Post Pictures Of Your Headphone Setup

[Young Skywalker]

I've gotten my Ultrasone Edition 9 headphones already. I like them but some people may not. I didn't end up getting a Rudistor RPO10B MkII amplifier but I don't care because instead of that one I'm getting something else. Hopefully the amplifier will get here in about one or two months. Hopefully anyway. I was going to get my Edition 9 headphones balanced because the amplifier is balanced but then I will probably need a balanced CD player as well. Oh well that will be my next purchase, a balanced CD player.

Hi snake eyes,

I have Ultrasone Edition 9s also. May I ask what headphone amp you ended up ordering? I have a Yamamoto HA-02 and the combination is very nice indeed.

Cheers,

Aaron

[rippingdragon]

I have Etymotic ER-4P for portable/travel/gym use.

In the office I use Modified Denon D2000s with a Headamp Pico DAC/Amp combo.

[Dread]

I have a pair off Sennheiser HD600 after grabbing a good deal from the Chicken man. Amazing headphones. One day I will do thme justice and get a headphone amp but they sound great through my amp as is so no hurry in getting one.

[jrisles]

See my signature

[jrisles]

I have a pair off Sennheiser HD600 after grabbing a good deal from the Chicken man. Amazing headphones. One day I will do thme justice and get a headphone amp but they sound great through my amp as is so no hurry in getting one.

If you ever get the chance get yourself a Yamamoto HA-02 amp. They are just awesome with this amp. They are indeed a special headphone

[4heckssake]

Interesting jrisles, i've recently acquired a yamamoto HA-2 and use Senn HD650's but have been told that they are not the best combo and that I should really try some audio technicas (am thinking about W1000's). what's your thoughts on that as you seem to own a nice selection of cans including the W5000. thanks

4hecks

[braddo]

I found the Yamamoto sounded more than decent with every phone I threw at it, including AT-W5000. In fact, i don't prefer one phone over the other when it comes down to Edition9 vs W5000 vs K701 with the Yammamoto. I could live with any of them if i could only choose one. Havn't heard HD650 but i'm sure it is excellent with the Yammy. I'd like to hear other Yammy owners opinions on this.

[4heckssake]

Thanks Brad. The HD650 sounds pretty good to me with the yammy but I don't have anything to compare it too (other than some Grado SR60's) but I'm intrigued by why there seems to be so few people running the HA-02/HD650 combo. Looking forward to hearing from others.

[RockandorRoll]

not headphones, but those earbud ones

Sennheiser CX300 i think

great little plug, heaps of bass, just hate the right side longer than the left side thing

[jrisles]

Interesting jrisles, i've recently acquired a yamamoto HA-2 and use Senn HD650's but have been told that they are not the best combo and that I should really try some audio technicas (am thinking about W1000's). what's your thoughts on that as you seem to own a nice selection of cans including the W5000. thanks

4hecks

I found the Yamamoto sounded more than decent with every phone I threw at it, including AT-W5000. In fact, i don't prefer one phone over the other when it comes down to Edition9 vs W5000 vs K701 with the Yammamoto. I could live with any of them if i could only choose one. Havn't heard HD650 but i'm sure it is excellent with the Yammy. I'd like to hear other Yammy owners opinions on this.

My experience with the Yamamato and Headphone choice differs with braddo's above. Whilst all of the cans do perform well with the yammy in as far as that they are easily driven by the yammy i do have a preference of cans i reach for when listening to music. I often interchange the K701's with the HD600's when listening to my cans. I seldom reach for the W5000's.

I listen mainly to classical (mainly chamber style of classical), modern & contemporary jazz, female acoustical, trip hop electronica (eg. Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Trespassers William etc)

Invariably when listening to classical i always plug in the Senn 600's. They are remarkle in as far as delivering the music unadulterated to my ears. The clarity is exceptional imho. I can hear every creak of the cello as it moves between the cellists legs .. i can here every bow "whisper" across the strings as the violinist prepares to play his next note ... i can at times even hear the hard breathing of the violin player as he or she really gets into the music ... it is truly a fantastic experience.

The 700's i put on when i want absolute background silence. Everything sounds alot "darker" with these cans. They are somewhat more analytical or clinical sounding .. which is why i really enjoy listening to piano pieces with these cans ... These cans also excel at classical and jazz. They are very good at reproducing the higher end of the musical register. The tizz of the cymbals are very good. Female vocalists through these cans are excellent.

I just like changing these two sets of cans when i feel like a change .. i like them almost as each other .. but tend to start listening with the 600's and usually finish off my listening session with the 600's. So i guess i do have a slight favouritism towards the 600's.

Now to the 5000's. I remember when i first got these and began listening to them how i felt like i was sitting in the middle of a large empty hall. In a cave like environment. The sound to my ears sounded a little to "artificial" if you like, too much "reverb". Some people might like this sense of "sitting in a large empty "echoey" hall" .. but it is not for me. Listening to these headphones is alot different when compared to the 600's & 701's imho. I have tried to like the 5000's but we just don't get on ... so i don't use them all that often .. i forced myself to listen only to the 5000's over a period spanning a month .. thinking that it was a sound i needed to get use to ... but even after a month of continuous listening once i reverted back to the 600's or the 701's .. man it was like discovering something fantastic all over again. I have no intention of selling the 5000's as i think having many different cans is a good thing when it comes to wanting to compare the differences. The continuous comparisons between the different headphones allows me to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each. By listening to what i don't like with one set of headphones allows me to articulate what it is i really like about another set if you know what i mean?

