As much as I love my Caldera, my HD580 does get about as much, if not a little more use…

I used to have a modded HD650 and then got a ZMF Atticus.

I thought the improvement with the Atticus was basically negligible and sold them within a week of ownership.

That's highly unlikely, statistically speaking.

If you are basing this purely on your subjective experience as you play both sources side by side, there are various factors that could be affecting your perception (not least your preconceived expectation that the one with the higher bitrate is supposed to sound better).

I'd be interested to see your results from a proper blind ABX comparison to see if you can still hear it then.

I think it's because they don't try to be something they're not.

They're not really price constrained, they do all they want to do regardless of price.

I suppose they don't go for other things like speed / bass response etc. What they do have is universally liked midrange capabilities and really good timbre.

Whew man, yeah I paid a lot more than that and there was only one in my country.. S8 for 250$ is to die for

Try to find it on 2nd hand market. Here in my country, an used s8 price dropped to 250$ alrdy.

It entirely depends on the kind of music you listen to. Jazz sounds fine without any EQ.

The Edition XS lacks bass for me and it doesn't have the midrange prettiness of the HD6 series to make up for it. Again, I listen to mostly metal so the XS is near unusable to my ears that way, obviously not everyone feels that way.

The Headphone Show has a tutorial on how to EQ (in general) and in that video they give the Edition XS as an example, with an example tuning. I've modified it a little bit, smoothing out the midrange peak and reducing the bass shelf.

I'd pick DCA Closed or Open X over these two any day of the week

yeah, i had the 1990 too, but couldnt wear them for more than 15 minutes. gave up eventually, sold them and got the T1. similar sound, way more comfortable

I'm always surprised when I read stories of people who spent a lot of money on cans to then simply go back to their 600/650 setups. I still want to try a ZMF headphone one day though.

Interesting. I pretty much never use my XS with EQ. Don't find them to be shrill or weak at all. Do you just tweak manually or use some EQ profile?

I always enjoy reading your reviews, even though we seem to have diametrically opposite preferences.

Tried the Sundara. Liked the sound, hated the construction.

> And I’m not concerned too much with sound quality, so long as the soundstage stays the same. I know the pads will have some impact on the sound but I’m not concerned.

This is basically saying "I want to change things, as long as I don't change things." Unfortunately, physics and reality beg to differ. ;)

Any pad changes will affect your perception of the headstage, especially with the HD800(s), and in my experiences the Dekoni pads that I tried (Sheepskin and Velour) actually seemed to make it sound "smaller"; at least to the insignificant degree that I care about headstage anyway. To me, the driver's distance from the ear matters to a certain extent, equally as does the driver housing and shape - due to the resonant frequencies that build up within the overall "system". Changing the pad depth will inevitably change the volume of space, and has a downstream effect on the FR, not even taking into account the surface materials and foams that can better reflect or absorb sounds.

Long story short, if comfort/clamp is what you are after, any of the third party pads will do the job, to varying degrees. Unfortunately, no one will be able to tell if you, yourself, will find any of the velour/fabric type of pads to be comfortable (i.e. not scratchy, irritating) for your long term usage. Leather-types will trap heat better, naturally, but given that it's a highly breathable open-back, does it actually matter? Who knows - only you can try and determine for yourself.

Happy trails!

I hear a difference between Spotify high-quality (320 kbps) and Qobuz. Small, but noticeable -- and worth it to me.

The biggest difference is in detail and separation. I hear the placement of the instruments with better clarity with Qobuz high-res files and the sound doesn't disintegrate into mush as often in complex passages.

Again, this is not a "part the Red Sea" difference. But I notice. And I prefer Qobuz.

Tidal uses MQA, which is pure snake oil and marketing rubbish. Qobuz files come straight from the masters, with MQA only if the record company offers no other high-res streaming file. Maybe that makes a difference -- who knows?

I'm sure some will disagree. Fine -- you don't have my ears or brain. I hear the difference, so I don't care what you think.

Well deserved, enjoy!

You could have a recommendation list, even if you are against it, another point of reference to value is welcome, also have you tested/reviewed the Sundara?

Hello everyone. So. I was in a dire need of a new pair of headphones. Some GOOD ones. I made the enormous and honestly quite embarrassing blunder of buying the amazing audio-technica ath r70x. Problem is i only use wireless connection to my smartphone. Stupid I know, I know! I was too excited... Anyways. Do any of you guys have a work-around via some other equipment of sorts (what kind i have simply no idea - it's only I bought thisbpair so it's a bit of a shame to return them) or is it simply best to just get a new pair?

If that is so, would any kind person recommend a fantasticular pair for me headphone needs? I'm somewhat lost in this sea of information and apparently noticeable differences between headphones I never knew existed. I'm not an audiophile but I do appreciate and recognize high quality.

Thanks for any reply to this, i need to remedy this situation and good day.

When someone says “x headphones are difficult to drive - we recommend this $2000 amp to drive them properly” but then I see the wattage output at all ohm levels and its less than my $300 schitt amp, what exactly else could they mean other than maybe the tonal changes a tube amp or something else it might introduce? Is there any reason a cheaper solid state amp like a Schitt or a Topping or a Monolith THX that put out 6W at 32ohm wouldn’t be sufficient enough to drive anything but the most very demanding headphones?

I'll admit i dont hear the difference either. look at it that way, its cheaper and more convenient for me :))

I would really never ever use the Edition XS without EQ. It sounds very weak and shrill.

BUT, with EQ they are my preference over the HD6 series and its cousins. The XS will never have the timbre of the HD6 series, but for the music I listen to (mostly metal) the Edition XS are an obvious winner, but that's just me.

Sure! I kinda hesitated at first, but then I figured that my ears don't get better as I age, so I pulled the trigger

Bold words, but I agree.

It is really HARD to beat the HD 600/650. I'd even go a step further and say it is really hard NO MATTER how much you spend.

Especially seeing how, tonaly speaking, something like the LCD 5 or Utopia are mere imitations of the 600 formula.

You get more soundstage with those two and better bass extension, sure. But, 5000€ can also buy the HD 800S, which has wider soundstage than either of them AND a pair of KEF R3s PLUS a subwoofer, which makes for a killer speaker setup in addition to the 800S.

don't waste your money going 'up the ladder', unless you have a lot of money to waste.

The differences are so small, despite the hyperbolic adjectives used to describe them, that the money is much better spent on better headphones/iems, or on something productive in your life.

As for Tidal, it wins for me because it has the best artist payout, especially with the 10% to the artist you listened to most for each month (~$2). It is still pitifully small, but much more than others are doing.

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