Thanks! (Edit: I'd be happy to send mine, but I'm not in Europe - not to mention the world is in lock down. 2nd Edit: That RAA site is a great resource).
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What headphone(s) do you own ?
- Thread starter solderdude
- Start date
Thanks! (Edit: I'd be happy to send mine, but I'm not in Europe - not to mention the world is in lock down. 2nd Edit: That RAA site is a great resource).
I drive mine with a S.M.S.L SP200 THX, single ended. It provides all the headroom necessary to get the best out of the T60RPs. (The SP200 has the highest single ended output of all the current THX offerings...and I don't need to be bothered spending another $80 or so for a balanced cable.)
I think Fostex went through the trouble of shaping the external appearance of the wooden housing so that it looks like the standard T50RP, to show off. That can't be easy.
They aren't just putting 'liquid wood' into some mold to get the same shape. For the same reason, I doubt the internal shape and volume is the same as the plastic housing. The wood feels thick, in hand.
Unless someone opens both up and compares them, I can't be sure (and I'm perfectly happy to let someone with a stronger inclination to mod or open things up find out
).
I would disagree
Sonarworks TrueFi helps the bass rolloff on the HD6xx. How do you define and measure punchiness? Do organs playing 30hz notes not sound punchy to you, or moreso things conducting bass through the floor as much as the air?
JH Audio Lola, an IEM with dual opposing mids, four BA tweeters, and two balanced armature woofers in each ear. Adjustable bass shelf at 30hz and down.
It is my favorite because sometimes I want something that sounds even, and other times I want something with extra bass.
My method for choosing was listening to the same 5 songs at a headphone convention and comparing it to other flagships by UE, 1964 Audio, Westone, Campfire Audui, JH Audio, and Shure.
Also preferred the sound to over ears like the HD800, Focal Utopia (I think the Clear sounds better), Sony MDR Z1R (which is a terrible sounding headphone,) ev
The Shure electrostatic iem was the only thing that was a small step up in the vocal range but the cable, discomfort, and requirement of an energizer, not to mention the cost, don't make this appealing to me.
I also own and don't use so much:
-Koss PortaPro
-Sennheiser HD6xx
-Audio Technica ATH-AD900
-Audio Technica M50
-Etymotic MC5
-Aiwa dual driver IEMs
-Some random IEM from OnePlus
Previously owned:
-Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10
-Klipsch Image X10
-Audio Technica AD700
-Another M50
-Another PortaPro
-Koss KDE/250
-Etymotic Hf5
-Sennheiser HD238b
It is my favorite because sometimes I want something that sounds even, and other times I want something with extra bass.
My method for choosing was listening to the same 5 songs at a headphone convention and comparing it to other flagships by UE, 1964 Audio, Westone, Campfire Audui, JH Audio, and Shure.
Also preferred the sound to over ears like the HD800, Focal Utopia (I think the Clear sounds better), Sony MDR Z1R (which is a terrible sounding headphone,) ev
The Shure electrostatic iem was the only thing that was a small step up in the vocal range but the cable, discomfort, and requirement of an energizer, not to mention the cost, don't make this appealing to me.
I also own and don't use so much:
-Koss PortaPro
-Sennheiser HD6xx
-Audio Technica ATH-AD900
-Audio Technica M50
-Etymotic MC5
-Aiwa dual driver IEMs
-Some random IEM from OnePlus
Previously owned:
-Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10
-Klipsch Image X10
-Audio Technica AD700
-Another M50
-Another PortaPro
-Koss KDE/250
-Etymotic Hf5
-Sennheiser HD238b
Impact then is feeling it with something other than your ear? A 4" monitor has terrible bass, even most 8" ones. I'd rather have an IEM because I can hear bass notes the speaker can't play, "impact" be damned. Impact might be good, but only after it can actually produce the audible range that I can hear with my ear.
Skullcandy Skullcrushers have "impact" on the side of your head, but they still suck.
I might value impact for infrasonic bass, but for the most part the tactile feeling of bass doesn't do much for me unless it's much, much lower than most speakers even try going.
Blast from the past here...
I would probably define it as any physical perception of vibration not through your cochlea.
Certainly their extension rarely matches decent headphones but in appropriate desk distance nearfield you'll feel more of what they do put out.
I get that. I'm mostly a headphone person too since I don't have space for what I would consider a good enough speaker system in other areas. My 305 MKII's are just for convenience. I've got my Stax for serious listening.
Well, yeah. Why should a subpar driver and a subpar bass shaker combine to be magic?
That's what subs are for.
Unless you upgrade to the 1236....
I would probably define it as any physical perception of vibration not through your cochlea.
Certainly their extension rarely matches decent headphones but in appropriate desk distance nearfield you'll feel more of what they do put out.
I get that. I'm mostly a headphone person too since I don't have space for what I would consider a good enough speaker system in other areas. My 305 MKII's are just for convenience. I've got my Stax for serious listening.
Well, yeah. Why should a subpar driver and a subpar bass shaker combine to be magic?
That's what subs are for.
Unless you upgrade to the 1236....
OP
solderdude
Grand Contributor
- Thread Starter
- #468
FYI the actual driver membane (active area) is 35x35mm (measured it just now)
Given the fact that it won't move much near its edges (quite a thick membrane) the active area is about 30mm so about the same size as a HD650 membrane (32mm)
Blujackaal
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So its a 30mm driver, That even more impressive since it seems still give the Hifimans/LCD stuff a challenge. Has almost no upper mid/low treble dip like the LCDi4 & LCDX have which someone on head fi found EQ can't fix, Which is a farce since the LCDi4 is 2 grand. Sad since the Fostex headphones are a old line up?.
