Happy Cake Day @Lothar_Wolf!
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@Lothar_Wolf Geez… that’s some collection. I was heavily influenced on closed by listening to a friends. But I’ve loved my Grado’s for years, then when I got the Cobalt they sounded flat. But now that I understand a little bit on how to tune Roon, things have changed thanks to the help from this group. What is your favorite pair of Grado’s to pair with the Cobalt/Roon/Mac? (And I guess the type of music would be another variable).
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First, I’d like you to know that I trust the ears of @Lothar_Wolf, @generic, and @Torq very much. I find that @Torq’s ears are much more highly trained than mine, and that I am certain that he hears things that I do not. With regard to the other two, @generic seems to have more irritation with high frequencies if they are the least bit shouty, whereas both @Lothar_Wolf and I seem - at least to me to have similar tolerances. You can rely on the advice of any of these people given that they (we) are all careful to note about differences in use cases and individuals.
I thought that I was more sensitive than most regarding the two-space issue with closed backs. I’d not seen @Torq’s commentary about closed back planars before. As I think back the only closed back that I ever liked was years ago, the KOSS ESP-6, and electrostatic. It had a rather deep dish construction.
@Lothar_Wolf and I both like Grados, but he’s had many more of them than I have. Personally, my favorite is the RS1e with Beautiful Audio hybrid pads. These pads improve bass, help tame treble, and make the RS1e an over-ear. I’ve not heard any of the closed back headphones that @Lothar_Wolf mentions, but I trust his judgment that they would be less awful than the ones I have heard. I did my on ROON EQ for my Grados, as I was never really inclined to delve deep into the convolution filters.
Like @generic, if I have the setup handy, I’d just as soon turn a knob on a Lokius as needed for my EQ.
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For $1,500 or less in the Audeze line, sounds like a new ($1,200) or used (around $850ish) pair of LCD-X 2021 version would hit your sweet spot. Just make sure it’s the 2021 version.
The LCD-X is a very, very good all-arounder. Fine detail, soundstage, imaging, tone. Very easy to drive; your DragonFly should be able to handle it.
Stock tonality of the LCD-X is fine but even better with a bit of EQ. And like nearly all Audeze headphones, the LCD-X takes EQ like a champ.
Only negative of LCD-X, like with most Audezes, is weight. They’re heavy. They’re also built like damn tanks and should last a LONG time with proper care.
You should be able to snag a used Audeze MM-500 for less than $1,500. Audeze’s latest over-ear model. Lighter, fairly neutral with even more detail than the LCD-X, designed for studio work. Other than tight clamping force, I’ve read and seen nothing but good things about them although I’ve never heard them.
If you want a less expensive option, the venerable Sennheiser-Drop HD 6XX is a constant recommendation at $220. An industry standard and classic, with some of the best mids in the business. That would mesh well with your jazz, classical and opera.
Only negative of the HD 6XX is that it’s a high-impedance headphone, so your DragonFly could struggle with it. I use mine with a JDS Atom+ desktop amp, so I can’t comment on HD 6XX performance with dongles. Hopefully someone can help you here!
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Thanks @pk500, I have a shortlist now. It is the LCD-X, Sennheiser 8xx (Drop), And the Grado GS1000x. This is purely based on video and article research. I don’t know how any of these would pair with the Cobalt. More research to come and any suggestions on this trio would be appreciated. Thanks again, Len
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For the LCD-X, the Cobalt can supply double the voltage, and 2.5 times the power needed to drive them to 120 dB/SPL (instant hearing damage). However, their 20 ohm impedance means you’ll will be more limited with the iPhone as a source (unless you use Apple’s powered Lightning to USB 3 adapter, per @pennstac’s post, above).
With the Sennheiser 8xx you’re going to be a bit more limited. 108 dB/SPL from those will put the Cobalt on its rails. It’ll have plenty of “power” (current) left, but will be out of voltage. That’ll still yield 23 dB of headroom when listening at 80 dB/SPL though, so should be fine. And it shouldn’t be an issue coming straight off an iPhone, even without a powered adapter.
The Cobalt will take the GS1000x all the way to 120 dB/SPL, but with less margin than the LCD-X. The Grado’s will draw about twice the power as the LCD-X
Can’t speak to the synergy of any of those cans with the Cobalt.
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Thanks @Torq for explaining the technicals regarding these choices. Also, sounds like regardless of which I choose, the Apple adapter is a good small investment. I am trying to keep this whole setup portable so I can use it on my walks.
So I decided to go with the Grado’s and they are on order. I decided that the weight of the Audeze was not going to work. Also ruled out the Sennheiser because of size and the technical limits. The other news is that in order to satisfy my desire to have a pair of closed-back headphones, I made an impulse by on the Drop Meze 99’s. Two pair below the $1500 budget.
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Nice contrast on the sound signature of those two cans. Couldn’t be much more different, so that will give you nice options.
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Reference dongle DAC product when it came out 2019.Although still quite good there are so many equally good products now in the 100 to 150 dollar price range.
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