The focal elar review

Special thank you to Starpickers for loaning the Elear for me for a couple days of use, despite having a sales boost campaign coming up and needing the Elear showcase.

Sponsored link below, do give them the support as they are enthusiasts with a small scale shop working their way up

http://www.lelong.com.my/merchant/StarsPicker.htm

With that out of the way, here is a brief though of me and the Elear. Do note that I only had a couple days with them, so the things here stated are *non conclusive*.

Setup: Aune S6 Optical - XLR based Elear
Song tracks: Stranger Tide OST by Hans Zimmer

An Overall outlook

Well, since this has an urgency of time, I didnt have exactly all the time i needed to test it out with every genre, and hence picked the most orchestral mix and vocal powered tracks from Stranger Tide.

My first impressions are that the soundstage is quite wide, giving a fully immersive experience to the music. Like for the mermaids song, there is really a creepy sensation to it, and when the suspense comes, I can imagine the movie scene in my head, where mermaids were rampaging all over the pirates with anger. The suspense made my heart go pounding mad.

On the near end of that track, I was anticipating Blackbeard's ship appearance, and by the all mighty queue of the music through Elear, I was like, HIS HERE!! You can feel the authority in bass that makes the impression of an almighty ship coming to wreck havoc. Oh yeah, blast them sonofabitches, my mind went thinking of the scene again..

So, with Hans Zimmer's magic trick, I can say that Elear can really show how capable are good tracks carving scenes in your mind. Elear has the bass depth and small sparkly tingling treble spikes that makes the music feel "entertaining and immersive".

Caveats

There are still some issues need to be addressed, though the audio department is really nice. First of all, like them users rant, the cables are unusually freakingly LOOOOOOOOOOONG. I could forsee a lot of people having to dime out and get another shorter cable just for the sake of having a shorter one. 

Second of all is the squeaking sound of the headbands, Yes, the headband squeaks if twisted slightly both ways. Dont know how people fix that, but there are remedies to it.

Now the weight of the headphone is quite subjective. It is not as heavy as the LCDs, BUT they are also not as light as the HD650 i own. So where does the weight be at? I think it's all good for home desk use without fatigue, but it is not quite the street friendly type.

Conclusiion

SO with a good audio quality but a *meh* design quirks, is the headphone purchase worthy? If you can live with the problems, then by all means go for it, it's quite worth the price. For me and my wallet, I would, if there is a used pair with warranty still, even better.

Sennheiser Amperior

Quite some time ago, a fellow acquaintance sent me the Amperior, but my Magni and Modi wasn't reaching me anytime soon, so I had to wait for the M&M to arrive before i start the review on the unit.

Appearances 

The amperior on first look is a very versatile and mobile headphone. It is an on-ear instead of over ear. Design wise some may suggest it odd looking, and I agree to a certain extent.

The first thing that I couldn't understand is the extending socket cable for the Amperior. Secondly would be the cable near the top of the driver cans, why did they do it like that, it's not like mainstream users are able to replace the drivers and the cable connecting both sockets.

Sound

Treble

The treble on Amperior seems a bit lacking in comparison to the Q701, but they are in totally different league, I would think the Amperior will have suffice treble to be powered by DAPs out there. 

Mids

The vocal is very forward, in comparison (yet again) with Q701. They really excel with rock music genre, and something like Linkin Park's Hunting Party really makes the Amperior feel like a badass! Forward sounding music, yeah, great!

Bass

Bass is quite light on the Amperior, it doesn't go down to sub bass, and will rattle a bit when trying to do so. Typical music will have suffice bass translated, but lacks the downright power of sub bass. 

Soundstage

The soundstage of Amperior isn't exactly wide to be said, maybe cause I'm used to Q701 that the Amperior feels lacking in this section. It is quite confined although not restrained. 

Conclusion

IMO, this Amperior will serve really well as a mobility option, but not suffice to be a home relaxing audio headphone option, since the leather on the cups will cause sweat around , and the audio quality puts it in second class, next to other on ears, but better marginally.

Alessandro MS1

Thanks to Alan for the loan unit, I am going to review the MS1, not the MS1i as previously mentioned.

