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In Reply to: A Tale of 10 Cans posted by stp on March 26, 2020 at 17:24:14:
(Update another year later, May 2022)
Hi all,
It was a busy year, working from home and on the road, and I continued trying out in-ear and over-ear headphones, and, guess what: I have new over-ear and in-ear models (and DACs) to report on.
I had heard Grado cans several times over the years, but the popular models are mostly on-ear, and I wear glasses, which presents a problem (pain, that is). Nevertheless, I was certainly impressed by their price/performance ratio. Then I found a pair of used Grado Statement Series GS1000e cans with multiple ear pads (foam and leather) and upgraded Moon Audio Black Dragon cable for cheap, and now love them so much that my Sennheiser have gone back in the box. The GS1000e are very light (11 oz) and suspend the "speakers" a bit away from your hear, creating a space between that absolutely creates a different spatial impression (listening to solo piano [Rameau played by Angela Hewitt] just now).
I won't use the cliche that they sound like being in a room with live musicians, but they're simply really comfortable and non-fatiguing. In terms of the measurements, they're as low-distortion as the Sennheisers (down around 0.2% or less for the mid-range decade) and have a very controlled frequency response (measured as +- 5 DB or so from 50 to 20 kHz). Yes, they're really ugly and totally non-isolating, but it's well worth it. The main down side as I see it is the hard-wired cable; as I mentioned, the ones I have have a cable upgrade, but I can't swap it out or do any "cable rolling."
It's interesting that the headphones I end up keeping the longest (Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AKG or Audio-Technica) all come from well-established (more than 40-year-old) companies whose specialty is actually other transducers -- microphones in the cases cited above, and phono cartridges in the case of Grado. I've a used Grado phono cartridge for quite a while in my aged (1980s) Revox linear-tracking turntable. The exception to this correlation is the Oppo PM-3s that I use for mobile and TV listening; the company has stopped making headphones, but they're by far my favorite set of closed-back planar magnetic cans yet.
Since writing the above, I've procured a pair of Grado GS3000e cans and done the cable upgrade (to Cardas).
We moved mid-2021, and I thought I had lost my beloved Westone W30s, so I was "forced" to upgrade to Westone W60 with fitted earplugs. These are fabulous, well-sealed, full-range IEMs. In the mean time I was able to find the W30s and do some comparative listening. As implied by the product names, the W60s are about twice as good. For some reason, the spatial image is much clearer in addition to the lower distortion. The new round of fitted ear plugs are also more comfortable for long listening sessions (think intercontinental air flights).
Lastly, I found a pair of cheap Oppo PM-3 planars, and they're now my preferred mobile/TV/etc. cans; the ear pads needed to be replaced, but it was cheap and simple (non-OEM replacements). Of course, Oppo doesn't make other transducers, so my comment above falls apart, but they are a well-established company and I have used their universal disc players for ever. The PM-3s are as effortless and light-sounding as the other closed-back planar magnetic I tried, but they're much lighter, simply cabled and je ne sais quoi better-sounding. Similar to the Sennheiser and Grado cans, they're pretty flat (up to about 7 kHz) and very low-distortion (0.1% in the mid-range).
In terms of electronics, I've been experimenting with DACs, and, after auditioning several (including the latest Chinese R2R types), sold the PS Audio Stellar (noisy) and traded my Mytek (broken) for a Chord Qutest in the living room system. In the office/studio I ditched my Chord Mojo for a Grace M900 DAC/Amp -- a great move, plus it has a normal volume knob! (The background for this is a sad story that involves Mytek not being able to repair or replace my Manhattan II, and me burning out 2 Chord Mojo2 units in the space of a month.) For mobile use, I switched from the Chord Mojo to an AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt and love it, plus it's smaller and simpler than traveling with the Mojo.
In terms of the things I learned last year, I'll repeat:
1. I value comfort a lot; several of the contenders sounded great but were just too heavy, loose or uncomfortable for me to use regularly.
2. Accuracy (spectral flatness and low distortion) across the mid-range trumps extension at either end of the spectrum.
3. I value the soundstage and spatial imaging more than I thought I did at the beginning.
4. Very low distortion leads to a cleaner sound (what a surprise).
5. After-market cables can sound better, even on cans that come with good cables; thick, stiff or noisy cables make a real difference.
To close, I started this whole odyssey expecting to love one of the many newcomers and the new technologies, and ended up (for the most part) with the standard technology from old and well-established manufacturers. I also did some swapping in the living room system and now have a Bel Canto pre-amp (instead of one from a newer German company), Chord DAC (instead of a new Chi-Fi R2R DAC) and Focal active speakers replacing my Adams. Here I was trying to drag my system into the new millennium...
Happy listening!
stp in Ojai/CA
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/a-tale-of-10-cans.928530
https://gearspace.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/508831-best-mixing-headphones-145.html#post14614886
https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/head/messages/5859.html
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Follow Ups
- RE: A Tale of 10 Cans - stp 16:17:02 05/20/22 (0)
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