|
Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 10, 2010 12:10:25 GMT
Anyone tried a pair of these out of a Graham Slee Solo? Tried them out of the NOVO Nigel and very nice indeed! My favourite "CD as source" combo is the X-Can V2 (modded / Pinkied / Russian vintage 6H23N) it really sounds nice and imparts a sweet tone through the HD-681. I don't own a Solo anymore (sold all 3 of them the past few months) but would imagine your Solo would have no problems with the Hd-681.... they are 32 ohm impedance so can be driven by almost anything.
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 10, 2010 12:30:52 GMT
I bought a pair the other day and agree with everything Mike and others say. They sound astonishing out of the box and will probably sound even better in a week or two. Red rings don't bother me - cheap headphones and I can't see myself devoting too much of my life to marginal improvements (expect a slap in the face now!). As a professional classical pianist I find myself listening to a good deal of music through my cans - listen to the demands the Busoni or Rachmaninov concertos place upon headphones/speakers and these beauties ride the torrent of ff climaxes beautifully with intricate, delicate detail evident elsewhere. No match (yet) for my venerable old Sony MDR CD-1700s (the best cans I've ever heard) but they knock Senns HD650s out of the water Glad you like them John It's not worth going mad with tweaks but a recable defininitely helps the SQ.... the stock cable is far from ideal. Mike.
|
|
toad
Been here a while!
I am the Super Toad, the Original Toad, the Whole Toad and nothing BUT the toad.... don't forget it!
Posts: 1,223
|
Post by toad on Jan 10, 2010 13:12:04 GMT
Anyone tried a pair of these out of a Graham Slee Solo? Hi Nigel, I've tried them on Novo and Solo and they sound good out of either. For the cash they are great. Ian
|
|
|
Post by rainforth on Jan 10, 2010 16:10:00 GMT
Anyone tried a pair of these out of a Graham Slee Solo? Hi Nigel, I've tried them on Novo and Solo and they sound good out of either. For the cash they are great. Ian I use MF Xcans V3 with the Rock Grotto capacitor mods - wonderful sound
|
|
|
Post by covenant on Jan 10, 2010 16:41:25 GMT
First post on this forum and a newbie to headphones as well. I got the HD681's as an xmas present and to be honest was underwhelmed at first. Harsh, sibilant top end and shrill to my ears. I mentioned this on another forum and got told to leave them to one side playing at high volume. This has certainly helped and I'm starting to enjoy them. I use the Beresford 7520 with Wolfson chip as an amplifier so will try a few op-amps on the headphone circuit. I will have a go at the filter mod I think but will do it externally in case it doesn't work. The cable replacement too if I can find the right cable. In fact all the mods look good, those aluminum rings especially
|
|
|
Post by derekrumble on Jan 11, 2010 20:32:44 GMT
Funnily enough, I've received a run in pair of 681's this morning (Thanks Mate, you know who you are ) and my initial thoughts match Toads. They do rock very well, but the K701 still offer that bit extra. Still, the vfm of the 681 is astonishing. Glad you've got to listen to some 681s Will. Yep for VFM the 681s are pretty good. What's a typical price for the AKG models ;-) regards, Derek
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Jan 11, 2010 20:48:00 GMT
Funnily enough, I've received a run in pair of 681's this morning (Thanks Mate, you know who you are ) and my initial thoughts match Toads. They do rock very well, but the K701 still offer that bit extra. Still, the vfm of the 681 is astonishing. Glad you've got to listen to some 681s Will. Yep for VFM the 681s are pretty good. What's a typical price for the AKG models ;-) regards, Derek about £200 from iheadphones. I think the term is 'diminishing returns' rather than 'vfm' in this case
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2010 15:46:22 GMT
Mike,
Have you had a chance to play with the new closed back Superlux you received?