If i had to use a one word analogy to describe all three sets of headphones i would say the following;

600's = Intimacy

701's = Direct

5000's = Space

I do intend to purchase a pair of the 650's (& even the W1000's) in the not too distant future so i can't help you out there right now. But i have no doubt that the Yammy will have no problems with powering them. I have also read in alot of other forums that the W1000's are a better match for the Yammy then the W5000's (and the 1000's cost less than the 5000's as well).

I understand that alot of people say that the 600's are not a good match with the Yammy but i think what is meant by that is that you can get even better performance from the 600's when matched with other headphone amps than you can from the yammy. I don't have this luxury of comparing different headphone amps with the same set of cans. Which i think is more of a statement about how good the 600's then anything to do with the yammy. The yammy does drive the 600's very well and they do sound awesome with the yammy imho.

I think i have owned the yammy now for at least 12mths and the cans about the same time. I really enjoy listening to the amp and i must listen to it at least 4 or 5 times a week. It really does get alot of use.

Hope this helps?

cheers

Jeff

[Dread]

Thanks for the Advice Jeff. What's your reasons for getting the 650's I have been told by many people that upgraded from the 600 to the 650 and say the 600's are far better. Not tried the 2 pairs myself to substantiate this.

[4heckssake]

wow Jeff, thanks for the excellent post. that is helpful.

like you i think the yammy probably drives a number of different cans very well.

i look forward to trying some others in the future and will probably add a W1000 or K701/2 to my Senns to get a different experience.

Dread, there are many people that prefer 600's over 650's...and there are probably just as many if not more that say the other way around. both great cans by all accounts. slightly different sound signatures apparently. haven't tried both myself either but you can find heaps that have on head-fi. some like to keep both in the fleet of phones...lucky buggers!

[jrisles]

Thanks for the Advice Jeff. What's your reasons for getting the 650's I have been told by many people that upgraded from the 600 to the 650 and say the 600's are far better. Not tried the 2 pairs myself to substantiate this.

Yes Dread .. i have heard the same as well. But then and again i have heard that the 650's are awesome. So my only reason for wanting to get a pair is to try for myself .. and let my ears be the judge. After owning both pairs for awhile i may or may not sell those that imho are the lesser of the two. So the only reason i intend to purchase the 650's is because there is alot of inconsistent views about whether they are or are not better than the 600's.

[glenn20]

I heard the 650s the other day at the Head-Fi meet, and tried a direct comparison with the 600s. To me the 650s had more bass and a recessed mid compared to the 600s.

[jrisles]

I heard the 650s the other day at the Head-Fi meet, and tried a direct comparison with the 600s. To me the 650s had more bass and a recessed mid compared to the 600s.

Yes that is what does appear to be consistent feedback between the two pairs. So i guess the reasoning for the inconsistency of reviews would determine on whether you prefer the bass or more forward mids. Because i prefer the latter i suspect that i am going to prefer the 600's.

[Dread]

Thanks for sharing your experience on the 2 senns Glenn, I be interested to hear what you find Jeff also.

Going by what you say Glenn I think I will prefer the 600 over the 650.

[PWilson]

Interesting read, Jeff.

The only closed cans I have good experience with is much lower down AT's line, the A500's. When I use these cans, it's got exactly that description you give - too much reverb. Expecially in the bass frequencies. I had read a lot that this was cured as you went up the range, but I find it interesting to read that it's still noticable with the W5000's.

I have since moved to AD700's, and then to AKG 701's, and I think it's more than safe to say I'm an open headphone man (surroundings permitting).

[2sheds]

I don't like headphones. :o Well, that's not entirely true... I love the look of 'em, can appreciate their sonic capabilities but find them claustrophobic (yes, even open style ones like Sennheisers) and uncomfortable to wear for more than a few minutes. Doesn't stop me lusting after a nice pair of Stax, though. Always have an eye for a nice pair...

I purchased some Etyomic ER-6i's for use with iPod and portable radio, but prefer some Sony MDR EX81SL's. which I can wear for an hour or so without any discomfort.

cheers

2sheds

[jaspert]

I heard the 650s the other day at the Head-Fi meet, and tried a direct comparison with the 600s. To me the 650s had more bass and a recessed mid compared to the 600s.

That's the impression i get with my Senn HD650 relative to the AKG K701.

If i'm listening to some harsh, crappy pop recording, i would grab the HD 650 as i find K701 too sibilant otherwise. For classical and jazz, it's mostly K701.

[gat474]

I've heard both of Jasper's sets of headphones and loved both for different reasons. I have some 600's which I find are just right but as I haven't directly compared them to anything else that's all I know. Funnily enough I have no urge to get anything else which is out of character for my hifi habits.

