What headphones do you have in your collection and why?

[Orlok_Subodai]

Hey Lars, I think you missed a section in my long post about the AB-1266 Phi TC on the way. I should be receiving it in about 10 days. Just received an update from Abyss that it’s about a week out. Now this is the “superstar” I’ve been eyeing for a few years and the thought of this headphone in the back of my mind is why I couldn’t pull the trigger on the Susvara. I knew I could get one of them but not both.

Believe me, when I first saw the SR1a about a year ago, I dismissed it with a “Pffft…” and rolling eyes just based on its look. But, then, I started reading some very positive reviews from people I’ve come to respect and relate to in this audiophile world and I became more and more intrigued. I had used and loved the HD800S for years and the SR1a seemed like a mega-steroid version of it. Now I absolutely love it. For a lot of the stuff I like to listen to (classical, jazz, acoustic, ambient), it is utterly sublime.

Yes, the ZMF Vérité is very much on my radar but my “salary cap” is maxed out for this year. I have enough room left to add the Roon Nucleus (kinda like a good tight end or edge rusher? haha) so I don’t have to rely on the computer to play music and I’m done for the “offseason” and it’s just play ball now. I’ve got the “superstar” ace or QB that I coveted and I can’t add another star. But come winter next year and I get my bonus, then it’ll be time to upgrade the team again.

The Vérité and the Pendant (or some other tube amp) combo is extremely enticing and I feel confident that it’ll be very complementary to the team I have now. That Quicksilver amp looks gorgeous and sharp at the same time. Just the right size too. I’ll definitely look into it. I have to say the Pendant looks a little rustic. I’m not keen on adding something massive like the WA33 or the Cayin HA300 to my setup either. Not my style. Haha. The team I want is compact, lean, minimalist and stylish. Cheers!

[Lars]

Howdy, Orlok! You are correct indeed - I did miss that section about the Phi TC! The thing I like about it over Susvara is that Susvara is still a ‘traditional’ headphone, albeit a serious TOTL one. 1266 seems more like RAAL, with that ‘near-field speaker’ business going on, and I can see how that could really, really affect the sound.

There used to be a slogan for a jam called Smuckers - “With a name like ‘Smuckers’, it’s got to be good!”. That’s my feeling about the looks of the 1266 and the SR1a - anything that looks like those had damned well better be awesome!!

I had a pair of 800S for a short while before returning them; I didn’t realize at the time that a good amount of break-in time can have dramatic results, and I gave these no break-in time before making a judgement, so that’s on me, not on the phones. Yeah, great staging, space etc etc and I really like that, but there was NO bass and a pretty anorexic midrange to go with it. I like a PHAT midrange! Mind you, at the time I got these, the only phones I’d had were the Empyreans, so you can see how the Senns would have sounded to me! But I don’t think there’s any way I’d like them as much as Utopia and ZMF no matter how much break-in time I gave them.

Ah, I’ve had my eye on a Roon Nucleus (George Kittle! Nick Bosa! ) as well! I’d love to have a Roon setup, but I want to go through as little shit as possible to make that happen. As it is, I play my digital streaming music through iTunes on my iMac, and have the DAC (I use an RME ADI-2) plugged into the iMac as well.

Love yer football analogies!!

Among the many wonderful things about the Quicksilver is that it comes in at just about $1K, which I think is GREAT value for money!! Couldn’t be easier to use - two RCA inputs on the back, on-off switch, volume, and headphone jack on the front, and there ya go! No worries about gain or impedance or any of that - this handles everything easily and has loads of headphone power; I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess it could drive Susvara to very satisfactory levels.

I saw a YouTube video of somebody picking up a WA33 - that thing looks almost as heavy as my MSB power amplifier for my speakers!! I’m an old man, I can’t carry those weights anymore, regardless of what the Beatles say.

