Ronin Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 AR-90's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Too bad they don't make a rope attachment so we can drape them over our heads as headphones. BOOyah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillycheez Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 I've owned the monster turbines... the golds... and now the MDs. I love the miles Davis tributes! It really depends on your musical tastes though as monsters are known to be bass heavy. My portable source is the hifiman hm-601 which has ample power to run these as an independent receiver would. Get them! If your a basshead that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 You guys are making me jealous-- I miss my old 'tube amp' and Technics 1200 turntable.. Kicking myself for selling all my vinyl too. Kick you should. An audiophile should never sell vinyl. The 1200 is a great workhorse. I still use 1 of their arms (EPA-100) on my TT Have you tried them on a headphone amp of any type? Or are you using an ipod? Running directly off this A large portion of my main system is vintage and consists of McIntosh MC275 amp with a McIntosh MX110-Z preamplifier singing through a set of AR 2ax speakers. All have been fully refurbished and updated through and through. Modern source with vintage amplification is HARD to beat. Sounds good (I have had a couple MC275s over the years - nothing is built like a Mac), but a good vintage source through updated vintage electronics is even better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 EPA-100 FTW! I also use a 3G iPod or 1G iPod Shuffle. For some reason they had the best DACs. My iPod Touch sounds like absolute $hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 For you audiophile nuts out there iMod iPod audiophile upgrades ALO Audio iMod Cable Upgrades For the ultimate in iPod Hi-Fidelity, an iMod upgraded iPod 5th Gen with an ALO Audio RX Headphone Amp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Doesn't that picture need a NSFW designation? I think that's where iPod Nanos come from... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naveedgt Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Have a quick look here Didn't know there were audiophiles here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanuq Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Love that site! From one of their entries: AudioSource IEBAS / IEWAS Reviewed Dec 2009 Details: New ultrabudget IEM from cable manufacturer AudioSource Current Price: $9.99 from jr.com Specs: Driver: Dynamic | Imp: N/A | Sens: N/A | Freq: 20-20k Hz | Cable: 3.6’ I-plug J-cord Nozzle Size: 5.5mm | Preferred tips: stock single-flanges Wear Style: Over-the-ear or straight down Accessories (0/5) – N/A Build Quality (1.5/5) – Completely plastic housings with molding artifacts. Cabling is plastic as well. Isolation (1.5/5) – Below average Microphonics (3.5/5) – Low Comfort (2.5/5) – Light housings, very generic fit. J-cord can make them difficult to wear over-the-ear Sound (0.5/10) – The less said about the way these sound, the better. The drivers really cannot cope with anything more than a simple piano progression. They get overwhelmed very easily and end up sounding like a muddy mess. I thought they would clear up with burn-in but there seems to be no change whatsoever at 100 hours. I still can’t stand them. Value (1/10) – AudioSource is a well-known name in cables and audio accessories. From Monster’s example we know that it is possible for such a company to successfully transition into making proper earphones. However, Monster’s R&D budget is obviously much bigger. The IEBAS earbuds just feel generic and cheap. Worse than that, sound quality is really not up to the par set by my other $10 earbuds. Avoid at all costs. Pros: None Cons: Sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 Have a quick look here Didn't know there were audiophiles here Wow! Great resource there! Thanks for sharing that! I really enjoyed that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdspiv Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 I am moving out the AR's in favor of the B&W 808's for tonights listening session. The only problem here is that I dont generally like to run my MC275 on the DOOMUNGOUS 808's. I need more power so I generally move in my GP Isabella (solid state) amplifier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdspiv Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) In fact, my fiance officially put her foot down today! I ran out of room and had to start stacking in the living. I was told to start selling or trading pieces of my collection. And I think she is serious enough to "cut me off" from the lovin, if you know what I mean.. (See my quick and dirty phone pic? Do you think she is right and I have an addiction to vintage speakers? Edited May 21, 2011 by kdspiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 For the ultimate in iPod Hi-Fidelity, an iMod upgraded iPod 5th Gen with an ALO Audio RX Headphone Amp: I would be afraid to go thru airport security with that. Explaining DAC quality to the numbskull TSA guys would be a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 I ran out of room and had to start stacking in the living. I was told to start selling or trading pieces of my collection. And I think she is serious enough to "cut me off" from the lovin, if you know what I mean.. (See my quick and dirty phone pic? Do you think she is right and I have an addiction to vintage speakers? I think your fiance may have a point there. I used to sell the 808s, which are real nice, but, for my money, B&W's 801 series is about the closest I have ever come to hearing 'canned' music performed live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 I would be afraid to go thru airport security with that. Explaining DAC quality to the numbskull TSA guys would be a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 An update on my adventures through headphone land -- After spending more time with the MDTs, I came to