Headphone lovers, what do you love, what do you have, Head-Fi fans 2016 edition.

Headphones: Shure SRH940s, AKG K701, ATH AD700, ATH M50, Senn HD580s (updated cables and the plastic earpiece covers), ETY ER4p, Grado SR60s, and Parrot Zik 2.0 Bluetooth headphones. I have a pair of HiFiMan HE 350s on the way. Oh, I also have a pair of vintage RadioShack Electrostats (can remember the name off hand).

Amps - Heed Canamp, X-Can V3, Little Dot MKII, PA2V2

DACs - Cambridge DacMagic, PS Audio DLIII, Little Dot DAC1, and Dragonfly (version 1)

Sources - Mainly Airport Express, MBP, and Mac Mini.

 

Another question for you Werner!

Do you find the crossfeed eases the headphone experience when listening to the very hard panned stereo mixes which were prevalent from the mid to late 60s?
These mixes don't mono well for reasons detailed by our Host and others on other threads.

Thanks for your help, it seems hard getting to audition these boxes before purchasing even in London!

 

Mike,

no, unfortunately not. Depending on the crossfeed and angle settings the far left or far right signal moves more to the center, and if you pay close attention you’ll hear a little bit “mirrored” in the opposite channel, but I don’t think this is actually an improvement.

Garbage in, garbage out ;-)

Werner.

 

Waves Nx is an interesting cross-feed if you're doing computer as source.
Here's info about it:
Nx – Virtual Mix Room over Headphones | Waves »
Nx – 3D Audio on Any Headphones | Waves »

It creates a more 3D style presentation than typical crossfeeds. It sounds very natural for what it's doing. It isn't overly wonky like some crossfeeds can be. I like it for recordings like string quartets or small jazz groups where the recordings can be a bit too close mic'ed or left-right for headphone listening. Using the Waves Nx plugin fixes that. I don't find Waves Nx to be necessary or needed for most other recordings.

The downside is that Waves Nx requires a computer as source or Android or iOS devices as source. Can't really use it with a turntable or other analog source unless you route the analog source through an AD converter and digitize it. The crossfeed settings on the SPL headphone amps will work with an analog source like a turntable.

 

Thanks for the info but I don't use my computer or phone as a source hence my interest in the SPL.

 

The Smyth Research Realiser A16 could be an option. It's going to be in the same price range as the big SPL Phonitor 2.
The Realiser A16 has analog inputs on the back. The processing is digital. So those analog inputs get converted to digital by an onboard AD converter. It also has analog outputs so you could connect an external headphone amp if you wanted to, or use the onboard headphone amp.

It would be a different style of crossfeed than what SPL does. The Realiser A16 would be more similar to what Waves Nx is doing.

Smyth Research just finished a Kickstarter campaign to introduce and launch the A16. The Kickstarter is over, but it's available for a discount pre-order.

I'm just putting that out as an option. I think it's a neat device. I heard the older A8 a couple years ago. It's nice, and does the 3D sound thing that pulls the sound outside of your head. It's a different style of headphone crossfeed sound than you'd get with the SPL amps. The SPL processing has the distinction of being all analog.

Other than Waves Nx, Smyth Realiser, or the SPL amps, there is not much else that I'd recommend for headphone crossfeed.

 

Well that Realiser looks like quite an impressive piece of work and good value for money if using all its various functions.
Did you get the A8?
If not, what did you think was the drawback of the process they used at that time?

I think it's a bit over the top for me as I have always preferred speakers and am very happy with my setup.
This is just for some casual late night listening. Mostly.

 

Mike,

I’m not associated with Thomann in any way. I’ve ordered a lot of equipment from this Germany based company. Each order has been processed and shipped quickly and reliably, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. I understand it might not be easy to find a dealer in London which has the SPL products in stock, ready for a test audition.

Here’s the link to the SPL Phonitor Mini product page from the Thomann website.

Werner.

 

Did you ever try the Corda Classic from Meier-Audio, a small but competent German company (owner: Jan Meier) spezialized in designing and building headphone amplifiers, DACs and DAC/headamp combinations?

 

Just got the ZMF Vibro MkII through Massdrop. I'm familiar with the original Fostex drivers but Zach tuned the pants off these things. They absolutely smoked my LCD-2F. Totally detailed yet sweetly musical sounding and lively. They also sound good with a large variety of genres, something the Audeze couldn't handle.

I think I'm in love.

 

I've only been able to demo one of Jan Meier's amps once. There aren't many of them here in the US. And they don't tend to make it to local headphone meets.

I find the style of crossfeed that Jan Meier does and that HeadRoom did to be too subtle and doesn't achieve the style of crossfeed sound that I'm after. That crossfeed style tries to get rid of the blob around the ears style of headphone sound and give the sound more of a center image. But that center image is still inside your head, between the ears. I'm after crossfeed that is able to help get the sound to be more out towards the forehead and even able to pop out and be in front of the forehead. Waves Nx and the Smyth Realiser are able to do that. I haven't experimented enough with an SPL amp to know how well the SPL style of crossfeed is able to do that.