[braddo]

That was good post JRISLES. You're right about the W5000's, i describe them as 'airy' but you are better with words than me!, still the slight hollowness of these phones never bothered me, i liked the way they separated instruments, and the 'airyness' made them really 'sonic' and involving to me, cause to me they still have a 'full, lush' sound as well, i guess i just liked them! (it was hard to sell them). Still, i don't listen to classical music, and i suck at describing sounds. I usually swap between phones every couple of weeks, or depending on music choice. When i said i 'could live with any of the phones', I meant more along the lines of the yammy worked well with them all, and some people aren't as spoilt for choice as i have been. If someone put a gun to my head and said 'you can only have W5000's', i'd happily accept it.

[Soultone]

Great thread, very interesting read. So a general consensus is that HD600, HD650 or AKG 701's with a Yamamoto is the go? How much is the Yamamoto?

[jrisles]

Interesting read, Jeff.

The only closed cans I have good experience with is much lower down AT's line, the A500's. When I use these cans, it's got exactly that description you give - too much reverb. Expecially in the bass frequencies. I had read a lot that this was cured as you went up the range, but I find it interesting to read that it's still noticable with the W5000's.

I have since moved to AD700's, and then to AKG 701's, and I think it's more than safe to say I'm an open headphone man (surroundings permitting).

PWilson i have not had any experience with any of the other AT line of headphones. So i guess it all depends on ones "terms of reference" or "experience". It may well be that when you come from your position of listening to headphones that have alot of "reverb", the W5000's may appear to have no reverb at all. But when you come from listening to Senns 600 (& i suspect the 650's also) as well as the K-701's where there is absolutely no "reverb" moving to the W5000's then it is a different story. So when you move from your other AT headphones to a pair of W5000's you may not even experience what i experience because of your "terms or reference". Hope what i have tried to say above makes sense?

That was good post JRISLES. You're right about the W5000's, i describe them as 'airy' but you are better with words than me!, still the slight hollowness of these phones never bothered me, i liked the way they separated instruments, and the 'airyness' made them really 'sonic' and involving to me, cause to me they still have a 'full, lush' sound as well, i guess i just liked them! (it was hard to sell them). Still, i don't listen to classical music, and i suck at describing sounds. I usually swap between phones every couple of weeks, or depending on music choice. When i said i 'could live with any of the phones', I meant more along the lines of the yammy worked well with them all, and some people aren't as spoilt for choice as i have been. If someone put a gun to my head and said 'you can only have W5000's', i'd happily accept it.

Braddo i don't want anyone to think that what i am describing about the W5000's is in anyway suggesting that they are inferior to anything else i own. Like speakers headphones do have their own sonic signature and ALOT of people love the W5000's .. which is why i bought a pair without having the opportunity to listen to them prior to purchase (as i do with most of my purchases). I am just not as enthusiastic about them as others are & it is merely just a personal choice. I just don't like their "sound" as much as i do with the 600's & the 701's. Granted if i didn't have the 600's or the 701's i am sure i would be raving about them. But because i have the opportunity to do a direct comparison with all of these cans using the exact same equipment on the exact same music I am able to make this observation.

To tell you the truth i was quite surprised to think that i like BOTH the 600's and the 701's. The way the two camps are seperated (600's v's 701's) on forums like headfi.org you would swear that if a person liked one of these cans they would not like the other. But i actually think they are both excellent headphones.

Great thread, very interesting read. So a general consensus is that HD600, HD650 or AKG 701's with a Yamamoto is the go? How much is the Yamamoto?

Animosity i don't even know if this is a general consensus. Go on sites like headfi.org and you will read there are ALOT of people who absolutely love the W5000's with the Yammy. Indeed there are a few even on here that love this combo. The Ultrasones are another headphone that Yammy owners just love. (Unfortunately i have not had the pleasure to listen to an Ultrasone) Whichever way you go .. what does appear to be the common thread amongst all these headphone owners .. is that the yammy is a great headphone amp. My recommendation would be to get the yammy amp if you can ... there is seldom disagreement that this is a great amp at its price point. And then it really is going to come down to your personal tastes (music tastes etc) as to what headphones YOU are going to like with the amp.

Oh and to answer question regarding the cost of the yammy i think from memory is cost approx. $1200.00. It was a group SNA purchase going back a bit now. Not too sure how much it costs today but it is probably likely to have gone up a bit given the crash in the Aussie dollar. But having said that it is a Japan export and i don't know if our dollar has crashed as much against the Yen as it has against the US dollar.

Edited October 30, 2008 by jrisles

[Soultone]

Thanks JR.

[braddo]

Cheers Jrisles, equipment is a funny thing it never ends. My 701's were unused for months and i was not sure if i would use them again but they are now used equally with Edition9's and i have no preference (though UE9's are quite remarkable), going back to 701's really showed me what they can do, as well as even going back to 595's (which are a step below). I recommend anyone getting into phones have at least two pairs to (as JR said) to find strengths/weaknesses in each, it makes things really enjoyable. I still find it takes about three days in between changing phones for my ears to fully adjust to it's capabilities, i try not to change on the same day.