Chris
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Jan 13, 2010 21:14:28 GMT
Mike, Have you had a chance to play with the new closed back Superlux you received? Chris Hi Chris, They are on my head as I type this.... it has been such a SHIT winter up here all I've wanted to do is eat fat, sleep and keep warm..... I will do a full review as soon as things warm up a bit. In short: The HD-662 are "closed" in the strictest sense of the word, when they are on your head you are totally isolated from the outside world. They are VERY accurate through the range with no one frequency standing out from another.... the HD-681 can be a bit over bassy / toppy, not the HD-662.... to my ears they are as flat as a pancake..... Either everybody on the planet has a very small head or I've got a MELON.... the HD-662 are fully extended and I feel they could do with extending another inch to fit my head (and remember too.... I am bald!) If I had a mop of hair, no way would these cover my ears.... I, personally, couldn't wear them for long periods but peanut heads (smaller people) would have no problems with them. Sonically, they are not my cup of tea, they are way too accurate..... I prefer a bit more bass and "looseness" to the sound but, for those requiring "accurate" reproduction they are spot on..... I have always considered "accurate" as boring and a bit of colour and pizazz never goes amiss with me but, if you are looking for an inch perfect "monitor" then the HD-662 is as good as any I have heard and they TOTALLY isolate you from the outside world. Sound leakage is almost ZERO so you can listen at ear shattering levels safe in the knowledge that those around you won't hear a thing. Chris, I know you're a drummer and probably have some use for this type of 'phone so PM me your details and I'll send them over to you...... in all honesty, I'll never use them and it's a shame to think of them sitting in a cupboard gathering dust so let's get them over to you and see what you think of them Mike.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2010 7:47:51 GMT
Mike,
That sounds great, they are the set I am most curious about. I think maybe Will was interested too (or maybe the other set?). If so it would make sense for them to go to him first before they leave blighty. Will?
Cheers,
Chris ps you have pm
|
|
|
Post by donunus on Feb 8, 2010 7:04:05 GMT
any updates on these newer superlux cans?
|
|
|
Post by PinkFloyd on Feb 8, 2010 7:40:06 GMT
any updates on these newer superlux cans? I have sent a pair over to Chris, he will no doubt be commenting on them..... the other pair (HD688) I will be reviewing shortly
|
|
|
Post by donunus on Feb 8, 2010 10:47:35 GMT
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2010 10:29:07 GMT
|
|
|
Post by clausdk on Mar 3, 2010 13:32:37 GMT
I was just out to visit the local instrumentpusher and was tempted by those, so much that I got them *sigh* I haven't even seen your post on them I only used them very shortly, but they have an more open sound with a tad sharper details than my 681.. They feel like better quality in the hands and are much easier on the eyes
|
|
|
Post by clausdk on Mar 3, 2010 23:31:36 GMT
Ok they now have 10 hours on them.. They are not a pair of 681 in a new dress, they are the same quality, but different. They are a bit more, how do I say this, lighter/brigther, more treble oriented, a bit like a pair of DT880 in tonality, if that makes sense, which does, that the details are more carved out and the stage is a bit bigger and with more air.. The bass is not as plentyfull as 681. They sound more neutral to me, also the sound from a band like Evanesence is more aggresive more angry.. The metal rods are also different, these are only painted and feels "tighter" more like springs, which is not good, but I just keep my hands away, then it is no biggie.. They do not look exately like the picture above, the airholes are bigger and not round, the letters are not white but black.. The drivers look like them from 681 complete with stickers and the "please do not remove". Maybe they are the basslight version of the 681 ?? My 681 has a new cable and the sticker removed, but I compared them without the "Fransfilter", to get as close to stock as i could. My wife likes the 681 better, I do not, if I had to choose I would go for these, but I do not have to do that.. Are they worth all that extra money , well judging this is hard, I still consider these as very cheap phones and I could not care less about if they are 40 £ or 20 £
|
|
|
Post by oink1 on Mar 4, 2010 8:11:01 GMT
Well, Just pushed the button on a pair of 681's based on the glowing reports here - gotta love a bargain, and you can never have too many 'phones right?! Roll on their delivery - now f only I could find the time/motivation to build up my PS for the Gilmore... Oooh, I'd very much like a set of the alloy replacement rings if any more are being machined/available, I will of course supply the required 'beer tokens' for the aforementioned items!
|
|
Will
Been here a while!
Ribena abuser!
Member since 2008
Posts: 2,164
|
Post by Will on Mar 23, 2010 12:33:45 GMT
I bought my Dad the Jaycar/SCHA amplifier kit for his birthday, which has been very well received. Of course, he needed a set of headphones, and I suggested he listen to my HD681 (unmodded). The result is my Dad bought a pair, and is now a very happy chap! He's had no problems with the 'shouty' feeling some of us have had, as his hearing is a bit 'rolled off' at the top end. Very impressed by the bass, too. Thanks for the recommendation, Mike
|
|
|
Post by oink1 on Mar 30, 2010 21:45:52 GMT
|
|
|
Post by videoguy on Apr 1, 2010 5:16:42 GMT
UPS delivered my 681's yesterday. There are now have 10 hrs. on them. I am driving them with my modified JLH Chiara; lowered the emitter resistors on the TIP output transistors from 8.3 ohm to 4.7 ohms. This gives the amp a truly low output impedance & increases the current draw between the output pair; they now drive 32 ohm phones (Grado etc.) with no problem. The 681's have really opened up & are sounding great; Senn. 600's now sound thin in comparison. Checked out web sites of several headphone modders, they all remove the original foam covering the drivers on most phones they modify for customers then replace it with very thin loose woven black cloth. I did this to my HD600's 4 years ago & it removed the veil from the sound. Since I am going to mod. the 681's in a logical one step at a time order I decided to remove the foam covering the drivers as a first step. This really opened up the sound & again it is as though a veil has been removed, overall SQ is much cleaner. Need to root around in the garage & find the box with the cloth left over from modding the Senny's. Will post further as I try Franz's filters etc.