 

At the time I tried the A8 it was around $4000. Too expensive for me to consider. So listening to it was for the demo experience to hear what it does.

The Realiser is a very different in how it does crossfeed. Here is the info from the Smyth Research site on the technology for the A8. The A16 will be similar.

To set up the Realiser you put small little microphones in your ear canals and listen to test tones on a reference level speaker setup. The Realiser will tune itself to that sound and the sound of that room. Then you do the same with the microphones in your ears but listening to your headphones. That step balances the frequency response of your headphones to become neutral. So setting up or personalizing the Realiser involves listening and measuring a reference speaker setup and also listening and measuring your headphones. All that will get compensated for your personal head size, ear size and location in order to do the virtual 3D style "crossfeed" sound. It's quite complex. It is also possible to use stock generic measurements for the speakers and headphones, but then the 3D processing won't be tuned and compensated for your particular head and ears. If your head and ears happen to be close enough to the stock setting then you can get good results. If not, then the 3D effect won't be there. When I demoed the A8 it was just with the generic settings file.

The best effect with the Realiser also requires very good headphones that have very good imaging and big soundstage. Headphones like the Sennheiser HD800 or Stax headphones or similar headphones. Lesser headphones will deliver less of the 3D style effect. It's the same for Waves Nx. You need good headphones for the best effect. But lesser headphones will still work, just to a lesser degree.

 

Just received today: Schiit Mjolnir 2, the hybrid version. The setup: Oppo 105D>Schiit Mjolnir 2>Sennheiser HD800S.

I plugged in the tubes, added some new balanced cables. First thing I tried was the new SHM-CD Rolling Stones/TSMR from the new mono box. I had listened to it earlier this week on my secondary system setup and hated how shrill Satanic sounded: Oppo 103D>Sennheiser HDVA600 (running unbalanced since the Oppo 103D doesn't have balanced capability)>Sennheiser 800S

The new Satanic mono sounded dramatically better today, smoother, more liquid, much easier on the ears. I'm sure the new Schiit Mjolnir 2 with tubes had a lot to do with it, but I also wonder how much of the improvement can be attributed to using the Oppo 105D instead of the baby sister 103D? The only unchanged item was using the Senn 800S cans in both test runs with TSMR Mono.

 

AudioQuest NightHawk

 

^^^ I saw they just went on sale for nearly 1/2 price. How do you like them?

 

I have done a bit of upgrading and this time I believe I am fixed for the long run. I chose to stay with one brand and I have always had very good luck with Sennheiser, so here is what I have and love! Sennheiser HD-800S headphones paired with the Sennheiser HDVD-800 headphone amplifier, it's just a very nice match. Separate cables from each component, LP (Parasound JC-3+), Oppo 105D and AT&T UVerse.

 

Getting ready to buy the newer AT 50x with the shorter cable. Maybe even spring for the dark grey color. I have the AT-50 and a pair of NAD Visos now (both soon to be for sale).

I love the sound...and along with my trusty Sony 7506 are
my go-to headphones. All around good balance with either.

 

I hope that since the M50x are so popular they make a version that supports Bluetooth connectivity (making it easier for those who have an iPhone 7) and maybe make them a little more comfortable, too

 

Sennheiser HD 650 with JDS Labs - Objective2+ODAC over Moxifit 700 Hearing Aids. Hearing's shot, but I'm pretty content with this set up.

 

What issues (if any) do you think having the audio signal pass through two DACs (in the Oppo and the Senn amp) occur? This is a really nice set-up, but I wonder if Sennheiser's decision to kill the HDVA600 amp-without-DAC forces people to do exactly what you are doing here.

 

I think I saw on Amazon a M50x with a Bluetooth adapter.

 

Grado SR125e's.......before that I used a pair of Sennheiser HD 485's

 

Oppo HA-1 Headphone amp, Beyerdynamic T-90. Have the DT-770's from before and love them. My new set goes so incredibly deep in the bass if the original recording allows. But hopeless as I am, aged 53, with excellent hearing (uber excellent according to experts)...I'm still a loudness fan. So I don't listen pure, but use my Lyngdorf to EQ via a special setting to add more bass than than "allowed" by all hifi gods all together. Next in my ears now - Pink Floyd - Free Four!

 

Vintage AKG K340 electrostatic headphones and Le Figaro tube headphone amp. A little bass heavy but very pleasing. The worst problem is I keep turning it up until I'm listening to it too loud.

It never sounds harsh or strident, it just gets louder.

 

They do have a snap on Bluetooth adapter now. I'm intrigued.