There are not a lot of audiphiles in the world to justify it, also this guy took me WAY TOO LONG to find this is coming from a guy that just got into headphones and been searching the entirety of youtube, DMS Joshu valour, headphoneshow all at the top, who was at the botom? Hifi (chinese letters here) then someone named florence or florentia and THEN i came across this guy its not easy to find this guy
Oluv this was excellent, especially the bit where you compared your in-ear measurements to Oratory's. This is something I've been looking into for a long time - without measurements, granted - but trying to get friends to listen to sine sweeps on the same headphones (HD650) and trying to note the differences. And what I've found is that up to about 2khz, what we hear is consistent, but after that it starts to diverge, and past 4k or so the results can be wildly different from person to person. For instance, I have a 6db or so peak at around 7-7.5khz, whereas others don't have it, or have other peaks anywhere from 4-8khz. The amount of upper mids (2-5khz) people hear is also often quite different. I really think personalized EQ is the key to improving sound. EQ matters almost more than what you're listening with. Yes, you want to start with something that's as flat as possible of course, but past that it's all about knowing how to EQ specifically to your preferences. And you can't rely too much on other people's measurements here - they will be somewhat reliable up to about 2khz, but past that you're on your own. Of course, technicalities matter, and some headphones will take to EQ better than others. The Stax L700, for instance, is not well tuned out of the box, it sounds honky and nasal, but with EQ it improves dramatically and starts sounding quite lifelike while keeping the remarkable electrostatic technicalities. So the industry push towards biometrics and personalized EQ is on the right track I think, though it's quite likely that automating the process is a far harder problem than anybody guesses and it will be years before we get something that does it right. But ultimately, this might very well be the approach that gives us the best and most consistent sound quality.
Before Tyll retired, he mentioned that DSP and wireless is essentially the future. Audiophiles are used to banning EQ and wired only but this would be the next step for the industry, even at the higher end. It would be nice for example to have serial number specific EQ to compensate for inevitable unit variation from the factory to the intended response by the manufacturer using a HATS on each and every unit for the multi kilobuck models. Then from there the user can customize further to taste.
I just changed the pads on my Elex and the tonality was completely different. The sound was suddenly centered instead of offset, but the volume was reduced. Then I pressed the headphones lightly to my ears while listening to a song and the sound was audibly louder than before. It's unbelievable how far the pads change the sound and volume. Even with the HD 600, this is not so extreme. The more the pads are used, the more they lose their stability. And the more they are used, the closer the ear gets to the headphone driver, making the side louder.
I don’t really get much change in sound when I change the position of my HD800 (not HD800s). It seems to be ear dependent. Probably explains why there is so much disagreement about headphones.
6:30 I too having lots of problem with positioning on my HD650. The sound changes pretty drastically, you'll get a muddy mess when you pushed it a tiny bit forward, you'll have no bass when it's pushed back. Best way for me is to wear them with a slight forward tilt.
I am quiet surprised that you never talk about the transient response of these headphones. Regardless the treble spike on the HD 800s, it sounds really fast and open and the sound stage is just gigantic compared to all the others. There is no perfect headphones. You’ve got to make it work for yourself. In the end having a distortion free, transparent and fast and linear audio production is the ultimate goal. Thank you for the comparison
The hd8xx has tuning tape on the screen behind the driver that makes this design more balanced. In addition, I swapped pads to Dekoni sheepskin. This also helps balance out the overdone width of the staging with these cans. I also love my Elex, but the 8xx with the Dekoni pads is truly special (8xx open box on ebay for $749). I think maybe the improved value may have a small impact on tricking my brain into liking them more as well. LOL! Note: I just ordered the new Meze 109 Pro. It should arrive next week sometime. Cheers!
Hey oluv, would you recommend buying the anker soundcore life q30 ? I've been going through lots of different headphones recently on a tight budget and can't find anything I'm truly happy with, the q30 look ideal? I can get them new for £60, is there anything more modern you'd recommend?
