What headphone(s) do you own ?

[ADU]

Some reviews to give you a couple other opinions...

 

[RHO]

Some reviews to give you a couple other opinions...

Zeos? Really? The most dishonest storyteller of them all.

 

[Angel II]

Here is what I can tell you, Angel II. My 250-ohm DT-770 has an efficiency or sensitivity (I can never remember which is which, so I just give both to avoid the confusion) of about 94.5 dB/mW or 100.5 dB/V. Whereas the Senn HD650 is about 100.5 dB/mW or 105 dB/V. These figures are from RAA.

It probably depends on how loud you like to play your music. But this should mean that the HD650 needs a somewhat less powerful amp than my 250 ohm DT-770 needs to reach the same volume. Based on that, I think the HA543 might have sufficient power to drive the HD650. The HD650 is quite a popular headphone with alot of audiophiles, so I would be surprised if the folks at Rolls/Bellari did not do test drive this with the HA543.

Whether you'll like its sound though on the HD650 is another question. Because the HA543 was designed (I think) primarily for accuracy and studio use. And its low impedance (<1 ohm) solid state amp stays pretty dang flat, regardless of what you throw at it. So it probably won't give the same sense of warmth that, for example, a higher impedance tube might with certain kinds of headphones, including some Senns.

The bottom line is that if your headphones are on the brighter or shriller side, you are probably gonna hear it with this amp. Although I haven't tried it with a wide variety headphones, based on my experience with the DT-770, I suspect it is very unforgiving in that respect. I wanted something that would be as flat and uncolored as possible though for my gear. So I could tell more easily where the flaws were in different headphones. And it seems to do the job on that.

The amp is not balanced all the way though btw. I think you'd have to shell out a bit more $$ to get a decent balanced amp. It will accept balanced XLR inputs. But it does not have a balance headphone output. Since I don't have any headphones with balanced cables, this doesn't matter to me.

There is also an "Enhance" feature on the HA543, which seems to boost the bass and treble relative to the mids. But I don't use that because it distorts the frequency response too much imo. (And the DT-770 certainly doesn't need any more help in the treble department).

The main draws on the HA543 for me were it's XLR inputs, power, flat response, low price, and it's fairly durable construction. I was a little disappointed with it's rather small size at first. And wish it were a little bigger and heavier, and would stay put a little better. But aside from that, it has done a very good job.

I can't remember if Bellari makes a tube amp for headphones. But I know they have some preamps as well. If you ask for the tech support guy at Rolls, he should be able to answer most of your questions about the Bellari line. I've always found him pretty helpful.

Thank you for your description, you have been very thorough. The HD 650 (2013) is not a ringing headphone and I really like this feature. I usually listen with the equalizer and I don't like to accentuate the highs too much anyway. In this weekend I tried the Sabaj A10h (neutral) and I was incredibly surprised, I absolutely never imagined compatibility with an HD 650. The volume was more than enough for a good listening .. incredible because this test was not designed for HD 650.

 

[ADU]

Zeos? Really? The most dishonest storyteller of them all.

I'm not a huge Z fan. And would like to see some better reviews of the HA543, with some actual measurements. But those don't seem to be available... Why, I don't really know. (?) Because I'm pretty sure that Rolls/Bellari would be happy to oblige anyone who wanted to do one. And it would also be interesting to see the results.

 

[RHO]

I'm not a huge Z fan. And would like to see some better reviews of the HA543, with some actual measurements. But those don't seem to be available... Why, I don't really know. (?) Because I'm pretty sure that Rolls/Bellari would be happy to oblige anyone who wanted to do one. And it would also be interesting to see the results.

Zeos does not do reviews. Zeos does hype stories for companies that provide for his income.

 

[raistlin65]

I'm not a huge Z fan. And would like to see some better reviews of the HA543, with some actual measurements. But those don't seem to be available... Why, I don't really know. (?) Because I'm pretty sure that Rolls/Bellari would be happy to oblige anyone who wanted to do one. And it would also be interesting to see the results.

Subjective opinions, especially from sources like Zeos, do not become more reliable simply because objective measurements are not available.

 

[Doodski]

I have 2 different headphones both Sennheiser. The HD 598SR and the GAME ONE.

 

[SchwarzeWolke]

AKG K371 BT
Sennheiser HD6XX
Hifiman HE-4XX
Beyerdynamic DT770 80 Ohm
Focal Clear mg

 

[ADU]

Subjective opinions, especially from sources like Zeos, do not become more reliable simply because objective measurements are not available.

I'm not sure why you think this applies especially to Zeos. But would agree with the general thrust of your above comment that the absence of available measurements does not make subjective opinions any more valid. Nor, I think, does it make them any less valid.

They are what they are. And you can either take them or leave them as you see fit... until perhaps something a little better comes along, I suppose. (?)

 

[RHO]

I'm not sure why you think this applies especially to Zeos. But would agree with the general thrust of your above comment that the absence of available measurements does not make subjective opinions any more valid. Nor, I think, does it make them any less valid.

They are what they are. And you can either take them or leave them as you see fit... until perhaps something a little better comes along, I suppose. (?)

I think especially in the case of Z because his opinion expressed in his stories is not an honest one.

 

[sfdoddsy]

Just sold my long term HD580 & my short term HD560S. SO my sole headphone is now the ATH-R70x (with cool red Brainwavz perforated pads) .

Plus I have 7Hz Timeless IEMs, Airpod Pros for moving and EQed Shure SE215s for sleeping.

