As I understand it, the Argons are also more closed than regular T50s. Don’t have a pair myself (yet) so it’s all hearsay of course.
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My T20RP MKIIs arrived at Ryan’s house yesterday so I’ll have my Argons in just a couple months! My excitement level is fangirl-esque. I’m also super excited that I’ll have them back in time for Borderlands 3, which is off topic but hey.
Hey guys, its a bit off topic and im sorry for that. However, i would like to ask for your opinions/suggestions on what would be a good companion hp for the MK3 Argons. Open-back would be my preferred next hp as my Argons are already on their way and would like a new hp as my next goal which preferably would be an opposite of the Argon’s sound (in a positive way). Doesnt matter if its planar or dynamic. Budget will be between USD 400 - 1,000 (amp/dac excluded). Im planning to get a separate/amp dac and your suggestions will also be highly appreciated.
As im new to this hobby i try to listen to all kinds of genres of music so im not really limited to a particular type.
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Ok so let’s break down what the Argon’s sound signature is described as and try and find something that is the opposite but not in a negative way. The main points about the argon are they have huuuuge sound stage and very strong bass. They also are supposed to image really well. For my understanding, what you would want is something probably more intimate, with really clean highs or maybe even just a more neutral sound. From what I have seen in reviews I’ve watched, you may be interested in looking into Sennheiser HD600s. Alternatively, you could go to the base site Hifiguides.com and select the categories bright and neutral and look through those and see if any catch your eye. If they do, you could watch a couple reviews and see if they sound like a good fit for what you’re looking for.
I have mrkII’s and MRKIII’S made from T60’s and the aune X7s runs them well balanced.
JDS Atom amp with a Topping D10 Dac is a hell of a pairing for under $200.
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Anyone have a chance to compare the Argons directly to the ZMF Classics. I’m very curious what people think. I don’t think @ZeosPantera has ever reviewed the Classics (if he did, I missed it).
From my review on reddit:
"Certainly, the ZMF is smoother across the entire frequency spectrum. The ZMF sounds slightly warmer in the midrange due to the continual slope of the midbass, and the midrange is more present than that of the Argon. Sub bass is outright better on the Argon, as well as the mid bass - although there is more of it than the ZMF. Midrange of the Argon is pushed back slightly but is more precise and transparent than the ZMF, but is less euphoric. Upper-midrange and highs are far superior on the ZMF, with no big dips like on the Argon. Note that my Argons have the exact same treble mod I did to the Classics as they do sound ‘tizzy’ to me stock.
Overall, the ZMF Classic is more well-rounded headphone if you are into a kind of jack of all trades. The Argon is a bit more niche with its crazy bass and huge sound stage, but it is still very fun especially if you are into gaming. I will be absolutely keeping the Classics, but as with the Argons, I feel the Alpha Primes actually sound similar apart from the fact that they have smoother treble, cleaner midrange and less mid bass - so I will probably end up selling the Argon."
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. A few questions:
- Do the classics have any sound stage?
- As far as imaging and detail, how well do the Classics work in those regards?
- I know the Argons’ bass bleeds into the mid-range some. Is that the same on the Classics?
As I’m starting to get more into this hobby, my taste is definitely starting to refine. I’ve found I like a much more detailed headphone with great imaging than one with a massive sound stage…if I had to pick. Obviously, I would want both in the best of worlds but it’s hard to find a headphone that is great at everything that doesn’t completely break the bank.
Mine just arrived 2 days ago. I’m still getting used to them. Powering them balanced off of a THX 789 and Grace SDAC. Big soundstage, deep subbass. A little hot around 10khz, and occasionally sibliant. Also voices have a bit of a muffled sound like if you set the crossover on your subwoofer too high and you can make out the bass notes of a voice, sort of like bass bleeding into the mids or something. Sound a bit better after eq -3db at 10 kHz and -5db at 166hz, and +4db at 3khz and +2db at 6800hz. I’m currently burning them in with pink noise, we’ll see if anything changes
Josh Valour did comparisons of T50RP mods. Can’t remember if the classics we’re included but I’m pretty sure he has at least 3 of them (t50rp mods) compared.
Topping DX3 Pro powers them really well.
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He did and he basically concluded the Argons was the one he would choose for a number of reasons. Link below.
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No problem mate, always willing to share my thoughts.
You can check out my Classic review here
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From my review - “Finally, sound-stage is, well, awesome. Very close to the Argon MK3 (if I had to put a number on it, it’d be ~15% smaller); spacious enough so that you feel entirely surrounded by the music with room to breath. However, the sound-staging of the Classic appears to be very circular, even, and large whereas that of the Argon is extremely wide left and right, but not as deep as the ZMF is front to back.”
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Imaging is really good, as with pretty much all t50rp mods. Not quite as good as the Argons though as the ZMF use more frontal damping. Detail is there but not amazing.
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The ZMF Classic have a mid bass elevation with a slow roll of into the mids. While this is certainly a bleed into the mids, the midrange is forward so it does not detract from vocals et cetera which are pushed back slightly with the argons. Bass is also more ‘overpowering’ and less tight on the Argons versus the ZMF.
These are all my opinions, I try to only talk about things that I’ve heard when I have objective evidence to back my theories
The Argons are indeed very interesting and fun sounding
And if you’re not an Audiophile they can be a great daily headphone for some genres of music
But if you’re a true enthusiast when it comes to musical fidelity, the actual t50rp driver made by Foster is very flawed.
They can’t do Subbass
The 30hz sine wave measurement is very unnatural
The driver is slow and never settles showing that it’s not properly dampened (look at the impulse response)
The bass distortion at 90db is massive and at 100db it rattles so much that it’s unusable
The highs are either super shrill stock or veiled in mods
If you haven’t heard anything better than HD598s they’re fun but compared to true Audiophile headphones they’re a joke
Now those are my impressions of the stock T50rp mk3s
But most of these issues cannot be resolved with any dampening modifications
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This is my setup (one of them, at least). My only complaint is that the Topping is longer and doesn’t stack well- the back feet hang off the back of the Atom.
That’s why I have the Atom on top 
Plus the Atom is lighter, so it seems to naturally fit better there.
Haha! That’s how mine is. I like it much better than the back end sticking out. Plus, I like the less heavy item on top.
So our OCD is just different then?? 
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