KookDesigns OP t1_iu4s7bn wrote on October 28, 2022 at 3:29 PM

Reply to comment by Desertshark42 in New Brainwavz on my HE4XX feel so much better than stock, and sound a bit better to my ears. by KookDesigns

They're definitely V-shaped, and the low end, both with stock pads, and the Brainwavz, sounds awesome. I'm a big fan of the way the planar magnetic drivers handle lows, and the only headphones with more bass in my collection are my Yamaha YH E700As, and Monoprice Retros, though they don't count for much as the bass is overpowering, boomy, and muddy.

I'm very interested to hear how I like the 6xx compared to the 4xx, but I'd say the Hifiman's are currently my favorite headphones in my collection, with Grado 225's and my trusty Porta-KSC75's in 2nd and 3rd spot.

Desertshark42 t1_iu6jpwv wrote on October 28, 2022 at 10:49 PM

Trust me, you sound like me. I absolutely love Planars for those very reasons. They have great Bass extension and very little roll off. Soundstage and detail are other great pros for these types. And probably one of the best for a plus is they respond to EQ so damn good. I have 4 Planars, and two dynamic drivers. One is closed back (Meze 99 Neo) and then the HD6XX is open back. I’ll be honest, factory sound profile didn’t impress me. There is a massive bass roll off and no extension. Although, they weren’t made to be bass cannons, i just didn’t get what all the hype was about for those cans, initially. They don’t respond to EQ as well as Planars do, but the 6XX actually sound good to me with the Oratory EQ profile that he tells to tweak levels to gain of bass, midrange detail And airiness. Overall, NOW I love them for what they are. Which is great detail and imaging and an immersive soundstage. I’ve only had the 6XX for a couple months. I tried listening to them for a few weeks when new an then shelved them cuz I just didn’t like the sound. Then only a short time ago, I started doing some analytical listening and finally started to understand them better and start to enjoy them. Completely different from Planars, and that’s not a bad thing, vocals sound superb on the 6XX. It’s my first Sennheiser too. I’m now looking at picking up a pair of 660s from them in the future, but my next Buy is definitely going to be a Tube Amp for the 6XX since I’m told that is what really opens up the 6XX, and then buy a Audeze LCD2 Classic

KookDesigns OP t1_iu6re65 wrote on October 28, 2022 at 11:51 PM

Very cool! I'm interested to see how much oomph my Magni 3 has for my 6xx's when they arrive. Other posts seem to say it not an issue, but I'm kinda kicking myself for selling my old Little Dot.

I may have to pick up a Bottlehead Crack kit next time I get a bonus from work, though I'm sure I could find some great deals in my local used market for good headphone amps.

Desertshark42 t1_iubfjnc wrote on October 30, 2022 at 1:10 AM

See that’s the Tube amp I was looking at in particular, would you recommend it? And what did you sell It for?

Also, don’t fret about the Magni. It drives the 6XX very well. I have an SMSL SH9+SU8s and it has more power than my Magni/Modi stack, yet the 6XX sound better and louder on my Magni/Modi. Far better

KookDesigns OP t1_iuc4919 wrote on October 30, 2022 at 4:58 AM

I bought the Little Dot Mk2 for my Grado 225s, and up until now, haven't really had any other headphones that need more power. I found I could get by fine just plugging the Grado's into my Presonus usb audio interface.

Sometime between then and now, I got a Magni 3, which has been useful for routing my subwoofer to receive signal only when the headphones arent plugged in.

I've toyed with the idea of upgrading to the Magnius for its balanced ins and outs, but I don't need its extra power or size at this point, so it looks like the Magni 3 will be my headphone amp for the time being.