Soldato
K550 are pretty decent for soundstage for a closed back, had the MK1 & the MK3, definitely worth and audition.
what headphones do you own thread - i own dt150's :)
- Thread starter garyfl
- Start date
K550 are pretty decent for soundstage for a closed back, had the MK1 & the MK3, definitely worth and audition.
Thanks. It doesnt look like anyone has them for sale (even ebay) mkiii would be needed for detachable cable so a mic can be connected
Soldato
Nice DAC, I've been fancying one of those myself but as I don't EQ a lot of it's features would be wasted - good choice of headphones too
Associate
Nice DAC, I've been fancying one of those myself but as I don't EQ a lot of it's features would be wasted - good choice of headphones too
Thanks, i am happy i made the right choice after research,
It sounds rather phenomenal, looks good as well, the bass is deeper compared to the marantz-hd-dac1 that i have , every music track sounds more distinctively different, it sounds well no comprise.
Nice bit of professional gear.
Dan.
Associate
Since exploring the options on this amp dac, the loudness feature is very nice, i don't know how rdi pulled that one off but if a song sounds distant i.e. not loud enough, you turn on loudness it sounds loud as in if the artist recorded it as loud and sounds like that naturally and not artificial.
I like the way rdi did their instruction manual they give explanation regarding all of the features, so anyone including an idiot will know how it all works.
8.5 Loudness Another legacy of HiFi amplifiers: there has not been a single one missing a feature called Loudness. It tries to address the changes in frequency-dependent hearing sensitivity over different volume levels. If one listens to music loud, then drops the level by at least 20 dB, sound loses punch and glitter. HiFi amps tried to fight this effect by adding more bass and treble the lower the volume was set. Unfortunately that never worked as intended, and just became an additional bass/treble booster. Reason: the manufacturer of the HiFi amp could not know what volume any position of the volume knob equals at the customer’s home. Room size, room dampening and efficiency of the used speakers are all unknown. But the effect of loss in perceived sound exists (read about the Fletcher-Munson curves), and can be easily reproduced with any serious gear by comparing normal volume and DIM state (usually -20 dB). The ADI-2 DAC offers Loudness for the analog stereo outputs, and probably is the first time that Loudness works as intended. The user can decide how much maximum gain in Bass and Treble should occur at lower volume settings. The user also sets the Low Vol Reference, where maximum gain is achieved. After extensive tests a 20 dB range has been defined as range for maximum gain to no gain while increasing volume. That seemed to be the perfect definition of the range that needs to be addressed by Loudness. Here is an example on how it works: the user’s typical lowest level listening volume is at -35 dB at the unit. This value is now set by the user as Low Vol Ref in the Loudness menu. Then Bass and Treble Gain can be set between 0 and +10 dB. Default is +7 dB for both. Increasing the volume by turning the Volume knob causes the gain in Bass and Treble to be lowered smoothly over a range of 20 dB. So when Volume is set to -15 dB, the music is not only quite loud, but Loudness’ Bass and Treble are then at 0 dB gain. See chapter 31.8 for graphs. No matter how sensitive the connected phones or speakers are, no matter how much increase in Bass and Treble are desired – with the ADI-2 DAC one can finally adjust it to meet the personal hearing and taste. Loudness finally works as it should have worked from the start - another unique feature in the ADI-2 DAC. Note: Loudness works best in Auto Ref Level mode due to the seamless dBr scale of the volume control. Without Auto Ref Level active, manually changing the Ref Level will change the volume without changing the VOLume value (dB). As Loudness is referenced to a 'Low Vol Ref' setting it then might no longer work as intended, and needs the Low Vol Ref value to be adjusted.
From > https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dac_e.pdf
that is all,
Dan
I like the way rdi did their instruction manual they give explanation regarding all of the features, so anyone including an idiot will know how it all works.