And now that I’ve got my headphone setup where I want it, of late I’ve been working on upgrading my vinyl playback system through my speakers - man, I thought making decisions with headphone amps and DACs and cans was difficult - piece of cake compared to turntables, tonearms, cartridges, phono stages, record cleaning machines, and so many other ancillary things for setting all this stuff up and maintaining it. But after a couple of months of research, I finally bought what I need, though I’m still waiting for some of it to show up that I ordered online. But I want a vinyl/speaker system that is just as thrilling to me as my Quicksilver/Utopia headphone setup is! I’ve had a turntable and phono stage, but it always struck me as ‘meh’. Couldn’t see any reason for playing a record instead of listening to a CD or streaming. But I KNOW that vinyl playback can be loads better than that if I pony up the $$$ - I want to be EXCITED when I put a record on a turntable - ‘what’s this going to sound like??!!’. I’ll have to wait a few more weeks for my new phono stage and line preamp to arrive to find out!

Cheers!! , Lars….

[Orlok_Subodai]

Yes, I’m the type who could do a complete 180 from my initial impression of something if I come to see the substance behind the weird or jarring image. That happened a lot with a bunch of artists, bands, musicians, types of music, etc. Prince is a good example. When he first burst onto the scene in the late-70’s with the trench coat and a thong bikini on high heels, I was literally nauseated and wanted to barf. In a few years, I became a fanatic and he has remained one of my all-time favorite artists.

The same can be said of certain musical genres like opera, choral music, free jazz, country and bluegrass, trip hop, EDM and all kinds of stuff that I thought I would never ever get into. Now that stuff is in regular rotation with all the other stuff that I’ve always been into or have assimilated over many years. The SR1a and 1266 kind of started out like that but that was purely based on their non-conventional looks, which is really a shallow way of looking at something to reproduce sound. Once I started digging in, I knew I had to get them.

Based on what you are describing, you may not have liked the HD800S even after the 150~200 hour break-in. It is inherently lean on the bass and low-mids with enhanced high-mids and treble. It just doesn’t have warmth although it can still sound lush - like the string section in an orchestra. It isn’t what I’d want to use for rock, blues, and roots music. The same goes for the SR1a. These cans don’t have that PHAT thing happening in the mids. The LCD-4 certainly does in spades and I came to fully embrace that because it does that kind of thing much better than the 800S and my other cans and IEMs while still having awesome resolution. Yeah, I can imagine that the Empyrean would be totally on the opposite end of the spectrum from the 800S.

Reading your comments, I’m getting even more convinced that the ZMF is exactly what I want to complement the 1266, SR1a and LCD-4 down the road. And a tube amp to boot without getting into the TOTL range and five-figure prices. Reading and watching the reviews about the ZMF cans, some people flat out say that they don’t know how it sounds with classical, jazz, and highly nuanced stuff like that because they don’t even want to try! Haha.

I’m sure the ZMF cans sound good for those things too but I can tell that ZMF’s whole MO is about making kick-ass cans for rock (every flavor of it), blues, metal, punk, roots, etc. I’ve been a guitar player for 40+ years and had been a total guitar gear nerd and tone connoisseur so I’m pretty picky and anal about how the guitars should sound. Here are some pics of what my home office and music room used to look like before I did a 180 and became an audiophile addict. This guitar rig would easily run over $20K although I only paid a fraction of that as an industry insider. I sold the whole thing to the guitar company I run to use as demo gear in our showroom. So, that gave me the funds to get started with this new hobby and continue with a different but still similar form of addiction. You can clearly see the transformation.

As for Roon, I just want a centralized place for my library along with Qobuz streaming without having to use the computer. I’m using the MBP 16" with Audirvana+ and Qobuz now and it’s great but a dedicated music server/streamer would be ideal. Very cool you are into vinyl, turntables, and that whole world of analog. I totally get it. I used to have a sizable LP library back in the day and all that got replaced by the CD. And then it was ripped CDs and iTunes downloads but I’m totally on the streaming bandwagon with Qobuz now and I really don’t see myself going back. Roon would just tie everything together neatly while providing the related content.