MS1

Design

The design on the Alessandro and Grado series always has to feel weirdly classic to me. They are still one of the more famous open back headphone line ups known to head-fi. They expose the drivers so much that it can be used as a pair of speakers themself. The MS1 itself is quite light and can be used for long durations without a problem.

Sound

Treble

The treble on MS1 is quite clean, the high pitches are clearly portrayed, especially on classical orchestras. They do real nice on it. The cymbals are crispy, and not ear deafening piercing at all.

Mid

Guitars and vocals do remarkably well on the MS1. Vocals are quite laid back on the MS1 compared to what I remember of MS1i. Guitars strike with authority and makes rock very sensational to listen to.

Bass

Bass on MS1 is quite a polite one. Not too much power on it, but has the beats that you can feel the presence to. I like to refer it as a "polished" bass rather than a "quantified" bass.

Soundstage

There isn't quite much soundstage on the MS1. It is still that Grado / Alessandro house sound that is more a studio sound than a stage sound. Separations are quite clear cut, and can be dissected into left right mid back and forward starring.

Conclusion

You know I like to cut the bullshit descriptive illustrations going as thick as a JR novel, so I will just tell you what kinda music will suit the MS1 or in fact any Grado related cans to say. Rules of thumbs when it comes to Grado / Alessandro is Rock music and Metal Music or anything that is similar to it. Now, that's a fact! So, unless you are into these music genre, Grado / Ales is a must have, for other genres, try first before deciding to get it, it's a 50/50 chance you will like it.

Alessandro MS1i review coming soon

Nothing much to say, but thanks to a recently met friend, who coincidentally also called Alan (which is my name too anyways FYI), lend me to try his MS1i, and hence, I will have a chance to reminiscence on the good old days when I had a MS1i. Ah~ the good old days when everything seems like curiosity and hype.

Observation of bass port of Q701

Here are my observation of the bass mod for Q701. With the sticky removed, bass had more volume, treble got slightly more appearing, so are dynamics.

With the sticky on, soundstage was greatly different, though bass is lesser volume but with the same authority. The high "tings" get more appearance in comparison too, those are like the super highs.

So, for you readers, bass mod for the bass and treble up, or no bass mod for the flat sound and wide soundstage?

Q460 coming soon; JDSLabs USB OTG Mini to Micro arrived

2 notes here to mention real fast.

1. Q460 coming soon

Following the line up, I have the Q701 for quite some time, the Q460 will soon to follow for a review. 

2. JDSLabs USB OTG Mini to Micro

Well, in short, the cable has arrived, and my days of convenience to use my android S3 to connect to my Hippo cricri+ using shorter cables has arrived. YAY!

More to come soon! Thats all for now

Goldring DR-150

I have had this Goldring DR 150 for some time already, but I was quite reluctant on reviewing it, cause I sensed it was not as desirable initially. I thought I might give it a second chance with my current Magni from Schiit Audio, and perspective changed a bit.

Packaging

The packaging is simple and has no fancy items inside, just the headphone, cable and adapter for 6.5mm.

Unpacking the DR150 was easy and swift, not much plying needed, not like the last Sennheiser I did.

Setup

Unfortunately I sold off the original QED cable with my Custom One Pro, they made a great combo, and was liked by the buyer. Hence, the cable I will be using is made by a local cable maker, and named Vero150, so the whole combo I call it DrVero 150.

Specifications of this cable:

*Vero-150 made with 6N multicore cooper wire.
*Material were carefully selected to enhance the sound of goldring DR150 headphone.
*1.5 meter 6N multicore wire
*Cooper material
*Hand braided in "Quad" configuration
*Carefully hand terminated
*Each cable consist of 4 strain,
*Solder using high quality industrial grade soldering lead
*3.5mm Neutrik plug both end terminated.

Oh, one more thing, the inner cloth mod was done. Search around and you will know what mod I am talking about.

Sound

Treble

The treble on the DrVero 150 is not very sharp, but still presence. To me, it is quite "in the middle", doing an adequate amount of sharp highs and not pierce your ears till they bleed. It is doing quite a decent job.

Mid / Vocals

The vocals are slightly laid back, and IMO is at the right spot where it should be. The vocal are relatively flat in comparison with other headphones I have. 

Bass

This is considered a light bass headphone. The drums hit with a small amount of kick into it, and does not overtake the whole music. You can hear it just about there and I quite like how the bass is.

