I Listened to 5 Hi-Fi Headphones, here is my take...
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- #hifi #headphones #audiophile
NRD's Video: • 3 Audiophiles, 2 Ampli...
Headphones in this video! 👈
Verum Audio Verum 1: bit.ly/3QbpE3F
Moondrop Venus: bit.ly/3vAfSi7
Erzetich Mania: bit.ly/3QdmiNn
Meze 190 Pro: bit.ly/3ImXZKY
Massdrop 6XX: bit.ly/3WPvxG7
I was a speaker guy until I discovered hi end headphones. The soundstage, resolution, detail, separation, etc can be an amazing sonic experience - and no room treatment needed.
Yep... Don't need a room, no volume issues with neighbours, much cheaper price performance, etc. But... Different experience vs speakers. Don't get any slam, nor any true soundstage. Well FWIW I'm not hearing a front soundstage like I do with speakers; the SS is all behind my eyes / inside my head. But some have reported hearing a front SS, like speakers. Now sure how that would work lol
I like both, but I can never get a set of headphones to sound natural in the low frequencies. Highly resolving speakers is where it is at for me.
@@literalghost929Yeah, I always wondered about people hearing front soundstage with headphones. Headphones always just sound like speakers on my sides close to my ears, in my experience. Headphones are only for walking around as far as I'm concerned. I need the slam and imaging I get from tower speakers. I NEED IT.
I like listening to music with other ppl tho
Don't you miss the visceral palpable slam of bass from properly amplified speakers ??
Hi Dannny, most planars are low impedence and benefit from higher current, if those impressed you you might want to try some of the higher end planars. I've upgraded twice since getting the Verum's shortly after their initial launch. The added detail and soundstage that you gain as you move up in the planar world has kept me coming back for more.
Susvara is 60 ohm and 1266 are 50 ohm. Is that's low impedance? I dont think so.
What planars have you enjoyed much more than the Verums?
@@MadLadsAnonymous My upgrades were the original Hifiman Ananda and then more recently the Hifiman Arya Stealth. Both of these have come down in price quite a bit since their initial launches.
@@bunsw2070 Those few are higher then most planars but still lower then some dynamic driver headphone that can in some cases go between 300 to 600 ohm.
Your evaluations are very detailed. Nice work 👍
Let me tell you something. After month watching reviews from dozens of people, I ended buying a pair of Hifiman Aryas SE. I saw a few more but most were the same. After watching this post, I really enjoy the way you review those and talk about what you heard. You got to the point. That so, that I'm going the check those two models. Thanks so much. It was great.
Nice review. I have those Verum One mk2 headphones. I have listened to them with several headphone amplifiers under $300 and the best pairing has been with the Emotiva PT-100 preamplifier with its headphone amplifier. The airiness, accuracy, imaging and soundstage are really good with that combination.
Great video. I've got the Verum and the 6xx and I totally agree with your assessment. I still like the 6xx a lot when it comes to mids, especially voices,however the Verum 1 mkII is in another (higher) level. Well done !
Please would you do a video on the reference tracks you use to test equipment? Many thanks.
Yes I wish he would and tell us what each track is demonstrating for us to hear.
I received my Verum 1 headphones today, June 20th. It took longer than I expected since I ordered them in January. I am very happy I waited since the sound is indeed, wonderful. Very open and transparent. The soundstage is wide and precise. Despite the weight they don't feel heavy if you adjust them well. I was looking for headphones that could complement my speaker system because I am not always able to listen to my speakers. These headphones make it a pleasure to listen to music with headphones on. They sound neutral and for me that is great. I was very happy with Danny's review. We can trust his ears 😀
Hi Rudie I really interested in order those Verum I just afraid the time that I heard that takes and idk how serious or good communication is with the company can you tell me about your experience and if is there a shipping fee I would appreciate it so much thank you in advance 🙏🏽
@@miguelcastellanos2427 hi Miguel, my experience is that Igor usually quickly replies when you use the webform. His English is not bad but a bit rough and he sounds stressed which I can understand, living in a country at war and with supplies problems. Shipping is free but I had to pay €20 import and tax duties in the Netherlands, where I live. It took two weeks for the headphones to arrive after Igor said he had sent them, because of the import and tax office. This may differ per country of course. I have to be honest and tell that I was anxious when the headphones weren't shipped after the initial 6 weeks that were promised and sent an email every month to inquire. Igor himself didn't send updates. I think it's best you ask him what the current delivery time is. Good luck, the headphones are very good.
