I think that planars for me are on a separate complimentary path, in that they are on average more expensive, and that they do things differently. I would consider Planars as a more advanced purchase for when you have more experience with what you like. But that being said the HE4XX is very cheap and does a lot right and would be easily a first purchase recommendation for people getting into the hobby. The problem with both of these headphones for people getting into the hobby though is that neither of them are readily available. I have had the 4XX (gave it to a buddy I thought would appreciate getting into this hobby but needed a push down the rabbit hole). I have currently the M1060 and the M1060C (in pieces, trying to mod an aftermarket LCD2 headband onto it). Will be getting the Mobius hopefully soon. I have listened to some of Audeze gear but not extensively enough to pass “judgment”. I would love to hear more planars in the future, but we will see. I think I will begin focusing on amps and DACs next.
The funny thing is that I kind of found my sweet spot with headphones, I tend to currently grab one of these on the regular, HD700/HD800/Fostex X00/Cascade/Andromeda not necessarily in that order. They all fit easily into what I want from them. The Elex/M1060s/58X are just kind of there, I may have to sell them off to good homes here in the future lol. The CA Comet is my go to gym IEM with the MEEBTX1 bluetooth band. Outside of those I think it is time for more experience with like I said before amps and DACS =)
Have you ever tried any of the iSine series of iem’s. I briefly owned the 20’s before selling them on due to comfort issues. Though they sounded really good overall I just couldn’t adjust to the wierd fit.
No I have not =( but just by looking at them I kind of don’t really want to =( they look like odd torture devices lol. I bet they sound great though, but everything I’ve read about them points to me having a similar experience to what you had. I tend to have pretty sensitive ears so I try to stay away from IEMs in general… I now have exceptions in the Andromeda and Comet(upside down with over ear style fit). I think the technology of putting planar in a IEM is just crazy cool though.
Myself I really like iem’s but they were a step too far Comfort wise. I would like to try the LCD-i4 though. Just for a listen. I bet they sound wonderful but oh, that price.
I will be really interested as to what you think of your mobius when it arrives.
Hah, that is the exact sentiment I stated previously about how I know I would feel about them too:
Though with how many HD58X’s were sold and how often they show up on the used market I’m sure it is just a matter of time before they get cheap enough that I’ll grab one just to review and then sell afterwards.
I still think these are great cans, and they look nice, etc…but exactly like you said before, they aren’t as good as my other ones so, when I’m reaching for a set these aren’t high on my list.
That is exactly why I sold my iSine20’s as well. It was hard to part with them because they sounded so damn good with the Cipher cable. But in the end, the discomfort was a distraction.
Ooo nice. It looks small. You’ll have to let us know what it’s like. Can it be used to stream Spotify online and offline? Enjoy yourself discovering its delights.
As of right now no Spotify…but they said they are working on it. So FLAC files for the time being…not a tidal guy so. The screen is nice and the UI is fast and smooth, plus the Andromeda sound good without the imatch. I really hope they get Spotify soon though.
DIt looks like a really good Dap. It has great features and with eventual added support for Spotify it think it would something I would look at myself. I just have to have Spotify though. It’s something I use all the time. Seeing as I don’t have a massive music collection of my own.
Spotify has opened up music for me. To be honest it’s the one thing I could not do without. And maybe my Andromeda’s and… oh well you get the picture. But seriously I really like the look of your Dap.
I’m really liking it with the Andromedas right now…I’m actually pretty blown away with it…I’ve become accustomed to my Pixel2 and the ifi imatch…and this just blows that right out of the water! I’m listening with some cheapish balanced Chinese cables and can’t go above 45 volume before it gets too loud. I have balanced cables for my CA Cascade that I’m going to play with soon too.
I’ll do a separate impressions review of it, and I’ll make sure to compare with my different headphones. Another neat feature I’m liking is the Hiby app for my phone… I can link the two devices and control the R3 with the app on my phone while the R3 is in my pocket.
