what headphones do you own thread - i own dt150's :)
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Soldato
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That is true scientifically but just doesn't seem to translate that way for me, speakers including when they are super low sensitivity.
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Soldato
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So have you bought the HE1000se or have it on loan? That's one headphone I've not listen to and many people recommended as a true upgrade to the HD600.
Borrowing but if they live up to legend then I could buy them depending on price, Need to compare to Arya extensively to make sure the additional cost can be justified.
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Caporegime
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re the oiled joints in the headband on the Survara, and not the others in the Hifiman lineup. I just had a thought, I have some gun oil (I have it for an air pistol)…surely they would work to lubricate it adequately if not perfectly, since it’s for metal to metal contact.
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I can confirm the smooth joints exist on the HE1000se as well, seems the silver headband with the stainless steel tyop bit is factory smoothed/oiled, though onr eddit some say their Aryas are perfectly smooth which I find odd, maybe our interpretation of "smooth" is different? I have had two Aryas now, one pre-facelift packaging, and one post, both have grinding joints:
not had a chance to listen to them yet, will be in the next hour or so.
not had a chance to listen to them yet, will be in the next hour or so.
I forgot to say that I could not get Bluetooth connected via my phone the DX5 II, just doesn't show up at all which is weird, I suspect a compatibility issue and a FW update needed for another thing on it....
Alright so having listened to some select music now that /should/ highlight the differences in timbre and stuff like that, here's what I have found:
* That is the amount I have to dial in to work around the HP output channel imbalance, this reduces power output of course so now have to dial in more volume, instead of -28dB, it's now at -20dB to get the same loudness that I often use. Thankfully the X9 remembers all of these settings on a per-output basis, worth noting @Raymond Lin as you can continue using this as a headphone amp too I guess, just dial in some more volume to make up for the dB loss having to adjust the balance. Whether the imbalance drifts over time is another question, this is only for the headphones outputs obviously. XLR/RCA out have no issues so feel free to use it as a DAC/pre-amp as well.
For the below I swapped around the earpads too with the Voarmaks memory foam velour pads that I big up often because they're so comfortable and generally nice. The stock pads on both headphones do have that brightness peak that is controlled with the memory foam pads, soundstage and imaging remains unaffected.
Both were also left on the same volume throughout, at -20dB
^ On this track the Saxophone starts on the left channel and then switches to the right, pay attention to the air that's audible as the player blows into it and how detailed and the sax is placed in each ear. With the Arya Stealth it's very detailed and airy, but with the HE1000se it's more so, like as if the Sax has been brought closer to you somehow without affecting the soundstage which remains the same between both headphones.
^The side instruments and effects coming in and out are more alive on the HE1000se. Like before, the main vocals remain spaced out nicely but have better timbre.
^ The bassline kicks in early with this track and is one of the reasons I added this to the curated hifi playlist as it sounds so good on the Arya Stealth. The HE1000se seems to take everything the Arya has with this track and just make the imaging more refined, not a huge deal different but enough to be noticeable. Bass between both is the same far as I can tell.
^ On the HE1000se this one is presented in a circular bubble of music, I say bubble as the soundstage and image has noticeable verticality that isn't as pronounced on the Arya Stealth makes the track feel more like a live stage event when eyes are closed with the instruments echoing around the walls
^ Bass track, I posted this track before and noted how incredible the bass sounds on the Arya, well the HE1000se improves on that with slightly better bass extension that you feel in your face (!) - Both have the exact same frequency response, and even though 8Hz isn't audible to the ear, it can be felt , I think because the driver diaphragm is more open with bigger gaps between the magnets, and bigger magnets on the se, this helps this bass extension elevate on tracks like this.
^ A really fast and dynamic track, the imaging is excellent in it and there's lots going on, the Arya handles it really well, once again the HE100se refines it even further and makes it more fun.
Overall what has become clear is that vocals are given a bigger focus with this, the timbre and way vocals pop out vs the Arya is impressive. I don't think it's a £1000 improvement, though, but if the rest of the qualities physical, visual and stuff is better then "maybe" it can be justified as end-game headphones?
The bass extension rolls off slower too which gives a better sense of drama/action in energetic music such as:
^ That track already sounds amazing on the Arya, but now it has that extension that dominates the background without impacting anything else in the score.
I was not wowed by the Susvara both physically and sonically compared to my Arya Stealth but I am genuinely impressed by the HE1000se. I like the same comfort of the egg shape and verticality of sound that the Susvara did not seem to have.
Now to find out what the mates rate deal will be before deciding if the outlay is worth the jump
Alright so having listened to some select music now that /should/ highlight the differences in timbre and stuff like that, here's what I have found:
* That is the amount I have to dial in to work around the HP output channel imbalance, this reduces power output of course so now have to dial in more volume, instead of -28dB, it's now at -20dB to get the same loudness that I often use. Thankfully the X9 remembers all of these settings on a per-output basis, worth noting @Raymond Lin as you can continue using this as a headphone amp too I guess, just dial in some more volume to make up for the dB loss having to adjust the balance. Whether the imbalance drifts over time is another question, this is only for the headphones outputs obviously. XLR/RCA out have no issues so feel free to use it as a DAC/pre-amp as well.
For the below I swapped around the earpads too with the Voarmaks memory foam velour pads that I big up often because they're so comfortable and generally nice. The stock pads on both headphones do have that brightness peak that is controlled with the memory foam pads, soundstage and imaging remains unaffected.
Both were also left on the same volume throughout, at -20dB
Overall what has become clear is that vocals are given a bigger focus with this, the timbre and way vocals pop out vs the Arya is impressive. I don't think it's a £1000 improvement, though, but if the rest of the qualities physical, visual and stuff is better then "maybe" it can be justified as end-game headphones?
The bass extension rolls off slower too which gives a better sense of drama/action in energetic music such as:
^ That track already sounds amazing on the Arya, but now it has that extension that dominates the background without impacting anything else in the score.
I was not wowed by the Susvara both physically and sonically compared to my Arya Stealth but I am genuinely impressed by the HE1000se. I like the same comfort of the egg shape and verticality of sound that the Susvara did not seem to have.
Now to find out what the mates rate deal will be before deciding if the outlay is worth the jump
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Caporegime
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Thanks, btw, I tried my DX5 II with BT, it works here.
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My trusty Sony WH-1000XM3s. I purposely don't try any of the later Sony models for fear of the need to upgrade!
Caporegime
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Yeah, iPhone 14 Pro. It paired no problem. I did it to test when the unit was switching outputs.
Soldato
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"maybe" it can be justified as end-game headphones"
lol, never going to happen, audio bug doesn't work like that, as I said a while back when you was happy with the K11 and Ananda it wouldn't be long before your shelling out grands for headphones and amps/dacs, once you've got the bug it's hard to stop.
lol, never going to happen, audio bug doesn't work like that, as I said a while back when you was happy with the K11 and Ananda it wouldn't be long before your shelling out grands for headphones and amps/dacs, once you've got the bug it's hard to stop.
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Caporegime
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So how much did you pay?
Caporegime
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That's not too bad.