Almost six months? That's is crazy, how do they compare to hifiman Ananda nano
Very pleased that GR has had a listen to headphones the increase in the numbers of makers in the last 15 or so years of phones is amazing and the improvements in sound quality particularly like Hi Fi Man and other planer designs can create sounds that compare with even the best speakers is now amazing
Wow Danny! A few videos of your favorite tracks and what to listen for and when in the track would be really, really great.
Hi! Toby, Sweden; I took the challenge more than a year ago and bought the Verum 1 Mk 2. What a headphone! For that money, then under 300€/300$, I can not think there is any contender, great in all aspects/bass/mids/treble/soundstage... and it fits really good and is 100% handmaid with great care. Yes, I may be too excited about it, but it is that GOOD and when you get to know it is made in UKRAINE, near the eastern region, which has been att war since 2014 and now is in the middle of the worst... well my choice is even better!
The guy lived in Kharkiv. I’ve contacted him not long ago. He’s safe. Not sure how his business go tho
@@micindir4213 He's still making his headphones, I ordered mine in january and received them last week (3 months between placing the order and having the headphones shipped, it's okay for a mostly one man business).
i agree that headphones can sound better than speakers because they eliminate room acoustics for one thing...when i was getting into hi fi Koss headphones were the ones to buy then came audio technica electrec. this stuff is still fun for me
While I try to move from headphones to speakers it's really good to get views on headphones from speakers expert! Hope to see more reviews on more popular headphones like Arya and likes!👍
You should make other comparisons with iconic headphones like sennheiser hd600 or hd800s, hifiman sundara, edition xs, focal elex, clear, meze, abyss, etc...
It's quite fun to have a different point of view on headphones 🎧
We may do this some more.
@@dannyrichie9743 great idea !
@@dannyrichie9743 I'd be interested what you think of the beyerdynamic dt990s.
Great video. There are literally tens of millions of people who have no other alternative than headphones. There are so many people who live in apartment buildings who just can't get away with playing speakers. Even at medium volume. The little old lady below starts pounding with her broom stick on her ceiling and your floor to turn it down, the other ones are telling the landlord they'll move out if you keep playing music. There are ordinances as to what decibel levels constitute too loud, but many leases stipulate that "too loud" is to be determined by the other tenants. There really is a need for headphone reviews like this. I think you've just potentially increased the quality of life for many people who will follow up on what you recommend. I'd like to see more headphone reviews at different price points.
As far as people preferring headphones over speakers. That's hard to believe. While I do think that you hear more detail with headphones, maybe cleaner sound that's less colored by acoustics; the sound isn't even 1/3 as big and spacious as good speakers. The instruments and vocals just do not sound like a live performance is happening before you as with speakers. Our ear/brain system knows it's just headphones, no matter how airy some of them sound; it just doesn't sound like performers 15 feet away from you on the front ranks and a drummer and bassist 15 feet behind them. Or the hugeness of a symphony orchestra. Or bass thay your whole body can feel; not just your eardrums. Headphones are a very big letdown in those ways. They can make music sound like a real good recording; but never real. Like what the best systems with speakers can more than hint at.
There are some albums that sound like they were just made to be heard on headphones. Listen to the Crime Of The Century album by Supertramp and The Captain & Me by The Doobie Brothers. Wow. You'll never forget it !
Yeah you nailed it there. You can only trick the brain so far. It needs environmental cues to be convinced of real live music. That’s why there’s no perfect system, it has to be the right kind of imperfect to be realistic because reality isn’t perfect. And I’ve always loved the Tramp too. I’ve been hearing Crime and Breakfast blasting over the family hifi since I was a toddler. Funny how they seem to sound like vinyl playing through tubes no matter how they are actually being played haha.
You're right. Many people only way to enjoy their music is headphones. When I lived with my big family in a small house headphones were the only way to me to isolate from the home everyday noises and chatter, and for them not to have to hear my music all the time.
People preferrring speakers or headphones is a matter of taste. A pair of speakers, wit one/two/three ways, with/without subwoofers, are just another trick to the brain. Headphones, stereo speakers, multichannel surround, etcetera, are all just technological tricks to simulate a live performance. Choose what you prefer, there's no better or worse. Just subjetivity.