8.5 Loudness Another legacy of HiFi amplifiers: there has not been a single one missing a feature called Loudness. It tries to address the changes in frequency-dependent hearing sensitivity over different volume levels. If one listens to music loud, then drops the level by at least 20 dB, sound loses punch and glitter. HiFi amps tried to fight this effect by adding more bass and treble the lower the volume was set. Unfortunately that never worked as intended, and just became an additional bass/treble booster. Reason: the manufacturer of the HiFi amp could not know what volume any position of the volume knob equals at the customer’s home. Room size, room dampening and efficiency of the used speakers are all unknown. But the effect of loss in perceived sound exists (read about the Fletcher-Munson curves), and can be easily reproduced with any serious gear by comparing normal volume and DIM state (usually -20 dB). The ADI-2 DAC offers Loudness for the analog stereo outputs, and probably is the first time that Loudness works as intended. The user can decide how much maximum gain in Bass and Treble should occur at lower volume settings. The user also sets the Low Vol Reference, where maximum gain is achieved. After extensive tests a 20 dB range has been defined as range for maximum gain to no gain while increasing volume. That seemed to be the perfect definition of the range that needs to be addressed by Loudness. Here is an example on how it works: the user’s typical lowest level listening volume is at -35 dB at the unit. This value is now set by the user as Low Vol Ref in the Loudness menu. Then Bass and Treble Gain can be set between 0 and +10 dB. Default is +7 dB for both. Increasing the volume by turning the Volume knob causes the gain in Bass and Treble to be lowered smoothly over a range of 20 dB. So when Volume is set to -15 dB, the music is not only quite loud, but Loudness’ Bass and Treble are then at 0 dB gain. See chapter 31.8 for graphs. No matter how sensitive the connected phones or speakers are, no matter how much increase in Bass and Treble are desired – with the ADI-2 DAC one can finally adjust it to meet the personal hearing and taste. Loudness finally works as it should have worked from the start - another unique feature in the ADI-2 DAC. Note: Loudness works best in Auto Ref Level mode due to the seamless dBr scale of the volume control. Without Auto Ref Level active, manually changing the Ref Level will change the volume without changing the VOLume value (dB). As Loudness is referenced to a 'Low Vol Ref' setting it then might no longer work as intended, and needs the Low Vol Ref value to be adjusted.
From > https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dac_e.pdf
that is all,
Dan
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Soldato
Yes, I've heard the manual is a bit of a novel - good old German attention to detail 
I have senn hd650, ie800s and have a pair of sony xm4 arriving today to see if they can replace the hd650 purely because of the sound leakage. The senns are such an amazing listen I just hope the compromises to sound quality are made up with conveniance
I have AKG k702s and am tempted to try some HD650s after reading reviews. The thing putting me off is possible clamping (headband too tight) causing pressure on the head / ears and how a microphone can be connected.
Im using a vmoda boom pro mic which is a 3.5mm male connection. I use a 3.5mm female to mini xlr on the AKGs. The 650s appear to have 2 small prongs on each ear cup. What connection are these and do you know if a 3.5mm female adapter can be added?
Xm4s will probably be totally different sounding to the 650s
Thanks. Will look into a connector.
I may just look for 2nd hand as they will be not as tight
Need to work out the connector situation but they appear to use Cardas hspc conmectors. These can be bought (pair) for £15 but need to custom mod the ends to 3.5mm female or mini xlr.
Isnt it a bit annoying having cables from both left and right cans? I’ve always had headphone with just a single cable from the left can.
http://www.cardas.com/hpsc.php
Soldato
Most of the headphones I’ve owned are twin cables and the only time it has annoyed me is when the headphone design is symmetrical front to back, forcing you to check which way round they are lol.
I think the Sony cans are good for ANC models, but it would surprise me if they match the HD650.
I keep pondering the Massdrop HD6xx... I'll probably order next time they are on offer and there is a remote chance of my going to the US.
Soldato
Closest is the DT1770 (closed) or DT1990 (Semi-open) - the step up in quality comes with increased cost but they do use a mini XLR like the K702
Im dubious about the 440g weight over my AKG K702s 235g!
That being said, i've ordered some at £377 inc and should have no issues returning if I don't like them in any way
ThanksWhere did you order fromIm dubious about the 440g weight over my AKG K702s 235g!
That being said, i've ordered some at £377 inc and should have no issues returning if I don't like them in any way