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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 5:44:18 GMT
Buy a cheap multimeter and check it out for yourself It's not rocket science man Would you like a simple tutorial on how to measure a "cable" for capacitance / inductance / resistance etc. using a multimeter? Pinkie. Only if I get to hold the cane. If I turn my multi-meter on, it still plays the Clitheroe Kid. I turn that blasted dial and just can't pick up Radio 2. It's sits on a bookshelf, looking like a Kaossilator giving me harsh looks that say, 'touch my prongs and I'll 'ave ya' Step 1 - get the piece of wire. Step 2 - blow down it. Step 3 - check the other end. a) if nothing comes out, it's wood. b) if jelly comes out, it's bone. c) if water comes out it's a straw. d) if a balloon comes out, someone's playing a trick. In all of these cases, if it was hard to blow, there was high impedance. If it was easy, it was low impedance. Don't suck whatever you do. The old 'blow' method works just as well, no meter involved!! ;-) Ian
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 8:09:04 GMT
Thanks Mike, mine arrived yesterday. But I was at work when the postie called. I'm off to collect them from the sorting office in a short while. Excited.... and have the day off today.
Regards from a very misty and beautifully Autumnal Shropshire,
Derek
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 1, 2011 8:35:18 GMT
Would you like a simple tutorial on how to measure a "cable" for capacitance / inductance / resistance etc. using a multimeter? Pinkie. Only if I get to hold the cane. If I turn my multi-meter on, it still plays the Clitheroe Kid. I turn that blasted dial and just can't pick up Radio 2. It's sits on a bookshelf, looking like a Kaossilator giving me harsh looks that say, 'touch my prongs and I'll 'ave ya' Step 1 - get the piece of wire. Step 2 - blow down it. Step 3 - check the other end. a) if nothing comes out, it's wood. b) if jelly comes out, it's bone. c) if water comes out it's a straw. d) if a balloon comes out, someone's playing a trick. In all of these cases, if it was hard to blow, there was high impedance. If it was easy, it was low impedance. Don't suck whatever you do. The old 'blow' method works just as well, no meter involved!! ;-) Ian
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 16:06:24 GMT
Thanks Mike, mine arrived yesterday. But I was at work when the postie called. I'm off to collect them from the sorting office in a short while. Excited.... and have the day off today. Regards from a very misty and beautifully Autumnal Shropshire, Derek A few rapidly typed notes - am skiving while supposed to be doing roast chicken etc. What a fabulous afternoon it turned out to be. Sun lounger, glass of wine, new headphones to play with. Needed to be outside so source was initially a circa 1997 Technics SLXP160 personal CDP + fresh Duracells. CDs = something I knew well: Diana Krall's 'All for you' (tracks 5 -15) followed by Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' and 'I Got Rhythm Variations' (the Gershwin, a very well-regarded ADD CD with the Saint Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin and Jeffrey Siegel). I just let the music roll while I read the paper; just waiting to see if anything jumped out at me. Initial thoughts are favourable. Straight from the box (warm day) and with a suspect(?) quality CD player I heard a very classy sound. I do, though, echo the comments about sibilance - or the way S's and T's and CH's etc aren't suppressed at all. BUT - even at this stage, I don't think this is objectionable. So after sun-bathing for just over half an hour a side I went indoors for a try-out with my Denon DVD2900 as transport, DacMagic, X-DACv3 (un-modded but with Pinkie PSU) and the X-CANv3 (un-modded with original PSU). Same discs and .... OK - obvious increase in refinement, thank god. Sibilance far more natural; I would say I'll have no bother getting accustomed to this as I have heard similar effect with live choirs. Differentiation between low brass instruments is easy, bass definition high, no cupiness form the closed back earpieces and volume increase doesn't seem to stress the 661's. Then quick cross-check with 681's; 681's have a more resonant, plasticky-sounding mid. C/W Grado SR60 - hmmm, not a huge lot of difference. SR60's have the top better integrated with the mid and voices a little more natural.. but the661 balance is seductive. Compared with my Senny HD480 - the Sennys are thick, muddy, rolled off... but nicely spacious. 661s stop and start well, allow note lengths to be properly appreciated (did someone else mention this?) and show up sloppy edits. Then quick listen with Telarc SACD sampler - Vaughan Williams sea Symphony extract .. you hear a great choir sound. Early days but so far so good. £30 quid? B*gg*r me, that's value all right. Report again in a week or so; currently 'burning in 'with 'The Wall' on repeat. Regards, Derek
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 18:24:52 GMT
Because the most meaningful test for me is by using the long lead out of my DAC or HP amp and my long lead has a 'dodgy' female connection, I'm going to suspend my further reports until the new lead I've ordered from eBay arrives. I will leave the 661s playing 24/7 though until it arrives . This afternoon I had a session in the hammock listening to iPod Touch through portable C-Moy via short lead into 661s and I continue to be impressed but the difference between the short lead and the faulty long lead were very apparent. Anybody else had a similar problem? Cheers, Dave.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 18:57:12 GMT
