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- Thread starter daneoni
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Just got my first pair of custom made in-ear-monitors (Alclair Tours) in the mail today.
These were a gift to me. I'll be ordering my 64 Audio A8 customs during the Black Friday sale, or wait until the Anaheim NAMM 2018 show/conference.
These were a gift to me. I'll be ordering my 64 Audio A8 customs during the Black Friday sale, or wait until the Anaheim NAMM 2018 show/conference.
Stax 007 mk2 - my favorite home audio
Stax 007 mk2 - my favorite home audio
Looks amazing. Do I dare ask how much that cost??
Something like $8-9.000 new, not including the CD/DAC(?) to the left.
HeadAmp Blue Hawaii - $5,799–>6,879
Stax SR-007MK2 - $2.000
Nice setup indeed! I have the original Stax SR-007BL, so called MK1, and love them.
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Its network player Linn Klimax DS
Thanks! I love my Stax tooNice setup indeed! I have the original Stax SR-007BL, so called MK1, and love them.
Now I've got two headphones. The Sony MDR-10rbt and the Sennheiser 598SE. Just gotta buy a shorter cable for the 598s. I'm using an AudioEngine D1 at my desk and I have a Yamaha RX-V481 home theatre receiver. The Sony's can pair over BT to the receiver and sound pretty damn good when watch movies. The Sennheisers have a long enough cord for me to sit and watch a movie while wearing them. Again those also sound really great with movies though the low end is not as strong for movies on the Sennheisers compared to the Sony's. I stream my music from my Mac to my Yamaha receiver over AirPlay with my Airport Express.
They definitely have a great sound. Same for the HD558 I got a few days after. Both are open back. But neither of them were comfortable long term as many other claim they are. I now have the 598CS which are closed back but are definitely more comfortable than the other two. With any of them I can definitely feel like I'm wearing big headphones. For me personally they are not small. My Sony MDR-10rbt but comparison is much smaller even though they are "over ear" headphones. But they're also very comfortable. The only downside to those is that they get sweaty or oily. I definitely recommend any of these headphones for sound quality. Comfort wise you'll have to find that out on your own.
Many thanks for your thoughtful reply. Very interesting.
I have the Bowers & Wilkins P5s, which I love and also have the B&W P7s; but, I always liked the appearance of the HD598 and did wonder how someone who had them might find them in terms of comfort, audio, and so on.
I like the look of the new HD599 better. They replace the 598s. I wouldn't mind trying the new 500 series.
Ordered the MRS7's. Haven't splurged on a new pair in a while, hope they won't disappoint.
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Ordered the MRS7's. Haven't splurged on a new pair in a while, hope they won't disappoint.
They look gorgeous - hope you enjoy using them.
Cor.. hope they sound as good as they look!Ordered the MRS7's. Haven't splurged on a new pair in a while, hope they won't disappoint.
Ordered the MRS7's. Haven't splurged on a new pair in a while, hope they won't disappoint.
Let us know how they sound. I'm curious about them myself. They look comfy.
About 18 months ago I became lightly obsessed with getting some decent headphones. Most of my "private" listening at the time was on hikes or while walking in my area. That, combined with listening mostly to podcasts, made earpods perfectly acceptable; in fact, I tended to listen only in my right ear (for remote control) so I'd be more aware of my surroundings. On top of that, even when I listen to music on-the-go, I transcode to a low bitrate that would limit the value of high end headphones. Nevertheless.
I tend to prefer a more laid back sound. Lots of consumer headphones these days (Beats and Sony come tim mind) tend to cater to bassheads. To my taste, that makes the music not just thumpy but swampy. Since these were going to be used largely on walks I wanted something portable, which knocks out a lot of contenders. In the end, I settled on Bowers & Wilkins P5, Series 2. I really liked the sound and love the old-school simple look. They did a fine job with my mediocre iPhone library. I grabbed the pair from my nearest audiophile shop and the next morning laced up my hiking shoes to hit one of my fairly local trails.
