General purchase advice: Ask your questions/for advice here!

Yes, but only so far. The HD600 and HD650 (6XX) respond to amp changes. To my ears they transform dramatically – which may or may not show up in a FR chart. Use all data, but rely on your ears for purchase and usage decisions.

2 Likes

Just make sure you know which ZMF you want, because Zach makes headphones with different sound signatures. For instance the Verite is very fast and resolving and closer to neutral. The Aeolus is not as fast or resolving, has a much warmer sound and is a more emotional listen.

I have to admit, I like the “hear everything” nature of the Verite so much that it’s difficult to switch from the Verite to the Aeolus in the same listening session because I want to go back to the Verite because my brain can’t adjust. But if I only listen to the Aeolus on a particular day, I love it.

I’m not saying one is better than the other, just be careful that you don’t say “I want a ZMF, my budget is X CAD, so I’ll buy the ZMF model that is within the budget “. Read the reviews, ask questions and figure out which model has the sound signature you want. For instance, would you like something similar to what you already have or something different?

Sorry if I’m stating the obvious to you but I wanted to point it out because these are huge sums of money.

7 Likes

Yes, of course. I suppose I could add the Standard FR Chart Disclaimer on each post. People might get sick of reading it but could be helpful for those new to the idea of FR charts.

1 Like

@Resolve review of the RS1e-2e is ultimately help me decide i dont want to spend this amount of money on a polarizing headphones that i feel has not a sound signature i would enjoy. Instead i bought a dt880 600ohm because well its less than half the price and i feel like its trebble harshness might look like the grados but without the abscence of sub-bass. Im not sure why i did it tho cause i feel im sensitive to high treble. My m40x which are not suposed to be treble foward are annoying because of a issing of the guitars and the symbals i literally can use them for more than a song or 2 because of that.

Im gonna keep weighin if i go aeolus way or GL2000. I will likely purchase one or the other by the end of this month. @PaisleyUnderground dont worry, i will likely buy 20 more headphones this year. i want to try all kinds of things and compare them. The aeolus is a great gateway to the zmf world for me. im sure if i buy them i wont regret it and this wont prevent me from buying a vérité later down the line when my budget let me.

5 Likes

Oh so very true. Ex: I can take my HD650 or even the HD800s and use the 1/4 jack on my Bryston BHA-1, sound ok, but when I use a bal connection with the dual bal or the 4 pin XLR the dynamic s are just there. Reason per Bryston " The big advantage of using the balanced outputs on the BHA1 is the doubling in output voltage, because, you have two class A amplifiers driving the output rather than one. This doubling in voltage actually results in a 4 times increase in power, since power is proportional to voltage squared. This applies to both the 3-pin XLR connectors and the 4-pin XLR connector. "

1 Like

Yes, these are not big sub-bass phones. While I test using @Torq’s sub-bass track suggestion, Trentmoller’s Chameleon this is not the headphone for that type of music. I listen to a wide variety of music, and have a range of headphones.

For Country Music Product, for example, I recommend these:

8 Likes

It would be interesting to know what this means in actual usage, since power is defined as voltage times current.

Are they saying that at a given volume level (power) the balanced connection sends more voltage and less current?

Or is the voltage and current the same but you effectively have a larger power reserve running balanced (from the extra power supply / capacitors) and this is what causes the sound to change?

Having a true balanced/differential output doesn’t change how much voltage or current it takes to drive a given transducer to a specific level (dB/SPL).

It just means that, all other things being equal, there is double the voltage swing and double the drive current available (since you have double the number of amplifier circuits at work in a differential setup) vs. a single-ended version of the same amplifier/output. So while you’ll have 4x the power available, your headphones won’t use any more of it for a given output level.

The benefits are that a) you do have more power available for headphones that need it vs. a single-ended output from the same unit and b) the amplifier circuits will be operating further away from their extremes for a given listening level, which usually results in lower distortion/noise.

7 Likes

This is the main change that I perceive with balanced amps, and mostly with dynamic drivers. I’d not waste my time or money on balanced to improve headphones that already sound clean and comfortable on a single-ended setup.

2 Likes

There is usually an improvement in separation/crosstalk performance as well (which can also improve apparent low-level detail) due to balanced/differential amplifiers having separate grounds vs. the shared ground of a single-ended headphone connection.

