I do like them more than the HD6XX I think. More detail out of these. I feel like I need something to really enable them to “Open Up” though, I feel like I can tell there’s some sort of glass ceiling I’m hitting here.
I’ve never considered tube amps before but for some reason I instinctively feel like these would sound interesting out of a good tube amp.
That’s the schiit stack I would say
The clears on tubes isn’t the best combo imo, I think it preforms better on solid state. If you went with a hd800s tho I would strongly urge a full tube amp tho, but for the clears I think they do best on solid state (just a good one)
Fair enough. I know I sold myself as a neutrality/treble type but for some reason I’m just finding myself wanting to apply some warmth and soundstage to these is all.
But it could just be the lacking amp.
I think you will get what you are looking for with the upgraded dac and amp imo, I think it’s the best pairing for the clear for the price (the rnhp)
The clear on tubes can sound kinda off, like a poor eq or something, also messes with the speed and separation too much for the clear on a tube. The warmth is there but it affects too much. I think if you wanted a bit more warmth (after you get the rnhp) you could get a tube preamp if needed
I just remembered the high/low gain switch on my amp. I’ve never had to use it on my HD6XX or K7XX, I used them on low-gain. Flipping that seems to have made quite a bit of difference. Surprisingly these headphones like more amplification than the others. You kinda need to listen to them a bit loud, least on this stack.
They are very source picky but I like that I can hear everything. Any imperfections will probably be ironed-out by better equipment. Even without that though, I can hear things I wasn’t before, which is kinda wild.
That’s good, I think the schiit stuff tends to preform better on high gain (I just assumed you were already on high)
Is there a difference between using high-gain at lower volumes vs low gain at higher volumes?
Because I feel like there is one kinda. Something about when switching between different frequencies being at the forefront it feels like… more speed or something? And feels a bit more open… I dunno.
I thought you should use low-gain if you can handle it and only use high-gain when low-gain just can’t deliver enough power.
Well you are getting more power. It depends on what your amp was designed more for, for schiit stuff typically the higher gain ends up sounding better, but with some amps lower gain preforms better, so it depends. The clear don’t necessarily need a fair amount of power, they just need a better designed more refined amp imo (at least from my experiences)
Switching between different audio sources makes me appreciate them more. Some things just aren’t recorded or encoded so well, and I’m just seeing that with these. Other times I can hear how separated people are in the room and stuff and it’s great.
Now to try some gaming with them.
Once I get the new setup I’d love to compare with the HD800S and an Audeze LCD to be honest.
Just going to say that the lcdx pairs really well with the rnhp too lol (hd800s tho I would still say tube or go home)
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I feel like these headphones might have some burn-in time or time to get adjusted to as well, so just letting them do that.
If anyone has HD800S they’d be willing to load I’d love to try them out.
What would you look to for tube amps anyway? Just getting some brands down.
Think I need to get involved in some of the loaner programs somewhere.
Yeah just use the clears normally and they should burn in just fine
It depends on your budget and what headphones you would be using (assuming you would be looking for the 800s).
So I would seriously just chill for a few weeks with the clear and pick up the rnhp and a dac, and take it a bit slower. I know for myself that I personally prefer the clear to the 800s but that’s just me, but I would give yourself ample time to acclimate to the clear on a good amp and dac and see where to go for what direction you want to take things (or if you even want to move forward anyways). If you wanted something warmer, I don’t know if the 800s even on a tube would be what you are looking for tbh, that can be sorted out if it gets to that point
Yeah I think what’s going to happen is I’m gonna keep them and get the RNHP+D90. See how I feel.
Then I’m gonna be going through a cycle of auditioning headphones and reselling them until I decide what I want to really keep. Focal Clear, Sennheiser HD800S, Audeze LCD-X, AKG K812, HiFiMAN Edition-X v2, DanClark Aeon, Shure SRH1840, and Fostex TH-909 are all on my list to hit. I feel that switching between them will give me a better idea of where my ears land.
I’ll eventually come to a conclusion and re-buy the ones I’ve decided on. So I think I’m signing-up for a bit of a ride.
It’s all gonna be on the stack I have though – RNHP+D90. If we start switching those out too then we’re adding too many variables, and I’m wanting to do more of a controlled test. So whatever sounds best on that setup will be what I keep.
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I think all of those you listed would pair fairly well with the rnhp except the 800s, but it’s still something to try. For most people it seems like the 800s is an audiophiles midlife crisis headphone, where they get it and then realize they want something else and sell it off lol. I don’t see alot of people just stick with it anymore lol, but it is worth trying. I would suggest you could buy from somewhere with free returns and do it that way rather than selling off stuff (like if you buy new at regular price headphones.com has free returns).
Also instead of the edition x v2 I would look at the arya instead. But for now just chill and increase your understanding of higher end audio so you are informed and at least a bit more experienced when you try other headphones
Yeah that’s what I plan to do for now. I’m using Clears until I’ve spent a month with the full setup. I can’t even order the MQA enabled D90 till March, so I won’t be doing any headphone changes until April.
I feel like HD800S will be absolute neutrality and people just realize that absolute neutrality isn’t what they really want – so they look for what color of neutral is really theirs. Focal Clear is a color of neutral I think, as are most of the others I’d imagine.
I can tell you it’s not lol. It’s fairly bright with exaggerated presentation and while impressive, inaccurate sound staging and imaging, also not the best timbre. It is very much an analytical headphone. If that is a good or bad thing or not is up to you. I think the clear is a fair bit more neutral, but that’s just me. I trust the clear and other headphones more for mastering than I would for an 800s. By neutrality I am going closest to how something would sound in real life
Perfect, it should be a pretty enjoyable time imo (although I still don’t know if the d90 is worth it) 