Soundstage

All I can say is studio quality soundstage. There is a lack of airiness despite it is an open back headphone. Echoes do not transfer into distance and cut off quite soon. This is great for people who listen to studio CD but a no no to Live albums.

Conclusion

I can say just about okay for the price level to this DR150. It does a good job on studio CDs and can easily run off of your mobile. The beauty that makes me keeping this piece is the 3.5mm cable jack on the headphone, which means absolute freedom to mingle around with any 3.5mm interconnects you have lying around. It might (or not) change the sound for the better. Not forgetting the comfortableness and lightweight of DR150 makes it highly portable and suits long amount of listening time. This is one that I can recommend for budget users or mobile listeners.

  

Sennheiser HD202 ii

Today we look at a budget line if headphone from Sennheiser, the HD202 ii. The HD202 sells at $27.90 on Amazon.

Packaging

This is how the item is packed, in a hard plastic packing that is a pain to open up. It took me some effort to open up the packaging, and I don't know why do they make it so challenging to open it up.

What you get in the package are these only.

Cable length is giganticly long, 10 foot long. Lucky for that cable organizer / clip that you can wrap it, or not you are going to have a bad time. 

Sound

Treble

The treble on the HD202 is rather spikey and easily clips even on a smooth song. It seems to be overdone, and I myself don't appreciate much on the overload trebles on this can.

Mid

The mids on this can is mediocre. Rather forward and sounds unlively / inorganic. Male vocals do not have the depth that it needs. It sounds like a long due fatigue waiting to happen.

Female vocals are still acceptable, but the spikes on the highs and mid highs could spoil the experience. 

Bass

Bass is one thing that still can be appreciated out of all these bad things I said. They are accurate but lacks the punch and depth that some songs could use. It only shows the presence of bass and does nothing to it.

Soundstage

There isn't much to critic on the soundstage performance. All I can say is it is just enough to be accepted not as "narrow"

Comfort

I normally do not critic on the comfort of cans, as most of them are still acceptable up to 2 hours or so, which I feel is sufficient, but the HD202ii, man oh man, the clamp force is like "I'm going to squeeze your head till it explodes." It is really tight and the ears couldn't breath and heats up shortly after 10 minutes or so of listening. Head fatigue and pain would occur, in my case, after 20 minutes or so.

Conclusion

For me, this is my first time giving so much negative comment on a single can, and I am not happy about that. Every can should have their own appreciated way, but I just couldn't accept this HD202. Luckily this is from the older era of Sennheiser, and things have changed dramatically to the better. SO, the last thing I can say, better not get this, get another can, many are better than this

Philips SHP2000

My uncle recently bought a, as he said, "cheap" headphone to use, and it comes out to be Philips SHP2000 headphone. Philips, as I tend to put it, sells headphones at more of a mainstream uses, except for the fidelio series, so, I didn't expect too much out of the headphone itself. For a 40mm driver, I'm going to expect some heavy bass down on it, and I was right.

SHP2000 - $19.99

Packaging

The packaging is right out of the box, nothing much. Below is shown what you will get.

Headphone + plug= whole package

Sound

Treble

Treble on the SPH2000 is relatively mild and soft, sometimes feels like a little muffled. Not a lot of specialty and mot much to talk about.

Mid

The mids on the SPH is quite mediocre, not too much forwardness, but doesn't seem to be pushed back a lot. Vocal wise is still acceptable, speech or the pronunciations can still be heard quite okay.

Bass

BASSHEADS REJOICE! I would call this SPH2000 quite heavy on bass, but the bass is quite entertaining frankly. Not my taste, but I'm sure some people will appreciate the good bass you can get.

Comfort

I normally do not mention on the comfort of headphones a lot, as they have nothing special. SPH2000's headband is quite uncomfortable on the edges, it sticks and pressures on my head, and feel discomfort almost instantly.

The circled corner is uncomfortable

Conclusion

For $19.99, I can't say this is a bad choice, neither a spectacular one, but I can say this is for budget bassheads. 

AKG Q701

Well, as a start, I can say that most people, if not all, know AKG one way or another, so I will cut the history and all those things, and go straight to what I have with me here, the AKG Q701 Quincy Jones series.

