for me, but for a €1k headphone you shouldn't need to fix the tuning like that (Audeze headphones) is my opinion. EQ is there to get perfection from what is already very good. Not to fix a product that is failing it's main function but is very good at all the rest. Certainly at this rice-point.

Rice Rice baby ;-)

 

[cany89]

but for a €1k headphone you shouldn't need to fix the tuning like that (Audeze headphones) is my opinion.

I don’t think so! But I can’t argue the peace of mind when you have to do nothing vs a bit tinkering.

I wouldn’t judge the sound just by looking at the graph. Maybe it’s just what you are looking for, or very close. Just saying

Resolve is also a member here.

Whaat!? Yo my man Resolve! If you read this by chance, thank you so much! Haha (I mean it btw, not joking)

 

[RHO]

I wouldn’t judge the sound just by looking at the graph. Maybe it’s just what you are looking for, or very close. Just saying

Maybe, but likely not.
I think they will sound too dark for me. Especially the Classic.
I'm still looking for a place where I can audition the LCD-2F and compare it to the LCD-2C. Maybe the LCD-GX is more to my liking. But that's again a bit more expensive (€1099). I'm not sure if I ever want to spend that kind of money on a some headphones.