@bpcarb ah, I see, no worries! I’ve heard wonderful things about Rosson myself!
That’s an awesome setup, man! Do you buy and sell at a regular rate, or do you collect headphones? You used past tense referring to the Eikon and Verite Closed, so I was wondering.
The way you described the RAD is what I’m looking for actually. I need great technical performance as well as a quality “listener’s desire” presentation of the music (if that makes any sense lol). There’s no way for headphones to sound like monitors, but I don’t want headphones that add anything to compensate. Just a straightforward presentation is all I need. You have to get used to whatever you mix/master on anyway, be it monitors or headphones.
I’ll take a look at these recommendations, and see what I can do for demos (I’m in Knoxville btw). Whenever your RAD’s come in, I’d love to read your impressions of them!
I went with the Chord TT2 + RAD-0 and think it’s a pretty killer combo for enjoyable/accurate sound… especially if you’re ignoring the price. The TT2 also has XLR and RCA outputs with volume control, so you can pass the signal to your studio monitors as well. I use one with a set of Focal powered monitors and it’s convenient having the speakers and headphones going through the same DAC/amp. There’s no need to switch between audio interfaces, just unplug the headphones and it’s speaker time.
The RAD-0 also works well with low powered amps and sounds great plugged directly into the mixer headphone output. You can grab the RAD first, plug into your mixer, then get a dedicated DAC/amp later when the money starts to pile up again. There’s a noticeable improvement to the sound between my (Mackie) mixer headphone amp and the Chord TT2, but headphones alone made the biggest difference to me.
I came to the RAD-0 from some popular studio headphones: ATH-M50 and DT990. The extra clarity and bass in the RAD-0 was a bit shocking and distracting at first, but once I adjusted I found them very balanced and enjoyable.
@huntca thanks so much, man! That sounds like a great combo! Good to know that the RAD would work with less-than-stellar amping…I was concerned about that. I actually have a pair of M50x’s, and I like them pretty well. They’re nowhere near accurate enough for me though. Anyway, thanks again!
I wouldn’t say I buy and sell at a regular rate. My desire is to keep everything that I buy, but it isn’t always possible to demo before buying. I try to do my due diligence and enjoy exploring. I’d like to have a stable of gear that suits my various moods, genres, and preferences – but not more than that. I use the MZ2 mainly as a preamp into the Mogwai SE for my 2-channel listening.
This makes sense and lines up with my preferences/objectives also.
I have similar preferences, but for different reasons. Since I lean toward Class A single ended tube amps and their associated harmonic richness and even order harmonics (which some refer to as coloration/distortion, favorable), I’ve found that I prefer a more transparent headphone. A colored amp and colored headphone can be too much of a good things to certain ears.
I’ll share my impressions when I get my RADs. In the meantime, you might want to check out this thread: Rosson Audio - RAD-0 - Official Thread. Good luck!
I hear you, man. I also prefer to demo before buying, but like you said, not always possible.
Good, I hoped that it did!
I see what you mean, and that makes sense. You prefer matching transparency in one piece of gear with coloration in another, and that’s cool. I’ll definitely check that thread out!
Hi! I purchased the senheiser 599 hd se. got them for 100 dollars. However my brother and I notice off the bat sound fuzziness and distortion at certain frequencies and harmonies. I am using Tidal on a MacBook pro. I bought a Mac/amp as well, didn’t change anything. Is this just the headphones? What headphones do you recommend to get some good sound with out any distortion or fuzziness. My budget is under 300
What amp brand and model did you buy? Some are not very good, add little or no value, or don’t work well with a particular headphone model. All headphones have a maximum potential, and each person has different hearing sensitivities. There’s a lot of trial-and-error involved in finding what works for you.
The most common recommendation below $300 is the Drop.com version of the Sennheiser HD-650, called the HD-6XX and selling for $220. It performs “okay” with a computer, tablet, or phone, but much better with a dedicated DAC and amp. The related Drop HD-58X is $160 to $170 and works better with less amplification (but has less top performance potential). These headphones have a devoted following, and the Sennheiser 600 family is often used with very expensive equipment too.
Within your budget, you might also get a starter amp (e.g., AudioQuest Dragonfly, Schiit Magni, JDS Labs Atom, etc.) – but this may not be needed per the amp you now have.
There are other headphones that sound great at the $300 price point (e.g., various HiFiMan products), but they often require stronger amplifiers and have mixed quality/durability.
Several years ago I had a FiiO E17K (Alpen 2), and used it for one month before its endless high-pitched whining forced me to upgrade. If possible, you might return the E10K and try another product. You might try the AudioQuest Dragonfly Black in the same price bracket (I have no direct experience – @pennstac?).