Q701 Lime Green

A little conflict

Before we head into the main review, just a little side note for all you readers, there are 2 manufacturing line to the Q701 as of now, the (used to) made in Austria and the (now) made in China line up. This has been verified by a couple of head-fiers. AKG stated that rest assured as the driver used and materials are still the same, just they shifted to China to reduce manufacturing cost, but then to me the "Made in Austria" embedded in the sides of the can makes it just a tad more awesome and precious.Mine is made in Austria.

Packaging

What do you get? not a lot, only these:

One pair of AKG Q 701 headphones
two single sided detachable cable
sone jack adapter
one storage cradle 

Storage cradle, as they call it

Comfort

Some people may find the Q701 headband quite uncomfortable, due to the design, which has bumps along the headband, which I, myself also don't get the reason behind it. It, to me, is quite uncomfortable after some really long hours, and get some headache due to pressure from the bumps, and will make your hairstyle look wavy~

The earcup is velour and is very comfortable, nuff said.

WTF? @@

Sound

Treble

The high notes on the Q701 is very nice, accurate and crispy. It is not overdone and will seldom hear clippings. All the cymbals and high hats from the drum can be heard quite clearly, which is nice.

Mid Vocals

Vocals are quite forward sounding and to me, is quite suitable for the rock genre and maybe even punk? Guitars excel in the Q701 as you "almost" can hear the plucking of the guitars, and made the guitar seems like it is singing. Main vocalist and background singers are separated quite cleanly.

Bass

Bass on the Q701 is quite subjective. When the genre demands for some powerful bass, it fails to achieve the required task.It has a "barely there" level of bass, which is just about enough to fill the music and not overdo it. To bassheads, move along now, nothing to see here.

Bass mod

I have researched around and found a bass mod that can be done to K702 and also the Q701, and might be to all x7xx series of AKG. Below is what I done:

Special thanks to krizar of headfi, his post is here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/582276/q701-appreciation-thread/4560#post_9960711

Soundstage

Soundstage is where the Q701 is critically acclaimed for, and is famous in it. I have to agree to a certain extent on that, why? Well. the soundstage is wide, but not as exaggerated as the community said it is. It feels more like a wide studio, instead of the soundstage from a football field.

Conclusion

Well, I can say that the benefits of having a Q701 is the very appreciated sound, the exchangable cable and of course the design of the cans itself, it is quite a "street wear" to me, which is nice combination with a good sound. Bass mod is recommended if you feel it lacking the bass you need.

Burson Audio Soloist + LCD-3 review

Burson Audio Soloist SL

The Soloist SL is one amp that I am quite impressed with. 

Design + build

Burson Audio Soloist SL

Well I can say that I am totally loving the whole aluminium casing idea and it looks really really classy. All the socket connection secures tightly despite frequent plug unplugging. 

One thing that bothers me though is the only rca input, which I did not have the cable for, and had to go out and find one 3.5mm to RCA. Although so, the 2 inputs are quite appreciated so that users can switch between inputs. Great for AB-ing too.

Audeze LCD-3

This headphone is one heavy one i must say, and overall the build is real classy looking, with the comfort of leather that I find wearing a whole day without breaking a sweat. With the package comes along these accessories:

• Ruggedized travel case

• 4-pin to 2x3-pin XLR adapter (for balanced cables)

• Leather care kit
• 4-pin to 6.5mm adapter

Sound

I always love to simplify sound description and not over boast it. In here, I will just directly make judgement and not split them up into 2 sections, since this review is about the synergy of this both.

Treble

The pairing really brought out major detailing that I have yet to hear from what I had, which made me really impressed. All the clear audio really got me going on and on boasting how good the sound is to my surrounding fellow mates.

Vocal / Mids

The mids are quite forward in this pairing, and I can really feel it quite close to me, so I dont miss a single word out of the singer's lyrics. Background vocals are well separated with the main singer, and doesn't get overly mashed up, which also depends on the mastering of the audio.

Bass

The amount of bass in this pair is short and full of power, but not boasting the ear shattering amount. They do little to the bass and is quite focused on the quality of audio and not letting the bass getting all over the music. 

Soundstage

The soundstage is also one of the point that really got me going on boasting. It is really wide, and is one of the best I have heard so far. Nothing came even close to what this pair had to offer. Having listening to some live concert masterings and instrumental ones, I am quite sure this pair will do remarkable experience to classic lovers.