 

[raistlin65]

I think especially in the case of Z because his opinion expressed in his stories is not an honest one.

Yep.

Might as well not waste one's time watching a 30 minute video of the rambling audio goblin. Just read the manufacturer's product page marketing prose and base the purchasing decision on that. lol

 

[ADU]

Yep.

Might as well not waste one's time watching a 30 minute video of the rambling audio goblin. Just read the manufacturer's product page marketing prose and base the purchasing decision on that. lol

You could certainly do that. But then you'd miss all of Z's strange POV camera work, and weird digressions.

 

[ADU]

I think especially in the case of Z because his opinion expressed in his stories is not an honest one.

Why do you think his opinions are not honest, or less honest than other reviewers, RHO?

 

[raistlin65]

You could certainly do that. But then you'd miss all of Z's strange POV camera work, and weird digressions.

Oh, I forgot about that. And I ought to see which waifu poster he is currently lusting over. lol

 

[RHO]

Why do you think his opinions are not honest, or less honest than other reviewers, RHO?

Because I watched quite a few of his reviews. It's all hype. I don't believe he gives an honest opinion on what he hears or thinks he hears. He just tells what he thinks will profit him the most (more YT views/better relation with companies providing him stuff). There are others that do this, but to a lesser degree.
And then you have those that give you a much more honest account of what they think they hear. All subjective experiences. As informative as any story you can come up with regarding sound quality. But at least you get some view on the build quality and ergonomics and stuff.
But Z ... nothing honest about his stories. It's one big hype-show. It's the first of the the subjective "reviewers" I stopped watching. (many followed)

 

[ADU]

Because I watched quite a few of his reviews. It's all hype. I don't believe he gives an honest opinion on what he hears or thinks he hears. He just tells what he thinks will profit him the most (more YT views/better relation with companies providing him stuff). There are others that do this, but to a lesser degree.
And then you have those that give you a much more honest account of what they think they hear. All subjective experiences. As informative as any story you can come up with regarding sound quality. But at least you get some view on the build quality and ergonomics and stuff.
But Z ... nothing honest about his stories. It's one big hype-show. It's the first of the the subjective "reviewers" I stopped watching. (many followed)

Thank you for explaining this. I've looked at a few of Z's reviews over the last few years. Not alot by any stretch. And his reviewing process is certainly "unique", if nothing else.

The only time I'll generally look at a Z review is when I can't find better info from a more reliable source (preferably ones that include some kind of measurements). And sometimes his quick "off-the-cuff" takes will fill in one or two additional pieces of info that I didn't know or consider, which can be helpful... Because, as you say, Mr. Z often seems as interested in getting views up as anything else.

I don't think that necessarily makes him a "dishonest reviewer". But it is a bit distracting. And often less helpful than someone who's giving just their take, with maybe a few measurements to back them up a bit. I think there can be things that a more objective reviewer can miss as well though. So that's why I think both kinds of reviews can have their place.

Although I wouldn't necessarily consider someone like Steve Guttenberg (who is a self-described audiophiliac, and subjectivist) to be a highly reliable source, I have also checked out a few of his videos and headphone reviews as well. For no other reason than to get a different perspective on some of the more popular products.

 

[RHO]

Thank you for explaining this. I've looked at a few of Z's reviews over the last few years. Not alot by any stretch. And his reviewing process is certainly "unique", if nothing else.

The only time I'll generally look at a Z review is when I can't find better info from a more reliable source (preferably ones that include some kind of measurements). And sometimes his quick "off-the-cuff" takes will fill in one or two additional pieces of info that I didn't know or consider, which can be helpful... Because, as you say, Mr. Z often seems as interested in getting views up as anything else.

I don't think that necessarily makes him a "dishonest reviewer". But it is a bit distracting. And often less helpful than someone who's giving just their take, with maybe a few measurements to back them up a bit. I think there can be things that a more objective reviewer can miss as well though. So that's why I think both kinds of reviews can have their place.

Although I wouldn't necessarily consider someone like Steve Guttenberg (who is a self-described audiophiliac, and subjectivist) to be a highly reliable source, I have also checked out a few of his videos and headphone reviews as well. For no other reason than to get a different perspective on some of the more popular products.

The main difference with other purely subjective reviewers is that I have the impression Z doesn't tell you what he thinks about the product (real qualities or imagined makes no difference in this case) but what he thinks makes he video get the most amount of clicks or/and makes his sponsors most happy. I don't really cares about the product or is very interested in what differences he can hear. He just constructs a hype story that attracts attention to him/his video.
Other subjective reviewers (not all) give you their honest subjective review of a product. With all the imaginary attributes and such included. But at least they tell you what they think they hear. Those reviews are as useful as Z reviews as purchase advise goes (regarding audio performance). But I can get some info regarding build and ergonomics and connectivity etc from those. They are at least more reliable in that regard than what Z is telling.

But a real review has to contain objective data. Without that they are generally useless.

 

[ADU]

Other subjective reviewers (not all) give you their honest subjective review of a product.

But if it's just their opinion, then how do you know they're being honest with you, and Z is not?

 

[RHO]

But if it's just their opinion, then how do you know they're being honest with you, and Z is not?

That is my suspicion. Looking at what he is saying and comparing that with what others are saying.
I don't think every other subjectivist reviewer is honest. But I think there are others that give their much more honest opinion about a product. At least that is my impression.
That doesn't change the fact that I don't put any value on that opinion (about the SQ of a product).