Because the most meaningful test for me is by using the long lead out of my DAC or HP amp and my long lead has a 'dodgy' female connection, I'm going to suspend my further reports until the new lead I've ordered from eBay arrives. I will leave the 661s playing 24/7 though until it arrives . This afternoon I had a session in the hammock listening to iPod Touch through portable C-Moy via short lead into 661s and I continue to be impressed but the difference between the short lead and the faulty long lead were very apparent. Anybody else had a similar problem? Cheers, Dave. I have home-made long lead (3 to 4 m, maybe 5) and will try it out with the 661s tomorrow. But I am not lead-intolerant so don't expect a lot of comment from me . It's made from 3 core mains lead, have used it for ages and never noticed any meaningful effects with my other 'phones I'm afraid. It has a 3.5mm female jack (jill?) socket one end , a male 1/4" at the other. Just the job for connecting the 661s to my X-CANv3. You're suggesting the 661s are unusually sensitive to lead length? Derek
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 20:31:52 GMT
You're suggesting the 661s are unusually sensitive to lead length? Derek Hi Derek, Absolutely NOT - sorrry for not making myself clear - what I am suggesting is that the 3m long lead supplied with my 661s has a faulty connection somewhere within the female jack/socket (Jill ) so I have ordered a cheap replacment off eBay. If I push the 3m lead jack fully into the headset jill (oooher missus ) the right channel disappers/falls silent, but if I withdraw it a mm or two the right channel returns but any movement of the lead cause crackles and the right channel 'comes and goes' - definitely a faulty 'jill' . Cheers, Dave.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2011 9:47:48 GMT
You're suggesting the 661s are unusually sensitive to lead length? Derek Hi Derek, Absolutely NOT - sorrry for not making myself clear Dave. Sorry to be thick.... the bit I missunderstood was "I continue to be impressed but the difference between the short lead and the faulty long lead were very apparent". My assumption was that the long lead was just useable enough for you to be able to make a comparison between the two. I have only used the short lead so far - that's all I have needed. Derek p.s. I measured the lenght of my DIY extension lead. It's 4m.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2011 17:47:32 GMT
Dave, is it a normal 'Jill'? Ie; no locking devices, just an ordinary 'union'? (sorry couldn't resist)
If so, any lead could be put on and presumably, both the long and short lead could be joined to make a longer one?
Special treat - I don't have to do this weekend so I'm going home tomorrow!!! Yay!!!!!!
Ian
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2011 19:37:28 GMT
Hi Ian, Enjoy your bonus - there's no place like home . The union between Jack and Jill is perfectly normal (in this day and age anyway ) Jack can simply withdraw and go on his separate way, nothing to lock them together, just a 'common law' relationship. There is provided in the box a small plastic clip thing that is intended to provide a bit of stability to the union but it does no 'lock', just grips. I've ordered a cheap replacement lead from eBay which should hopefully be with me tomorrow. Meanwhile my Logitech Touch has been pouring FLAC files directly into the 661s while I listen to foobar (ASIO4ALL) playing HiRes files through the speakers, and very nice it is too - I think the ASIO route does sound better . Cheers, Dave.
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Post by greenstiles on Sept 4, 2011 16:27:33 GMT
OK time to give a more intermediate impression of these phones, i'll be brief. Been run in for about 48 hours solid with increasing levels of volume. Comfort, is good, but a bit too tight for my head. Foam around ears could be a tad bigger ie more round, than oblong. Build, great, but cable echoes any movement into left cup, annoying at lower volumes. Sound, if these really end up being £30.00 then I can't fault them at that price, the detail is amazing. Good bass detail too. If on the other hand they go for more, I would say the delivery is too bright, and not airy enough for me. They need some added space or airyness to the sound or some of the sound. That said if you use them with equipment that has tone controls or an equalizer, you could tame the brightness. In conclusion so far , if I had just bought these phones, for the money I'd be impressed !
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Post by greenstiles on Sept 4, 2011 16:33:34 GMT
ooops ! so anyway as agreed on the other page about these phones i will be keeping them for a few months for the final review. ahem. I have had some phones that needed thrashing to sound good in the end, others not, so what i'll be doing next is playing 'planet clare' by the B52'S very loud on them for 3 weeks solid !..........and see what happens ? My usual phones are ATH-AD 700 which I chose after having a pair of sterile HD580 .....with the water tower mods to my Neco dual pro fed by a Rotel CD player, they are never siblent or too bright as some say they are.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2011 20:07:12 GMT
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 4, 2011 20:27:40 GMT
No wonder you've been quiet for a while.... you've been writing a book! Excellent review Frans (my eyes and head are spinning after reading it all).... I will print out the 8 pages tomorrow and fully digest your findings on the throne (those of you who know me understand that the only time I will "read" and "digest" an article is when I am sitting on the toilet..... A simple "two pager" will be read and read and read over a period of days so this 8 page theosis will be fully digested (and enjoyed) "offline" Frans..... yes, I will be "logging on" but not in an online sense)..... I'm not being funny here either, the only place I feel comfortable to concentrate in is either when I'm having a shower or sitting on the throne.... has always been like that with me Printing it out now Frans. Good to see you back my friend.