At this point in my life, I just don’t want to add “stuff” and clutter of lots of things taking up space. You can see I’m a minimalist and I’m always trying to get rid of things. But, like I said, I totally get it regarding vinyl, analog and tube. Good luck with all of that. I’m sure it’s exciting and a totally different kind of experience. In the guitar world, there are digital guitar amps (they are called modelers because they can “model” all kinds of tube amps - vintage and modern) and software modelers for smartphones and tablets and they all sound pretty decent to even quite convincing but they just aren’t the real thing. Not even close. You can see I have this 100w boutique tube amp head made by a company called Friedman which is based on hot-rodded Marshall amps like the types Eddie Van Halen used to use. Dave Friedman, the founder, in fact modded a lot Eddie’s Marshall amps back in the 80’s. Most of those pedals are analog too. Digital just can’t compare.

But, as far as my audiophile journey is concerned, I’m going to stick with “modern”. Qobuz has been a true game changer for me. I had resisted Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services for years - mainly because of the resolution matter and I had to have a minimum of 16-bit 44kHz CD quality - but Qobuz totally changes that. I tried DSD as well and I just don’t see the need to go that far either. 24/96 or 192 is excellent and most modern pro recordings at 16/44 are great too. So much depends on the source and how it was recorded. And I’ve found that 24/96 or 192 remastering of old 50’s to 70’s classic albums doesn’t really make it that much better. In some cases, I think it makes it worse because all of the old technically deficient lo-fi artifacts become even more amplified and brought to the fore.

But, anyway, I do see tube amp(s) in my future but I expect it to augment solid state or whatever else they develop down the road. That Quicksilver is very enticing and something I should certainly be able to fit under the salary cap! Cheers!

[prfallon69]

Welcome @walakalulu. What a great setup you have.

[kzoliver909]

I have some headphones that I really like. They are so good that if something goes wrong or breaks, I like to buy it again.
Each headphone is used in different places. Someone at home, someone during exercise and someone traveling.
Here’s the list of these headphones:
1:Sony WH-1000XM4
2:Bose 700
3:Apple Air Pods Max
4: Jabra Elite Active 75t

[Lars]

Hi Orlok! I think you are right about the 800S vs Empyrean. I’ve read a lot about LCD-4 and while I think I’d like the sound, I would not like the weight.

Yes, I see the transformation! What an awesome music room with them gee-tars!! I live in a one-bedroom apartment in downtown San Francisco, so I’ve got my headphone setup in my dining room/office where my iMac is, and the big system with the MSB Universal Media Transport, MSB Analog DAC, and MSB S-200 power amp feeding a pair of Harbeth Super SL5’s. Sounds great - the Harbeths are like the Utopia in that they present the music as a coherent, unified whole, but with more than enough detail to concentrate on any element of it.

I actually have not been into the vinyl thing since 1985 when digital came along; I have loads of records, but I was in the record business from ’74 - ’84, and for ten years, the only records I had to buy were imports, because I got any domestic releases I wanted for free from the label reps. I will not be one of those vinyl-heads scouring used record bins - 99% of my records have been owned by nobody but me. But I got back into tubes before getting back into vinyl - for a few years a decade or so ago I had a BAT power amp, a BAT pre-amp, and a Cary SLP-05 preamp, all of which are tube. There is something about that tube sound that I like, as long as it’s the right tube for the right amp. My Lyr 3 sounded awful through some of the tubes I had laying around until I found one that was a winner!

I agree that CD-quality sound is plenty good and I don’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between red-book CD and ‘hi-def’.