Hi lovely channel. I'm a new fan. Just out of curiosity... Did you know that balance shift is well known issue with that Macbooks when using external dacs? There is free app for that called balance lock and it's great. Regardless... Lovely content.
This video is very interesting, and quite entertaining. I’m mostly entertained by the stark difference of what you are hearing and what I’m hearing from the video. You are saying things sound very harsh in the treble with the empyrean and I’m hearing the complete opposite. It’s very cool how we all experience the world and music so differently. Very cool concept you have when it comes to letting us hear the music you are hearing.
Who is this guy?? This review was amazing! I have only listened to the HD800 2 times, but I completely hated it both times and felt it sounded just terrible. Hollow, soul-less. But he showed me that was likely due to positioning problems with when I put them on and that for my ears, they probably just don't follow my normal wearing position... Wow, I have been been half wondering what happened there for maybe 5-6 years? Amazing review.
How old are the pads on the 600's? It's well known that hd600/50 treble quantity decreases with pad usage 13:00 this basically confirms my suspicions that your particular ears are much more sensitive to 4-6k (especially 6k) and 9k than others, hence why the distaste for the Harman response. If I'm being honest with my modded and EQ'ed LCD-2C's the empyrean's sounded fun, variability in the 6l and 9-11k regions with a lot of treble "Bite".
This explains why, with crins and oratory's measurements of the free's, the apparent absence of energy at those regions compared to Harman, your personal head intereactions are to "blame". The problem with the 800's is that damn 6k resonance that's just too much for even harman.
Well, it would be interesting to hear Oluv’s opinion on the mid-tier Audeze LCD’s, considering their flattened response of upper mids and treble. Especially 2021 version of X.
I was so close to keep the HD800s, but the soundstage made some songs unlistenable with instruments playing far away in every direction making it a mess. Also sometimes it sounded like there were two vocalists, one on each side. At their best they are amazing, but for quite a few artists I would prefer something like an AKG K 371. Currently I'm trying the Beyerdynamic Amiron, which I really enjoy so far. More so than the HEDDphone or T1 3rd Gen for example which are on my desk as well.
This is EXACTLY what I thought about the HD800S. You absolutely nailed it. I ended up keeping an HD660S, which is superior to both the HD600 and HD650.
Out of them all... I love HD600 treble the most. I do not know why, but elex for me does not sound that right on treble. At least the "AIR" part from the treble.
The HD600 is just smooth in treble which is very pleasant to listen to. Your ears just won’t get annoyed even after an hour. These treble boosted headphones are uncomfortable to listen to.
I bought Focal Bathys. Sounded terrible, made a video about it and posted on Head-Fi. Guess what… They did also felt like $30 cans. Tried their open backs and sounds quite nice IMO. Clear MG sounded like a upgraded HD 600. Similar soundstage, neutral tuning. Airy. Utopia 2020 was more airy and had better seperation at the cost of boosted treble which was sharp on a track like “Tenet Soundtrack” Thinking of getting Clear MG, Elex isn’t available in my region.
I found the solution for your problems with the sennheiser, all you have to do is replace the earpads with some: Dekoni Audio Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin All your strangely noticeable variations even in the recordings you make are fixed with that change.
Very much like your candid and pragmatic take on hi-fi products. But I've gotta say I struggle so much with the music samples you choose! Music is subjective I get that... But each music sample is so painful! 😂 But I continue to watch just for your commentary!
@@oluvsgadgets Well it depends on the tube amp, some of the hybrids can improve the performance and have low distortion floors as well. I run mine off of the Woo Audio WA22 fully balanced amp and it really sweetens the sound by rolling off the treble peaks and warming up the lower end. You shouldn’t get distortion with these higher quality variants.
@@oluvsgadgets haha yes EQ certainly is the cheapest method but I’m just saying that good quality tube amps really do help in some areas for the HD800s. I generally stick to classical, jazz and acoustic music with this headphone. I love your choice of music too by the way. SoulPersona are amazing! Do you recommend anything similar to them?
