Sometimes the HD-650's bore me...

[GPH]

Dunno, I like my headphones to disappear and leave me with the music. In the case of the AD2K, I felt I was listening to the headphones and they were acting as a high-pass filter cutting all the good bass!

[acidbasement]

^ That's what I always felt about the lower-end Grados. "Great for rock!" shout the SR225 fans, but I can't even hear the kick drum when the guitars get loud. The HF-2 was certainly better at keeping the bass in when I heard it though. If I were looking for a dynamic 'phone to complement my HD600s I'd put it on my shortlist.

[Thaddy]

I agree with The Monkeys thoughts on this matter. Its scary to me sometimes how much his thoughts often mirror my own.

Did you have a specific model in mind?

(Please don't say the 007's...)

[acidbasement]

was that with bowls or flats?

Bowls. Haven't heard it with flats.

[swt61]

Thanks for the advice. I've spent a few days reading about the T1's, LCD-2's, and HD800's and it seems (again, based on what I've read) that I would enjoy the LCD-2's the most. Should I also be considering the HE-5's?

It's going to come down to personal choice Zack. I really preferred the LCD-2 to the HE-5, HE-5LE and HE-6, and by a fair margin. Though some feel differently. Hopefully you will find a way to audition both before buying. While there are differences between the HE's, IMO they're subtle, so auditioning any of the three should give you a pretty good idea of the HE sound character.

[swt61]

I agree with The Monkeys thoughts on this matter. Its scary to me sometimes how much his thoughts often mirror my own.

That is no surprise. The Monkey is not a real person. He's a droid we made with an amalgamation of our joint characteristics. That's the main reason he's so popular on Head-Case, and why we tend to agree with him so readily.

[deepak]

The only fun Stax model that comes to mind is the Lambda Pro, and that's for its boomy, dynamic-esque bass. I do not recommend Stax.

[swt61]

Well I certainly wouldn't consider the OII as clinical. It does have a warm envolving character, but I'm not sure 'fun' would be the right adjective for it.

So overall I agree with you, Stax are a bit more on the tecnical side rather than the fun side.

[spritzer]

Stax are mostly matter of fact but something like the 1968 SR-3 has this lovely musical nature. The Gamma's are also more get up and go than any of the Lambdas.

As for the HE-5., truly horrible headphones. Up there with Ultrasone in the "I'd like to smash 'em with a hammer" category...

[Thaddy]

This certainly is a tough decision, but I'm pretty sure in the end I'll end up with a pair of headphones that sound incredible.

Can someone explain why the LCD-2's and HE-5LE's wouldn't be the ideal choice for an OTL amp? I'm more curious than anything, it's not really going to prevent me from purchasing either as I understand that while not ideal, it doesn't mean they can't sound great out of the WA2.

As much as Stax intrigue me (A LOT), right now they're out of the question. I just want something I can plug into my WA2 and enjoy.

[Dusty Chalk]

That is no surprise. The Monkey is not a real person. He's a droid we made with an amalgamation of our joint characteristics. That's the main reason he's so popular on Head-Case, and why we tend to agree with him so readily.

Lies!

Lies make monkey angry.

Now watch, he comes along and says the exact same thing.

[The Monkey]

This statement is false.

[Icarium]

This certainly is a tough decision, but I'm pretty sure in the end I'll end up with a pair of headphones that sound incredible.

Can someone explain why the LCD-2's and HE-5LE's wouldn't be the ideal choice for an OTL amp? I'm more curious than anything, it's not really going to prevent me from purchasing either as I understand that while not ideal, it doesn't mean they can't sound great out of the WA2.

As much as Stax intrigue me (A LOT), right now they're out of the question. I just want something I can plug into my WA2 and enjoy.

This is due to mismatched impedances. Generally low impedance headphones do not perform well with amps that have high impedance output. OTL amps in general have relatively high output impedance. There are exceptions (I think the menace had pretty low impedance). Plus I mean poor performance doesn't necessarily mean that you won't like the sound. Most people like stuff that performs poorly or tests poor. I have no idea if you are one of them or not. I certainly have enjoyed many items that perform/test poorly myself.

Shrug while the HD800 is faster than the hd650s. I certainly wouldn't put it anywhere near the AD2k in speed.

I find Rush boring just like I find metal boring.

[The Monkey]

The AD2k is a fun, but very fucking bright headphone.

[Solude]

Nods low impedance, low efficiency is the killer here. OTL typically is high output impedance and current limited compared to transformer models. Just means a low dampening factor and potential to not be able to play at high levels. Key here is typical, not guaranteed. I mean Duggeh's? ortho measured in at 98%? THD and he likes it =)

[Thaddy]

Nods low impedance, low efficiency is the killer here. OTL typically is high output impedance and current limited compared to transformer models. Just means a low dampening factor and potential to not be able to play at high levels. Key here is typical, not guaranteed. I mean Duggeh's? ortho measured in at 98%? THD and he likes it =)

I generally don't listen at high volume levels. ex. I can still hear someone talking while wearing the 650's. I'm not sure how a low dampening factor would translate when actually listening though.

[Voltron]

The AD2k is a fun, but very fucking bright headphone.

Bad Monkey! You spread lies like flinging poop around your cage. Still not sure why people think of them as bright.

[Solude]

Because the output starts to slope down around 1KHz maybe

[Solude]

I'm not sure how a low dampening factor would translate when actually listening though.

Me neither. Always had amps with outputs that were close to shorts.

[Thaddy]

Well, I guess there's only one way to find out...

I also emailed Jack Woo to get this thoughts, since both the HE-5LE and LCD-2 are low impedance. The WA2 is listed to handle 25-600 Ohms but I'm not sure if that changes depending on what power tubes I'm using.

[Solude]

When I polled Jack last week to find the differences in the product line about all I got out of it was...

"The 5LE and the LCD-2 headphones are fairly low efficient. A high power output amp is highly recommended. With this end, the WA6-SE is a better match. The WA6 will not have enough power to drive these phones at comfortable volume."

It was like pulling teeth to get that much and I don't think its even accurate since people are using the WA6 with the LCD-2 which only need 100mV to reach 90dB.

[atothex]

All amps list that range. Whether they really match is debatable. Noobs will of course say their amp matches anything and everything perfectly, especially sourced by their X-Fi soundcards...

[Thaddy]

Well, my email was pretty specific in asking how they would pair with the WA2, so he doesn't have any wiggle room to mention the WA6 or WA6 SE I know he'll remember me since he just built it for me two weeks ago.

[Beefy]

I generally don't listen at high volume levels. ex. I can still hear someone talking while wearing the 650's. I'm not sure how a low dampening factor would translate when actually listening though.

The textbook answer would be lack of control in the bass. With something like orthos that have a really light diaphragm, a high damping factor helps keep it under control.

[The Monkey]

Bad Monkey! You spread lies like flinging poop around your cage. Still not sure why people think of them as bright.

You really don't think they're bright? Would "steely" be a better word? To me something grating was going on in the highs. I remember this in particular while listening to Metallica through them through some Cary setup at one of the NYC meets. However, I did think they sounded great out of a GLite at a different meet, so who knows. Still, they're bright as hell.