I’ve got a friend who’s a real guitar player and collector, and he’s actually got a 1959 Les Paul Standard! I know a little about this stuff because I tried my hand at guitar and bass and read through Vintage Guitar magazine and all that. Never continued with either for very long as I got frustrated trying to get anything like a decent sound - I’m not a fretboard guy, I don’t think. I did get a Casio electronic keyboard last year and I’ve been continuing teaching myself piano and studying a bit of music theory. I’ve also got a Roland electronic drum set - piano and drums I can deal with because they’re both essentially percussion instruments, as the piano (at least a real one) hits strings, and those I can deal with; I’ve got a good sense of rhythm too.

While I’m familiar with some of the small guitar amp companies, I’d not heard of Friedman - they seem wonderful, though!

I can’t say that I’ve ever been a Prince fan - not because I don’t like him, I’ve just not heard that much by him. I sure know a lot of people who LOVE him, though, including great prog-rock musician Steven Wilson, who told us that when he was growing up, he didn’t have posters of Yes or Genesis or Pink Floyd on his bedroom wall - he had PRINCE, who he considers the greatest pop/rock musician ever.

But I’ve been a rock guy since the 60’s, and still am. Going the opposite direction of most music fans, I was into blues quite a bit when I was a teenager, but then lost interest in it as I got older! Never liked jazz, though I do like some of Miles Davis’ stuff from the late 60’s and early 70’s, much of which reminds me of Grateful Dead space jams. A lot of jazzbos appreciated the Dead too - Branford Marsalis and Ornette Coleman have both joined in with them several times. I really dove into punk big time when that started in ’76 and was a regular denizen of our punk club the Mabuhay Gardens….While I do like bluegrass (my fave San Francisco band right now is the Pine Box Boys), I can’t listen to country music. I have total respect for all these genres and those who create and perform it, it’s just not for me. Love reggae, though, and some hip-hop and EDM!

Punk club denizen Lars! Circa 1982

I also used to take snapshots at concerts through the 70’s, when you could bring any camera gear you wanted into gigs and didn’t need passes or photo pits or anything like that - it was free-for-all! Here are just a few of them…

Phil Lynott - Thin Lizzy

David Byrne - Talking Heads

Ronnie Montrose

Joe Strummer

Johnny Rotten

Jello Biafra

The little fella who’s been my favorite hard-rock guitarist since I first heard him in ’72 - Don ‘Buck Dharma’ Roeser!

While I don’t have any photos of the gig, I can say that I first saw Metallica at a ‘Metal Monday’ at the Old Waldorf nightclub here (capacity about 500), and they weren’t even the headliners! Dave Mustaine was still on guitar!

Let me know if there’s anybody you’re interested in seeing snapshots of that I can attach to an email like this - I take requests!

Have a great day - Cheers!! Larry….

[Orlok_Subodai]

Ah, the 70’s… I was still a little kid back then. These guys are a just little before my time, before I really got what rock is about but I certainly checked 'em out later and it’s great kick-ass music. BOC… That brings back memories. I’d like to revisit this stuff but, again, I don’t think the super hi-res gear and headphones I have right now are quite right for it.

It’s like when I want to check out some really old mono recordings of great classical masters of the first-half of the 20th century - Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting Beethoven, Alfred Cortot playing Chopin and György Cziffra playing Liszt. I look them up on YT and play them through the computer monitor speakers. I can just focus on the music and what they are playing instead of the sound. I tried to listen to the historical kinds of stuff through my system and it was more annoying than enjoyable. I’m pretty certain now that I’ll need the ZMF VC and a tube amp to enjoy rock, blues and metal “properly”.

Steven Wilson… Very interesting musician. I can’t say I was a big Porcupine Tree fan but I did really like his ‘The Raven’ and ‘Hand Cannot Erase’ albums, partly because of Guthrie Govan’s guitar playing and Marco Minnemann’s drumming. I would categorize his music as “prog-alternative”, an odd but intriguing mixture of genres, styles and sounds. I’m inclined to agree with his assessment about Prince. If MJ was the “King of Pop”, then Prince was the “Mozart of Pop” but he was actually a lot more than “pop”.

