I've had these Sony's for years now, and mainly used them plugged into my laptop's soundcard. They're that easy to drive because of the high efficiency.
Plugged these into my NVA AP10H for a wee listen and expecting a 'meh' result..... But no! Just wow instead!
Through my NVA/Naim CD3 I heard some good slam, and the mids came out clean without sounding edgy. This almost gave me the sensation of listening to speakers. But not quite! No headphone system can ever beat speakers. Regardless of cost!
This combo beats the Sh#t out of a Stax System I once had and a few other systems. Not bad!
Bare in mind the Sony's are 'monitor graded' headphones, and will show up any flaw in the system/recording. This is something I will just have to tolerate with lesser/aggressive sounding recordings.
Honestly I'm starting to wonder about the much more expensive headphones? Brutal reality tells me that diminishing returns does exist out there.
I've had these Sony's for years now, and mainly used them plugged into my laptop's soundcard. They're that easy to drive because of the high efficiency.
Plugged these into my NVA AP10H for a wee listen and expecting a 'meh' result..... But no! Just wow instead!
Through my NVA/Naim CD3 I heard some good slam, and the mids came out clean without sounding edgy. This almost gave me the sensation of listening to speakers. But not quite! No headphone system can ever beat speakers. Regardless of cost!
This combo beats the Sh#t out of a Stax System I once had and a few other systems. Not bad!
Bare in mind the Sony's are 'monitor graded' headphones, and will show up any flaw in the system/recording. This is something I will just have to tolerate with lesser/aggressive sounding recordings.
Honestly I'm starting to wonder about the much more expensive headphones? Brutal reality tells me that diminishing returns does exist out there.
I can only speak for the larger Grado and Sennheiser headphones I've heard in recent times (with tired ears!) but the further up the ranges you go, added refinement often translates to me as added boredom and blandness. The top Sennheisers need an AMPLIFIER to drive them, rather than a cheap chip-based affair, but still fail to thrill imo.
The not silly Sony's used to get very favourable reviews, even the previous models to the pair Shane has...
'Never quite said what I wanted to say to you Never quite managed the words to explain to you Never quite knew how to make them believable ..And now the time has gone, Another time undone...'
Had a good listening session last night. Really impressed with the Sony's. The NVA pumps plenty life into their transducers.
S.
Do you listen for long periods, Shane? I struggled to get past two hours wearing headphones. They just do pmy ears in if used for longer,
Usually for me, it's between 40-60 min. Sometimes I can listen around 2 hours max. But I don't do this too often though.
I hate it when some people claim that they listen for 7-8 hours straight. I find that untrue. Because the ears can't take such quantity of punishment.....Regardless of how sensible you are with the dial! Taking breaks is a good thing for your ears, if you like listening for long periods.
I'm starting to wonder now. The NVA & Sony don't really have much character. Both are quite neutral. Wondering if the charm is actually coming from the Naim CD3?
Do you listen for long periods, Shane? I struggled to get past two hours wearing headphones. They just do pmy ears in if used for longer,
Usually for me, it's between 40-60 min. Sometimes I can listen around 2 hours max. But I don't do this too often though.
I hate it when some people claim that they listen for 7-8 hours straight. I find that untrue. Because the ears can't take such quantity of punishment.....Regardless of how sensible you are with the dial! Taking breaks is a good thing for your ears, if you like listening for long periods.
I'm starting to wonder now. The NVA & Sony don't really have much character. Both are quite neutral. Wondering if the charm is actually coming from the Naim CD3?
S.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised. I loved mine with headphones. I totally agree with your assessment of long term headphone listening. Same amount of time for me. Any more and your ears have had enough.
Regarding longer listening times, it can depend on the type and recording quality of the music. I prefer to listen to something a little more relaxing with headphones, although I'm not really using them at present.
There are a few reasons why I couldn’t do headphones for long.
First up is being on a wire, it’s like being tethered. Second is I don’t like anything covering my ears, Third is the weight of so many of them. Finally the rewards aren’t thee for me. I need an “in room” sound, not an “in head” one.
Those Kennerton Algiz earbuds are more comfy than anything else I’ve tried. There’s still the wire to deal with but it’s the last likely to tangle. Wireless earbuds are the only thing I think I could live with for long periods,
Horses for courses though, and I realise others will have very different needs.
I understand. I do a lot of late night listening + i live in a block of flats so as you can understand Loudspeaker listening is as & when possible, but i never have them on loud anyway. Some nuances you just cannot experience without headsets.
I understand. I do a lot of late night listening + i live in a block of flats so as you can understand Loudspeaker listening is as & when possible, but i never have them on loud anyway. Some nuances you just cannot experience without headsets.
You do get more detail via decent headphones. I can’t argue with that. I find myself listening less loud these days. The system fills the room and has a real presence even at low volume. Never hardens either, which is my pet hate.
Have you got a reccy for the best sounding headphones you’ve tried?
Do you listen for long periods, Shane? I struggled to get past two hours wearing headphones. They just do pmy ears in if used for longer,
Usually for me, it's between 40-60 min. Sometimes I can listen around 2 hours max. But I don't do this too often though.
I hate it when some people claim that they listen for 7-8 hours straight. I find that untrue. Because the ears can't take such quantity of punishment.....Regardless of how sensible you are with the dial! Taking breaks is a good thing for your ears, if you like listening for long periods.
I'm starting to wonder now. The NVA & Sony don't really have much character. Both are quite neutral. Wondering if the charm is actually coming from the Naim CD3?
S.
Nop. Only the other night i was headphones for that period. I dont have the original Earpads on my Sony phones. I have mega comfortable Velour pads on everything. The Velour pads i put on the 'V-6' are for Beyer Dynamic 'EDT-250'