That’s true even in non-differential implementations (e.g. iFi’s “S-Balanced”, which doesn’t yield more power, but does keep the grounds separate).

The difference is easily measurable, a non-trivial difference and a well-known effect. In a competent design, properly executed, the difference will be on the order of 20 dB of channel separation favoring the discrete ground (i.e. balanced in this case) output.

8 Likes

Very well said. That’s pretty much spot on to what Mike Picket, the Service Manager at Bryston noted.

I ended up getting the Audeze lcd-x last night. Those are heavy but they seem pretty comfortable so far. Easier to drive than the Arya but better base response. I think I randomly read where no one pair of headphones can do everything. For me, these two make a pretty good pair. Need that little extra bass, lcd-x, need the clarity and everything that the Arya does well, then you have the Arya. Leaning towards these two being the ones for now. Tomorrow or this evening could change.

7 Likes

If you like the lcd-x frequency response, they are amazing headphones.

1 Like

Definitely like the additional bass response.

If I could deal with EQ, those would have been the one. They have so many good attributes.

I sold my LCD-X due to the weight being unconfortable during longer listening sessions. They sounded excellent. No doubt about that. Enjoy.

Note: if you are a Roon user, there is an Audeze tuning menu inside the DSP where specific headphones have pre tailored EQ.

5 Likes

To begin I’m new to the headphone world, looking for my first pair of “headphones”, I say this because I’ve gone tru the usual stages were I thought I was a jr audiophile when I bought my first skullcandy hedge2 BT wireless and then thought I was smart when I upgraded to apple airpods, it’s fine to laugh I know I said jr audiophile in same sentence as skullcandy and apple, well now im geting a bit more into to life but my pockets aren’t as deep as my aspirations…what to do… so now that I know I am not a jr audiophile, nor was I ever. I know enough to know that I dont know. Worse with covid cant really go and check for myself what’s out there any further then the web. So here’s the nitty gritty. I would prefer to spend no more then 1000 USD I’m a bass head, I’m gonna use my phone to drive unit, prefer to use when call comes in, or on the road, so I believe I will need amp/dac also which would be nice if it wasn’t the size of a desk. Since I’m a bass head, is the atlas the way to go or are there other option my main goal is to hear EDM, Or classical music. I want to feel the chelo’s bass but also hear the detail of a great piano is this possible with IEM or closed over ear headphone while being able to field a call from the office, get an amp/dac and be at 1000 or less(preference not required). I know it’s nice to dream if I cant do it all would, take as many checks on my list as possible.
Ivan

7 Likes

Excellent post, Ivan. We have reserved the rank of “Sophomore Audiophile” for you. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I’m guessing that you are using an iPhone, as you mentioned the airpods. Given that you want to use your phone to drive them, that you want to be able to take a call, and that you are a bass head, I can think of one solution that comes in under budget. And it isn’t a headphone. Or precisely an IEM.

Consider the Audeze LCDi3, which is sort of an IEM. Here is why I think it matches up with what you’ve outlined. Note that in some states they don’t like you wearing “headphones” while driving.

  • an OPEN BACK IEM that doen’t fit very tightly - you can hear outside noises
  • The included Cipher cable contains a DAC and a MIC so you can take calls
  • Designed for use with iPhone
  • HUGE for an IEM driver has very good bass, good soundstage
  • Yes, it’s great for classical, baroque, etc. Cello is great - I listened to YoYo Ma playing Handel the other day. Just wonderful.
  • Fine for EDM, but it’s not going to SLAM like a big headphone or speakers. Bass is deep, and you can EQ all you like

I found that if you call the kind folks at www.headphones.com, they often have a deal they can make, perhaps on an “open box” - especially if you mention this forum.

I had a friend in Argentina with the last name Cuellar, he was a Hugo.

Pockets lower than my aspirations is the story of my life, I’m the notorious tightwad of the forum.

4 Likes

Thank you for that reply will look into this but if it’s the model I remember they’re open type which I should say I don’t drive( Chicago downtown traffic) but take cabs/uber but more importantly since I do most of leisure time at coffee houses that may not be appropriate but will double check in event that these aren’t the types used in a public environment do you mind with another option or 2
Thank you

Another option is you could use any iem (with good noise isolation) and a small battery powered dac/amp like Qudelix 5K which has a microphone for taking calls.

The tricky part of your use case is being able to answer calls since many portable dacs and higher-end headphones do not have mics.

1 Like