kirkwall Posted August 16, 2009 Report Posted August 16, 2009 I've been enjoying mine (SN 141). I like what it does for female voices in particular on the setups I've tried so far. Very present and rich-sounding. Probably my faves now of the phones I own. best, k
terriblepaulz Posted August 16, 2009 Report Posted August 16, 2009 #163 was waiting for me when I got back from vacation the last week of July. I have spent a lot of time with them since then, as I find myself craving listening sessions. postjack's comment ("[p]ure Grado midrange crunchy radness") is spot on. In addition to guitars, a lot of vocal performances (Al Green!) have really shined.
kdaq Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 My HF-2 is due to arrive within the week, so of course I'm in a state of pre-ownership obsessive curiosity. I'm a big believer in audio-chain synergy. But I'm also chronically lazy. So lend me your hard work and tell me what configuration yields the most win! Are they better suited toward the tubey warmth and verve end of the spectrum, or toward solid-state hyper detail and speed?
n_maher Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 But I'm also chronically lazy. So lend me your hard work and tell me what configuration yields the most win! That's a bad Kevin! I found them to be less tolerant of high-output impedance designs compared to their HF-1 brethren and thought they sounded outstanding out of a beta22. I haven't tried them on many tube amps so I can only tell you bad things about that experience. I suspect that something with perhaps a trafo-coupled output would be nice.
guzziguy Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 This isn't a great forum on which to be lazy. Lazy people tend to attract this kind of attention: No matter what advice you get in this thread, you'll still have to do the work to decide for yourself what works best. So do the work once you get them. That being said, I agree with Nate that they sound wonderful being driven by a B22. However, for me they also sound good being driven by my SP Platinum Extreme with 6as7g output tubes. So a "high power" OTL tube amp also works.
kdaq Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 Wow, look at all that laziness criticism coming from people who are probably surfing this forum at their day jobs (and yup I'm one of 'em) Nah seriously, thanks for the impressions. Actually, I get obsessive about trying different combinations, which lead me to build ~seven different DIY amps and try ~seven different Grado pad configurations.
en480c4 Posted August 19, 2009 Report Posted August 19, 2009 On a budget, the HF-2 sounds damn good out of my Millett Hybrid... Though it also scales up very well, too. It sounded amazing out of Mark's uber-Ear, a Beta, etc.
HeadphoneAddict Posted August 20, 2009 Report Posted August 20, 2009 My HF-2 is due to arrive within the week, so of course I'm in a state of pre-ownership obsessive curiosity. I'm a big believer in audio-chain synergy. But I'm also chronically lazy. So lend me your hard work and tell me what configuration yields the most win! Are they better suited toward the tubey warmth and verve end of the spectrum, or toward solid-state hyper detail and speed? I like them with Millett SSH or Head-direct EF1 and EF2 tube hybrids with Pico DAC-only, or Apogee Duet, Woo WA6 and EC ZDT.
kdaq Posted August 20, 2009 Report Posted August 20, 2009 It seems then, that the HF-2 is a headphone that is tolerant of different topologies, while simultaneously scaling well. Sweet. Mine is scheduled to arrive today, so I'll repay your impressions with my own soon. Woo!
kdaq Posted August 21, 2009 Report Posted August 21, 2009 Initial impressions. Always using Headroom Overture as source. Clearly shares DNA with the HF-1. I feel the bass in my feet, as if it was traveling floorboards. Observing the aged HF-1 present a more effortless sound even while the newborn HF-2 outclasses it makes it clear that burn-in matters. Millett Hybrid mates well, but is hiding detail. Diamond buffers will likely help this. Pimeta is surprisingly similar. PPAv2 results in same experience as with all Grados. IT BURRRRRNS! The Dynalo, on the other hand, is HF-2's soulmate. Now I need a change of pants. Also a B22
atothex Posted August 21, 2009 Report Posted August 21, 2009 Dynalos are sweet. I recently squished my bowls down, and they're pretty badass now. Regular bowls still suck.
Hopstretch Posted August 21, 2009 Report Posted August 21, 2009 Dynalos are sweet. I recently squished my bowls down, and they're pretty badass now. Regular bowls still suck. Everything in this post is true.
ZephyrSapphire Posted August 22, 2009 Report Posted August 22, 2009 Heard the HF-2 yesterday in the Sydney Meet. Wasn't impressed with the somewhat dodgy craftsmanship/build quality/watchamakallit. Impression? It's still a Grado which IMO sounds good just for rock. Took it off after about a minute. Supra-aural is a b!tch.
ZephyrSapphire Posted August 22, 2009 Report Posted August 22, 2009 How well did it handle 'zu', 'su' and 'ju'? Didn't try it out with Japanese music. Just Radiohead and some random Jazz stuff.
deepak Posted August 22, 2009 Report Posted August 22, 2009 How well did it handle 'zu', 'su' and 'ju'? 110% win.
penger Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 Dynalos are sweet. I recently squished my bowls down, and they're pretty badass now. Regular bowls still suck. Can you elaborate on this squishing?
Hopstretch Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 Can you elaborate on this squishing? Put something rigid and heavy on top. Let time pass. Enjoy.
penger Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 Nice. More bass than bowls but not excessive like flats? Sounds good.
drp Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 Can you elaborate on this squishing? Put something rigid and heavy on top. Let time pass. Enjoy. Given your recent posts, at first glance, I thought you wrote frigid; made more sense when I read it again.
grawk Posted August 23, 2009 Report Posted August 23, 2009 hf2s, balanced from my duet->rotel rc-1090 xlr jacks listening to paul bley Great resolution, great low bass, perfect tone. I'll let others listen at my mini-meet.
K3cT Posted September 1, 2009 Report Posted September 1, 2009 Late to the party but I really like the sound out from the Compass. It sounds exceptional with acoustic guitars and the stuff.
boomana Posted September 1, 2009 Report Posted September 1, 2009 It sounds exceptional with acoustic guitars and the stuff. the stuff?
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