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Post by greenstiles on Sept 4, 2011 20:33:31 GMT
Mike just pm'd you about somthing
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2011 20:41:27 GMT
Congratulations Frans. An excellent article. Very in depth and plenty of detail. I can't wait to hear them now!!! Frans, if you can do a double whammy with the filters, it would be appreciated and I'll review both ways if you see what I mean? Only if you have the inclination and time though. Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 4, 2011 20:42:59 GMT
Frans...... one thing you omitted from your review was a pic of your head wearing them I wonder who will be the first (with enough man balls) to upload that pRon..... not me!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 4, 2011 20:57:10 GMT
Mike just pm'd you about somthing I totally agree with you! You don't have to PM me mate, just say what you want here There isn't a "pecking" order here and I REALLY hope that everybody feels free to post their opinions. Soooooo..... get posting Nige Mike.
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Post by greenstiles on Sept 4, 2011 21:02:33 GMT
Been playing around with the phones on my head, and it seems that if you move the driver slighly off centre to your ear it makes that bright treble intergrate with the midrange a bit more, making it a more pleasent listen. If the ear foam thingies were a bit bigger / wider / bit deeper ? you could find the sweet spot easier. As it is it only allows 1 very clamped on position, and that treble just seems to the the first thing down your ear.
I think this driver needs to be off centre to better intergrate the treble. Or bigger ear cups for more accurate positioning and sound.
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Post by greenstiles on Sept 4, 2011 21:18:58 GMT
Just popped the pads off and slid them loose between drivers and my head, sounds better to me with drivers slightly above centre of the pads/ears or slightly behind ( but not forward or below ears) or centre as is standard......
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 4, 2011 21:22:05 GMT
Been playing around with the phones on my head, and it seems that if you move the driver slighly off centre to your ear it makes that bright treble intergrate with the midrange a bit more, making it a more pleasent listen. If the ear foam thingies were a bit bigger / wider / bit deeper ? you could find the sweet spot easier. As it is it only allows 1 very clamped on position, and that treble just seems to the the first thing down your ear. I think this driver needs to be off centre to better intergrate the treble. Or bigger ear cups for more accurate positioning and sound. Yes! a lot of listeners just put the headphones on their head and don't experiment with "up / down" and side to side adjustments..... there is a fair bit of "play" available (with ANY headphone) to find the sweetspot. Thanks for mentioning this Nige
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2011 21:43:44 GMT
After reading the review by Frans, the lessening of the peak seems a good idea since it leaves the rest of the sound intact.
Now I'm wondering whether it's possible to do a double hit. Knock the treble peak down while also slightly lifting the mid drop so that the tone warms up. (The mids/mens' voices section)
With that lifted slightly and the treble peak down, it would be very close to the 'ideal' line +5 to -5 from 20 to 20,000.
Perhaps worth experimenting with an equaliser on the dip in the mid/upper bass?
All this and I haven't even heard it yet!! I'll try moving them on my head as well when I get them.
Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 4, 2011 21:51:30 GMT
After reading the review by Frans, the lessening of the peak seems a good idea since it leaves the rest of the sound intact. Now I'm wondering whether it's possible to do a double hit. Knock the treble peak down while also slightly lifting the mid drop so that the tone warms up. (The mids/mens' voices section) With that lifted slightly and the treble peak down, it would be very close to the 'ideal' line +5 to -5 from 20 to 20,000. Perhaps worth experimenting with an equaliser on the dip in the mid/upper bass? All this and I haven't even heard it yet!! I'll try moving them on my head as well when I get them. Ian You'd end up with more "filter" real estate and less headphone.... better (and cheaper) finding a headphone that suits "YOUR" ears..... Frans has filtered the HD-661 to HIS ears and I am happy for him...... his filter will not (by default) suit every listener as he has tuned it to his own pair of ears and, as we all know, "ears" are as unique as fingerprints and we all hear things differently... no such thing as a "universal" pair of ears And that IS a "FACT"
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2011 22:01:14 GMT
I guess so. ;-)
Jeez - I have to get a pair on my head!!!
I tried the Sony again today after a break of two weeks and it definitely doesn't suit my ears at all.
What was also interesting in the review was the Sony and Superlux FR graph and yet Frans says they sound different.
Also, I wonder whether the measurements are taken dead centre and what type of 'head' is taken into consideration.
Very hard to get a good measurement on a headphone in relation to how it sounds on the head.
Ian
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 4, 2011 22:23:09 GMT
You are learning Rabbit
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