I’m just open to anything, I guess, and I love new sounds and musical ideas I hadn’t heard before. That’s why I want to be armed to the teeth with all this TOTL gear! Haha. Well, to keep on the subject of this thread, I should also show my mobile gear since I do spend a lot of time with it in different environments.

Of course, on top of this list is the LCDi4 for my daily 5-mile hikes through the neighborhood hills and trails. For being alone with nature, music and great expansive sound, this little wonder just can’t be beat.

And here’s my car system: the JH Audio Layla CIEM driven by Chord Mojo. I can’t imagine anything better for the car. It makes the normally stressful commutes around SoCal so much more tolerable and actually quite enjoyable.

And, finally, my pandemic-furloughed trio of the Sennheiser MTW for the gym (weightlifting and racquetball), Sony WH-1000XM3 for business travel, and a waterproofed iPod shuffle and Underwater Audio waterproof earbuds for lap swimming. I have to admit that I miss using them but I won’t use them unless I’m doing these things!

[bpcarb]

Welcome and nice setup. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts. It’s cool to have someone with your music/guitar background.

It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out for you and which headphones/gear you ultimately favor/keep. You might find this topic interesting: Disruptive Forces - Liberators & Destroyers of Worlds

@Orlok_Subodai

TOTL tube amps are definitely not something I can get into in the near future - more like 3~4 years down the road after I settle on a certain number of headphones and a dedicated SS headphone amp. That being said, I’ll definitely keep my long-range radar scanning for these beauties for sure.

I see that you’re also located in Southern California. When it comes time to explore tube amps, I encourage you to check out the fine builders in our backyard: DNA and ampsandsound.

[Lars]

BOC just put out a new album of new material last year, called ‘The Symbol Remains’ - sound is most excellent, as is the music!! It sounds SUPER on my Utopia headphones!

I’ve seen some of Steven’s solo tours, and while the Porcupine Tree musicians are excellent, the ones he brought along on these tours were beyond excellent - this was virtuoso playing from every direction…. Steven also put out a new album last year (or was it earlier this year?), and it’s VERY different from what he’s done before, and in a much more ‘pop’ oriented direction. Excellent sound quality, as is everything else he does. Another thing that Steven has told us on one of his tours is he is a big fan of the ‘shoegaze’ genre, as am I. Catherine Wheel is often put into that genre and I’m a huge fan of their’s, and I also like Ride, Lush, and some of the others.

I’ve never used IEM’s, though I probably should at least check them out some time - one thing about my over-ear headphones is I have to take off my hearing aids, as the mic on those is in the wrong position for where the headphone is sending the sound. I might get in-ear hearing aids some day which would sound WAY better even than what I’ve got. Looks like a cool system for your car! I haven’t even driven a car since 1973!

If you love new sounds an musical ideas you’ve not heard before, there are a few I could recommend that might suit that description very well!

Have a great weekend - cheers!! Larry.

[BoardmanGetsPaid]

@Orlok_Subodai

As I just posted on my reply to prfallon69, I now find that I’m honing in on certain sounds of certain genres. Classical, jazz, acoustic and vocal music realm is one thing but modern electronic/EDM/pop is totally another as is rock/blues/metal and electric guitars in particular. So many sounds and so many styles but not enough money!

Yes, as I mentioned, the Vérité strikes me as an earthy “classic rocker”. I’m already thinking Allman Brothers, SRV, Derek Trucks, Zeppelin, Eagles, Trower… Heck, even Kiss from the ‘Alive!’ and ‘Destroyer’ days! And that probably means I’ll want the Pendant amp to go with it in the same way I’m wondering if I’ll “need” to get the Xi Audio Formula S and Powerman for the 1266 TC.