Conclusions:

Well, all thanks to the sponsor, Burson Audio, I had one hell of an experience, and will definitely get this setup once I hit a jackpot. Now the next person in line, get your ears all ready for hell of an experience, mate! And lastly, as always ,  test everything, leave nothing behind.

Big Guns are here

I have finally received the long awaited (at my side at least) for the Audeze LCD-3 and Burson Audio Soloist SL unit. I'll be starting to test it after i get the things set up, for now, pictures of a few

Burson Audio Soloist SL

Audeze LCD-3

Open up

Special  thanks to Burson Audio and Audeze for this wonderful opportunity, I wouldn't be ablke to afford these rigs anyways :/

The HiFiMan HE-400, something good

Well, I obtained the unit from a purchase by Mr Adre, thanks for letting me try this unit. HE-400 is a Planar Magnetic driver headphone with a high efficiency, as stated in their site ( google: Planar Magnetic, site: http://hifiman.com/).

Packaging

What can i say.. nothing special actually that is really worth  mentioning. It's all the basic essentials, which is a cloth pouch and a 3.5-6.5 adapter. 

Build

The HiFiMan HE-400 is built very solid and I can expect it to take a beating and survive well. Still, the shiny surfaces might get scratches, if cosmetic outlook is what concerns. The cable is using canare L-4E5AT, which I have no idea on technicality, but I only know canare cables are not bad, and is durable without much drag weight. Something that concerns me is the screw on type of plug to both side of the headphone driver.

Screw on type input jacks

What I worry is down the years, the screw on might get loose due to frequent friction, but still it locks on better than other 3.5mm input without lock mechanisms.

Driving the HE-400

Actually, it might sound scary when it comes ot planar magnetic, as people might think it need a super amp to drive it. Well, good news, even the simplistic Objective 2 amp can drive it nicely without any much fuss, and leave more power to go with. If you have some headphone amp that drives 250 ohm, you are good to go. 

Sound

Treble

I really like how the treble is clean and is very solid. Cymbals can be heard clearly and not missing any beats. Crystality is  how i can describe it. No doubt that the treble overall is mixing in "near perfection".

Mid / Vocals

Vocals wise is quite forward, it places the singer quite near to us (in feeling). The mid range separation is also doing real good in a sense that it separates the background singers and the main singer into 2 positions.

Bass

Bass is quite short and accurate. I can hear the tonality of the bass guitar and still not fill / overpower other instruments. This is definitely not a bass heavy headphone, instead is for those who appreciate quality over volume, cause this headphone has quite some quality bass without over mass.

Sound stage

One word, wide. It is very entertaining to listen to the HE-400 when the music involves positioning of four ways, front-back-left-right. Echoes can travel quite some distance before it gets killed. It is rather relaxing to listen to slow paced music or some country music with it. Hard rock / Metal... well, not so much. Live musics is very entertaining to listen with and recommended to use with. 

Speed

Speed and attack is where the HE-400 is not good in. In speedy songs, it couldn't catch up on some of the pace, bass gets slow slightly and you can somehow hear it delay that so slightly at times but still obvious.

Conclusion

If you have a bag of cash, but not that fully loaded, the mid range HE-400 can be a good option, depending on your music taste. This is more for the slow pacers instead of hard beats or speed monsters.Either way, this is my first recommended gear to go with, and as always, test everything. leave nothing behind.

HE400 arrival

Well this is a short "coming soon". Just got the HE400 in hand, and will do a series of music test before i fork out the review, in the meantime,

Remember, as always, test everything, leave nothing behind.

Special thanks to mr adre for the unit loan

Beyerdynamic custom one pro a.k.a. COP

Beyerdynamic cop has been one of the more creative product coming out of Beyer. These are unique in a sense that there is flexibility involved, cosmetically and audio.

Outlook / Appearance

This is the portion of the COP that has really attracted my attention and love. The can can be custom designed, as most parts are replaceable Besides that, there is the adjustable bass port that will change the bass portion according to which level it is at.

Couple of varieties can be designed

Adjustable bass port on each side

The bass port will be discussed in the sound section.

Cable weight is quite light, not as heavy and dragging as the DT770 250 ohm i have. This is due to the fact that it is using straight cable rather than a twisted cable. 