I'm not sure why so many people seem to be so obsessed with guessing exactly how far apart the musicians are supposedly in the auditory illusion of a "soundstage"
Many songs probably aren't even recorded to have such a soundstage. Add to that many people haven't even heard a live performance let alone took notice of the exact sound.
So things like details and clarity, but without being fatiguing, or warm with bass will satisfy many people over speakers.
You can hear the acoustics in the recording without your own room adding to it. Auditory illusion of space? No, unless you use a binaural recording, but it's a somewhat intimate experience.
All that said I still like speakers for the tactile sensation and added space, but headphones are also better at certain things.
Oh you have to do more of these. MUST DO....Go to a CanJam Tradeshow and do some listening. And try any of the ZMF headphones--especially the ZMF Atrium ($2700). Tubes and planer magnetics often don't match because of the impedance mismatch. Planers like voltage. Dynamics like current.
I went to a few Can Jam's at RMAF. I did like the Hifiman display and set up.
that is correct re the amps
"Planars like voltage. Dynamics like current." The opposite is actually true.
Cool to see you checking out other kinds of equipment. Thanks for the comparisons, it may help me pick a new pair of headphones. I would like to have seen more detailed descriptions for the headphone like full name, price, etc., but thanks, I'll take a look at these. PS, Happy New Year!
One of the points of the comparison was I had no idea what the names or prices were. It was all fresh and all about the sound. Watch Ron's full version on his channel and he will tell you all of that stuff.
@@dannyrichie9743 OK will do. thanks for the reply.
Please let us know who the artist is that you referred to having the song "heart"??
I think he might be referencing the song "Heart" by Bo Stief Dream Machine. That is my guess from some research. If that is not his suggestion I think you will like the track anyway. Cheers.
@@jamesnero_d.c. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a listen later on my rig.
Nice to see Danny bravely trying new things. Yes, headphones are very different from speakers.
Well if this doesn't prove to people that the cost of something has nothing to do with sound quality, nothing will. Danny was in love with the second cheapest headphones in the test... Thanks Danny for an unbiased and detailed comparison. Like you I am not a headphone guy, but I trust your opinion and what you are hearing. I think the headphones to buy are a no brainer.
"Keith Dont Go"... lol Danny.That track sounds a little bright,but my Arcam Alpha 8 and Wharfedale 12.2 played through a IFI Signature One Dac sounds good.The reason I mention this is because my ears only tolerate warm sound without spikes.And that is why I am trying to figure out how to get a set of your two way speakers into South Africa,without all the headaches that go with importing into South Africa.Your explanations are always excellent when it comes to audio,you are fully trustworthy.
It may be that (at 2024MAY-JUN) Hifiman is discontinuing two planar-magnetic models.
Recent discounts:
Sundara - $350 ca, NOV2019, $300 MAY2024
Ananda - was $500 (?), $360 JUN2024
That was my impression of the HD6XX as well. "Bleh" "Dull" "Subdued". Narrow soundstage, three-blob imaging, and lack of detail.
Extraordinary pair of headphones the Verum 1's (mkII). Ordered mine in jan 23 and Igor told me they'd arrive 6-8 weeks later, and so they did. Clear across the frequency range. No bleeding between bass, mids and treble. Comfortable. I can wear it for hours on end w/o any fatigue. It looks as if sound came into focus across the board. Just love them. Doesn't exagerate anywhere in the frequency range neither bassy nor shouty or piercing my ears with boosted treble, yet clear (said it before haven't I?). Just great. Prefer them over my Focal Elegia's. The left face plate bent a bit as if it were a tad bigger than the circular "woody" ring. Totally recommend them. Truly outstanding. Also have and love a pair of 6xx's. They're great but nowhere near the Verum's.
Totally agree. I even have the Focal Elegia's that I also like very much but do have a uniqueness to their sound. None of my Sennheiser's compare to the Verum's. Probably just a matter of time before I order the Verum 2's.
Great Video! Super informative....Why didn't you post it before Christmas? I could've added those Verum 1's to my Christmas list. 🤣🤣🤣 Happy New Year!!!
nice review thanks - awesome review!!! three thumbs up!!! amazing details and proves how gr8 ur ears are! on the meze 109s are fatiguing not great for everyday so many people return em b/c of that... you should try the XTC hp's one day by JMAE
It did not feel like I was right there with the band, despite how good the headphones were. It was not until I put of the footphones as well, could I really feel the presence of the musicians. LOL
you should try audio technica ADX5000 with those 300B tubes, they are masters of "air" so you can hear everything
Headphones are gonna be the new super marketed product.
