DEALUX
Active Member
As of recently, the HD800. They sound impressively clear but slightly sharp with oratory's EQ. They get eerily close to an ideal sound on headphones, i.e. a sound that is very close to speakers.
I will try it again if I ever get the chance, but I can't imagine too many people loving the 820 and based on quite a bit of reading from those who own or have owned it, it seems to be a bit polarizing. What specifically do you enjoy so much about it and what other similarly appointed flagship closed back headphone do you have experience with? I just ask to get an idea of your frame of reference.
Yes, I owned one of the very first HE560s with the SMC connector purchased from Razor Dog Audio. I drove my HE560 from a custom speaker tap cable and used an integrated amp that is stable delivering 300watts into 4ohms and there wasn't a hint of anything out of whack. Absolutely loved the HE560. I have since owned the HE400i and still own the Edition X V2 and I have NEVER had a single issue at all, nada problem.
Yes that is the connector. As much as they are a pain in the ass, they are robust for sure. Sadly I sold my HE560 something that I regret, and absolutely they needed juice. I actually had a speaker tap cable made by Trevor at Norne Audio so that I could drive the HE560 directly from the speaker terminals of my NAD M3 integrated which provides plenty of rock solid power.Is SMC the screw in nightmare connector? I have a pair! They do need a bit of juice, dont they ?
What's your budget?
If you can spring for them the HD820's are probably the best closed 'phones still in production.
I’m looking at Neumann NDH20‘s as an option.
Now if the HD820 is an upgrade to the HD800s then that’s a different scenario.
The closed back would be for use at work or listening in bed when my wife is sleeping so doesn’t necessarily need to be absolute top tier.
Rank them.
I will try to, but life is crazy. But essentially Sony cooked the bass from about 50Hz through 100Hz. I start to adjust in the middle so that I can attenuate the lowest frequencies without killing the sub bass. Sub bass is typically not so present that even if emphasized a touch it won't really do much so I tend not to worry about it. However, bass from around 40Hz through 125Hz is very impactful and typically overcooked in consumer tunings.@A Surfer Thanks for the suggestion on ditching the Sony app and using the Onkyo player app for the EQ. It's really capable and you were right about the Sony app. I tried your settings with it and like it. If you have a chance to post a screenshot that would be excellent.
@amirm has been posting his eq settings to dial in the various speakers he measures to dial them in as close to the reference line as he can. I think that's a super valuable resource for people. If the same could be applied for headphones to help people get the best out of them. If there are measurements available for headphones then community members could also post up their eq settings.
Well, I am actually using my LCD-2 Fazor and I have tried the Classics and the pre-Fazor. All of them sound weird, being the Fazor one the closest to my ears you can get to neutrality. Measurement-wise, I think they are an improved HD 600 in terms of distortion mainly, and they seem to be better behaved across the board.I think the Classics have a 10kHz dip according to Oratory1990. Are you using pre-Fazor? Anyway, if they’re not comfortable that settles it.
Well, I am actually using my LCD-2 Fazor and I have tried the Classics and the pre-Fazor. All of them sound weird, being the Fazor one the closest to my ears you can get to neutrality. Measurement-wise, I think they are an improved HD 600 in terms of distortion mainly, and they seem to be better behaved across the board.
Actually the Fazored version already measures well without EQ (unlike my HD 800 which needs an obligatory EQ to be listenable). I like them without EQ though.I wouldn’t use them without at least the Reveal plugin EQ preset. The drivers handle quite a bit of EQ without a problem.
It really doesn't. You might start to understand how flawed they are after a while. I've used mine for about 6 months and eventually sold them.Actually the Fazored version already measures well without EQ (unlike my HD 800 which needs an obligatory EQ to be listenable). I like them without EQ though.
Politely, I do not agree with you. Let's address both measurements you brought up with actual graphs (thanks to Solderdude and DIY Audio Heaven for providing the measurements):It really doesn't. You might start to understand how flawed they are after a while. I've used mine for about 6 months and eventually sold them.
Even with EQ they suffer from a lack of clarity but they do have that warm timbre that persists with EQ that is somewhat pleasant but equally annoying. You can see in oratory's graph that they have a 1K bump and his profile addresses that but on my pair and on my ears, that wasn't just a mere bump. It was a very annoying ringing peak that you essentially more or less start to notice in everything that you listen to. Vocals in particular have a weird warmth to them that other headphones don't have, yes, even with EQ. That peak can't really be EQ-ed out properly for some reason and it makes voices (when female singers sing very loud for instance) or pianos sound resonant (i.e. you can literally hear your ears ring at that frequency).
The HD800 has slightly worse bass perhaps in terms of distortion but the impact is actually quite good, maybe even better in many instances (more dynamic). The LCD-2 seems punchier a lot of the time because it has that thick bass but it lacks clarity compared to the HD800. With the LCD-2 it feels like everything is going through a weird warmth filter (perhaps the thick pads) that muddies the sound from top to bottom. When you actually listen to the HD800 with oratory's EQ (though I recommend a more conservative bass shelf) there is a stark difference in terms of clarity compared to the LCD-2. It feels like instruments and voices are physically there (i.e. clear) as opposed to the muddy sound of the LCD-2.
It's a shame because I think the LCD-2 might actually be the more capable driver overall. It just suffers tremendously from tuning problems.
It really doesn't. You might start to understand how flawed they are after a while. I've used mine for about 6 months and eventually sold them.
Even with EQ they suffer from a lack of clarity but they do have that warm timbre that persists with EQ that is somewhat pleasant but equally annoying. You can see in oratory's graph that they have a 1K bump and his profile addresses that but on my pair and on my ears, that wasn't just a mere bump. It was a very annoying ringing peak that you essentially more or less start to notice in everything that you listen to. Vocals in particular have a weird warmth to them that other headphones don't have, yes, even with EQ. That peak can't really be EQ-ed out properly for some reason and it makes voices (when female singers sing very loud for instance) or pianos sound resonant (i.e. you can literally hear your ears ring at that frequency).
The HD800 has slightly worse bass perhaps in terms of distortion but the impact is actually quite good, maybe even better in many instances (more dynamic). The LCD-2 seems punchier a lot of the time because it has that thick bass but it lacks clarity compared to the HD800. With the LCD-2 it feels like everything is going through a weird warmth filter (perhaps the thick pads) that muddies the sound from top to bottom. When you actually listen to the HD800 with oratory's EQ (though I recommend a more conservative bass shelf) there is a stark difference in terms of clarity compared to the LCD-2. It feels like instruments and voices are physically there (i.e. clear) as opposed to the muddy sound of the LCD-2.
It's a shame because I think the LCD-2 might actually be the more capable driver overall. It just suffers tremendously from tuning problems.
As I said, they are good, but there are not perfect curve the encompasses everyone. They measure really well though.I owned the LCD2F and thought it was a very engaging sound signature. Perfect, nope, but for some people it may actually be perfect.