Others might comment on the potential of the 599 too. Was it new? Is it damaged?
I was, and still am happy with the Audioquest Dragonfly Black at $99. It does not adequately power thirsty headphones like the Sennheiser HD-6xx, but it is fine for anything lesser. On the other paw, it does not draw quite as much power when connected to an iPhone, so that is a plus. The MQA decoding - if that is a consideration - is bulletproof. I have not felt limited by it’s chosen resolution limit of 96/24, which was deliberate for ease of use and compatibility with Apple and some other ecosystems. It’s right where it should be for its use case. Generally I use my newer Dragonfly COBALT because it has greater power and integrates the jitterbug circuitry,
would the hickman Sundara be a good choice for music listening? I looking for headphones primarily for music listening and good sound. Beyerdynamic is another brand that keeps popping up. People recommend the studio 770 series. But Im not sure if studio headphones is what i am looking for.
Please see the Sundara thread for more info – I don’t own one. Take the comments about reliability seriously, as well as comments about effective amplifiers.
Beyerdynamic is polarizing, as the brand tends to have bright/sharp treble. This tone is preferred by some people, along with the similarly bright Grado. Others find these brands to be piercing and painful. You must try for yourself, but they are not nearly as popular in this forum as less bright or warm brands (e.g., Sennheiser, Focal, ZMF, Koss, etc).
If it’s not adding value and you are not happy, it’s easy enough to return.
I’m thinking about some sound for my office. My admin left, so I’m alone in the office, and I might want something to listen to. Not headphones.
Speakers.
My inner office area is about 12 x 15, and my desk sits back about 2/3 of the way. The entrance from the outer office is a door on the right side of the wall facing my desk.
It’s important that the speakers play well at a LOW VOLUME. There are other people in the building, so I won’t be cranking it.
I plan to listen to CLASSICAL, JAZZ, WORLD, and a mix of other stuff.
Even though my desk area is pretty big, I don’t think I want to waste desk space. I have clients, and the desk has an extension where I can seat 3 clients. Monitors are to the left, with a large one for clients hung from the wall. I don’t want computer or nearfields getting in between me and clients.
Budget is UNDER $2K. I’m thinking floor-standing. My current thought is a pair of Magnepan .7
I have some existing equipment that I can use for source and amp.
I don’t really know what else is out there that will sound good in that price range.
Maggies can be super great, but there is a reason almost every pic of them shows them 3 to 5 feet from a wall. They need to breathe to sound good. I’d worry about that in an office setting.
Magnepan’s are amazing for their price but require a pretty strong front end and the ability to place them where they sound best. Wouldn’t be my choice for an office.
Under 2k for the speakers alone? The new ELAC Uni-Fi reference towers are getting pretty great reviews, require a little bit of care to drive properly.
A bit easier to drive would be the TRIANGLE BOREA BR08.
Even easier to drive would be the Zu Omen Dirty Weekend.
So a little bit depends on the strength of the amp you have laying around, but since you said low level probably don’t need much.
I know you said you didn’t want to take up a lot of desk space but could always consider bookies on stands as well (the monoprice stands filled with sand or kitty litter are great for their price), just outside of your desk. For near field I love coaxial setups like the KEF LS50, Fyne Audio F500, ELAC Uni-Fi reference bookshelves.
Your space might be a bit small for Maggies or Zu DW, which I would otherwise recommend. Assuming you have 80 wpc, I like these Elacs for your intended space/use. I used to own the non-slim bookshelf version.
For a space like that, I’d do a set of nice active studio monitors. They are relatively small and inconspicuous, sound incredible/accurate at low volumes, have built in amps/dsp, and can be placed anywhere (desk or stands or walls, etc).
Thanks, Prof - I’d considered that, and have about 3 ft easily available. I haven’t measured my office exactly, it may be a touch larger than I said. I’m in an 1100 sq ft suite, with the front occupied by the reception desk and waiting area. My office is next - I usually keep the door open, which provides an additional hallway behind that one corner. I was thinking of speaker placement just in front of the door on the door side, and about 3 ft forward from the wall (where a plant might be) on the other side.
I’d thought about that. Probably doing it right would cost over my budget. Hmmm Elacs…
Those don’t look bad. Never heard of the Zu.
I have a very solid 100w RMS per channel. My old Sansui AU-919 integrated, it’s been serviced and recapped. This was from the time that Sanusi was making a run on Marantz.
On the desk is out. I’d considered the Mini Maggie setup but for that. Not looking for near field, although I know it can sound good. One minor consideration is if I ever hold an open house event, I might want to move the speakers to the larger room.
Thanks for the thoughts - I will be considering and with any luck finding a spot to audition some. Keep the ideas coming. (I don’t move that fast)