Because the millennials and gen Z are making some money now.
It’s the new target market.
All the loser younger generation gamers.
Lol
Headphones are fine. Nothing compares to speakers
Headphones RULE Danny! Just listened to Toto's, 'Live in Paris' concert using my Meze 109 Pro's last night. I love my 109's!!! You should do a headphone review every year. Thank you for the review!
That's interesting! When I demoed the 109s, it was "It's a Feeling" that finally convinced me I was wasting my time. They failed to capture the timbral richness of that track at all. Funny how heads differ even with all else being so similar.
Hi! Do you really think that the meze 109 pro are so bad? and the verum 1 so better? Meze 109 had almost all reviews on very positive side and are in mid-high tier of price at 800. Do you think that verum 1 worth so much over meze? Actually I own meze and they are ok, they do not have a wide soundstage and are a little aggressive but it have good resolution and decent bass...on bass heavy songs the low bass appear strong from nowhere like a magic. Conform to oratory measurements the verum had lower bass and also much lower highs in 8000-9000 region of aireness.
Very surprising to see you review headphones. But guns, watches and hi-fi... i can't afford a headphone hobby. I've avoided vinyl for that reason.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve have some high frequency hearing loss and would like to have the best gear, but sometimes struggle to really compare these nuances.
You should then buy some Beyerdynamic headphones. They don't lack high frequency energy 🙂. They are also good persons over 70 years.
Hey, plenty of us horn speaker guys are missing a lot of the top octave and we don’t care. If you’re into the live performance type sound you don’t need it because the live reinforcement systems don’t play that high either haha
thanks! i always try to get headphones that sound the most like my main speakers :)
A bargain headphone that is really good and can be found on the used market fairly cheap (got mine under $50 used) is the older Audio Technica ATH 50. Even the Audiophiliac commented on one of his episodes that it's a really good headphone. There were other ATH50 models that followed with a suffix after the ATH50 designation, but the original might sound best overall. It has the deepest most well defined bass of any phone I've heard. The mids and highs are really nice too. Unlike some Audio Technica products which lean a little toward the bright side; they are not bright at all. Just right.The Focal Listen Pro is possibly an upgrade over the ATH50, and also fairly findable on the used market. Don't expect to find one as cheap though. Probably around $200 minimum. Like the ATH 50 it is a closed back design.
The Grado SR 80 is a findable used headphone that you can get for under $100 sometimes. Looser and not as prominent bass as the ATH50, but an even more open sound, and the ATH 50 is good in that way, especially for a closed back phone. Grado headphones are known to sound great with tubes. Their claimed brightness with solid state is overexaggerated by some. If they're powered by " really clean" solid state, where distortion doesn't add to it and make it a double whammy, they can sound really nice with that type of amplification also..Known for sounding especially good on rock music. They rock with other types of music too.
If you are into really super clean high frequency performance the old AKG K340 phones are the best I've ever heard from a non electrostatic headphone. They use an electret for the high frequency driver. I had those at the same time as the Beyerdynamic DT 990 phones.The AKG was easily and notably cleaner sounding and had quite a bit faster transient response, but part of the midrange was laid back. A good thing on some recordings. Not a deal breaker on others. Clean, pure fast sound full of vivid tone colors.The Beyer 990s being open backed were much more open and the midrange didn't have a slight suppression like the AKG. The Beyers had very warm vocal reproduction. The AKG which plugs into a regular headphone jack as usual, is very inefficient. Most tape decks or cd players headphone input will only give you background music levels with it.. That electret tweeter is really something great though. Findable used, under $175.
The Focal Listen Pro is an upgrade over the ATH 50X too!
The AKG K340, if you had a powerful headphone section was about the best headphone made back in it's time. I still own my pair and it's still very nice sounding even by todays standards.
I'd been looking at the verum 1s, glad you liked them.... Would be interested to see you try some other high end headphones (maybe Focal Stellia and Utopia and some Dan Clark models)
I am German and we Germans never ever have our flag on display (only on federal buildings) except during the football world cup. So be proud of your team and give them your full support. Fair enough.