The end tip connecting to the amp is still using screw on 3.5mm-6.5mm socket type.On the other side, connecting to the can itself, is using a lock mechanism 3.5mm cable. This makes finding custom cable a tad difficult, unless you sand off the lock.

Lock mechanics

As you can see here, there is a little pop out on the hole, where the cable will fit and clip into. Getting rid of this will ease cable finding, but i havent tried to do so.

Sound

This is the section where we will start discussing on the bass port as I mentioned just now. Each bass port has it's individual amount of bass. It varies from port 1 with a tiny circle as a mark for closed port, least bass. Then it goes up till port 4, maximum amount of bass available.I will discuss the effect of each in one song repeating over and over.

Port 1: This port is for some bass near to none, suitable for people who thinks bass will knock their heads off. Things get pretty flat around this port. Vocals are more appearing, and is generally declared flat on the treble and bass part. This will make you wonder where did the bass go to? hmm..

Port 2: This port is the port that I generally use, as there are just enough pronounced bass and will not be a hard beater. Treble is smoothed out a bit for more enjoyment. Vocal is dropped back a bit.My favourite port to use.

Port 3: This is the heavier bass port. Bass get more appearing than the port 2. Bit by bits of the bass drum can be heard clearly. Male vocal somehow become thicker and even more laid back. Treble is getting lesser by the extent.

Port 4: Port 4 is the port I normally will use only with gaming, as the bass is quite something that packs drama into games. Explosives and etc becomes so fun to listen to. Music wise, well, I don't use them, how about others? comment a bit?

Soundstage: Generally the soundstage doesn't go through significant change.

Comfort 

All I can say about the pad is sweat. Whole lots of it, for a location that is relatively hot. Isolation is better than the velour pads that Beyer used to use. Clamping force on the head is quite loose. Not much force on it.

Final thoughts

My suggestion for people is do give a chance to listen to this can carefully on each port. You will be amazed on the creativity that Beyer has put into this unit. The cable lock mechanism may be a draw back for people who wish to use custom cable. Small sized low profile jacks might fit without any alterations to the lock.

I myself do love the creativity that Beyer has on this one, and the sound is not too bad, it will definitely suit the mainstream users. Change the pads, change the plates, change the cover, change the headband, change the cable, thats almost everything you can change for a street look.

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro - 250 Ohm

Well, I had the DT770 for quite some time, decided it's a keeper, until now~ here is a review on it.

DT770 PRO 250OHM with coiled cables

Comfort
The comfort on the headphone is very comfortable, due to the velour pads they use. It's soft and will not make your ear sides sweat crazily like leather pads.

Weight
The weight of the cans themselves ain't too heavy, it is quite comfortably light. The thing that is heavy is the coiled cable, it really drags the weight down quite a lot. Neck sore may occur over long hours if you take it on the go, cause of the drag down.

Packaging
Packaging is very straight forward. There isn't anything fancy, or any casing / accessories  excerpt the screw on 3.5 to 6.5mm converter.

Sound quality
The DT770 is paired to my O2 and using CEntrance DACPort LX, going through ifi USB PSU that I had for a review.

Treble: Treble is relatively sharp in this case. The "s" in songs get annoyingly pitched up. I can't determine if it is the amp or the can, but the treble is quite overwhelmed.

Mid: The mid range of the DT770 is still quite acceptable. Vocals are present but can be interrupted by the "S" sound I mentioned before.

Bass: Some call the DT770 bassy, well, on my setup, it doesn't appear to have that amount of bass. They are there, just not the blasted bass type. It's more like "knocks on the door". Short and instant.

Soundstage: This is the part where I liked the DT770 to a certain extent. The soundstage is relatively wide, and distance can project up to a slight far distance. Makes relaxing songs quite an enjoyment, so are classical and orchestral.

Isolation: If you are a person who likes personal time with the headphone, without interrupting others, this can can do a fine job. Almost all sounds do not get leaked out of the can, and that's a plus for me. Of course for a closed can, we have to sacrifice soundstage to an extent.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a Beyer mid range can to begin with, this is a fine option to go with. Just make sure that you have an amp that synergies well with it, cause mine spiked the treble like mad. Finally, as always, test everything, leave nothing behind.