Interesting thoughts. I’ve been using the verite for quite a while and I noticed that for most rock genres (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Clapton, Pink Floyd, etc) the Verite seem to have a certain sound that works tremendously with this genre for my taste. I wonder if it’s a combination of the rounded transient, slightly suppressed upper mids that give it a sort or murky feel that seem works well with this genre of music.

Never really thought about why I preferred the verite over utopia for rock music but your statement in particular has got me thinking perhaps rock music from the 70s in particular works well with headphones that isn’t as clear or precise. Will be interesting to hear how other darker tuned headphones like lcd4 or empyrean fare in comparison to the verite but needless to say the verite does indeed excel in this genre and I think is something that you may enjoy as much as I do.

[Orlok_Subodai]

Thanks! Yes, it’ll be interesting, for sure, to see how this new journey develops and unfolds.

I do my research very extensively and thoroughly over a long period of time and when I finally do get something, it’s very close to 100% of what I was expecting and I keep it around for a long time. Reading the reviews and posts of various forum members, I can immediately identify the ones whose ears and tastes are aligned with mine. But I also read up very thoroughly on the reviews from people who do not like what I’m interested in and then make sure that their ears and tastes aren’t like mine either.

I’ve seen that thread but will revisit and dig in deeper. My plans on the amplification front are already changing but I will have to wait and see how the TT2’s XLR outs and TToby’s speaker tap outs work with the 1266 TC. Based on what TC owners are saying, the speaker tap should work out great and, if so, then I can drop the idea of adding the XI Formula S/Powerman for the TC and go all-in with the ZMF VC and a nice (but not TOTL - more like $2~3K range) tube companion. That’s where things are headed over the next year. As things are now, I just can’t go 5 figures or more on one item. I’d have to cash out handsomely when the business gets sold to be able to afford something like the Riviera AIC-10, Viva Egoista 845 or the WA33 Elite. One can always dream though…

DNA and ampsound are definitely intriguing. Been reading up on Eddie Current, Decware, Quicksilver, and Feliks as well. So many choices… It will be more difficult than headphones to determine which one will suit me best amongst this group but I’ll have the time to figure it out!

[Orlok_Subodai]

I really came to this way of thinking after trying to listen to rock (especially classic rock like Zeppelin and Pink Floyd) with the SR1a. The SR1a is absolutely sublime for classical, jazz, acoustic, vocal music, ambient electronic and soundtracks but, man, I was not digging it at all for rock and blues. What I pinpointed it to were the electric guitars but the overall sound and the general vibe of the productions as well.

The LCD-4 is pretty good for rock but still a little too smooth and tubby in the mids, a little too refined sounding overall. With rock, I want to hear more grit, bite, cut and raunch - mainly in the high-mids - but the LCD-4 has more forward low-mids. The LCD-4 is just beautiful for jazz vocals like Diana Krall and Norah Jones and small ensemble jazz, in general, but I think a part of that refinement is its pairing with the TT2. It’s a little too polite for rock. It’s like you are in a ritzy dinner party setting with people in tuxedos and one-piece dresses when you want to be wearing jeans in a smoky and rowdy bar/club.

It’s really kind of the same with guitars and guitar amps. There are appropriate ones for particular applications, genres, styles, and setting. One does not use a Dimebag signature model guitar through a Randall solid-state 200w metal amp to play Joe Pass solo chordal jazz or even to play authentic Journey covers although it’s certainly possible for one to fake through anything with such gear. A blues player is going to use a Strat, Tele or something like an ES-335 through a low-wattage tube amp so the output tubes can be pushed harder for overdrive. Metal players primarily get their high-gain distortion from the preamp tubes with multiple gain stages and the power section is mainly just for making that sound louder.

I’ve fully come to see that different headphones along with different amp combinations will suit certain genres and sounds better than others. The requirements for classical, jazz, and acoustic are way different from rock and blues. The same goes for electronic, EDM and modern super slick pop as well as today’s over-the-top metal with their detuned 7- and 8-string guitars that are about going as low as possible while still getting heard somehow. For these genres and styles, clarity, resolution, detail, precision and plenty of reserve power (mainly to push the sub-bass frequencies) are very much desired. But for rock and blues, I don’t think so, which is the same from the guitar playing perspective.