At a Stereophile audio show back I the 90s one of the record providers had a set of Stax electrostatic headphones with a tube amp. Wow!
I am wondering how those phones would compare with my AKG K1000.
Happy New Year All: 1) I've been a sub to your channel for years & I've always respected your valued opinion. 2) Loved this video change-up & it's amazing how different each set of headphones are regardless of cost. Terrific video sir, TMP from N.J.
What perplexes me about he headphones thing is this: In the 90s AKG had a really avanced pair of headphones that came with its own DSP to overcome the in-head-localisation. I never tried it, so cannot say whether it worked or how well it worked. But I find it really strange that this technology disappeared. And it really disappeared, I can't even find references to it on the web. It reminds me of the VR-goggle thing that also had working products in the late 90s but disappeared until Oculus Rift decided to revive the genre. EDIT: I googled some more, and found it, it was called the "AKG Audiosphere BAP1000". That was close, I almost became convinced it was just a figment of my imagination.
Probably due to cost. You'll never truly fix any driver, so a better driver which doesn't need DSP will likely win out in terms of cost/performance.
I feel the same way about the Carver unit that was supposed to create a surround type effect with 2 speakers. Does anyone know what that was called and how it performed?
@@literalghost929 They were not trying to fix the driver but the fact that headphones make the music play in your head instead of in front of you.
@@matthiasmartin1975 ah ok! So you're not talking about some of its more recent headphones with DSP you're talking about some previous tech.. I see... Tech which would make a non-binaural recording into a binaural recording, certainly sounds like a winner to me if they can do it!
@Danny - that looks like the Elekit TU8600. It's headphone amp has 4 settings for output. So if the setting was sympathetic to the dynamic headphone's it will be poor for the planar magnetic. Duh.Open the amp and correctly set the jumper. You might find they move to nirvana with the 300B
I had totally ignored the headphone section until now. I did not even realize it had an adjustable jumper. I will have to check that out. It is too bad it is not on an external switch. Maybe I can rig up a high quality switch and put in in place of the volume control that I removed from it.
@aitchr8770:
Interesting point about the 300B amp.
One surmises that the jumper settings will "change taps" for the 300B output transformers. This is indeed a "confounding item" - not to be encountered with a transistor (or hybrid) amplifier.
Danny may have "chanced" onto a favorable condition for the planars - perhaps it worth redoing the review with more common heapphone amps.
Love this comparison video and looking forward to Ron's. Thanks for trying something different. I just bought some Sennheiser HD560S and like them, but now I'm thinking those Verum 1 might be in my future.
You say you know how it supposed to sound, but how do you know? Do you ever go to classical concerts? Do you play instruments your self? Have you been at the recordings?
My own audio and music career spans more than 30 years, played music myself in an Orchestra from the age of 10, worked in Car Audio, Pro Audio and I had my own Hifi shop. But do I know how things supposed to sound? In some areas yes, live classical music in a concert hall or open air performances on a square, small ensembles in a smaller room, yes I know from me playing in an Orchestra in those kind of situations. But for the rest? I know when something sounds bright, warm, neutral, spacious etc, but how much dous that say about gow it supposed to sound ?🤔
As we enter the senior years (and the inevitable downsizing) ..I’ve gone from room filling systems of my youth..to headphones and IEM’s on the go .
I’m good .
Danny: My basis is dress rehearsal of the Chicago Symphony under Rafael Kubelik. It is in my head since being in my basket while my mother played Second violins. ( like Pink Floyd the lunatic is in my head) like you I walk out of many many many rooms at Audiophile shows and stereo dealers and stores like Frys Electronics or Best Buy or others. There is a record store bar lounge with Klipschorns I listened to for 5 minutes of torture, because I never heard them set up right before. I drove 40 miles from my mountain eyrie. What a disappointment!
That’s kinda refreshing, so no reputations getting in the way…it’s all about the sound, comfort, and build quality..
You missed a great musical reference in there Danny..’when listening to song XYZ’….coulda been when listening to song ‘YYZ’ 😂😃😝
What 300b amp?
What about AKG?
Hi again; I did not get the songs mentioned after Jack J. What was the "heart"song with a band withalong name? And then was it Vienna Teng singing "Waking hour" ? Hope someone can help out, best regards Toby
Considering the price points of the others, Verum excepted, the 6xx's seem a little out of place. Should probably have gone up against the 8xx. That would have put them 4th or close with Meze (Vat) in the group price wise.