Unfortunately, it took all of five minutes on pavement before I realized that the P5 amplified every step I took on paved surfaces. Since about 1/3 of my walking was paved, that wasn't going to work. I popped them back in the car, threw on the earpods and got moving. That evening I went back to the store and returned them. While I was there, a budding audiophile and I got to chatting while I perused the alternatives. He had me try on his daily drivers, an internet brand I'd never heard of. To my ears they had relatively similar audio qualities to the P5. Not quite, but closer than others. He let me step out and walk the block to hear how they handled paved footfalls. Perfect. Went home and ordered a pair of V-MODA XS On-Ear Folding Design Noise-Isolating headphones. I've used them ever since for most music when on foot. Not sure they live up to a high end home system since for serious listening I much more enjoy my PSB T2 speakers (with matched surrounds), SVS SB-2000 subwoofer to headphones. Podcasts (still most of my portable listening) are still earPod listening but I'm headed out of the country for a few weeks come Monday, so these will get the longest stretch of constant use on the ten hour flight and (hopefully) some hiking (if it cools down at the destination!)
I tend to prefer a more laid back sound. Lots of consumer headphones these days (Beats and Sony come tim mind) tend to cater to bassheads. To my taste, that makes the music not just thumpy but swampy. Since these were going to be used largely on walks I wanted something portable, which knocks out a lot of contenders. In the end, I settled on Bowers & Wilkins P5, Series 2. I really liked the sound and love the old-school simple look. They did a fine job with my mediocre iPhone library. I grabbed the pair from my nearest audiophile shop and the next morning laced up my hiking shoes to hit one of my fairly local trails.
Unfortunately, it took all of five minutes on pavement before I realized that the P5 amplified every step I took on paved surfaces. Since about 1/3 of my walking was paved, that wasn't going to work. I popped them back in the car, threw on the earpods and got moving. That evening I went back to the store and returned them. While I was there, a budding audiophile and I got to chatting while I perused the alternatives. He had me try on his daily drivers, an internet brand I'd never heard of. To my ears they had relatively similar audio qualities to the P5. Not quite, but closer than others. He let me step out and walk the block to hear how they handled paved footfalls. Perfect. Went home and ordered a pair of V-MODA XS On-Ear Folding Design Noise-Isolating headphones. I've used them ever since for most music when on foot. Not sure they live up to a high end home system since for serious listening I much more enjoy my PSB T2 speakers (with matched surrounds), SVS SB-2000 subwoofer to headphones. Podcasts (still most of my portable listening) are still earPod listening but I'm headed out of the country for a few weeks come Monday, so these will get the longest stretch of constant use on the ten hour flight and (hopefully) some hiking (if it cools down at the destination!)
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fascinating post.
It is a real pity that your experience with the P5s was so unfortunate, as they are my favourite headphone and have travelled the world with me; I love them - their appearance, the quality of the build materials (real leather and metal), the auto quality, the sheer portability.
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It really was a use-case issue and I don't fault the product. To my ears these are a close enough match. To my eyes? Well, not quite but these V-Moda really aren't bad and are an excellent compromise between form and function for my useage.
The P5 really look classy to me, though. I'm not a big fan of "giant cans" and the P5 were perfect (as were the P7). Not sure I can put my finger on it. The materials are certainly top notch; the leather is very soft, the "headband" very comfortable and minimalist. Something about their look reminds me of a control room at a recording studio... or the cockpit of an airliner. Maybe it's the clean lines and professional aesthetic. And that superficiality aside, they sounded very good with a variety of music (acoustic, rock, some electronic), even at low bit-rates and without using a headphone amp, a class of product I haven't felt the urge to seek upgrading (yet).
I've been stretching my AV budget too much in the last year since I found some deals too good to pass up (the $1700 receiver I've wanted for $650, updated surrounds for 1/3 their price) and grabbing the oppo 203 all-in-one CD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD, Blu-ray, 4k player. Just crazy, good-ol' American "spending to soothe a rough patch" (which never fails to fail!). Tempting as it still is to grab the P5s, my next expense is probably doing a light restoration on the vintage stereo I grew up with:
These posts mentioning the P5's makes me want to dig mine out. I love them but must have a big head as they're a little tight for me.