Hey there, I'm Dan, a man of many passions. During the day, I juggle being a father of 2, an Engineering Director & a Crypto Enthusiast. But the real magic happens when I hang my professional hat and dive into my world of music. My audiophile journey began in 2008 with a pair of Sennheiser HD595 headphones. This hobby became a journey of discovery, leading me to start headmania.org in 2012. I've learnt that audio is subjective, what sounds like a symphony to one may sound like noise to another. But that's the beauty of it! I encourage everyone to listen for themselves before buying. This journey has led me to meet amazing people and experience fantastic audio products. Beyond music, I'm a CS Teaching Assistant Alum, a family man, and a friend. Welcome to my journey, let's discover the magic of music together!
I also own the Atrium Open headphones. You mentioned that you are using the "thicker" earpads. Could you clarify which ones exactly you are using? Are they the Caldera Lambskin Thick pads? If so, they are perforated only top and side, and are not listed as an option for the Atrium Open headphones on the ZMF website. It would be interesting if you found they work as well as you describe! Thanks!
The clarity is Amazing, but for me, these and other Fyne Audio speakers lack bass, and lack that large concert hall sound. But, everyone else I talk to loves them, so maybe it’s just me.
I own both, I do prefer the Alba overall, they are more natural, fun and engaging overall. Also, they sound great directly from the usb dongle, nothing else needed. (besides the phone of course)
What are they like for telephone calls?? I have the Cambridge Audio M100's and while they sound great when listening to music the quality of phone calls lets them down as no one can hear you properly.
I never got complaints from the other end of the calls with these on my side. I will have to try to be on the opposite end of a call to see how these actually sound though.
Thanks for the review. Agree with most of your thoughts. Currently trialling both at home. Had Focal Bathys for a week, before I could get hold of 5909s. Love the Bathys. Soundstage is really wide, wider and more airy than 5909s but no more detailed IMO. The 5909s are consistent with their sound performance across all genres. The Bathys can sound really weird (not in a good way) with certain tracks. Sometimes brass and even vocals are recessed, when they shouldn’t be. 5909s for better too and feel much less bulky on my head. The apps. Well, what do you really need. Only a 7 band equaliser that didn’t really help that much.
Thank you Dan! For an exciting personal review that reminds some of us the fun and why we started in this in the first place. I also enjoyed reading rhe written review. Subscribed. (And got ma a pair) Keep it up !
Hello, I own the su6 contented to pontus 2 . Considering upgrading the USB cable to high quality one, and wonder if it will improve the sound . any thoughts? tnx
This is not an easy subject. I had good experience with some usb cables, I do have an audioquest diamond and I love it, but the difference is very dependent on your PC. If the PC has problems with noise, this will probably be very apparent, especially with devices that don't have any galvanic isolation on the usb inputs. I have found there is a difference with devices like SU6, but not that big, especially if you don't have audible noise issues with your PC.
Hello, friend! Can you share what kind of difference did you perceived when adding the SU6? Also… which firmware are you using on your Pontus2? Thanks!
You motivated me to get one for proper tests. I had the impression that there are enough reviews already everywhere, that it would not worth the effort. I did manage to listen to them for about 20 minutes in direct comparison with Empyrean 1. From my perspective, there is a big difference between 1 and 2 in terms of technical capabilities. I feel like Empyrean 2 is considerably faster, the bass is much more precise, punchier and more detail, the sound in general is more precise and more dynamic. I feel like they are almost on the same page with Elite in terms of technicalities, with a difference in fr response/sound signature. I yet need more tests to understand more when it comes to a comparison with Empy2 vs Elite.
Is that good for you? Such boring music with no dynamics, I wouldn't listen to it for 10 minutes. The new server is not at all in the direction of analog sound.
Big speakers and huge unwieldy amplifiers are increasingly getting a kicking! Amazed by how commanding these little guys sound. Thx for all your efforts posting the clips🍻