I have the meze headphones because I travel. I might look for a small amp instead of going from my phone to the headphones.
I was always curious to hear Danny Talk about headphones. I'm really not a headphone person either, especially being tethered to a wall to use them. I must be able to walk around outside and climb mountains to use them. I use Tascam TH-200X Headphones with Surfans F20 DAP. Those headphones may cause some users discomfort / nausea from the clamp on the jaw, They start to hurt my skull from the clamp after 55 minutes, I prefer not to wear them for more than 3 hours. I Reel up the excess cord and clip it to the front of my shirt or wrap it around me like an ammo belt. Makes walking around so much fun.
Watch the USA in world jr hockey, much better. Canada goes against them in the semi's and should beat the American team.
The HD 6XX has a very fast and capable driver. Its sound signature really lets it down, though. Reverse EQ helps them out tremendously. They gain a great deal of soundstage and perceivable treble detail. One thing I like about them, even without reverse EQ, is that they have really good timbre. Vocals and instruments sound realistic, albeit with just a touch of warmth. They have that warm "radio announcer voice" kind of thing going on.
You should listen or have listened the new NDH 30.They ROCK for that money.
Interesting selection. But as the saying goes. U get what you pay for. Wonder what you’d of Ultrasone’s
Verum bravo !!!
Your critique and analysis is really first rate and I love how you talked about volume limits with the certain headphones you have. It is an important topic and volume limits are a big selling point with me. Thank you so much and I love what you do. 😊
I'm a speaker guy too & I have found the Verum1 mk2 hifi.
That's all nice, but where are the Hifi Headphones?
I wonder if high-end headphones need significant break in time like full range speakers do.
I am struggling to find a pair of headphone that sound distinctly better than my rig. I appreciate the review and I will be checking out the options you reviewed for my next pair of headphones.
Danny , are you a Hooligan ? 🤪 I've been a Hooligan since I was 13 , I follow mostly English fuut ball , West Ham United , and since your not one of my British buddies I will also say I love Arsenal Gooners. Anyways great video to start off the morning . On another note I have been using my STAX ear speakers since 1987 my father bought me .
I even built a listening chair with a 10 sub so I can feel the bass as well as hear it crossed over at 60 hz. Definitely not for someone with irritable bowel syndrome 🤣 cheers 🥂
Hi Danny, I watch all your vids and like your work. But in this headphone review I realy mis the Sennheiser brand. Why o why didn't you include the HD 800 from Sennheiser? I own this headphone for 8 years and is a giant in sound and soundstage.
Maybe an other time. But with or without the HD 800, I love your show. Greetz from the Netherlands. Hans.
Because we didn't have those on hand.
Ouch!! You scratched those beautiful headphones all UP!! Danny!! TLC brother!!
I didn't scratch any of them, but I will try to be more careful.
Is the 300B Tube amp an Elekit? It looks very similar to the Elekit TU-8600S 300B tube amp I built about a year ago. It sounds really good with the CSS Criton 2TDX tower speakers I built to pair with the amp. I have a pair of the Audio Technica ATH M50X headphones I use with my computer with a DatonAudio HTA100BT tube amp. I am pretty happy with the Audio Technica's I considered upgrading but I decided the M50's are fine for me. I also built a pair of the "passive aggressive" mini cube speakers from Parts Express. They are an amazing pair of speakers for my computer. Thanks for the video.
It is an Elekit.
Thanks for introducing a few headphones I've never tried. One thing you touched upon was comfort, mainly with the ear cups. I've always found that headphones are only as good as they are comfortable to wear, and I've often found the headband comfort to be the limiting factor more so than the ear cups. I guess manufacturers have concentrated there. Did you have any impression in that regard?
Interesting video. Could you list the music you were listening to?
this my reaction to Planars too, though I accept they aren't perfect, they almost sound firmer, like a transformer tends to. I think having the LCD 2's or Aryas in here would done wonders, only bc the Verums and Moondrops are in the same price bracket, and then also a uber high end set like utopias, calderas or susvaras.
yea headphones he got there are mostly nothing special
Dan please don't go down the Rabbit Hole of Headphones, I was so tempted in the 90's when I listen to my first Beyer dynamic. To throw away my system.