the conclusion that they are too colored for me. If you can imagine the typical loud car stereo - thumping bass with weak highs - you have a good idea how they sound, tonally. What the MDTs do well is resolving very low level details. For example, they are light years ahead of anything else I compared them with at revealing digital artifacts in .mp3 recordings. Through them, I was able to identify a small number of .mp3s on my ipod that, unbeknownst to me, were recorded at 192khz (or lower - I thought everything on my ipod was recorded @ 320khz with a handful of sneaky 256khz's in the mix). In fact, even after the MDTs revealed digititus in a particular recording (so I was conscious of it), I was still unable to detect it with any of the other headphones I had auditioned. Unfortunately, even with their amazing resolving capabilities, the MDT's bassy nature eventually wore me out. So I returned them. I would say that if you are a bass freak (or enjoy the type of car stereo sound I described earlier), the MDTs should be at the top of your list. They really are a great headphone if you prize emotion (bass) over flatness. So, I am now back on the audition circuit............another day older, but also a bit wiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Freddy have you tried out the Audio-Technica ATH-CK10's? They were quite well reviewed on that Head-Fi site and I have heard very good things about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Based on what I have read about them, I have mixed feelings. But if I can find them available for demo, I will certainly give them a listen. In general, my preference is for flat/linear freq response, which eliminates many models due to their having been purposely designed with built-in frequency peaks & troughs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdspiv Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 I Just picked up a pair of Etymotic HF5. I will let you know how they sound in the long run. But off the bat, i can tell you that they would be HATED by some one who likes hip hop. I have a pair of Dr Dre Beats (I use them for working out because the cord doesnt tangle) and these things will blow your eardrums but seem to be how most of the in ear's I have listened to sound. The HF5 are a nice departure from the mind blowing bass...so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronin Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 In general, my preference is for flat/linear freq response, which eliminates many models due to their having been purposely designed with built-in frequency peaks & troughs. Have you tried Shure's? Flat is exactly how I would describe my now vintage E2C's which I believe have become the SCL2's. Factoring in Bang for the Buck, and the fact my 3G iPod was my source for these until recently, I like them. They survived 3000 miles on a motorcycle trip, and the foam inserts are great for keeping screaming baby's on airplanes at bay. They are going on 7yrs old. http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/shure-e2/4505-7877_7-31061856.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 +1 on the Sure's. I have a pair of E3C's (I think) and have had them for the same number of years Ronin and have found them to be very good (once you get the right fitting inserts).... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 No, I did not try either of those, but I did hear Shure's top-end SE535s, which were nice, but a bit too bloated in the bottom end (like most better headphones). With headphones, my primary goal is flat response & it seems that few actually achieve flatness -- at least in the case of those that are designed to be flat. In the end, I settled on UE's Reference Monitors, which were designed in tandem with engineers from Capitol (Records) Studios, whose goal was to produce a flat-response for engineers & producers. These are customs (made to fit my ears), so it will be a few weeks before I receive them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 For you audiophile nuts out there iMod iPod audiophile upgrades ALO Audio iMod Cable Upgrades For the ultimate in iPod Hi-Fidelity, an iMod upgraded iPod 5th Gen with an ALO Audio RX Headphone Amp: My UEs should be here any day now & I just replaced the battery & HD (going from the oem's 15gb to a massive 20gb) in my iPod &, now that it is running optimally, I am toying with the idea of adding an outboard headphone amp/DAC. As most of my iPod usage comes (under a helmet) while motorcycling, it makes no sense to go high-end with this, but your comments above inspired me to do a bit poking around for something reasonably priced that would improve the sound a bit. I found this Nuforce Icon Mobile portable headphone amplifier/DAC that looks interesting Do you or anyone else have experience with the Nuforce Icon or something of a similar size/price that will improve the overall sound beyond my 2nd-gen iPod's standard output? It also needs to be removable so I can use the iPod in my cars, which connect via the iPod's docking jack, which looks to be feeding the ALO's input in your setup. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFaster Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 I have 2 Monster, 1 Studio and 1 Pro... And the quality isn't good ! The Studio has lost 1 screw and the Cable are not good... It breaks easily ! It was a Big Deception... 299$ the Studio and 399$ the Pro version, Not Cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Do you or anyone else have experience with the Nuforce Icon or something of a similar size/price that will improve the overall sound beyond my 2nd-gen iPod's standard output? It also needs to be removable so I can use the iPod in my cars, which connect via the iPod's docking jack, which looks to be feeding the ALO's input in your setup. Anyone? Unfortunately I don't. I was hoping someone would post here to comment on the ALO or other alternatives. I would be very curious to hear other peoples thoughts on these though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.