I have a few sets of headphones that I use in various scenarios. I have a set of B&W P3 that I use when I travel for work - these are light, portable and well built. The on-ear designed pads are just small enough to not annoy you and the sound is acceptable for what they are. Then I have a set of gaming headphones, the Steelseries Arctis 1 wireless - they are as plastic as it gets, so build quality is not great but they are light and quite comfortable, wireless, have a good built in microphone and the battery lasts for two days with constant use. I use them for Zoom, Teams and Skype calls. My main heaphones though is a set of Audeze LCD2 manufactured in November 2014. Audeze started adding the Fazor elements in January 2014 so my set is one of the first year sets that included fazors. They weigh just short of 600g and will kill your neck and shoulders if you are not used to the weight. I changed the regular headband with the suspension model a year or so ago and it makes a huge difference in spreading the weight equally over you head. Still, the weight of the cans remain and it is not insignificant. I drive them with an Audeze Deckard DAC/Amp. Designed by BMW out of a block of aluminium the Deckard is not the last word in insightful DAC's but the amp section is super powerful and capable. I use the headphones with an aftermarket Toxic silver cable which increases the treble clarity from the standard cable..
So I was in the market for a set of closed back headphones for my work from home PC.
Why closed back - because my house is noisy when the family is here so i wanted something that could seal some of that noise out PLUS my current open back Audeze's headphones leak a lot of sound and, when using them at night, the family moans. Also using the LCD2 for a full day will send you to the chiropractor regulalrly. The Steelseries wireless set sound surprisingly decent but you feel like a helicopter pilot with the protruding microphone when not gaming or taking calls.
So my search led me to the Beyerdynamics DT770 250ohm and I managed to find a set via a kind forum member. The Beyers build quality is very good, the cups are a hard plastic but the rest is a combination of metal, leather and velour and even though they are light, it feels like quality. The coiled cable is also quite substantial. I tried them straight from PC's headphone out, but the 250ohm impedance limited the volume to something barely audible. I added an ifi Zen DAC to the mix to add some oomph to drive the headphones and iFi also adds an MQA capable DAC to the mix.
This is not a review but just some thoughts after a few days working with the Beyers / iFi combo and comparing them with the Audeze setup:
The Audeze and Beyers sound very different. Open vs Closed design apart, the Audeze offers substantial bass, something the Beyers just cannot achieve. The Audeze also offer a rich and powerful sound, the Beyer is thinner and brighter. Using the Deckard on the Beyer, you have to keep the volume in check as the sound gets very bright. The iFi Zen DAC is quite a lot darker than the Deckard and is therefore a better combination with the Beyers. Using the iFi on the LCD2's shuts the sound down and it become a bit lifeless and dull.
The Audeze's build quality is amazing - all leather and wood and the earpads are super plush and substantial. With the suspension headband they sit comfortably on your head, it is just their weight that counts again them. The Beyers are also comfortable, the velour headbands are much thinner and less plush but the light weight makes them comfortable to use for long stretches, the velour is also not as warm as the leather during hot days. The Beyers' clamping force is a bit more than the Audeze but it it won't give you headache.
The iFi ZEN DAC is the most nifty hifi device that I have encountered recently. It is only the size of a hand and runs off USB power (though you can add a wall wart to prove external power). It has relatively few "features" bar a "power match feature" which increases the gain and with it enabled it drives the Beyers to uncomfortable levels should you want to and a "TrueBass function" which adds extra bass weight. It is a great combination with the forward and thinner sounding Beyers. With Roon acting as MQA decoder the iFI does the rendering (second unfold) of Tidal Master files - the iFi indicating this by the power light changing to purple from its usual green when MQA files are played.
Does the Beyer/iFi combo come close to the LCD2/Deckard combo? - not a chance. The Audeze combo sounds fantastic, add the Audeze pre-set equaliser in Roon and that adds as some extra sparkle to the LCD2's darker treble turning the sound in something that is truly enjoyable.
The Beyer/iFi combo sounds good, though the Beyer's bass does not convince me. The closed design prevents the soundstage from being expansive and the sound is therefore flatter. If left unchecked, the Beyers' treble can become unruly and I think the iFi is a great combination for them in that sense. Overall it is decent combination that seals you off from the outside world and makes pretty good music.
Thoughts?
So I was in the market for a set of closed back headphones for my work from home PC.
Why closed back - because my house is noisy when the family is here so i wanted something that could seal some of that noise out PLUS my current open back Audeze's headphones leak a lot of sound and, when using them at night, the family moans. Also using the LCD2 for a full day will send you to the chiropractor regulalrly. The Steelseries wireless set sound surprisingly decent but you feel like a helicopter pilot with the protruding microphone when not gaming or taking calls.
So my search led me to the Beyerdynamics DT770 250ohm and I managed to find a set via a kind forum member. The Beyers build quality is very good, the cups are a hard plastic but the rest is a combination of metal, leather and velour and even though they are light, it feels like quality. The coiled cable is also quite substantial. I tried them straight from PC's headphone out, but the 250ohm impedance limited the volume to something barely audible. I added an ifi Zen DAC to the mix to add some oomph to drive the headphones and iFi also adds an MQA capable DAC to the mix.
This is not a review but just some thoughts after a few days working with the Beyers / iFi combo and comparing them with the Audeze setup:
The Audeze and Beyers sound very different. Open vs Closed design apart, the Audeze offers substantial bass, something the Beyers just cannot achieve. The Audeze also offer a rich and powerful sound, the Beyer is thinner and brighter. Using the Deckard on the Beyer, you have to keep the volume in check as the sound gets very bright. The iFi Zen DAC is quite a lot darker than the Deckard and is therefore a better combination with the Beyers. Using the iFi on the LCD2's shuts the sound down and it become a bit lifeless and dull.
The Audeze's build quality is amazing - all leather and wood and the earpads are super plush and substantial. With the suspension headband they sit comfortably on your head, it is just their weight that counts again them. The Beyers are also comfortable, the velour headbands are much thinner and less plush but the light weight makes them comfortable to use for long stretches, the velour is also not as warm as the leather during hot days. The Beyers' clamping force is a bit more than the Audeze but it it won't give you headache.
The iFi ZEN DAC is the most nifty hifi device that I have encountered recently. It is only the size of a hand and runs off USB power (though you can add a wall wart to prove external power). It has relatively few "features" bar a "power match feature" which increases the gain and with it enabled it drives the Beyers to uncomfortable levels should you want to and a "TrueBass function" which adds extra bass weight. It is a great combination with the forward and thinner sounding Beyers. With Roon acting as MQA decoder the iFI does the rendering (second unfold) of Tidal Master files - the iFi indicating this by the power light changing to purple from its usual green when MQA files are played.
Does the Beyer/iFi combo come close to the LCD2/Deckard combo? - not a chance. The Audeze combo sounds fantastic, add the Audeze pre-set equaliser in Roon and that adds as some extra sparkle to the LCD2's darker treble turning the sound in something that is truly enjoyable.
The Beyer/iFi combo sounds good, though the Beyer's bass does not convince me. The closed design prevents the soundstage from being expansive and the sound is therefore flatter. If left unchecked, the Beyers' treble can become unruly and I think the iFi is a great combination for them in that sense. Overall it is decent combination that seals you off from the outside world and makes pretty good music.
Thoughts?
