LB-Acoustics MySphere 3 - Floating, Over-Ear, Dynamic Headphone - Official Thread

Headphones Official Headphone Model Discussion
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Very nice clear reply … thank you.

I am bit sorry for my poor English and maybe an inappropriate use of the word “disappointed” once or twice.

Concerning your top 5 of open headphone… I had more in mind “the surprise” after reading many of your posts by the fact the mysphere being absent of your list than being disappointed by your choice. Particularly for models I have never listen in my life.

But your answer clarify the way of your choice and made more or less the mysphere out of your race.

Concerning the Utopia Vs Mysphere … after reading some posts on the web comparing both, I was “imagining” the Mysphere would be more pleasant to use and own than the more “traditional” Utopia as open cans… so my use of “disappointment” was more turning around the fact the mysphere will hardly justify the 4000$ (new) while the Utopia is often available at around 2000$ (second hand in some shops in France)

For the Heddphone … it’s maybe worth to wait a bit at least to see if manufacturing gets improved and becomes more “stable”… I really disliked seeing the photos showing the pads manufacturing in the post.

Of course … your advices are not taken as a bible … :grinning: :grinning:
But, it’s quite rare that people are so constructive and structured in their comments of models they own or have really tested. In your case, we can follow like a line your comments and tests to compare models during a long period of time and see the coherence between your various analysis. It can give some comfort for people making such choice… at the end, every body makes their choice “alone”.

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42

Well, if you want an open frame, you want an open frame and fit issues are specific to the person. My head seems to agree with the Mysphere’s but they aren’t for everyone. Best to demo one and see how well the contour of the band fits you specifically.

The Mysphere 3.2 is faster, more precise and better controlled than the Utopia.

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Probably, it will be the way to go …
It seems there is a reseller 300 to 400 km far from where I live with Heddphone, SR1A, Utopia and mysphere available. I probably will be able see how the Mysphere fits me physically.
Even, if I will had a streamer and an amp beside my favourite sitting place at home, maybe I will be possibly able to guess which model can also work correctly in other places with a DAP like H6Pro or WM1A (excluding the SR1A).

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I just received my Mysphere 3.2 and have had the same struggles as you getting a proper fit and bass performance. I was underwhelmed until I found the “sweet spot”, but now they really sing. I absolutely love my SR1a’s. The are absolutely THE BEST headphones I have ever heard, period. But they are SO good that they demand my absolute attention and total immersion in the music, and I find that to be fatiguing after a while. The Myspheres are equally fast, but not as deep bass and a bit more relaxed. So, it depends on my mood: sitting-up-straight for totally focused listening (Raal Requisite SR1a), or more relaxed laid back enjoyment (Mysphere 3.2). I was an owner of the AKG K1000’s, and these have the same presence, but even better sound.

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45

There are optional SoundFrame Cushions available from LB-Acoustics to further tune the MySphere’s performance.

The stock cushions are called “Standard” and have a linear frequency response and are the most neutral set. Then there’s a “Transparent” cushion - which is supposed to be ideal for classical music performed by large orchestras (I haven’t tried these).

Finally, there’s a “Bass” cushion (Part #: CA0530), that brings the bass up by 10 dB at 20 Hz (at the ear). Though this is only when the cushions are directly touching the ear. If you angle the Sound Frames out away from the ear, that effect is lost and you get something closer to the “Standard” cushions.

I bought a set of the Bass cushions, and they make a useful, and clearly audible, difference for some genres.

You can get them by contacting LB-Acoustics directly. I think the price was €430 (or about $520 USD), including shipping. They said it’d be 2-4 weeks for them to arrive, but my set showed up a week after I paid for them.

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Thanks, Ian. I received an additional pair of cushions with the Myspheres. Not sure which ones they are, but I will check them out.

I did try them with my iDSD Black label Micro, and found that the bass-boost switch makes a great difference.

Next, I will try them with my dCS Bartók + HP amp. That should be fun.

Tom

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They sound absolutely fabulous driven balanced (XLR) by the dCS Bartók+HP (Class A) amp. Not a surprise. Love them.

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He just does some of the best write-ups out there… I’ll be targeting a Mysphere 3.2 at some point.

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I’m a huge MySphere fan, probably the most underrated of the end game options.
If I could only have one it would still be the Susvara, but it’s a lot closer than a lot of people might think. I’d keep the MySphere’s over the Utopia or the 1266.

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51

Wanted to bump this thread up since I got the mysphere as well.
And since it deserves the attention.
I have the 3.1 with standard cushions.
Stock cable is :wastebasket:, fit needs fiddling, super well-built (as solid as utopia), comfort is ok (though I do get hotspots), sub-bass does roll-off (honestly not really a big issue looking at the bigger picture), and music choices need to be more “select.”

BUT, after all that, once you get everything working and past some of the quirks they really sound damn impressive (assuming you have an amp that works well with it).

Just early impressions…
It has a very very natural and cohesive presentation.
Midrange is sublime with so much texture and evenness.
It’s not a midrange where you hear added tonal weight, warmth, lusciousness, thickness, upper-mid emphasis, lower-mid emphasis, thinness, nasaliness, boxiness, etc…
But instead it’s just… so… damn… natural.
It has an authentic, energetic, and tangible feel to it that I’ve not heard on any hp that I own.

I switched back to the utopia tonight and all I could think about was the mysphere presentation (especially the mids) while I was using it.
And if anybody knows me, the utopia is my favorite.

Anyway, do check out the mysphere if you can. It’s undoubtedly worth trying. Considering what you can get these for used, it’s a no-brainer.