The classic rock and blues players often go for amps in the 15~30 watt range. The more modern (80’s and on) hard rock and metal players will want minimum of 50 watts and very often 100 or even up to 200. It’s not so much about playing that much louder but getting the faster transient attack and the feel of having that much power on tap. The lows will also sound and feel much more coherent, tighter and punchier. The classic rock and blues sounds are inherently lo-fi. They go for what is the total antithesis of what hifi amp makers try to avoid as much as possible: distortion.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that, ultimately, the quality of the source (the recording and its quality of production) is what matters the most in determining what you hear at the end of the signal chain. Again, garbage-in, garbage-out or great stuff in, great stuff out. It’s the same with guitar players. A bad guitar player is still going to sound like crap with a $5,000 custom guitar through a $4,000 boutique tube amp with another $2,000 worth of effects devices. A great guitar player is going to sound way better with a $1,500 production guitar (which is certainly pro quality) through a mass-produced $1,000 assembly line amp (also good enough for pro usage). Jeff Beck plays something like the latter. He doesn’t play boutique stuff and still sounds like God! Jeff Beck can sound amazing with a $200 Squier through a little transistor amp. Well, getting off topic but you know what I’m getting at.

I’ve noticed that ZMF fans are primarily rock listeners. I’ve seen and read reviews from ZMF adherents where they say they haven’t even tried listening to classical and jazz with the ZMF cans so they really don’t know how they would sound for those genres. I thought that was funny. It’s like, “I don’t have time for that. All I know is that I love my VO/VC for what I like to listen to and that’s all that matters.” Haha. Love it! I have to admit that made me want the ZMF headphone (and a tube amp partner) even more for rock!

[perogie]

@Orlok_Subodai

classical and jazz with the ZMF

The VO, at least, does well with some jazz and classical - small band, chamber orchestra stuff, especially due to its timbre and warmth. Anything that presents itself as a small venue generally sounds good. It can get a bit hazy with larger orchestras or busy passages. This is in comparison to a Utopia, just to establish a baseline since you have some fast cans.

@Orlok_Subodai

I’ve also come to the conclusion that, ultimately, the quality of the source (the recording and its quality of production) is what matters the most in determining what you hear at the end of the signal chain.

I think when you first start out that a headphone focused purchase strategy is needed; however, once you get to a certain level of gear I do agree that more focus needs to placed at the proximal end of the audio chain.

I may be a bit out of step with traditional audiophile buying strategy but attaching a $$$ headphone to an entry level chain makes less sense to me than attaching an entry level or relatively inexpensive can to a $$$ chain. I will always remark that I have seen really expensive systems running HD600 series headphones, which are not top dollar relative to what cans can cost. We all have to start somewhere though.

The benefit of the former is that those $$$ cans can then get labelled as junk and get put up for sale on the used market!!

[Wenbinbin2010]

As much as you are aiming for the VO or VC, I would still encourage you to check out other ZMF offerings too! Surprisingly for me, I sold off my beloved VO in favor of the ZMF Aeolus, precisely because I felt like it still sounded the best for guitar-heavy tracks. Sure there was possibly some loss in speed and overall detail compared to the Verite, but there is definitely a difference in “timbre” with the Aeolus that made it sound more natural and pleasing for me, particularly when it came to electric guitar. This is coming from a fellow electric guitar enthusiast, who got into high-end audio gear to get the “perfect” sound out of digital modeling. Don’t get me wrong, I still wholeheartedly recommend the Verite, but I would feel remiss to not mention the Aeolus as well in this great discussion!

(To be transparent, I also have a VC on the way…purely out of curiosity. I suspect I will still favor the Aeolus, but who knows!)