I think if you called Focal, they might send you a pair of Utopia to review. That would be interesting especially after your conclusion about the Empyrean
yeah like Oluv's said the only thing we get to know about these products is that they all are bad as nearly every company asked for a pair to review (with the review often yielding negatively for the product) just ignores the requests meaning they look strictly for someone who would falsely advertise these
Wanted to buy a Sennheiser 800S but when i went to try it in Akiabara in Tokyo ready to purchase one I fund just a harsh High sibilant super expensive piece of rubbish. I used 3-4 very expensive amps lying around there connected with other very expensive DACs in that huge shop. Not for me thanks I will stick to my HD650.
It doesn't sound mellow (syrupy) that some listeners expect, but unenhanced an precise. It conveys all the details, which I like. Should some treble peaks intrude (not very often!) they can be dialed out with EQ. I'm a sucker for precision, fidelity and natural sound.
This channel needs to be renamed to "Oluv's Judgements". I love that there's no sugar coating here and know I'm going to feel a little bad for the company that chose to send him their product. 😆
Hello, I am very sorry to send you this message, I am an Amazon seller and I like your comments and youtube videos very much. I am looking for a reviewer for my Bluetooth speaker product. Are you interested in Bluetooth speakers? Looking forward for your reply, thank you
I really like your reviews but I find your hype on the Elex too much. I guess you know that Drop does not ship it to Europe, guess you know that they do not service the warranty when they see you come from Europe! Yes, you are a reviewer and they serviced you nice and at the end you still have channel unbalance (one of your pairs got a dead speaker!). I got the Elex - same issue - unbalance, it cost me quite money to get it returned (I was lucky a friend in USA bought it for me and later claimed the return and refund). I got the Elegia - far better than Elex, even better imaging and soundstage, now cheaper. I understand your sound signature preference but when QC is so bad, please have in mind that you speak to non-reviewers that will not have your status in front of audio companies. BTW, I do not have the complaints that you have on HD800s. And it is clear you prefer a fully balanced sound signature ( quite bright sensitive) but not taking in consideration the imaging, the sound stage, the detail retrieval when comparing these two is a bit strange.
You can get the Utopia for 4000$, sounds exactly the same as the Elex. Detail retrieval? Come on, it’s just blah blah by people who do not know what detail is
@@oluvsgadgets This is exactly why I didn't get the Utopia, it is overpriced - I think there are iems that are many times cheaper and doing equally (last example is 7hz Timeless). Why don't you put the Elex against the Austrian Audio Xi-55, that is half the price, and a bit try to listen do details like footsteps, breathing, symbols... on top notch flac or Tidal MQA. 40 years ago I got my first cassette player and in last 5 years I understood that 1/4 of the notes were missing. When I got to Lossless sources I started valuing details, instrument separation, symbols that were just a hint even in CD. Whatever, I understand sound signature preferences, also timber and natural sounding value but these are not all. When a headphone pushes music only between your ears is also no value, for example. The Elegia is not a reference headphone but gives me the presentation of large home speakers, the Xi-55 is a monitoring set with great detail retrieval, the HD800s is a detail retrieval set with brightness and big staging and great imaging,.... and they all do not have QC issues.
I think you pretend that you are missing my point. I don't like the AKG k361 as much as you do but I like the CAL SE as you do. What I am talking about is that there are more than one, two criteria.
Yep there are plenty of picky headphones. The Elex is one of them, because the sub bass impedance increases dramatically compared to the rest of the frequency. The fostex th-909 is another one of them.
@@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797 keep on dreaming I made a test the HD800S sounds exactly the same regardless which source, but there will always be audiobooks even imagining to hear cable sound: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1ZNLEVnb9Dc.html Wrong channel for you here, rather search for “snake oil” and you should be happy!