Also be very cautious to what amp you drive these with; they are picky. The mysphere article linked 2 posts above has been updated with even more comparisons and matchings. It’s a great and thorough article. You could also probably email Mr. Heinz himself and ask if your current amp is a good fit or not.

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52

Another bump! This time with a cable comparison…

Brise Mikumari ref.ii / Kimber Kable Axios Copper

TLDR; Two words + emoji: Brise magic :magic_wand:

The why: So I think the Brise has much better synergy over the Kimber on my system. I find the Brise to elevate everything without adding too much of its own character into the mysphere, all while maintaining high levels of balance. In addition, it adds a hint of sweetness to the mysphere, making it a joy to listen to. It’s really really good imo, and trialing the Kimber only cemented my initial thoughts.

Getting into it: Overall, in terms of performance, the Brise edges out the Kimber in ALL technical aspects (dynamics, grip, staging, detail, texture, etc…). Better everything, plain and simple. What the Kimber does have over the Brise is bass warmth, which isn’t always a good thing. However, my system already has all the bass I could ask for, so it was a bit too much with the Kimber.

Now for the negatives…

The Kimber, overall, tilts the mysphere into the more intimate and warm side of the spectrum. It was a bit too much on my system, and it ended up sounding somewhat congested. While the bass had good heft, it was too thick and meaty overall. Mids were intimate and tonally neutral, but it sort of detracted from the mysphere experience imo. It’s weird. It’s like the Kimber was restricting what makes the mysphere special. Even the stock cable didn’t do this :joy:. Comparing the midrange sweetness of the Brise, it was plain obvious which one I liked more. Treble was actually pretty good on the Kimber. It doesn’t sound sweet like the Brise, but it had good energy and presence. The caveat is the peaks in vocals were quite apparent on the Kimber over the Brise. Staging is kinda flat and closed-in; it doesn’t have much depth, width, or verticality. I thought the Brise meshed well with how the mysphere stages. All in all the Kimber Axios is a good cable, maybe even a great cable… but NOT with the mysphere (3.1) and NOT on my system.

I had thought in my head that the Kimber would be a nice alternative but I just couldn’t hear it. Perhaps on a more anemic system who knows? But it gets a hard pass from me, at least with the mysphere 3.1.

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53

Just curious if you are still using your Mysphere 3.2s. I sold mine a while back, but am tempted to get a new pair for portable use - not for walking around, but easily transportable.

I am using the SR1a, ZMF Verite Closed and Focal Utopia for critical listening.

I also like my AirPod 2 for walking around use.

Tom

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I sold them just over two years ago.

I wasn’t listening to headphones at all (well, maybe 5% of my listening time) after moving, since I was back to being able to run a proper speaker setup 24/7. And the Mysphere (and SR1a) were things I used mostly when I wanted that more speaker-like presentation but had to use headphones.

So … as good as they were, I sold them.

Still have the SR1a, though again, most of my listening is with speakers so they’ve not gotten much use in the last couple of years, either.

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Well Ian,

I just bought an A&K SP3000 and Mysphere 3.2s (for the second time).

My wife has extra sensitive hearing, and when we were in our large house it didn’t matter if I turned up my MBL Radialstrahler speakers in my listening room - but now we have downsized into two smaller homes (Scottsdale and Santa Fe), so I am relegated to headphones for critical listening.

So the SP3000-Mysphere3.2 combination should work for me as a “moveable” solution. This is the first time that I have bought something twice, LOL. (listening to the SP3000 with my AirPods Pro 2 until my Mysphere 3.2s arrive). I still have my Bartok/SR1a setup for my office.

Cheers,
Tom

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56

Congrats!

I sometimes used my 3.2s with my SP2000 that way. Was very satisfying. I imagine the SP3000 will make it more so.

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The SP3000 is very impressive. Black Black background - lots of bass slam . Glad I purchased it. But it is a BRICK at 17oz.

I am using it to run Qobuz over Wi-Fi onto my Focal Bathys (until I receive my Mysphere 3.2s which are on the way). I think it is going to be a great combination.

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I have used the STANDARD frames but am curious to try the TRANSPARENT and BASS frames.

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The size and weight increase, coupled with the reduction in storage vs. the SP2000, and A&K’s contemptuous lack of response on updating a model they still sold (SP2000) that had an OS so out of date it couldn’t run the latest TIDAL client, put me off the SP3000 and, to be honest, A&K in general*.

I had them. They make a notable difference; but they only do their thing with the drivers folded in against your ears. So you gain bass, but lose most of the “speaker like” presentation. If you have the drivers set more outwardly they don’t sound much different to the standard ones.

*That took some doing. I’d been an A&K customer since the original AK100 and AK120. At this point, I can’t even imagine what they’d have to come up with for me to go there again. And even if I could, they’re more serial incrementers than disruptive innovators at this point - so it’ll probably come from elsewhere.

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My Mysphere 3.2s arrive on Monday with the STANDARD frames. I am going to try to get a demo of TRANSPARENT and BASS frames.

Heinz Renner of MySphere recommended the SP3000 as the DAP that will drive the MySphere 3.2s the best.

I will reserve judgement on the SP3000 until I have a couple of hundred hours on the combination with the Myspheres. So far, my only criticisms of the SP3000 are the weight and the boot up time - otherwise they are driving my U12T iems rather nicely, particularly with DSD files.

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How do you like your 3.2’s? I recently picked up a pair of 3.1’s and still in the phase of trying to get fit and placement correct.