That's interesting. Good speaker setups make me tempted to throw away all my headphones. Then I remember that I can't use speakers in a block of flats.
„Keith don‘t go“? Uuhhh! One of the most artificial sounding so called „High-End-Recordings“ I know.
I know. I picked it because of how hot it is recorded and how hard it can be to listen to.
I wonder if people will start pad rolling the Meze 109s, since that might alleviate the sharpness but keep the resolution.
What resolution? They're not competitive in that regard at all.
Camera, lens or light change, or all? Looks great. Thanks for doing this. Very interesting!
This is something Ron did for his channel, so he was using his camera and gear. Putting my views up on my channel was just an after thought.
Crazy cool video. Thanks Danny
Well, obviously now the Meze are off the list of potential purchases and the Planars are at the top. I looked up your 1st choice and they are very reasonably priced in fact they are less than half the Meze 109 Pro.
I would look into other reviewers opinions as well since this is one of the first reviews not liking the Meze 109 and overall either this reviewers preference is just different or because of age his hearing and frequency sensitivity is different. (Speaking also from personal experience with half of these headphones compared to this reviewers hearing/opinion)
That would be a big mistake. Headphones are all about personal preference as far as sound and headphone set-up. A bunch of factors come into play when headphone shopping.
The sennheiser massdrop are relatively budget compared to some sennheiser models. I think that the name massdrop and the tag line 'get ready for the drop' imply to me that they are going to be scooped mids competitors to beats / apple products hence why mid frequency guitar sounds so meh. You perhaps should have done a frequency sweep response to pick up on these design characteristics
The 6XXs are identical to the original HD650s, except with changes to the build materials to make them cheaper. They are mid-range focused headphones, emphasising on vocals and stringed instruments. Quite the opposite of Beats headphones.
@@hoth2112 The 650s were probably the most disappointing headphones I've ever heard. So dark... So little detail and resolution ... For the 200 the 6xx cost maybe relatively acceptable but you can do with hifiman or others, for 650s it's worse but I guess they're from another era
@@literalghost929 they're still one of my personal favorites because they're easy to listen to for 8+ hours at a time without any listening fatigue, and I'm very prone to fatigue from a boosted treble response, which is why I really didn't like the Meze 109Pros.
@@hoth2112 Yes there's a lot of personal preference wrt speakers and earphones.
@@hoth2112 It was a guess, obviously but although the headphone may be different, the marketing seems to be aiming at the same customer. Having frequency response make the subjective evaluation of the reviewer more useful and relatable
What a spectacular review Danny! You really oughta review product on a regular basis. Many other YT reviewers are so disappointing.
Danny. What speakers do you use for your home 2 channel and home theater? Thanks.
Speakers get swapped in and out all the time.
Original sennheiser HD600 sounds really detailed and smooth there's nothing much better only different in dynamic headphones. Sennheiser HD600 needs kinda a long and heavy burn in thought. My friend has many cheaper headphone amps and I think sennheiser needs more oomph. My NAD326bee does really good job with senns. Those go really loud without sound getting muddled and the little bass hump of the NAD helps with the little lacking bass. Going very loud you can really feel the bass in your whole body. NAD has a very good allaround sound with a nice kick for rock and pop but also works with everything else. HD650 is overrated in my mind it has a muddled sound compared to HD600. Tried my HD600 with a third party cable and it sounded like HD650. In my mind the only difference between these too models is the cable capasitance and the cosmetic look of the headphones.
The HD 660s are the best of the HD 600 series.
I own both and the HD 600 are too "polite" too lacking compared to their HD 660s upgrades.
True. They both need long break-in periods. Once the 660s break in they are clearly more detailed and engaging. I tend to enjoy them even more with a low bass boost.
Also, the 660s do not break up as the 600 do so early when pushed.
Personally, I've never understood the HD 600 hype?
Nah, HD600 was really good for the price , but it's totally meh compared to real high end headphones. Even compared to HD800, HD600 sounds like a potato.
@@armandseglitis6297 Lol
Yeah. Never was a fan of the HD 600. Maybe late night/early morning listening? Even then, it does nothing for EDM. I Chuck it up as boring & too polite with no deep bass capability. It can't even be equed with success? The restricted sound stage only made things worse.
I'll take Sennheiser Momentum over them all day.