Could make a bomb if they found a way to use a thinner membrane if that could help with THD & bass, Which your impression on the T50RPmk3 hints to.
ZolaIII
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That's (driver & membrane) why I mentioned Fostex TH-500RP but it looks like it didn't changed much. It needs to be taken in consideration how that's (frequency response - bass roll of & 3.5 KHz dipp & bit bright) actually is traditional Foster/Onkyo tuning. While I am actually rather satisfied with that tuning (great for female vocals & classic) I don't see much of a purpose of going with such approach with planar regarding bass.
doctorjuggles
Active Member
Oh wow, those are beautiful! Zach’s work is art, in my view!
I spent ages and ages trying to decide between the Verite closed and the Eikon. Verite are excellent. Nice pics
Jesus, you don't screw around when it comes to headphones, do you??
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I want to know what rig he uses!
Roasty
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Lol.. I use headphones a whole lot more than my speaker setup. I only get the chance to enjoy music after my kids have gone to bed. Plus I don't have any other hobbies.. I figured I might as well.
Most of the stuff I use were bought after reading reviews on ASR, for eg a Benchmark dac3b/HPA4/AHB2 stack, holo spring 2, and matrix audio x-sabre pro. I have a gsx mini and woo audio 22 as my headphone amps
On the other hand, I also use quite a bit of stuff which is frowned upon on this site, for eg the uptone audio EtherRegen, "audiophile" power cables, and stupid expensive ethernet cables and USB cables and interconnects..
Quite fun to play both sides..!
Sound impressions? Which one do you like best?
Roasty
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Abyss 1266 TC Phi
pros
- sheer power and technical prowess
- best, chest thumping, deep bass
- widest soundstage and yet has pinpoint imaging
cons
- comfort. good fit requires some tweaking with pads and frame adjustment
- the best sound comes with having the headphone pads rest as loosely as possible on your head, with some gaps between skin and pads for the best bass. a bit of head movement will shift it out of position
- need to build your system up around the 1266 to get the best out of it. lots of messing around with cables etc (if you believe, or are into that kind of thing, but yes it did matter in my opinion)
Empyrean
pros
- most comfortable by far. best for long listening sessions. headphones can just disappear.
- amazing bass but just slightly behind 1266, amazing mids super luscious and smooth and thick
- great for EDM dubstep dance music etc
- pairs well with all my amps (gsx mini, hpa4, wa22) but i find it best with a clean solid state ie HPA4
- most "balanced" presentation
cons
- most sound leaking out compared to my other headphones
- this is a pro/con, but empy is very slightly bloated in mid bass region; this works well in some songs, but not so well in others.
Utopia
pros
- super fast, clean
- analytical
- pinpoint imaging
- transparent. music comes out of nowhere
- amazing highs/treble without any hint of sibilance
- extremely effortless presentation of music
- comfort, love the soft pads
cons
- not as much bass as my other headphones, but definitely not lacking as others have said. i find it has a good amount of clean, textured and detailed bass, and it is there when the music calls for it
- needs a good cable and i find it sounds better with my tube amp than solid state
- least widest soundstage, with a more forward presentation. mids and highs are pushed forwards.
Verite Closed (these are my second pair. i had monkeypod VC before and sold them)
pros
- closed headphones, least sound leakage
- surprisingly wide soundstage
- good mids
- detailed, but not as good as utopia/1266
cons
- a bit heavy
- gets hot with the leather pads. cant listen for long in a non airconditioned room (im at the equator) without getting sweaty and uncomfortable
- bass is a bit more than Utopia, but much less in amount and impact than 1266 and Empy
- not as airy up top, not as transparent
- highs can get a bit shouty at times. overall a more forward presentation.
- highs are a bit rolled off, and sounds thick and veiled
- sounds better with my tube amp than solid state
- makes poorly recorded music sound really really bad
some thoughts..
- listening with VC, and then moving on to open backed headphones, you can really hear the difference an open backed headphone has, in that it is much airier up top, and sounds like there is more space in between instruments
- VC sound to me depends a lot on the wood. with monkeypod i had an echoey reverb sensation with music, like a trailing edge.; this was one of the reasons i sold it. i did not hear the reverb with leopardwood, thankfully.
- to me, the most "balanced" and enjoyable sound is Empy. truly an amazing headphone.
- for short quick wham bam thank you maam sessions, i reach for the 1266 and just sit in awe at the music.
- Utopia is great for jazz. great if you are wanna analyse music. amazing with tube amps. very ethereal feel, almost natural/organic/flowing. i had a pair, sold it (stupid me), and ended up buying a new one 2 weeks later.
@Roasty I live about 25 miles from where the Abyss headphones are made, but refuse to try them at my local stereo shop, because I know i will never stop wanting them, lol. I'm just glad they look very unruly, makes me think they are too much of a pain to be worth it, which is good for my poor wallet.
Roasty
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Haha that's a smart move.. I went in to the shop just intending to have a casual chit chat, and the guy offered to let me have a quick listen to the 1266 paired with a WA33 amp. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I left.. And the rest is history.
