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Headphone Heights

I couldn't resist ...

66.30.104.90

In Reply to: RE: I'm in trouble ... posted by Douger on January 05, 2012 at 14:54:28

...giving them a quick listen when I got home ...but they only have about ten hours on them.

So far I'm unimpressed. The top end is lifeless, the mids are somewhat veiled and the bass, while deeper than the ATs, is ill-defined. I knew I should have waited longer !

So, they may have a long way to go on break-in or might not be getting along with my amp. If the later is the case, then I'll be keeping the ATs as I am incredibly pleased with them and am not interested in changing amps. I only bought the Denon's because a no-risk, irresistible deal presented itself.

I won't listen to them again until Sunday and will run them 24/7 until then. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks to you and "genungo" I am really pleased with my headphone set-up. Actually, I am beyond pleased ...I'm thrilled.

Dean.

reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.

Follow Ups:

RE: I couldn't resist ... - Douger 14:40:10 01/06/12 (3)
Don't give up on them. It took six months for me to stop wondering why I bought my Grado SR325i's, and now they are awesome. Your 2000's will bloom.
They are such an easy load I don't think I would blame your amp.
- Part II ... - reelsmith. 18:51:54 01/08/12 (2)
  Never before have I heard a component change so drastically after break-in. I am well accustomed to the differences break-in can make ...but this was a night and day difference. Upon first listen I was so disheartened that I felt break-in would be a waste of time ...afterall, how could they change so drastically across the entire frequency spectrum? What an amazing transformation.
  
  The high frequencies have opened up considerably and now have nearly all the air and extension the ATs have, but are smoother ...and the mids are no longer veiled. As for the bass ...the Denons make the ATs sound bass-shy ...but, its too much bass.
  
  The presentation is different as well. For instance, on the harmonies on several cuts on the Doobie Brothers "Toulouse Street" the voices come from the left ear cup only on the ATs and from nearer the middle (in my head) on the Denons ....which is the same presentation as my speakers (harmonies are just left of center).
  
  The Denons sound more like my speakers ...and that is a good thing ...but the prominent bass is a problem as it is over-emphasized and really getting in the way of keeping things tuneful. There simply isn't enough differentiation in the bass from LP to LP with the Denons ...there is always a lot of bass ...and sometimes there shouldn't be.
  
  Back to the garage for more break-in.
  
  Dean.
  
  reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
  - Just for kicks... - genungo 01:20:27 01/09/12 (1)
    If you ever get the opportunity, try the Denons with a headphone amp that has a very high damping factor and very low output impedance - Benchmark, Musical Fidelity, or Meier Corda are three brands that come to mind. Musical Fidelity makes a nice, inexpensive headphone amp that meets both of these criteria. While it can be hard to predict exactly how amps and headphones will interact, an amp with an output impedance that is 1/10th of the headphone impedance is not a bad starting point. Amp matching is a very important issue, and admittedly, the Denons are very low (25 ohm) impedance headphones. Your Fournier amp is only rated for headphones in the 30 to 300 ohm range... Good luck!
    - Musical Fidelity V-Can (Open in New Window)
    Edits: 01/09/12 01/09/12
    - Thanks ... - reelsmith. 08:30:57 01/09/12 (0)
      Unfortunately, that opportunity is not likely to present itself.
      
      I prefer the Denon's on about 75% of what I listened to yesterday. My thought is to simply keep both sets of phones and on those LPs where where the Denons are annoying in the bass, I'll simply use the ATs.
      
      I could also use the second set of pre-outs on my preamp to run the headphone amp, rather than the tape-out, as I am using now. That would give me access to the tone controls, which I've never used.
      
      Dean.
      
      reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.

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