The HD 600 series doesn't come alive until their HD 660s. Which I've read is using a HD 700 driver.
Thanks for doing this!
Thanks so much for your detailed notes! Do you and Ron have any comments or thoughts of the Verum 1 owner saying racist things publicly? I want to be open, but ethics do matter.
I have seen an apology that was offered on their site. I don't know what politically incorrect thing it was that was said, but he has apologized for it. The way I feel about things like this is if I can't forgive someone when they ask for it, then I can't be forgiven either. Whatever the measure I use, it will be measured back to me. So I consider it closed.
@@dannyrichie9743 Thanks for pointing it out! I was not aware of the open letter, and sadly, it doesn't pop up easily in the search results for Verum1 until you explicitly type in 'apology'. Otherwise, the autocomplete shows "controversy". I agree that his response is thoughtful and self-reflective, and that the matter is closed. I am now super psyched to spend more money on headphones I don't need! Thanks again for the recommendation on this product.
Thanks - really good to see this review
You are an expert listener thru and thru Danny!!
Expensive ears as a blessing and a curse.
What is your mic setup in this video?
I don't know. Ron filmed this one with his gear.
@@dannyrichie9743 Its just impressive how much mini details its picking up. from paper crinkles to desk interactions, etc while picking these things up cleanly.
Looks more of some kind of a missmatch impedance / sensitivity .....did you get the same problem with the solidstate ?
The results varied from the solid state amp to the tube amp. Watch Ron's video. There is a link below our video.
@@dannyrichie9743 Thank you !
Love to hear what you think about GRADO headphones
Old ones (up to and including the buttoned RS1+2, PS-1 and the SR-x00 series) - masterpieces. Unique. Speaker-like. Warm and rich. Love tubes. I'd highly recommend he check them out if he can find a pair.
I'd suggest he steer clear of the new stuff. There's a reason people don't talk about the newer reference series and statement series stuff. It's not just because there's more competition in the market, it's because they're not as good. Far more flaws to be found in the upper mids & treble, and timbre is all over the shop.
Was that XYZ or YYZ by Rush 😂
Yeh, Argentina, what an incredible game. Argentina dominated first half, and then France came back, for a tie at end of normal time creating extra 30 minutes of time and then still a tie. The following shoot out, at the edge of our seats final!
That was a great final game. I loved it.
Danny, apologies, because this is unrelated to headphones, but I noticed you removed the volume knob from your 300B Elekit to let your preamp control it instead, while making the signal path more direct? What did you replace it with? Resistors of the same value as the pot was (likely 100K?) or with a value in between? Thanks very much in advance, Danny.
I hardwired the input to the board by-passing only the pot. It was a nice improvement in how it sounded. There were some other small tweaks as well.
@@dannyrichie9743 Ah, ok 👍 Thanks very much, Danny! 🎶😊
Verum handmade from Ukraine. Still only $350 direct. You know what has to be done.
Can we get them ? I thought they shutdown until bombs stop dropping
Agree with Danny 😊 Sennheiser hd650 is dull, meze is garbage, moondrop Venus is the best of the bunch, Verum1 is very good too
most of these are pretty meh - wait till you hear the good stuff on real headphone amps
Like what kind?
@@CneyTMS like maybe Stax SRX-9000
Or Meze Empyrean or Focal Utopia or Audeze LCD-5 or Hifiman Susvara.
@@Geerladenlad those are some heavy hitters.
@@Geerladenlad From what I recall the Verum-1 hit well above their price point, but require serious amplification, and built in ukraine in 1 guy's garage sooo... Even before the conflict there were huge delays (talk about upgrading manufacturing) but yeah not sure how it all turned out. So yeah, maybe not exactly end game / top tier, but very likely a great example of what a really good headphone sounds like.
@@Geerladenlad Meze Empyrean isn't hifi.
A non-headphone guy who is extremely talented at speakers. He’s an excellent candidate to reviews headphones as a novelist for the first time..
Just like speakers headphones are extremely sensitive on their performance to the amplifier they are paired with.
And if you find them a little too bright, you may want to pair them with the tube preamplifier.
Are you’re dealing with a impedance range somewhere between 32 ohms and 600 ohms when you’re dealing with headphones.
Just like speakers that are rated at four ohms and deep down into the two ohm territory when playing but you paired up with an amplifier that was only meant for eight ohm load what do you think the results are going to be like?.