I think that that ZMF might be an excellent route for you to take for a unique dynamic driver experience since you already have a great planar magnetic headphone in your Hifiman HE6se V2. I own the ZMF Aeolus which pairs fairly well with the Schiit Jotunheim 2 amplifier that you already own. ZMF Aeolus is my favorite headphone with my Hifiman HE6se V2 placing as my second favorite headphone.
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What are you looking to improve on with the headphones you already have? Have you considered upgrading the DAC and/amp?
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To be honest, I don’t know. You can say I am still exploring what to improve - I am very bad audiophole really, I forget to notice my gear most of the time, just having so much fun listening to old and new music (for last 2+ years).
About amp/dac - my view/experience doesn’t really align with this forum much on those - other than HE6SEv2, I failed to notice any difference between my jotunheim 2 + su-9 vs qudelix 5k in a blind, level matched (with multimeter) test assisted by my wife using my headphones (LCD-X, Elex etc). I have tried some other amps and blind tested (again, level matched) with Jotunheim 2 - such as burson soloist, sinxer sa-1, jds element II - and I couldn’t identify them in level matched blind test while I thought I heard some differences initially. I tried some other budget-ish dac under 1000 (including Ares II) and again, I thought I heard some differences, but then while blind testing (ty wife, again), I failed miserably.
All that is to say that while I am open to upgrading amp/dac, right now I am looking to explore headphones more as I can’t seem to notice the difference between amp/dac as some other folks.
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Hey, welcome!
I’m curious how much comfort is an issue. Like clamp force or weight or pads.
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Not that much I guess? I am currently wearing LCD-X without any issues.
Yeah, I don’t get the pricing on these at all. They were still up on Adorama recently for $899, but apparently you could get them for $270 with a coupon or something? Seems like most folk payed between $300 and $500.
I lucked out with mine, I got them 2nd hand but seemingly unused (they were in mint condition with pristine packaging and they weren’t broken in) for $100! I actually hated them at first, but one day after about 2 weeks they suddenly made sense. It was a eureka moment for sure. So, based on my sample of one I love the Hifiman sound.
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Reason I ask is a lot of money can get spent post the purchase of the headphones to address build and fit issues.
I’m really interested in how the Meze 109 will be received when it premiers in a few month’s time. It could be the next price-busting game changer. I’m betting this headphone’s build quality will be world class under $1,000.00. I doubt anything would need to be changed. This headphone will have every part user-replaceable, in case you want to. Maybe you can wait and be among the first to experience this latest phenomenon?
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[quote=“InvisibleInk, post:4948, topic:6620”]
Reason I ask is a lot of money can get spent post the purchase of the headphones to address build and fit issues.
Here we see the technique of changing the shape of the skull to reduce headphone clamp pressure.
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It’s cool that you partook in a blind, level-matched comparison; I’ve been a part of a few in the past myself.
Since you’d rather focus on headphones, I recommend determining what you don’t like about your current headphones and what type of sound you’re looking for in your next pair. Since you have both a planar(s) and dynamic driver already, do you have a preference for one over the other when taking into account the technical performance? Would you prefer to find something that closely matches your personal frequency response preference/target so that you don’t have to EQ much?
Once you determine your priorities, the choices will be easier.
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First upgrade!
Finally moving up from my Shure SE215. Looking for a reasonably neutral all-rounder IEM. A grad student budget means the ceiling is $500.
The front runners are the Sony M7, Shure Aonic 4, and Sennheiser IE 300. I won’t have a chance to demo, but B&H seems return-friendly.
The M7 and Aonic 4 have a nearly identical response below 2k, but it looks like the Shure is missing treble extension. Interested in how the BA bass of the M7 compares to the hybrid Shure’s DD.
No amp, just direct into an iPad or dongled into an iPhone 12 playing Apple Music lossless.
A sample of my heavy rotation:
Any thoughts, opinions?
Two more:
Also, classical, from chant to Bach to Steve Reich, bebop, ambient electronic, classic bluegrass and the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack.
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Have you looked at the Dunu SA6? It’s slightly over budget but is one of the best in the $500ish price bracket.
If you like the Shure sound, SE535 is a solid performer. I love mine.
Paying with a BHPhoto Payboo card saves the sales tax…
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They really, seriously named a card “Payboo” and didn’t think it’d read as “poo poo”?
If you have a DIscover Card, PayPal will get you 5% back over the summer.
Payboo is the BHPhoto in house credit card. If you pay with the Payboo credit card, they cover the sales tax.
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I had similar issues with silicon tips and foam tips and ended up getting custom tips from eartune.com. Finally solved the problem. Perfect seal and so comfortable I can wear them for hours.
looks interesting, but given that it and the M7 have identical IEF grades, I’d lean toward the Sony.
I like everything about Shure except the aversion to treble extension. The Aonic 4 would be perfect if it wasn’t dead above 10k.
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If you know someone with an ID.me account you can get 30% off Sennheiser products which realistically places the ie600 within your price range. Though I haven’t heard the ie600, the ie900 is quite excellent.
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Hey there! Im new here so tell me if I screw up.
I’ve got some Samson SR850’s that absolutely blew me away when I first listened to them, so I got some more to see if I could get that same feeling of ‘wow’ when trying some Bosė NC700’s and some Mezė Neo 99’s. But nothing felt the same, does anyone have a recommendation?
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