|
|
|
Post by videoguy on Apr 1, 2010 5:20:37 GMT
Mike: I will send you some of the cloth I use over the drivers as soon as I locate it.
|
|
|
Post by clausdk on Apr 1, 2010 6:45:55 GMT
Mike: I will send you some of the cloth I use over the drivers as soon as I locate it. Would it not be easier with a piece of a nylonstocking ??
|
|
|
Post by JohnnyBlue on Apr 1, 2010 10:00:45 GMT
Given that the unmodded 681s are already very toppy (not a major problem for me as my advancing years are curtailing HF anyway), wouldn't removing the foam increase the HF even more?
|
|
elysion
Been here a while!
Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
contra torrentem
Posts: 2,375
|
Post by elysion on Apr 2, 2010 12:31:02 GMT
My favourites too. (Currently!) The bass thing is weird though and doesn't seem consistent. I've listened to pieces on the 701 where I think the bottom is thin so I change over to HD650 to put the bass back. Then going back to the 701 on say, another track, doesn't actually have much less bass than the HD650 for some reason. It's very strange in that some recordings seem to show no real bass on the 701's whereas on others, it's quite deep and has impact. With HD650 and the Superlux 681, the bass is there on most stuff I listen to. The thing is, is it consistency or is it the 'addition' of bass sounds that makes recordings have bass (superficially) which isn't necessarily there? Does that read as gobbledygook? I have real problems describing sound ........ Ian I know exactly what you mean, Ian. I've experienced the same with my K702 (now well beyound 500 hours, I don't count anymore) and my HD650 (a lot more than 1000 hours). You're actually very good in describing what you hear – but I have the same problem: I can't describe sound exactly in the way I hear it. It's always a kind of abstraction. The human hearing isn't always the same. It makes a difference if you're very tired or if you're relaxed for example. I bought a Samson SR850 on Wednesday. I've read the posts from clausdk and expected to get a rather good headphone for the price I paid (58CHF, it's about 36£ at the moment). The initial impression was not bad, but nowhere near my K702. The bass was quite interesting, clearly a different kind of bass as with the K702. I've retested after about 10 hours of burn-in with very varied results. Probably the need a lot more burn-in. I guess the are changing significantly in the first couple of hours. This would explain the very varied impressions I had. At the moment, I can't say a lot about this 'phones. However I'm sure to have found two points where they're not my cup of tea: I don't like the pads although they're better as they look. This point shouldn't be a real problem to solve as AKG pads are an alternative. What me bothers more is the fact that I find them very fatiguing at the moment. I think this is probably because they're not enough burned-in and because the pressure of the pads is a bit too much. I put these 'phones on one of my ceramic heads for burn-in. Usually the placement on the ceramic heads looses the clamping force a bit over the time. The headband itself was fine and I didn't feel an uncomfortable pressure. Even if they won't get exactly my cup of tea, the money is spent fine. And they're very modifiable. All has not been said and done. The SR850 is like the HD681 very easy to drive. The results with an iPod seem to be rather good. Wouldn't it be a good idea to start a new thread for the Samson SR850 and for other HD681 clones (if there are more of them)? First it would be very interesting to know if the SR850 is exact the same as one of the three HD681 variants. Maybe the SR850 is a thing of it's own and only shares some parts with the HD681. I'm not of much help here because I only own the SR850. I can't compare therefore.
|
|
elysion
Been here a while!
Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
contra torrentem
Posts: 2,375
|
Post by elysion on Apr 2, 2010 12:43:24 GMT
This is also a very interesting question: IMHO the 681 could not have the same qualities of manufacturing as the D7000, HD800, T1, K701, etc. with this price. I mean the variation of data and quality of each sample. Are there major differences within a series of 'phones? If there are significant differences within a series, what are the reasons for this? Does it have something to do with the manufacturing costs and what models of headphones are affected the most? I guess we should limit this question to the HD681 and his variants/clones for now. It could be very hard to be objective in this regard. It's almost impossible to compare a whole batch of a specific headphone. And what are we comparing exactly if we compare 'phones in different burn-in states?
|
|