[pennstac]

Somehow “CordMojoInnaKia!” sounds like an expletive to be muttered in astonishment under one’s breath. I don’t think PA lets you drive with IEMs, but we are permitted to crank the speaker volume to the point where half the doors in a line of traffic are rattling.

[Orlok_Subodai]

Yes, totally agree. When I decided to “go big” and get the HD800S and the Layla some years ago, I knew I had to get the matching source components to do them justice and went all-in with the Hugo and Mojo to drive them. I still have them and they are by no means obsolete although the HD800S (two of them) got passed down to my sons as an “heirloom” kind of thing. They better become audiophiles too!

This is one thing I really do like about the world of musical instruments and audiophile gear compared to the tech industry. Unlike computers and gadgets, if the stuff is good, you can still use and enjoy them for a lifetime.

[Orlok_Subodai]

Thank you for the tip! Of course, I will certainly take this into consideration. I’ve certainly learned over the years in the guitar industry that the most expensive is not “the best”. As I mentioned, a $1500 production model guitar can sound and play as good or even better than a totally handmade custom $5000+ guitar. Of course, there are way more variables involved when imperfect humans are slapping together imperfect woods.

Still, I totally get what you are saying. I’m just not getting what I consider the “right” electric guitar sounds out of my hyper-resolving headphones and rig - especially the SR1a. Normally, when you play and hear the electric guitar in a room or a stage or a studio, you ears are not at the speaker level. Your ears are way above the amp and the speakers and at a comfortable distance, so you hear the room reflections as well as a much warmer and rounded tone. What I’m hearing with the SR1a sounds like the guitar amp speakers have been raised to my ear level and you know what that sounds like!

Looking forward to your feedback after you have done an A/B between the VC and the Aeolus!

[Orlok_Subodai]

Haha. It’s not exactly legal in CA either but it is legal to have an earbud in one ear for talking on the phone. So if we see a cop, we just pull one out and we are covered.

Love the Sorento. I can possibly drive some midrange Mercedes, BMW or Lexus, etc. but why would I want to do that when the money can be spent on all these ear candies?

[frkasper]

@Orlok_Subodai

I’m just not getting what I consider the “right” electric guitar sounds out of my hyper-resolving headphones and rig - especially the SR1a. Normally, when you play and hear the electric guitar in a room or a stage or a studio, you ears are not at the speaker level. Your ears are way above the amp and the speakers and at a comfortable distance, so you hear the room reflections as well as a much warmer and rounded tone. What I’m hearing with the SR1a sounds like the guitar amp speakers have been raised to my ear level and you know what that sounds like!

The “guitar bite” I hear coming from my 2x12" is something I could never make it close with any headphones I have as well. At least I’m at the point to distinguish that there’s something missing there. And tonality is probably the easiest part of the puzzle.

@Orlok_Subodai

… so you hear the room reflections as well as a much warmer and rounded tone.

Above is likely another piece, but as of today I prefer to think there’s something else missing. Reverberations are easy distinguishable as well.

Shall we continue the journey?

Cheers.

[Orlok_Subodai]

Yes, that “perfect” electric guitar tone has been harder to nail down than I thought. It is the tonality - something across the midrange band that would need to be tweaked and “found” somehow. I have opposite ends of the spectrum with the SR1a and the LCD-4 so I know it’s “in there” somewhere in between. The amplification part is important as well to “color” that range.

I agree that reverb can color the sound only so much - very little, in fact. It’s really where our ears hear the sound coming out of the cabinet compared to how it was recorded and then reaches our ears through the headphones. It’s no wonder that guitar players and engineers spend countless hours in the studio with mic placement to get the “right” guitar sound. What we hear out of the guitar amp/speakers/cab is hard to capture on tape.

Now I find that I’m trying to nail the Holy Grail guitar tone from the listening end. It’s elusive from this side as well! Yes, the journey continues and what a ride it is…